WWE Mount Rushmore of the 1980s
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Mount Rushmore is a monument in South Dakota in the USA. On it are the visages of four former presidents of the country carved into the side of a mountain. Among the presidents are George Washington, the first president of the US and Abraham Lincoln, the man who was president during the Civil War in the United States and who helped to free those in bondage.
Also among the faces atop the mountain are Thomas Jefferson, the third president and framer of the US Declaration of Independence and Teddy Roosevelt, who was president at the start of the 1900s. He started the 'Conservation Movement' in the US to save the country's natural resources, including animals, forests, plants and other resources.
All four men had enormous impacts on the shaping of the USA and because of their contributions, they were all immortalized on the Mount Rushmore Monument as seen below.
Any time a select group of people is credited for creating something or being at the top of their fields, those front-runners are sometimes referred to as that field's 'Mount Rushmore.' In terms of the wrestling world and the WWF/WWE, the 1980s was the decade that professional wrestling truly became a part of mainstream culture.
It had its biggest show annually in WrestleMania and it often attracted various other celebrities who were big at the time, including Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Alice Cooper and even Donald Trump.
Since the '80s brought wrestling into the forefront of society, there are certainly particular superstars who were big parts of helping that process. Although the actual Mount Rushmore only has four faces, I would include the five following superstars in a Mount Rushmore of the WWF/WWE from the 1980s.
#5 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper
Although Piper failed to capture the WWF World Heavyweight Title during his various runs in the company, his persona was so larger than life that it helped make him one of the most memorable superstars in the history of the business.
Before he became a beloved face in the WWF, Piper was instrumental in the early stages of the WWF becoming something that was acceptable in mainstream culture. At the first WrestleMania in 1985, he partnered with Paul Orndorff to oppose the duo of Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in the main event.
It was the spectacle's biggest match to date at the time as both Mr. T and Hogan had also appeared in the Rocky movie franchise in Rocky III. It was one of the first signs of wrestling spilling into the mainstream culture and is something that has continued until this day.
Piper was also featured in one of the main events of WrestleMania II when he challenged Mr. T to a boxing match. If Piper wasn't so important to the company in the early stages of 'Mania, then he wouldn't have had a part in its first two main events.
He became even more beloved due to his promo ability and face run in the late '80s and early 1990s. For anyone looking to improve their promo skills, they should definitely consider watching old tape of Piper's.