WWE: The 18 Best Matches of the 1980s

The glory days of wrestling were the 1980s.

Every match seen on television was billed like a boxing title bout. Pay-per-views weren't expected monthly, and despite seeing some matches on TV every week, matches were built like each one was its own event.

It is the current WWE that looks back at how the '80s could entertain millions and captivate audiences by telling a story with their match and not needing to rely upon weapons and crazy bumps. If the new generation wishes to challenge the 1980s of the then-WWF, there are some big shoes to fill.

I'll be perfectly honest and say that this list was finished days ago but was constantly being revisited before being published. There were always new matches coming to mind and slots were being readjusted.

I fully anticipate the comments section to be flooded with omissions and questions on why one match is held in a higher regard over another.

Let the debate, as well as my list, begin.

18) Roddy's Rowdies vs The Rude Brood (Survivor Series)

Date: Nov. 23, 1989

We lead off the list with a traditional Survivor Series match from the 1989 Survivor Series and one of the last great matches of the 1980s.

Roddy's Rowdies, led by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, took on Rick Rude's team, known as The Rude Brood. Piper's team consisted of himself, Jimmy Snuka and The Bushwhackers, who competed against Rude, Mr. Perfect and The Fabulous Rougeaus.

A classic four-on-four match, Piper's team had a four-on-two advantage after disposing of the Rougeaus just a few minutes into the bout. Just a few minutes later, The Bushwhackers were gone as well, leaving just two men to each side. The captains of either side, Piper and Rude, were both counted out, leading to an encounter between Hennig and Snuka.

After nearly three minutes of wrestling alone, Mr. Perfect used the Perfectplex to win the match and be the sole survivor.

17) Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant (Main Event)

Date: Feb. 5, 1988

This match still lives on as one of the more baffling title matches in history. Never has a match that lasted just nine minutes brought so much to discuss about. Andre the Giant was trying to be the first man not named Hulk Hogan to hold the world championship in more than four years.

The intrigue began when Andre had Hogan in a pinning situation, which the referee counted to three for. Hogan kicked out after the one count, meaning that the count should have stopped. However, the referee never looked up to see it, and Andre had won his lone WWF Championship.

Not a few moments passed by before Ted DiBiase, who was in Andre's corner, was spending money in order to become the world champion. WWF President Jack Tunney held up the title, deciding on a new champion in a tournament at the upcoming Wrestlemania.

If that wasn't insane enough, it was revealed that Dave Hebner, the referee for the match, had someone who looked just like him. In reality, Earl Hebner has a twin brother, but that reasoning isn't good enough for WWE standards.

Hogan, as well as the commentary staff, jumped to the conclusion of DiBiase planting the referee in for the match and having some guy get plastic surgery on his face in order to look like Hebner. They could have just had an evil Hebner twin, but that seemed crazier than their plastic surgery idea.

16) Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage (WrestleMania V)

Date: April 2, 1989

WrestleMania V was billed as The Mega Powers exploding. The Mega Powers were one of the most notable tag teams in a very tag-team heavy 1980s.

Savage had become WWF Champion at the previous WrestleMania during that tournament described in the previous slide. He had held it all the way until the next WrestleMania, when Hogan earned his world championship back, beginning his second reign with the title.

The build to this match was huge, as these two former friends were now on opposite sides of the ring. Their match together ranks up there with some of the best that either have ever been involved in. They told a great story to live up to the hype and the show, despite having 13 other matches on the main card, gave this match time.

This match had nearly twice as much time as most of the matches that night.

15) Brainbusters vs Hart Foundation (SummerSlam)

Date: Aug. 28, 1989

I absolutely love this tag team match between The Brainbusters and The Hart Foundation.

Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson made up The Brainbusters, while The Hart Foundation was still up-and-coming with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and a Bret "The Hitman" Hart who was before his prime.

Hart and Neidhart put on a clinic for how to cut the ring in half and keep your opponent away from a tag. Anderson and Blanchard were veterans who knew how to overcome such an advantage.

There were tag team moves everywhere, and strategy was at the forefront of this chess match. In the end, Hart was going to have a pinfall victory for the tag team titles, but Bobby Heenan posed a distraction long enough to have the tables turn.

Anderson splashed on Hart and covered him while hiding his head, due to him not being the legal man. They basically pulled a fast one on an unsuspecting referee.

What a well-booked match.

14) Dream Team vs British Bulldogs (WrestleMania II)

Date: April 7, 1986

Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid take on Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Read that statement again and tell me that isn't a fantastic match, even just on paper.

Thankfully, it was even better in person than it looked on paper. Also include Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne in the corner of the British Bulldogs and this match has WrestleMania written all over it.

This match was the culmination of what was basically a year-long feud between the two teams. Finally, in this final match, The British Bulldogs were victorious with the titles on the line. This was the official coming-out party for one of the best tag teams of the 1980s.

This match took place roughly eight months before Dynamite Kid's career-threatening back injury that kept the duo from becoming an even bigger name in tag team history.

This match does not stand along, but I could only imagine what other matches could have made this list had Dynamite Kid not been injured seriously in late 1986.

13) Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts

Date: Aug. 9, 1986

Outside of Madison Square Garden, the arenas in Boston housed some of the best house shows that wrestling in the 80s could have.

This was also one of the better rivalries in the late 80s that was hardly played up much. Sure, the two would have some matches on Saturday Night's Main Event, but it was mostly a treat for those at house shows to see The Dragon and The Snake duke it out.

Most of their matches were similar in fashion, but there was always something different. Despite Steamboat always having the fast-paced offense full of chops and aerial moves, Roberts was always looking to slow the match down with his methodical pace and hard-hitting maneuvers.

The two balanced each other very well, and their conflicting styles made it easy to tell who was in control most of the time.

12) Team Mega Powers vs Team Twin Towers (Survivor Series)

Date: Nov. 24, 1988

The second-ever Survivor Series was main-evented by a team captained by The Mega Powers of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage against a team captained by The Twin Towers, comprised of Big Boss Man and Akeem.

The Mega Powers also recruited Hercules, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim to take on The Twin Towers, who had The Red Rooster, Ted DiBiase and Haku on their side.

After losing Red Rooster after a little more than six minutes, Team Twin Towers went on a roll, eliminating the three non-captain members of Team Mega Powers. With a four-on-two advantage, things unraveled for the team.

DiBiase was rolled up moments after gaining a two-man advantage. That advantage was certainly gone, as both Akeem and Big Boss Man got eliminated for disqualification and count out, respectively.

Suddenly, it was Haku all alone against Savage and Hogan.

Needless to say, we know who won that one. It was a fun half-hour long Survivor Series match to watch. In it, you can see comparisons between John Cena now and Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. If you look closely, there is a difference in what Hogan was able to do to keep as many fans on his side as possible.

11) Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude (SummerSlam)

Date: Aug. 28, 1989

"Ravishing" Rick Rude had practically stolen the Intercontinental Championship from The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania earlier that year. Warrior fought and clawed his way into this SummerSlam match, where the crowd was all about the Warrior and gave all of the heat toward Rude.

Heenan had his champion, Rude, gain some control of this title defense until "Rowdy" Roddy Piper came down to distract Rude, helping Warrior get back into the match. This helped Warrior gain his Intercontinental Championship, which he never should have lost.

It symbolizes the build back for The Ultimate Warrior on his way to becoming WWF Champion the following year.

10) Big Boss Man vs Hulk Hogan

Date: March 18, 1989

Inside a steel cage, Big Boss Man, a member of the Twin Towers at the time, took on Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden inside a steel cage.

It was at this time that, in my opinion, Big Boss Man was in his best shape, was the most over as a villain, and was the closest that he would get to being a world champion in WWE.

9) Jumping Bomb Angels vs. Glamour Girls (Royal Rumble)

Date: Jan. 24, 1988

Yep, I even put a women's match in this list.

Not only is it a women's match, but a match for the short-lived WWF Women's Tag Team Championship. At the first-ever Royal Rumble in 1988, The Glamour Girls, comprised of Judy Martin and Leilani Kai, defended their titles against Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki, otherwise known as the Jumping Bomb Angels.

Not just a title bout, this match was a two-out-of-three falls match with two of the best women's tag teams WWF had in that short time period. Other promotions, such as TNA, have women's tag team titles in hopes of having a match like this.

This match is a far cry from the Divas of today who can't run the ropes and become the reason of many bathroom breaks. This match is a treat if you can find it. This match is like finding a rare baseball card under an old mattress.

Cherish this match and respect it.

8) Randy Savage vs Bret Hart (Saturday Night's Main Event)

Date: Nov. 11, 1987

The Hitman and The Macho Man put it all out there for a Saturday Night's Main Event in 1987. This was the 13th edition of the show on network TV and featured just a few matches. This was, by far, the best of them that night.

This was Bret Hart's first high-profile singles bout since splitting from The Hart Foundation earlier in the year. The Hitman was out on his own and took it to Randy Savage, falling short of a victory. Hart was still a heel at the time and the wheels were turning for a face turn that would be rewarded the following year.

Hart became "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be," beginning with this match. Within the match, you can see Hart morph into the all-time great he became.

7) Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko (Showdown at Shea)

Date: Aug. 9, 1980

Before WrestleMania was the premier spot for big-time matches, events in specific arenas were where legends grew.

Madison Square Garden was a great spot in New York to make a star, but the WWF always had a thing for outdoor events. In 1980, Shea Stadium in Queens hosted a WWF event and featured a steel cage match between Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko.

Sammartino and Zbyszko were two of the titans of wrestling from the late 1970s, and their legend grew as the wrestling business grew exponentially in the 80s. This may not be the best cage match you have ever seen, but it was a nice match to set the tone for the decade where everything would change for sports entertainment.

6) Don Muraco vs. Jimmy Snuka

Date: Oct. 17, 1983

Jimmy Snuka was one of the most popular superstars of all time and is revered to be one of the best to never win the world championship. On this night, Snuka's legend grew as if he had won a world title. Instead, he leaped right into history and became one of the biggest fan favorites in wrestling history.

History may not really remember it, but the Intercontinental Championship was on the line. Muraco retained only by Snuka whipping his opponent toward the door and falling out of the cage. In front of a packed crowd in Madison Square Garden, Snuka brought Muraco back into the ring and laid him in the center.

What happened next is the everlasting image of Snuka to wrestling fans. He stood atop the steel cage, posed to the crowd and splashed down onto Muraco. Proud of his work, Snuka walked out of the cage and out of Madison Square Garden knowing he had just done something special.

What was even more special was a similar moment a year earlier, which we will see later on in the list.

5) Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (WrestleMania)

Date: March 31, 1985

The Match of the Year in 1985, according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan teamed together in the main event of the very first WrestleMania.

It was very well-received and even led to Mr.T appearing on WWE programming in the future. The match, especially Mr. T's ability to blend into the event, was essential to the success of not only WrestleMania, but the relationship between Hollywood and professional wrestling.

4) Adrian Adonis/Dick Murdoch vs. Brisco Brothers

Date: Dec. 28, 1984

In the final days of 1984 was one of the best tag team matches of all-time.

Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, the World Tag Team Champions at the time, had everything they could handle from The Brisco Brothers.

Less than a month later, Adonis and Murdoch would lose the titles to The U.S. Express. However, their match against the Briscos in the Garden was a legendary match and an unreasonable comparison to most tag team wrestling, especially today's WWE tag team division.

3) Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Iron Sheik

Date: June 16, 1984

A match stated by many to be the best of the 1980s is my third-best match in this list.

Sgt. Slaughter and The Iron Sheik had some fantastic matches in the 1980s, and this match ended their rivalry. In a match billed as a Boot Camp match, these two laid into one another in a classic Madison Square Garden match.

Confused on what a Boot Camp match is? Well, if you find a video on it, Howard Finkel takes about five minutes to explain it while the guy with the bell rings like a gavel being hit in a rowdy court room.

Basically, this was a no-disqualification match where falls counted anywhere and only a pinfall would win the bout.

Sheik and Slaughter put on a nice 15-minute match that had the crowd into it from start to finish. This is how a match can be extreme while not having to have dangerous spots and pools of blood.

2) Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka

Date: June 28, 1982

Jimmy Snuka was one of the most popular superstars of all-time and is revered to be one of the best to never win the world championship. On this night, Snuka's legend grew as if he had won a world title. Instead, he leaped right into history and became one of the biggest fan favorites in wrestling history.

In front of a packed crowd in Madison Square Garden, Snuka climbed the cage while Don Muraco lay in the center of the ring. Then, what happened is the everlasting image of Snuka to wrestling fans. He stood atop the steel cage, was close to escaping and becoming champion, but turned back toward the ring and tried to splash onto the champion.

Snuka missed and Backlund crawled to the door to retain the title.

1) Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania III)

Date: March 29, 1987

This is easily one of the three best matches I have ever seen.

It actually makes me upset that I wasn't born for another year and a half after it happened. WrestleMania III made the venue more than just a pay-per-view.

This night made the name WrestleMania the premier event for not just wrestling, but any form of sports entertainment. WrestleMania is neck and neck with the Super Bowl in terms of pop culture notoriety.

This is the great match not often remembered. Forget Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, because that match actually sucked. This match between "The Dragon" and "Macho Man" was an all-time classic.

It is so good and defines the era so much that I can't really call you much of a wrestling fan unless you have seen this match.

Even if you have seen it, watch it again. This is what every big-time match hopes to live up to.

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