12 Wrestling Superstars From The 80s: Where Are They Now?

7. THE WARLORD

The Warlord (Terry Szopinski) was a memorable WWE wrestler if for no other reason than the fact that he possessed a superhuman physical figure that managed to stand out even in an age of impossible (i.e. steroid-assisted) superhuman physical figures. As a member of The Powers of Pain, he and his partner The Barbarian actually managed to capture the WWE tag-team championships (with the help of the late Mr. Fuji) before they dropped them back to Demolition at WrestleMania V.

Szopinski retired from wrestling in 1996 following neck injuries he sustained in a car accident, but was able to return to the indie circuit in 2003. His last major wrestling appearance was as a member of the Faces of Pain alongside The Barbarian and Meng at Chikara’s 2012 King of Trios tournament. He is also currently involved in the class action lawsuit against WWE over brain injuries.

8. JIMMY VALIANT

While Jimmy Valiant (James Fanning) arguably reached his career peak in the ‘70s when he and Johnny Valiant served as WWWF tag-team champions for quite some time, he did resurface in the ‘80s as a regular for Jim Crockett Promotions during some of their early PPV and super card shows. His biggest show during this time was Starrcade 1984 where he lost a Loser Leaves Town Tuxedo Street Fight to Paul Jones. Valiant had his “retirement” match at WrestleReunion in 2005 which only lasted until a 2012 return to tag team wrestling.

The 74-year-old Valiant doesn’t do much in-ring work these days, but you can usually find him at some indie shows signing autographs as well as copies of his autobiography “Woo…Mercy Daddy!”

9. BUTCH REED

“The Natural” Butch Reed rose to fame as a member of the WWE roster in the late ‘80s even though he actually got his start as a fairly active member of the Mid-South Wrestling roster earlier that decade. In fact, he actually participated in one of that promotion’s most memorable feuds when he took on the beloved Junkyard Dog. His stint in WWE was much less eventful as the feud he was meant to have with Superstar Billy Graham was canceled due to Graham’s deteriorating health. Reed then served as a regular on the WCW tag scene for a few years before leaving the company forever in 1992.

From there, Reed became the second to last GWF World Champion before the company folded, took some indie bookings throughout the 2000s, and made his WWE return in 2008 during a backstage segment on SmackDown. He’s currently retired from in-ring activity and is involved in the class action lawsuit filed against WWE over the matter of brain injuries.