When pulling off the rose-colored glasses, it becomes evident that wrestling in the 1980s had its fair share of shortcomings.
Pro wrestling has a long history, but the 1980s may have been its hottest decade. Wrestling was changing at the time, moving from being mostly a regional to a more national product. The 1980s wrestling boom was a result of this. Top 10 Worst Elements in 1980s Wrestling
The Top 10 Worst Elements in Wrestling.
When the rose-colored glasses are taken off, it is clear that wrestling in the 1980s had its share of problems
Pro wrestling's rise in popularity spawned some of the most iconic characters in wrestling history and some of the most memorable storylines from both WWE and The NWA. As a result, most pro wrestling fans look back at the 80s fondly. When taking off the rose-colored glasses though, it becomes obvious that wrestling in the 1980s also had its fair share of flaws.
10/10
Syndication
The rise of television was a game-changer for pro wrestling. Before television, only fans who paid for a ticket and went to live events would witness pro wrestling. Television allowed pro wrestling to grow exponentially. The one downside to pro wrestling television in the 80s was that most of the programs were syndicated.
This meant that some regions of the country weren't seeing the same program as other regions, at least not at the same time. This hurt continuity of some storylines and made wrestling just a bit harder to keep up with nationwide. Avid wrestling fans always found a way to stay up-to-date though.
9/10
Fast Life On The Road
There are obvious physical risks that come with being a pro wrestler. What most fans back in the 80s probably didn't realize though was that life on the road was a bigger hurdle for some performers. Traveling 300 days a year is a rough life to live. To help deal with their bumps and bruises and their homesickness, many wrestlers often turned to drugs and alcohol on the road.
8/10
Too Many Disqualifications & Count Outs
Even after the rise of television, pro wrestling's bread a butter remained in the house show market for a good while. The logic behind much of the booking during the 80s was that television was more of an advertisement than anything. Promoters would book matches to air on television but more often than not those matches would end in a disqualification or a count out.
7/10
Weak Finishers
Since the 1980s, pro wrestling has evolved significantly. Some of that evolution wasn't necessary while some of it helped pro wrestling become culturally relevant. One of the things that have significantly changed has been finishers. In past eras, when kayfabe was alive and well, finishers didn't have to look so devastating for fans to believe in them
This resulted in some pretty weak-looking finishers, at least by modern standards. Today, 90% of moves that were used as finishers in the 80s are simply transitional moves. You won't see anyone today winning a match with a Leg Drop or Sleeper Hold. Although, it is troubling that even a Super Kick or DDT has been fazed out as a finisher.
6/10
Less Entrance Music
One of the biggest unsung heroes of pro wrestling's presentation is music. Today, entrance music isn't vital in creating a superstar performer but it certainly helps. There's nothing in wrestling that compares to the pop from a crowd when they hear the first few notes of familiar entrance music. In the 80s, entrance music was becoming a thing but wasn't fully integrated yet.
At the time, some performers like Andre The Giant and Bad News Brown still walked out to no entrance music. The first few Royal Rumble matches don't feel the same in hindsight because of the lack of entrance music. It might seem like a small detail but entrance music helped pro wrestling's presentation a lot.
5/10
Bullying
It's no secret that life on the road was brutal in previous eras of wrestling. During the 80s specifically, drug and alcohol use often led to erratic behavior and even bullying. With an all-time high amount of testosterone flowing backstage, altercations were common. Whether it was done out of hate or boredom, a lot of bullying during the 80s was disguised as "ribbing."
Guys would rob and conceal each other's possessions, including their cars. Thankfully, some of the worst practices have been eliminated today. Paying your dues is one thing, but picking on someone just for the sake of it is wrong, whether or not it is intended as a jest.
4/10 Sluggish
The pro wrestling product of today has unquestionably been unduly sensationalized. Since the death of kayfabe in the 1990s, the appeal of watching a pro wrestling fight has shifted from belief in the actual physical combat taking place in the ring to more of an appreciation for the art. Because of this, most contemporary fans find it difficult to watch ancient wrestling matches.
3/10
Steroids
There are two dirty words in pro wrestling. The "F" word and the "S" word. The "F" word is "Fake." Since kayfabe died in the 90s though, it's become generally accepted that pro wrestling is predetermined. That doesn't seem to bother enthusiasts at all anymore. The "S" word in wrestling is one that still carries a negative stigma, steroids.
2/10\sSexism
Sad to say, but there were no women's rights in the 1980s, at least not in professional wrestling. Women were mainly merely valets in the 1980s, with a few exceptions like The Fabulous Moolah. The only woman in a higher position in the 1980s was Miss Elizabeth, who was portrayed as a manager.
1/10\sRacism
While sexism existed in pro wrestling during the 1980s, it wasn't as prevalent as racism. Watching wrestling from the 1980s today can be a little embarrassing. Maybe some fans didn't recognize how racially biased some of the characters were when they were young. But referring to a Hispanic as "Chico" and labeling one of their techniques "The Flying Burrito" without their permission
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