The excess and exaggerated personalities of 1980s professional wrestling were matched by the impressive physiques on display. With bodybuilding rising in popularity, many wrestlers strived for muscular, well-defined builds to stand out from the crowd and intimidate foes. They portrayed over-the-top characters that required the bodies to back them up.
Cruiserweights were near impossible to find in the 1980s wrestling scene. The bigger the better was the motto of WWE‘s Golden Era. With that said, let’s look at 10 of the most jacked and shredded wrestlers from the ’80s who took their physiques to the extreme.
10 Ric Flair
The “Limousine Ridin’, Jet Flyin’, Kiss Stealin’, Wheelin’ Dealin'” Nature Boy Ric Flair had an impressively toned and muscular physique, with defined arms and a lean frame perfect for his quick in-ring style. Flair’s cardio endurance was at the highest level, despite his notorius reputation as a party boy, allowing him to wrestle 60-minute matches if needed. The chiseled sixteen-time World Champion could beat opponents with technical skill or raw power.
9 Rick Martel
With his legs and abdominal area sculpted to perfection, “The Model” Rick Martel’s physique matched his narcissistic character. His role as a vain pretty boy heel contrasted with the beastly heavies of the time. Martel performed an exhausting in-ring routine of squats, jumps, and push-ups to show off his abs and stay shredded.
8 The Road Warriors
Few could match the intimidating size and power of face-painted brutes Animal and Hawk. Together, they demolished all competition as The Road Warriors, thanks to their massive frames built by powerlifting. Animal relied more on his strength, while Hawk brought agility too.
The huge deltoids and traps of both men completed their warrior physiques.
7 Lex Luger
Luger’s ridiculously jacked, steroid-enhanced body, which he dubbed The Total Package, led to main event success in the late ’80s and early ’90s. At his peak, he was a 300-pound beast with just 5% body fat. Luger’s chiseled abs, huge arms, and tree-trunk quads were hyped heavily by the WWE. While maybe not the greatest worker, Luger coasted on his look to become a champion.
6 Sting
In his early bleach-blonde days in the NWA, Sting boasted an incredibly defined and muscular physique with under 5% body fat. His arms and shoulders bulged, his chest was chiseled, and his core showed a clear six-pack.
Sting could impress with high-flying or overpower opponents with his impressive build.
5 Randy Savage
The “Macho Man” had tree-trunk-sized arms that measured over 20 inches, a barrel chest, and incredibly shredded six-pack abs that perfectly complemented his colorful outfits. Savage maintained his leanness through cardio and diet, while packing mass onto his frame in the gym. His physique was tailor-made for his manic style. He carried this muscle mass until his final days. Rest in peace, Bonesaw.
4 Rocky Johnson
The Rock’s father and Tony Atlas’s tag team partner sported an ultra-shredded build from head to toe, featuring ripped abs and bulging biceps. Johnson had massive arms over 20 inches around, as well as tree-trunk legs from years of squats and lunges. His v-taper, broad shoulders, and muscular chest combined to give him one of the best physiques of the era. Johnson had true power-lifter strength.
3 Hulk Hogan
At 6’7″ and 300 pounds, Hogan was bigger than life in the ’80s, able to defeat monsters like Andre the Giant and King Kong Bundy. His 24-inch pythons, giant pecs, and muscular build made him an icon of the era. Hogan’s physique matched his superhero-like persona that drew fans worldwide.
2 Ultimate Warrior
With his massive frame, wild flowing locks, neon face paint, and insane intensity, the Warrior brought an otherworldly physical presence unmatched by anyone else. His bulging muscles and ripped conditioning gave him the power to overwhelm opponents through sheer ferocity.
1 Tony Atlas
A former Mr. USA bodybuilding champion, Atlas boasted one of the greatest combinations of mass and muscular definition in wrestling history. His hulking physique, featuring sculpted arms was more impressive than even some competitors who were heavy into anabolic steroids at the time. Atlas could manhandle foes without breaking a sweat.