20 WWE Superstars And Their 80s Counterparts

At one point in time, it would’ve been easy to compare R-Truth to the late Junkyard Dog. When under the then-WWF umbrella, JYD was an African-American with a love of shaking his rump and a superstar who was hugely popular with the majority of viewers, particularly kids.

Ron Killings had been doing a similar shtick for many years – the rapping, dancing babyface who would get kids to sing along with him – before veering down the Little Jimmy path. Ever since then, Truth has been portrayed as unhinged and bordering on mentally handicapped.

Flash backwards to the 1980s World Wrestling Federation and you’ll find George “The Animal” Steele, a loveable superstar who was at best deemed simple, at worst labelled retarded. Whereas R-Truth is often seen wearing something resembling a straitjacket, George Steele would be seen eating turnbuckles.

Despite an uber-brief main event feud with John Cena, the majority of Killing’s WWE time has been spent as lower-midcard comedic relief. As for The Animal, he’s still picking the bits of turnbuckle out of his teeth to this day.