10 Wrestlers Who Secretly Changed WWE History

8. The Honky Tonk Man

Until relatively recently, WWE had to remind everyone that the man with the longest Intercontinental title reign in history was a bad Elvis impersonator. The Honky Tonk Man reigned with the workhorse belt for 454 days, a record that was only broken by Gunther in 2024. However, had things gone a little differently, that reign might not have been quite so gargantuan. 

The original plan was for Honky to drop the title to 'Macho Man' Randy Savage in early 1988. However, the champion refused to play ball, which set in motion a history-changing set of events. 

Since the babyface Savage was no longer going to win the secondary title, Vince McMahon decided to put the company's main belt on him instead. He scrapped plans for the villainous Ted DiBiase to win the vacant WWE Championship at WrestleMania IV and instead booked the Macho Man to end the night with the winged eagle in his grasp. 

This title win elevated Savage into the main event and created a brand new top star for WWE. Had he not been given this opportunity, the latter half of the company's 1980s golden era would have looked very different.