10 Wrestling Legends PG Fans Should Know (But Probably Don't)

4. Adrian Adonis

Adrian Adonis is probably best known for his "adorable" gimmick in the 80s and more specifically, his match with Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania III, but there was more to Adonis' career than just an exotic character. Adonis made a name for himself wrestling in the early 70s working for Don Owens in the Portland territory, but he reached another level when he formed the East-West Connection with Jesse Ventura during his two year stint in the AWA. In 1980, Adonis developed a street wise persona and he cut some really good promos along with Ventura. While Jesse was the muscle of the team, Adonis preformed an innovative array of offensive moves that were rarely seen at the time, including unique slams and variations of a suplex. Adrian also took some tremendous bumps and could make his opponents look good in the ring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX_ayT_J_H4 Eventually, Adonis went to the WWE in 1981 and he had success there, but after a few years he gained a significant amount of weight, which led to the "adorable" gimmick in 1985. Adrian could move for his size and his promos actually made the gimmick work, but the comical character somewhat overshadowed his work from previous years. After a short stint in the AWA, Adrian Adonis passed away in a car accident in 1988.