10 WWE Attitude Era Stars & Their 80s Counterparts

It has often been said that sports-entertainment is a cyclical business. If a storyline or an angle or match type worked, you better believe you will see it again. The same can be said for the superstars and characters that are presented. While not always obvious, many of the most successful and fondly remembered characters in professional wrestling history contained some sort of foundation or shared similarity with a superstar that came before. In the 1980s, the World Wrestling Federation became a big part of pop culture in large part due to Hulk Hogan and the Rock-N-Wrestling Connection. During the rise of the WWF, there were several outlandish characters introduced. From Jake "The Snake" Roberts to the Gobbledy Gooker, the WWF seemed to have every type of character imaginable during its earlier years. As time went on, these gimmicks grew to be somewhat lame (like the Gooker) and began reflecting very over-the-top personas as well as the most common of day jobs. By 1996, the WWF was home to a plumber, a trash man, a clown, and a hockey player among many others. As can be imagined, not all of these characters were successful. The Attitude Era began around 1997 and eliminated many of these bogus gimmicks. That's not to say the most profitable time period in pro-wrestling history was without it's colorful characters. In fact, many of the more successful stars had characteristics and similarities that called back to the previously successful Hogan Era. Both the Attitude Era and what has been termed the Hogan Era had characters portraying the power-hungry millionaire, the sexually-charged womanizer, the dark and brooding mystery, and the Hollywood movie stars to name a few. This list takes a look at the two most popular time periods in WWE history and 10 of its biggest superstars that shared a stand-out characterization.