10 WWE Superstars That Would've Thrived In The Hulkamania Era

Which talents of today could've believably mixed it up with Savage, Hogan, and Andre?

Hogan Strowman WrestleMania III
WWE

WWE has made a habit of comparing its current crop of WWE superstars to the greats of past generations. How many times have we heard Dean Ambrose being compared to the late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper - or AJ Styles considered the second-coming of Shawn Michaels? These types of discussions make for good debates, but often times put the current crop of WWE superstars in a negative light.

How can anyone possibly live up to such lofty comparisons?

Well, what if we flip the script for a moment? Instead of focusing on the superstars that have been, fairly or unfairly, compared to the all-time greats and have a lot to live up to, let's focus on today's talents that could've competed with the stars of the past, specifically during the Hulkamania era.

What WWE superstars, on the roster in 2017, could've hung with the likes of 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, Ravishing Rick Rude, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, and The Million Dollar Man?

Which tag teams could've chased the titles away from The Hart Foundation, Demolition, or The British Bulldogs? And what women could've worked alongside Sensational Sherri and Miss Elizabeth?

10. Big E

Hogan Strowman WrestleMania III
WWE.com

His near 300 lb frame and impressive powerlifting career, combined with an undeniable charisma, would've surely landed Big E a favorable spot working for WWE 25 years ago. In 2017, as part of the most over group in all of professional wrestling, E's WWE career has been nothing to spit on, especially since forming The New Day with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.

Big E's post-New Day career, though, is not an easy one to envision nor predict.

Had E been wrestling in the mid-80s, an upper-midcard (or higher) heel run would've been a strong possibility. It's easy to picture Big E squaring off against the likes of Tito Santana or Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the middle of the card, before making his way up to The Ultimate Warrior or Hulk Hogan if he demonstrated enough aggression as a heel. He'd also have made a powerful tag team partner similar to The Hart Foundation's Jim Neidhart.

Whether or not he's able to break into the main event as a solo competitor remains to be seen. I, for one, would love to see it but had E been born a few decades earlier, chances are we already would have seen it.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.