20 WWE Superstars And Their 80s Counterparts

4. Daniel Bryan/Magnum T.A.

Luke Harper and Bruiser Brody
WWE.com/Online World of Wrestling

It’s a painful comparison to make, but right now it’s hard not to look at the career of Magnum T.A. when thinking about Daniel Bryan’s current predicament.

Now Bryan isn’t retired just yet, and here’s hoping that the former American Dragon has many, many more years of in-ring activity ahead of him, but right now he’s being hampered by injury issues that are throwing up major questions about his future.

With apparent shoulder and neck issues now dealt with, the big problem for D-Bry is believed to be concussions. For poor Terry Allen, a car accident caused severe neck problems, initially part-paralysis and the instant end of his wrestling career.

In the case of Magnum T.A., the NWA lost a huge babyface on the cusp of becoming ‘the man’ and who was set to lead the company forward as the World Champion. With Daniel Bryan, the WWE currently has their most popular, and arguably most talented, performer sat on the sidelines with an unsure future and huge questions surrounding his health and in-ring career.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.