10 Best Mid Card WWE Wrestlers Of The Golden Era

One harsh reality of the pro wrestling business is that not every performer becomes a main event talent. On the contrary, the majority of pro wrestlers will never break into the upper echelon of the business. This doesn't mean that undercard performers aren't vital to the success of the wrestling product, though.

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Midcard performers, specifically, are of great importance. During the 80s and early 90s, a select few performers hogged the main event spotlight. This led to perhaps the greatest era of midcard stars in WWE. Some would eventually go on to become main eventers. Others would never get past the upper mid-card but still left a lasting impression on fans

10 Haku Was In The Heenan Family And Won Gold With Andre The Giant

King Of The Midcard

WWE Debut Year	1986
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Tag Team Champion "King" of WWE
Final Year In WWE	1992

In an era full of legitimately tough performers, Haku might just have been the toughest. After finding moderate success in WWE as one-half of The Islanders, Haku was eventually named Harley Race's successor as "King" of WWE. This would catapult Haku to the upper midcard where he would occasionally dip his toe in main event waters.

After losing his crown to Jim Duggan, Haku joined Andre The Giant to form The Colossal Connection. The team would enjoy great success and even win the WWE Tag Team Championship. When the pair lost the tag titles at WrestleMania 6, it symbolized the end of Haku's run in the upper midcard. He'd leave WWE in 1992.

9 Rick Martel Was An Entertaining Heel

Fans Hated The Model During His WWE Run

WWE Debut Year	1980
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Tag Team Champion
Final Year In WWE	1995

Most fans remember Rick Martel for his gimmick as "The Model." While that was certainly Martel's most memorable role, he was also a huge part of WWE's tag team division throughout the 80s. Martel's first successful pairing was alongside Tony Garea in the early part of the decade. The tandem would win the WWE Tag Team Championship twice.

After that, Martel would be paired with Tom Zenk as The Can-Am Connection. In 1987, Zenk left WWE and Martel formed Strike Force alongside Tito Santana. Strike Force would help land Martel his third WWE Tag Team Championship. His tag team success, coupled with the success of "The Model" made Martel a huge part of the WWE midcard during the Golden Era.

8 Sensational Sherri Managed Some Of The Greatest Ever

Sherri Martel Was A Sensational Manager

WWE Debut Year	1987
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Women's Champion 2006 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1993

While women's wrestling had a role in WWE's Golden Era, it was far from a focal point. If anything, it was an afterthought. That didn't stop Sensational Sherri from being a huge part of the era, though. Sherri was not only a great female wrestler but an incredible overall performer. This is why Sherri, and whoever she was paired with, always found themselves in the spotlight.

During the Golden Era, Sherri found herself standing alongside big-name stars like "Macho King" Randy Savage, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, and a young Shawn Michaels. In every instance, Sherri enhanced her client's presentation, making her a vital contributor to WWE.

7 Tito Santana Was An Exciting Babyface Midcarder

Tito Was Reliable And Always Made His Opponents Look Great

WWE Debut Year	1979
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Intercontinental Champion WWE Tag Team Champion 2004 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1993

There are certain pro wrestling phenomenons that you had to be present to understand. Tito Santana's popularity during The Golden Era might fall into that category. Modern-day wrestling fans might not see the appeal of Tito, but anyone who was there for the ride knows just how over Tito was during the 80s.

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During the 1980s, Tito Santana was one of WWE's biggest and best midcard acts as both a singles and tag team star.

Tito is a former two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and a former WWE Tag Team Champion as part of Strike Force. At one point, Tito was even considered as a potential flagship star for the promotion. He was often positioned just under babyfaces like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. While he'd never reach main event status, he was a true upper midcard star.

6 Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Was Amazing

A True Fan Favorite During His Short WWE Run

WWE Debut Year	1985
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Intercontinental Champion 2009 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1991

If fans were in charge of booking, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat would've been a WWE Champion during The Golden Era. That's a testament to how insanely popular Steamboat was during his late 80s run with the company. At WrestleMania 3, Steamboat participated in what many fans still consider to be the greatest WrestleMania match ever against "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

After winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 3, it seemed as though the sky was the limit for Steamboat in WWE. Unfortunately, his request for time off after the birth of his child rubbed Vince McMahon the wrong way and altered the course of his WWE career. While he'd reach main event status outside of WWE, McMahon would never book him as such.

5 Honky Tonk Man Became A Legendary Intercontinental Champion

Honky Was Easy To Hate & Hard To Deny

WWE Debut Year	1986
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Intercontinental Champion 2019 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1991

Being a heel wrestler today is nothing like being a heel wrestler during The Golden Era. At that time, kayfabe was still in full effect. This meant heel performers were genuinely hated by fans. Perhaps the most hated WWE heel of the era was The Honky Tonk Man.

After winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Ricky Steamboat, Honky would hold the title for over a year, dominating WWE's midcard scene. He'd drop the title to The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1988 but by that point, Honky had already cemented his legacy as a heel and an upper midcard star.

4 Curt Hennig Was Literally The Perfect Wrestler

Mr. Perfect Arguably Deserved A Main Event Run

WWE Debut Year	1988
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Intercontinental Champion 2007 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1996

There was a lot of great talent in WWE's midcard during The Golden Era. However, only one of those talents can be described as being "perfect" - Curt Hennig. In an era full of flamboyant, over-the-top gimmicks, Curt Hennig's gimmick was that he was "Absolutely Perfect." As simplistic as it was, it got over with fans.

Despite Hennig being a heel, fans could appreciate the perfect performances he put on anytime he was on camera. Mr. Perfect would be a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion but unfortunately, despite being an incredible overall performer, he could never break through into the main event scene.

3 Bret Hart Was A Midcarder In The Golden Era

The Hitman Won His First WWE Championship In October 1992

WWE Debut Year	1984
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hall Of Famer (2006, 2019)
Final Year In WWE	1997

While Curt Hennig struggled to transition from an upper midcarder to main event status, Bret Hart luckily didn't have that issue. During most of The Golden Era, WWE's next flagship star hid in plain sight as part of the wildly popular Hart Foundation tag team. At the tail end of the era though, Hart would be earmarked for future success.

At SummerSlam 1991, Hart would win a classic match against Mr. Perfect to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. At WrestleMania 8, Hart would once again win the Intercontinental Championship in another classic match against Roddy Piper. At that point, Hart's future success would become a lot more obvious.

2 Jake "The Snake" Roberts Always Had Everyone's Attention

Always Ready To Strike

WWE Debut Year	1986
WWE Career Highlights	Marquee feud with Randy Savage 2014 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1992

Some younger fans might look at this entry and wonder how a guy who never won a single championship in WWE could be ranked so high. Well, the answer is simple, Jake "The Snake" Roberts was as over as over could get during The Golden Era. Sure, Jake doesn't have the accolades of other stars from the same era.

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In 1986, a feud between Hulk Hogan and Jake "The Snake" Roberts stopped as soon as it started due to the wrong wrestler being cheered.

Despite that though, fans flocked to Jake at a rate that even made "The Hulkster" nervous. This is why Hogan stayed as far away from Jake as he possibly could. With his snake Damien by his side and armed with the most popular finisher of the time, the DDT, Jake was arguably the most appealing star of the era.

1 "Ravishing" Rick Rude Was Very Charismatic

Fans Loved To Hate The Ravishing One

WWE Debut Year	1987
WWE Career Highlights	WWE Intercontinental Champion 2017 WWE Hall Of Famer
Final Year In WWE	1990

Speaking of midcard stars Hulk Hogan stayed far away from, we've landed on the top midcard performer of The Golden Era, "Ravishing" Rick Rude. With a body that seemed to be chiseled out of marble and undeniable charisma, Rude quickly elevated to the upper midcard in WWE. He'd capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 5.

From there, Rude seemed poised to be a main event heel. Unfortunately, the backstage politics were never in his favor, which is one of the reasons Rude never reached main event status until shortly before he left the company. Luckily, in WCW Rude would be booked like the main event star he truly was.