5 WWE Golden Era Legends With Great Reputations (& 5 With Awful Reputations)

To many older fans, pro wrestling in the '80s holds a special place in their hearts. The '80s was a simpler time in society and especially in pro wrestling. Sure, the movesets back then might've been a lot less extravagant but the characters from that era and the storytelling were top-notch. The '80s wrestling boom led to the rise of many future legends.

Many of those WWE legends cared about the wrestling business and always tried to give back. Thus, they've earned incredible reputations over the years. Conversely, the '80s also featured some individuals whose actions earned them some pretty awful reputations moving forward.

10 Good: Mr. Fuji

Some pro wrestling performers portray characters that are very close to their true selves. Other performers play a character that is a bit of a departure from their true selves. Mr. Fuji fell somewhere in between. What many fans, especially younger ones, forget about Mr. Fuji is that he was a great wrestler up until the early '80s.

Despite the devious character Fuji played on air, the real-life Mr. Fuji was a sweet man with a huge sense of humor. Fuji is one of the most notorious ribbers in WWE history. Ribbing and hazing are two different things and Fuji always kept his ribs funny. Furthermore, when Fuji managed Yokozuna, it was said that Fuji took great care of the big man on the road. All these things combined earned Fuji a great reputation over the years.

9 Bad: Andre The Giant

A certain tan, skullet-rocking individual catches a lot of flack from fans for always being so protective of his spot. However, he wasn't the only '80s megastar who was protecting a spot. Andre The Giant was one of the biggest bullies around in The Golden Era. Yet, he mostly gets a pass from fans. In reality, Andre could be a very bad person at times.

Andre was especially cruel to other big men. He would often go into business for himself when facing other big opponents. Big John Studd, specifically, had run-ins with Andre simply because Andre didn't want to share the big man spotlight. Shockingly, Andre's reputation isn't as bad as it should be. There are still some blemishes though.

8 Good: Mr. Perfect

One of the unfortunate truths about pro wrestling is that sometimes the most talented performers don't get what they deserve from the business. Curt Hennig is a great example of that. At his peak, Hennig was arguably the best worker in the world. As Mr. Perfect, Hennig could make just about anyone look like a million bucks in the ring. He was just that good.

Unfortunately, Hennig's reputation for getting lesser performers over would eventually lead to his career plateauing, especially in WWE. Instead of being pushed the way he deserved, Hennig would find himself being more of a stepping stone for other performers. It's like he was being punished for being great at getting others over.

7 Bad: Dynamite Kid

As a whole, society has grown a lot since the '80s. Many things that were acceptable back in those days are heavily frowned upon today. High on that list is hazing. The act of hazing used to be very prominent among young men and especially athletes back in the day. Wrestling was no different. Ribs, or practical jokes, have always been a big part of wrestling.

However, there's a fine line between ribbing and hazing. In the '80s, The Dynamite Kid was notorious for taking things too far. Over the years, there have been stories of animal cruelty and many stories of Dynamite just being a straight-up jerk to many of his peers. Let's not even get into him being an abuser.

6 Good: The Undertaker

There is perhaps no performer in pro wrestling history that has ever garnered respect from his peers the way The Undertaker did. Even as a young performer during the latter days of The Golden Era, 'Taker carried himself like a true professional. He always put the business before himself, which is more than can be said about some other stars of the era.

A young Undertaker even kept his composure when a certain BROTHER flat out lied and told other wrestlers that 'Taker had been unsafe with them during a match, leading to an injury. As the years passed, The Undertaker would become the ultimate locker room leader in WWE.

5 Bad: Jimmy Snuka

Unfortunately, there are some really bad people in the world. Despite the fame and glory, Jimmy Snuka was a terrible human being. It does have to be stated that wrestling is a hard profession where performers are surrounded by violence and testosterone. Still, that doesn't excuse murder. Whether some people want to hear it or not, Jimmy Snuka was a murderer.

In 1983, Snuka killed Nancy Argentino. Sadly, for many years, the crime was covered up and Snuka was allowed to continue living his life as if nothing happened. When Snuka was tried for the crime decades later, he was conveniently found mentally unfit to stand trial. The fact that this murderer is in the WWE Hall Of Fame and is still celebrated by the company is a joke.

4 Good: Bret Hart

Most fans remember Bret Hart as the leader of WWE's New Generation. While that is what Hart's legacy is mostly built around, he was also a vital part of The Golden Era. Hart was one half of arguably the greatest tag team of the time, The Hart Foundation. At the time, both Hart and his brother-in-law, Jim Neidhart, had reputations for being incredible workers.

That reputation would follow Hart for the rest of his career. "The Hitman" would also be praised throughout the years for the professionalism he showed while he was a performer. In recent years, Hart has been labeled a whiner or a complainer but that shouldn't take away from his incredible reputation among his peers.

3 Bad: Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is arguably the most complicated figure in pro wrestling history. On one hand, Hogan was the greatest thing that ever happened to the business. Behind Hogan's star power, pro wrestling grew bigger than anyone could've ever possibly imagined. On the other hand, Hogan's refusal to move out of the spotlight hindered future generations of stars.

There's no telling how many careers would've played out differently had "The Hulkster" not been so protective of his top spot. Legends like Jake "The Snake" Roberts and "Ravishing" Rick Rude were two specific performers from the '80s that were held down by Hogan's politicking. All these years later, it turns out everything Randy Savage said about Hogan was true. He was a "grandstander and hot dogger."

2 Good: Randy Savage

For as much attention as Hulk Hogan brought to wrestling, he never had the respect of his peers the same way "Macho Man" did. And for good reason. Savage was the antithesis of Hulk Hogan backstage. Almost everything Savage did during his career was in the best interest of the business.

When his time atop WWE was winding down, Savage stepped to the side, joined the commentary team, and became a mentor to WWE's New Generation. Not only was Savage a locker room leader but he was also charitable outside the ring. Before WWE had a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Savage was already visiting sick children. He didn't need a mandate or policy to be a good person.

1 Bad: The Ultimate Warrior

One thing many wrestling stars have in common is that at one point or another, they were fans. That didn't apply to The Ultimate Warrior. It takes a special kind of creep to have a worse reputation among wrestlers from the '80s than Hulk Hogan. Somehow though, Warrior achieved that.

Perhaps it was his stiff and at times dangerous working style. Perhaps it was his incoherent ramblings. Or perhaps the fact that he detested wrestling and thought he was smarter than everyone in the business. Whatever the case, Warrior rubbed almost all of his peers the wrong way. Luckily, Warrior got the chance to mend some of those fences before he tragically passed away in 2014. Still, Warrior had hands down the worst reputation of anyone from WWE's Golden Era.