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The weird, wild world of professional wrestling is unlike any other form of entertainment out there. Its mix of athleticism, soapy drama, flashy costumes, and violence seems to fulfill all of our basest desires. Over the decades, the lore has become quite convoluted, and with so many personas and characters feuding and teaming up with each other, it's hard to keep track of it all. Not to mention the many different leagues that these performers work in, from the National Wrestling Alliance to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, to the king of them all, World Wrestling Entertainment, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation.

But in the midst of all that confusion, there have been a number of characters over the years simply too flashy and fantastic to forget. During wrestling's heyday, from the '80s to the '90s, characters like Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker made this strange sport a worldwide hit.

Read on to learn about the greatest wrestlers from the '80s and '90s.

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Quite possibly the most famous wrestling personality outside of the ring, the French behemoth Andre the Giant was sometimes known as the Eighth Wonder of the World due to his incredible size. Famous not only for wrestling but also for his role in 1987's 'The Princess Bride,' Andre's size was caused by gigantism, a condition that likely contributed to his early death. He passed away on January 27, 1993, at the age of 46.

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Ric Flair is one of the most enduring names in wrestling, and many out there would say he's the very best. With a career starting in 1972 and spanning over 15 years, collecting 16 World Champion titles under his belt along the way, it's hard to argue with them.

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One of the most recognizable names and faces in Wrestling, Hulk Hogan is credited to bringing professional wrestling into the mainstream. Living up to his slogan, "I fear no man, no beast, or evil, brother," Hogan headlined eight of the first nine Wrestlemania competitions, and his match against legendary French wrestler Andre the Giant in 1988 remains the most-watched wrestling event in TV history.

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While not the most decorated wrestler in history, many agree that "Macho Man" Randy Savage was one of the greatest performers to step into the ring. With his flamboyant costumes and unforgettable antics, wrestling fans didn't care if the Macho Man won or lost, they knew he would always put on a good show.

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Steve Austin, known in the ring as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 1990s, reaching legendary status in the WWF canon thanks to his long-standing rivalry with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who eventually defeated him in the ring once and for all in 2003.

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One of the biggest movie stars of the 21st century, Dwayne Johnson started his performance career under the wrestling moniker "The Rock" in the mid-1990s. Johnson quickly became one of the most popular fighters in the ring, famous for his quick wit and relentless trash talk.

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One of the most recognizable figures during the 1980s wrestling boom, the Iron Sheik was the only Iranian wrestler to become WWF or WWE World Champion. A lifelong rivalry between the Sheik and Hulk Hogan skyrocketed both of them to stardom in the early 1980s.

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Bret Hart, along with others like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, is considered to be one of the best of the best in the history of wrestling. During a wrestling career that started in the 1970s and lasted well into the 21st century, Hart has held no less than 32 championship titles.

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Jim Hacksaw Duggan, an instant star in the late 1980s who has continued to wrestle well into the 21st century, is instantly recognizable by his incorrigible patriotism and his weapon of choice: the trusty 2x4 cut of wood.

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Matt and Jeff Hardy, known together as the Hardy Boyz, are one of wrestling's most successful tag teams. With a career that stretches back to 1993, the two gained popularity during prop-heavy chair matches and ladder matches. Over their career, they have won 12 different tag team championships.

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One of the first popular professional wrestlers who went on to make an even bigger name for himself outside of the ring was Mr. T. Recognizable by his obvious adoration for gold jewelry, Mr. T rose to widespread stardom after starring in 1982's 'Rocky III' and later acting in 'The A-Team' as tough-guy handyman B.A. Baracus.

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Jushin Thunder Liger, up until his official retirement in 2020, was one of the most bombastic and most popular personalities in Japanese wrestling, not to mention one of its most enduring. Between 1984 and 2020, the Liger fought in over 4,000 wrestling matches.

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After signing with the WWF in 1995, Triple H quickly became one of the most successful professional wrestlers in history, inside and outside of the ring. A common sight at wrestling's biggest televised events, Triple H has also become Executive Vice President of Talent Strategy & Development branch of the WWE.

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One of the most distinctive characters in the history of wrestling, the Undertaker was known for his over-the-top performances and personality. Presenting as death incarnate, backed by a macabre manager and a team of mysterious druid henchmen, the Undertaker was one of the most beloved characters of the late '90s, and he made history when he won all of his 21 matches between 1991 and 2013.

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Davey Boy Smith, sometimes referred to in the ring as the British Bull Dog, was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2020. He was one of the only English fighters in the WWF, and was the longest-reigning WWF European Champion, holding the title for a total of 253 days.

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While his career was short-lived, the Ultimate Warrior was a massively popular wrestling personality in the late 1990s. The Ultimate Warrior was best known for his team wrestling performances, as one half of the Blade Runners, along with fellow wrestler Sting.

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Sting, the other half of the Blade Runners, went on to have a much longer career than his former team member. Sting has remained one of the most popular characters in wrestling across all of the major promotion agencies, including the WWE and WCW. Sting has been named World Champion a total of 15 times over the course of his four decades in the ring, and as of 2022, he hasn't stopped yet.

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One of the most iconic tag teams in wrestling history was the Road Warriors. The inseparable team of Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk were nearly unstoppable and are cemented in wrestling history for their unforgettable finishing move, the "doomsday device."

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Brutus Beefcake was a ruthless fighter in the ring. His career started alongside Hulk Hogan, and the two originally billed themselves as brothers. Beefcake would become best known in the late 1980s for his "Barber" persona.

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Greg "The Hammer" Valentine was another of the original wrestlers to cause the boom of popularity that occurred in the 1980s. Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, Valentine amassed an impressive 40 championship titles.

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Sherri Martel, who sometimes appeared in the ring as Sensational Sherri, was a trailblazing wrestler and manager in the WWF before it transitioned to the WWE. She fought in numerous Women's Championships, and acted as manager for Hulk Hogan and Ted DiBiase, among others.

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An Elvis-like persona of 1980s wrestling, the Honky Tonk Man was massively popular throughout his career, and made history in the late 1980s when he held his WWF Intercontinental Champion title for 64 weeks.

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First stepping into the ring in the mid-1980s, Razor Ramon rose to fame as one-third of the legendary New World Order wrestling team, alongside Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash.

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Jinsei Shinzaki, best known in the west as Hakushi, is a fearsome figure in the world of Japanese wrestling. During the mid-1990s, he gained worldwide fame when he fought in the American WWF and caused more than a little bit of drama within the Western ranks, facing off with established champions such as Bret Hart.

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Santino Marella, over the course of a decade, became one of the WWE's most-loved personalities. Debuting during a live match in Italy as a fan picked from the crowd, Marella won his first match, and though he wouldn't win many more, his antics in the ring made him a fan favorite.

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Known throughout the decades as the "Heartbreak Kid," "The Showstopper," and "Mr. Wrestlemania," Michaels led an illustrious career between 1988 and 2018. During that time, Michaels became a four-time world champion, and fought against John Cena in what the WWE itself considers the best match to air on its 'Monday Night RAW' program.

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Scott Steiner has been a familiar name throughout the wrestling world since the 1980s. Unable to be tied down to any one promotion company, Steiner has fought for the WWE, World Championship Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is currently signed with the National Wrestling Alliance.

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Rowdy Roddy Piper, capitalizing on his Scottish heritage, was known for his love of bagpipes and kilts. His carry spanned from the mid-'80s into the 2000s, and he was once called by Ric Flair the "most gifted entertainer in the history of professional wrestling."

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Irish-born Sheamus began as an independent wrestler in the European circuit and became quite popular before signing to WWE in the early 2000s. Since then, Sheamus has become a four-time world champion.

Sources: (Ranker) (WWE) (Bleacher Report)