Retro Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?
Hulk Hogan is back, but where are our other favorite WWE stars?
Feb. 24, 2014— -- intro: Hulk Hogan may be 60 years old, but that isn't stopping him from returning to the WWE tonight following a 6-year absence from the ring.
Hogan is going to host several programs on the organization's new WWE Network, though he isn't likely to actually fight. Still, he isn't the only former wrestling star we'd like to see back in the sport. Here are some more.
quicklist: 1category: Retro Wrestlerstitle: Hossein "The Iron Sheik" Vaziriurl:text: The 73-year-old had quite a life -- from a soldier in the Iranian Army to one of the most famous (and controversial) villains in wrestling history. In 2003, his oldest daughter Marissa Jeanne Vaziri was strangled to death by her boyfriend, who later confessed to the crime. Last year, The Iron Sheik challenged Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to an arm-wrestling match.
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quicklist: 2category: Retro wrestlerstitle: Bret "The Hitman" Harturl:text: Hart, who some called the greatest pro wrestler ever, retired in 2010 after more than 30 years in the business. Hart has since declined to return to the ring, deciding instead to give his character some closure. In 2008, Hart published his autobiography, "Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling." The book troubled his ex-wife Julie Hart to the point where she wrote the book "Hart Strings" as a response.
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quicklist: 3category: Retro Wrestlerstitle: "Rowdy" Roddy Piperurl:text: The 59-year-old wrestler, once known for his cheeky wit within the ring, has occasionally ventured back to WWE. The cancer survivor hosted the "Rod Pod" podcast in 2012, appeared in "Celebrity Wife Swap" in 2013, and now announces matches in his show "Portland Wrestling Uncut."
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quicklist: 4category: Retro Wrestlerstitle: Ric Flairurl:text: Flair liked to break rules as a pro wrestler, but that hasn't stopped him from being the first person to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice. In the past decade, Flair married twice, divorced three times, and lost his son Reid, who died from a drug overdose.
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quicklist: 5category: Retro Wrestlerstitle: Jesse "The Body" Venturaurl:text:Ventura, 62, has had a strange post-wrestling career. Notably, he served as governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003 and continues to advocate for civil liberties. The proud atheist is now hosting the talk show "Off the Grid" for the online network Ora.tv. Ventura has said he may run for president in 2016.
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quicklist: 6category: Retro Wrestlerstitle: The Ultimate Warriorurl:text: Born James Brian Hellwig, The Ultimate Warrior legally changed his name to "Warrior" in 1993. Nowadays, the 54-year-old has a tense relationship with WWE after he sued for libel when a DVD retrospective of his career painted Warrior in an unflattering light. He currently writes a blog for his website "Warrior's Machete."
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quicklist: 7category: Retro Wrestlerstitle: Jake "The Snake" Robertsurl:text: Roberts was famous for bringing snakes into the ring with him. In 2004, the 58-year-old wrestler was charged with animal cruelty for letting a snake of his starve to death. Now, Roberts is back in the headlines with the news that he has muscular cancer near his knee. He is getting surgery done to remove it on Tuesday.
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