One of the most popular eras of pro-wrestling took place in the 1980s, as WWE (WWF at the time) was the home of some of the most iconic characters of all-time, including the Immortal Hulk Hogan, The “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and many more.
While WWE, and the rest of the industry, would change drastically in the 90s and even more in the new millennia, the love of the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Era remains strong, and no one knows that better than A-list actor, Jon Hamm.
Hamm, who is best known for his role as Don Draper on the Emmy award winning series Mad Men, recently spoke with Sports Illustrated to promote his role in the feature film Top Gun: Maverick, which was released in theaters yesterday and stars box-office juggernaut, Tom Cruise. While Hamm spoke about the film he also touched on this particular era of pro-wrestling, one that he admits he’ll always be a fan of.
“That’s the golden era of professional wrestling. I’ll always be an ’80s WWF guy.”
Hamm is not just a fan of wrestling…he also understands how the business works. He later tells the publication that film acting is very similar to the babyface/heel dynamic that exists in the sport.
“In film acting, you’re only as good as the person you’re sharing that space with, and in this case, I had the opportunity to share it with one of Hollywood’s greatest movie stars. It’s no different [in pro wrestling]; you need that [heel], that someone to play off of.”
Finally Hamm reveals one of his favorite stars of that era, as well as a moment that he will never forget.
“I was a big Andre the Giant fan. He made everything he did so interesting. And Hogan slamming Andre, that’s a moment you never forget. I’ll always be in awe of that ’80s era.”
Top Gun: Maverick is currently rocking a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is eyeing a potential $100 million dollar opening weekend.
