Remembering Arnold Schwarzenegger's WWE Hall of Fame Career

Image via Complex Original

Date: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970

Arnold is pretty ripped now, but back in the day, he was an absolute freak. Arnold first got people’s attention as a bodybuilder, and is one of the winningest competitors in the history of the discipline. It’s a lot of hard work to look that sculpted, but Arnold was genetically gifted to begin with. At this point, he lacked the muscular definition he would later become famous for, but he was absolutely massive. By the age of 20, he owned and ran his own gym in Munich, Germany, and he won the Mr. Universe competition for the first of four times—the youngest competitor to ever do so. Arnold caught the attention of Joe Weider, the publisher of Flex and Muscle & Fitness Magazines. In 1968, Arnold accepted Weider’s invitation to train and work out in the United States. It was a protégé / mentor relationship that endured for decades to come.

Date: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980

Arnold worked out regularly at the original Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California. He spent nearly all his time working out and motivating others do the same thing. He would challenge his workout partners to match his reps, and many of them would end up fainting or throwing up in the alleyway. Arnold helped define Gold’s Gym’s as a tough, old school joint, with no heat, no air conditioning, and heavy doses of pain.

Arnold’s dedication earned him an incredible six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, and he brought bodybuilding and oversized muscles into the mainstream. Five years later in 1980, Arnold won his seventh and final Olympia title. He only trained for eight weeks, because he had his eye on a much bigger prize: Hollywood domination.

Date: 1982

In 1977, Cinema 5 released Pumping Iron, a docudrama that pitted Arnold against fellow bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno for the title of Mr. Olympia. Arnold was the "villain" of the film, but his natural charisma, intimidating presence, and good looks could not be denied. Pumping Iron caught the attention of Conan the Barbarian’s producers, who offered the Austrian his breakthrough role. To date, Conan has earned over $300 million in revenue, and is considered a pulpy classic of its time.

Date: 1984

It’s the film that launched a thousand parodies. Arnold played the role of a cyborg, sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of one of earth’s future heroes. Arnold only had 18 lines and under 100 words—at first, he hesitated to take on the role of a machine, fearing that it would limit his future parts. But we’re so glad that he made the right decision—it sparked director James Cameron’s career, and it turned Arnold into an in-demand action hero.

Date: 1985-1990

After Terminator’s success, Arnold’s star burned bright. He starred in blockbuster after blockbuster, and each one solidified his already impressive career. Commando. The Running Man. Total Recall. Arnold also expanded his acting palette—he starred in a number of comedies that took advantage of his massive size. Kindergarten Cop was the perfect sort of Arnold comedy—the juxtaposition between the massive actor and his five-year-old co-stars was inherently hilarious.

Date: 1986

It was also during this time period that Arnold found love. He married Maria Shriver, a broadcast journalist who, at the time, anchored the CBS Morning News Show. Shriver was a member of the Kennedy family—her mother was Eunice Kennedy, the middle sister of President Jack Kennedy, Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, and Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.

Arnold suddenly had connections to charities and social causes, and he had the power and backing to follow through on his ambitions. The actor became closely involved with AIDS research and the Special Olympics (Eunice Kennedy was the founder of the Special Olympics, and created them in honor of her disabled sister, Rosemary). In 1990, he was appointed by President Bush Sr. as the Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and he spent four years advocating for school fitness programs across the country.

Date: 1987

One of Arnold’s most memorable movies from this time period was Predator. Arnold, on a mission in Central America as a member of Special Forces, is attacked and terrorized by an alien race that can turn invisible. It was perhaps one of the only times that we as an audience feared for an Arnold character’s safety. The success of the first movie created a long-running franchise of films, none of which hold up to the grit and griminess of the original.

Date: 1991

Terminator 2: Judgment Day felt like a coming home party. Arnold, now an A-list superstar, was returning to the franchise that made him famous. And much to everyone’s delight and surprise, Terminator 2 was the rare sequel that was even better than the original. It expanded the world of the Connors and Skynet, and it pioneered sophisticated CGI and special effects that still look impressive today.

Arnold, meanwhile, had never been more badass. The scene of him on his motorcycle, reloading his modified shotgun with one hand while being chased by a truck, is movie magic at its finest. The film made half a billion dollars worldwide, and it ranks as one of the top grossing films of all time.

Date: 1994-1996

Arnold had another blockbuster (the James Cameron helmed True Lies), but around this time period, things started to get a bit silly. Maybe it’s because he had nothing left to prove, but Arnold started making some weird choices in movie roles. There was Last Action Hero, which severely underperformed. There was Jingle All The Way, which parodied the Black Friday madness of the holiday season. And then there was Junior, one of the most visually disturbing comedies ever made, where Arnold became pregnant with a baby. But none of this could have prepared us for the travesty to come.

Date: 1997

Well. You knew we had to talk about this one. The shit sundae. The box office bomb. The movie that almost single-handedly destroyed the Batman franchise. Batman and Robin was, by any audience member’s standards, a disappointment. It was a schticky, schlocky comedy, and Arnold, playing the role of Mr. Freeze, was strictly camp. He had a ridiculous costume, an even more ridiculous ice gun, and a few horrible lines that were all puns on ice and being cold: Stay cool!, You’re not sending me to the cooler!, Allow me to break the ice! Yeah. To be fair, we’re not sure that DeNiro could do much with lines like these.

Date: 1999

After the Batman and Robin debacle, Arnold had a string of negatively received movies, and he mostly coasted on his celebrity. It was around this time, however, that Arnold started making appearances in the WWE. His first (and greatest) appearance was in 1999, when he showed up on Smackdown! He cold cocked Triple H, right in the face, and then ground pounded the crap out of him. Yes, yes, we know it’s all scripted. But you have to admit, that swift dodge, followed by that looping haymaker, is a thrilling sight to behold.

Date: 2003-2007

The year 2003 was an embarrassing time for the state of California. The people of the Golden State recalled Governor Gray Davis, which allowed for a veritable clusterf*ck of candidates to run for governor. Among the candidates: Gary Coleman, Hustler EIC Larry Flynt, and porn star Mary Carey, who promised to make lapdances tax-deductible. Amidst the circus, however, Arnold threw his hat into the ring as a Republican centrist, and was sworn into office as the 38th Governor of California.

Date: 2007-2011

Arnold faced a re-election campaign that he won with over a million votes, and he served as governor of California until 2011. During this time, Arnold’s movie output decreased to cameos and guest spots, as he tackled the bigger political issues at hand. He signed one of the first caps on greenhouse emissions into law, and worked tirelessly on additional legislation to promote corporate environmental responsibility.

He also developed a reputation as an earnest compromiser, reaching across the aisle to pass meaningful legislation for the state. But unfortunately for the Governator, the economy was in the toilet for the last couple of years he was in office, and he left his post with low approval ratings.

Date: 2010-Present

Near the end of his term as governor, Arnold had a cameo in The Expendables, along with his other '80s action buddies. And now that he was a regular citizen, Arnold restarted his dormant film career. He starred in The Last Stand, Escape Plan, and Sabotage—all of them were middling action flicks, and didn’t set the box office on fire. But that might change soon. A new Conan film AND a new Terminator film are on their way. Production on Terminator Genisys wrapped late last year, and The Legend of Conan is set to start filming later this spring.

Date: 2013

For years, WWE Legend Bruno Sammartino, the longest serving world champion ever, was estranged from the company that made him famous. Sammartino disapproved of the "Attitude Era," with its bloody violence, sex, and over-the-top storylines. And thus, the Italian Superman declined invitations to the WWE Hall of Fame several times,

But in 2013, with the WWE entering its PG Era, Sammartino finally accepted. He was inducted on the evening before Wrestlemania XXIX, and his old pal Arnold was on hand to do the honors.

Date: 2014

It was a meeting of two '80s icons. Hogan and Arnie, in the ring together, taking care of business. Arnold was there with Joe Manganiello to promote his latest film, Sabotage, when the Miz decided to interrupt his promo. Suffice to say, it didn’t go well. A punch, a backhand, and a toss later, and the Miz found himself outside of the ring, licking his wounds.

Date: 2015

In recognition of his contributions to sports entertainment and entertainment at large, Arnold will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame—the person inducting him has yet to be announced. In a very real way, Arnold Schwarzenegger has embodied the American Dream: an immigrant who came to America for a better life; a poor man who became a wealthy man; a muscleman who became a Hollywood star and political power player. For all that and more, we salute you, Governator. We have no doubt that you’ll “be back.” Again and again and again.