Brutus Beefcake: Struttin’ & Cuttin’ Into Wrestling Lore With Solid In-Ring Work And A Great Gimmick
Coming to the ring with his giant pair of shears, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake made a career off of beating his opponents in the ring before giving them an unwanted haircut. During his time with the WWE and WCW, Beefcake cut his way through the competition, featuring in some of the biggest matches and moments in recent memory while earning his way to a 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction.
Joining the WWF as a heel in 1984, Beefcake aligned himself with “Luscious” Johnny Valiant. The two would attack Hillbilly Jim before entering into a house show feud with real-life friend and WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. Beefcake would also find himself on the first-ever Wrestlemania card, drawing with David Sammartino inside Madison Square Garden.
Beefcake would enter into a tag team with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in the summer of 1985, calling themselves The Dream Team. They would challenge for the WWF Tag Team Championships soon after, defeating The U.S. Express (Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham) for Beefcake’s only title during his WWF run. The two would hold the titles for eight months before dropping them to The British Bulldogs at Wrestlemania II.
The two would continue to tag throughout 1986 before separating at Wrestlemania III following a win against The Fabulous Rougeaus. Beefcake would help Roddy Piper in the following match, aiding the “Rowdy” one after his Hair v. Hair match against Adrian Adonis. Beefcake and Piper would shave The Adorable One’s head, earning Beefcake the nickname “The Barber”.
Following Wrestlemania III, Beefcake would begin bringing garden shears to the ring, fully embracing the “Barber” nickname in his feuds with his ex-partner and Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man. Despite failing to capture the Intercontinental Championship, Beefcake would find himself in one of the biggest feuds of 1989, teaming with Hulk Hogan against “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Zeus, leading to a high-profile match at Summerslam.
Beefcake would be the first man to pin Mr. Perfect, winning their match at Wrestlemania VI before a parasailing incident almost cut his in-ring career short. He would return in 1991, hosting The Barber Shop talk show. One of the more infamous moments in wrestling history would take place on his show when The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) would break up when Michaels threw Jannetty through the glass window. Beefcake would leave the WWF following his tag team match at Wrestlemania IX.
Beefcake would join WCW with Hogan, adopting multiple gimmicks over his time with the company, along with earning a WCW Championship match opportunity against Hogan at the 1994 edition of Starrcade. He would wrestle his final televised match in November of 1999 before making sporadic appearances on the indie scene. In 2019, Beefcake would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his lifelong friend Hogan, giving his career the rightful end it deserved.
Despite never getting the chance to reach his full potential, Beefcake earned his way into the WWE Hall Of Fame with solid in-ring work and a great gimmick.
Read More: The Hall Of Fame Case For Demolition: A Move WWE Should Make Sooner Than Later
The next signing in the 80’s Wrestling Virtual Signing Series takes place on Monday, December 14th from 7-10 PM ET with Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. Not only will The “Dream Team” be signing your photos and items, but they will also be answering your questions.
Photos and own item opportunities for this signing are available now on 80sWrestlingCon.com.80sWrestlingCon.com also has photo and own item opportunities on sale now for our upcoming signings; the upcoming schedule for more ’80s Wrestling Con Virtual Signings can be viewed below:
- 12/14 – Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine
- 12/28 – Koko B. Ware
- 1/11 – Ted DiBiase
- 1/25 – Mike Rotunda
- 2/15 – Ron Simmons
- 2/22 – Powers of Pain
- 3/8 – Wendi Richter
- 3/22 – Bob Orton