Brutus (The Barber) Beefcake pays a visit
One of the most beloved superstars in wrestling history enjoyed a nice and relaxing weekend in Niagara Falls.
Brutus (The Barber) Beefcake was in town to attend the Falls View Hose Brigade’s two-day pop culture trivia night.
The event began with an evening that was open to the public Friday, and concluded with an evening just for members of the Dunn Street club Saturday.
But in between asking and answering trivia questions, the man known for his steel shears and unique outfits as one of the sports-entertainment’s most memorable characters throughout the 1980s and ’90s, took in some of the city’s attractions.
“There’s lots of restaurants and cool stuff to do, and chill out and relax,” said Beefcake.
He took some time to chat with the Niagara Falls Review after enjoying a Niagara Helicopters ride Saturday afternoon.
“It brought me back to my movie days when we were shooting guns out of helicopters for stunts, as a stuntman,” he said of the experience.
Beefcake said he has been to Niagara Falls many times before, but never took a helicopter ride while here.
He had a long and successful wrestling career, so it’s no surprise “everybody” recognizes him when he’s in public, the wrestler said.
He said fans often ask what his best match was, and who he most enjoyed wrestling against.
“I’ve wrestled for 41 years. Some of the best was definitely (with) Mr. Perfect, in Toronto, in the Dome.”
At Wrestlemania VI, which was held at SkyDome (now called Rogers Centre) on Apr. 1, 1990, The Barber became the first person to pin Mr. Perfect in a televised match, ending Perfect’s lengthy undefeated streak on television.
Another memorable match, said Beefcake, was when he was teamed up with Greg (The Hammer) Valentine as part of the World Tag Team Champion “Dream Team” to face The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) at Wrestlemania II, Apr. 7, 1986. “It was a tremendous match.” Beefcake was also a part of the first-ever Wrestlemania, at Madison Square Garden, Mar. 31, 1985.
The 60-year-old, who lives in Florida, said nowadays he enjoys attending fundraisers, Comic Cons, and occasionally playing some golf.
Chris Dabrowski, show manager and co-founder of the popular annual Niagara Falls Comic Con, was one of the people who showed Beefcake Niagara Falls this past weekend.
“We worked with him a number of times. He’s always great to work with,” Dabrowski said.
“He was at the first ever Niagara Falls Comic Con, when we had Burt Ward, and he came down as a celebrity guest, and I’ve been working with him ever since.”
Dabrowski said Beefcake was “gracious enough” to donate his time to attend the trivia night Friday and Saturday.
“The response (Friday) was phenomenal. We had over 100 people. It was open to the general public last night … and we’re doing another night (Saturday) that’s just open to the members of the Falls View Hose Brigade, and we’ll probably do another 100, 120 people.”
Dabrowski said people who attended the trivia night “loved” how engaging Beefcake was.
“He was a really good host, and he would go up and ask questions about himself and wrestling-related questions, and pop culture questions, so it was a pretty cool experience.”