 Beefcake in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Harrison Leslie (1957-04-21)April 21, 1957 (age 68) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Baron Beefcake[1] Big Brother Booty[1] The Booty Man[1] Brother Bruti[1] Brute Force[1] Brutus Beefcake[1] The Butcher[1] The Clipmaster[1] The Disciple[1] Dizzy Golden[1] Dizzy Hogan[1] Ed Boulder[1] Eddie Golden[1] Eddie Hogan[1] Furface The Mariner[2] The Man With No Face[1] The Man With No Name[1] The Zodiac[1]King Clipper |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 272 lb (123 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | San Francisco, California[3] "The Land ofYin and Yang" "Parts unknown" |
| Trained by | Hulk Hogan[4] Ivan Koloff[5] |
| Debut | 1977[4] |
| Retired | November 2015[4] |
Edward Harrison Leslie[6] (born April 21, 1957) is a retired Americanprofessional wrestler, best known for his work in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under thering nameBrutus "the Barber"Beefcake. He later worked forWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) under a wide variety of names.[3][1]
Leslie held nine titles throughout his career, and is aformerWWF World Tag Team Champion withGreg Valentine. He also competed for major singles titles onpay-per-view and television, headliningStarrcade 1994, in a match against then-WCW World Heavyweight ChampionHulk Hogan.[7] Leslie was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fameclass of 2019 by Hogan.
The career of Leslie is highlighted on the 44th episode (fifth season and fourth episode) of theDark Side of the Ring.
Leslie began his career at the side ofTerry Bollea in 1977.[8] At the time, the two were billed as brothers. Leslie was Ed Boulder when Bollea wrestled as "Terry Boulder", and Dizzy Hogan when Bollea became "Hulk Hogan". In a 2000shoot interview, he recalled his first match was a tag match withRon Slinker, againstOx Baker andEric the Red. In later years this created confusion among fans, many of whom actually believed that Leslie and Bollea were real-life brothers. Leslie briefly wrestled inBill Watts' Mid-South territory and in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1980.
Leslie rejoined the WWF as aheelnamedBrutus Beefcake in late 1984.[9] Introduced in a vignette that portrayed him as a male stripper, Beefcake was a vain character who dressed in outlandish outfits.[10] Beefcake made his WWF debut on the August 11 episode ofChampionship Wrestling, by appearing at ringside during a match betweenIvan Putski and Ron Shaw. Two weeks later, on the August 25 episode ofChampionship Wrestling, Beefcake wrestled his first match in the WWF by defeatingJose Luis Rivera. After beatingenhancement talents during the first weeks of his career, Leslie was joined by"Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager on the October 13 episode ofChampionship Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, Beefcake's first major rivalry began against theWWF ChampionHulk Hogan, whom Beefcake wrestled for the title on a number of occasions. Hogan sought revenge on Beefcake after he and Valiant injured Hogan's protégé,Hillbilly Jim at a show inSan Diego on February 25, 1985, where Jim had appeared in Hogan's corner for a match between Hogan and Beefcake.
During this time, Beefcake also feuded withDavid Sammartino whom he fought to a double disqualification at theinaugural WrestleMania atMadison Square Garden. In the summer of 1985, Beefcake began teaming withGreg "the Hammer" Valentine. They became known asThe Dream Team.[9] They soon began challengingThe U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo andBarry Windham) for theWWF Tag Team Championship. Initially, the U.S. Express successfully met these challenges but, on August 24 in thePhiladelphia Spectrum, Dream Team defeated US Express to win the Tag Team Championship. They won the titles after Beefcake rubbed Valiant's lit cigar into Windham's eye. The title change aired live on the localPRISM network, and on the September 7 episode ofChampionship Wrestling via tape delay. They defended the belts for eight months, primarily against The American Express (Dan Spivey and Mike Rotunda),Iron Sheik andNikolai Volkoff, The Hillbillies (Uncle Elmer and Hillbilly Jim), andThe British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid andDavey Boy Smith). AtWrestleMania 2, inRosemont, Illinois, The Dream Team lost the title to The British Bulldogs.[9] They were unsuccessful in rematches for the title, especially in atwo out of three falls match atSaturday Night's Main Event VII. Dream Team soon dropped tomid-card status.
The Dream Team broke up atWrestleMania III. After defeatingThe Rougeau Brothers at thepay-per-view, the team had an argument and Beefcake was left in the ring while Valentine and Valiant left withDino Bravo.[11] This provided the impetus for Beefcake to turnface. In the immediate next match on the show, Beefcake helpedRoddy Piper to defeat Adrian Adonis, reviving Piper after Adonis had rendered him unconscious. Per match stipulations, Adonis wouldhave his head shaved. Beefcake undertook this task and earned thenickname "the Barber".[12] Thereafter, Beefcake started bringing garden shears (with the handles taped to resemblebarber poles) to the ring, and using asleeper hold (hitherto a specialty of both Piper and Adonis, used heavily by both in their WrestleMania III match) as his finishing move. After a match, he would strut around the ring, "snipping" his fingers like scissors to indicate he was about to cut his defeated opponent's hair. As he did (using either his shears or an electric razor) he would throw handfuls of hair into the air for the amusement of his fans.
After coming out on top of a feud with former partner Valentine and ex-manager Valiant, Beefcake feuded withIntercontinental ChampionThe Honky Tonk Man. Beefcake vowed to not only win the title, but put Honky to sleep and cut hisduck's tail. Beefcake never made good on that vow, since Honky got himself disqualified from most of their matches (wrestling titles generally do not change hands on a disqualification). Honky often had assistance from a mysterious pig-tailed and sunglassed blonde named Peggy Sue (WWF Women's ChampionSherri Martel usually played this character during television tapings and PPV events, but at house shows "she" wasJimmy Hart indrag). Beefcake countered with a "woman" of his own: "Georgina" (George "the Animal" Steele in drag). The feud concluded atWrestleMania IV, where Honky was again disqualified, after interference from Hart. Though Honky escaped with the title and his hair, Beefcake caught Hart towards the end of the match and humiliated him with a partial haircut.
Beefcake also feuded with"Outlaw" Ron Bass in 1988, beginning when Bass attacked him after a match onSuperstars of Wrestling, lacerating his head with aspur. As a result, the injured Beefcake missed his scheduled Intercontinental Championship match against Honky at the firstSummerSlam event on August 29.[13] He ultimately defeated Bass in ahair versus hair match atSaturday Night's Main Event XIX. He then had a feud withRandy Savage during 1989. On "The Brother Love Show" (an interview segment onSuperstars of Wrestling), Beefcake called Savage's new manager,Sensational Sherri, "Scary Sherri," and an angered Savage attacked him and, with the help of Sherri, humiliated him with a haircut. Eventually, the feud became intertwined with one between Hulk Hogan andZeus (based around the movieNo Holds Barred). Hogan was simultaneously involved in his own feud with Savage over the WWF Championship. During his match against Savage, Beefcake was assaulted by Zeus. AtSummerSlam, Hogan and Beefcake with their manager,Miss Elizabeth teamed to defeat Savage and Zeus. The rivalry resumed when, on December 27,No Holds Barred was shown as part of apay-per-view special called "No Holds Barred: The Movie-The Match." In the match portion of the show (taped two weeks earlier inNashville,Tennessee), Hogan and Beefcake defeated Savage and Zeus in asteel cage match.
AtWrestleMania VI, Beefcake became the first person to pinMr. Perfect on national television.[14] During the spring and summer of 1990, Beefcake was involved in the Intercontinental Championship tournament and, along with opponentDino Bravo, were counted-out in the first round. Beefcake was scheduled for a WrestleMania VI re-match against Perfect, for the latter's Intercontinental Championship atSummerSlam.
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In July 1990, a seriousparasailing accident put Leslie out of action.[9] He was helping a parasailer friend prepare for takeoff, when the boat driver mistook a cue to take off and pulled the friend's knees hard into Leslie's face, crushing hisfacial skeleton. Experiencing an "unbearable" level of pain, Leslie pleaded with doctors to let him die.[15] Over 100 feet of wire and 32 screws were required to construct a new face.[citation needed] Leslie lost his nasal cavity, jaw, and had no ability to breathe on his own.[citation needed] Leslie's wrestling career was put on hold for almost two years. As a result, Leslie missed his match at SummerSlam, and was replaced byTexas Tornado as Perfect's challenger.
For a short time in early 1991, a masked character played by Leslie appeared on television. The character would run in during matches and attack various heels (notablyRick Martel, Dino Bravo andEarthquake). He wouldrun in on their matches, punch them a few times, throw aheadbutt and immediately retreat. He never wrestled a match and was not given an official name, although the gimmick has since been branded as “Furface”.[16]Dave Meltzer at this time reported that most wrestlers were against his return due to concerns about his safety and their ability to have quality matches while avoiding injuring him further.[17] On the April 14, 1991 episode ofWrestling Challenge Leslie returned as Brutus The Barber Beefcake, hosting a full-time regular interview segment called "The Barber Shop".[18]The Rockers split up on The Barber Shop whenShawn Michaelssuperkicked partnerMarty Jannetty and threw him through aplate glass window; this turned Michaels heel and began his singles run to stardom. The final Barber Shop segment took place in February 1992. Newly turned heelSid Justice attacked Beefcake and destroyed the set, buildingheat for his feud with Hulk Hogan. After this, Beefcake disappeared once again.
Beefcake once again returned to the WWF on the February 1, 1993 episode ofMonday Night Raw. Beefcake's facial injury was used in anangle withMoney Inc. (Ted DiBiase andIrwin R. Schyster). In what was billed as Beefcake's "comeback match", he defeated DiBiase onRaw by disqualification when DiBiase and IRS double-teamed him. IRS then tried to reinjure Beefcake, hitting him with a steel briefcase. Longtime heel manager (and manager of Money Inc.) Jimmy Hart turned face by trying to stop his team from hurting Beefcake, and Hulk Hogan returned to the WWF after a one-year hiatus. Hogan and Beefcake teamed for the first time since December 1989, asThe Mega-Maniacs, with Hart as their manager. The Mega-Maniacs (with Beefcake wearing a protective facemask) challenged Money Inc. for the Tag Team Championship atWrestleMania IX.[19] and, though gaining some revenge, lost via disqualification.[20] WrestleMania IX was Leslie's final wrestling appearance on WWF television, although he remained active on the house show circuit. He teamed with Hogan in multiple matches against Money Inc. in June 1993, winning by disqualification. He also defeated Masa Saito on May 3 in Fukuoka, Japan.[21] Following a final tour of Europe from July 9 to August 6, (defeatingTerry Taylor in eight straight matches), Leslie left the WWF.
After leaving WWF, Beefcake wrestled for a few appearances inNew Japan Pro-Wrestling. On April 16, 1994, Beefcake defeatedNailz for the WWWA Heavyweight Title. Then on April 13, 1996, he defeatedJim Neidhart for IPWA. He lost to his former tag partnerGreg Valentine on May 31, 1997, for Wrestling International Pro.
In 1994, Leslie debuted inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW). At first, he only made short appearances with Hulk Hogan, who referred to him as Brother Bruti[22] (as he did when they were WWF tag team partners in 1989 and 1993).
At that year'sHalloween Havoc, following Hogan'scage match victory overRic Flair, Leslie was revealed as the masked man who had attacked Hogan just before his title match with Flair atClash of the Champions XXVIII. Leslie subsequently became The Butcher, and formedThe Three Faces of Fear withKevin Sullivan andAvalanche.[19] The Butcher-Hogan feud culminated in a WCW World Heavyweight title match atStarrcade, which The Butcher lost. The Butcher continued wrestling for some time after The Three Faces of Fear broke up in May 1995, then becameamnesic, as The Man with No Name.
Leslie rejoined Sullivan in his new stableThe Dungeon of Doom, as The Zodiac,[19] a character wearing black and white face paint and only ever saying, "Yes, no, yes, no!" The Dungeon of Doom feuded with Hogan for most of the remainder of 1995. Zodiac eventually turned against his stablemates, revealing to have been amole.
After leaving The Dungeon of Doom, Leslie became The Booty Man, and his gimmick was that of a man infatuated with his ownbuttocks, shaking them on the way to the ring and during matches. His signature move was ahigh knee (a homophone of "hiney"). He was accompanied to the ring byKimberly Page (who became known as The Booty Babe), and feuded withDiamond Dallas Page (at the time, Kimberly's real-life husband). The Booty Man, like Leslie's other WCW gimmicks, did not last long.
When thenWo started, Leslie attempted to join by wearing an nWo shirt and presenting a birthday cake toHollywood Hogan after the latter won theWCW World Heavyweight Championship atWCW Hog Wild, but was instead attacked byScott Hall,Kevin Nash and Hogan. Leslie then left WCW in December 1996. He continued to work in the independents.
In the final segment of the February 23, 1998, edition ofMonday Nitro, Leslie returned asThe Disciple, the bodyguard of Hollywood Hogan.[19] He was almost unrecognizable at first, with a full beard, sunglasses, and nWo-styled biker attire. His true identity was later revealed onscreen by Roddy Piper, during his feud with Hogan. The Disciple accompanied Hogan to the ring for his matches, and would often be called on to assist in beating down an opponent, often using his new finishing move, "The Apocalypse". After Hogan became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion in April, these beatdowns often included the title belt itself, which The Disciple would drape over his shoulder before performing The Apocalypse, driving its centerplate into the victim's face on the way down.
The Disciple was abducted byThe Warrior during Warrior's feud with Hogan, and was later seen hanging from his feet backstage. After being brainwashed by The Warrior, he turned on Hogan and became the second member of Warrior'sOne Warrior Nation. After Warrior left WCW, The Disciple'spush largely diminished and he spent the remainder of his time in WCW as ajobber. His last WCW PPV match was theWorld War 3 battle royal on November 22, 1998. In his final televised match, aired on the November 6, 1999WCW Worldwide, he wore attire much like he did in his early WWF days as Brutus Beefcake (though still under the Disciple ring name) as he lost toHacksaw Jim Duggan.[23][24]
In May 2000, Beefcake wrestled for the Extreme Wrestling Federation, in a match against Rex Diamond.[19] On June 30, 2000, he lost toThe Barbarian in a hardcore match fori-Generation Superstars of Wrestling in Australia. After retiring, Leslie became part of the Christian wrestling group, World Impact Wrestling. He also started a wrestling school.[25] He made an appearance at Pro Wrestling Syndicate's debut show inGarfield, New Jersey, on June 24, 2007.[26] He has appeared at several Memphis wrestling shows, including the 2007 Ultimate Clash of the Legends. Leslie was a coach onHulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.
On January 26, 2008, Leslie was inducted into the XWF Hall of Fame by Jack Blaze. After it became the LPW Hall of Fame, Blaze honored Beefcake again, on March 26, 2010, inWheeling, West Virginia. On July 24, 2009, Leslie competed in "Celebrity Boxing 10" in Philadelphia, losing in the first round to local competitive eaterBill "El Wingador" Simmons. He took part in theHulkamania: Let The Battle Begin tour in late 2009, wrestling across Australia, includingPerth andSydney.
On August 28, 2010, Beefcake wrestled for Dynamic Wrestling Alliance, based inMiddletown, Ohio.[27] On November 28, 2015, he participated in a match to be the #1 contender for the AML Title, which he lost. Being his last match to date, he quietly announced his retirement from professional wrestling.
In June 2016, Beefcake made appearances in Montana for the Big Time Wrestling event.[28]
April 6, 2019, Leslie was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fameclass of 2019 byHulk Hogan;[29] he later acknowledged that the induction ceremony was the last time he ever spoke to Hogan.[30] He made his first appearance on Boca Raton Championship Wrestling in 2022 and later in 2023, Leslie became a commissioner for BRCW.[31][32]
Leslie married Kirsten Georgi on July 1, 1987. They divorced in 1991.[33] He has a daughter, Alana, with Barbara McGondel, whom he married in 1993 but they divorced in 2009.[34]
Leslie married Melissa DeGloria Caruso in 2014.
In February 2004, Leslie caused ananthrax scare at one ofBoston'sMBTA stations,Downtown Crossing, where he was working at the time. He had left a bag ofcocaine in his booth, which a subway rider spotted and assumed to be anthrax. The building was evacuated as a precaution. Leslie checked into a drug rehabilitation facility after admitting that the cocaine was his.[19]
Despite previously having a friendship with Hulk Hogan since they were children in grade school,[35] they eventually had a falling out, and last spoke to each other in 2019.[30] Despite this, Leslie paid tribute to Hogan after he died.[30]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brutus Beefcake (hair) | Ron Bass (hair) | Tampa, Florida | Saturday Night's Main Event XIX | December 7, 1988 | [42] |
There, he spends the bulk of his time with his wife Barbie, and 10-year-old daughter Alana, who happens to be an equestrian in training.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
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