As the flamboyant hairdresser who clipped the locks of WWE rivals in the ’80s and early ’90s with his trademark shears, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake was all about two things — cuttin’ and struttin’.
A marquee Superstar during WWE’s national expansion in the 1980s, The Barber battled rivals like The Honky Tonk Man and Mr. Perfect and competed in main event matches alongside his good friend, Hulk Hogan, at SummerSlam ’89 and WrestleMania IX. But Beefcake’s greatest accomplishment may have been his defiant return to the ring in 1991 after a freak accident nearly ended his life.
First introduced to the WWE Universe as an arrogant member of “Luscious” Johnny Valiant’s Dream Team, Beefcake won the World Tag Team Championships with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in 1985. But Brutus found his true calling when Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis in a Hair vs. Hair Match at WrestleMania III. At odds with Adonis at the time, Beefcake hit the ring to help Hot Rod snip the villain’s golden locks and was reborn as The Barber in front of more than 93,000 WWE fans.
