• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Michael Barry: Making Saturday Nights Better For Wrestling Fans.

Posted: Dec 19th 2013 By: mikeiles

Before I took a break from wrestling, I was doing some Wrestling Bios on some of the wrestlers who work on the independent circuit and bust their butts having some of the most entertaining matches in the world. I covered two TCW favorites Alan Steel and John Saxon, but I haven't written anything about my favorite TCW wrestler Mr. Saturday Night, Michael Barry. Sure, I've sung his praises in my TCW reviews but he deserves his own Wrestling Bio here in the Random Rumblings. His and tag team partner Alan Steel's feud with the Hounds of Hell is one of the few things that kept my interest alive in wrestling during my bried hiatus from the two 'big' companies. It was a prime example of four men (six iif you count their managers Boyd Bradford and Rich Rude) going into the ring and creating drama, like it's supposed to be. They didn't have a bunch of backstage segments or start a feud over a shampoo commercial, they went out to the squared circle and told a story the way it should be done in wrestling. So in appreciation for keeping my interest in wrestling alive and being my favorite wrestler on the independent circuit today I dedicate this column to Michael Barry.

Hailing from Joplin, Missouri, Barry was trained for wrestling by Sonny Meyers, a wrestling legend who was in the business for over sixty years. Barry was a winner right from the start, defeating Brandon Tripod in his first match in 2001.he's held titles all over the South and Midwest during his career, appearing for several notable independent federations like the now defunct MWA where he held every championship they have to offer, the NWA and, of course, TCW. he's also trained men like Dustin Heritage and Lars Manderson for the ring.
Barry became a national television star when TCW got a television deal with the Pursuit Channel and it was in TCW where I became a fan of his.
With tag team partner and cousin Alan Steel, he was one of the biggest heels in the company when I started watching and to tell the truth, that's when I became a fan. Nine times out of ten, I'm more a fan of the heels anyway, because they don't have to worry about kissing up to the fans, they can come out and have a little more fun and, at least in Steel and Barry's interviews, have more fun on the mic.
The man can get the job done in the ring too, having some of the most entertaining matches in TCW, both in his tag team with Steel, Genetic Perfection, and in singles matches. Barry can suplex with the best of them and can get in there and exchange armbars and submission moves with the best of them. His pet finishers are an F5 variant called the Saturday Night Special and the Sharpshooter.
When it comes to mic skills he really shines, showing he can do comedy and the intense heated promos we wrestling fans love so much. I'll put it to you this way: A little while back it seemed like he was going to retire due to injuries and gave an emotional farewell speech to the TCW fans and he had me believing he was legitimately leaving the business. I've been a fan of this sport for 20 years and can usually tell when I'm watching an angle or something but he had me believing he was really done. That's some serious acting skills as far as I'm concerned.

As a member of Genetic Perfection he won the TCW tag team titles along with his partner and went on to have a lengthy reign with the belt. I'm pretty sure their reign still stands as the longest in TCW history. They took on and defeated every team TCW threw at them for just under a year until Ricky Morton and Dustin Heritage beat them for the belts on September 15, 2012. (They had held them since October of 2011.)
Shortly after they lost the tag titles, both men entered a tournament to crown a new TCW International champion. Both men made it to the finals and Barry emerged as the new champ. Steel turned on him and these two men proved they could have just as entertaining matches against each other as they did as a tag team. Michael Barry was also a fan favorite for the first time (to me anyway). he did keep the attitude and continued to entertain as a fan favorite and also quickly became one of the most popular wrestlers in TCW.
Matter of fact, a quick comment on the title match I mentioned above when the two partners wrestled each other. Barry worked that crowd beautifully and had them eating out of the palm of his hand. He was booed as he came to the ring but had those fans cheering loudly for him by the end of the match. That is not something everyone can do in the wrestling biz , ladies and gentleman.
Mr. Saturday Night had a successful run with the International title before dropping it to 'Golden Boy' Greg Anthony and then seemingly suffering a career threatening injury at the hands of 7 footer Titan. It was a result of this and Boyd Bradford and his Family's attack on Alan Steel and manager Rich rude that brought Barry out of 'retirement' and reunited Genetic Perfection. They've traded the tag titles with the Hounds of Hell in a hot feud that I'm sure is far from over.
TCW isn't the only company Michael Barry wrestles for, he appears in several independents and if he wrestles anywhere near you, I strongly suggest going out and catching him live. I really believe he's destined for great things. Hopefully it's in TCW. I hope they build enough momentum to become a national success at least as the new second best promotion to WWE. That's how good they are and I feel if they got on a network with enough exposure, they would catch on big time. Barring that, he would fit in well in the bigger companies.

On a personal note, I've talked to Michael Barry several times on social media and he is a genuinely nice and cool guy. He's also a hard working family man trying (and succeeding) in making a name in the wrestling world. I'm proud to be a fan of his and if anyone deserves success in this business, it's him. Thanks for reading.