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Michael Barry: Making Saturday Nights Better For Wrestling Fans.

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.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
  • 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
  • 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
  • 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
  • 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
  • 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
  • 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
  • 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
  • 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
  • 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion

Week of Sun 11-01 to Sat: 11-07

  • 11-01 1960 Tony Jiminez & Jesse Jiminez became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
  • 11-01 1981 Ted DiBiase def. Paul Orndorff for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 11-01 1982 Al Madril def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
  • 11-01 2008 El Hoto def. Martin Justice for the OECW Southwestern Title
  • 11-01 2008 The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Matthews III) def. The New York Express (Jeff Knight & Thomas Knight) for the OECW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-01 2013 Steven Sterling def. Bobby Starr for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-01 2014 Guy Atticus became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 11-01 2014 Kevin James Sanchez def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Title
  • 11-01 2019 Brock Landers def. Tego for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 11-01 2020 Double D became the EPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-01 2020 Drake Gallows became the EPW All-American Champion
  • 11-01 2020 Revan became the EPW Internet Television Champion
  • 11-01 2020 The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) became the EPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-01 2020 High Times (Father Padge & Dean Lambert) def. The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) for the EPW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-01 2025 Iron Mountain (Duke Blanchard & Jack Davenport) def. The Trendsetters (Andre West & Nelly Rivers) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 1978 Ray Candy def. Ernie Ladd for the TSW Arkansas Title
  • 11-02 2002 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 Ty Magnus def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 John O'Malley def. Ty Magnus for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 X-Cal def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 Outcast def. X-Cal for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2013 Kevin Morgan def. Drake Gallows for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-02 2013 What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) def. Team Bull (The Bronze Bull & Bobby Starr) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 2013 Miss Diss Lexia def. Erica for the IZW Queens Title
  • 11-02 2014 Les Mayne def. Rick Russo for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 11-02 2019 Clint Poe became the EmpCW All American Champion
  • 11-02 2019 War Party (Gorgeous Garcia & Nytronis A’Teo) def. The Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the EmpCW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 2019 Dexter Hardaway def. Double D for the EmpCW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. Naiomi Sanders for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Unicorn def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. Unicorn for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 C. M. Burnham def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. C. M. Burnham for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Naomi Sanders def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-03 2001 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 11-03 2001 Splash Jackson def. Big Daddy Moore for the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-03 2012 The Old School Suckas (Randy Price & Bryan Cruize) def. Big Business (Damon Windsor & Kevin Morgan) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-03 2012 Erica def. Angel Blue for the IZW Queens Title
  • 11-03 2018 Damon Windsor def. Randy Price for the WCR Revolutionary Title
  • 11-04 1985 Rick Rude def. King Parsons for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 11-04 1988 Kerry Von Erich def. Jerry Lawler for the WCCW World Title
  • 11-04 2005 Beau Dalton & Bobby Dalton became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 1979 Jim Garvin & Herb Calvert def. Oki Shikina & Sugar Bear Harris for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 11-05 1980 Hector Guerrero & Ron Sexton def. Ron McFarlane & Doug Somers for the TSW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-05 2002 Jeffrey Parker def. Li'l Joe for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2004 Luc Lapointe def. Prophet for the SRPW Boys and Girls Club Title
  • 11-05 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. Beau Dalton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2004 Beau Dalton def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2005 Justin Lee & Michael Faith became the TPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2011 Michael York & Ignition became the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2011 Brandon Walker def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-05 2011 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & David Kyzer) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2016 Kareem Sadat def. Dean Lambert for the EmpCW Independent Hardcore Title
  • 11-06 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
  • 11-06 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
  • 11-06 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 11-06 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
  • 11-06 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 11-06 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
  • 11-06 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
  • 11-06 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-07 1984 Bill Dundee def. Adrian Street for the MSW Television Title
  • 11-07 2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. The Old School Express (Jason Jones & Jake Boulder) for the MStW Southern Tag Team Titles
  • 11-07 2009 Dustin Heritage def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-07 2015 The Terror Squad (D Money & Montego Seeka & Marce Lewis, Nytronis A'Teo & MVP) became the IWR Tag Team Champions
11-06
  • Frank Dunbar Nov 6th Today!
  • Darin Matthews Nov 6th Today!
  • Brian Faith Nov 6th Today!
  • Lu Kim Nov 6th Today!
  • Ken Patera Nov 6th Today!
  • Dominik Whiteheart Nov 7th
  • King Kong Bundy Nov 7th
  • Nigel Rabid Nov 7th
  • Joey Ryan Nov 7th
  • Faded Ghoul Nov 7th
  • Keith Watkins Nov 7th
  • Silverado Nov 7th
  • Treach Phillips, Jr. Nov 8th
  • Rika Wildlee Nov 8th
  • Dizzy Davis Nov 8th
  • Austin Mulitalo Nov 8th
  • Joyce Grable Nov 9th
  • Jean-Claude Boudreaux Nov 9th
  • Lance Osburn Nov 9th
  • Kolossus Nov 9th
  • Nick Patrick Nov 9th
  • Gil Knutson Nov 9th
  • Menace 2 Society Nov 9th
  • Bob Orton, Jr. Nov 10th
  • Prince Tapu Nov 10th
  • Kinzer Keel Nov 10th
  • Danny Savich Nov 10th
  • Marshall Von Erich Nov 10th
  • Alex Perez Nov 11th
  • Green Dragon Nov 11th
  • Brandon Moxley Nov 11th
  • Little Cloud Nov 11th
  • Luigi Columbo Nov 11th
  • Brett Taylor Nov 12th
  • Thud Powell Nov 12th
  • Terrale Tempo Nov 12th
  • Vickie Lynn McCoy Nov 12th
  • Gary Tool Nov 12th
  • Varik Vayne Nov 12th
  • Austin Tacious Nov 12th
  • Ty Thunder Nov 12th
  • Big Smooth Nov 13th
  • L. J. McDaniels Nov 13th
  • Tiny Bell Nov 14th
  • Kyle Kelly Nov 14th
  • Shane Sanders Nov 14th
  • Kirk Castle Nov 14th
  • Super Beast Nov 15th
  • Killer Cross Nov 15th
  • Armin Syzlack Nov 15th
  • Killer Cross Nov 15th
  • Sean Pearl Nov 15th
  • Brieanna Bringle Nov 16th
  • Chase Bristow Nov 17th
  • Brent Wall Nov 17th
  • Kikutaro Nov 17th
  • Kenny K Nov 17th
  • Josh Hogan Nov 17th
  • Drake Gallows Nov 17th
  • Johnny Weaver Nov 17th
  • Johnny Graves Nov 17th
  • Snowman Nov 17th
  • Chris Russo Nov 18th
  • Everett Kibbons Nov 18th
  • Reaper Nov 18th
  • Ricky Gibson Nov 19th
  • Turnbuckle Tim Nov 19th

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