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Meet Mr. Saturday Night

Posted: May 31st 2013 By: CMBurnham

From Monday to Friday, Barry Linduff admits he's a pretty typical guy. As a graphic designer at The Joplin Globe in Missouri, Linduff even describes himself as easygoing and relaxed.

The weekends, however, are a different story.

After he clocks out of work Friday, Linduff takes on a new role as Mr. Saturday Night Michael Barry, a professional wrestler for Traditional Championship Wrestling.

The dream to become a professional wrestler started for Linduff at age 18 when he and his dad attended WrestleMania in Houston, Texas. After seeing the intensity and excitement of the sport, Linduff was hooked.

He immediately began looking for ways to get into wrestling, going on to chat rooms and asking anybody he could for more information. Though he knew the road would be tough, Linduff was determined.

?I didn?t want to be 80 or 90 years old sitting back sitting back wondering what if I had tried it,? Linduff said. ?I had to figure out a way to get into it.?

Eventually, Linduff met up with former professional wrestler Sonny Myers in St. Joe, Mo. Myers, a former National Wrestling Association Central States Heavyweight Champion, was of the old school and wasn't quick to take on a new wrestler.

Starting off, Myers trained Linduff harsh, making him practice his moves on concrete rather than on a mat and constantly put the young wrestler in advanced holds. Still, Linduff remained unshaken, routinely making the three-hour trip from his house to train.

?You were treated with a certain level of torture if you were a newcomer,? Linduff said. ?It really weeded out who wanted to be there, who had the passion and who didn?t. Me not being smart enough to know I couldn?t do something, I kept coming back every weekend.?

After signing on with TCW, all Linduff needed was a name. While racking his brain over what his name would be, Linduff's identity hit him when he least expected it. Surfing through radio stations, he overheard Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, from then on fans have known him as the boisterous Mr. Saturday Night.

?I thought, Saturday night, life of the party, that's what I what I want to be,? Linduff said. ?I thought I'd go with it until I thought of something else, but 10 years later, I'm still Mr. Saturday Night.?

TCW, which had a surplus of protagonist roles, casted Mr. Saturday Night as a heel making him a hated villain among wrestling fans.

However, the constant boos only fueled him in the ring. In fact Linduff said he actually prefers being cast as the heel during a fight.

?I feel way more comfortable in the role of the heel,? Linduff said. ?It?s a lot easier for me to get you to not like me than it is to get you to like me.?

At the beginning of the year, Mr. Saturday Night was moved to more of a protagonist role in TCW. While the change is still new to Linduff, he said he is beginning to get used to stepping out of the dark side.

?Being a good guy, that?s a little bit more work, especially since I?ve been a bad guy my whole career,? Linduff said. ?I had to learn fast that it wasn?t necessarily about trying to appeal to the fans. Fans gravitate to the people who are out there having a good time and having fun.?

Professional wrestling is unlike other athletic events in that there is the component of acting involved. Linduff said making sure the two work hand in hand provides a constant challenge.

?Pro wrestling is a lot different than amateur wrestling,? Linduff said. ?But the athleticism is unparalleled. You have to be a performer and an athlete at the same time. It?s hard enough to be one or the other, but when you put the two together, unless you have been out there under those bright lights, it?s hard to understand. There is nothing like it.?

Though it is common knowledge that the fight's outcomes are predetermined, Linduff said the key to putting on a good show is making the action look so believable that fans forget the fighting isn't real.

?If I can go out there and do things to get the fans so involved and give such a performance that people say, ?it?s predetermined, but that was real, he really didn?t like that guy,? there?s an art to it,? Linduff said. ?That?s the challenge, to pull the slight of hand in front of somebody and them not realize it.?

The schedule of a professional wrestler is also challenging. Linduff said he spends countless amounts of time in the gym and must constantly keep in top shape in order to perform on the weekends.

However, the work is rewarding. Linduff said wrestling provides him with a release he cannot find anywhere else.

?I get a lot off stress out both in the gym and in the ring,? Linduff said. ?It?s the best therapy I have found. It beats paying $90 to sit on a couch and have some psychologist tell me something. It?s a great outlet.?

Fans can catch Mr. Saturday Night as well as other professional wrestlers, as TCW will hold Mississippi Meltdown on Saturday at the Frank Cochran Center in Highland Park at 5:30 p.m.

? I urge fans to come out and have a good time,? Linduff said. ?Don?t be afraid to get loud and get involved in the show.?