Bill Irwin (wrestler)
Bill Irwin | |
---|---|
Birth name | Barney William Irwin |
Born | [1] Pecos, Texas, U.S. | September 17, 1954
Family | Scott Irwin (brother) |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Bill Irwin[1] The Black Scorpion[1] The Goon[1] Super Destroyer No. 1[1] |
Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1] |
Billed weight | 250 lb (113 kg)[1] |
Billed from | Pecos, Texas (as Bill Irwin) Duluth, Minnesota (as The Goon) |
Trained by | Scott Irwin[1] Larry Sharpe |
Debut | 1977 |
Retired | 2012 |
Barney William Irwin (born September 17, 1954) is an American retired
Professional wrestling career
Mid South beginning of The Super Destroyers/The Long Riders (1977–1987)
Trained by his brother Scott Irwin & Verne Gagne (who he claims to have not been part of his official training),[2] Bill Irwin began wrestling in 1979 in the National Wrestling Alliance's Central States territory and in Mid South Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling, winning the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship in 1979. He wrestled for a short period in MSW in 1982, teaming with his brother Scott as the masked tag team The "Super Destroyers", who were managed by Skandor Akbar. The team would later become known as The Lone Riders, in NSW.[1][3] Irwin then moved on to Jim Crockett Promotions and the American Wrestling Association where he and his brother wrestled as the "Long Riders" and won several tag team titles together.[4][5] Their tag team ended prematurely when Scott died from a brain tumor in 1987.
World Class Championship Wrestling (1981–1984, 1987–1989)
Working in both the Mid South and also the WCCW in 1981, he would leave the Mid South in 1982 for WCCW, and now going by the name Wild Bill Irwin, he won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship off Al Madril and then having become a member of H & H Ltd tagging with Bugsy McGraw to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) then vacate the NWA Texas Heavyweight belt owing to a match between him and David Von Erich by 1983s after blaming McGraw for losing them the tag belts, then, after a light feud, began teaming with King Kong Bundy becoming North American Tag Team Championship which he would do another 4 times with his brother Bill as the original tag team named The Super Destroyers (not the later ECW version) and their last run was as The Lone Riders. That same year, he won the WCCW Television Championship to complete his total of 7 times.
He made a late return in 1983 to WCCW as Super Destroyer No. 2 with his brother Scott, once again managed by Skandor Akbar, being the recent NWA North American Tag Team Champions for the first time. After the death of his brother Scott in 1987 caused by a brain tumor, he returned to World Class, working until the company folded in 1989. He briefly worked for the Wild West promotion in Dallas while he ran a wrestling school. Irwin later provided extensive commentary on the WWE's "The Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW" video retrospective of World Class Championship Wrestling, regarding his time in Texas, what it was like to wrestle in the Dallas Sportatorium, and his fateful trip with David Von Erich to Japan.
World Championship Wrestling (1989–1993)
Irwin, as "Wild" Bill Irwin, also appeared sporadically in World Championship Wrestling, including in a loss to Davey Boy Smith in Smith's WCW debut at SuperBrawl III.[6]
Various promotions (1991–1996)
Irwin would eventually go on to form a new tag team with Black Bart in the Global Wrestling Federation from 1991 to 1992.[7] He also worked in Japan for Network of Wrestling in 1993 and 1994.
World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)
In 1996, Irwin began appearing regularly with the
Late career (1998–2012)
Upon leaving the WWF, Irwin wrestled on the independent circuit. A year later after leaving WWF, he returned in 1998 for two appearances teaming with Kit Carson as they were defeated by
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fighting Spirit Award (1989) - with Terry Gordy[10]
- Big D Wrestling
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bryan St. John[12]
- Continental Wrestling Association
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- Global Wrestling Federation
- Lutte Internationale
- Canadian International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Scott Irwin[5]
- NWA Big Time Wrestling / World Class Championship Wrestling
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with King Kong Bundy (1) and The Super Destroyer #2 (4)[3][17]
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[18]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (2 times) - with Frank Dusek (1) and Bugsy McGraw (1)[19]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 311 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003.
- Steel Domain Wrestling
- SDW Television Championship (1 time)
- Universal Wrestling Federation
- 1 time) - with Leroy Brown[22]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Barney Irwin profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ The Goon Wild Bill Irwin Full Drunken Train Wreck Interview 2021, retrieved June 8, 2021
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts". Wrestling's Historical Cards SuperBrawl III. Kappa Publishing. 2007. p. 140.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 1-55022-584-7.
- ^ "Wrestlers Database - Bill Irwin". Cagematch.net.
- ^ "PUROLOVE.com". www.purolove.com. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "N.W.A. American Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "World Class Television Title". Wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
External links
- Bill Irwin at IMDb
- Bill Irwin's profile at Cagematch.net