Grimmas Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Discuss here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Always loved the Barbarian, can't believe I'd not considered him before this nomination. Totally believable beast of a wrestler, loved the way his big boot looked like it was taking guys heads off, and his flying headbutt was great too. If nothing else, this nomination is a good excuse to dig out the Barb compilation I bought a couple of years back. Has a reasonable shot at my 90-100's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrainfollower Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 What does everyone think of the Scott Keith opinion that the Barbarian was a guy with a great look and could execute some amazing offense but seemed to have no idea how to actually put a match together? I like the guy but he has no chance with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parties Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Definitive example of awesome/fun worker who stands no chance of making my list. Top 200 perhaps, but not here. However, this thread now has me thinking about Haku as a potentially interesting and worthy #90-100 guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted March 1, 2016 Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 Was watching some Barbarian matches from NJPW last night, and it solidified to me that he'll probably make the 95-100 spots on my list. Really great offensive wrestler - I mentioned his big boot and headbutts above, but he's got a glorious powerslam and gets massive height on his legdrops. Given the size, strength and portrayal of his character, he's a surprisingly decent seller too. There's a great moment in his Inoki match (20/10/85), where he rears back for a blow and Inoki quickly chops him in the face. Barb gives the same look my dog did the first time she saw a hissing cat: a slightly baffled look to indicate he's not sure what happened, but he's pretty sure he didn't like it. Inoki peppers in the chops and Barb starts to look more and more off his game, leading to a big pop when he goes to the floor. There's a Barb/Fujinami match I've got coming up that I'm now really looking forward to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 I worry about opening a can of worms here, but having watched a load of Barb's NJPW work in the last week, he's gone from the bubble to being a lock for my list. Only in the 90-100 bracket, but he's going to be in. I've reviewed a load of them for my blog (link in signature - cheap plug), but to sum up: Barbarian in Japan is so much fun to watch - he rampages through the crowd like a mad man, scattering the audience in all directions as he passes through. He's a fantastic offensive wrestler. Great legdrop, nice looking strikes, sudden diving headbutts and real brute strength - him casually doing reps with Kengo Kimura over his head looks great. He's also not adverse to sneaking in something unexpected when the moment calls for it - him countering an Inoki leg lock to one of his own was a pleasant surprise, and looked great. Defensively, he was much better than I expected/remembered. Having the character he does means that he's not a guy to be pinballing about, but his selling manner makes his opponents look great for how they wear him down. I mentioned above the way he sold a quick Inoki chop, but there's many examples - how he sold Fujinami's repeated chinlocks by taking longer and longer to gather his bearings after each one, how he sold Inoki kicking him down to the mat like a big redwood being felled, earning a big pop when he falls to the mat. A lot of his matches don't have satisfying endings, as often he get's DQ'd for using a chain, but that's on the booking rather than Barbarian. There's enough meat in his bouts with Inoki, Fujinami, Steve Williams etc to show Barbarian as a great wrestler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Is Haku making your list Jay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 You know what, I'd not even considered Haku for my list. I'd always considered him the lesser Face of Fear, I don't find his offence as impressive as Barbarian (who I think is pretty agile and quick for his size) and he's not as generous a seller. I suppose I should give him another look for the interest of fairness, but he's pretty unlikely to. I'll revisit 5-6 Haku matches over the weekend to be accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Barbarian was someone I was pretty high on in 2016, and I think he's got a good shot for 2026. In a way, he's an interesting counterpoint to the Goldberg argument, because he's got similar tools and a similar aura, but didn't get a big sustained push the way Goldberg did. Of course, his big push in WCW flopped, but the switch from midcard tag worker to world champion needed more than a month or two build to be accepted. What a beast though. Great offence, clever at knowing when to sell and how much. A guy who didn't win a lot, but always managed to maintain his aura so a win over him felt impressive. Comfortably the best worker in both the Powers of Pain and the Faces of Fear. Even last year, working a tag for ICW NY, he still looked and moved pretty well for his age, which is rare for a muscular 80s wrestler nowadays (Warlord, for example, looked pretty stiff and was clearly less comfortable in the same match) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 I would say it is pretty incredible Warlord is alive at all and his heart didn't explode 20 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelZ Posted November 28, 2021 Report Share Posted November 28, 2021 This week’s watch party was dedicated to the Barbarian and it ruled. Highlights included a hidden gem vs Bret, a fun match vs Inoki, and Faces of Fear vs Rock n Roll Express on Nitro. Plus you had the mania 7 opener for comfort food. Barbarian has always been a cult favorite but he is a smarter worker than you remember. Focused on offense and some memorable selling. Much more than a great look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted November 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2021 How smart he was really surprised me. His offense is very focused on working a body part and the creativity of counters is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted November 30, 2021 Report Share Posted November 30, 2021 I really liked how Barb moved forward with the times too. By the time we were watching his Nitro-era run, he'd added a load of fun slam variations into this mix. The Eddie match on Nitro was an absolute blast, they worked really well together. I'll be stunned in Barbarian isn't on my list again in 2026 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted December 5, 2021 Report Share Posted December 5, 2021 Barb smashing dudes with the most violent back breakers, powerbombs, big boots, and the belly to belly superplex is a treat every time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB8 Posted December 5, 2021 Report Share Posted December 5, 2021 Not for nothing, but Barbarian is involved in one of my three favourite WWF tags ever and one of my three favourite WCW tags ever, and he's awesome in both as the badass powerhouse launching smaller dudes around the place. I'm not sure he'd make my list, but he's someone I'd have no problem doing a mini deep dive into and seeing what there is to unearth. (FWIW the two tags are Powers of Pain v Rockers from 1/90 and Faces of Fear v Eddie and Jericho from 2/97) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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