In commemorating the passing of Pro Wrestler Art Barr on this date 18 years ago, this is the article that I wrote for the "Wrestlings Last Hope" website earlier this week:
Over 2300 years ago, Alexander the Great, not yet 33 years old, died
after a night of heavy drinking.
Even at
that young age, he had conquered a great part of the then-known world, and had
already devised plans for further military campaigns, looking to conquer new
territories.
It’s always tragic when anyone dies that young, but it always seems more
so when the person is someone with immense talent and abilities. Someone who may have already displayed some
of that potential, but still had much more he could fulfill. Alexander, James Dean, Tupac Shakur, these
are just a few of the people who fit into that category, and in the world of
Professional Wrestling, we’d certainly have to include Art Barr. All of these
individuals, gained many admirers and much respect in their respective fields,
and rightly so. Because regardless if
whether or not we enjoyed what they created or agreed with some of their
lifestyle decisions, habits, or personality traits, they possessed undeniable
great ability and potential untapped.
On November 23, 1994, Art Barr passed
away in his sleep, while lying next to his young son at his home in Eugene, Oregon. He had just turned 28 years old only 6 weeks
before. And just two weeks before, he
had wrestled his greatest match, having established himself as a highly
in-demand wrestler in Mexico,
and on the verge of exploring new territories to conquer.
Barr began his career in the Pacific Northwest Wrestling territory and
in 1989, during a television taping, family friend Roddy Piper decided to
transform the up until then bland Art Barr, into “Beetlejuice.” Even before the comedic segment was over, you
could see positive results. Although it
was a goofy gimmick, it would give Barr the opportunity for more attention, and
even more importantly, the opportunity to cut loose and display his natural
charisma, which up until then had remained relatively buried.
Barr would work his “Beetlejuice” character, and subsequently his “Juicer”
character, both in Portland
and then WCW. While growing in
popularity in WCW, and showing good athletic ability in televised matches, his
lack of size was an issue and he failed to impress the powers that be in WCW.
Art was released by WCW, but with the help of wrestler Konan, he would
soon find himself south of the border, working in EMLL. He would don a mask and begin wrestling under
the name “Love Machine”. After a year or
so, he would then embark on a feud with the famed luchador Blue Panther, which
feud would gain him more attention, is still talked about today, and was a
critical factor in Barr’s becoming a star in Mexico.
Up until that point in his career and in EMLL, Barr was a face, but some
fans were lukewarm towards him, as was evidenced during a mask vs. mask match
between Barr and Panther, which took place in April of 1992 at the Arena
Mexico. Mexican wrestling fans are very
passionate, and are not hesitant to express how they really feel about a match
or a wrestler. During the match, more
and more fans were beginning to cheer the rudo (heel) Blue Panther, and were
giving Barr a mixed reaction to his moves.
Mexican fans were ahead of most of the world when it came to sometimes
rooting for the heels in wrestling, and this time was no exception.
In the closing moments of the intense match, with more and more fans
beginning to rally behind Blue Panther, the 2 out of 3 fall match was even at
one fall a piece, and Barr was unloading an offensive barrage on Blue
Panther. Then in a costly mistake, and
in the heat of the moment, Barr delivered a piledriver to Panther, taking him
out of commission. Unfortunately, the
move, while perfectly legal in most of the U.S.,
is an illegal maneuver in Mexico. Barr screamed out in both anguish and
protest, at the mistake which would cost him his mask, something masked
wrestlers in Mexico
seek to avoid at all costs.
Barr would then attack Blue Panther with extreme intensity, as
attendants were trying to carry Panther out on a stretcher. The fans reacted as expected, and while Barr
would remain a Face for some time, as Panther would also remain a heel, the
stage was set for an eventual switch.
The feud was resumed the following year when both had jumped to the new
AAA promotion, and on July 23, 1993, their singles feud culminated in a “mask
vs. hair” match. During the third and
deciding fall, and with the referee’s
back turned to them, Love Machine placed Blue Panther in position to give him
the piledriver, the same move that had laid him out on the stretcher the year
before. However Perro Aguayo, Love
Machine’s second in the match, ran in and prevented Barr from delivering the
piledriver, knowing it could cost Barr both the match and his hair. Barr hesitated,
dropping Panther to the floor, just as the referee returned his attention to
them. Thinking that Barr had delivered
the illegal piledriver, the referee disqualified Love Machine; giving Panther
both the victory and the satisfaction of seeing Barr’s hair get cut.
Furious at what he considered an injustice, being disqualified for an
act he didn’t even commit, and possibly for the fan’s increased support of the
rudo Blue Panther, Barr vented his frustrations by attacking Aguayo.
Barr’s turn to the dark side would soon be complete, as the following
month, while in a 6 man tag match with Eddie Guerrero and El Hijo Del Santo as
his partners, Love Machine donned a “Santo” mask that he took from a boy from
ringside, and began giving Guerrero a fierce beating, leading the dazed
Guerrero to believe that Santo had attacked him. Guerrero, who had himself displayed heel-like
behaviors on some recent occasions, attacked Santo, soon being joined in by
Barr and opposing team member Fuerza Guerrera.
Barr’s heel turn was complete, and he now had a partner in crime, and
they would become known as “La Pareja Del Terror” (The Terror Team), and then
“Los Gringos Locos,” forming the nucleus of what would become a heel faction in
AAA. They set AAA on fire, and ignited feuds (most notably with Santo and
Octagon) during what was undoubtedly the hottest time period for the company.
Over the next 15 months, Barr and Guerrero blossomed both as performers
and heels, lighting up the ring with both their chemistry and ring work, and
working up Mexican and U.S. crowds into frenzy. Of the two, Eddie was undoubtedly the better
technician and in-ring performer, but definitely learned a thing or two from
Barr when it came to ring psychology, increasing the fan’s emotional
involvement in the match, inciting them to hatred and near-riots. And isn’t that partly why we watch a match,
whether it be on TV or at the arena? To
cheer who we love, and boo who we don’t?
And the more passionate we are about that, the more we enjoy ourselves
and what we see and feel. Barr
recognized the importance of getting the fans to care about what was going on
in the ring, to have an emotional stake in what was taking place in the
match. Whether you booed him and cheered
for his opponent was irrelevant. It was
that he got a reaction out of you was the thing that was critical. And like his mentor Roddy Piper before him,
Barr was quickly becoming a genius in that regard.
Barr’s and Guerrero’s feud with Santo and Octagon over the AAA tag team
titles would increase in its intensity, culminating in double hair vs. mask match during AAA’s first pay per view,
“When World’s Collide”.
The date was Nov. 6, 1994, and WCW had taken notice of both AAA’s and
“Los Gringos Locos”, and as a result helped co-promote and make possible the
pay-per-view event. Other’s had taken
notice of Art Barr and Eddie Guerrero in particular. Among them were New Japan
and ECW, who was running hot at the time.
These were places that unlike WCW at the time didn’t pay nearly as much
attention to the size of a wrestler’s body, as they did to the size of his
heart, his in-ring ability, and his ability to increase the fan’s emotional
involvement. Eddie had already done tours
of Japan, and Art was scheduled for one
soon.
The venue for the PPV was The Sports Arena in Los
Angeles, one of the world’s major cities, and the capital of the
media world. There was lots riding on
this event, with it being AAA’s first ppv and millions, including important
wrestling promoters, set to watch the event.
And although it wasn’t the main event, the double hair vs. mask match
was the highlight of the event and the match that stole the show.
Within Lucha Libre, a Hair vs. Mask match is typically the climax of a
feud. It is the culmination of months of exchanged blows and insults, bad blood
& shed blood, when there is no other alternative left to settle things once
and for all between the participants.
This was the opportunity for Barr to shine his brightest, and he didn’t
disappoint. He turned in what may have
been his best in-ring performance ever, displaying great timing and precision. And with his facial expressions, gestures,
and his derogatory comments that specifically targeted L.A.’s
Hispanic population, he along with Guerrero, had the fans screaming for their
blood as well as their hair. All of the
match participants contributed to what would be considered by some the match of
the year, and would be given a 5 star rating by The Wrestling Observer’s Dave
Meltzer. It, without a doubt, is a
must-see match for every wrestling fan.
In the end, after an emotional, intense battle, it would be Santo and
Octagon who would have the victory. But
in the end, everyone was a winner, including the fans and Guerrero and Barr as
well.
Sadly, it would be Barr’s last match, as two weeks later he died. And one can’t wonder what might’ve been. ECW and New Japan both came knocking, and the
surviving Guerrero would make the most of his opportunities, as would other
Cruiserweight wrestlers who had spent time in Mexico,
such as Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho.
It might’ve taken several more years, but all of those wrestlers and
Dean Malenko as well, would travel that path to eventual stardom on the big
time wrestling platforms. Isn’t it
possible that Art Barr might’ve joined that elite group in such success?
It’s quite possible. While he
wasn’t as technically proficient as some of the others just mentioned, really,
how many people have ever been able to say that they were? And without a doubt, he had more charisma
than any of those individuals, Guerrero included. And hadn’t Piper shown years before, that
charisma can greatly enhance the performance, appeal, and marketability of a
wrestler? And that’s something that you
can’t learn in a gym.
While it can be argued that Art’s lifestyle decisions, lack of size, or
any thing else about him could sabotage any potential opportunity for big time
success, what can’t be argued is that he left everything he had in the
ring. And it can’t be argued as to
whether or not he made a big time impact in Lucha Libre during the 90’s. And it definitely can’t be argued as to
whether he left us with one of the more memorable matches in the last several
decades of Wrestling History. Art left
us with a tremendous parting gift, as his last match was his best.
Thank you Art, and rest in peace.
