5 Things You Didn't Know About Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake

Long before he cut and strut his way into the hearts of WWE fans in the 1980s, Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake was born Ed Leslie. Leslie was a Tampa, Florida kid that followed in the footsteps of his best friend, Hulk Hogan, into the bizarre world of professional wrestling. Leslie and Bollea forged a friendship that would become instrumental in Leslie's life and career in professional wrestling. Leslie, in fact, would be so closely linked to his best friend that he would go on to wrestle as Dizzy Hogan and claim to be Hogan's brother. While the two weren't actual brothers in blood, the two forged a deep and arguably unparalleled bond; but, many have wondered who is Ed Leslie? Does he have a story of his own apart from Hulk Hogan's lofty shadow?

Leslie played many roles in his professional wrestling career. From Dizzy Boulder, to Dizzy Hogan, to Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake, to the Booty Man, to Big Brother Bruti, to the Zodiac, Leslie was an enigma and a man of many names and faces. This article helps to better define who Leslie actually is by taking readers on a journey through a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

#5. Beefcake Was Dead Set Against His Most Successful Gimmick

Brutus Beefcake never wanted to be "the Barber" at all. In fact, he was dead set against the iconic character. When Beefcake came to the WWE, he was essentially billed as a male stripper, hence the name "Beefcake," which was actually given to him by Linda McMahon.

Beefcake metamorphosized into a tag team specialist and even captured the WWE Tag Team Championships with Greg "the Hammer" Valentine. The two became known as The Dream Team; but, like any good dream, the run didn't last forever, as the two broke up shortly after their WrestleMania III match against The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers. After "Rowdy" Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis in a WrestleMania III Hair vs Hair bout, Beefcake made his way to the ring to assist Piper in cutting Adonis' hair. This sparked Vince McMahon's interest in a "barber" character.

Vince McMahon was a bit of a hair aficionado himself and went to such great lengths to care for his own hair that he entrusted a celebrity hairstylist named Sal Fedora. It is Fedora, who was the impetus for "The Barber" character.

At first, Beefcake detested his new gimmick and he even thought that the entire thing may be a rib; but, his best friend Hulk Hogan went into the back and consoled Beefcake. Playing the role of a horse whisperer, Hogan convinced Beefcake that the gimmick could be a lucrative one and even came up with the idea that Beefcake should cut his opponent's hair at the end of each match, similarly to how Jake "the Snake" Roberts would wrap his snake around his defeated opponents. Beefcake accepted his mentor's advice and the rest is history.

#4. Brutus Beefcake Was Notoriously Unlucky When It Came To The Intercontinental Championship

Brutus Beefcake before "the Barber" gimmick

Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake was twice scheduled to win the Intercontinental Championship; but, the illustrious gold eluded him for the entirety of his career. According to Beefcake, he was scheduled to win the Intercontinental Championship gold against The Honky Tonk Man at SummerSlam 1988; however, the WWE decided to put the gold around another man's waist instead. That man was none other than WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior, who made quick work of The Honky Tonk Man to win his very first Intercontinental Championship.

Beefcake was once again scheduled to capture the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1990; however, a near-fatal parasailing accident prevented him from doing so. Instead, it was Kerry "the Texas Tornado" Von Erich, who would go on to defeat Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig to become the Intercontinental Champion at SummerSlam 1990.

#3. His Parasailing Accident Was Much Worse Than You Think It Was

In July of 1990, Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake was involved in a near-fatal parasailing accident. First responders at the scene immediately knew something was amiss, as Beefcake's entire face had collapsed due to the impact of the accident. Responders had to pry Beefcakes mouth open, just so the former WWE Tag Team Champion could breathe. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and received multiple surgeries to repair his crushed face.

Beefcake lost his jaw, had no nasal cavity and had lost all ability to breathe on his own. He was in the hospital for months and unable to eat solid foods. Beefcake lost more than 60 pounds going from a wrestling weight of 250 pounds to a svelte 190. To prevent further injury his eyelids were sewn shut and even the slightest of movements could cause Beefcake to bleed profusely. All in all, Beefcake's doctors were able to construct a new face for Beefcake; but, it required 100 feet of wire and 32 screws.

There was a time that his friend Hulk Hogan visited him at the hospital and the doctor's asked Hogan to help motivate Beefcake. Hogan was able to coax his old friend out of bed and the two went for a walk. Beefcake's condition was so delicate; however, that the exercise caused his own eyeball to pop out of his head.

#2. Beefcake Had His Share of Backstage Feuds

It wasn't that WWE Hall of Famer "Ravishing" Rick Rude didn't like Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. He just didn't like working with him. Rude often complained about wrestling Beefcake, calling him clumsy in the ring.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage; however, didn't much like Brutus Beefcake, especially after Beefcake cut Lanny Poffo's hair. Lanny Poffo was Randy Savage's real-life brother and was never informed that Beefcake was going to cut his hair. Although Poffo tried to escape Beefcake, "The Barber" ran him down and made quick work of his locks. This absolutely incensed the Macho Man, who was waiting to fight Beefcake backstage.

Beefcake also had backstage heat with the man who took his Intercontinental Championship spot at SummerSlam 1988: The Ultimate Warrior. Even after The Warrior's untimely death in 2014, Beefcake still harbored resentment. He told 97.1 The Ticket that The Ultimate Warrior turned into an egomaniac and into someone that started believing his own hype. He also claimed that the Warrior took advantage of people. Beefcake then said he had lost all respect for The Ultimate Warrior and even implied that Warrior had passed due to steroids.

Beefcake's personal feuds didn't stop there. He even inevitably ended up feuding with his best friend, Hulk Hogan. Hogan once innocently tweeted that he was about to get a haircut and Beefcake unloaded on his best friend saying, "Brother, I'd love to give The Hulkster a shave; but, he just won't come near me. Too busy with my ex-wife." The two then exchanged shots via social media. Things became so heated that The Hulkster threatened to sue Beefcake and even served him with a cease and desist order.

#1.Hulk Hogan Was Instrumental In Beefcake's Recovery

After Beefcake recovered from his near-fatal parasailing accident, Hulk Hogan flew in to be at his best friend's side. Hogan would stay in Beefcake's hospital room praying for and motivating Beefcake, lifting the fallen Superstar up when his spirits were down.

Inevitably Hogan moved Beefcake into his own home, so that he could be near his best friend and care for him on a regular basis. After Beefcake lost 60 pounds from the entire ordeal, he was weak and lost much of the athleticism that helped him become one of the world's most recognizable professional wrestlers. Hogan was dead set on finding help for Beefcake and he did in the form of a doctor in the Bahamas, who specialized in human growth hormone.

After Beefcake met with the doctor, he was encouraged; but, also realistic. He knew he could never afford the $14,000 he would need to come up with to pursue treatment. That's when Hogan stepped in and foot his friend's bill. To this day, Beefcake credits HGH with saving his life.