Barry Horowitz

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Barry Horowitz bigraphy, stories - American professional wrestler

Barry Horowitz : biography

March 24, 1959 –

Barry Horowitz (born March 24, 1960) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation.

Championships and accomplishments

  • Border City Wrestling
  • BCW Can-Am Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Otis Apollo
  • Catch Wrestling Association
  • CWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
  • Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Continental Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chick Donovan
  • Empire Wrestling Alliance
  • EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Future of Wrestling
  • FOW Hardcore Championship (2 times)
  • Global Wrestling Federation
  • GWF Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • Independent Association of Wrestling
  • IAW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • IWA Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
  • International Wrestling Association
    • IWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
  • MEWF Mid-Atlantic Championship (2 times)
  • New Breed Pro Wrestling
  • NBPW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1995)
  • South Eastern Championship Wrestling
  • SECW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • SECW Television Championship (1 time)
  • Other titles
  • RISE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Notes

Popular culture

Horowitz is the subject of a song by rapper Action Bronson.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Cloverleaf
    • Horowitz Cradle (Three-quarter nelson cradle)
    • Winning Move (DDT, sometimes inverted)
    • Winner-Plex (Bridging Northern Lights suplex)
  • Signature moves
    • Ankle lock
    • Roll-up
  • Managers
    • Sir Oliver Humperdink
    • Bruce Prichard
    • Percy Pringle
    • Harvey Wippleman
  • Nicknames
    • "The Winner" (GWF)
    • "Mr. Technical"
    • "The Stretcher"
    • "The Star of David" (UWF)
    • "Bad Boy"

Career

Horowitz attended Florida State University, where he studied sports nutrition and wrestled. After graduating, he trained as a professional wrestler under Boris Malenko in Tampa, Florida for 18 months and debuted in 1979 on the Floridian independent circuit. He went on to work for the World Wide Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett, Sr.’s NWA Mid-Atlantic promotion, and promotions in Canada and Puerto Rico.

Horowitz eventually joined Championship Wrestling from Florida as "Jack Hart". On July 23, 1985 in Tampa, Horowitz defeated Mike Graham in a tournament final to win the vacant NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship. He held the title until September 2, 1985, when he lost to Kendall Windham. He remained in CWF for two years, and was managed by heels such as Percy Pringle and Sir Oliver Humperdink.

After wrestling in Memphis as "Stretcher" Jack Hart, Horowitz joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1987. Wearing suspenders, and a vest with an outline of a handprint on the back which he patted as a self-congratulatory measure, he spent three years in the WWF as an enhancement talent (primarily against up and coming babyfaces) before suffering a neck injury in early 1990 which left him sidelinded for ten months. After he had recuperated, Horowitz traveled to Texas, where he worked for the newly-formed Global Wrestling Federation. Competing in the light-heavyweight division, Horowitz (billed as Barry "The Winner" Horowitz) won the GWF Light Heavyweight Championship on two occasions within the space of a month in 1992, defeating Jerry Lynn on February 7 and Ben Jordan on February 28 in Dallas, Texas. He remained in the GWF for two years until it declared bankruptcy. Along the way, Horowitz also returned to the WWF in late 1991, where he was once again used to help put talent over. He made his pay-per-view debut under a mask at the 1993 Survivor Series as "The Red Knight", teaming with Shawn Michaels (who was substituting for Jerry Lawler) and the Black and Blue Knights to lose to Bret, Owen, Keith, and Bruce Hart.

In 1995, Horowitz received the first push of his WWF career, beginning with pinning Bodydonna Skip on the July 9, 1995 airing of The Action Zone, leading to play-by-play commentator Jim Ross shouting "Horowitz wins! Horowitz wins!" into his microphone in disbelief. Horowitz faced the vengeful Skip in a rematch at SummerSlam 1995, which he also won. These wins led to Horowitz becoming a popular underdog with WWF fans. During this time, the WWF played up Horowitz’s Jewish heritage, including making his entrance theme an upbeat version of the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila". Horowitz formed a tag team with the newly turned face Hakushi–whom he attempted to Americanize after beating him in another upset. At the 1995 Survivor Series, they teamed with Bob Holly and Marty Jannetty in a loss to Skip, Rad Radford, Tom Prichard, and The 1-2-3 Kid. Horowitz also appeared in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, as the 25th entrant, where he was eliminated by Owen Hart.

Horowitz’s contract was not renewed by the WWF in 1997, and he joined World Championship Wrestling in 1998, signing a two year contract. Horowitz wrestled primarily on WCW Saturday Night before leaving WCW in 2000 and returning to the independent circuit. As of June 2005, he was working as a nutritionist in Florida while occasionally wrestling for local independent promotions.

He was featured on the (renamed) WWE’s website "Where Are They Now?" column on October 22, 2008.