There have been countless wrestlers who graced the squared circle with their skill and talent in the golden era of wrestling but failed to make a long-lasting impression on fans. While stars like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels are remembered by fans of every generation for the level of success they achieved, there have been other exciting superstars who had an amazing run in top promotions but have forgotten legacies. One of those stars was known as The Barbarian.
The Barbarian broke into the business during the early 1980s. He excelled in his craft, both as a singles and tag team wrestler, working for many top promotions such as National Wrestling Alliance, WWE, and WCW.
While many considered him to be a major powerhouse of the ring, that did not translate into the level of success that top marquee stars achieved during their heyday. So let’s explore the forgotten legacy of the former superstar known as The Barbarian.
UPDATE: 2023/09/01 07:30 EST BY MICHAEL CHIN
From his time as half of The Powers of Pain tag team with The Warlord, to his singles work, to often-overlooked runs with WCW, The Barbarian was a steady, respected hand. Despite rarely approaching main event status, his physique and power meant he always looked like a credible threat. That’s not to mention that he had surprising agility for a man of his size that contributed to his in-ring work aging quite well, even from a modern perspective. Though–toward the end of his prime–his Faces of Fear tag team with Meng had a tendency to get lost in the shuffle relative to major names like The Outsiders, The Steiner Brothers, and Harlem Heat that dominated the WCW tag ranks in their era, the fact that such a talented pair of big men could go overlooked was less a knock on their abilities than a testament to the depth of star power the company had at the time.
The Barbarian Migrated To The United States To Pursue Wrestling
The Barbarian, born Sione Havea Vailahi, was raised in Tonga and was one of six young teenagers that the King of Tonga sent to Japan in the middle of the 1970s to learn sumo wrestling. In the sumo community, Sione was known as Sachinoshima.
After arriving in the United States, he received professional wrestling training from Rolland “Red” Bastien. He made his debut in 1980, competing against Killer Karl Krupp. In 1981, he participated in various NWA regional wrestling tournaments as King Konga and soon joined Jim Crockett Promotions of the NWA, where he worked as a face alongside Ron Garvin.
Jim Crockett, Jr. repackaged him as Konga the Barbarian after seeing his potential as a heel. He joined Paul Jones’ stable and competed from 1985 to 1987 as a member of “Paul Jones’ Army,” teaming with Pez Whatley, Teijho Khan, and Baron Von Raschke. At this point, the word “Konga” was removed from his name, and he went by the moniker The Barbarian.
The Barbarian Was A Part Of The Popular Tag Team The Powers Of Pain
The Barbarian created a partnership with Ivan Koloff, who was also his mentor, in late 1987. He joined The Warlord as The Powers of Pain at the beginning of 1988. They frequently fought with The Road Warriors, Animal and Hawk, and caused damage to Animal’s eye in a weightlifting competition. Shortly after, they and Ivan defeated the Road Warriors and Dusty Rhodes to win the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championships. However, the Powers of Pain ultimately left the promotion to join WWE after a conflict of views happened with Jim Crockett concerning a series of Scaffold Matches that they and their rivals, Road Warriors, were unwilling to participate in.
The Powers of Pain were babyfaces when they first arrived in WWE. They got into a feud with WWE World Tag Team Champions Demolition (Ax and Smash), who had just defeated Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel) for the championships and subsequently hurt Martel. As hired guns, The Powers of Pain were introduced to aid Martel and Santana in exacting revenge on Demolition for both the title loss and the harm done to Martel. The Baron later oversaw their management, however, in a swift double turn, they dropped the Baron and took Demolition’s manager, Mr. Fuji as heels.
The Barbarian Becomes A Singles Competitor
After the Powers of Pain failed in their quest to win the World Tag Team Championships, the team eventually split up in 1990, and The Barbarian went under the management of Bobby Heenan. He would have his appearance altered, going from his Road Warrior-inspired haircut and face paint to growing out his hair, wearing fur, and donning a helmet with a skull and antlers. He wrestled as a part of the Heenan family faction and had a brief run as a singles competitor in WWE, before leaving the promotion in 1992.
The later years in the 1990s saw The Barbarian go back and forth between WCW and WWE, battling various top stars of the promotions, winning multiple championships, and also being a part of other tag teams such as the Headshrinkers.
The Barbarian’s WCW Career
The Barbarian’s singles career may have peaked in 1992 when he was positioned as a challenger to Ron Simmons as WCW Champion. He’d have more eyes on him when he returned to the company in the late 1990s, though, in the boom period of The Monday Night War. One of the signature elements of WCW during Nitro’s run was just how rich their roster was in star power. Yes, there were headliners like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Sting, and Goldberg whom everyone remembers. The mid-card and tag team ranks were rich, too, with up-and-comers like Booker T and Rey Mysterio, as well as well-established veteran names like Rick Steiner and Jim Duggan remaining in featured roles.
Even the lower ranks of the company included names fans remember well, with guys like Marty Jannetty, Bobby Eaton, and Greg Valentine largely used as enhancement workers. The Barbarian wasn’t quite reduced to jobber status, but his place on the card wasn’t much above that level as he never actually got his hands on a title in WCW, and worked mostly in tag teams and the lower card. His most memorable WCW stint saw him paired with Meng as The Faces of Fear, which eventually gave way to The Barbarian turning on his partner.
The Barbarian Is Still Wrestling In 2023
The Barbarian continued to pursue his passion for wrestling even after that, competing for various promotions on the independent circuit–stunningly enough–right up to the modern day. While his physical abilities have, naturally, diminished with time, it’s a testament to how well respected he is that his passion for wrestling that he has continued to find a place in the business, into his sixties.