Columnist John Katsilometes: Wrestlers and verbal body slams

Tuesday, Sept. 7, 1999 | 9:26 a.m.

John Katsilometes' column appears Tuesdays and Sundays. Reach him at 259-2327 or kats@vegas.com.

At its highest level, professional wrestling is promoted by a pair of warring factions. One is the oft-vulgar World Wrestling Federation, headed by shameless and hedonistic WWF President Vince McMahon (whose organization survived a steroid scandal a decade ago and the recent in-ring death of popular wrestler Owen Hart).

The other is the less profane, but similarly raucous World Championship Wrestling, operated by media mogul Ted Turner's company, Turner Communications. The WWF and WCW ceaselessly hammer away at one another in print and over the airwaves, with millions of dollars in arena revenues and cable television ratings on the line.

But the battles rage even at the sport's lowest, larval level. Even in Las Vegas, where local caricature/curiosity "Buffalo Jim" Barrier is taking a few shots (or, for wrestling fans, a few pile-drivers) from a maverick organization calling itself Sin City Wrestling.

A brief history in briefs: Barrier operates the Buffalo Wrestling Federation, which holds matches on a semiregular basis at Mahoney's Silver Nugget. The most recent, on Aug. 7, was deemed a success, a polished and professional card that drew between 800 and 1,000 fans.

Barrier's next promotion is scheduled for Saturday at the Silver Nugget, and Barrier's WWF buddy, Godfather, will be a featured performer.

(Incidentally, Godfather was supposed to be Hart's opponent the night Hart plummeted 70 feet to his death while being lowered by a cable into the ring during a WWF card in Kansas City.)

Barrier boasts of being tight with nearly every big name in professional wrestling, including McMahon and one of his biggest stars, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The walls of Barrier's littered and disorganized office at his daytime business, Allstate Auto and Marine Electric, are adorned with photos of him with innumerable wrestling stars.

"I have worked six years publicizing my organization," Barrier said during a recent interview in his Las Vegas office. "I have put my heart into this and I have a lot of friends in wrestling all over the country."

But Barrier is having a tough time appeasing some of his BWF students. About a year ago, dissatisfied with what they called unacceptable business practices (in pro wrestling?!), a few of the more disenfranchised grapplers broke ranks and began working out on their own. They called themselves Sin City Wrestling, and the president is former BWF student Kelly Nunes, an up-and-coming wrestler who split with BWF feeling pretty torqued.

"Basically he's (shafting) guys left and right," Nunes said. "I don't want to sound like I'm disgruntled, but I have a legitmate beef with the man."

Nunes, joined by five other former Barrier proteges in the 11-member SCW, claims the following: Barrier dissuaded students from taking part in any independent wrestling card other than a BWF show; Barrier owes Nunes $1,700 in membership dues after Barrier booted Nunes out of the BWF; and Barrier essentially bilked members by rescheduling classes at night and making it impossible for wrestlers who had night jobs to continue training.

"None of that is true," Barrier said. "If anything, (Nunes) hasn't paid all of his fees. He was on a payment plan and paid only half of his yearly fees, which are $3,500."

Just last week Barrier lost another wrestler, Damian Bird (whose stage name is Damian Dollaz) to the SCW, which promised there would be more defections.

"Look for a lot more Buffalo guys to come over to SCW," Bird said in an ominous voice. "There will be a rebellion."

Nunes also sent a formal letter of complaint to the Nevada Athletic Commission, accusing Barrier of unfair business practices, claiming Barrier is preventing his wrestlers from working out at the SCW facility, thus costing the SCW members and revenues.

"They can do all they want," Barrier said. "It's a few guys I used to teach that didn't have what it takes to be in professional wrestling. I tried to help them, but they left. Personally, I see (SCW) as no competition."

As of now the Athletic Commission deems the dispute a civil matter and is staying out of the fray.

Barrier has also recently lost a valuable ally in mammoth former WWF champion Yokozuna, who left after a rift involving a trip Yokozuna took to Europe, separate from the BWF operation. Yokozuna now is under contract with SCW, adding a bit of spice to the spat.

"We've got Yokozuna, he's an instructor with us," Nunes said.

"I don't know what (Yokozuna) is doing," Barrier replied, "and I don't care."

Even as Barrier dismisses the SCW operation as no threat -- "nothing more than a fly" -- the upstart organization promises to gain a license to promote its own card in Las Vegas by the end of the year.

"We'd like to get our own cable TV contract and have shows at the Mandalay Bay Events Center," said Nunes, who also plans on filing a civil lawsuit against Barrier for what Nunes claims are his nonrefunded membership dues (which Barrier angrily denies). "We'll either get it done, or go broke and die."

Barrier, who promotes his shows under the license of Power Punch Promotions (operated by a former championship boxer, Cornelius Boza-Edwards), is the only promoter in the state who conducts regular small-scale professional wrestling cards. After building a somewhat quirky reputation in Las Vegas, he's not about to back down to a bunch of upstarts who haven't even turned 30.

"They're just a bunch of kids and, no, I don't see them going anywhere," he said. "What they're saying is a bunch of B.S. I'm a realist, and I'm telling you it's nothing I care about. I'm just being me and going about my business."

As the big, bearded man spoke, a wooden artifact was visible on a nearby file cabinet: a hand giving the famed one-digit salute.

To the SCW, that's "Buffalo Jim's" unwavering message. This is one bout that could well erupt into a battle royal.