Barry Windham Wrestling History

Barry Windham is a former National Wrestling Alliance World Champion and a legendary mat
star. There was a time in his career in which Windham was the top wrestler in the world and it
wasn’t because he was holding a certain, proclaimed title belt. He is a member one of the
sport’s most known wrestling families. His father, Blackjack Mulligan and his brother Kendall
Windham were both successful wrestlers.

Windham went to West Texas State University, having played both football and wrestled. He
entered the business and began initially as a referee. He later made his professional debut
in Salt Lake City in 1980. Windham appeared first as Blackjack Mulligan Jr. when he made
the trek to Florida. He had enormous potential as a youth and many thought he was a sure
bet to be at the top of the NWA Platform within a few years. Mulligan quickly won the Florida
Television Title. He had a minor setback when he suffered an injured neck after being hit
with Don Muraco’s “Asiatic Hammer.”

Mulligan won his first Florida Tag Team Championship on October 18, 1980, when he
teamed with Scott McGhee to beat the Masked Assassins in a tournament final to capture the
vacant NWA Florida Tag Title. They lost the belts to Bobby Jaggers and R.T. Tyler. On
January 2, 1981, Blackjack Jr. and Mike Graham defeated Bobby Jaggers and R.T. Tyler to
win the NWA Florida Tag Title. Ten days later, he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title
from former NWA World Champ Dory Funk Jr. on January 12th in West Palm Beach. He also
began to team with Terry Taylor on occasion.

Mulligan was forced to relinquish the Florida Heavyweight Title to Dory Funk Jr. after an auto
accident in March and being unable to defend. He went to the Mid-Southern Area later in
1981, and used the name Barry Windham. He quickly won the heavyweight title of that
region. Windham returned to Florida and captured the Global Tag Team Title with Ron Bass
on November 14, 1982, having beat Jim Garvin and John Studd. In early 1983, Windham
defeated former United States Champion Greg Valentine in a tournament final to capture the
vacant NWA Southern Title in Florida. He dropped the belt to Frank Dusek on March 16,
1983. He won his second Florida Title from Jos LeDuc in Sarasota on September 17, 1983,
but lost it back to LeDuc the next night in Orlando. On the 19th, he beat Jos in West Palm
Beach to regain the title.

Later in the year, Windham was stripped of the title for leaving Florida and venturing to
Japan. He won a huge 20-man battle royal in St. Louis, Missouri on February 3, 1984 at the
Kiel Auditorium. $35,000 was the award. In the match, two former NWA World Champions,
Dory Funk Jr. and Harley Race were present. Dory Jr. was the man last eliminated.
Windham and Mike Rotundo began wrestling as a tag team in Florida, and before long they
were dominating the region. Collectively they were known as the U.S. Express. On April 25,
1984, the two beat Black Bart and Ron Bass to capture the NWA United States Tag Team
Title.

Windham and Rotundo lost the titles back to Bart and Bass, but regained the championship
on May 26th. Chavo and Hector Guerrero captured the U.S. Tag Title from Windham and
Rotundo on July 14, 1984. Both Rotundo and Windham traveled to the World Wrestling
Federation and remained a team. They took legendary manager Captain Lou Albano as
their guide. It was a smart move. Albano was famous for taking young tag teams to glory
and this situation was no different. The duo quickly became one of the most popular in the
organization.

On January 21, 1985, the pair defeated Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch to score the WWF
World Tag Team Title in Hartford. It was Windham’s first major accomplishment. Fred
Blassie’s team of Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik defeated the Express on March 31, 1985
at WrestleMania in New York’s Madison Square Garden and won the belts. Windham teamed
with Rotundo and Ricky Steamboat on May 10, 1985 in Uniondale to beat the Sheik, Volkoff
and George Steele. The match happened during the first installment of Saturday Night’s
Main Event. The U.S. Express regained the WWF World Tag Title on June 17th in
Poughkeepsie from the Sheik and Volkoff. Before the summer was officially over, the Dream
Team, Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine beat them in Philadelphia on August 24, 1985 to
take the belts. Windham and Rotundo both left the WWF and returned to the NWA in Florida.

In late 1985, Windham saw his father, Blackjack Mulligan, run to his rescue after being
battered by Lex Luger, Maha Singh, and Kevin Sullivan in Tampa. Sullivan smashed the
senior with a bottle and sent Mulligan to the hospital with a damaged eye. The effects were
not as serious as first expected. Windham and his brother Kendall continued to battle off the
heels, and Barry rose to the number one contention position for the NWA World Title held by
Ric Flair. He received several shots and even wrestled Flair to a 90-minute draw. Windham
could not take the championship.

He appeared with Rotundo on the AWA’s WrestleRock Card on Sunday, April 20, 1986 in
Minneapolis. They beat the Fabulous Ones and Windham got the winning pin. On
September 1, 1986, Windham defeated Ron Bass in Daytona Beach to capture the NWA
Florida Heavyweight Title. 15 days later, Bass regained the championship in Tampa. The
Windham-Bass feud continued into October and after a controversial match, the Florida Title
was held-up. On the 8th of October, Barry beat Bass to take the belt in Tampa. Kareem
Muhammad stopped Windham in November at Lakeland for the title.

As Jim Crockett bought the Florida Promotion, Barry Windham entered new territory. It would
be a world in which more recognition and national popularity called for champions to be
crowned. Windham was in a perfect spot and was an immediate hit. More championships
were around the corner. He beat Black Bart in June 1987 to capture the revived NWA
Western States Heavyweight Title in a tournament final. Windham remained the champion
for the rest of 1987. Larry Zbyszko and his manager, Baby Doll, stepped up to the challenge
on January 24, 1988 in Uniondale and took the Western States Title. Not too long thereafter,
that championship was deactivated.

Windham’s achievements were just beginning. He teamed with another Alliance favorite at
the Greensboro Coliseum for the initial Clash of the Champions on March 27th. Windham
and Lex Luger paired off to wrestle the World Tag Team Champions, Four Horsemen
Members, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. Luger and Windham captured the World Tag
Title and a war had begun. In Jacksonville on April 20th, Windham turned on Luger and the
Horsemen regained the tag title. By the end of the night, Windham was the newest member
of the Four Horsemen along with Flair, Anderson, Windham and J.J. Dillon. He ventured to
Houston, Paul Boesch’s Territory, and participated in the vacant NWA United States Title
Tournament on May 13th. Windham beat Nikita Koloff in the finals to capture the belt.

1988 was turning out to be pretty good for J.J. Dillon and the Four Horsemen. Ric Flair was
still wearing the World Title, Anderson and Blanchard were the World Tag Champions and
Windham was the United States Titleholder. Could they have done any better? But things
would take a dramatic turn for the worse in the weeks and months that followed. Anderson
and Blanchard lost the belts during the summer and went north to the WWF. Windham
remained to fend off his challengers and did so until he was defeated by Luger on February
20, 1989 in Chicago during the Chi-Town Rumble. After that event, both the NWA World and
U.S. Titles had fallen from the waists of Flair and Windham, respectively. The remaining duo
went their own ways.

Windham ventured into the World Wrestling Federation for a second time later in 1989 as the
“Widowmaker.” He was unable to make any big waves due to nagging injuries. The stint did
not last long. In May 1990, Windham returned to the NWA and rejoined a new version of the
Horsemen with Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Sid Vicious. Injuries would keep Windham
from getting back into contention, but his presence alone was causing waves. The Horsemen
were strong. Windham and his mates allowed Flair to retain his World Title in a cage match
against Luger at the May pay-per-view in Washington DC. He wrestled in a six-man tag
match at the July 7, 1990 Great American Bash in Baltimore with Vicious and Arn Anderson.
They were disqualified against the “Dudes with Attitudes,” Paul Orndorff, Junkyard Dog and
El Gigante. Later that evening, the “Dudes” prevented the Horsemen from attacking Sting in
the main event classic which saw that latter take the NWA World Title off Ric Flair.

In October, Windham was pinned by Vicious during a match his Horsemen partner was
having with Sting. The funny thing was that Windham was both dressed and painted like the
NWA Champ. The real Sting left the back area with a rope around his wrist. The Horsemen’s
attempt to regain the World Title had been foiled. He appeared at the December Starrcade
event to sub for Flair in his scheduled tag match with Arn against Doom for the World Tag
Team Title. Flair was actually booked for that card’s main event under a mask. The street
fight for the belts ended in a no-contest with a double-pin. Windham had Ron Simmons down
for the count. The Horsemen were still together going into 1991.

Promoters arranged a War Games contest between the Horsemen and a team comprised of
Sting, Brian Pillman and the Steiner Brothers for the main event of WrestleWar. Flair,
Windham, Vicious and Double A were on the other side. Anderson had to pull out due to
injury and former AWA Champion, Larry Zbyszko became the fourth member. It didn’t matter
in the end. Vicious powerbombed Pillman through the mat twice and knocked him out. The
lift of the powerbomb had Pillman’s head bashing the top of the cage before sailing
downwards to the mat. The Horsemen had won. Windham had entered the heated double
caged war first and Pillman was second. Their brawl was as wild as it was important. From
that point forth, the two feuded. In March, wrestlers from WCW went to Japan for a huge
show at the Tokyo Dome on March 21st. Windham teamed with Anderson to beat Masa
Chono and Masa Saito. Over 64,000 fans were in attendance. On May 19th in St.
Petersburg, Windham beat Pillman in a brutal taped-fist contest. A superplex was enough to
score the pinfall.

In June, the two men were on opposite sides of a loser-leaves-town tag team match. The
match took place on June 12, 1991 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Pillman was teamed with the
mammoth El Gigante and Windham was paired with the “Enforcer,” Arn Anderson. Pillman
was pinned in the match and thus, forced from WCW. To only some of wrestling’s pundits,
Pillman’s return marked the return of a gimmick that Windham had used back in Florida in
1984. The Dirty Yellow Dog, although when Pillman arrived he was just known as the “Yellow
Dog.” Windham was ready for more glory, though. Ric Flair had left WCW with the gold belt
and promoters declared the World Title vacant.

At the Great American Bash on July 4, 1991, Windham was matched with an old foe, Lex
Luger, in which the victor walked off with the new WCW World Title Belt. After being hit with a
piledriver, the same move that took the U.S. Title in 1989, Windham was pinned. Luger had
finally captured the World Championship where Windham was still in the hunt. In late 1991,
after some time off, Windham returned as a fan favorite on the side of Dustin Rhodes. It
would be a partnership which was not going to dissipate any time soon. Windham pinned
Larry Zbyszko on March 6, 1992 in Los Angeles. Windham and Rhodes beat Arn Anderson
and Bobby Eaton, the WCW World Tag Champs, in a non-title, bunkhouse match on March
9th in Anderson, South Carolina. Windham pinned Eaton.

Windham beat “Stunning” Steve Austin on April 27th for the WCW World TV Title. The belt
switched between the two men again on May 23rd in Atlanta. Windham and Rhodes entered
the vacant NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament. On Sunday, July 12th, the duo beat
Austin and Rick Rude in the quarterfinals. Rhodes pinned Austin to advance to the next
round. They won from Hiroshi Hase and Shinya Hashimoto from New Japan when Windham
pinned Hase. Windham and Rhodes had successfully made it into the finals. On the other
side of the ring was Terry Gordy and Steve Williams, the WCW World Tag Champs and
longtime partners from All-Japan. They lost the final and the tag belts continued to evaded
them. They beat Gordy and Williams on September 21st to capture both the NWA and WCW
World Tag Belts. Two tag belts apiece. They lost the two titles on November 18th to Shane
Douglas and Rick Steamboat in Macon during Clash XXI.

In January 1993, Rhodes captured the vacant WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title. Windham beat
Rhodes in a special best-of-five Texas Death Match in Gainesville, Georgia on February 9,
1993 at the Mountain Center. The Television Taping Event was scheduled to be for the
United States Title for the first fall only, which Rhodes successfully won. Windham had
captured the second, third and fifth to overcome his opponent and former tag team partner.

After years in the hunt, Barry Windham achieved what only thousands of wrestlers had
dreamed of achieving. In Asheville, North Carolina, Horsemen Territory, at the Civic Center
on February 21, 1993, the Great Muta stepped into the ring to defend his claim to the NWA
World Heavyweight Title. Windham stepped into the opposite side of the ring and it was
broadcast throughout the land on pay-per-view. Windham beat Muta and captured the NWA
Gold. Finally, his name would be printed on the same page as Jack Brisco, Buddy Rogers,
Pat O’Connor and Dory Funk Jr. The same page as Ric Flair and Harley Race. Windham
had finally gotten the World Heavyweight Title.

Arn Anderson was Windham’s May 23, 1993, Slamboree challenger in Atlanta’s Omni
Coliseum. It was the first of two title defenses against former Four Horsemen members.
Windham pinned Anderson to retain his crown. Ric Flair would be the second. Windham
faced Ric Flair on July 18, 1993 in Biloxi, Mississippi at the Coast Coliseum for the NWA
World Title. Having not fought each other since before the two were allies in the Horsemen in
1990, the match was highly anticipated. Flair targeted Windham’s left knee during that event,
a widely known weak spot on the champion, and Barry finally succumbed to his punishment.
He was pinned by Flair and lost the NWA Title in 11:15. Windham remained out of action due
to reoccurring injuries.

WCW brought Windham back as the special mystery opponent of Flair on May 22, 1994 in
Philadelphia at Slamboree. He lost by pinfall. Fans critiqued his return and wanted to see
him back on the scene full-time. Windham returned to the independent circuit before signing
with the World Wrestling Federation in late 1997. He became a member of the Blackjacks
with Justin Bradshaw. In early 1998, Windham joined the “NWA” invasion and feuded with
Bradshaw. He took Jim Cornette as his manager.

Within a short period of time, he left the WWF but continued to wrestle in the Alliance. He
participated in a triangle match for the NWA National Title on March 27, 1998 in Mount Holly,
New Jersey and lost to Doug Gilbert. The other was Rocco Rock. Windham reunited with
former Horsemen ally Tully Blanchard on September 12th in Lincolnton, North Carolina to
face NWA World Tag Team Champions, The Border Patrol. The match was highlighted by
Magnum T.A.’s return, as he accompanied Windham and Blanchard to the ring and assisted
the two in their eventual win. It marked Windham’s fourth reign.

Rumors circulated about Windham’s return to WCW to rejoin the Horsemen there. He did
return to WCW, but he didn’t reform the Horsemen. Instead, he joined Curt Hennig and the
two formed a successful tag team. On December 21st in St. Louis during Nitro, he beat Van
Hammer by disqualification. Windham and Hennig teamed on January 17, 1999 in
Charleston against Ric and David Flair. Hennig was pinned after Arn Anderson interfered.
The New World Order ran out and attacked both Flairs afterwards. Windham and Hennig
joined the vacant WCW World Tag Tournament. They wrestled Dean Malenko and Chris
Benoit on February 21st in Oakland. Windham was forced to submit to the Texas Cloverleaf
by Malenko. Because the rules of the tournament allowed a double-elimination before being
ousted, Windham and Hennig were allowed to remain active. They battled Benoit and
Malenko a second time thirty-seconds after the first ended. Windham returned to pin
Malenko and captured the belts.

On March 14th, Windham and Hennig dropped the championship to Benoit and Malenko in
Louisville, Kentucky at Uncensored. The duo formed the West Texas Rednecks with Bobby
Duncum Jr, Hennig and his brother, Kendall Windham. On July 11th in Sunrise, Florida, the
Rednecks lost an elimination tag match to Rey Misterio Jr., Swoll, Konnan and Brad
Armstrong. Windham was counted out along with Konnan. During Road Wild on August
14th, Hennig, Duncum and Windham lost to the Revolution, which was comprised of Shane
Douglas, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn. The Windhams captured the WCW World Tag
Title on August 23rd in Las Vegas from Harlem Heat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. They
lost the belts back to Heat on September 12th at Fall Brawl ’99 before an estimated 5,000
fans.

Windham left WCW later in the year. He wrestled in Puerto Rico during 2000 for the World
Wrestling Council. There, he teamed with Kendall to capture the WWC World Tag Team
Title. Later in the year, he joined Dusty Rhodes’ Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. On
October 28th in Warner Robbins, Windham beat Ray Lloyd to capture the TCW Heavyweight
Title. A long reign as champion began.

During the fall of ’01, he formed the “Xtreme Horsemen” with C.W. Anderson and NWA World
Champion Steve Corino. Windham also feuded with Dustin Rhodes over the heavyweight
title. The two battled throughout the southeast. Their matches received praise by those who
witnessed them live. Of course, they were brutal and bloody. What else would you expect
out of the two? Windham and Rhodes were two of the top wrestlers of the last twenty years
and were not going to give anything less than one-hundred percent in the ring. Barry’s reign
as TCW Heavyweight Champion was very respectful and many wondered if he would ever
lose the belt.

TITLE HISTORY:

-NWA Florida Television Title (1980)
-A two-time co-holder of the NWA Florida Tag Team Title.
       w/ Scott McGhee (1980) tournament final
       w/ Mike Graham (1981) defeated Bobby Jaggers and R.T. Tyler
-A five-time NWA Florida State Heavyweight Champion
       -Defeated Dory Funk Jr. (1981)
       -Defeated Jos LeDuc (1983)
       -Defeated Joe LeDuc (1983)
       -Defeated Ron Bass (1986)
       -Defeated Ron Bass (1986)
-AWA Southern Heavyweight Title (1981) defeated Sabu the Wildman
-Co-holder of the Global Tag Team Title (1982) w/ Ron Bass
-NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion (1983) tournament final
-A two-time co-holder of the NWA (FL) United States Tag Team Title
       w/ Mike Rotundo (1984) defeated Black Bart and Ron Bass
       w/ Mike Rotundo (1984) defeated Black Bart and Ron Bass
-A two-time co-holder of the WWF World Tag Team Title.
       w/ Mike Rotundo (1985) defeated Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch
       w/ Mike Rotundo (1985) defeated The Iron Sheik and Dick Murdoch
-Co-holder of the NWA United States Tag Team Title (1986) w/ Ron Garvin
-NWA Western States Heritage Heavyweight Title (1987-’88) tournament final
-A three-time co-holder of the NWA World Tag Team Title
       w/ Lex Luger (1988) defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
       w/ Dustin Rhodes (1992) defeated Terry Gordy and Steve Williams
       w/ Tully Blanchard (1998) defeated Border Patrol
-NWA United States Heavyweight Title (1988-’89) defeated Nikita Koloff, tournament
       final
-WCW World Television Title (1992) defeated Steve Austin
-A three-time co-holder of the WCW World Tag Team Title
       w/ Dustin Rhodes (1992) defeated Terry Gordy and Steve Williams
       w/ Curt Hennig (1999) defeated Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko
       w/ Kendall Windham (1999) defeated The Harlem Heat
-NWA World Heavyweight Title (1993) defeated The Great Muta
-Co-holder of the WWC World Tag Team Title (2000) w/ Kendall Windham
-TCW Heavyweight Title (2000-’01) defeated Ray Lloyd

Research by Tim Hornbaker

Barry Windham Wrestling History

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