Edward Harrison Leslie (born April 21 1957) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus \"The Barber\" Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as \"The Disciple\" of real-life best friend Hulk Hogan. He is a former WWF World Tag Team Champion.
Leslie wrestled briefly in Bill Watts' Mid-South territory and also wrestled sporadically between 1980 and '82 in the WWF before he became known as Brutus Beefcake. According to a shoot interview conducted in 2000, his first match was with Ron Slinker against Ox Baker and Eric the Red.
Later in 1985, he teamed with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and won the Tag Team Championship from The US Express and became known as "The Dream Team". They held the titles for eight months, losing to the British Bulldogs at WrestleMania 2.
The team would break up at WrestleMania III. Despite a win over the Rougeau Brothers at the Pay Per View, the team had a falling-out when Beefcake was left in the ring while Valentine and Valiant left with Dino Bravo. This provided the impetus for Beefcake -- along with having had his hair cut by Adrian Adonis in a six-man match shortly before WrestleMania -- to turn face. Later that night, he acquired the nickname "The Barber" after Rowdy Roddy Piper's match against Adonis. Adonis lost the match, and it was stipulated he would have to have his head shaved. Beefcake entered the ring and began to clip away at Adonis' blond locks.
Thereafter, following a trend started by World Class wrestlers Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez, Beefcake started bringing garden shears with him to the ring (with the handles taped to resemble barber poles). He would cut off the hair of his opponents (after knocking them out with a sleeper hold) using scissors or an electric razor. He would follow a successful sleeper hold with a strut around the ring, "snipping" his fingers like a scissors to indicate what was about to happen, referring to his actions as "strutting and cutting". He would then proceed to throw handfuls of hair into the air to the delight of the crowd.
As a face, he would feud with his former partner Greg Valentine, his former manager Johnny Valiant (who by the end of their feud was completely bald thanks to Beefcake), The Honky Tonk Man, Ron Bass, Randy Savage (it was Beefcake who coined the nickname "Scary Sherri" for Savage's then manager Sensational Sherri), and Mr. Perfect. At WrestleMania VI, Beefcake was the first person to pin Mr. Perfect in a televised match, thus ending Perfect's lengthy undefeated streak in most fans' eyes.
He was scheduled to win the WWF Intercontinental title twice, each time at SummerSlam, but unable to wrestle due to injury (in kayfabe the first time, legitimately the second time). His replacements, The Ultimate Warrior and Kerry Von Erich, went on to win the title.
In 1990, a near-fatal parasailing accident put Leslie out of action. He was helping his parasailer friend prepare for takeoff when the driver of the boat mistakenly took a cue to take off, sending the would-be-parasailer's bare feet directly into Leslie's face. His face had to be surgically repaired with metal plates and screws, putting his WWF career on hiatus for nearly two years. It also gave him an infamous nickname among some fans in later years: The Man With No Face. In early 1991, to facilitate his return to wrestling, he was put in a mask and randomly attacked heels, notably Rick Martel and Earthquake, by running in on their matches. He would hit the heel a few times, headbutt him, and escape. He never wrestled a match in this persona and was never given a name. It is often said that the persona would have been called The Mariner; it is affectionately called "Fur Face" or the "Run-In Man" by fans. He began making appearances as Brutus Beefcake again in late 1991/early 1992 in his interview segment called "The Barber Shop."
His injury was used in angle in early 1993, when Beefcake's comeback match ended in him being attacked by Money Incorporated, who kayfabe tried to aggravate his facial injuries. This resulted in manager Jimmy Hart turning face and Hulk Hogan returning to the WWF, forming a tag team with Beefcake -- their real-life friendship was mentioned. The Mega-Maniacs, as they were called, squared off against Money Inc. at WrestleMania IX with Beefcake wearing a special protective face mask, supposedly constructed by NASA. Hogan and Beefcake got their revenge but lost via disqualification. Shortly afterwards he dropped out of the picture in the WWF, resurfacing a year later alongside Hogan in World Championship Wrestling.
After this, Leslie reappeared in a series of different gimmicks and ring names, first as the supposedly amnesic Man with No Name. He went on to be part of Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom as The Zodiac, a character with black and white face paint who would only say, "Yes, no, yes, no!"
In 1996, Leslie feuded with Diamond Dallas Page, this time as The Booty Man. He was accompanied by Page's ex-valet (and real-life wife) Kimberly Page, whom he referred to as his "Booty Babe." His gimmick was simply that of a man who would shake his (supposedly) bare buttocks on the way to the ring. This, too, did not last long. When the nWo started, Booty Man attempted to join and promptly received a beatdown from Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan.
Leslie's last WCW gimmick was the bodyguard of Hollywood Hogan, The Disciple, who would help Hogan illegally in many matches throughout 1998. He was almost unrecognizable at first with a full beard, dark sunglasses, and nWo-styled biker attire but whose identity was revealed by Roddy Piper during his feud with Hogan. The Disciple was later kidnapped by the Warrior during Warrior's feud with Hogan. After being brainwashed by Warrior, he turned on Hogan and was the only other member (alongside his kidnapper) of the One Warrior Nation.
Leslie married a woman named Kirsten Georgi on July 1 1987; the couple divorced in 1991. His second marriage is to Barbara McGondel on October 1 1994. Together they have one daughter named Alana.
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