Long before John Bradshaw Layfield was tearing it up as a top heel in WWE and winning the WWE Title, he was a tag-team specialist, better known for his work alongside Ron 'Faarooq' Simmons in teams such as The APA. Whilst that gruesome twosome may have been popular, Bradshaw had a tough time before hooking up with Simmons, none more so than when he was joined by a recent WWF arrival and asked to play a reboot of characters from a bygone era. This is where Barry Windham entered the picture, signed by the WWF to play the role of 'Blackjack Windham', part of 'The New Blackjacks'. Of course, the original team (simply known as The Blackjacks) had been successful in the 1970's, but if ever evidence was needed that even in 1997 Vince McMahon was struggling for fresh ideas, this is it. By '97, Barry Windham was nowhere near the performer he had been during his tenure in the NWA and WCW during the 80's and early-90's. A superlative worker who was remarkably quick feet for a big man, Windham had suffered from various knee injuries, something which had diminished his abilities tenfold. Given that his father was 'Blackjack Mulligan', Barry likely couldn't turn down the WWF gimmick, but it was a dull moment in an otherwise brilliant career.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
