10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Nov 29)
9. The Logic Behind Brutus Beefcake's Shears
Before he had his face smashed in during a parasailing accident, Brutus 'Barber' Beefcake was on the fast track to WWF success. Not only was he pals with Hulk Hogan (an important career move for any wrestling in the late-80s), he was also a colourful character in his own right who was very much over with fans.
Beefcake knew he had to be bigger.
No, not physically. Brutus told Wrestling Inc that he re-watched some of his first matches under the 'Barber' gimmick and tried to pick out some aspects he could improve on. The first that came to mind was trading his small barbershop scissors for some big old gardening shears. Those, he reasoned, would be more easily seen in big arenas.
It worked a treat, and the shears became a go-to prop Beefcake could use against heels. Whenever he held the shears aloft, fans would pop, and that's when he'd reach into his tights, pull out a smaller pair of scissors and lop off some hair.