Skip to content

Update: Sorry, Sudbury, no Brutus Beefcake tonight, he bailed on the wrestling tour

Canadian Wrestling Elite tour rolls into Garson Community Centre

Updated Nov. 20: Well, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake won't be appearing in the Nickel City tonight as promised.

According to a Facebook post from Canadian Wrestling's Elite, just before the tour's Thunder Bay show on Sunday, Beefcake (whose real name is Edward Leslie) "opted to hop on a plane and miss his final five advertised tour dates." 

No reason was given for the cancellation.

Beefcake has been replaced with another name wrestler, Jimmy "The Zombie Princess" Jacobs, the Ring of Honor World Tag Team champion and current Impact! Wrestling star.

So, no haircut for you tonight, Sudbury wrestling fans. It's zombie time instead.

Original story

One of the faces of professional wrestling's golden era will be in Sudbury on Nov. 20 as Canadian Wrestling Elite (CWE) makes a tour stop in the Nickel City.

Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake is heading up the "Struttin' and Cuttin'" Tour that is winding down 32 shows in 32 Candian cities over 32 days. Sudbury is the second to last stop on the tour on Nov. 20 at the Garson Community Centre.

Making a trek through Northern Ontario in the middle of November isn't for everyone, but Brutus has had more than his fair share of experience with Canadian winters and is thrilled to be out on the road, seeing the country where he spent his early days in the business.

"I started out going to Canada in the 1980s, I was living in Minnesota and wrestling at that time," said Brutus. "I've made my share of trips up to Winnipeg in the middle of winter so this is nothing new for me."

One of wrestling's most iconic figures during its heyday in the mid 1980s and early 1990s, Brutus came through the ranks with perhaps the most famous wrestler of all time, Hulk Hogan. The two wrestled as brothers, Ed Boulder and Terry Boulder, before they joined the WWF in the early 1980s.

Beefcake was cast as a heel, while Hogan was a face and the two were in a feud after Brutus "injured" Hogan's protege, Hillbilly Jim.

While his government name, Edward Leslie, has remained unchanged throughout his life, he has held many monikers in the wrestling world including Ed Boulder, Baron Beefcake, Big Brother Booty, Brute Force, Dizzy Hogan, The Butcher, and a host of others.

The barber shtick is the one he is most famous for, however, and the one he used throughout the majority of his career. When recalling the era when he was in his prime, Brutus says that it was an era in wrestling that will never been seen again.

"Things will always evolve and change, but in my opinion professional wrestling hasn't really changed for the better," said Beefcake. "You look at that era in the '80s and '90s, we had guys with unbelievable talent and we were like outlaws, man. Hollywood hated us, they wanted nothing to do with what we were doing. You look now and everyone embraces it and you see wrestlers in movies and TV shows all the time."

Getting back to his roots of being on the road and touring dozens of cities is something the 40-year wrestling vet relishes, as he loves interacting with his fans and seeing new places.

"People actually get to interact with the performers, you don't get that with the WWE," said Brutus. "We get to meet the fans, talk to them, take pictures with them and share stories, that's what keeps me doing this."

Now 61 years old, his best wrestling days are in the rearview mirror, but Brutus still has his showmanship skills and will be emceeing the events throughout the tour.

"For me it's a piece of cake, this tour. I don't have to be wrestling every night. I'll be in the ring working the crowd, I may give a few haircuts or throw someone in a sleeper hold," he said with a laugh.

You can catch the Canadian Wrestling Elite tour in Sudbury at the Garson Community Centre on Nov. 20. 

VIP tickets for a meet and greet are $23, and general admission is $21 at the door. Advance tickets can still be purchased for $18, you can find tickets online here.

You can also pick up Brutus' book "Struttin' & Cuttin'" online at brutusbeefcake.com.


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.