Professional Wrestling Career
Bill Irwin started wrestling in 1979 in the National Wrestling Alliance's Central States territory and in World Class Championship Wrestling. He was soon teaming with his brother Scott Irwin as the masked "Super Destroyers" with manager Skandor Akbar. Irwin then moved on to Jim Crockett Promotions and the American Wrestling Association where he and his brother wrestled as the "Long Riders" and won several tag team titles together. Their tag team ended in 1987 when Scott died from a brain tumor.
Irwin stayed in wrestling in the independents and resurfaced in the NWA during 1989. Later he would form a tag team with Black Bart in the Global Wrestling Federation from 1991 to 1992. Irwin, as "Wild" Bill Irwin, also appeared sporadically in World Championship Wrestling, including in a loss to Davey Boy Smith in Smith's WCW debut at SuperBrawl III. In 1995, he wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation as The Goon, a hockey character who was "kicked out of every league he ever participated in." He made his TV debut on the July 20, 1996 episode of Superstars. The gimmick did not last long, as he left a few months after arriving.
Bill eventually retired in 2001, the same year that he had returned to the WWF for the gimmick battle royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. After WrestleMania X-Seven, he came out of retirement. He still wrestles the indies in the Minnesota area quite frequently, Including Wrestling Superstars Live and Heavy On Wrestling. On Raw XV, the 15th-anniversary WWE Raw special on December 10, 2007, Irwin, wrestling as "The Goon" once again, and sporting a thick moustache, participated in the 15th Anniversary Battle Royal. He was eliminated by the Repo Man. Irwin also provided extensive commentary on the WWE's "The Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW" video retrospective of World Class Championship Wrestling, regarding his time in Texas, what it was like to wrestle in the Dallas Sportatorium, and his fateful trip with David Von Erich to Japan.
Bill Irwin will revive his gimmick as The Goon on September 14, 2012 for Pro Wrestling Syndicate in Rahway NJ as he is scheduled to face Shockwave The Robot.
Read more about this topic: Barney Irwin
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