This past weekend, Pat Barrett, who wrestled all over the world, died in his home country of Ireland after battling illness.
Barrett was born March 11, 1936, and started his professional wrestling in Ireland in 1960. Barrett would leave Ireland and travel to many points on the globe including stays in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and Australia among his travels.
As ‘Paddy Barrett’, he teamed with Tom Geoghegan in British Columbia where the pair held the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship twice. The pair first won the titles in November 1965 from Art Nelson & Ivan Kameroff and won them a second time the following February from John Tolos & Black Terror. Their final reign as tag champions lasted just over two months when they dropped the belts to Tolos & Tony Borne.
Several years later, Barrett won the same version of the tag titles in Vancouver teaming with Don Leo Jonathan in July 1968 for a brief run as tag champions.
In 1974, he teamed with Tony Kontellis while working in Australia and winning its version of the NWA tag titles in April that year, which was a several-week reign before losing the titles to Bobby Shane & George Barnes.
He would gain some of his highest notoriety working for the WWWF as a teammate with Dominic DeNucci. The pair won the territory’s tag titles on May 13, 1975, in Philadelphia from Jimmy & Johnny Valiant and worked as tag champions for three months until losing to The Blackjacks on August 26th.
In 1977, Barrett was teaming with Norvell Austin in Tennessee where the two held the Southern tag titles twice while feuding with the original Hollywood Blonds unit of Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts.
As a singles wrestler, he held the NWA junior heavyweight championship for several months in 1976 after becoming champion in September and losing the title to Ron Starr on December 2nd.
He wrestled in the Los Angeles territory and became America’s heavyweight champion beating Bull Ramos on August 8, 1979.
In 1991, he released his autobiography entitled, ‘Everybody Down Here Hates Me’ documenting his career as a professional wrestler.
After retirement, Barrett would become a trainer. In 2006, he made an appearance for Irish Whip Wrestling and presented the championship belt to current WWE star Drew McIntyre:
Barrett died this past Sunday and we extend our condolences to his family and friends.
Additional reading:
– Tag Team Specialist Pat Barrett Passes Away (John Powell, SLAM! Wrestling)
– Pat Barrett’s Lengthy Travels Pay Off (Darren Wood, SLAM! Wrestling)
