Barry Windham's WWF Years

[The Brain]

Barry Windham is best remembered for the time he spent in the NWA and WCW. That is where he had most of his success. He was tag team champion, US champion, and a regular contender to the world title. He had several classic matches with Ric Flair and was a member of what most fans consider to be the best incarnation of the Four Horsemen. Some wrestlers have called Windham the most naturally gifted athlete they’ve worked with. He had a great career but his three stints in the WWF left something to be desired.

I wouldn’t call Windham’s first run in the WWF as a failure by any means. It was just too short. Barry Windham entered the WWF with Mike Rotunda as his tag team partner in the fall of 1984. The team was an instant sensation with the fans and they won the tag titles only two months after their debut. They are most remembered for losing the titles to Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik at the first WrestleMania. Windham and Rotunda regained the belts a few months later before dropping them again to the Dream Team in August. Shortly after that title loss the US Express left the WWF. They only lasted about a year but they had a nice run with the two title reigns.

By the time Windham returned to the WWF in 1989 he was much more established as a singles star. By this time he had the classic matches with Flair, the US title reign, and time with the Horsemen. It was exciting to see Windham back in the WWF. He was going pretty strong but unfortunately he didn’t last long at all. Windham left the WWF after about four months before he got involved in any major storylines. It’s too bad that family issues forced Windham to ask for his release because I feel this was a good time for Windham to be in the WWF. I think the plans were already in motion for Curt Hennig to do what he did but I could easily see Windham in that role too. A short program with Hulk Hogan before WM6 and a possible IC reign wouldn’t have been out of place at all. Feuds with Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, and Bret Hart would have been fun. Just a side note, I didn’t really notice at the time but for a brief period in 1989 the WWF had Windham, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. If only Flair came two years earlier it could have been a Horsemen invasion. Even Dusty Rhodes was in the WWF at the time.

Seven years after leaving the WWF Windham was back again. This time he had a gimmick and a new name. We were introduced to The Stalker. He wore camouflage and appeared to be a psychotic former soldier that threatened to stalk his prey in the WWF. Some confusion arose when after showing several heel vignettes Windham debuted as a face and the Stalker gimmick was largely ignored except in name. Rumor has it Windham was supposed to work an angle with Marc Mero in which he was stalking Sable but Mero rejected the idea. This caused the company to drop the Stalker idea. I’m not sure why one angle falling through would cause an entire character to be changed but that’s supposedly what happened. Windham did pretty much nothing as the Stalker before forming the New BlackJacks with Bradshaw in early 1997 when they continued to do nothing. In early 1998 Windham tuned on Bradshaw and was out of the WWF for good a couple months later.

Barry Windham was one of the better wrestlers of the 80s and 90s but as you can see despite three separate runs in the WWF he had limited success there. What are your general thoughts about Windham’s stints with the WWF and what could have been? When did you feel he had his best chance at success and which run would you have liked to have lasted longer?

 

[klunderbunker]

For those of you young people out there, this sums up Barry Windham:

Interviewer: What are your memories of the hour long classic with Ric Flair from 1989?

Barry: You're going to have to be more specific.

Interviewer: The one that was called one of the best matches of all time.

Barry: You're going to have to be more specific.

That being said, yeah he really didn't do jack as a singles guy in WWF. The problem for Barry was the same as it was for a lot of NWA guys that made the jump: they couldn't just be themselves. Windham was a guy who didn't have much of a gimmick in the NWA but rather someone who got over by having awesome matches that ran 20-30 minutes. Those things simply didn't exist in the WWF so you had to get over on character. Barry wasn't the kidn of guy that was going to get over like that and he never really did. Not his fault, just a clash of styles.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Barry Windham was a fish out of water in the WWF. As has been mentioned before, Windham was a great hand in the ring and could talk on the mic. The problem Windham encountered in the WWF is that his character wasn't cartoonish enough. During his first run, he was in a tag team with Mike Rotunda known as the U.S. Express. He didn't need to be a 'character' because his tag team was it's own character.

As a single's wrestler, Windham didn't stand out in the WWF. He wasn't wearing anything colorful to the ring and didn't act like a nut job during interviews. He was known as the 'Widowmaker', which sounds very menacing in pop culture, but in wrestling, it's not menacing at all. It's corny. We know he's not killing anyone in the ring on purpose.

But if you wanted him to be successful, you put him with the Heenan Family and make him a hired gun for the family. I don't if their times coincided, but if Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were there, and you had Barry Windham in the fold, you could have a helluva faction with those three alone. But for Windham to be successful, he would have needed a mouth piece to get him over. Heenan would have been perfect for him. Alas, he went as the lone wolf in his Widomaker stint and was gone soon after.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

For those of you young people out there, this sums up Barry Windham:

Interviewer: What are your memories of the hour long classic with Ric Flair from 1989?

Barry: You're going to have to be more specific.

Interviewer: The one that was called one of the best matches of all time.

Barry: You're going to have to be more specific.

That being said, yeah he really didn't do jack as a singles guy in WWF. The problem for Barry was the same as it was for a lot of NWA guys that made the jump: they couldn't just be themselves. Windham was a guy who didn't have much of a gimmick in the NWA but rather someone who got over by having awesome matches that ran 20-30 minutes. Those things simply didn't exist in the WWF so you had to get over on character. Barry wasn't the kidn of guy that was going to get over like that and he never really did. Not his fault, just a clash of styles.

You're not really being that fair to Windham with that post. You're making one of the best workers of his generation out to be some airhead.

Going by what you quoted, that interviewer does need to be more specific. It's not like Windham/Flair just had one hour long classic that would be easy to remember. They had dozens of them. 60 minute ones and 90 minute classics as well. Plus in 1989, they didn't actually work a singles match against each other. Only a handful of tags, so that interviewer really needs to be more specific about the particular classic he's talking about. I'd assume that he's probably referring to one of their 90 minute broadways in Florida, but those were in 1986.

After Steamboat, you could make a case that Flairs best matches were against Windham. I've never seen a match between the two that was bad, and I'd rank Flair/Windham up against Rhodes, Sting, Piper, Wahoo and even Race.

I also disagree that he wasn't going to get over in late 80's WWF. I rather agree with the Brain here that if it wasn't for the issues with his dad and brother while he was starting is run as the Widowmaker, that he could have easily had the type of spot that Hennig had at the time. The level of his work at that time was just off the charts. Had he stuck around, I have no doubt he'd be looked at today the same way a guy like Curt Hennig is.

Unfortunately, he just never seemed the same after having to walk away from that. He let himself go a little, and just wasn't the same guy anymore. I don't know if it was because he was upset at having to lose out on that opportunity... if it was just age and his lifestyle catching up with him... or if it was because promoters simply didn't trust him enough to invest in a main event push anymore... but he never came close to getting back to the level he was at before his old man and brother got in trouble with the law.

It's a shame too, because like I said, Barry Windham was one of the best of his generation.

Also Brain, I don't know if I'd say Windham had limited success in his first WWF run. The US Express was ridiculously popular in the WWF. So much so that when Windham decided to go back to Florida, McMahon tried replacing him with a copy in Dan Spivey... just like he tried with copies of other ridiculously popular guys like Sgt Slaughter and Jimmy Snuka. Getting multiple tag title runs back then too was pretty major, because at the time they really didn't do that with anyone (it wasn't until a few years later with Demolition that they did let another team win the titles more than once). The run was absolutely short, but it was strong. The second run that was cut short, and the disaster of a third run, I'd absolutely agree with though.

 

[klunderbunker]

You're not really being that fair to Windham with that post. You're making one of the best workers of his generation out to be some airhead.

Going by what you quoted, that interviewer does need to be more specific. It's not like Windham/Flair just had one hour long classic that would be easy to remember. They had dozens of them. 60 minute ones and 90 minute classics as well. Plus in 1989, they didn't actually work a singles match against each other. Only a handful of tags, so that interviewer really needs to be more specific about the particular classic he's talking about. I'd assume that he's probably referring to one of their 90 minute broadways in Florida, but those were in 1986.

After Steamboat, you could make a case that Flairs best matches were against Windham. I've never seen a match between the two that was bad, and I'd rank Flair/Windham up against Rhodes, Sting, Piper, Wahoo and even Race.

I also disagree that he wasn't going to get over in late 80's WWF. I rather agree with the Brain here that if it wasn't for the issues with his dad and brother while he was starting is run as the Widowmaker, that he could have easily had the type of spot that Hennig had at the time. The level of his work at that time was just off the charts. Had he stuck around, I have no doubt he'd be looked at today the same way a guy like Curt Hennig is.

Unfortunately, he just never seemed the same after having to walk away from that. He let himself go a little, and just wasn't the same guy anymore. I don't know if it was because he was upset at having to lose out on that opportunity... if it was just age and his lifestyle catching up with him... or if it was because promoters simply didn't trust him enough to invest in a main event push anymore... but he never came close to getting back to the level he was at before his old man and brother got in trouble with the law.

It's a shame too, because like I said, Barry Windham was one of the best of his generation.

You're missing my point. Barry was saying he had so many masterpieces with Flair that the interviewer had to specify them. It's saying he was an excellent worker and one of the best in the world, not an airhead.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Windham was a puzzle that Vince could never solve. He had the look in 85 to be Hogan 2... No BS had it worked out as planned Barry Windham was the next stage of the WWF's expansion. He would have worked the US Express, gone heel and taken the spot Savage eventually got. He was THAT good even then. He had the look, the charisma and ability to be a perfect foil to Hogan.

But something went wrong and he was back in the NWA before you knew it... where he lived up to that promise to an extent, but never quite got the main event push as THE guy. That was mainly due to Dusty wanting to hold on to his spot and is to his eternal shame...

But when Barry came back to the E in 1989, he again was positioned for greatness. Those of you saying Hennig's spot are low balling him, he could still have been one of the very top guys. Perhaps at the expense of Bret or Flair... but he was THAT good still.

Again, something went wrong... and twice, you gotta start wondering if this is a guy who can handle the spot. Not everyone WANT's a company on their back or to be the man, some are quite happy being considered among the best at what they do, allowing others to take the spotlight while they take the "workhorse" honours.

It's why Bryan doesn't bitch the same way Punk does, or why Davey Boy Smith never complained in the mid/late 90's about not getting that World title. We know he coulda, shoulda, woulda... but they did fine without having it and everyone else THINKS they should have had it.

It's telling that Barry's Horsemen buds also bombed... Arn and Tully were on the outs before the latter failed his drug test. Even with the belts it just didn't sit right, you had 3 quarters of the Horsemen but not Flair... ultimately that is probably what did for Barry.

He was great with Flair because he knew how to work with Flair... once that clicked in the NWA he never really needed another "great" feud, same as with Steamboat and Dusty. So he got a little lazy, partook the party a bit too much and ultimately squandered his chances. Same as Arn did, same as Tully did and to an extent same as Flair... he never really "made it" in the E that first time either...

Windham is perhaps the guy who best sums up the difference between the E in those days and NWA/WCW...New York mentality vs Southern... Had Barry been driven, drank the koolaid in the same way Hogan, Savage and Vince did then he would have been there... but he always wanted the "bigger fish in a smaller pond" cos it was perhaps a bit easier, less effort and he was always gonna be seen as a Hogan clone.

That it all reared it's head again in 97 is sad and almost pathetic, but it did. Ultimately, it seems right now Barry's legacy is a coulda been who has perhaps begat a future legend in Bray Wyatt or another couldabeen.

He's not the only one to have squandered his chances, but he's one of the few to do it 3 times and for no discernable good reason on all 3 counts...At least Janetty was straight till Shawn screwed him in 93, the 3 months off feeling sorry for himself as he was legit screwed did the damage for the rest of his life... Barry didn't have that excuse, he just blew it...repeatedly...

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

It was all a matter of timing, Barry Windham was a great tag team hand in the ring during The Rock 'N' Wrestling era, his work with Mike Rotundo spoke for itself. Had he stayed in the WWF a little longer, there's nothing saying he couldn't have made a run at the IC Title during the latter part of the 80s. Granted, he might have had to reduce the emphasis on his in ring work, which would have been a shame but, despite the WWF's cartoonish nature from the 80s, there was no doubt that aspect of Windham could have still been very well accommodated.It just would've been a matter of quality over quantity in that respect. Not to say that Windham couldn't have had several quality matches, it's just that, considering WWF/E's presentation and prerogatives, more persona based emphasis would have been placed on Barry Windham. Considering how much of an iron grip Hulk Hogan had on the WWF Championship, it wouldn't have been likely you'd have seen guys like him go after Hogan's title. The flamboyant and larger than life types were what made that division thrive in the 80s, hence why you saw guys like Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, (despite the brief reign he made an obvious impact there), Ric Flair and Yokozuna were the staples of that division from the mid-80s into the early-90s. Now I know that Flair and Savage were great performers but their personas are what drove their characters more than just wrestling, despite them being able to work long matches when the play called for it.

I think what could have happened with Windham had he remained in the WWF is that he could have been given an angle where he acrimoniously split from Mike Rotundo and went into the IC Title division immediately. Say that they had held this off until 1987, had both of them remained in the promotion, after Steamboat and Savage, we might have seen Windham take the strap from Ricky Steamboat. Obviously this is conjecture, but would have been interesting. This would have meant no "Greatest IC title reign" of all time for Honky Tonk Man, but Windham would have had a chance to develop as a singles star and considering that the IC Title was a title that was mostly geared towards the "workers", it would have been a great test for Windham as a singles star.

Fast forward to what would have been the next decade, with guys like Hogan and Savage having reduced roles and Flair on his way back to WCW, Windham could have very well been in the spot that Bret Hart found himself in. Windham was obviously not massive but he was a big man in his own right, and could have probably been a better happy medium to Vince than what Bret was.

Now all of this fantasy booking on my part is just that; a fantasy. But with that said, often one person leaving a promotion can make all the difference in the world for a character's direction. Take for example, Brock Lensar's WWE departure in 2004, that opened the door for JBL's World Title run, at that stage of his career, no one ever saw Bradshaw's reinvention ever being possible. But it happened. Had Windham stayed or had his 1989 return been longer, we could have seen a dramatically different career. It's a shame that never happened, because Windham was definitely an entertaining and volatile hand in the ring when he had to be. The biggest caveat of his career is that he often switched back and forth between the WWF and NWA/WCW that the consistency wasn't there. He also chose to take sabbaticals from the business. Those things I think played a huge factor.

Who really knows what could have been, it's just a shame that most of Windham's WWF stints are regarding as underwhelming with failed experiments like "The Widowmaker", "The Stalker", and a failed homage to his father in the form of "Blackjack Windham". With that said though, if you were a constant watcher of wrestling no matter what organization in the 80s-early 90s, you knew who Barry Windham was and what he was capable of.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

You're missing my point. Barry was saying he had so many masterpieces with Flair that the interviewer had to specify them. It's saying he was an excellent worker and one of the best in the world, not an airhead.

My bad. It read the opposite to me, which is why I had to say something.

Cheers

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It was all a matter of timing, Barry Windham was a great tag team hand in the ring during The Rock 'N' Wrestling era, his work with Mike Rotundo spoke for itself. Had he stayed in the WWF a little longer, there's nothing saying he couldn't have made a run at the IC Title during the latter part of the 80s. Granted, he might have had to reduce the emphasis on his in ring work, which would have been a shame but, despite the WWF's cartoonish nature from the 80s, there was no doubt that aspect of Windham could have still been very well accommodated.It just would've been a matter of quality over quantity in that respect. Not to say that Windham couldn't have had several quality matches, it's just that, considering WWF/E's presentation and prerogatives, more persona based emphasis would have been placed on Barry Windham. Considering how much of an iron grip Hulk Hogan had on the WWF Championship, it wouldn't have been likely you'd have seen guys like him go after Hogan's title. The flamboyant and larger than life types were what made that division thrive in the 80s, hence why you saw guys like Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, (despite the brief reign he made an obvious impact there), Ric Flair and Yokozuna were the staples of that division from the mid-80s into the early-90s. Now I know that Flair and Savage were great performers but their personas are what drove their characters more than just wrestling, despite them being able to work long matches when the play called for it.

I think what could have happened with Windham had he remained in the WWF is that he could have been given an angle where he acrimoniously split from Mike Rotundo and went into the IC Title division immediately. Say that they had held this off until 1987, had both of them remained in the promotion, after Steamboat and Savage, we might have seen Windham take the strap from Ricky Steamboat. Obviously this is conjecture, but would have been interesting. This would have meant no "Greatest IC title reign" of all time for Honky Tonk Man, but Windham would have had a chance to develop as a singles star and considering that the IC Title was a title that was mostly geared towards the "workers", it would have been a great test for Windham as a singles star.

Fast forward to what would have been the next decade, with guys like Hogan and Savage having reduced roles and Flair on his way back to WCW, Windham could have very well been in the spot that Bret Hart found himself in. Windham was obviously not massive but he was a big man in his own right, and could have probably been a better happy medium to Vince than what Bret was.

Now all of this fantasy booking on my part is just that; a fantasy. But with that said, often one person leaving a promotion can make all the difference in the world for a character's direction. Take for example, Brock Lensar's WWE departure in 2004, that opened the door for JBL's World Title run, at that stage of his career, no one ever saw Bradshaw's reinvention ever being possible. But it happened. Had Windham stayed or had his 1989 return been longer, we could have seen a dramatically different career. It's a shame that never happened, because Windham was definitely an entertaining and volatile hand in the ring when he had to be. The biggest caveat of his career is that he often switched back and forth between the WWF and NWA/WCW that the consistency wasn't there. He also chose to take sabbaticals from the business. Those things I think played a huge factor.

Who really knows what could have been, it's just a shame that most of Windham's WWF stints are regarding as underwhelming with failed experiments like "The Widowmaker", "The Stalker", and a failed homage to his father in the form of "Blackjack Windham". With that said though, if you were a constant watcher of wrestling no matter what organization in the 80s-early 90s, you knew who Barry Windham was and what he was capable of.

The JBL analogy is very interesting... yes perhaps mid 90's Windham could have had that kind of renaissance has he stuck at his 89 role, but I don't think he'd have needed it.

Even back in 86 - he could have gone a little more "cartoony" as a heel through his Texan roots, even the Black Jack thing would have played back then... or even Black Heart Barry Windham as a kind of evil mirror to Hogan he had scope but whether he was badly advised, a bit of a dick or as I suggested a bit lazy we'll never truly know.

And before anyone says it, I spotted the deliberate mistake - he is Bray's uncle not father - but he has likely had a major part in his upbringing and wrestling career so I think the phrase "begat" is fair.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Windham was a puzzle that Vince could never solve. He had the look in 85 to be Hogan 2... No BS had it worked out as planned Barry Windham was the next stage of the WWF's expansion. He would have worked the US Express, gone heel and taken the spot Savage eventually got. He was THAT good even then. He had the look, the charisma and ability to be a perfect foil to Hogan.

But something went wrong and he was back in the NWA before you knew it... where he lived up to that promise to an extent, but never quite got the main event push as THE guy. That was mainly due to Dusty wanting to hold on to his spot and is to his eternal shame...

But when Barry came back to the E in 1989, he again was positioned for greatness. Those of you saying Hennig's spot are low balling him, he could still have been one of the very top guys. Perhaps at the expense of Bret or Flair... but he was THAT good still.

Again, something went wrong... and twice, you gotta start wondering if this is a guy who can handle the spot. Not everyone WANT's a company on their back or to be the man, some are quite happy being considered among the best at what they do, allowing others to take the spotlight while they take the "workhorse" honours.

It's why Bryan doesn't bitch the same way Punk does, or why Davey Boy Smith never complained in the mid/late 90's about not getting that World title. We know he coulda, shoulda, woulda... but they did fine without having it and everyone else THINKS they should have had it.

It's telling that Barry's Horsemen buds also bombed... Arn and Tully were on the outs before the latter failed his drug test. Even with the belts it just didn't sit right, you had 3 quarters of the Horsemen but not Flair... ultimately that is probably what did for Barry.

He was great with Flair because he knew how to work with Flair... once that clicked in the NWA he never really needed another "great" feud, same as with Steamboat and Dusty. So he got a little lazy, partook the party a bit too much and ultimately squandered his chances. Same as Arn did, same as Tully did and to an extent same as Flair... he never really "made it" in the E that first time either...

Windham is perhaps the guy who best sums up the difference between the E in those days and NWA/WCW...New York mentality vs Southern... Had Barry been driven, drank the koolaid in the same way Hogan, Savage and Vince did then he would have been there... but he always wanted the "bigger fish in a smaller pond" cos it was perhaps a bit easier, less effort and he was always gonna be seen as a Hogan clone.

That it all reared it's head again in 97 is sad and almost pathetic, but it did. Ultimately, it seems right now Barry's legacy is a coulda been who has perhaps begat a future legend in Bray Wyatt or another couldabeen.

He's not the only one to have squandered his chances, but he's one of the few to do it 3 times and for no discernable good reason on all 3 counts...At least Janetty was straight till Shawn screwed him in 93, the 3 months off feeling sorry for himself as he was legit screwed did the damage for the rest of his life... Barry didn't have that excuse, he just blew it...repeatedly...

I think at the end of the day, you probably nailed it for Barry in the WWF. He simply didn't want it as much as some others did.

I couldn't remember why Barry left the first time, so I did a search and came across this from a shoot interview he did back in 2001.

After having a 96-day run on the road, Rotundo eventually flipped out and disappeared. It turned out that he used one of the open-ended plane tickets Vince had given them and flew home to Florida, which Barry found out from his sister when he got back to the hotel. The next night, Barry went off HARDCORE on George Scott, Chief Jay Strongbow, and a few others, talked about how he was done in the WWF, then went home to Tampa and disconnected all his phones. Considering that they were criss-crossing the country and flying all the time instead of making regional loops and driving a few hours from town to town, it sounds HORRIBLE. He figures Vince would have worked with him if they'd talked, but he was too far gone. Rotundo, on the other hand, flew back a few nights later and just started working again. Around this time, something to the effect of "Aw ****!" came out of Barry mouth because he'd burned QUITE a few bridges when he'd walked out. Dan Spivey ended up in his spot eventually because Vince figured that he could clone Barry.

It makes sense. The travel at that time in the WWF was pretty extreme, and you have to remember that few guys had ever had to travel like that back then. They were all used to working the territories, doing the loop from town to town, and generally having an easier life. At the time, not everyone was excited to put in the type of travel that Vince's wrestlers had to endure, and not everyone could see that in just a few years time, that type of lifestyle would become the norm for any successful wrestler.

Being Blackjack's kid, Barry would have been a bit of a rebel as well, and wouldn't have been quite as concerned about burning bridges in one company, because he always had a place to work in Florida.

So the first time out, a lack of foresight and a rebellious nature caused him to give up on a run where you're probably right... the sky was the limit for him. McMahon was very high on him for good reason. Barry was simply one of the best there was.

The second time, it was because Blackjack and Kendell got in trouble with the law for counterfeiting, and he chose to leave to be by their side. That's the official story of course. Likely there were other, more selfish reasons (maybe again he just didn't want to be on the road like he had to in the WWF, and it was a convenient excuse). At that time, I don't think it's selling him short to say that his peak would have been the Hennig spot. He was a strong heel by then, and that Hennig spot in the WWF at that time was about as high as he could have expected to go. Granted though, if he's still working at a high level a couple of years later when the steroid trials started, he might have gone face and taken Bret Hart's spot, because the big selling point for Vince on Hart at that time was he had a more normal physique, and Barry was the same, only bigger like Vince always liked.

The third time? Well by then Barry was just a shell of his former self... and ironically enough, more in a frame of mind to play ball and do what was necessary by then. That is true for a lot of people though. When they're at the top of their respective games, they don't have the maturity to make the most of it... and when they gain that maturity, it's too late to make the most of it.

 

[thebarber]

peopel are forgetting Barry Windham was notorious for his heavy drinking behind the scenes, on the road. Windham and Jack Daniels it is said could have held the tag titles themselves.
Windham was all set for a massive puish in 1989 as The Widowmaker, and yes he was on board at the same time as Blanchard and Anderson. Vince could or should have had Windham attached to the Heenan Family, but again Vince wouldnt have liked 3/4 of the Horsement together on WWE programming.
Windham left WWE immediately after dropping the tag belts in 1986 to return to Florida, not back to the NWA as posted earlier

 

[MrMojoRisin]

peopel are forgetting Barry Windham was notorious for his heavy drinking behind the scenes, on the road. Windham and Jack Daniels it is said could have held the tag titles themselves.
Windham was all set for a massive puish in 1989 as The Widowmaker, and yes he was on board at the same time as Blanchard and Anderson. Vince could or should have had Windham attached to the Heenan Family, but again Vince wouldnt have liked 3/4 of the Horsement together on WWE programming.
Windham left WWE immediately after dropping the tag belts in 1986 to return to Florida, not back to the NWA as posted earlier

Heenan would have been perfect for him in 89, but like you said Blanchard and Anderson were already attached to Heenan, and Vince wasn't going to draw comparisons to the Horsemen by adding Windham to that mix. He probably looked at them all, and felt that Tully and Arn needed Heenan more than Windham did.

Just so you know though, Florida was also the NWA back in 86 when Barry went back there, and while it wasn't the biggest NWA territory anymore, it was still a pretty important one. They were dying by then though (like all the territories), and when Windham and Luger left to work for Crockett a year later, that was pretty much it for the Florida territory.

 

[Kamala316]

He is one of the most overrated wrestlers of all-time, in my opinion. He did ok for himself in WCW and NWA, but my lasting memory of him in WWF/E was the Survivor Series where Rocky Maivia debuted...talk about a "Land of the Misfit Toys" match...Windham physically looked like he had mailed it in at that point, including wearing one of his high school vintage WWF t-shirts during the match lol.

 

[The Brain]

He is one of the most overrated wrestlers of all-time, in my opinion. He did ok for himself in WCW and NWA, but my lasting memory of him in WWF/E was the Survivor Series where Rocky Maivia debuted...talk about a "Land of the Misfit Toys" match...Windham physically looked like he had mailed it in at that point, including wearing one of his high school vintage WWF t-shirts during the match lol.

If you think Windham is overrated because of his performance in 1996 you're not being fair. He was clearly past his prime at that point. You need to check out his stuff from the late 80s. It was during his time as the Widowmaker in 1989 that I thought he had his best chance for success in the WWF. I wouldn't call Windham overrated or underrated be he is definitley closer to underrated than overrated.

 

[spaldoni]

I was a big heel Barry Windham fan. I thought he had a great chance in 1989 to make an impact. He had a great look at the time and it fit the Widowmaker character well. I heard they were planning on aligning him with Savage to help get him over. He could of had a nice little program with Hogan and then maybe an IC title run. That would of been the time. His third WWE run was ridiculous. I couldn't believe they gave him that stalker gimmick. Why not just bring back the Widowmaker? I was an NWA guy so I enjoyed that angle they did and liked that he went back to being Barry Windham. A short time later he was squashed by the Undertaker in less than a minute. That was one of the saddest things I ever saw. Looking back, Windham was one of the best workers in his era. Ric Flair even said Windham was one of the few wrestlers that he had to keep up with in the ring and that's saying a lot.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's been a big issue for a lot of guys "living in Flair's shadow"... Arn and Windham could easily have done far more in the business, but got stuck behind Flair once they'd been Horsemen. As good as the stable was, it was never more than a vehicle for Flair and few guys ever really leapt out of that shadow once they had been in it.

With hindsight I think Arn was the bigger loss, he definitely had a lot of potential to have gone against the Hogan's, Savages and Flair's but he chose to be Flair's buddy cos let's face it, that wasn't a bad position to be in.

Windham as I said was more likely making good money, having a bloody good time and knowing he was considered amongst the best was enough - the other main guys of the era all had the drive to the "The Man"...

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Imagine what a run Windham could have had going up against Bret Hart for the IC title, or the Heavyweight title for that matter. That would have resulted in several 5 star matches, I am sure.

 

[thebarber]

I have posted elsewhere regarding Windham, but I always wondered if Barry Windhamin 1989 as the Widowmaker, if he stuck around instead of leaving when his family were going to prison, would exactly 12 months later the character of the Undertaker have come to fruition.
Both guys well over 6ft 6inches, both wore dark black, both had an initial dark, mysterious gimmick. I cannot help but wonder if the Undertaker gimmick was a follow on from the original Widowmaker gimmick. This is just my speculation, but I ind it very hard to believe in 1989-1990 when gimmicks were the rage and all gimmicks were categorically different to the other that they would have Widowmaker and Undertaker on their books at the same time, both as heels. A solid tag team yes, but not as heels in singles competition.

 

[WWFan79]

Windham was a puzzle that Vince could never solve. He had the look in 85 to be Hogan 2... No BS had it worked out as planned Barry Windham was the next stage of the WWF's expansion. He would have worked the US Express, gone heel and taken the spot Savage eventually got. He was THAT good even then. He had the look, the charisma and ability to be a perfect foil to Hogan.

But something went wrong and he was back in the NWA before you knew it... where he lived up to that promise to an extent, but never quite got the main event push as THE guy. That was mainly due to Dusty wanting to hold on to his spot and is to his eternal shame...

I fully agree. I was around 5-6 yrs old when him and Windham were Tag Champs and they were super hot. Windham really had that Hulk appearance (huge, blond, charisma, fire, etc). I never understood why they just disappeared. But as a kid, I was immensely drawn to Windham. I still have vivid images of Windham and the U.S. Express since those years where my earliest recollections of memory (and alot of it was WWF programming )

That was his big chance for success IMO. They lit all the arenas on fire. And Rotunda was extremely underrated as well. This was the supergrowth era of Hulkamania, the WWF, and the original crazy Wrestlemania era.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I remember watching the Windham shoot video, and then I recall his Widowmaker run was aborted because of more family issues. I think it depends on how you want to look at it: To me, it seems like Windham prioritized family over the big WWF, knowing he could always fall back to the NWA/WCW if necessary. You could also look at this and think it's just plain flakey behavior, which is a valid argument too. I will say that Windham's physique continued to get worse as time wore on. Before you say "well, duh", Windham was in his 30s throughout most of the 90s in the time we are discussing. The longer time went on, and he lost that lanky look, the older he seemed. By the time he was The Stalker, Windham was 36. Today that would still be considered a wrestler's prime, but for Windham, he looked nearly ready for retirement.

None of this is say that Windham couldn't go (though I think by 1997 even he had a discernible lack of enthusiasm). If I were doing my fantasy rebooking of the NWA minus Dusty Rhodes as booker, Windham is one of the guys to carry that promotion with the loss of Magnum TA. Before people were oohing and aahing over Flair-Steamboat, they were speaking reverentially of Flair-Windham. The guy was aces in the ring.

 

[jones.ben1977]

I was a mark for Barry when he was teamed up with Mike Rotunda but only because they bought so much energy as a tag team and were completely over with the crowd. Not a fan of his other work though.