James Barrier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Buffalo Jim" Barrier | |
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| Born | James Barrier March 22, 1953 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
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| Died | April 6, 2008 (aged 55) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation | Wrestler, Television Personality, Entrepenuer |
James "Buffalo Jim" Barrier (March 22, 1953-April 6, 2008) was an American wrestler from Las Vegas. His legal struggle with business owner and landlord Frederick "Rick" Rizzolo to leave Barrier's auto repair shop, Allstate Auto & Marine, location was covered by the media during the early 2000s.
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[edit] Career
Barrier in the 1980s and '90s owned a wrestling school and had a local TV wrestling show, "Jim Wars," that aired on Friday nights. Also, he wrote a weekly column, "Nuts and Bolts with Buffalo Jim"[1] on auto repair. He also had wrestling memorabilia, with a collection of boxing, wrestling, and general sports memorabilia, with nearly 30,000 pieces in his collection[citation needed] that included more than a thousand pairs of signed boxing gloves.
Barrier over the years met many celebrities, including Hulk Hogan and Muhammad Ali. He also had a large collection of celebrity memorabilia, from vehicles to a lock of Elvis's hair. Included in this collection are more than 100 cars, from a Jensen Interceptor, presented to him by Wayne Newton, to a pink Cadillac Kid Rock used during a proposal to Pamela Anderson.[2]
[edit] Legal dispute
Jim Barrier was also well known in Las Vegas for standing firm for his rights as a businessman, winning a lengthy court dispute about parking spaces[3][4] with his neighbor and landlord, Rick Rizzolo, former owner of the Crazy Horse Too gentlemen's club, located next door to Buffalo Jim's repair shop. The dispute wound its way in and out of court several times. Rizzolo, at the order of the court, has since sold the nightclub after the U.S. Marshals Service seized the bar in September 2007 under a federal court order when Rizzolo failed to sell the property, forcing its closure.[5] Rizzolo was released in April 2006 after serving a year in a federal prison on a racketeering and tax evasion conviction in U.S. Federal court.[6]
In 2005, Barrier was voted "Las Vegas' Most Colorful Character"[7] by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, as one of Las Vegas' best-known citizens. Arriving alone in Las Vegas in 1971 at 18 from Cleveland, Ohio with $200 in his pocket,[citation needed] Barrier opened an auto repair shop which he ran until his death on April 5, 2008.
[edit] Family
He was a single father with four daughters.
[edit] Death
Barrier's body was found on Sunday morning, April 6, 2008. According to Las Vegas police, Barrier was found in a motel room lying face up with an empty bottle of Valium in his pocket and his pants pulled down around his ankles. While friends and family have publicly said they believe Barrier was killed, no evidence has been uncovered to back up that premise.[8]The cause of death has been ruled accidental, citing dialated cardiomyopathy as his cause of death. Clark County Coroner, Michael Murphy, released details that cocaine use was a contributing factor.
[edit] References
- ^ Las Vegas Mercury: Nuts and Bolts with Buffalo Jim
- ^ Vegas Syndicate: 5/21/06 - 5/28/06
- ^ Las Vegas CityLife : Barrier vs. Rizzolo battle continues
- ^ Rick Porrello's - AmericanMafia.com - Steve Miller - Inside Vegas
- ^ Buyers sign $30 million deal for topless club - Las Vegas Sun
- ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation - Liquor shut off, strip club stays open pending sale in Las Vegas
- ^ Las Vegas Review-Journal: BEST OF LAS VEGAS 2005
- ^ Police: No evidence ‘Buffalo’ Jim was killed - Las Vegas Sun
