Where is "Mr. Techinal", Barry Horowitz

First off, I guess there's a need for a disclaimer here, in case, by some small chance, Mr. Horowitz himself reads this blog... I would advise any new readers of The JOB blog to please read our very first post The Purpose of JOB blog. I say this because Barry has a strong distain for the term "jobber", and I can certainly understand where he's coming from. I personally prefer the term "enhancement talent", but in a world of "140 characters or less" sometimes "jobber" is just easier. So, Barry, if you're out there, you being featured on this blog is meant as a tribute to you and your career, not to disrespect you. I hope it's taken as such.

So, enough of the "CMOA" stuff... we will be fully profiling Barry Horowitz
on The JOB blog in the very near future; but for now, where is "Mr. Technical"? You may remember, after Barry's WWF contract expired in 1997, he joined WCW in 1998. He wrestled mostly on WCW Saturday Night before leaving WCW in 2000 and returning to the independent circuit. As of June 2005, he was working as a nutritionist in Florida while occasionally wrestling for local independent promotions. On October 22, 2008, WWE.com sent out an update stating Barry Horowitz was featured on their "Where are they now?" section of WWE.com. Pretty classy, I'd say. Barry is obviously a family man and enjoys his time away from the "hustle and bustle" of the road. It's good to hear he's in the nutrition field, keeping himself, and encouraging others to, stay healthy. He's helping others. Isn't that what Barry Horowitz has done his entire career? So, Mr. Horowitz, or "Mr. Technical" if you prefer, you will always be "The Winner" in our book, and yes, WE REMEMBER YOU!

Jobber Profile: Steve Lombardi

Real Name: Steve Lombardi
Born: 4/18/61
Billed From: Brooklyn, NY (actually from Detroit, MI)
Height / Weight: 6ft / 240lbs
Trained by: Curt Henning
Pro debute: 1983

Remember this guy? Of course you do... especially since he still makes an occasional appearence on WWE programming. Around 1985 Steve Lombardi debuted in the WWF and was used mostly as an enhancement talent until early 1989 when he was given the "Brooklyn Brawler" gimmick and would soon be paired with manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Shortly after his fued with Terry "The Red Rooster" Taylor, who Heenan "matched" "The Brawler" against to get revenge, Lombardi parted ways with "The Heenan Family" and returned to his former "jobber status" through the early 1990s.

Through the 90s, Lombardi portrayed several different WWF characters, including a brief stint as "Doink The Clown" (replacing Matt Borne), Kamala's handler Kim Chee, and Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz (who resurfaced for a month in 2009 as part of WWE's Classics on Demand , introducing matches for their "Shorties" section).

Lombardi has been semi-retired from active ring-action since the late 90s and has been a WWE road agent for over 10 years now.

Although primarily used as a "jobber", Lombardi has seen brief periods of mid-carder status in his WWF/E career. In 1997, he won a Battle Royal for a WWF Championship match versus then-champion Shawn Michaels, a match of course he lost. In September 1999, Lombardi pinned then-World Champiom Triple H in a non-title handicap match. In 2004, when the Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the ALCS (ultimately leading the Sox to win their very first World Series Championship) Lumbardi resurfaced on a Smackdown taping in New York City as "The Boston Brawler".

On May 7, 2006 WWE announced on WWE.com that a Brooklyn Brawler action figure would be released as part of Jakks Pacific's WWE Classic Superstars collection.

Lombardi appeared as Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz on the 15th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw on December 10, 2007. In a funny segment on the show, Triple H commented, "I guess the Brooklyn Brawler was busy tonight."

Even though Steve Lombardi has never held a championship in WWF/E, he has held championships on the independant circuit... all as "The Brooklyn

Brawler". On March 4, 1998, Brawler defeated Bobby Clancy to win the vacant Border City Wrestling (BCW) Can-Am Television Championship. He vacated the title on March 6, 2003. He held the NWA Michigan Heavyweight Champion from June 20, 1998 - December 27, 1998. Brawler also won the BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship on January 15, 2003 but was stripped of the title and it returned to the former champion, Johnny Swinger.

As an example of Lombardi's toughness, on May 9, 2003, Steve had neck surgery under the care of Dr. Hae-Dong Jho (same doctor that did Kurt Angle's surgery). He took only one day of rest, and started lifting heavy weights a day later.

Some of my personal favorite memories are of Steve Lombardi as himself - no special gimmicks required. I remember the days, in the mid-80s, when he and Paul Roma were the opening match at house shows, particularly at Madison Square Garden. Nine times out of ten, Steve would "do the job" to Roma, but occasionally he would get a victory. I always thought it was funny that he would shave his body hair, with the exception of his chest. This was, of course, before he wore a soiled cut-off sweatshirt, during his "Brooklyn Brawler" days. It kinda' looked strange to me, but it was yet another way Steve Lombardi stood out.

Whether playing "The Brooklyn Brawler", managing Kamala as "Kim Chee", kicking dirt on a referee as Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz, hanging out with Dink as "Doink The Clown" or just being himself in the 80s, jobbing to almost anyone the WWF put up against him, Steve Lombardi has always stood out to me. Mr. Lombardi, WE REMEMBER YOU. THANK YOU!

The Purpose of JOB Blog?... and what's a "Jobber" anyway?

Well, first off, Welcome! You wouldn't be here if you weren't a long-time fan of pro-wrestling, or maybe even in the business yourself (in which case you could probably do a better job of writing this than I). As a long-time wrestling fan, you are amoung an elite group - that's for damn sure! I, personally, have been a fan of this great sport for 25 years. I've seen and clearly remember Andre vs. Hogan... Hogan vs. Piper... Piper vs. Flair... Flair vs. Steamboat... Steamboat vs. Savage... the list could go on and on, and so could yours, I'm sure. BUT, I've also seen and still remember many of the enhancement talent used to help create many of the Superstars I've listed above. They are probably better know today as jobbers. If you were one of the guys that graced my television set nearly every Saturday or Sunday morning, that I knew was going to lose, but sometimes I rooted for you anyway in the strange hope that you might just "pull this one out" and score an upset... if for some reason you are reading this now... YES, I remember you too! And that's the purpose of this blog. That's the purpose of @JOBBERblog on Twitter. In most circles "jobber" is considered a negative term. Not here. It's an honor to you, the talent (yes, I did say talent) that worked so hard to help make the "top guys" get to and stay on top. So, WE, as wrestling fans, thank you. And once again, we still remember YOU.

It is the purpose of this blog to profile the jobbers we all knew and loved. To relive the memories of yesteryear and to pay tribute. There have also been many who've played their role, and did it well for many years, and then all-of-a-sudden POOF, never to be heard from again. Some just retired. Some went back to their origial professions. Some began new careers. We'll find out in our "Where are they now?" series.

So, for those who've been hiding under a rock, or a ring for that matter (sorry Hornswoggle, I know you live there and hate to be disturbed) What is a "jobber"? In the simpliest of terms: someone who frequently loses (or in some cases a wrestler who lost damn-near every match) to an established or up-and-coming wrestler. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (who I will probably reference alot, since I've learned so much from just listening to and watching him over the years) used to call them ham-n-eggers, in reference to the amount of money that they make is just enough to buy a ham and eggs breakfast. The acronym "J.O.B." (for doing one's job) is said to stand for "Just Over Broke", referencing wrestlers' appearing in preliminary matches and, therefore, being on the low end of the payscale. The main task of a jobber is to "put over" his opponent... make him look good. And the men that we'll profile on this blog did their "jobs" very well. And should be respected for that.

Maybe you remember some of these men as much as I do: Brady Boone, Brad Armstrong, Barry "O", Jake "The Milkman" Milliman, Dusty Wolfe, Duane Gill (known later as "Gillberg"), Scott Casey, S.D. Jones, George South, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, Iron Mike Sharpe... and who could forget Barry Horowitz and Steve Lombardi! (And there's so many more!) So, who were these men? What were their careers like before they appeared on your TV screen every Saturday and Sunday morning? What happened when they "disappeared"? Where did they go? Where are they now? Well, we'll attempt to answer those questions and many more about these great men that "did their job" and did it well, right here on the JOB Blog. Stay tuned, folks! (If you're not following the JOB Blog on Twitter, we're @JOBBERblog or twitter.com/JOBBERblog.) Thanks, and enjoy the show!