By Joe Puccio

It would be understandable for any promising, young, professional wrestler training alongside eventual legends like Ric Flair, Ken Patera, and the Iron Sheik to feel self-conscious early on in the learning process. Jim Brunzell, however, was not a typical student.

In arguably one of the strongest collective classes of aspiring grapplers ever assembled, the four athletes learned the ropes together at the hands of English freestyle/catch master Billy Robinson and seminal American Wrestling Association (AWA) promoter and NCAA Champion Verne Gagne, just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the winter of 1971.

“I think it was a real jackpot for Verne because all of us did so well in wrestling,” Brunzell stated, in a recent chat with Generation X Wire. “Bob Bruggers (former NFL linebacker) was part of our class too and he was something else as well. You could tell right off the bat what Flair was going to do, especially with his personality. It took Khosrow a few years to get with the program but he, of course, eventually became the Iron Sheik, or as I affectionately called him, the Iron Shnook,” he joked.

While the Sheik specialized in amateur combat and a villainous persona and Patera excelled in weightlifting and brawling, Brunzell’s career path gravitated towards an aspect of the business that was never more important than it was in the glory years of the 1980s – tag team wrestling.

Along with skilled partner Brian Blair, the Killer Bees achieved a considerable amount of success in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE) beginning in 1985, a pivotal year in the industry’s history as WrestleMania was born, until 1988. Sharing the ring with a who’s who of the sport’s most prominent duos of the era, including Demolition (Ax and Smash), the Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake), and the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond), the Bees, a play on the name of the Miami Dolphins’ defensive unit known as the “Killer Bs,” were one of the most popular pairings at the time.

“We had such a great rivalry with the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart). Bret was the thoroughbred and Jimmy was like going to the dentist for three root canals with no Novocain because he was just a bull,” he laughed. “But our matches between the four of us were so much fun.”  

A run with the World Tag Team Championships, an honor bestowed on a limited number of units during that period, was promised to the two competitors but ultimately never came to fruition. “We were pulled aside and told that we were getting the belts,” Brunzell recalled. “But Vince (McMahon, then-owner of WWF) didn’t like either one of us. I tended to question things from time to time so that was part of it.”

Not being a management darling was also likely a factor in the team never being given a shot as a heel (bad guy) tandem, a character change that most performers relish for both the challenge as well as the chance to freshen their gimmicks up. The attitude adjustment was seemingly in play at one point as Brunzell and Blair, similar in build, would don identical masks to confuse both their opponents as well as the referees. But like he does with most missed opportunities, the perennial Midwesterner tackles the subject with levity. “I don’t think I would’ve made a good heel. I go to confession on Saturdays and I’m a practicing Catholic,” he opined with a chuckle. “Brian, maybe.”

Before joining the WWF, Brunzell, the son of a navy pilot, cut his teeth in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Central States Wrestling followed by Gagne’s AWA. It was there where he earned his signature nickname due to his remarkable athletic prowess and “Jumping” Jim Brunzell was born. Paired with former college (University of Minnesota) football teammate and close friend Greg Gagne (son of Verne), The High Flyers more than lived up to their moniker as they dominated the territory with a flurry of flashy, aerial maneuvers that were not common like they are nowadays.

And although it’s been over 50 years since the gifted wrestler debuted, he clearly hasn’t been forgotten about. On a recent episode of All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) flagship weekly program Dynamite, color commentator Don Callis, in regards to modern phenom Kazuchika Okada, stated, “To me, the scariest thing about Okada is that dropkick. Shades of Jim Brunzell, I mean it’s six or seven feet in the air and comes out of nowhere.”

While Brunzell appreciates the reverence by today’s stars, his interest in the current product is fairly minimal. “I can’t watch it because everything that I was taught and learned about the trade is completely gone,” he affirmed. “It’s so rushed now. I think a lot of the guys from my era feel the same way.” He does, however, have a favorite in Randy Orton, whose father Bob was a peer of Brunzell’s in their heyday. “Randy’s got everything – the size, the mind, the intellect, the timing, and the skill.”

Brunzell feels that while a WWE Hall of Fame induction would be welcomed by both he and Blair, the likelihood is slim. “Vince fired me three times,” he snickered. “We also sued the company a few times and won a sizable amount of money from them so I think I’m persona non grata – and that’s fine.”

The former competitor certainly isn’t losing sleep over the slight. Brunzell is involved in his local church and does charity work for several causes, including children with diabetes. He also makes frequent appearances with Blair at conventions across the country, meeting his fans and catching up with wrestlers he hasn’t seen in decades.

Additionally, Brunzell released his critically acclaimed autobiography via Blurb in 2015. Titled MatLands: True Stories from the Wrestling Road, the book chronicles his lengthy 27-year pro wrestling journey with over 40 fascinating stories from the road. “All the photos are my own and everything in it is true,” he offered. The publication’s name is a nod to “Badlands,” the classic 1978 track by his favorite musician, Bruce Springsteen, who Brunzell shares a friendship with. “When I see him in concert in November, it’ll be my 49^th time in 45 years,” he enthused. “Thirteen cities and two countries,” he continued.

Family also keeps Brunzell both busy and content. He and his wife Mary, celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary next year, have two children who achieved success of their own – a daughter who’s a teacher working for the local school district, and a son who’s a director at Sound Unseen, a thriving film festival.

With a seemingly never-ending list of knee, shoulder, hip, nose, hand, elbow, and even testicle surgeries as a result of his nearly 5,000 matches, Brunzell would only do one thing differently if he could. “I would have quit a lot sooner,” he insisted. “It was a hard way to make a living but it was also amazing. And I’m just thankful and blessed for everything that I have because of it.”

To order MatLands: True Stories from the Wrestling Road by Jim Brunzell, click here.