When Barry Goode sets his mind to do something, it gets done.
And right now he's set on inflicting a world of hurt on Disco Fury come Feb. 16 in Courtenay.
The Goode vs. Fury match will be one of the highlights of an entertaining evening of wrestling at the K'omoks First Nation Band Hall. "Slams for Sebastion" is a fundraiser for seven-month-old Sebastian Cobban.
Diagnosed with a rare disorder, the youngster has spent four months in hospital undergoing a variety of procedures. His parents, Amanda Davis and Tyler Cobban, have twice moved and had trouble finding work during Sebastian's time in hospital. The couple has received help from family, but medical costs continue to mount.
"I always liked (wrestling) as a kid," said Goode, who is better known in the Comox Valley by his real name, Barry Welsh. "When I was in Grade 5 or 6 I told my teacher that's what I wanted to do. They always laughed and said, 'What do you really want to do?' But I'm pretty stubborn and so I actually did it."
When his Grade 9 career planning teacher told him to think of an attainable goal, Goode said he was going to get a barb wire tattoo. Shortly after, Goode was sporting a barb wire tattoo. That focus and determination will stand him in good stead against Disco Fury, who was one of Goode's trainers (along with Michelle Starr, Scotty Mac and Vance Nevada) when he first stepped into the ring in 2005 in Vancouver.
Goode grew up watching the stars of WWF and WCW and, closer to home, following ECCW and Stampede Wrestling. While wrestling can look glamorous on TV, Goode got a (literal) ground-level look at the sport when Vance Nevada convinced him to go on one of Tony Condello's infamous "Death Tours" of remote aboriginal communities in northern Manitoba.
"There were only two ways in – drive in over frozen lakes in winter or fly in during the summer," said Goode, who in 2006 had only a few matches under his belt when he followed in the footsteps of Canadian legends such as Edge, Chris Jerico and Lance Storm who had undertaken the trek.
At the time, Goode had long bleach-blond hair and wore a black Spandex costume. "I was not well liked," he smiled. "The craziest night was in Oxford House. I was facing Gurv Sihra, who they were billing as First Nations. The kids were throwing batteries and full cans of pop. He hit me with a move and was pinning me, and a kid reached into the ring and punched me in the face."
Goode recalled that after a "Death Tour" show was over, the wrestlers would dismantle the ring and put the mat on the gym floor to sleep on. That did not diminish his passion for wrestling, but the 2007 death of Canadian legend Chris Benoit did.
After a five-year hiatus, Goode returned to the ring in December 2012 when he took on Scott Steel in Duncan. Their match was a no decision due to outside interference when someone ran into the ring and attacked them. "So I haven't been defeated in five years," Goode joked.
Having just turned 27, Goode has a job at the front desk of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Courtenay and is looking forward to having his family and friends at ringside when he meets his former mentor next month.
Any predictions for his local wrestling debut? "It's gonna be a good match and I'm gonna come out ahead. All the people of the Comox Valley will be cheering me on and I'm not gonna let them down." Goode says fans can expect to see his signature "Let the Goode Times Roll" move, but won't give details so as not to let Disco Fury know what awaits him inside the squared circle.
And Goode notes his opponent doesn't need any extra advantage. "He's a six-time former NWA Canadian Junior Heavyweight champion, with 14 years experience. He is an international superstar, having toured England and Japan."
Goode credits Keith Spinks (aka Sgt. Kaos, who is organizing the Feb. 16 fundraiser) with helping to lure him out of retirement. "When you've got an event like this for a great cause, how can you say no? You're helping out a kid and his family and get to wrestle as well!"
Stepping back through the ropes is not without sacrifice. Strenuous cardio workouts have helped him drop 11 pounds since Christmas, and he's been eating lots of protein – including "delicious" breakfasts of egg whites.
"I'm also training at the Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling School in Parksville, which is run by Cremator," said Goode, adding the facility is an important start to creating the next generation of homegrown talent.
Goode says the important thing about the Feb. 16 card is that you don't have to be a diehard wrestling fan to be part of it. "It's for a great cause, so come on out," he said.
Tickets are available from Goode at 250-703-1214, Keith 250-203-6476, Andrew 250-702-4492 and at JetFM radio station.
The main event will be the retirement match of the Comox Valley's Sgt. Kaos when he takes on his former trainer Gorgeous Michelle Starr. Also scheduled to appear are Cremator, BJ Laredo, Azeem the Dream, Lak Siddartha, the Krofton Kid and a ladies' match. JetFm's Rock Dawg Andrew Davis, who is Sebastian's great-uncle, will be a special guest referee for the main event.