Barry Darsow Reflects on Playing Repo Man and Transforming His Look for the Gimmick – Barry Darsow, best known to WWE fans as Demolition Smash, recently discussed his time portraying the Repo Man character during an interview with Wrestling Epicenter. Darsow reflected on the creative process behind the gimmick and how much he enjoyed bringing the character to life, even though he knew it wasn’t designed to make him a top star.
“I loved it. I was at the point of my career where I didn’t need to be a top guy. But, I knew I was going to be a part of everything and I was going to get to work with the top workers,” Darsow said. “But, I knew I wasn’t going to be the next Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, or Bret Hart. But, again, I knew I was going to be a part of everything and I knew that if I did it right, I might even be able to turn baby face. I think I fooled a lot of people… I don’t think everybody knew who the heck I was. The way I portrayed that gimmick was really important to me because it worked.”
Darsow also explained that he made significant physical changes to distinguish the Repo Man from his previous persona as one-half of Demolition. He wanted to ensure fans saw him as a completely new character rather than recognizing him as Smash in a different outfit.
“I was 320 pounds when I was Smash in Demolition. I was 260 pounds when I was The Repo Man. I wanted it to be a different character which it was,” Darsow revealed.
The Repo Man gimmick, introduced in the early 1990s, featured Darsow sneaking around in a mask and trench coat, repossessing property and gleefully laughing about it — a stark contrast from the powerhouse image he portrayed in Demolition. While short-lived, the character remains one of WWE’s more memorable personas from that era, with Darsow’s commitment to the role earning lasting recognition among fans of the time.
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Barry Darsow Reflects on Playing Repo Man and Transforming His Look for the Gimmick
