Bill Irwin (wrestler)
A rugged journeyman wrestler whose 'Wild Bill' persona brawled across territories for decades before a bizarre, brief WWF stint as The Goon.
Born 1954 (age 72)·American professional wrestler·Birthday: September 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
In 1996, Bill Irwin stepped into a WWF ring wearing hockey skates and a referee's jersey as The Goon, a character so bizarre it became the strangest footnote of a twenty-year career. Born in 1954, he learned his craft across professional wrestling's territorial circuits during the 1970s, adopting the 'Wild Bill' moniker that suited his tough, no-frills brawling style. For over two decades, he worked as a reliable heel and tag team specialist in promotions like World Class Championship Wrestling and the NWA, often teaming with his brother Scott as The Long Riders. His face, framed by a thick mustache and a look of pure orneriness, became familiar to regional TV audiences. When most wrestlers his age were retiring, the WWF called. The hockey enforcer gimmick lasted only months, but Irwin performed it without complaint. He retired as a respected veteran, a symbol of the hard-traveling wrestlers who built the industry before the national spotlight found it.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bill was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 70
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 72 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Wrestled for over two decades in major regional promotions including World Class Championship Wrestling, Mid-South, and the NWA.
- Held multiple tag team championships with his brother, Scott Irwin, under the name The Long Riders.
- Performed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the mid-1990s under the gimmick of 'The Goon'.
- Had a notable feud with 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan in the WWF, centered on their conflicting hockey and football personas.
Did You Know?
His brother, Scott Irwin, was also a professional wrestler; they frequently teamed together.
Before wrestling, he was a competitive bodybuilder.
The 'Goon' character was reportedly inspired by the hockey fights prevalent in the 1990s.
After retiring, he worked as a truck driver and later owned a used car lot.
“This ring is my office, and business is always rough.”
