Brian Blair

Professional wrestling career Early career (1977–1985) In the summers months from 1975–1977 Blair started training to be a wrestler with Hiro Matsuda in Florida. Blair debuted in 1977 with Eddie Graham's CWF where he worked primarily as a face. Blair debuted in a tag team match facing Pat Patterson and Ivan Koloff. After CWF, Blair moved on to Bob Geigel's NWA Central States promotion out of Kansas City, Missouri around 1978 where he feuded with Jesse Ventura. He was even shot at by Leroy when he tried to talk to Mike before leaving town. The one-week reign was Blair's first professional wrestling title reign. After leaving the Tri-State promotion Blair joined up with Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling promotion in Texas, where he lived with David Von Erich for over a year. In WCCW he gained victories over Killer Tim Brooks and former WWWF World Champion Stan Stasiak. After the short run with the WWF, Blair moved on to Georgia Championship Wrestling as well as a return to Florida Championship Wrestling. In Florida, Blair picked up another Florida title run as well as unseating "Ravishing" Rick Rude as the Florida Southern Champion. The team had a special gimmick referred to as "Masked Confusion" where both wrestlers pulled out identical masks during the match to confuse their opponents and usually win their matches that way. The "Masked Confusion" idea was given to Blair by Billy Red Lyons who had used it in Maple Leaf Wrestling. They constantly challenged for the WWF World Tag Team Title but never won it, although the fans were thoroughly behind them. Their biggest feud in the WWF was against The Hart Foundation, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart whom they wrestled somewhere between "300 and 600" times according to Blair himself. (a card headlined by Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff).

Shortly after SummerSlam 88, the team was split without any reason. Still cast as faces, both Brunzell and Blair were recast as singles wrestlers. In his first televised match following the undeclared split, Blair defeated Danny Davis on Prime Time Wrestling on September 27, 1988. This would be his only notable win that month, as he found himself on the losing end of house show series with Hercules, Dino Bravo, and the newly arrived Terry Taylor and Curt Hennig. Meanwhile, on television Blair remained undefeated, pinning Barry Horowitz and Mike Sharpe on episodes of Prime Time. On the November 5 edition of Prime Time he was announced as a replacement for the departing Junkyard Dog on the team of Jake Roberts at the 1988 Survivor Series. In the buildup to the PPV Blair wrestled Mike Sharpe on the house show circuit; however he departed on November 16 and was ultimately replaced on the show by Scott Casey. His former partner would remain with the WWF into the early 1990s. Brunzell and Blair later complained about WWF owner Vince McMahon who continued merchandising products of The Killer Bees without their permission or financial compensation. Blair and Brunzell wrestled at Wrestlemania 2, 3 and 4 before Blair gave his notice in Salisbury, MD right before Wrestlemania 5. The Killer Bees also won the Frank Tunney Memorial Tag Team Tournament in Toronto, Canada, were winners at the first Survivor Series, performed at The Big Event in Toronto, Canada, and at the first Royal Rumble. The Killer Bees were also featured on Saturday Night's Main Event VIII, X, and XV cards. Bret Hart states in his book "My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling", that the best tag team match of his career was against Blair and Brunzell. Blair left the WWF that November and took a hiatus from wrestling.

American Wrestling Association (1990) After leaving the WWF in 1988, Blair returned to wrestling in 1990 as Blair signed a short-term contract with Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association. Blair challenged Larry Zbyszko for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. Blair defeated Zbyszko by disqualification meaning the title couldn't change hands that way with Zbyszko retaining the title.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1990–1994) Blair was one of the first "names" to work regularly for Herb Abrams Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) when it opened its doors in late 1990 quickly becoming a regular on the federations Fury Hour shows. In the UWF, Blair reunited with Jim Brunzell but due to the WWF holding the trademark to the name "The Killer Bees" they were billed as "Masked Confusion". They competed on the UWF's first (and only) PPV, Beach Brawl, where they beat the Power Twins. The team was also the only UWF Tag Team champions. They won the title at UWF's last big show known as Blackjack Brawl where they beat the "New Powers of Pain" (The Warlord and Power Warrior).

On July 25, 2025, Blair made an appearance on SmackDown during the tribute to Hulk Hogan.

Personal life Blair is married to Toni Sabella and they have two sons. Blair owned and managed four Gold's Gym fitness centers in the Tampa Bay area with fellow wrestler, Steve Keirn. In 2004, Blair ran again and was elected County Commissioner, District 6 (countywide) for Hillsborough County defeating former city councilman and future mayor of Tampa Bob Buckhorn. The race was one of the closest county commission races in the history of Hillsborough County with Blair winning with 216,430 votes to Buckhorn's 214,062. In 2008 Blair ran for re-election winning the Republican primary against Don Kruse on August 26, 2008, then lost to Hillsborough County's first openly gay candidate Kevin Beckner in the November 4, 2008 general election. One concept that Brian had was of the senior zone. It was designed to warn other drivers and to be cautious of senior citizens exiting or entering their parking lots. "A senior zone slows down traffic without the need for a traffic light. We found that here in Florida, senior citizens prefer having traffic lights near certain entrances or exits of lots. The traffic lights we originally were looking at were too expensive. I worked with a traffic engineer and we came up with senior signs that are posted with flashing caution lights and 'reduce speed limit' written on the pavement. The cost of this whole project would have been the same cost of a traffic light. It reduced accidents a great deal and just like all citizens, the senior citizens safety is a high priority in our community" said Brian. The senior zone was voted number one and got picked for the most innovated project of the year in 2008.

On July 23, 2021, Steve Keirn announced at The Gathering, a fan fest in Charlotte, NC, that Blair's son Brett was murdered in Florida at the age of 29. His body was found at a remote construction site.

Autobiography In July 2021, the release of Blair's autobiography, Truth Bee Told, was leaked in an article from Slam Wrestling disclosing the death of Blair's eldest son, Brett. In September of the same year, the book's release month of October 2021 was formally announced. The book is coauthored by Ian Douglass, a contributor to the autobiographies of Dan Severn, Hornswoggle and Bugsy McGraw, and it features forewords from Bret Hart and Steve Keirn, and an afterword from Hulk Hogan. Truth Bee Told was officially released on October 2, 2021. In February 2022, it was listed among the finalists for "Best Pro Wrestling Book" in the 2021 Wrestling Observer Awards.

Other media appearances Blair appears in multiple episodes the documentary series Dark Side of the Ring produced by Vice Media. He is featured in the Episodes "Cocaine and Cowboy Boots: the Herb Abrams Story" (season 2, episode 8) which covers the Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams), "The Steroid Trials" (season 3, episode 14) which covers the backstory and circumstances of the court case United States v. McMahon, "Breaking the Cycle: The Graham Dynasty" (season 4, episode 3) which focuses on Eddie Graham and his Family, and "What Happened to Doink the Clown?" (season 4, episode 4) which is focused on Matt Borne.