 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Terry Ray Gordy (1961-04-23)April 23, 1961 Rossville, Georgia,[2] U.S. |
| Died | July 16, 2001(2001-07-16) (aged 40) Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
Spouse | |
| Children | 3; includingRay Gordy |
| Family | Richard Slinger (nephew) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Executioner/Forest Druid Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy Terry Mecca Kane |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 289 lb (131 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | "Badstreet U.S.A." Chattanooga, Tennessee DarkForest New York City |
| Trained by | Archie Gouldie Lou Thesz |
| Debut | 1974 |
Terry Ray Gordy Sr.[3] (April 23, 1961 – July 16, 2001) was an Americanprofessional wrestler from Soddy-Daisy, TN. Gordy appeared in the United States withpromotions such as Mid-South Wrestling,Georgia Championship Wrestling,World Class Championship Wrestling,Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling and theUniversal Wrestling Federation as a member of TheFabulous Freebirds. He also appeared in Japan withAll Japan Pro Wrestling as one-half of TheMiracle Violence Connection.
Gordy held manychampionships throughout the course of his career, including theTriple Crown Heavyweight Championship,AJPW World Tag Team Championship,WCW World Tag Team Championship,NWA World Tag Team Championship,UWF Heavyweight Championship andSMW Heavyweight Championship. He was posthumously inducted into theWrestling Observer,Professional Wrestling, andWWE Hall of Fame. He left behind three children: Amber Gordy, Miranda Gordy, and Ray Gordy.
Gordy was a standout high school football and baseball player at Rossville High School, but dropped out of high school following his freshman year.[4] Trained byArchie Gouldie, he started wrestling at the age of 13 in 1974[5] as "Terry Mecca" for theInternational Wrestling Association.[3][4]
In early 1979, Gordy began wrestling under his real name and formed theFabulous Freebirds withMichael Hayes, withBuddy Roberts later added to the group.[6] Gordy and Hayes had met while training inMississippi the year prior.[5]
In 1980, the Freebirds moved toGeorgia Championship Wrestling, where they won the territory's tag team championship.[1] The Fabulous Freebirds had many feuds while there, including feuds againstTommy Rich,Junkyard Dog,Kevin Sullivan,Austin Idol, andTed DiBiase, and they became one of the first acts to use entrance music.[5] One match on the Saturday night WTBSGeorgia Championship Wrestling show saw the Freebirds take on the Junkyard Dog and Ted DiBiase; toward the end of the match, Gordy gave DiBiase 4 consecutive piledrivers, which led to DiBiase being taken away in an ambulance.[4]
In 1981, the Freebirds split up after Buddy Roberts left the area. Michael and Terry then had a falling out, which led to them feuding against each other. Terry and Michael eventually put their differences aside and reformed the Freebirds as a duo in 1982, and they feuded withOle Anderson andStan Hansen.[7]
In late-1982, the Freebirds went to theDallas, Texas-basedWorld Class Championship Wrestling promotion and feuded with theVon Erichs (David,Kevin,Kerry andMike). The feud ignited when Gordy slammed the cage door on Kerry during his cage match on March 15 atWCCW Star Wars againstRic Flair, during whichMichael Hayes served as the special guest referee. Gordy's action incited a riot among the fans in attendance.[3] The Freebirds and Von Erichs traded the six-man title back and forth a few times over the years.[1][6] At one point, Gordy was also one half of the WCCW American Tag Team Champions.[1] While in WCCW,Killer Khan taught Gordy how to perform theOriental Spike, which he dubbed the Asiatic Spike.[8]
Gordy's connection withAll Japan Pro Wrestling began in March 1982, when he challengedGiant Baba for thePWF Heavyweight Championship at a Georgia Championship Wrestling show at the Omni in Atlanta. The match would air in Japan. Seventeen months later, Gordy made his debut for AJPW in August 1983. He was immediately paired with Stan Hansen and took part inTerry Funk's first retirement match on August 31, 1983.[9][4][5] It was during this time thatLou Thesz taught Gordy what would be his main move, the powerbomb.
In 1984, Gordy returned to AJPW with his Fabulous Freebird teammatesMichael Hayes andBuddy Roberts. He and Hayes unsuccessfully challenged for theNWA International Tag Team Championship twice. On his own, he challengedJumbo Tsuruta for theNWA International Heavyweight Championship, but was disqualified. By the end of 1984, Hayes and Roberts had left AJPW, leaving Gordy on his own. In June 1985, he rematched Tsuruta for the NWA International Heavyweight title but was counted out. In March 1986, he had another rematch with Tsuruta for the NWA International title but lost. Two months later, Gordy received a chance to win the PWF Heavyweight title, then held byRiki Choshu, but he lost by disqualification. In August 1986, he began teaming withKiller Khan, who had taught him the Asiatic Spike a couple years earlier, while both were in WCCW. He and Khan took part in the 1986World's Strongest Tag Determination League, where they placed third with eight points.
By November 1987, Gordy had reunited with Hansen for the 1987 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, where they placed second in a four-way tie with three different teams. In July 1988, Gordy and Hansen defeated Jumbo Tsuruta andYoshiaki Yatsu to win theWorld Tag Team Championship, before losing them back to Tsuruta and Yatsu two days later. It wasn't until December 1988 that Gordy and Hansen won the World Tag Team titles for the second time by winning the 1988 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, defeatingGenichiro Tenryu andToshiaki Kawada in the finals. They lost the titles again to Tsuruta and Yatsu two months later in a rare title change outside Japan——the match was held in the United States. Gordy and Hansen continued to team up until June 1989. He tookBill Irwin as his partner for the 1989 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, but the pairing didn't work, as they placed seventh with six points.
In February 1990, Gordy teamed up with Steve Williams asThe Miracle Violence Connection.[10] The pairing was an immediate success. A month later, they won the World Tag Team Championship, defeating Gordy's former partner Stan Hansen and Genichiro Tenryu. Three months later, Gordy became a double champion with five belts, as Gordy defeated Jumbo Tsuruta for theTriple Crown Heavyweight Championship.[10][3] The elation would be short-lived, as three days later, he lost the Triple Crown to Stan Hansen. Gordy rebounded a month later, defeating Hansen to regain the Triple Crown for the second time, but two days later, he and Williams lost the World Tag Team titles to Tsuruta andThe Great Kabuki.
On July 26, 1990, after returning to Tokyo from a show in Isesaki, where he and Williams defeated Stan Hansen andTerry Taylor, Gordy collapsed while drinking at a bar and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. At one point, he suffered a cardiac arrest. His condition was so grim that AJPW officials were prepared to announce his death. Thankfully, he regained consciousness the next day and vacated the Triple Crown title. He returned a month later but never received another shot at the Triple Crown.
A month after his near-death experience, Gordy was back, as he and Williams resumed their path of destruction. In December 1990, they regained the World Tag Team titles by winning the 1990 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, defeating Stan Hansen andDan Spivey in the finals. They held onto the titles until April 1991, when they dropped them to Hansen and Spivey. Three months later, Gordy and Williams regained the titles, but lost them nearly three weeks later toMitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada. Five months later, they regained the titles and won the 1991 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, defeating Misawa and Kawada in the finals. In March 1992, they lost the titles to Jumbo Tsuruta andAkira Taue. It was around that time they split their time between AJPW and WCW. They took part in the 1992 World's Strongest Tag Determination League but placed second in a tie with the team of Hansen andJohnny Ace.
1993 saw Gordy wrestle exclusively for AJPW. In January 1993, he and Williams won their final World Tag Team title together, defeating Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada. They held onto the belts until May, when they lost them to Kawada and Akira Taue. His final tour as an active gaijin took place in July 1993; his last match took place on July 29, when he and Williams defeated Johnny Ace andKendall Windham.
On August 18, 1993, while traveling from the United States to Japan to take part in another AJPW tour, Gordy overdosed on pain medication[5] and slipped into a five-day coma, ultimately suffering permanent brain damage.[11] As a result, he had to relearn how to talk, walk, and wrestle,[4] but he never again possessed the skills at the same level.[5][9] He returned to AJPW for a single tour in July 1994 before leaving the company after more than a decade.
The Fabulous Freebirds debuted in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in August 1984. During their nine-week stint in the WWF, they primary competed insix-man tag team matches andtag team matches, with their main opponents being theMoondogs. Several of their matches aired onWWF on PRISM Network,WWF on MSG Network,WWF Maple Leaf Wrestling, andWWF Championship Wrestling. In September 1984, they were abruptly fired from the WWF after showing up late and drunk for a show.[5][12]
In 1986, when the Freebirds were inUniversal Wrestling Federation, the former Mid South Wrestling, Gordy became the first person to win theUWF Heavyweight Championship[3] and held it for six months,[13] before losing it via forfeit to theOne Man Gang,[3][9] after an angle the same night in which Gordy was injured in an auto accident by"Dr. Death" Steve Williams, whom he feuded with.[3][6] During this time, Gordy and the Freebirds had an ongoing feud withHacksaw Jim Duggan, in which Duggan and Gordy squared off, usually ending in a disqualification because of outside interference.[6]
The Freebirds spent some time in theNational Wrestling Alliance'sJim Crockett Promotions where they split to feud briefly but later reunited.[14] In 1989, Gordy helped Hayes reform the Freebirds, withJimmy Garvin, in the NWA, which becameWorld Championship Wrestling in 1991.[4][6][15] Later, he and Steve Williams defeated the Steiners to become World Tag Team Champions.[16]
Gordy and Williams returned toWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1992 and won the WCW World Tag Team titles.[10][16] At that point, they were considered the most dominant team in wrestling, making $10,000 to $15,000 a week.[1][9] They also won the NWA World Tag Team titles in a tournament at the Great American Bash card inAlbany, Georgia, one week later, thereby unifying the titles.[10] Their feud withRick and Scott Steiner in Japan was hyped as a feud between the best foreign teams of the two top Japanese promotions (the Steiners were competing for rivalNew Japan Pro-Wrestling at the time).[10] Despite advances by New Japan, Gordy and Williams, out of loyalty to the AJPW founder and promoter,Giant Baba, refused to compete for the promotion (which had business ties with WCW at the time), leading to Gordy's departure from WCW before Halloween Havoc and Williams' departure after Starrcade.[10]
After World Class folded in 1989, Gordy wrestled in various promotions. He started working forUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA). In 1991, he worked forUniversal Wrestling Federation where he feuded withDon Muraco. In 1994, he reunited with The Freebirds (Michael Hayes andJimmy Garvin) forGlobal Wrestling Federation in Texas, where they feuded withSkandor Akbar,John Hawk,Black Bart andMoadib and won the Tag Team Championship with Garvin.[4]
In February 1992, Gordy debuted forSmoky Mountain Wrestling, defeating Tommy Angel, but by the time the match aired, he had left for WCW. He would not return until August 1994 at the Night of the Legends, where he unsuccessfully challengedTony Anthony for theSMW Heavyweight Championship by getting himself disqualified. By June 1995, Gordy was back wrestling full-time for SMW, this time under Jim Cornette's "Militia" stable. While in the Militia, he regularly teamed withTommy Rich. After a brief feud withBoo Bradley over the summer, Gordy set his sights on the SMW Heavyweight Championship, then held byBrad Armstrong. Gordy won the SMW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Armstrong when he teamed withThrasher to defeat Armstrong and the Wolfman on October 27.[1] A month later, on November 23, he dropped the title back to Armstrong in a Country Whipping match. Three days later, SMW folded.
In 1996, Gordy appeared inExtreme Championship Wrestling to challengeRaven for the ECW World Heavyweight title, as the "internationally recognized #1 contender".[3] He had worked for theInternational Wrestling Association of Japan promotion, wrestlingdeathmatches. He lost, but went on to team up withTommy Dreamer and later reunite with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestleThe Eliminators. He also wrestledBam Bam Bigelow atUltimate Jeopardy in what was billed as the second ever "Battle Of The Bam Bams" (The first happened on aWindy City Wrestling show), which he lost due to outside interference from The Eliminators.[3]
In September 1996, Gordy returned to the World Wrestling Federation, losing toSavio Vega in adark match at a taping ofWWF Superstars. He was subsequently repackaged as "The Executioner", a "hired assassin" and ally ofMankind, with both men managed byPaul Bearer.[1][8] As "The Executioner", Gordy wore a mask and carried an axe.[17] The Executioner made his television debut atIn Your House 11: Buried Alive on October 20, 1996, enabling Mankind to defeatThe Undertaker in aBuried Alive match by hitting The Undertaker with a shovel and helping "bury" him.[17] This led to an "Armageddon Rules match" between The Executioner and The Undertaker atIn Your House 12: It's Time on December 15 that was won by The Undertaker. The Executioner went on to team with Mankind to unsuccessfully challengeOwen Hart and the British Bulldog for theWWF World Tag Team Championship before leaving the WWF in January 1997.[18]
On an episode ofSomething to Wrestle With,Bruce Prichard claimed that the gimmick of The Executioner was given to Gordy because McMahon had doubts that Gordy could still compete effectively, and the use of a mask was intended to protect Gordy so that if that were the case, Gordy's legacy would not be tainted. Had Gordy been able to compete at a high level, there would have been an opportunity for Gordy to unmask. It was mentioned that the hiring was mostly done as a favor for Michael Hayes.[19]
After leaving the WWF and Japan, Gordy worked in theindependent circuit. On February 21, 1998, Gordy teamed withDan Severn in a losing effort toDoug Gilbert andDutch Mantel at theEddie Gilbert Memorial Show forIWA Mid-South. Gordy would reunite with Hayes as they foughtGlen Kulka andJR Smooth to a no contest forPower Pro Wrestling on May 28, 1999. He wrestled his last match, returning toIWA Japan on February 4, 2001, with Shoichi Ichimiya,Tomohiro Ishii, Yukihide Ueno, and Yuji Kito, defeatingDoug Gilbert, TJ Shinjuku, Ultra Sebun,Takashi Uwano and Keizo Mastuda.
Gordy has two daughters and a son,[3]Ray Gordy, and the latter wrestled for WWE as "Jesse" and "Slam Master J" before his release in 2010.[20] His nephew is Richard Aslinger, who competed forAll Japan Pro Wrestling asRichard Slinger.[3][21] His daughter Miranda currently wrestles on the independent circuit and competed in Japan.[22] He was known for his "high octane, southern lifestyle" outside of the ring.[3]
Gordy was found dead in his home inSoddy-Daisy, Tennessee on July 16, 2001, after suffering aheart attack caused by ablood clot.[23][9] He was 40 years old.[4]
Following his death, theTerry Gordy Memorial Show was held in his honor on August 11 inBirmingham, Alabama.[5] Various wrestlers including Fabulous Freebirds cohort Michael Hayes and former tag team partner Stan Hansen praised Gordy for being one of the best workers they ever worked with.[5][9] In 2014, he was posthumously inducted into theSouthern Wrestling Hall of Fame.[24] A year later, he was posthumously inducted into theProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. On April 2, 2016, Gordy was posthumously inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame by his son as part of theFabulous Freebirds.[25]
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