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Terry Ray Gordy, Sr. (April 23, 1961July 16, 2001) was an American professional wrestler who was best known in North America for being a member of the Fabulous Freebirds.

Professional wrestling career[]

Gordy started wrestling in 1975 at the age of 14 as Terry Mecca for the I.W.A. In early 1979, he began wrestling under his real name and formed the Fabulous Freebirds with Michael P.S. Hayes. Buddy Roberts was later added to the group. In 1982, the Freebirds went to World Class Championship Wrestling and had a heated and memorable feud with the Von Erichs (David, Kevin, Kerry and Mike).

The Freebirds spent time in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Jim Crockett Promotions, where they split to feud briefly, but later reunited. They also spent a very brief time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

In 1986, when the Freebirds were in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), Gordy won the UWF Heavyweight Championship and held it for 6 months, before losing it via forfeit to The One Man Gang, after an angle the same night which saw Gordy injured at the hands of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. During this time, Gordy and the Freebirds had an ongoing feud with UWF fan favorite Hacksaw Jim Duggan, which saw Duggan and Gordy frequently squaring off, usually ending in a disqualification due to outside interference.

In 1989, Gordy helped Hayes reform the Freebirds, with Jimmy Garvin in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

After leaving WCW, Gordy teamed with Steve Williams as the The Miracle Violence Connection in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). During his time there, he also held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship on two occasions.

Gordy and Williams came to WCW in 1992 and won the WCW World Tag Team Championship. They would also win the NWA World Tag Team Championship in a tournament at the Great American Bash card in Albany, Georgia one week later. They feuded with The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner), which, in Japan, was hyped as a feud between the best foreign teams of the two top Japanese promotions (the Steiners were competing for rival New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) at the time). Despite advances by New Japan, Gordy and Williams, out of loyalty to 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.

In 1993 Gordy, while traveling from the United States to Japan for a tour, overdosed on pain medication and slipped into a coma, ultimately suffering permanent brain damage. He returned to action later that year, but never received a shot at the Triple Crown Championship again. In 1994, Gordy had a small reunion with Hayes and Garvin as the Freebirds in the Global Wrestling Federation where he won the GWF Tag Team Titles with Garvin.

In 1996, Gordy showed up in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) to challenge Raven for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, as the "internationally recognized #1 contender." He had been working for the International Wrestling Association (IWA) promotion in Japan, wrestling deathmatches. He lost, but went on to team with Tommy Dreamer and later reunite with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle The Eliminators (Perry Saturn & John Kronus). He also wrestled Bam Bam Bigelow in what was billed as the first ever "Battle Of The Bam Bams." Gordy lost the match due to outside interference from The Eliminators.

He had a brief run in the WWF as The Executioner in 1996. He teamed with Mankind, both managed by Paul Bearer, and feuded with The Undertaker. The Executioner would come to the ring under a mask and carry a plastic axe. The Executioner made his TV debut at the In Your House pay-per-view, In Your House 11: Buried Alive, where he interfered in The Undertaker's Buried Alive match with Mankind, hitting him with a shovel and burying him with the help of several other wrestlers. However, at In Your House 12: It's Time, The Undertaker made short work of The Executioner in an Armageddon Rules match, and Gordy left the promotion shortly afterwards.

Gordy died of a heart attack, caused by a blood clot on July 16, 2001. He was 40 years old.

Gordy was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

His son Terry Ray Gordy Jr. wrestled for WWE on the SmackDown! brand as Jesse and Slam Master J before being released in 2010. His nephew is Richard Acelinger, who competed for All Japan Pro Wrestling as Richard Slinger. His daughter Miranda currently wrestles in Texas.

In wrestling[]

  • Nicknames
    • "Bam Bam"
    • "Ningen Gyorai" (Japanese for "Human Torpedo")
    • "Original Powerbomb"

Championships and accomplishments[]

1Won while WCW was still affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance and prior to the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championships being briefly unified.
2The Freebirds' 5th reign carried over after the title's name was changed to the WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship since they were the champions at the time the title was renamed.

See also[]

External links[]

WWE Hall of Fame
1993
André the Giant
1994
Arnold SkaalandBobo BrazilBuddy RogersChief Jay StrongbowFreddie BlassieGorilla MonsoonJames Dudley
1995
Antonino RoccaErnie LaddGeorge SteeleIvan PutskiThe Fabulous MoolahThe Grand WizardPedro Morales
1996
Lou AlbanoJimmy SnukaJimmy ValiantJohnny RodzJohnny ValiantKiller KowalskiMikel SciclunaPat PattersonVince McMahon, Sr.
2004
Big John StuddBobby HeenanDon MuracoGreg ValentineHarley RaceJesse VenturaJunkyard DogPete RoseSgt. SlaughterSuperstar Billy GrahamTito Santana
2005
Bob Orton, Jr.Hulk HoganJimmy HartNikolai VolkoffPaul OrndorffRoddy PiperThe Iron Sheik
2006
Bret HartBlackjack MulliganEddie GuerreroGene OkerlundJack LanzaSherri MartelTony AtlasVerne GagneWilliam Perry
2007
AfaCurt HennigDusty RhodesJerry LawlerJim RossMr. FujiNick BockwinkelSikaThe Sheik
2008
Eddie GrahamGerald BriscoGordon SolieJack BriscoMae YoungPeter MaiviaRic FlairRocky Johnson
2009
Bill WattsChris Von ErichDavid Von ErichDory Funk Jr.Fritz Von ErichHoward FinkelKerry Von ErichKevin Von ErichKoko B. WareMike Von ErichRicky SteamboatSteve AustinTerry Funk
2010
Antonio InokiBob UeckerGorgeous GeorgeMaurice VachonStu HartTed DiBiaseWendi Richter
2011
Abdullah the ButcherBob ArmstrongDrew CareyJim DugganLegion of DoomPaul ElleringShawn MichaelsSunny
2012
EdgeFour HorsemenMike TysonMil MáscarasRon SimmonsYokozuna
2013
Bob BacklundBooker TBruno SammartinoDonald TrumpMick FoleyTrish Stratus
2014
Carlos ColonJake RobertsLitaMr. TPaul BearerScott HallUltimate Warrior
2015
Arnold SchwarzeneggerConnor MichalekAlundra BlayzeKevin NashLarry ZbyszkoRandy SavageRikishiTatsumi FujinamiThe Bushwhackers
2016
Art ThomasBig BossmanBuddy RobertsThe GodfatherEd LewisFrank GotchGeorge HackenschmidtJacquelineJimmy GarvinJoan LundenLou TheszMichael P.S. HayesMildred BurkePat O'ConnorSnoop DoggStan HansenStingTerry Gordy
2017
Bearcat WrightBeth PhoenixDiamond Dallas PageDr. Jerry GrahamEric LeGrandHaystacks CalhounJudy GrableJune ByersKurt AngleLuther LindsayMartin BurnsRick RudeRicky MortonRikidozanRobert GibsonTheodore LongToots Mondt
2018
Alfred HayesBoris MalenkoCora CombsDara SinghDudley BoyzEl SantoGoldbergHillbilly JimHiro MatsudaIvoryJarrius "JJ" RobertsonJeff JarrettJim LondosKid RockMark HenryRufus R. JonesSputnik MonroeStan Stasiak
2019
Bruiser BrodyBrutus BeefcakeBuddy RoseD-Generation X(Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac)Harlem Heat (Booker T, Stevie Ray)The Hart Foundation(Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart)Hisashi ShinmaThe Honky Tonk ManJim Barnett • Joseph Cohen • Luna VachonPrimo CarneraProfessor Toru TanakaS.D. Jones • Sue Aitchison • Torrie WilsonWahoo McDaniel
2020
Baron Michele LeoneThe Bella Twins (Nikki Bella, Brie Bella)Brickhouse BrownThe British BulldogGary HartJohn "Bradshaw" LayfieldJushin "Thunder" LigerNew World Order ("Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman)Ray StevensSteve WilliamsTitus O'NeilWilliam Shatner
2021
Buzz SawyerDick the BruiserEric BischoffEthel JohnsonThe Great KhaliKaneMolly HollyOzzy OsbournePaul BoeschPez Whatley • Rich Hering • Rob Van Dam
2022
The UndertakerSteiner Brothers (Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner)Big Van VaderQueen Sharmell
2023
Rey MysterioThe Great MutaAndy KaufmanStacy KeiblerTim White
2024
Paul HeymanBull NakanoU.S. ExpressMuhammad AliThunderbolt Patterson
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