Terry Gordy

Gordy started wrestling in 1975 at the age of 14 as Terry Mecca for the International Wrestling Association. In early 1979, he began wrestling under his real name and formed The Fabulous Freebirds with Michael Hayes.[1] Buddy Roberts was later added to the group.

The Freebirds came to Memphis the first time in 1979 and feuded mainly with Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee. When in mid South Wrestling, he formed The Fabulous Freebirds as the suggestion by Bill Watts with Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts. They returned in 1984 to feud with Lawler & Austin Idol and later with Lawler & Phil Hickerson.

In 1986, when the Freebirds were in the Universal Wrestling Federation, the former Mid South Wrestling, Gordy won the UWF Heavyweight Championship title and held it for six months, before losing it via forfeit to The One Man Gang, after an angle the same night in which Gordy was injured by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.[1] During this time, Gordy and the Freebirds had an ongoing feud with the UWF fan favorite Hacksaw Jim Duggan, in which Duggan and Gordy frequently squared off, usually ending in a disqualification because of outside interference.[1]

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) that was famously kicked off when Gordy slammed the Cage door on Kerry during his Cage Match at WCCW Star Wars (1982) against Ric Flair where Michael Hayes was the special guest Referee inciting a riot among fans attending. They traded the six man title back and forth a few times over the years.[1] Gordy was also at one time one half of the WCCW American Tag Team champions. While in WCCW, Killer Khan taught Gordy how to perform the Oriental Spike.

Gordy teamed with Stan Hansen beginning in 1987 in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Gordy later teamed with Steve Williams as The Miracle Violence Connection.[2] During his time there, he also held the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship on two occasions.[2]

The Freebirds spent a very brief time in the World Wrestling Federation in 1984, but were fired after missing a show and showing up, many times, late and drunk.[3]

The Freebirds spent some time in the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions where they split to feud briefly, but later reunited.[4]

In 1989, Gordy helped Hayes to reform the Freebirds, with Jimmy Garvin, in Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), which became World Championship Wrestling in 1991.[1][5] Later he alongside of Dr. Death Steve Williams defeated the Steiners to become World Tag Team Champions.[6]

Gordy and Williams returned to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1992 and won the WCW World Tag Team titles.[2][6] They also won the NWA World Tag Team titles in a tournament at the Great American Bash card in Albany, Georgia, one week later, and unified the titles.[2] Their feud with Rick and Scott Steiner; in Japan, this 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 at the time).[2] 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.[2]

In 1993 Gordy, while traveling from the United States to Japan for a tour, took an overdose of pain medication and slipped into a coma, ultimately suffering permanent brain damage.[7] He returned to action later that year, but never received a shot at the Triple Crown again. In 1994, Gordy had a small reunion with Hayes and Garvin as the Freebirds in the Global Wrestling Federation where he and Garvin won the GWF Tag Team titles.

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

Gordy had a brief run in the WWF as The Executioner in 1996 and 1997. He teamed up with Mankind, both managed by Paul Bearer, and feuded with The Undertaker. The Executioner came to the ring under a mask and carrying an axe.[8] He made his TV debut at the In Your House pay-per-view, Buried Alive, where he interfered in The Undertaker's Buried Alive match with Mankind, hitting Undertaker with a shovel and burying him with the help of Mankind and several other wrestlers.[8] However, at In Your House 12: It's Time, The Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon Rules match, and Gordy left the promotion shortly afterwards.[9] His final televised appearance was on the January 12, 1997 episode of WWF Superstars, where he lost to Goldust, after which Paul Bearer turned on him by hitting him with his urn.[10] He was advertised to be one of the 30 participants in the 1997 Royal Rumble match, but did not make an appearance.

On an episode of Something to Wrestle With, Bruce Prichard claimed that the Executioner gimmick 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 then there would have been the opportunity later for Gordy to unmask. It was mentioned that the hiring was mostly done as a favor for Michael Hayes.