FREEBIRD ADVENTURES, PART III

“…I’m feeling lonesome,
Onry and mean.”

Waylon Jennings, “Lonesome, Onry and Mean” from his “Greatest Hits”

Happy 64^th birthday to Waylon Jennings, Vince’s fellow Arizona resident and my fellow native Texan. If you’re looking to buy a CD this week, you could do yourself right by checking out “Honky Tonk Heroes,” Waylon’s ’74 release featuring songs written by Billy Joe Shaver, or “Dreaming My Dreams,” my personal Waymore favorite. If a general overview is what you’re interested in, try the aforementioned “Greatest Hits” collection or the famous “Wanted-The Outlaws” compilation featuring Waylon, Willie, Jessi Colter (Mrs. Jennings) and Tompall Glaser.

Why start out with this specific Waylon reference? Well, Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts were rarely lonesome, but they sure could be as onry and mean as any wrestlers anywhere. Plus, the Freebirds shared the independent spirit of Waylon and Willie and the boys-they either did things their own way or not at all.

When we last met, Terry Gordy had reached the top of the Universal Wrestling Federation by becoming its first World Heavyweight Champion. Gordy defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the UWF Title Tournament in Houston on May 30, 1986 to earn the belt. Earn is no misnomer-Gordy had to defeat Koko Ware, Ted DiBiase, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and Duggan in one evening to win the strap. With those competitors and others waiting for title shots, Gordy looked to have a full schedule ahead of him.

At the time of Gordy’s triumph, the UWF World Heavyweight title was not the focus of the promotion. Instead, Bill Watts’ feud with that dirty rotten scoundrel Eddie Gilbert and his Russian henchmen (American traitor Krusher Kruschev and natural born [?] Rooskie Korstia Korchenko) took center place in the UWF.