Dissension was teased between Hayes and Roberts during their match with Chris Adams and Iceman King Parsons, but the ‘Bird brothers patched up their differences by the match’s end. Since the Freebirds had split up before, could that mean that another bust up was eminent?

An old nemesis had reemerged to challenge the Freebirds. Skandor Akbar, the General, was well known to fans of Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, and the UWF. The General was supposed to be a Middle Eastern villain of sorts, yet he never attempted an accent. Skandor Akbar was really a guy from Vernon, TX whose real name was Jim Wehba. Today, when the McMahons represent a bastardized form of the traditional managers of years past, it may be difficult to understand how effective Akbar was at being hated, feared and loathed.  In Mid-South, he blinded Hacksaw Jim Duggan and received death threats. Wherever the General was, there was no nudge-and-a-wink kayfabe-breaking going on.

Akbar was no stereotypical character. He had an amateur wrestling background and was (and still is) active in training wrestlers for the pro ranks. His stable was called Devastation, Inc. In World Class, Akbar and his cast of thugs carried on a brief but memorable feud with the Freebirds. While the roster of Devastation changed constantly, Akbar’s villainous leadership always provided the trademark of the group.

By early 1987, the Freebirds needed a new foil. They had been battling various combinations of Ted DiBiase, Steve Williams, the departed Jim Duggan, Terry Taylor and Bill Watts for several months. In February, Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts were pitted against Gary Young and Jeff Raitz, while the Angel of Death tagged several times with non-Freebird Mike George. On the show I saw on February 20 in the Sam Houston Coliseum, Steve Williams downed the Angel in a chain match, while Hayes and Roberts beat the Missing Link and Terry Taylor in a penalty box match. Gordy was absent from the cards for several weeks, which I believe indicated that he was on a tour of Japan.

Things changed dramatically in March. The Angel of Death was scheduled to take on the Ninja. It was a battle of the Freebird protégé versus the Skandor Akbar acolyte. The match never took place, as the Angel turned on Michael Hayes, who had accompanied Mr. Death to ringside. The Angel, Akbar and UWF World Heavyweight champion the One-Man Gang laid a serious beating on Hayes. In a later match, Terry Taylor and Chris Adams were pitted against Bill Irwin and the Angel, now a vested member of Devastation, Inc. After an Adams-Taylor triumph, Hayes and Buddy Roberts attacked the heels. The Freebirds enjoyed a brief advantage, but the One Man Gang emerged and once again aided his Devastation cohorts in delivering another beating to the ‘Birds.

As our UWF history shows there was no such thing as a single feud for the boys from Badstreet. The Missing Link was also fighting with the Freebirds (mostly Buddy Roberts) during this time period. This feud involved the thoroughly goofy Link and his unrequited love for the Freebirds valet Sunshine. The Link maid no secret, in his own inarticulate way, of his desire for Sunshine. The beautiful and mysterious Dark Journey was in the Link’s corner for most of the matches involving him and the Freebirds. However, a Sunshine-Darkness natural feud was not to be. Nicola Roberts, daughter of Grizzly Smith and sister of Jake Roberts and Sam Houston, was brought in to battle Sunshine. On March 6, 1987 in Houston, I saw Ted DiBiase, Chavo Guerrero and Nicola Roberts down Michael Hayes, Roberts and Sunshine.

By the end of March, Terry Gordy had returned from Japan. He absolutely crushed new Devastation member the Viking in Tulsa on March 22. Sometime during this timeframe, Michael Hayes cut a classic promo on Skandor Akbar and Devastation, claiming that if they wanted a fight, “there is nothing between us but air.” A wild brawl ensued, with the outnumbered Freebirds fiercely battling their new arch-rivals. This set up the hot feud of the spring for the UWF.

Well, that’s it for this time. Please remember to cherish your families, your freedoms and all that we hold dear as Americans. Take care.

NEXT MONTH: 

The Freebirds keep flying.