Eddie Gilbert (wrestler)
| Eddie Gilbert | |
|---|---|
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|
| Birth name | Thomas Edward Gilbert Jr. |
| Born |
August 14, 1961 Lexington, Tennessee, US |
| Died | February 18, 1995 (aged 33) Isla Verde, Puerto Rico |
| Spouse(s) |
Missy Hyatt (m. 1987; div. 1989) Madusa (m. 1990; div. 1990) |
| Family |
Tommy Gilbert (father) Doug Gilbert (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Eddie Gilbert Tommy Gilbert Jr. |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Billed from | "Every Girl's Dream" Lexington, Tennessee |
| Trained by | Tommy Gilbert |
| Debut | 1979 |
Thomas Edward "Eddie" Gilbert Jr. (August 14, 1961 – February 18, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and booker, better known as "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert.
Gilbert started wrestling in 1979 as "Tommy Gilbert Jr." in honor of his father, Tommy Gilbert. Eddie absolutely loved professional wrestling and his idol was Jerry Lawler because he wrestled and booked at the same time. His mother said he used to make up matches and booking sheets while he was still in school.
He spent a little bit of time wrestling in the World Wrestling Federation as a jobber in 1982, before being promoted to mid-card status. He continued to work his way up the card when he was legitimately injured seriously in a car accident in 1983. He spent several months recovering before returning to the ring; upon his return, he stated on television that WWF Champion Bob Backlund had been a tremendous inspiration to him. Gilbert continued wrestling for the WWF until 1984.
Later, he began making a name for himself as Eddie Gilbert in CWA in Memphis, Tennessee. He teamed with his father and Ricky Morton in those years. In addition, he formed a team with Tommy Rich as "Fargo's Fabulous Ones", an attempt by Mid-Southern (Memphis) to bury and still cash in on the fame attained by the previous incarnation of the Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn and Stan Lane, who walked out of the territory after a dispute. They held the AWA Southern Tag Team titles in 1984 until dropping them to Phil Hickerson and the Spoiler (Frank Morrell). The duo would break up soon after, with Gilbert turning heel. The two had a brief but intense feud, which memorably began on television when the two were presented with a "Tag Team of the Year" award by announcer Lance Russell and two guests. Gilbert, unaware his former partner was at the taping, badmouthed Rich, then the International Heavyweight Champion, until Rich came out to confront him. Rich immediately got the upper hand, running Gibert into the steel ringpost several times, bloodying him in the process before the cameras went to a commercial. After the commercial break, Gilbert told Russell he wanted Rich to come back out so he could apologize to him in person, stating he was wrong for still being bitter about the break-up of the team, and was fueled by jealousy of Rich's championship title reign and new found star status. When Rich accepted Gilbert's apology, Gilbert suddenly turned on him and, in front of a stunned audience and a speechless Russell, rammed Rich's head into the ringpost, just as Rich had done to him moments earlier. Gilbert then made his way to Bill Watts' Mid-South territory.
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