The Fabulous Freebirds are one of my favorite tag team factions in wrestling history. They had everything. The look, the talent, the promo’s, etc. There aren’t too many workers in the business that can top a Michael PS Hayes promo. They started teaming together in 1979. The trio of Michael PS Hayes, Terry Bam Bam Gordy, and Buddy Jack Roberts were put together by wrestling promoter Bill Watts. They were the first group that worked as a tag team with 3 members. What that means is that any 2 of the 3 members can work tag team matches. They got their big break when they went to Texas and joined World Class Championship Wrestling. There in WCCW they quickly become a trio of Heels who loved wearing their confederate flag proud! In a steel cage match between Kerry Von Erich and Ric Flair, Terry Gordy slammed the cage door into Kerry Von Erich’s head and that set off the greatest and longest wrestling feud in history: The Von Erichs vs The Freebirds!
After a great long success in WCCW. The Freebirds went on to Georgia Championship Wrestling for a brief stint feuding with The Road Warriors after costing them their tag team championships to Jimmy Garvin and Steve Regal. After being in Georgia, WWE took a liking to the Freebirds and signed them to WWE. The Freebirds came in WWE during the Rock n Wrestling Era. The wrestled under the guidance of Cyndi Lauper’s manager David Wolff. Their run in WWE was a very fast run after a backstage altercation with Andre The Giant got them fired. Andre didn’t like Michael Hayes when Hayes showed up drunk. After they got canned from WWE. The Freebirds had runs in AWA, back to WCCW, and in UWF. Terry Gordy became the UWF Champion and Buddy Roberts became the TV Champion and Hayes acted more as their manager. Buddy Rogers decided he wanted to wind down his in ring career and Terry Gordy went to Japan to become a even bigger star. So whats a guy to do? Michael Hayes finds another guy to reform the Freebirds named Jimmy Garvin. Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin signed with WCW in 1989 and reformed The Fabulous Freebirds. They had several reigns as WCW World Tag Team Champions and WCW U.S. Tag Team Champions. Terry Bam Bam Gordy went to WCW and became part of the new Fabulous Freebirds and the Freebirds were back as a trio again working as a tag team. But it didn’t end their. They added a 4th member of the Freebirds now named BadStreet.
The Freebirds finally decided to call it quits in 1994, after a dominating 15 year run. On July 16th, 2001 Terry Gordy passed away at the age of 40 from a heart attack, and November 29th 2012 Buddy Roberts passed away at age 67 from Pneumonia. Also on November 1st 2012 BadStreet the last member and shortest lived member of the Freebirds in WCW died of a heart attack, making Hayes and Garvin the only living Freebirds. Their name was inspired by the Lynyrd Skynyrd song Free Bird, which would be their theme song until Badstreet USA (sung, composed, and co-written by Hayes) replaced it in 1984. It is often claimed that the Freebirds were the first wrestlers to use entrance music for their ring introductions.
Fast forward to April 2nd, 2016. The Fabulous Freebirds finally get their due and get inducted into the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame. Michael PS Hayes and Jimmy Garvin accept the honor and they bring out Terry Gordy and Buddy Robert’s sons with them. They also bring out Kevin Von Erich who is the only Von Erich left. Very good speech and very entertaining stories that involved gun shootings and Michael Hayes pissing on Linda McMahon. They ended their speech with Michael Hayes singing Badstreet USA. The Fabulous Freebirds were dominating and had it all and will forever be known as one of the Greatest Factions/Tag Teams ever in the world of wrestling, if not, the best!!!
