EDDIE GILBERT-NO FRIEND OF A COWBOY

“Tweedle-dee Dum and Tweedle-dee Dee
They're throwing knives into the tree
Two big bags of dead man's bones
Got their noses to the grindstones… 

Neither one going to turn and run
They're making a voyage to the sun
"His Master's voice is calling me,"
Says Tweedle-dee Dum to Tweedle-dee Dee

Tweedle-dee Dee and Tweedle-dee Dum
All that and more and then some
They walk among the stately trees
They know the secrets of the breeze… 

Well, they're living in a happy harmony
Tweedle-dee Dum and Tweedle-dee Dee
They're one day older and a dollar short
They've got a parade permit and a police escort 

They're lying low and they're making hay
They seem determined to go all the way…
Tweedle-dee Dum and Tweedle-dee Dee…”

Bob Dylan, “Tweedle Dee Dum and Tweedle Dee Dee.” 

I remember Bill Watts referring to the Bladerunners as Tweedle Dee Dum and Tweedle Dee Dee during his commentary on one of their televised matches. Not sure if Bob Dylan saw that show, though.

Hello, my name is Charles Laffere, and welcome back to another edition of my memories of the Universal Wrestling Federation. Last time we met, Missy Hyatt had broken the heart and the head of Hollywood John Tatum and aligned herself, both professionally and personally, with “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. The two would form Hot Stuff International, a stable that was short-lived but memorable nonetheless.

But first, a slight digression. If you’ve haven’t seen it already, Tim Dills’ excellent biography on Hot Stuff is a must-read and can be found here.

Eddie Gilbert was a third generation wrestler, the son of Tennessee legend Tommy and grandson of carnie worker Arley Gilbert. He grew up with the business and had developed a keen understanding of it by 1985. At that time, Bill Watts and Jerry Jarrett had begun to make a series of “trades” between their two promotions. Gilbert left Jarrett’s Tennessee company and joined Mid South in the spring of ’85.

My first memory of Eddie Gilbert was his title match with then North American champion Terry Taylor in Mid South . It was a terrific match, one made better by two men who understood the psychology of building a contest into something that fans would buy as totally believable. However, the championship would elude Gilbert, as the match was another part of the ongoing angle between Taylor and NWA Heavyweight champion. Ric Flair. Gilbert lost, but the man who would soon defeat Taylor for the strap, the Nightmare, became Eddie’s tag team partner. Gilbert even took a shot at managing the Nightmare during his championship run before Sir Oliver Humperdink “stole” the masked man away. Perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come for Gilbert? 

“Once in a dream
Far beyond these castle walls
Down by the bay where the
Moonlit water falls
I stood alone while the minstrel sang his song
So afraid I'd lost my soul”…   More...