Hayes blinded the Dog with the infamous white powder, resulting in the absence of JYD for an extended time period. Gordy and the freshly aboard Roberts defeated JYD and Robley for the tag belts on June 8, 1980 in New Orleans. The Junkyard Dog eventually returned and continued establishing his legend by exacting revenge with "blind" dog collar matches against Hayes throughout the territory. 

Whew! The Freebirds, with little prior experience, provoked enormous heat from the fans. Mid-South was truly the foundation for their future success. The physical nature of the guys provided an interesting contrast. Hayes, who’s P.S. initials stood for “Purely Sexy,” was unique even by wrasslin’ standards. Bill Watts thought little of Hayes’ wrestling skills, but he realized that Hayes’ natural charisma was inherent and electric. Hayes’ physical appearance was striking. The long, bleached-blond Southern Rocker hairstyle, the hairy chest, the shameless mugging during interviews, even a version of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk-there was no mistaking Michael Hayes. Hayes could shift from slyly humorous to genuinely menacing in a heartbeat. The massive Gordy was a terrific wrestler. Roberts looked like a guy who had just rolled out of a roadhouse or truckstop and might punch you for looking at him wrong. There was nothing tongue-in-cheek about wrestling in the Mid-South territory in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and the Freebirds were able to elicit hatred from the devoted fans of the promotion. Hayes received death threats for his blinding of JYD. According to some reports, fans would wait for the ‘Birds after the card to settle the score themselves.

In September 1980, JYD and Terry Orndorff captured the tag belts from Gordy and Roberts. The Freebirds left the Mid-South promotion soon thereafter and headed to the Georgia Championship Wrestling group.  Once there, the Freebirds made their usual unforgettable first impression. Mr. Wrestling I and II and the Assassins had been involved in a brutal mask vs. mask and tag title feud for several months. Finally, the promotion decreed that there would be one final battle, to settle the score if you will. The promotion’s flagship, the Atlanta Omni, was packed to the rafters for the final confrontation.  Suddenly, a familiar tune came over the P.A. system. The organ/piano intro to one of classic rock’s most identifiable tunes was unmistakable. Given that Lynyrd Skynyrd was up there with Richard Petty, Burt Reynolds and Bear Bryant in terms of Southern popularity at that time, the place went absolutely insane. Hayes led Gordy and Roberts down to the ring and demanded a shot at the Georgia tag team title. Despite being upstaged and more than a little surprised, both teams agreed to the match. On October 10, 1980 and in classic Freebird style, the boys left the Omni as  Georgia tag team champions their first day on the job.

After winning the belts, Hayes, Gordy, and Roberts took an unusual step and created a precedent. The 3 wrestlers were a team, and any combination of the guys would defend the Georgia tag straps on any given night. Of course, this provoked howls of outrage from teams who never knew which two ‘Birds they would be facing. Often Gordy and Roberts would wrestle, but sometimes Gordy and Hayes or Hayes and Roberts would defend the belts. One thing was certain-no matter which two were scheduled in the ring, all three would ultimately be involved in the match.

Mid-South/UWF icon Ted DiBiase was involved in the Georgia tag division at the time.  He had endured a villainous attack by the ‘Birds which resulted in three Gordy piledrivers on the Omni’s concrete floor, thus sidelining him for several weeks. Knowing Ted DiBiase, he would certainly let no deed go unpunished.

Well, that’s it for this time. The redoubtable David Williamson from the Wrestling Classics message board has plenty of information regarding the Freebirds during their pre-Mid South days. Gordy apparently started wrestling when he was 15!

I hope that you have enjoyed this installment. Please stop by the Kayfabe Memories message board sometime.  Until we meet again, try to listen to as much Lynyrd Skynyrd and Thin Lizzy as possible.

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