Tommy Gilbert
Thomas Edward Gilbert Sr. (January 15, 1940 – November 26, 2015) was an American professional wrestler. He wrestled for Continental Wrestling Association and throughout the South as Tommy Gilbert. He was the father of wrestlers Doug Gilbert and Eddie Gilbert.
| Tommy Gilbert | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thomas Edward Gilbert |
| Born | January 15, 1940[1] Lexington, Tennessee |
| Died | November 26, 2015 (aged 75) Lexington, Tennessee |
| Spouse(s) | Peggy Gilbert |
| Children | 3; including Eddie and Doug |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tommy Gilbert Freddy Krueger Nightmare Freddy[2] |
| Trained by | Mario Galento |
| Debut | 1969 |
| Retired | 1984 (as a wrestler) 1987 (as a referee) |
Professional wrestling career
Tommy Gilbert made his debut in 1969, wrestling for promoter Nick Gulas. In March 1975, after wrestling primarily throughout Tennessee for nearly six years, he began going to other territories like Atlanta, Amarillo, the Canadian Maritimes, Florida, Kansas City, the Mid-South, Memphis, Puerto Rico, and the Mid-Atlantic areas.
Retirement
After retiring from active competition in 1984, he became a referee for Mid-South/UWF, until its buyout by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987.
Tommy Gilbert was inducted into the Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame at a USWA show in the Mid-South Coliseum on March 7, 1994, alongside Al Greene, Don Greene, Jerry Jarrett, Lance Russell and Sputnik Monroe.[3]
Tommy later wrestled in Memphis as Freddy Krueger in the late 1980s.
Personal life
Gilbert was the father of two sons: Thomas Jr. and Doug Gilbert and a daughter Kim Gilbert Peters. The sons would become professional wrestlers as Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert and Dangerous Doug Gilbert. Gilbert died on November 26, 2015, at the age of 75.[4][5]
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Family Award (2011) – with Eddie Gilbert and Doug Gilbert[6]
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2017[7]
- NWA Mid-America
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (7 times) – with Eddie Marlin (2), Bearcat Brown (2), Ricky Gibson (1), Eddie Gilbert (2)[8][9]
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Eddie Marlin and Ricky Gibson (1), Gorgeus George, Jr. and Paul Orndorff (1)
- NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Eddie Marlin (1) and Tojo Yamamoto (1)
- Eastern Sports Association
- Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling/Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Sputnik Monroe (2), Bearcat Brown (1) and Ron Wright (1)
- United States Wrestling Association
- Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)[3]
- Western States Sports
- World Wrestling Council/Capitol Sports Promotions
- WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Puerto Rico/WWC version) (1 time) - with Eddie Gilbert (1)
References
- Ryan Nation "All in the family: The Gilberts story" Slam! Wrestling
- Mike Lano Slam! Wrestling
- Online World of Wrestling "Memphis Wrestling (Old)"
- "Slam Wrestling Homepage".
- Gilbert, Doug. "My father has passed away". Twitter. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- Oliver, Greg (April 20, 2011). "Lifetime honoree Foley captivates at CAC Baloney Blowout". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- "Next Official Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony". Official Memphis Wrestling. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.