Buddy Roberts

Buddy Roberts
Ring name(s)	Dale Valentine Buddy Roberts Buddy "Jack" Roberts
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Billed weight	255 lb (116 kg)[1]
Born	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[1]
Resides	Chicago, Illinois
Billed from	Badstreet U.S.A., Atlanta, Georgia
Trained by	Ivan Koloff
Debut	1965
Retired	1988

Dale Hey (born May 16, 1945) is a retired professional wrestler better known as Buddy Roberts.

Professional wrestling career

Dale Hey grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He started wrestling in 1965 as Dale Valentine, the "brother" of Johnny Valentine. By 1970, he had changed his name to Buddy Roberts and formed a tag team called the "Hollywood Blonds" with Jerry Brown and they won numerous regional tag team titles across the United States throughout the 1970s.^[1]

In the late 1970s, he split from Brown and joined the Fabulous Freebirds with Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy and became famous as Buddy "Jack" Roberts, due to his penchant for drinking Jack Daniel's whiskey.^[2]

World Class Championship Wrestling/World Wrestling Federation

In the ring, they won several titles and moved on to World Class Championship Wrestling in late 1982 and began a legendary feud with the Von Erich family. They wrestled David Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, Mike Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich numerous times through 1986. Roberts also had a long-standing feud with Von Erich ally Chris Adams which lasted on and off for more than five years.^[2]

Also during his time in WCCW came Roberts' most famous individual angle, which in 1983 involved the invention of what they referred to as "Freebird Hair Removal Cream", the culmination of the angle being a hair match between Roberts and Iceman Parsons. The result was Roberts seemingly winning the match via tight-pulling but the decision was reversed and the match restarted and in the fracas, Roberts' head was lathered in the hair cream. Subsequent events showed Roberts wearing a wig kept in place by boxing headgear.^[2]

In 1984, Roberts and the Freebirds made a short stint in the World Wrestling Federation mainly competing in 6-man tag-teams matches, where they were a part of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection period. In the WWF, they wrestled under the guidance of Cyndi Lauper's manager David Wolff, but soon left the promotion when WWF officials wanted to split the team up. At the AWA's SuperClash in 1985, Roberts helped Hayes and Gordy apparently defeat the Road Warriors for the AWA Tag Team titles, but the decision was later reversed.^[2]

Universal Wrestling Federation

In early 1986, The Freebirds went to the Universal Wrestling Federation, where Roberts won the Television Title. He would eventually lose the title to Savannah Jack.^[3]

Return to World Class Championship Wrestling

In 1987, The Freebirds split up until reforming in WCCW late in the year. Buddy and Gordy turned on Hayes and teamed with Iceman Parsons to feud with Hayes and the Von Erichs. Gordy eventually left Roberts to rejoin Hayes. The feud ended in late 1988 when Hayes and Gordy left for the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, and Roberts retired from the ring.^[2]

Retirement

Roberts made one appearance as the manager for Hayes and Jimmy Garvin in a match against Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers in the NWA and then retired for good in 1990.^[2]

Roberts had throat cancer after he retired but had surgery to beat it. He also quotes on WWE.com "Don’t smoke. I think the reason this happened to me is because I was smoking too much. I recommend to anyone who smokes to quit now. It is hard, but it is worth it."^[4]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves

• DDT

• Managers

• Sunshine
• Oliver Humperdink^[5]

Championships and accomplishments

• Cauliflower Alley Club

• Other honoree (2003)

• Continental Wrestling Association

• AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jerry Brown^[6]

• Championship Wrestling from Florida

• NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jerry Brown^[7]

• Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling

• NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jerry Brown^[8]

• New Japan Pro Wrestling

• NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles/Japan version) (1 time) - with Jerry Brown^[9]

• NWA Big Time Wrestling / World Class Championship Wrestling / World Class Wrestling Association

• NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[10]
• NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (6 times) - with Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy (5) and Iceman Parsons & Terry Gordy (1) ^[11]
• WCCW Television Championship (1 time)^[12]
• WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy ^[11]1

• NWA Hollywood Wrestling

• NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Jerry Brown^[13]

• NWA Tri-State / Mid-South Wrestling Association / Universal Wrestling Federation

• NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (3 times) - with Jerry Brown^[14]
• Mid-South Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Terry Gordy^[15]
• UWF World Television Championship (1 time)^[3]

• Southern Pro Wrestling

• SPW Arkansas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Southwest Championship Wrestling

• SCW Southwest Television Championship (2 times)^[16]
• SCW Southwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[17]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Match of the Year (1984) with Terry Gordy and Michael Hayes vs. the Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin, and Mike) in an Anything Goes match on July 4
• Tag Team of the Year (1980) with Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy as The Fabulous Freebirds

¹During the Freebirds' 5th reign, the reign carried over after the title's name was changed to the WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship since they were the champions during the time the name change occurred.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson (2005). "The Next 5: The Hollywood Blonds". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. pp. 98–100. ISBN 978-1-55022-683-6. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson (2005). "Top 20: 7 The Fabulous Freebirds". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. pp. 46–51. ISBN 978-1-55022-683-6. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "UWF World Television Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 234–235. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
4. ^ "Where are they now "Buddy Roberts"". WWE.com. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wherearetheynow/roberts. 
5. ^ Matt Mackinder (January 17, 2008). "Sir Oliver Humperdink recalls career of yesteryear". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/05/12/4175841.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04. 
6. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "AWA Southern Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 189–191. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
7. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA Florida Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 160–161. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
8. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 115. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
9. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA North American Tag Team". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 294. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
10. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 271–272. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
12. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "WCCW Television Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 270–271. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. >
13. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA Americas Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 296–297. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
14. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "NWA Tri-State Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 235. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
15. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "Mid-South Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 232–233. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
16. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "SCW Southwest Television Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 276. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 
17. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2006). "SCW Southwest Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. pp. 276. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4. 

Persondata
Name	Roberts, Buddy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 16, 1945
Place of birth	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Date of death
Place of death