George Gray (born February 12, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name (The) One Man Gang. For three years in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he was Akeem "The African Dream". Prior to this, he was the top heel for Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), and UWF Heavyweight Champion for six months in 1986 and 1987.
Early life Gray was born in Chicago, but moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina, when he was 5.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1977–1982) Gray trained with longtime local independent wrestler and promoter Chief Jay Eagle (Jerry Bragg) and Darren "Rattlesnake" Westbrooks. He started his career at the age of 17 on the Carolina independent circuit wrestling both under his real name and as "Crusher Gray." He then moved on to wrestle in the Kentucky/Tennessee area, including for International Championship Wrestling (ICW), under the ring name Crusher Broomfield. Gray went in as part of a package along with Bragg, Westbrooks, and Ric Starr. One of Broomfield's major angles was that his contract was owned by ICW Champion Randy Savage and Savage's nemesis Ron Garvin defeated Savage in a match to set Broomfield free. He later worked for several National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated promotions, Mid-South Wrestling, and World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) as One Man Gang, billed as being from Chicago's Halsted Street on the South Side. He was managed by Kevin Sullivan, Skandor Akbar, Theodore Long, Gentleman Jim Holiday, and Sir Oliver Humperdink in various territories.
Various territories (1983–1986)
Gang worked for many territories during this time for three years. His biggest success was in Florida where he had a feud with Dusty Rhodes from 1983 to 1984. Also, he feuded with Blackjack Mulligan and Mike Rotunda. He teamed up with Ron Bass and won the tag team titles defeating Rhodes and Mike Davis. Two months after they dropped the titles to Rotunda and Davis. In November 1984 as Panama Gang, he became the last NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Florida version) defeating Mulligan. Later the title was abandoned when Gang left the territory in 1985.
Then Gang worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1983 to 1984 and 1986 feuding with Giant Baba, Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta. He teamed with Bruiser Brody, Killer Tim Brooks and Stan Hansen. In 1984 he teamed with Goro Tsurumi. Then in 1986 he teamed with Jerry Blackwell, Harley Race and Tiger Jeet Singh.
During these years he also worked in Canada, Central States and Texas.
World Class Championship Wrestling (1985–1986) In the regional territories, he was a member of Skandor Akbar's "Devastation Inc." as well as working with Gary Hart in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). He would feud with The Von Erichs teaming with Rick Rude. Also, he feuded in singles competition against Kerry Von Erich, King Parsons, Chris Adams, and Bruiser Brody.
On May 5, 1985, he lost to Kerry Von Erich in a hair vs hair match at the 2nd Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions where he started sporting a mohawk. He lost to Bruiser Brody in a chain match at Christmas Star Wars 1985. Also lost to Brody again on two occasions a in a steel cage match on January 26 and 27, 1986.
Mid-South (1982–1983, 1985–1987) It was as a protégé of Akbar's in the Mid-South territory where Gray would get the name that would stick with him the rest of his career. Making his debut in the territory by interfering in matches and assaulting the fan favorite, Mid-South announcer Bill Watts would say about the then-unnamed assailant "He's a one-man gang!" The Gang worked on-and-off in Mid-South in between tours of Florida, Toronto, Japan, and Texas. He would also return to his hometown territory, the Carolinas, to work for Jim Crockett Promotions, where he was initially billed as "The One Man Gang, George Gray." He worked in Texas All Star wrestling where he feuded with Big Bubba. It was on his last tour for Mid-South when the promotion renamed itself the Universal Wrestling Federation, with Gang as one of its top villains, feuding at the main-event level with UWF top fan favorite Jim Duggan. In late 1986, Gang won the UWF Heavyweight Championship in an angle where the champion Terry Gordy was injured earlier in the evening by a revenge-minded "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. Gang, scheduled to face Gordy later on the card, was awarded the belt via forfeit. He held that title for six months, mostly facing Duggan, Williams, and Ted DiBiase.
In May 1987, Gray began receiving inquiries from the World Wrestling Federation about coming up to wrestle for them. He promptly agreed to terms, but returned to the UWF in order to drop the title to Big Bubba Rogers, who was there from his normal place in the NWA due to the recent sale of the UWF to Jim Crockett.
World Wrestling Federation (1987–1990)
One Man Gang (1987–1988)
Gray made his debut in the WWF on May 12, 1987, being managed by Slick, in a match against Jesse Cortez. He spent much of his early WWF run defeating enhancement talent in extremely short matches in order to build him up, most notably in a match where he Gourdbustered his opponent after the bell and then did the same to the referee, thus being (kayfabe) fined $10,000 for his actions. While the Gang often defeated enhancement talent and other lower card wrestlers with ease, he was often on the end of defeat when main eventing against bigger stars such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, although Gang was a major part of the angle regarding "Superstar" Billy Graham being forced into retirement. On October 4, One Man Gang won what was technically the first ever Royal Rumble at a house show. This was a 12 man test run of the match, held at Kiel Auditorium. One Man Gang participated in the inaugural Survivor Series pay-per-view as a member of André the Giant's team, fighting a team led by Hulk Hogan. In 1988, Gang entered the inaugural Royal Rumble at number 19 out of 20 participants and was one of the last two men left in the ring, before being eliminated by Jim Duggan. One Man Gang participated in the World Title Tournament at WrestleMania IV, defeating Bam Bam Bigelow by count-out in the opening round. He drew a bye in the quarterfinals before being disqualified in the semi-finals against eventual-tournament-winner Randy Savage after Gang attempted to hit Savage with his manager's cane. Following his loss at WrestleMania, Gang was Savage's first title defense as world champion, but lost by pinfall to the new champion. After that, Gang was placed lower "on the card", feuding with Bam Bam Bigelow, Koko B. Ware, and Don Muraco.
Akeem; Twin Towers (1988–1990)
In September 1988, One Man Gang's manager, Slick, announced that Gang was reborn as African and planned to embrace his roots. An episode of WWF Superstars, which aired on September 24, 1988, featured a vignette with Gene Okerlund on-location in an American ghetto that was dubbed "The Deepest Darkest Parts Of Africa," where dancers dressed as tribal Africans danced and chanted around a fire; Slick then announced that Gang would be known by his new name, "Akeem, the African Dream", though Okerlund immediately called him out as the One Man Gang. This vignette received some criticism, as the Caucasian "Akeem" delivered a promo in which he spoke with an extremely stereotypical "jive" black accent and danced in the style of Dusty Rhodes, while an African ritual took place in the background.
Akeem and Big Boss Man captained a team who featured "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Red Rooster, and Haku to battle the Mega Powers' team at Survivor Series in 1988. During the match, Akeem along with teammate Big Boss Man handcuffed Hulk Hogan to the ring post and were later disqualified. The two formed a team called the Twin Towers. They feuded with the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and WWF Champion "Macho Man" Randy Savage) and throughout the summer and fall of 1988, with the Twin Towers and Slick advertising title match that night against Demolition while on Arsenio Hall's talk show. They were also strongly involved in the storyline which would eventually cause Randy Savage to become a villain and defend his title against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V. In the Royal Rumble, Randy Savage was accidentally eliminated by teammate Hogan, allowing Akeem and Bossman to double team Hogan and eliminate him. The Main Event show broadcast live on NBC on February 3, 1989, featured The Mega Powers vs. The Twin Towers. During the match, Savage's manager (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth was injured after Savage was thrown through the ropes and knocked her to the ground, which led Hogan to abandon his partner and carry Elizabeth back to the locker room for medical help. Although Hogan later returned to the match to help Savage defeat Akeem and Boss Man, Hogan's actions with Elizabeth caused Savage to attack him backstage, setting up the headline match for WrestleMania.
The Twin Towers went on to face The Rockers at WrestleMania V and defeated them when Akeem pinned Shawn Michaels with a diving Air Africa after a powerbomb from the Big Boss Man. Though the Twin Towers never held the WWF Tag Team Championship, they did feud heavily with WWF World Tag Team champions Demolition at house shows after WrestleMania V, initially gaining wins by countout, later losing by pinfall after Boss Man would accidentally strike Akeem with his nightstick. The feud would continue even after Demolition lost the title to the Brain Busters with the Towers and André the Giant facing Demolition and Duggan (now "King Duggan") at SummerSlam 1989 with Smash pinning Akeem after Duggan struck him with his 2x4.
In early 1990, Big Boss Man refused to be part of a payoff from Ted DiBiase to get DiBiase's "Million Dollar Championship" belt back from Jake "The Snake" Roberts and turned on both his manager Slick and his partner Akeem. He then defeated Akeem at WrestleMania VI. Following the Ultimate Warrior's vacating of the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship after winning the world title at WrestleMania, a tournament was held to crown a new champion. Akeem was among the eight men entered, and he was defeated by Tito Santana by countout on the April 28 episode of WWF Superstars. That night on Saturday Night's Main Event he faced Big Boss Man in a rematch of the WrestleMania encounter; this time Boss Man won via disqualification after Ted Dibiase and Virgil interfered.
As the spring progressed Akeem saw his newly returned singles career ascendent, defeating Hillbilly Jim, Jimmy Snuka, Paul Roma, Hercules, and Jim Powers on the house show circuit. On the June 25 episode of Prime Time Wrestling he lost Jake Roberts via disqualification after Slick interfered; a week later on Prime Time he faced Tito Santana in a rematch, with the bout ending in a double count-out as both men battled onto the floor. Akeem followed that with a victory over Brady Boone on the July 9 episode of Prime Time. His momentum then came to a halt, as he lost to Hercules in numerous house show encounters that summer. Akeem slid down the card and was relegated to a house show series against Pez Whatley as the summer closed, of which he won all of their encounters. Akeem then wrestled as the replacement Bad News Brown in Harlem Street fights with Jake Roberts on the house show circuit.
On the September 22, 1990 episode of WWF Superstars, Akeem began to lay the groundwork for a feud with Saba Simba.