Gary Young

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Dylan Waco]

One of my all time favorite wrestling sleazeballs, and possibly my favorite Sportatorium wrestler of all time. Seriously, take one look at Gary Young and tell me you can't imagine him sleeping in Embry's office to hide from loan sharks who are after him for money he's sunk into a crippling drug addiction. In a sense Young sort of embodies the vibe of that building to me more than any wrestler with any venue ever. He was also a hell of a bumper, an outstanding heel, and a guy with strong psychology.

 

The problem is that he doesn't have many years at peak sleaziness that are on tape (that I recall anyhow), he doesn't have any individual performances that immediately stand out, and his lack of dynamism - while it makes complete sense given the act he was portraying - leaves him feeling remarkably obscure even by the standards of a Southern indie wrestling fetishist.

 

I think Young is a perfectly reasonable 100, as a sort of representative/stand in for a lot of guys like him. But if you go that route you are voting more on the character and archetype, than on a huge slate of high end accomplishments.

[Parties]

I was someone who missed the Texas set and am only now watching the late 80s/early 90s USWA situation. Gary Young and Billy Joe Travis have been revelations. In some ways Travis is more fun as his selling is so over the top and comedic in a shtick way that's really crazed cartoon genius. Plus he has the great Hugo match in PR. Travis is if nothing else the best Home Plate worker of all time. But Young's work with Embry, Dundee and the like - while comparatively subtle - is still bombastic, fun madness. Also absolutely awesome as Super Zodiac in that insane "Baseball Bat on a Pole" match. I genuinely enjoy this stuff more than the big glory days hugely popular Von Erichs stuff of earlier years. Dude has an odd grace to him as well where he moves in this really slapstick-agile way for such a tall guy.

 

How was his GWF stuff? He has TV matches listed on Cagematch with Cactus Jack, Rip Rogers, and Buddy Landel. There's also a taped tag between Brian Adias and Young vs. Bill Irwin and Randy Rhodes, which may be the scummiest match of pound-for-pound dirtbags that I've ever heard about.

[Loss]

I really enjoy Gary Young and could easily see him in the 80-100 range. Need to think about that one more, but it's not at all ridiculous on the surface. He now manages a Chili's, by the way.