WWE can be a big step for an upcoming superstar that the company invests in. For everyone else, they’re in for quite the journey. Let’s salvage Ray Gordy AKA Jesse, someone who had a journey in WWE.
The WWE Career of Young Slam Master J
Gordy’s Jesse gimmick is best known for being paired with Festus—Luke Gallows—as Jesse & Festus, a hillbilly team. As we know by now, WWE and Vince love a country gimmick.
While I wasn’t into the gimmick, I acknowledge that it was Gordy’s most memorable at a national level. After the team was ended, he became Slam Master J, a white rapper.
If you don’t remember Slam Master J, don’t be hard on yourself it wasn’t a gimmick that did well. It was mainly a gimmick that he’d used before.
Actually, it was probably inspired by fellow NWA Wildside alumnus Slim J who used a white rapper gimmick for years in the deep south.
After the Slam Master J gimmick failed to catch fire, he was released by WWE and quit the business.
Salvaging Ray Gordy
I’ll say that Gordy is an easy salvage. The guy was a talented second-generation wrestler, being the son of Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy of the Freebirds.
Also, his career retrospective was short because most of his career was toiling in WWE with two meh gimmicks. He was a staple on the southern indies and a good cruiserweight.
His style at the time was more in line with smaller strikers and could float between being a heavy cruiser or a small heavyweight. There was a lot of upside in Gordy.
The best way he could’ve been salvaged post-WWE was to take his national exposure and head north. That’s what fellow NWA alumnus Caprice Coleman did.
He headed to Ring of Honor and had a lengthy career. I believe Ray Gordy was solid enough to get in with ROH in 2009-2010.
A wrestler’s development is really important and some time in different promotions will negatively or positively impact it. Gordy would’ve only gotten better.
In WWE, his development stalled. He was in their system/promotion five years and most of it isn’t memorable. A release and being based in OVW would’ve benefited him.
In short, avoiding WWE during the developmental portion of his wrestling career would’ve been the key to unlocking Ray Gordy’s full potential.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit YouTube
and Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!
