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Ah, the Executioner. You see, in 1996, the WWF decided to seriously shakeup the foundation of the Undertaker's gimmick. At the time, he was involved in a feud with Mankind (version 1.0), and although the two had a series of brutal, brutal encounters, UT's heat was dwindling rapidly. So to make things a bit more interesting, the Undertaker was separated from his longtime manager Paul Bearer, who sided with Mankind in the feud. After being burned by 'Taker, Bearer began dropping hints that he would soon be bringing in someone from the Undertaker's past to confront him. This, of course, ended up being UT's "brother" Kane, presumed dead for years after a childhood accident (caused by the Undertaker) that burned down their home and killed their parents. As it turns out, Kane wasn't dead after all; Bearer nursed him back to relative health and hid his horribly disfigured face from the general public, presumably just waiting for the chance to turn on UT and present him with a big ol' surprise. As if the whole thing wasn't silly enough, Kane and Bearer were soon joined in their crusade against 'Taker by the Executioner, complete with hood and axe. This, my friends, is exactly the sort of thing Vince Russo saved the WWF from. Making matters worse, the Executuioner was easily recognizable to older fans as...Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy, one-third of the original Fabulous Freebirds and former UWF World and WCW World Tag Team Champion. The Executioner lasted only a couple of months, losing a decisive match against Undertaker at the In Your House: It's Time PPV, and Gordy was quickly released and on his way back to All Japan after a brief stopover in ECW to participate in the "historic battle of the Bam Bams", as longtime ECW Hardcore TV watchers know from the syndicated program's incessant Extreme Warfare Volume II promos. or are believed to be public domain. This site is best viewed with Internet Explorer at 800x600 resolution. |
