Primarily a tag team wrestler, Roberts is known for his appearances as one of The Hollywood Blonds in the 1970s and as one of The Fabulous Freebirds in the 1980s.
17 Facts About Buddy Roberts
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Buddy Roberts was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016 as part of The Fabulous Freebirds.
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Buddy Roberts debuted in 1965 under the ring name "Dale Valentine", billed as being the younger brother of Johnny Valentine.
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Hey was renamed "Buddy Roberts" and began teaming with Brown as The Hollywood Blonds.
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Except for a high-profile stint in 1980 in Mid-South Wrestling with Hayes and Gordy as the Freebirds, Buddy Roberts did not work full-time with the team until they joined Georgia Championship Wrestling in late 1980.
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Buddy Roberts later became known as Buddy "Jack" Roberts, due to his penchant for drinking Jack Daniel's whiskey.
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Buddy Roberts had a long-standing feud with Von Erich ally Chris Adams, which lasted on and off for more than five years.
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Buddy Roberts seemingly won the match via tight-pulling, but the decision was reversed and the match restarted.
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At subsequent events, Buddy Roberts wore a wig, kept in place by boxing headgear.
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At the AWA's SuperClash in 1985, Buddy Roberts helped Hayes and Gordy defeat The Road Warriors for the AWA World Tag Team Championship, but the decision was later reversed.
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In early 1986, The Freebirds went to the Universal Wrestling Federation, where Buddy Roberts won the UWF Television Championship on September 28.
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The feud ended in late 1988 when Hayes and Gordy left for the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, and Buddy Roberts acted as a manager to the Samoan Swat Team before he retired from wrestling.
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Buddy Roberts had a short feud with World Class referee David Manning, which included several gimmick matches, such as Buddy Roberts wrestling with one arm tied behind his back.
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Buddy Roberts managed Hayes and Jimmy Garvin in one match against Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers in World Championship Wrestling on September 5,1990.
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Buddy Roberts came out of retirement on April 2,1993 for the Global Wrestling Federation's Kerry Von Erich Memorial Show, and teamed with Michael Hayes, losing to Kevin Von Erich and Chris Adams.
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Buddy Roberts later developed throat cancer, and had surgery to treat it.
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Buddy Roberts died on November 26,2012, at the age of 65, of pneumonia.