17 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Worked In WWE-2

Best known nationally for his run as a babyface in WCW’s first year as part of Turner Broadcasting, the Memphis star found much of his early fame in the WWF. His father, Tommy Gilbert, had befriended Bob Backlund when they worked in the same territory, so Backlund brought Eddie into the WWF as his protege, both in reality and on TV. Gilbert’s WWF run was as what’s often referred to as a “jobber to the stars” nowadays. His job was to give competitive matches to heels on TV en route to them beating him to set up matches with Backlund. In 1983, he was in a car accident, suffering a broken neck. It was worked into storylines, with Backlund training him for his comeback. Just when everything was going well, the Masked Superstar, Backlund’s next opponent, “re-broke Eddie’s neck” with a neckbreaker on the floor. Eddie eventually returned, teaming with Tony Garea, but left for Memphis when the WWF’s national expansion ramped up.