News

Former professional wrestler Tracy Smothers, who performed in WWE as Freddie Joe Floyd, has died. He was 58.

The Springfield, Tennessee native began his career in Florida Championship Wrestling, where he formed a tag team with Steve Armstrong. The duo competed in WCW as The Southern Boys and The Young Pistols, feuding with Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, The Fabulous Freebirds.

Smothers later joined WWE before a run with Ecw.

“WWE is saddened to learn that Tracy Smothers passed away today at the age of 58,” the pro-wrestling organization said Wednesday in a statement. “WWE extends its condolences to Smothers’ family and friends.”

Shortly after news of Smothers’ death broke, tributes from the wrestling community began rolling in on social media.

Here’s a great memory from a great wrestler, WWE’s Edge (real name Adam Copeland):

Tracy Smothers took two young kids from Canada trying to “tour” the southern United States,...

WWE.com

Between the New Generation and the Attitude Era, World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1990s was a mixed bag insofar as talent and storylines. The company itself went through major upheaval, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage giving way to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, with The Rock and Steve Austin closing out the decade. However, there was one thing that was truly consistent about WWE in that era, that being the consistently high level of in-ring action. Though WWE’s roster was in upheaval, when Freddie Joe Floyd wrestled T.L. Hopper, it meant that territory era wrestling veterans Tracy Smothers and Tony Anthony were wrestling. Even given their less than ideal gimmicks, the match itself was never abjectly terrible, which was actually par for the course for much of the roster in that era.

There are great wrestling feuds, like 1-2-3 Kid versus Razor Ramon or Shawn Michaels...

In his typically refined and understated fashion, Gwar frontman Oderus Urungus just made a bold proclamation on the band's official blog about the outcome of his recent wrestling match with Iwa baddie Tracy Smothers. Beneath the headline "Urungus Grabs Victory -- Chokes Tracy Smothers The F*** Out," the almighty keeper of the Cuttlefish of Cthulhu made it pretty damn clear he Pwnd his mouthy, fan-bashing nemesis in record time. Read more disgusting details after the jump! "It wasn't too hard," Oderus declared in the band's July 1st update. "I just grabbed his neck, and choked... His eyeballs popped out of his skull. End of story." Based on the before & after photos of the match, I'd...

By now, it's kinda rare that that horror-metal legends Gwar could do anything we might consider shocking… but this news might still come as a bit of a surprise. The band's famously outlandish frontman Oderus Urungus has just announced that he'll be going to the mat – literally – with Iwa nemesis (and known fan-basher) Tracy Smothers for a no-holds-barred smackdown later this month. Oderus is not known for keeping quiet about his escapades, so read on to find out what the almighty keeper of the Cuttlefish of Cthulhu had to say about the event! Oderus (aka Dave Brockie) commented in the band's latest press announcement about squaring off against "known large and hairy person"...