Where are they now? Jimmy Garvin

Where are they now? Jimmy Garvin


By Phil Allely

With former Fabulous Freebird and current Smackdown head honcho Michael ‘PS’ Hayes Returning to action as an on screen Manager/character on WWE TV, I thought I’d take a look at what happened to his Freebird tag team partner Gorgeous Jimmy ‘Jam’ Garvin.

Real name James Williams, the now 58 year old veteran’s career started in the highly productive Mid-South and Florida areas during the late 1970s, he then moved onto the Von Erich family owned WCCW where The Fabulous Freebirds( Hayes, Buddy Roberts and Terry Gordy) were hot property. Garvin rapidly becoming a star in his own right and an unofficial member of that group along the way. Matches with David Von Erich, Gentleman Chris Adams and others all helping elevate Jimmy’s popularity. He then moved on to the AWA, NWA, GWF and rounded off his in-ring performances in style with WCW, making his mark on the industry along the way.

Given two storyline brothers Ron and Terry (who he briefly managed and teamed with), Garvin also often had a female valet/manager accompany him to the ring. This was more than often his real life wife Patti (known as Precious) or his cousin Valerie (Sunshine). The party loving character he portrayed in the ring was not too far away from the real life man, livening things up both inside and outside of the squared circle. Garvin was one of the first wrestlers to enhance his ring entrances with music, lights and a lovely lady on his arm (something he and Hayes would continue in WCW). With such success in World Class Championship Wrestling the future was bright for the up and comer, even he is shocked by how well things worked out for him.

"I'm so fortunate and grateful to have experienced 23 years in the business. It was incredible fun and that was the bottom line. I had a pretty good career. I just had fun everywhere I went.” Garvin stated in a recent interview when asked if he regretted hanging up his tights and boots.

Match/storyline highlights from Garvin’s career include main event feuds with some of the industry’s finest, Wahoo McDaniel, The Midnight Express, David Von Erich, The Road Warriors, Ric Flair and Magnum TA amongst others across various promotions all butted heads with him. Garvin’s work ethic and dedication to the sport all helped make such encounters sell-out arenas across the U.S.

In 1989’s WCW the make-up sporting flamboyant rock star (Garvin/Hayes) version of The Fabulous Freebirds made its mark on the company. With their over the top ring entrance, non-muscular physiques and heelish tactics the pair were the tag team version of the ‘Dirtiest Player in the Game’ Ric Flair, and featured heavily in pay-per-view and TV events. The pairing even got to provide colour commentary alongside the voice of WCW at the time Lance Russell.

WCW seemingly being one of Garvin’s favourite work places. "We really enjoyed that (commentating) and a lot of the jokes and stuff we said on the air was stuff Michael and I wrote and came up with. We are still close friends and talk when we can."

WCW at that time was a hotbed of top talent and the Freebirds were at the forefront. This period saw many great matches on PPV and TV, the Birds providing many of them as they battled such combos as Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk, The ‘Wild Eyed’ Southern Boys, The Steiners, Doom and various combinations of the Four Horsemen, even netting themselves tag team and six-man tag team gold. In this period of the wrestling boom the pair even added managers to the fold, (the recently deceased Oliver Humperdink) as Big Daddy Dink and Diamond Dallas Page filling that role, a third member Bad Street (a masked Brad Armstrong) made six man matches possible and saw the old ‘Freebird rule’ rejuvenated. That rule of course has been resurrected on many occasions now, it providing a wrestler or team of wresters to have someone else who can defend their title for them. The Freebirds version meant that any combination of the current team could enter the ring as champions and fight for their gold.

“We had some brutal matches there (WCW), especially against The Steiners. They really beat us about the ring and we did the same back. Michael and I gave our all during that time and we enjoyed every minute of it.”

As WCW’s ego filled ranks began to well and booking agents changed Garvin decided it was time to hang up his boots. He now works full time as an airline transport pilot for American Airlines. He and Patti are still happily married and have two daughters, his great passion now is golf.

Whilst Michael Hayes went on to become an on-air manager of The Hardyz and head writer of Smackdown, Garvin never saw the sense in going to Vince McMahon’s organisation.

“You know I have probably only ever said ten words to Vince. I don’t like him and he doesn’t like me. He asked me for a tryout (this was about 1992). Now I’d been in the business so long there was no way I needed to have (or be expected to do) a try out. I’m a rebel always have been, wrestling was my life then, but I still wasn’t prepared to let them change my name or character to suit them. I just knew he and I would never get on. I’m not an ass-kisser, we may have to sometimes, but it’s not for me. I mean Michael was repackaged as Dok Hendrix, what was that?, Dusty in polka dots?, ‘Rugged Ronnie Garvin?. No way, I visited WWE once or so, saw some friends, left and never heard from them again about wrestling there.”

Jimmy does still acknowledge his past and when appropriate attend fan conventions, and has made special appearance at indy shows, but his in-ring career is long over and he’s more than happy with his lot in life.

“When I was about twenty-six I said to myself, ‘When I turn forty I'm going to retire. I'm going to fly airplanes and play a little golf, now I am doing just that”.



Does he ever regret walking away from the ring?

"Am I ever glad I did. When I quit in '92 I remember cutting my hair off and my beard and going to Wal-Mart and Lowe's. It was the first time in maybe fifteen or twenty years I could walk around without someone saying something or throwing something at me. It was a joy to walk through stores, like a new lease of life for me."



"Wrestling today has these writers that write stuff like it's a movie. In the old days, we did stuff off-the-cuff. We had some of our own ideas and some stuff just happened when we got out there. It's entertaining but it doesn't take any background like it used to. I do still watch it today and say to myself what has it come to? Wrestling’s a lost art these days. Michael and I still talk, but I’m happy where I am.”

Jimmy Garvin may not be a name that springs to mind for many of us when we think of wrestling legends. He rarely if ever appears on DVD compilations. His name is never mentioned on TV and his legacy is barely recognisable is some ways, but without guys like him many of today’s stars wouldn’t be able to ply their trade. Garvin’s contribution to wrestling has been immense and almost covert. Not many grapplers can boast a 20 year plus career of main event wrestling, countless titles, a happy family life and a new career to boot. He is indeed one of the lucky ones.