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We were just made aware of this, but Jeff Gaylord, 50, a former professional wrestler who worked for World Class, Bill Watts' USWA, the Global Wrestling Federation, Puerto Rico and the short-lived original AWF in the early 1990s, was arrested in late January at his home in Littleton, Colorado for two bank robberies.
Gaylord would disguise himself for the robberies with sunglasses, a hooded sweatshirt, a band-aid over his nose and a fake beard, but didn't think to mask his car. A witness at the second robbery was able to get his license plate number as he left the scene during the second robbery.
That led investigators to his home, where he was apprehended. Gaylord was charged with robbery of US Bank in Monument, CO and attempted robbery at a branch in Castle Rock, CO. He is suspected of at least one other robbery that took place in December 2008 as well. Due to the nature of the crimes, Gaylord will likely be prosecuted under federal charges.
Gaylord was previously convicted of robbed a bank in Aurora, CO on two occasions in 2001. In that case, Gaylord plead guilty to two counts of committing a bank robbery and was sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Gaylord broke into the business in the late 1980s with long hair and the atypical chiseled physique that promoters looked for during the time period. He worked undercard bouts towards the end of Bill Watt's UWF and did WWF enhancement work while trying to break in there. He worked under a mask as "The Hood" in World Class and worked on a regular basis for the USWA (including several Tag title runs) as well but was unable to get into one of the larger national promotions.
Gaylord made one lone WWF PPV appearance, working under a mask at the 1993 Survivor Series in Boston, MA as Shawn Michaels' Black Knight. He was a regular on the Memphis circuit at the time and it was likely he booked the gig through the Memphis office.
Gaylord also worked for Gordon Scozzari's American Wrestling Federation, where he held the promotion's Tag Team championships with Sunny Beach. This led to an incident backstage at a Global event in Dallas, Texas where Gaylord attacked Eddie Gilbert backstage. The story making the rounds at the time and later mentioned by Gilbert during a shoot interview was that Scozzari had paid Gaylord off to do it as revenge. Gilbert had no-showed Scozarri's debut TV tapings. Scozzari, who claimed he had paid Gilbert in advance to work as booker, would always deny any connection to the incident.
Gaylord, who continued working independents through the mid 1990s, is currently awaiting trial.
To read an article on Gaylord's arrest published in January by The Colorado Tribune, click here.
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