The Gobbledy Gooker

The concept for the Gobbledy Gooker was that it would serve as a turkey mascot for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) akin to the San Diego Chicken.{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Conrad |last2=Prichard |first2=Bruce |author-link1=Conrad Thompson |author-link2=Bruce Prichard |title=Bruce Prichard Shoots on The Gobbledy Gooker |work=Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uxJarPpK2o |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528141658/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uxJarPpK2o |via=YouTube |access-date=March 1, 2021 |date=February 25, 2018 |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |time=4:40 |url-status=bot: unknown }} In addition to being a mascot, WWF promoter Vince McMahon intended the character to wrestle and sought a skilled performer for the role.{{cite news |url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/jj-dillon-explains-ideas-gobbledy-gooker/ |title=J.J. Dillon Explains Ideas For The Gobbledy Gooker |last=Toro |first=Carlos |work=Fightful |date=May 20, 2017|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=September 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927043814/https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/jj-dillon-explains-ideas-gobbledy-gooker|url-status=live}} After a recommendation from Dusty Rhodes, the WWF began contacting Héctor Guerrero in early 1990. Guerrero landed the role after a successful in-person audition months later and was set to debut at the upcoming Survivor Series event. Survivor Series typically takes place around Thanksgiving and this edition was to take place on Thanksgiving night.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the WWF began hyping the new character by displaying a large egg at several shows. This caused rampant speculation about what was in the egg and the most popular theory was that multi-time world champion Ric Flair, who wrestled for the rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), was going to debut in the WWF by hatching from it.{{cite news |url=https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/wwe/news/14203/11129866/five-memorable-moments-from-wwe-survivor-series |title=Five memorable moments from WWE Survivor Series |last=Lake |first=Jefferson |publisher=Sky Sports |date=November 14, 2018|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=February 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224041925/https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/wwe/news/14203/11129866/five-memorable-moments-from-wwe-survivor-series|url-status=live}} Mark Calaway had recently signed with the WWF and feared that the egg was to hype his debut. He ultimately debuted as The Undertaker in an unrelated segment at the same event.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbr.com/wwe-undertaker-gobbledy-gooker-debut/ |title=The Undertaker Was Convinced He Was Going to Debut as the Gobbledy Gooker |last=Bernaschina |first=Michael |publisher=Comic Book Resources |date=November 20, 2019|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121140018/https://www.cbr.com/wwe-undertaker-gobbledy-gooker-debut/|url-status=live}}

File:Gooker hatches.gif

Announcer Gene Okerlund appeared next to the egg at Survivor Series and speculated that it contained a dinosaur, balloons or perhaps the Playmate of the Month. After these comments, the egg hatched and Guerrero climbed out of it in the costume. He then approached Okerlund for an interview but spoke only by making turkey noises. This prompted Okerlund to call him "the Gobbledy Gooker". As fans in attendance at the Hartford Civic Center started to boo, a rock and roll rendition of "Turkey in the Straw" began to play and Okerlund and Guerrero danced in the ring. Despite the crowd's rejection of the segment, commentator Roddy Piper said that the Gobbledy Gooker had "won the heart of Hartford!" and his broadcast partner Gorilla Monsoon described it as a "big smash".{{cite book |first1=R.D. |last1=Reynolds |date=December 16, 2010 |title=The Very Worst of Professional Wrestling |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1-55490-544-7 |authorlink1=R.D. Reynolds |url=https://archive.org/details/wrestlecrapveryw00rdre |pages=19–21}}

Guerrero continued to tour with the WWF for a few weeks afterward. However, he suffered another gaffe during an appearance at Madison Square Garden; he was unable to see out of the head of the costume, which caused him to fall into the ring after a handspring. Despite initial plans for the Gobbledy Gooker to represent the company as a mascot, it disappeared from the promotion a month after its debut. The character was not seen again until WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, when Guerrero returned to the persona for one night and wrestled his only match under the moniker during the "Gimmick Battle Royal". He was quickly eliminated by Tugboat.{{cite news |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71655/gobbledy-gooker-wrestlings-most-bizarre-gimmick-25-years-later |title=The Gobbledy Gooker: Wrestling's Most Bizarre Gimmick |last=Debendetto |first=Paul |work=Mental Floss |date=November 23, 2017|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123212219/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71655/gobbledy-gooker-wrestlings-most-bizarre-gimmick-25-years-later|url-status=live}}

File:Drew Gulak Axxess 2018 crop.jpg portrayed the character in 2017 and 2020, including during its brief WWE 24/7 Championship reign]]

Since 2008, WWE has sporadically used the character in storylines or skits during Thanksgiving week. The first such appearance was at the 2008 Survivor Series, where The Boogeyman dressed as the Gobbledy Gooker in a skit with The Bella Twins and The Colóns.{{cite news |url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-survivor-series-2008-breakdown/ |title=The Survivor Series 2008 Breakdown |last=Dunn |first=J.D. |work=411Mania |date=November 27, 2008|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=September 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922010457/http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/tv_reports/91350/The-Survivor-Series-2008-Breakdown.htm|url-status=live}} The next appearance was on the November 23, 2009, episode of Raw, when Maryse Ouellet disguised herself as the Goobledy Gooker to attack Melina Perez.{{cite news |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/3553-raw-results-11-23-09/ |title=Raw Results – 11/23/09 |last=Nemer |first=Paul |work=WrestleView |date=November 23, 2009|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418203020/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/3553-raw-results-11-23-09/|url-status=live}} In 2013, WWE released a series of comical YouTube videos called "The Gobbledy Gooker Goes To Work".{{cite book |date=September 29, 2020 |title=WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment New Edition |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0-7440-3510-0 |page=133 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YLXmDwAAQBAJ |access-date= February 24, 2024 |archive-date= February 24, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240224041932/https://books.google.com/books?id=YLXmDwAAQBAJ |url-status= live}} To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its debut, Xavier Woods of The New Day donned the turkey costume on the November 26, 2015, episode of SmackDown. Later that episode, Jey Uso disguised himself as the Gobbledy Gooker to attack his New Day partners.{{cite news |url=https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/wwe/news/13043/10080676/wwe-smackdown-dean-ambrose-earns-intercontinental-title-shot |title=WWE Smackdown: Dean Ambrose earns Intercontinental Title shot |publisher=Sky Sports |date=November 27, 2015|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112000814/https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/wwe/news/13043/10080676/wwe-smackdown-dean-ambrose-earns-intercontinental-title-shot|url-status=live}}

On the November 21, 2017, edition of 205 Live, Drew Gulak dressed up as the Gobbledy Gooker, referring to himself as "the Gobbledy Gulaker".{{cite news |url=https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-results/wwe-205-live-results-gulak-faces-tozawa-street-fight-246761 |title=WWE 205 Live Results: Gulak Faces Tozawa in a Street Fight |last=Peeples |first=Jeremy |work=Wrestling Observer Newsletter |date=November 21, 2017|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128050547/https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-results/wwe-205-live-results-gulak-faces-tozawa-street-fight-246761|url-status=live}} Gulak reprised his role as the Gobbledy Gooker for the thirtieth anniversary of its debut at 2020 Survivor Series, although his identity was not revealed during the event. During the pre-show, the character won the WWE 24/7 Championship by defeating R-Truth.{{cite news |url=https://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/watch-gobbledy-gooker-wins-24-7-championship/ |title=Gobbledy Gooker Wins 24/7 Championship |last=Quarrinton |first=Norm |work=Pro Wrestling Sheet |date=November 22, 2020|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123000443/https://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/watch-gobbledy-gooker-wins-24-7-championship/|url-status=live}} Later that night, it lost the title to Akira Tozawa, who quickly lost it to R-Truth.{{cite news |url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/report-drew-gulak-was-gobbledy-gooker-producer-list-wwe-survivor-series/ |title=Report: Drew Gulak Was The Gobbledy Gooker, Producer List For WWE Survivor Series |last=Lambert |first=Jeremy |work=Fightful |date=November 22, 2020|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123154846/https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/report-drew-gulak-was-gobbledy-gooker-producer-list-wwe-survivor-series|url-status=live}} The character made another appearance with R-Truth on the following episode of Main Event, where it was attacked by Retribution.{{cite news |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2020/11/27/11-25-wwe-main-event-tv-report-ali-explains-the-backstory-on-the-names-of-each-retribution-member-on-miz-tv-bizarro-episode-with-elias-playing-throughout-ricochet-hardy-main-event/ |title=11/25 WWE Main Event TV Report: Ali explains the backstory on the names of each Retribution member on Miz TV, Bizarro episode with Elias playing throughout Ricochet-Hardy main event |last=Meyers |first=Mike |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |date=November 27, 2020|access-date=November 27, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127201221/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2020/11/27/11-25-wwe-main-event-tv-report-ali-explains-the-backstory-on-the-names-of-each-retribution-member-on-miz-tv-bizarro-episode-with-elias-playing-throughout-ricochet-hardy-main-event/|url-status=live}}

File:Hector Guerrero.jpg has defended the Gobbledy Gooker]]

The Gobbledy Gooker is remembered by many as one of the biggest flops in the history of the professional wrestling industry. The satirical wrestling website WrestleCrap named its annual booby prize the "Gooker Award" after the character.{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/article/LK/20070224/News/605202465/SH |title=Grappling with life |last=Cox |first=Billy |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |date=February 24, 2007|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304032439/https://www.heraldtribune.com/article/LK/20070224/News/605202465/SH|url-status=live}} Furthermore, in The Wrestlecrap Book of Lists!, R. D. Reynolds listed the Gobbledy Gooker as the second worst wrestling character of all time, behind The Red Rooster,{{cite book |title=The Wrestlecrap Book of Lists! |last1=Reynolds |first1=R.D. |authorlink=R. D. Reynolds |pages=354–356 |publisher=ECW Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-55022-762-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HFBTUhnc9DwC&q=the%20rock%20biggest%20star%20wwe&pg=PA282|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=February 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224041925/https://books.google.com/books?id=HFBTUhnc9DwC&q=the%20rock%20biggest%20star%20wwe&pg=PA282#v=snippet&q=the%20rock%20biggest%20star%20wwe&f=false|url-status=live}} while The A.V. Club placed it on a list of wrestling's most regrettable gimmicks.{{cite news |url=https://tv.avclub.com/the-shockmasters-14-regrettable-wrestling-gimmicks-and-1798243621/slides/10 |title=The Shockmasters: 14 regrettable wrestling gimmicks and the stars behind them |work=The A.V. Club |date=January 13, 2016|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128025012/https://tv.avclub.com/the-shockmasters-14-regrettable-wrestling-gimmicks-and-1798243621/slides/10|url-status=live}} Muscle & Fitness similarly described the character as being the worst dressed wrestler of all time, writing: "having a WWE Superstar compete in a full Turkey suit is perhaps the most ridiculous concept ever".{{cite web |last1=Felstead |first1=Scott |title=The 11 Most Outlandish Ring Attires in WWE History |url=https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/11-most-outlandish-ring-attires-wwe-history |work=Muscle & Fitness |date=April 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415235804/https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/11-most-outlandish-ring-attires-wwe-history|archive-date=April 15, 2019|access-date=November 24, 2020}} Bleacher Report and 411Mania each ranked the character as having the second worst debut/reveal of all time, second to the Shockmaster (portrayed by Fred Ottman, who also wrestled as Tugboat and eliminated the Gobbledy Gooker at WrestleMania X-Seven).{{cite news |url=https://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/2896671-ranking-the-10-worst-ever-reveals-in-wwe-and-wcw-history |title=Ranking the 10 Worst-Ever Reveals in WWE and WCW History |publisher=Bleacher Report |last=Beaston |first=Erik |date=June 18, 2020|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206020812/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2896671-ranking-the-10-worst-ever-reveals-in-wwe-and-wcw-history|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-411-wrestling-top-5-the-top-5-worst-debuts/ |title=The 411 Wrestling Top 5: The Top 5 Worst Debuts |work=411Mania |last=Csonka |first=Lary |date=February 9, 2015|access-date=February 8, 2021|archive-date=February 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214171318/https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-411-wrestling-top-5-the-top-5-worst-debuts/|url-status=live}} During a 2008 episode of Legends of Wrestling, Dusty Rhodes, who had previously written for WCW and was responsible for creating the Shockmaster, revealed that he and McMahon would joke about which character was worse.{{Cite episode |title=Worst Characters |series=Legends of Wrestling |station=WWE Classics on Demand |date=June 1, 2008 |time=9:21–9:35}}

WWE describe the debut as an "unmitigated disaster", but add: "Like an Ed Wood movie, The Gooker was such a terrible persona that it eventually endeared itself to the WWE Universe".{{cite news |url=https://www.wwe.com/superstars/gobbledygooker |title=Gobbledy Gooker |publisher=WWE|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108101844/https://www.wwe.com/superstars/gobbledygooker|url-status=live}} However, Guerrero has defended the character, stating: "The Gobbledy Gooker is called the biggest flop in professional wrestling history, but it wasn’t meant for the adults. It was for the children. Vince wanted to do something noble, which I take my hat off to and respect."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2016/11/23/week-wrestling-kevin-nash-on-diesel-creation-of-undertaker |title=Week in Wrestling: Kevin Nash on Diesel; creation of Undertaker; Gobbledy Gooker speaks |last=Barrasso |first=Justin |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=November 23, 2016|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=August 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828172502/https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2016/11/23/week-wrestling-kevin-nash-on-diesel-creation-of-undertaker|url-status=live}} Okerlund addressed Guerrero during his WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2006, saying: "Héctor, we had a lot of fun, but all of this is forgotten". Paul Debendetto of Mental Floss disagreed with Okerlund's assessment, given the character's enduring legacy, writing: "the Gooker lives on. And Héctor wouldn’t have it any other way."

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
• Worst Gimmick (1990){{cite journal |title=January 25, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2015 Observer Awards Issue |periodical=Wrestling Observer Newsletter |last=Meltzer |first=Dave |authorlink=Dave Meltzer |issn=1083-9593 |pages=1–49|publication-place=Campbell, California |date=January 25, 2016}}
• WWE
• WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time)

{{reflist}}

• {{wwe superstar|gobbledygooker|Gobbledy Gooker}}

{{WWE 24/7 Championship}}

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