Territorial Star 'Golden Boy' Jerry Grey Dies At 62 After Battle With Cancer
It was another sad day for professional wrestling on Monday, as it says goodbye to one of the more colorful names of wrestling's territory days. In a Facebook post, the Cauliflower Alley Club announced that "Golden Boy" Jerry Grey, who also wrestled under the name Guru, Mega Maharishi, and Might Yankee #1, had passed away from cancer at the age of 62, just 45 days shy of his 63rd birthday.
Grey was a protege of Boris Malenko, father of former WCW/ECW/WWE star Dean Malenko, and Louis Tillet, debuting for Tillet's Sunbelt Wrestling promotion on September 14, 1981. He quickly became an in-demand territory wrestler, working for promotions such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions, Mid-South Wrestling, and Memphis' Continental Wrestling Association, where he donned a mask to portray his Guu and Mega Maharishi personas. He would also tour Japan in 1988, and worked a few matches for WWE as an enhancement talent.
Singles success eluded Grey for much of his career, though he did hold the NWA Florida Bahamian Championship in 1986. Instead, is greatest success came as a tag wrestler, first with Tom Prichard in Portland Wrestling, where the duo won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championships in 1984, and with Bob Cook as The Mighty Yankees for Championship Wrestling of Florida in 1987.
"We laughed, we fought, we chased dreams together... and somehow, through it all, we created memories that time can never take away," Cook wrote in CAC's Facebook post. "This one hurts deeply. The ring feels a little emptier today, and so does my heart. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends during this most difficult time, may the memories of the good times carry us all through. Rest easy, my friend. Thank you for the memories, the miles, and the brotherhood. You will be greatly missed... but never forgotten. Your partner, always, love you."
Wrestling Inc. offers its condolences to Grey's family and friends during this difficult time.