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Jimmy Del Ray

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Jimmy Del Ray

David Everett Ferrier (November 30, 1962 – December 6, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Gigolo" Jimmy Del Ray. Del Ray was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as one half of the Heavenly Bodies with his tag team partner, Tom Prichard.

Ferrier was trained by the Mighty Yankee and debuted in 1985 as "Jimmy Richland", which most thought was his real name. In the late 1980s, Del Ray joined Championship Wrestling from Florida as "Jomo Kenya". He later changed his ring name to "Jimmy Backlund" and formed a tag team with Brett Sawyer known as "The Playboys". The Playboys were awarded the vacant FCW Tag Team Championship on July 1, 1989. They held the titles until August 22, when they were defeated by the Nasty Boys. From 1989 to 1991 he worked in Japan for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling. On November 22, 1991, he worked for WWF as Jimmy Richland losing to Skinner on a house show. In 1992, he worked for W*ING.

In January 1993 Del Ray joined Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), where he replaced Stan Lane as one half of the Heavenly Bodies with Tom Prichard. He was given the name Jimmy Del Ray because Lane was billed during his career as being from Delray Beach, Florida. The Heavenly Bodies were managed by James E. Cornette and won the SMW Tag Team Championship on three occasions. Cornette put the "Gigolo" moniker on his name as a play off his physique. While Del Ray was an agile and able wrestler at the time, he had a slightly pudgy midsection that shook, or "jiggled" when he did a taunting dance. Del Ray would work with SMW until the company shut down in December 1995.

Along with Cornette, the Heavenly Bodies debuted in the World Wrestling Federation in 1993. They made their first televised appearance on the August 9, 1993 episode of Monday Night Raw, defeating Bobby Who and Mike Bucci. They made two more appearances on Raw that year; they were defeated by World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers in a title match on August 30, and were victorious over Mark Thomas and Scott Taylor on August 4. At SummerSlam 1993 on August 30, the Heavenly Bodies faced the Steiner Brothers with the World Tag Team Championship on the line, but were defeated.

At the 1993 Survivor Series on November 24 in the Boston Garden, the Heavenly Bodies faced the Rock 'n' Roll Express for the SMW Tag Team Championship. Though the Rock 'N Roll Express appeared to have the match won, the Heavenly Bodies defeated them after Del Ray struck Robert Gibson with Cornette's tennis racket while the referee was distracted, enabling Prichard to pin Gibson and win the titles.

At WrestleMania X on March 20, 1994, in Madison Square Garden, the Heavenly Bodies defeated The Bushwhackers in a dark match. They returned to WWF television on the April 25 episode of Raw, defeating John Paul and Jason Headings.

At the 1994 Survivor Series on November 23, the Heavenly Bodies took part in a ten-man survivor match, teaming with Bam Bam Bigelow, Tatanka, and King Kong Bundy as Ted DiBiase's "Million Dollar Team". The Million Dollar Team defeated their opponents, "Guts and Glory" (Lex Luger, Mabel, Adam Bomb, and the Smoking Gunns), although both Prichard and Del Ray were eliminated from the match. Prichard and Del Ray both participated in the 30 man Royal Rumble match on January 22, 1995. He was eliminated by British Bulldog. They made sporadic appearances on Raw over the next year, with their final appearance being a loss to The Smoking Gunns on the March 20, 1995 episode of Raw. Jimmy Del Ray lost a singles match to Bret Hart on Superstars on April 25, 1995. Del Ray's last WWF match was a loss to Intercontinental champion Shawn Michaels on Raw July 24, 1995.

After WWF, Del Ray and Prichard went to United States Wrestling Association where they defeated PG-13 (J. C. Ice and Wolfie D) to capture the USWA Tag Team Championship. They would feud with PG-13.

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