Eddie ‘Hot Stuff’ Gilbert: WWE Using Dead Wrestler’s Image Without Permission, Says Dad Tommy In Lawsuit


Eddie “Hot Stuff” Gilbert’s father, Tommy Gilbert, is suing the WWE for using his dead son’s image to promote pro wrestling without his permission. TMZ is reporting that Tommy Gilbert is tired of the WWE making money by using footage of his son on television and on social media. Tommy Gilbert has been managing his son’s estate since his death in 1995. Now he wants the WWE to pay up, or else.

The WWE believes that they have every legal right to use the old footage, and they are confident that when the dust settles and the legal wranglings are over, this lawsuit will be laughed out of court.

Eddie Gilbert began his wrestling career in 1979 as Tommy Gilbert Jr. before renaming himself Eddie “Hot Stuff” Gilbert, after the hit theme song “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. Eddie was a real looker, and the women just loved him seeing him every time he stepped on stage. In fact, in those days, the women were so crazy for him that he was considered to be “every woman’s fantasy.”

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, but later growing up in South Florida, Eddie Gilbert was obsessed with everything that had to do with wrestling, according In Lewd.

“I grew up in South Florida. I remember watching the greatest wrestling show ever to be put on television in 1984, 1985, and 1986.”

As a child, he often fantasized about becoming a wrestler, just like his dad, Tommy. He also idolized another pro wrestler named Jerry Lawler. He got the chance to make his dreams come true when he finally graced the stage and showed the world his magnetic personality and natural wrestling ability. But his dream as a star wrestler was short lived.

At the age of 33, he died of a heart attack in Puerto Rico. His father stated in old interviews that he believed that pain killers and a terrible car accident, which left him with severe injuries to the chest, could have been partly to blame for his early demise, according to his Wiki bio.

Despite this new lawsuit, fans still remember Eddie Gilbert. There are several websites and Facebook pages dedicated to keeping his memory alive. A small but active group of fans are currently petitioning for Eddie Gilbert, aka Thomas Edward Gilbert Jr., to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Here is one of “Hot Stuff” Gilbert’s famous quotes.

“I don’t mind losing a match if I can seriously injure someone along the way.”

See him in action here on YouTube.

[Photo Credit: Facebook]

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