Sylvester Terkay

[The Brain]

You guys remember Sylvester Terkay, don’t you? That big ugly guy that used to hang around with Elijah Burke in ECW. He’s pretty easy to forget since he was only around for about six months in 2006, and because he was in ECW. I didn’t watch WWE’s version of ECW too much so I’m not going to tell you I saw a ton of potential in Terkay and how he was horribly underused. I hardly even saw him. Given more time maybe he could have been good. Maybe he would have been nothing. I just would have liked to have had the opportunity to see more of him.

Sylvester Terkay is a former NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion and has some experience in MMA. While some of us forum members salivate over stuff like that thinking about the moves someone with that background would have in his repertoire others say it’s meaningless if you don’t have the right look or personality. I don’t know if Terkay ever got a chance to show his personality but I definitely think he had the look. He looked like an old fashioned villain wrestler. Big, mean, and ugly. At 6’6 and 320 pounds Terkay stood out on camera. He looked like he would rip someone apart just for the fun of it. He’s exactly the kind of guy an old heel manager would send after the main event baby face. Had Terkay been around in the late 80s you can bet your bottom dollar he would have had at least a brief program with Hogan.

I’m not saying Terkay should have been world champion or would have been an all time great. I do think he would have made a great challenger for John Cena and/or Batista in 2007. I wonder if things would have been any different for Terkay had Kurt Angle not left WWE just as he was coming in. Before winning the NCAA tournament in 1993 Terkay finished second in 1992 losing to none other than Kurt Angle. I wonder if they would have been put in a program together based on their real life history. What do you guys think? Did anyone else want to see more out of Sylvester Terkay or was he just another useless cup of coffee wrestler?

 

[Loveless]

I remember him, looked like a bear had gotten in RVD's ring gear.

I thought he had potential. In-ring he seemed ok, looked very physical, had a presence. As with so many talents though, he was never allowed to develop. I seem to remember his mic skills being very dull.

 

[wrestler36]

I wouldn't say he was a 'useless cup of coffee,' as he had a significant upside. I can't make too much of an opinion out of him since I saw only a little, but I will assume that he didn't have too much of a 'sports entertainment' personality. By that I mean, he needed Elijah Burke to be the mouthpiece for him. And that's fine. If it were me, don't stray to far from a given formula. He could've been your typical Heyman guy. Hell, I would've introduced him the same way as Lesnar, with no hype and just coming through the crowd. Have him mix in a few powerslams with a couple submissions. He had the look of a monster, 6'6, 320lbs and the legit background. He could have had legitimate feuds with Cena, Batista, Taker, anybody really. Less is more with this guy. Just a few slams and holds, Heyman, and he woulda been one helluva catch.

 

[Kris Benwa]

They started off appearing on smackdown for a while and Terkay was awful. Burke was definitely the star of them and Burke could have been someone big on the ECW brand and at least something medium on RAW or SD. Terkay should have been sent back to developmental and that possibly would have helped but if remember correctly they just offed him.

 

[ZUMBOdriver]

My friend who lives in southwestern PA bought a car off of him a few years back. According to another guy who worked with Sly at the dealership, it was the Undertaker who made the call to get rid of The Big Man from Big Bear. Take it for what it's worth. Heard this second hand, but I found it interesting.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Sylvester Terkay had NO in-ring presence at all. Even though he had a great look and pedigree, he wasn't able to get himself over. Can't talk, no personality, and as great as his size is, it's still pretty generic in the pro wrestling industry.

Just goes to show you that charisma and a great character can go a long way. Just being a champion wrestler and having an MMA background won't do you any good. Bobby Lashley was pushed to the moon and couldn't hang because he had little to no personality.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

They started off appearing on smackdown for a while and Terkay was awful. Burke was definitely the star of them and Burke could have been someone big on the ECW brand and at least something medium on RAW or SD. Terkay should have been sent back to developmental and that possibly would have helped but if remember correctly they just offed him.

I agree it's strange that they made Burke the mouthpiece of his duo with Terkay. It should have been Elijah Burke as the guy while Terkay should have been in a body guard type role that way he can gain some experience w/o putting him on the spotlight yet. It worked for Big E Langston right?

 

[thebarber]

like Marcus Cor Von(Monty Brown), Mason Ryan and Ezeikel Jackson, Terkay was another guy who booked preperly and given enough time to get over on Raw/Smackdown could have possibly been a player. Certainly had the look and size WWE want and the pedigree. But in the end yes, he was another "cup of coffee" wrestler.

 

[Judah's Lion]

with Terkay, i'm surprised more didn't become of him. as others have said, he certainly had the look that the WWE likes. and the background that the audience likes.

the fact that he wasn't brilliant on the mic -- although, how can we really be sure? he wasn't around long enough or developed enough for us to ever really know -- was hidden quite nicely by being paired up with Elijah Burke. which brings me to my next point...

what i remember most about Terkay was his tag team with Elijah Burke. Terkay was billed and packaged with his background in MMA and Elijah with his background in the Golden Gloves fights and together they formed the Knockout/Tap Out Connection. i thought it was pretty clever and enjoyed the concept. just wish they both stuck around long enough to develop more, both as a tag team and as individual players.

had no idea about Terkay's past with Angle. that would have been a pretty sweet feud between the two. for example, at the Royal Rumble in 2006, we could have had a World Title match between Angle and Terkay instead of Angle/Mark Henry. might have been more fun to watch the very real skill sets both men possessed.

interesting thread.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't really think Terkay was given enough time in WWE. With his excellent amateur background, and MMA experience he would have offered something different to most other wrestlers in the company and he looked like a beast!

However, I remember that when I watched him during his short run on the main roster I was never really interested in his matches, and I don't remember him doing anything memorable on the mic. I definitely agree with Brain in that he would have been a bigger star in the late 80s simply because of his size and look, and been booked as another of Hogan's victims.

Has he ever appeared in TNA at all? I haven't seen any of the guy since he left the 'E.

 

[milkman12]

I think he was terrible to be honest. Bad look, no mic skills, no personality, etc. I am happy he never got any traction as I would have flipped the channel to something else anytime he wrestled.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Terkay didn't get over because he was paired up with Elijah Burke instead of blonde high heeled manager with a fake Russian accent in a time where Vladimir Putin hadn't rolled into Ukraine.

And it's really as simple as that. Sometimes it's just about the right time, with the right circumstances.

 

[Slash-LN]

I don't remember being overly impressed with him.
The statement that he could have worked with Hogan is true though. He definitely had that big bear look that was popular for heels back then.

He was just kind of there and gone pretty quick and it didn't help that they really didn't give him a program to work. I think he just came out and won quick matches and left.

Someone may be able to refresh my memory of if he had an actual feud or not but I can't remember one.