Maniac Mike Gordon

Gordon Michael Voris simply shifted his first and middle name to become Maniac Mike Gordon. Born in Springfield, Ohio, he started wrestling in the early 1960s for smaller promotions in the Midwest. He also made it to televised tapings for the bigger offices, though he lost to the likes of Bull Curry and Ernie Ladd.

Gordon's first Arizona run came in the late 1960s. Jody Arnold, who would become a regional superstar, had his first match with him in 1968, which ended in a  draw.

It was a few years afterward that Mike moved down south to work for varied promotions as a Mongol, spotting a shaved head and wearing chains around his neck. No one seemed to notice that for someone from Mongolia, it was a bit odd to see him with a US Marine Corps tattoo on one arm.

As Mikko Mongol, Gordon returned to Arizona in 1975, where he had a long run, drifting to New Mexico and California as well. Among those he feuded with were Navajo Frank, David Rose, Chuck Hondo and Logger Larson.

In 1976, Gordon made one finale trip back to Ohio and returned with his hair grown back, as well as a long beard. The Mongol was gone and Maniac Mike Gordon was in his place. It was under this alias he would spend the remainder of his career, until moving to Canada in 1988, where he would marry a Canadian  woman, retiring afterward.

During Gordon's lengthy last run in Arizona,  he faced Tito Montez , Tony Hernandez, Bobby Anderson, Jody Arnold, Chief Crazy Horse, Danny Snyder, Eddie Lopez, Eddie Sullivan and several others. He had a long feud with Mexican wrestler, Super Argo, ending when Argo defeated him in a bloody beard vs mask match, in which Mike got a shave.

Away from the ring, Gordon loved fishing, cigars and country music.

In November of 2010, he died from a massive heart attack in front of his wife in their Guelph apartment. His remains were cremated and his ashes taken by his sister back to the USA to be scattered.