Koko B . Ware James Ware ( June 20 , 1957 ) , better known by his ring name Koko B . Ware , is a semi - retired American professional wrestler who made his professional wrestling debut in 1978 . He gained most of his popularity in the World Wrestling Federation when he was known as the Birdman . Ware came to the ring with a blue - and - yellow macaw parrot named Frankie , and would flap his arms like a bird while dancing before and after his matches . Before joining the WWF , Ware worked as a part of several tag teams , first with Bobby Eaton in Memphis and then later on with Norvell Austin as one half of the The P . Y . T . Express in several promotions . Professional wrestling career . Early years . Koko spent his early days in the sport in the Mid - South , Georgia and other NWA territories where he impressed fans enough to vote him the " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " Rookie of the Year in 1979 . Early in his career , Koko Ware ( as he was then known ) did not find great success , learning the ropes and paying his dues both in Jerry Jarrett ’ s Continental Wrestling Association and Nick Gulas ’ territory in the south . It was not until late in 1980 that Koko ’ s fortune changed when he participated in a battle royal to crown the first ever Mid - American Television Champion . The crowd favorite was Jimmy Valiant , who Koko accidentally knocked into Danny Davis and eliminated Valiant . Moments later , Koko dumped Davis to the floor and won his first title . After the match , Jimmy Valiant returned to the ring and beat Koko down . Koko ’ s feud with Jimmy Valiant was quickly expanded to include the heel Tojo Yamamoto and Koko ally Tommy Rich . When Dutch Mantel returned to the CWA in early 1981 he quickly defeated Koko for the TV title making Koko ’ s first run with the gold a short one . Koko floundered until September 1981 when he was chosen to referee a Southern Heavyweight Championship title match between Jerry Lawler and “ The Dream Machine " . Ware unfairly counted Lawler out to give the Dream Machine the victory , a decision that did not sit well with Lawler nor the fans in Memphis . Koko quickly aligned himself with manager Jimmy Hart and his First Family and changed his name to Sweet Brown Sugar . Sugar never got the best of Lawler but did taste tag - team success alongside Steve Keirn and then with Bobby Eaton . Eaton & Sugar won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship . Stagger Lee . After successfully teaming for a while Sugar and Eaton started to show signs of dissension , during their last run with the tag - team title Bobby Eaton beat Jacques Rougeau for the Mid - American Heavyweight title . During an interview where Eaton and Jimmy Hart bragged about the victory , Sugar complained that he was unable to win the Southern Title from Terry Taylor . After being fed up , Jimmy Hart finally slapped Sweet Brown Sugar and sent the sulking superstar back to the dressing room after which Bobby Eaton commented that Sugar had been “ whining like a woman " . Later that night the duo defended their title against Terry Taylor and Bill Dundee , losing the title when Sugar “ accidentally " kicked Eaton and then left the ring . Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar contested a series of grudge matches centered around the Mid - America title and their issues with each other . The feud got so out of control that it had to be settled with a “ Loser Leaves Town " match , a match that Eaton won , driving Sweet Brown Sugar out of the arena . In one of those “ wrestling coincidences " a masked man calling himself Stagger Lee debuted ; the fact that he looked and wrestled like a masked version of Sweet Brown Sugar helped make him instantly popular . Bobby Eaton along with the rest of the First Family tried in vain to unmask Stagger Lee but could not manage to do so , winding up frustrated at every turn . Pretty Young Things . Bobby Eaton later turned face , he teamed with " Stagger Lee " for a series of matches . During a tag - team tournament in 1983 , the masked Stagger Lee teamed up with fellow face Norvell Austin to take on “ Fargo ’ s Fabulous Ones " ( Tommy Rich and " Hot Stuff " Eddie Gilbert ) . During the course of the match Stagger Lee ’ s mask was removed to reveal the man beneath it , prompting a heel turn for Ware . Austin and Ware became a regular tag team dubbed " the Pretty Young Things " or ( “ the PYT Express ” ) . The two men soon began wearing red leather jackets , and each had a single white glove on , in an obvious imitation of Michael Jackson to further enhance their “ pretty boy ” image . The team managed to defeat the team of Elijah Akeem and Kareem Mohammad for the AWA Southern Tag Team title in February 1984 , although they only hung on to the gold for a little under two weeks before Akeem and Mohammad regained the title . The PYT Express remained in Memphis for a period of time after this before moving on to other promotions such as Mid - South Wrestling , World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas and Championship Wrestling from Florida . On February 26 , 1985 Austin and Ware defeated Jay and Mark Youngblood to win the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship . Two weeks later on March 5 , 1985 the team lost the title back to the Youngbloods . After dropping the gold in Florida , the Pretty Young Things returned to the federation that first put them together , the Continental Wrestling Association . There , they won the AWA Southern Tag Team title twice , both times from The Fabulous Ones ( Steve Keirn and Stan Lane ) as they feuded with the top face team of the promotion . World Wrestling Federation ( 1986 – 1994 ) . Debut ( 1986 ) . In 1986 , Ware signed with the World Wrestling Federation , where he was repackaged as the fun loving “ Birdman " Koko B . Ware . Koko made his debut as a fan favorite on the September 6 , 1986 episode of " Superstars " , teaming with Paul Roma against Hart Foundation ( Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart ) in a losing effort . His first victory was on September 7 episode of " Wrestling Challenge " against Bob Bradley . He would make his entrances dancing to the ring to the tune of Morris Day and The Time ' s The Bird , flapping his arms and carrying his pet macaw “ Frankie " , who sat on a perch at ringside while Koko wrestled . Bright outfits , colorful sunglasses , a constant smile and his trademark vibrato voice instantly made Koko a big hit , especially with the younger crowd that the WWF mainly catered to during the 1980s . Koko also sang the title track of the 1987 WWF Album " Piledriver " . The song ' s video featured top wrestlers of the day like Hulk Hogan and the Honky Tonk Man . Jobber to the Stars ( 1986 – 1991 ) . Koko ’ s first major showcase in the WWF was at the November 29 , 1986 edition of " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " where he defeated Nikolai Volkoff . Koko , however , would often be on the losing end when he came up against other established stars , stars as Butch Reed , Greg Valentine , and The Big Boss Man . From 1987 to 1993 Koko appeared on several WWF PPVs and " Saturday Night ' s Main Events " being used mainly to make established or rising stars look good . At the Survivor Series in 1990 , Koko became the first wrestler to fall victim to The Undertaker ’ s Tombstone Piledriver in the Undertaker ’ s debut match . High Energy & Departure ( 1992 – 1994 ) . In 1992 , Koko teamed up with Owen Hart to form the high flying team known as High Energy , well known in wrestling circles for their gigantic baggy brightly colored pants and checkered suspenders . High Energy feuded with ( and generally lost to ) The Nasty Boys , The Headshrinkers , and Money Incorporated . The team made only one PPV appearance as a team , a loss to the Headshrinkers at the 1992 Survivor Series . The team ended in 1993 after Owen Hart injured his knee . After High Energy ended Koko was mainly used as an enhancement talent until he left the WWF in 1994 . United States Wrestling Association ( 1991 – 1995 ) . In 1991 the WWF and the United States Wrestling Association started a talent exchange agreement which saw Koko B . Ware return to his old stomping grounds in Memphis ( same area , different promotion ) . In the USWA Koko was more successful than in the WWF , winning the USWA World Title twice , once from Kamala “ The Ugandan Giant " and once from USWA icon Jerry Lawler . Koko also hooked up with Rex Hargrove and won the USWA Tag Team Championship once . Koko B . Ware competed in the USWA until his semi - retirement in 1995 . Semi - retirement and return . After leaving the WWF , Koko made a few appearances for the American Wrestling Federation but did not become a regular before going into semi - retirement in 1995 . Koko was interviewed briefly during the 1999 wrestling documentary " Beyond the Mat " . In 1999 , Koko made a short - lived return to the World Wrestling Federation where he put on the “ Blue Blazer " mask during the Owen Hart angle . When Hart died , the angle was dropped and Koko ’ s services were no longer needed . In 2003 , Koko returned to the spotlight competing once again in the Memphis area for the Memphis Wrestling promotion . He also competed at the “ World Wrestling Legends " PPV on March 5 , 2006 where he defeated Disco Inferno . He also appeared at " WWE Homecoming " , " Raw " ' s return to the " USA Network " , on October 3 , 2005 . He fought ( and was defeated by ) Rob Conway on the October 28 , 2005 edition of " WWE Heat " . In April 2007 , he wrestled in a tag match ( while managed by special guest Slick Rick ) and lost at Ultimate Clash of the Legends ' 07 headlined by Hulk Hogan vs . Paul Wight ( Big Show ) . Special appearances . On June 8 , 2008 , Koko made a special appearance at TNA ' s Slammiversary as a groomsman in the wedding for " Black Machismo " Jay Lethal and So Cal Val , along with George " The Animal " Steele , Kamala the Ugandan Giant , and Jake " The Snake " Roberts . On April 4 , 2009 , Koko was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man . On September 5 , 2009 Ware ' s wife died after a battle with cancer . On February 15 , 2011 Koko made an appearance on Tosh . 0 .