WWE alumnus Koko B. Ware recalls the incident that led to his parrot’s quarantine

Koko B. Ware is a legend of the territories and the WWE. The former AWA Southern Tag Team Champion is closely connected to his parrot Frankie. According to Ware, he suggested the bird to Vince McMahon when Ware was considering joining the WWE.

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“I had the birds on my tights. I was ‘The Birdman’ in Louisiana,” Ware said on “Stories With Briscoe and Bradshaw,” explaining that his nickname originally referred only to the parrots on his tights until he got the real one. “I finally found (a parrot) at a pet store and took a picture of it.” Ware brought the photo to his first meeting with Vince McMahon and the wrestling impresario was impressed. “He said, ‘Wow, you know, Koko, if you come here and work for us, you’ll have to travel all over the world with this parrot,'” Ware recalled, but the WWE Hall of Famer felt the bird would help the diminutive wrestler make an impression on the massive WWE roster.

“All the kids would love me because I have something. The little ‘Birdman’ with Frankie at ringside.” Ware says McMahon decided “The Birdman” would fit right in with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, The Junkyard Dog and other animal-centric personalities in the company at the time. However, Ware recalls that traveling with Frankie could be challenging, as after a show in the Bahamas, U.S. Customs stopped the duo, believing Ware had purchased him in the country, and required Frankie to be quarantined for several days. Ultimately, with the help of the Bahamian Prime Minister, Ware managed to secure Frankie’s passage home. Although Ware never held a title in WWE, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, with “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase describing the longtime talent as a “solid hand” in the ring.

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