Nelson Royal
Nelson Royal | |
---|---|
Debut | 1955[1] |
Retired | 1989[1] |
Nelson Combs (July 21, 1935 – February 3, 2002) was an American
Early life
Combs was born on July 21, 1935, in
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1955–1965)
Combs was trained as a professional wrestler by Eagle, debuting in 1955 in the Midwest Wrestling Alliance promotion under the ring name Nelson Royal.[1][3][6] In the late 1950s, Royal wrestled for the Portland, Oregon-based promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, where in 1958, he briefly held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with Black Hawk, and for the Texas-based promotion Big Time Wrestling.
In 1962, Royal adopted the character of "Sir Nelson Royal", a "pompous, overbearing Englishman in tails and top hat".[6] He formed a tag team with The Viking (Bob Morse).[2]
In the early-1960s, Royal wrestled for the
On May 7, 1964, Royal teamed with Wahoo McDaniel in a loss to "Gorgeous Gus", a black bear.[1]
Mid-Atlantic mainstay (1965–1983)
In 1965, Royal abandoned his aristocratic character and adopted the character of a good-natured cowboy.[6][5] In 1966, he formed a tag team with Tex McKenzie.[2]
In 1968, Royal formed a tag team with
In the mid-1970s, Royal wrestled for the Knoxville, Tennessee-based promotion Southeastern Championship Wrestling. He held the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship on three occasions in 1975: twice with Les Thatcher and once with Ron Wright.[7]
On December 6, 1976, Royal defeated Ron Starr to win the
Late career (1983–1989)
Royal broke his retirement in 1983, wrestling a handful of matches over the following years before returning to a fuller schedule in 1986.
Royal won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship for a fourth time in October 1987. He lost the championship to Scott Armstrong twice, on both occasions quickly regaining it, before finally vacating it upon his retirement from professional wrestling in 1989.[1]
In 1989, Royal founded Atlantic Coast Wrestling, a short-lived independent promotion.
Royal ran a
Personal life
Royal was married to Karen L. Royal.[6] He had three children: two sons and a daughter. His daughter, Shannon Lloyd McCrary, performed as a valet in USA Championship Wrestling and Atlantic Coast Wrestling under the ring name "Sha Sha".[4][6][11]
Royal settled in Mooresville, North Carolina, where he owned a ranch.[2] Royal opened Nelson Royal's Western Store, a store specializing in western wear, cowboy boots and horse tack, in Mooresville in 1967.[12] He was active in Crime Stoppers and Drug Abuse Resistance Education.[2][4]
Death
Royal developed Alzheimer's disease in his later years.[4] He died from a myocardial infarction on February 3, 2002, at the age of 66.[2]
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1996)
- Heart of America Sports Attractions
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Medic #2[3]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (1 time) – with Medic #2[3]
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Paul Jones (1 time) and Sandy Scott (1 time)[3]
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Paul Jones[3][6]
- NWA Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Black Hawk[3]
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Les Thatcher (2 times) and Ron Wright (1 time)[3][7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Baker, David (2012). "Nelson Royal". MidAtlanticWrestling.net. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mike Mooneyham (February 10, 2002). "Nellie Royal leaves behind golden memories". MikeMooneyham.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Nelson Royal". Cagematch.de. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-77090-269-5.
- ^ a b Wayne Brower (August 27, 2015). "Asking for more". MidAtlanticWrestling.net. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Steve Johnson (2009). "NWA Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes: Nelson Royal". MidAtlanticWrestling.net. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
- ISBN 978-1-60542-164-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4629-0744-1.
- ISBN 978-1-55490-238-5.
- ^ Christine Coons (2009). "Charlotte 2009". Canoe.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ a b "About our company: a tradition of excellence". NelsonRoyals.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4497-5674-1.
External links
- Nelson Combs at IMDb
- Nelson Royal's profile at Cagematch.net