Ron Fuller (wrestler)
Ron Fuller | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ronald Welch |
Born | Knoxville, Tennessee[2] | March 3, 1948
Debut | 1972 |
Retired | 1988 |
Ronald Welch (born March 3, 1948) is a retired
Career history
At 6'9", Fuller was a basketball stand-out at Briarcliff High School[4] in Atlanta and won a scholarship to the University of Miami where he was a three-year letterman.[5][6] Upon graduation, he followed in his family's footsteps and became a professional wrestler. He started out with his grandfather and father's promotion in Tennessee and eventually bought it out.[2] In the 1970s and early 1980s, Fuller expanded his territory from Tennessee to the Florida panhandle, naming it Southeastern Championship Wrestling and making it a "hot spot" for Southern wrestling.[2]
In the early 1980s, Fuller wore a mask and called himself the "Tennessee Stud". He teamed with his brother Robert and a cousin,
As the territory's owner, he created a new singles belt called the
In 1985, Fuller changed the name of the territory to
Over the next two years, Fuller and his stable tried unmasking Armstrong, but never succeeded. In a steel cage match, Armstrong locked Fuller in the figure-four and kept it clamped on.[11] The storyline was that the move broke Fuller's leg, giving him a storyline to retire as a wrestler. Still working as a manager, he brought in different wrestlers to the Stud Stable. In 1986, he hired Kevin Sullivan to unmask Armstrong, but Sullivan revealed he had used Fuller as a pawn to start his own faction. He brought in the New Guinea Headhunters, Sheik Abdul (Saudi Arabia), and Kris von Kolt (Germany). Fuller and the Stud Stable turned face and put their differences with The Bullet aside. The Bullet, the Armstrongs and the Stud Stable then formed an alliance to battle Sullivan and his clique.[11] Since Sullivan's faction were foreigners (kayfabe) who hated America, the alliance became American patriots. However, Sullivan brought up that Fuller could not wrestle because he was medically forced to retire, so Fuller set out to fluster Sullivan by donning his Tennessee Stud mask once again. In a throwback to Bob Armstrong's Bullet storyline, The Tennessee Stud arrived to wrestle on behalf of Ron Fuller.[2]
After the feud ended, Golden and Robert turned heel again, but Ron retired as a face. He made on and off again appearances on TV and at arena shows. However, he really worked behind the scenes. In 1988, he sold Continental Championship Wrestling (which became the Continental Wrestling Federation) and retired from the business.[3]
Throughout the 1990s, he helped bring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) shows to the old territory, but never worked full-time for the promotion. Following that he ran a series of shows in Knoxville at the Homer Hamilton Theater that ended up being a short-lived developmental area for WWE. Since then, Fuller retired to Tampa, Florida.[citation needed]
In 2017, Fuller started a podcast called the Studcast reliving his family history in professional wrestling.[12]
On January 25, 2020, Fuller returned to the ring at the age of 72 teaming with his cousin Jimmy Golden to defeat the Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien and Mike Patrick) at Continental Championship Wrestling in Dothan, Alabama.[13]
In 2020, he added a new chapter to his business accomplishments, that of author, when he released his first book titled "Brutus". Unlike previous wrestlers, this book wasn't about the business. It's a fictional adventure, about an African lion that escapes into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.[citation needed]
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League Exciting Award (1983) – with Barry Windham[14]
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- Mid-South Sports
- NWA Mid-America / Continental Wrestling Association
- AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[19][20]
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time)[19]
- NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Assassin[21]
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) – with Robert Fuller[22][23]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
References
- ^ "About | Tennessee Stud LLC".
- ^ ISBN 0-89689-267-0.
- ^ a b c Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.119)
- ^ "Briarcliff Barons: Baron Basketball".
- ^ "2010-11 University of Miami Mens' Basketball Media Guide by Miami Hurricanes - Issuu". November 23, 2010.
- ^ "Ron Welch". June 2, 2017.
- ^ "Jimmy Golden profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Stud Stable". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-89689-267-0.
- ^ "Home". tnstud.com.
- ^ "Matches « Ron Fuller « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Real World Tag League 1983 « Tournaments Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". Archived from the original on July 21, 2020.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Hoops, Brian (January 15, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/15): Big John Studd wins 1989 Royal Rumble". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA United States Tag Team Title (Mid-America)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 of the PWI Years: 370 Ron Fuller". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. May 21, 2003. p. 35. June 2003.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
External links
- Ron Fuller's profile at Cagematch.net