Rufus R. Jones
Rufus R. Jones | |
---|---|
St. Louis, Missouri | |
Debut | 1969 |
Retired | 1988 |
Carey L. Lloyd (July 4, 1933 – November 13, 1993), also known by his ring name Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones, was an American professional wrestler. He competed in the Central States, St. Louis and Mid-Atlantic regional promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance as well as the American Wrestling Association and All Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Lloyd was born in Clio, South Carolina, and as a young boy, moved to a tenant home in Dillon.[2] He also worked as a carpenter and attended South Carolina State University, where he played on the football team.[2] He also got involved with boxing and competed as a Golden Gloves boxer,[3][4] amassing a 32–3 record.[5]
Professional wrestling career
Lloyd trained to become a wrestler at the Tony Santos Boston Wrestling School.
He made his professional wrestling debut in 1969, working in Eastern Canada for Grand Prix Wrestling in the Maritimes and International Wrestling in Montreal. In 1969, he wrestled in Japan for the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance. Lloyd later adopted the ring name of Rufus R. Jones, and was nicknamed "Freight Train", which was also the name of his finisher consisting of two shoulder blocks followed by a headbutt.[2][8][5] In interviews, he would tell opponents that his middle initial, R, stood for "guts".[3][4][8] He formed a tag team with Burrhead Jones, who was billed as his cousin.[3]
Jones then moved to Missouri to work for
Between 1972 and 1982, he worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling. He also had a short stint in Florida for Southeastern Championship Wrestling, winning the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship.[12] Jones wrestled his final match in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council (Capitol Sports Promotions), on September 10, 1988, at A Hot Night in Bayamon, where he and Jimmy Valiant defeated The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) by disqualification.[13]
Personal life
Carey Lloyd was married to Brooksie Jones Lloyd for thirty years.
On November 13, 1993, Lloyd died of a heart attack while hunting deer in Brunswick, Missouri; he was 60 years old.[3][2][14] He had a wide number of lodge members and fans at his funeral, and masonic rituals were performed at the viewing of his body prior to burial.[8]
Championships and accomplishments
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[15]
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bob Brown (1 time), Dewey Robertson (1 time), and Mike George (1 time)[16]
- NWA Central States Television Championship (1 time)[17]
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (5 times) – with Danny Little Bear (1 time), Steve Bolus (1 time), The Stomper (1 time), and Bob Geigel (2 times)[9][10]
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- Professional wrestling
- World Negro Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[22]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 477 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
- Pro Wrestling This Week
- Wrestler of the Week (November 1–7, 1987)[23]
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- WWE
References
- ^ a b "ルーファス・ジョーンズ / レスラーノート (Rufus R. Jones / Wrestler Notes)" (in Japanese). ダークロHP. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
- ^ ISBN 9781770902695.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mooneyham, Mike (November 8, 1991). "Rufus R. Jones : The 'R' Stood For 'Guts'". The Wrestling Gospel. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1465497871.
- ^ a b c "Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones". WWE. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- )
- ^ a b Martin, William C. "Friday Night in the Coliseum". The Atlantic Online. Archived from the original on June 26, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Rufus R. Jones profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b c "NWA North American Tag Team Title (Central States)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c "NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "Anniversary 1988: A Hot Night in Bayamon results". Pro Wrestling History. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ISBN 1-893680-03-7.
- ^ "NWA Central States Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "NWA Central States Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "NWA Central States Television Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "NWA Georgia Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Bourne, Dick. "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling: The Definitive History of the Mid-Atlantic Championship". Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/WCW)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "World Colored Heavyweight Title (Kentucky)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- Atlanta, Georgia. Syndicated. WATL.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees". WWE. April 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-7434-5691-2
- ISBN 1-58261-818-6
- Shoot with Slick. Perf. Ken Johnson. DVD. Highspots.com, 2006.
External links
- Rufus R. Jones at Find a Grave
- Rufus R. Jones on WWE.com
- Rufus R. Jones's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database