WCW and TNA Wrestler Sting

Without a doubt the most popular wrestler on this blog is WCW and TNA star Sting.

But no matter how cool the "Crow" Sting is...I always think about him like this first.....

WCW: Dennis Rodman

Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961, in Trenton, New Jersey) is an American former professional basketball player best known for his defensive and rebounding ability, leading the National Basketball Association in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and earning NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times. He is also well-known for his controversial antics on and off the court. He has been featured in several television and film roles.

When Rodman entered the NBA Draft in 1986, he was officially listed as 6'8" while playing one of the most physical positions in basketball at power forward. Despite often being matched at a height disadvantage, he became one of the most dominant rebounders in NBA history, and was also a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Rodman wrestled a few matches for World Championship Wrestling and was a member of the nWo with Hulk Hogan, a friend of his. There was much controversy because Rodman was red hot due to his Bulls career, and Hogan made sure to make the most of it, sticking close to Rodman during any publicity to insure he would receive some publicity himself. His first match was at the July 1997 Bash At the Beach event where he teamed with Hogan in a loss to Lex Luger and The Giant. He skipped practice with the Bulls to wrestle, infuriating both basketball fans, and Head Coach Phil Jackson. As a result he was fined by the NBA for skipping practice. At Bash At the Beach '98, Rodman & Hogan defeated Karl Malone & Diamond Dallas Page.

On July 2, 2004 - TNA Impact: Team Canada (Petey Williams & Bobby Rude & Eric Young) defeated 3-Live Krew w/Dennis Rodman..
Rodman sat at ringside and did absolutely nothing making his appearance virtually useless.
He reportedly showed up to the taping refusing to do any of the stuff pitched to him.

WCW: "Flyboy" Rocco Rock

Height: 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight: 251 lb (114 kg)
Birthday: September 1, 1953
Date of death: September 21, 2002 (Heart attack)
Hometown: Woodbridge, New Jersey
Resided: Middlesex, New Jersey
Billed from: Compton, California
Trainer: Afa Anoai
Debut: 1978
Previous identities: Colonel DeKlerk, The Cheetah Kid, "Flyboy" Rocco Rock, The Executioner

Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler better known as "Flyboy" Rocco Rock, one half of The Public Enemy.

Ted Petty started wrestling in 1986 as The Cheetah Kid after graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in nutrition and a brief boxing career.

In 1993, he used the name Rocco Rock and formed the team of The Public Enemy with Johnny Grunge in Extreme Championship Wrestling. They feuded with the "Gangstas" and won 4 ECW Tag Team Titles.

In 1996, they wrestled in World Championship Wrestling where they won the tag team titles and feuded with The Nasty Boys. They had many violent hardcore rules matches with them.

They were briefly in the World Wrestling Federation in 1999 and competed in the short-lived Xtreme Wrestling Federation as the "South Philly Posse" with Jasmin St. Claire as their manager.

Petty was competing as a singles wrestler in the independents when he died of a heart attack on September 21, 2002. He was 49 years old.

Every year IWA-MS celebrates him by holding the Ted Petty Invitational. Previous winners include AJ Styles and Matt Sydal.

Charlie Robinson

Charles Shane Robinson (born July 2, 1964) is an American professional wrestling referee. Robinson is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment.

While growing up, Robinson studied National Wrestling Alliance referee Tommy Young in order to hone his mannerisms as a referee. His professional wrestling career began when he joined the Pro Wrestling Federation as a photographer in 1993, supplementing his income by working as a salesman. In 1996, Robinson became a referee.

Robinson repeatedly petitioned the World Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion for a job, and in 1998 he was given a tryout match, refeering a dark bout between Chris Taylor and a jobber. Following the match, Robinson was signed to a contract by WCW.

In 1999, Robinson became the heel referee of the Four Horsemen, aligning himself with his childhood idol, Ric Flair. Robinson frequently favored the Horsemen in the matches he officiated, enraging Randy Savage. Savage, who had been suspended by Flair (then the WCW President), proposed a match between his girlfriend, Gorgeous George, and Robinson, with Savage to be reinstated if George defeated Robinson. The match, which marked Robinson's wrestling debut, took place at Slamboree 1999 on May 9, 1999. Robinson, dubbed "Little Naitch" (a reference to Flair's nickname, the "Nature Boy"), came to the ring in a robe similar to those worn by Flair, and mimicked Flair's mannerisms, signature strut and "wooo" catchphrase. Robinson emulated Flair throughout the match, using Flair's customary illegal tactics, but was defeated by George, who pinned him following a diving elbow drop. Robinson wrestled his second match one week later, teaming with Flair to face Randy Savage and Madusa on an episode of WCW Monday Nitro. In the course of the match, Savage delivered a botched diving elbow drop to Robinson, cracking several of his vertebrae and collapsing his lung. After undergoing treatment, Robinson returned to WCW television several weeks later, and was appointed Vice President of WCW by Flair. Flair and Robinson ruled WCW until they were unseated by Sting, with Robinson returning to his refereeing duties.

In 2000, Robinson appeared in the WCW-produced film "Ready to Rumble".

When WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001, Robinson was hired by the WWF. He debuted in the WWF as a member of The Alliance, bickering with WWF loyalist referee Jack Doan and accompanying senior WCW official Nick Patrick to ringside for his match at WWF Invasion on July 22, 2001. He refereed his first WWF match on July 2, 2001.

In 2002, the WWF was renamed "World Wrestling Entertainment", and the roster was divided between two "brands", RAW and SmackDown!. Robinson was initially assigned to RAW, but was later traded to SmackDown!, where he refereed many women's matches. On the July 1, 2004 episode of SmackDown!, Robinson was forced to wrestle Luther Reigns by General Manager Kurt Angle. However, the match was quickly stopped by Charlie Haas.

At No Mercy 2006, Robinson, who had refereed a match between Mr. Kennedy and The Undertaker, was on the end of a Tombstone Piledriver from the Undertaker after he had called for him to be disqualfied after hitting Mr. Kennedy with his United States title belt.

WCW: Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Part 6

In 2001, Jake Roberts moved to Great Britain, where he began competing for Brian Dixon's All-Star Wrestling. In December, he made his Pro Wrestling Debut for Ricky Knight's World Association of Wrestling in Lowestoft, teaming with Steve Quintain against the U.K. Pitbulls

On October 20, 2002, Jake Roberts became the NWA (UK) Hammerlock Heavyweight Champion in Maidstone, Kent, England by defeating "Vigilante" Johnny Moss. Moss defeated him for the title the next night in Ashford, Kent, England, though. In November 2002, Jake started his own wrestling promotion in the UK, called "Real Stars of Wrestling". Jake would later go on to open his own training school.

Jake's legal troubles continued, after he was accused of animal cruelty for leaving the snakes at his house unfed for several months. One python subsequently died from starvation. Jake was fined £800 and was banned from keeping animals in the U.K.

Jake would later return to action for the World Association of Wrestling and became a regular on their shows again. He would also go on to compete for the Ultimate Wrestling Alliance, owned by Paul Tyrell and Phil Powers.

In February 2004, Jake wrestled for Wrestle Zone Wrestling, who are the leading wrestling promotion in the North-east of England. Jake headlined WZW's first sellout tour of Scotland and Carlisle. The tour would bring about even more controversy to Jake's already controversial career. On the night of the first show in Dumfries, Jake got into a backstage confrontation with established UK wrestler Alex Shane. Alex, after being taunted by Jake, attacked the legendary wrestler. Alex later said that he couldn't take anymore of Jake's insults and felt it necessary to hit Jake. Jake, after a warning by then-WZW owner Gary Graham went out and faced the UK Hardcore Icon Iceman. Jake won via his patented DDT. The next night at the Lakes Court Hotel in Carlisle, Jake lost his match to Phil Powers, but on the afternoon show Jake would get his revenge, when he beat Powers in what has been described as Jake's best match this side of the Atlantic.

Amazingly, Jake was later booked by Alex Shane on an FWA show as a late replacement for Steve Corino, who had been unable to attend the show because of flight problems.

During 2004, Jake caused further controversy by entering into a relationship with a female trainee of his, with whom he lived for six months, and who later went on to become popular UK-based wrestler, Aphrodite.

Jake made a WWE appearance on March 14, 2005 on RAW, where he confronted Randy Orton, who was preparing to challenge the Undertaker at WrestleMania 21. Roberts warned Orton that facing The Undertaker, particularly at WrestleMania, could be a soul-altering experience; he then fell victim to Orton's signature "RKO," helping to fuel Orton's "Legend Killer" gimmick. He worked with the company to create a DVD retrospective of his career, which was released later that year.

Jake made an appearance on the October 19, 2006 edition of TNA iMPACT!, and announced he would referee the Monster's Ball match between Brother Runt, Abyss, Raven and Samoa Joe at Bound for Glory. He had a snake in a bag. Whether this was supposed to be Lucifer is unknown. At TNA Bound For Glory on October 22, 2006, he performed a DDT on Raven, giving Samoa Joe the win in the Monster's Ball match.

WCW: Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Part 5

His single WCW pay-per-view match was against Sting at Halloween Havoc in 1992, after picking their match via a wheel, which was inspired by the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. There was a series of gimmick matches on the wheel, but because the wheel wasn't gimmicked, it landed on what many pundits believed was the worst option - The Coal Miner's Glove Match. However, it was the company's top-selling PPV for several years, but Jake soon left WCW after his wife gave him an ultimatum to either focus on his career or on his family. The couple would divorce not long afterwards.

Jake returned to the WWF at the Royal Rumble in 1996, as a Bible-preaching face (his new snake was named “Revelations”). Roberts claimed to be a changed man who regretted his past, although some in the industry felt he was holding religious seminars as a way to make money rather than out of genuine faith.

Roberts was pushed as a "Cinderella story" and faced Steve Austin in the final match of the King of the Ring tournament. Austin won, and as Roberts was helped to the back, Austin mocked the Snake's recital of the biblical passage John 3:16, saying "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!". King of the Ring 96 was the Stone Cold Steve Austin story, and "Austin 3:16" became a catchphrase that helped propel Austin to the top of the WWF and pro wrestling for the next three years.

Jake feuded with Jerry "The King" Lawler, who went to great lengths to ridicule Jake's past bouts against alcoholism. Later, Roberts and Lawler both said this angle was uncomfortable for them; at one point Lawler spat real whiskey at Roberts.

Roberts was fired from the WWF in 1997 for failing to show up for work during a series of house shows, as a result of an ongoing lapse in his sobriety. He competed briefly in Mexico, where he was shaved bald by Konnan, and began appearing in the independent circuit in the U.S. and Great Britain, largely out of the view of most wrestling fans.

Jake got a high amount of Internet buzz in 1999 as a candidate to be The Undertaker's 'Higher Power'. When Vince McMahon was revealed to be the one, he specifically cited on the air the speculation over Roberts.

1999 featured two notorious incidents showcasing the depths that Roberts' drug and alcohol addiction had sunk to.

Jake was unflatteringly featured in the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat. Throughout the film he made numerous confessions about his tragic past, including the murder of his sister and the collapse of his marriage. Amongst the more disturbing moments was Roberts reportedly smoking crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his daughter Brandy, though the act is not shown on camera. In 2005, Jake, along with others, heavily criticized the film for showing him in a negative light, complaining that the depiction of him was "not the real Jake Roberts". Roberts also claimed that director Barry Blaustein and Terry Funk lied to him about the aims of the film, telling him it was a television special on the effects of drug and alcohol abuse

Also in 1999, at a Independent PPV show entitled Heroes of Wrestling, Jake cut a rambling, incoherent promo in which he heavily slurred his words. Minutes later, he staggered toward the ring, apparently drunk, for an awkward match with Jim Neidhart, at one point even asking a hesitant female fan at ringside to fondle his pectoral muscles. During the match, when Jake's snake wriggled free from the bag, he waved the snake toward the audience while it was protruding from his crotch.

WCW: Scotty Riggs

Ring name(s) Kendo the Samurai,Riggs,Scotty Anton,Scotty Riggs,Scott Stud
Billed height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Billed weight 249 lb (113 kg)
Born March 1, 1969,Atlanta, Georgia
Trained by Ted Allen
Pro Wrestling Debut 1992

Scott Antol (born March 1, 1969 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Scotty Riggs and with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as Scotty Anton.

Antol Pro Wrestling Debuted in 1992 using the name Scott Stud. In the early 1990s he worked for various independent promotions, including the North Georgia Wrestling Association (a WCW developmental territory), Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association.

Antol was signed by WCW in 1995 and renamed Scotty Riggs. He formed a tag team with Marcus Bagwell known as The American Males. On the September 18, 1995 episode of WCW Monday Nitro, reigning WCW Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat ambushed the Blue Bloods, the Males' scheduled opponents, and challenged the Males to an impromptu match. Riggs and Bagwell were victorious, and held the titles until September 27, 1995 when Harlem Heat defeated them to reclaim the titles.

The American Males separated in November of 1996 when Bagwell turned heel, attacking Riggs and joining the New World Order. The former partners feuded for several months, with Bagwell normally prevailing. Riggs also formed a short-lived tag team with former Rock and Roll Express member Robert Gibson.

In October 1997, Raven began trying to recruit Antol into his Flock. On October 27, 1997 in an attempt to "persuade" Antol to join him, Raven injured Antol's eye, forcing him to wear an eyepatch. After Antol was rendered unconscious in the match he lost to Raven at the 1997 World War 3 pay-per-view on November 23, Raven decided he wanted to take possession of Antol and leave with him. They pulled Antol from the ring and Flock member Perry Saturn slung Antol over his shoulder and carried him single-handedly out of the arena as the rest of the Flock followed. Antol became a member of The Flock, and shortened his name to Riggs. Raven explained that Riggs, whose ocular disability had alienated him from society, had sought acceptance within the Flock. Antol remained within the Flock as one of Raven's lackeys until Perry Saturn defeated Raven at Fall Brawl: War Games on September 13, 1998, "freeing" the Flock.

After leaving the Flock, Antol became a narcissistic wrestler who would constantly admire his physique. The gimmick was not particularly successful, and Antol was eventually released.

Antol Pro Wrestling Debuted in ECW in 2000 as Scotty Anton, aligning with his friend Rob Van Dam. At Hardcore Heaven on May 14, 2000, Antol betrayed Van Dam, knocking him off the top rope and down to the floor, allowing Jerry Lynn to pin him, thus ending his lengthy undefeated streak. Antol then joined The Network (a heel stable led by Don Callis which claimed to represent the interests of TNN, ECW's television network), acting as a hired gun. Van Dam gained revenge at ECW Heat Wave on July 16, 2000 where he defeated Antol by Pro Wrestling Debuting his Van Terminator.

After ECW declared bankruptcy in April 2001, Antol returned to the independent circuit. He found his greatest success in Dusty Rhodes's Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion, where he was a three time TCW Heavyweight Champion.

http://www.squidoo.com/womenswrestling/
http://www.squidoo.com/pro-wrestling/
http://www.squidoo.com/femalewrestling

WCW: Stevie Richards

Ring name(s) Steve Richards,Stevie Richards,Big Stevie Cool,Steven Richards
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Billed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Born October 9, 1971,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Trained by Mike Sharpe
Pro Wrestling Debut: February 25, 1992

Michael Manna (born October 9th, 1971) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its ECW brand. Best known by his ring name, Steven "Stevie" Richards, Manna has previously worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and, briefly, World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Stevie Richards was trained at Iron Mike Sharps wrestling school in Brick, New Jersey after being discovered by Dan Haney of the World Wide Wrestling Alliance based out of Colmar/Hatfield PA.

On February 25, 1992, Steven Richards had the honor of being one of the participants in the first ever ECW match, in a 20-minute time limit draw with Jimmy Jannetty.

Before the arrival of Raven in ECW, "Dancin'" Stevie Richards had a 'meta-gimmick' of mockingly adopting the persona of other wrestlers.

ECW announcer/color commentator Joey Styles frequently described the Richards character as a "clueless putz".

When it was announced that Scott Levy, then known by relatively lightweight gimmicks (ie, Scotty 'the Body' Anthony, Scotty Flamingo, and Johnny Polo), was coming to ECW, Richards began adopting and mocking those gimmicks. One of the first things Levy did in ECW in his new gimmick as Raven was thrash "Stevie Flamingo" soundly.

From that point out, Steven Richards acted as a flunkie for Raven in ECW, calling him "Boss".

After a dog collar match against The Pitbulls, which Richards lost, Stevie was thought of as a major superstar. Raven was in the locker room for most of that match.

Richards was also part of the bWo, a parody of the nWo. At one point, he hinted that he was bringing the band KISS [1] to perform. It ended up being the bWo in KISS regalia, lip-synching. This was quickly 'cleaned up' by The Sandman.

The highlight of his ECW career was perhaps participating in the main event of the first ECW pay-per-view, Barely Legal. He wrestled Terry Funk and The Sandman in a Three Way Dance to determine the number one contender to the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

Richards would also do a telephone line for ECW under the name, Lloyd Van Buren. However, he would not wrestle under that name.

In May of 1997, Stevie suffered a neck injury so severe that he announced his retirement, before miraculously recovering and signing with WCW. Many people, especially Paul Heyman, debate the legitimacy of the injury to this day. Stevie wrestled briefly as a member of Raven's Flock but failed his physical exams and left WCW in October of the same year. Sevie commented on the Rise And Fall Of ECW DVD that Raven had told him that he was only there to be his "f*cking lackey", and that he would get him fired if he pushed for more of a larger role, knowing both would suffer for demanding more than what was above their current status.

WCW: "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, Part 2

Rich then returned to the Memphis area, where he formed a team with Eddie Gilbert known as "Fargo's Fabulous Ones". The previous Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn and Stan Lane, walked out on the territory. They held the AWA Southern Tag Team titles in 1984, then dropped them to Phil Hickerson and the Spoiler (Frank Morrell). Afterwards, Gilbert turned heel and Rich and he had a brief, but intense feud, which memorably began on television when the two were presented with a "Tag Team of the Year" award by announcer Lance Russell and two guests. Gilbert, unaware his former partner was at the taping, badmouthed Rich, then the International Heavyweight Champion, until Rich came out to confront him. Rich immediately got the upper hand, running Gilbert into the steel ringpost several times, bloodying him in the process before the cameras went to a commercial. After the commercial break, Gilbert told Russell he wanted Rich to come back out so he could apologize to him in person, stating he was wrong for still being bitter about the break-up of the team, and was fueled by jealousy of Rich's championship title reign and new found star status. When Rich accepted Gilbert's apology, Gilbert suddenly turned on him and, in front of a stunned audience and a speechless Russell, rammed Rich's head into the ringpost, just as Rich had done to him moments earlier.

After competing in Southeast Championship Wrestling, Rich would again return to the Memphis area in 1987 and contribute to one of the greatest feuds in wrestling history. Austin Idol vs. Jerry Lawler went on for over a year and culminated in a hair vs. hair match at the Mid-South Coliseum. Rich hid under the ring for the entire event only to emerge during the cage match, causing Lawler to lose the match and his hair, which led to a heel turn for Rich. After Bill Dundee later joined the feud on Lawler's side, it would climax with a tag team scaffold match that saw Lawler and Dundee emerge victorious and Paul E. Dangerously, Rich and Idol's manager, suffer a broken arm when he fell off the scaffold trying to escape from the fan favorites. From there, Rich went to the AWA and turned face again, engaging in feuds with Adrian Adonis and Kevin Kelly; in one memorable event that took place on ESPN's AWA Championship Wrestling, Rich and Kelly faced off in an arm-wrestling challenge when Sherri Martel, Kelly's manager, interfered on her protégé's behalf, leading Rich to retaliate by tearing off Martel's dress and leaving her in her underwear.

In 1989, Rich returned to the Georgia area. The National Wrestling Alliance, having been bought by Ted Turner in late 1988, was in the middle of a face lift and Rich was part of a host of veteran wrestlers to enter the promotion during this period. At first he was referred to as "former NWA World Champion", etc., but was soon relegated to midcard status. The push received by big names like Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk and young talent like Brian Pillman and Great Muta, essentially bumped older talent like Rich, the The Iron Sheik and Wild Bill Irwin to the fringe.

Rich would mount an unsuccessful challenge to NWA US Champion Lex Luger in a series of title matches during this time period. He even dropped a match to the much older and soon to be retired Harley Race at the Great American Bash in July 1990. Despite this, Rich continued to work the mid-card, primarily as a singles wrestler, through 1990. He even lost a significant amount of weight, which helped to revive a little bit of interest in his career.

In 1991, in another attempt to revive his career, he joined Alexandra York's York Foundation and became "Thomas Rich". He teamed with the other members, Terrence Taylor and Richard Morton to win the WCW Six-Man Titles.

When the York Foundation disbanded in early 1992, he became a heel jobber until he left WCW for the independent circuit. From 1993 to 1996, he wrestled for the USWA and Smoky Mountain Wrestling mostly as a heel. In 1995 he attempted to regain the NWA World title, now relegated to independent status, from Dan Severn, but was unsuccessful.

He next went to ECW in 1996 as the "Big Don" Tommy Rich and joined the Full Blooded Italians (FBI), a heel group that included Little Guido and Tracy Smothers. He left ECW sometime in 2000 and has been wrestling in the independents ever since.

Richards had a cousin who also wrestled, Johnny "Crash" Rich. Davey Rich was billed as a cousin but was a former Jarrett Promotions preliminary wrestler named David Haskins.

WCW: "Wildfire" Tommy Rich

Ring name(s) Tommy Richardson,Mr. R,Tommy Rich,Thomas Rich,The Big Don
Billed height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Billed weight 248 lb (112 kg)
Born July 26, 1956,Hendersonville, Tennessee
Trained by Jerry Jarrett,Jerry Lawler,Dick Steinborn,Tojo Yamamoto
Pro Wrestling Debut 1974

Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956), better known by his ring name, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, is a professional wrestler. He is best known for his wrestling career in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s.

Tommy "Wildfire" Rich started wrestling in 1974 in the regional promotions in Tennessee. Throughout the 1980s, he alternated his time between Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama territories of the NWA. He won dozens of NWA regional titles during this time. He is best known as one of the original stars of the TBS wrestling shows from the 70s and 80s. His bloody feuds with "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer, Ole Anderson, Ivan Koloff, the Fabulous Freebirds, and every other major heel to come through the Georgia territory made Rich one of the most popular wrestling stars of the period.

On April 27, 1981, in Augusta, Georgia, he became one of the youngest NWA World Heavyweight Champions in pro wrestling history. He dropped the belt back to former champion Harley Race four days later in Marietta. Many who follow wrestling couldn't understand the logic in the short title reign, although it was believed to give Rich a rub as a title challenger while at the same time leading the fans to believe that a world title might change hands at any time.

He had a memorable and bloody feud in Georgia Championship Wrestling with "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer for the NWA Georgia National Title. The feud lasted close to two years and culminated in 1983 in the "Last Battle of Atlanta," which featured Sawyer and Rich in a fully enclosed, Last Man Standing cage match, which Rich won to blow off the feud. This match / cage is rumored to be the inspiration behind WWE's Hell in a Cell match. Sawyer and Rich tried forming a team for a short period of time afterwards to feud a new team called the Road Warriors. The team didn't last very long, and Sawyer went to the WWF and later Florida Championship Wrestling, and Rich was directed into a feud with Ted Dibiase.

WCW: Johnny Rich

Wrestler: Johnny Rich
Real Name: Rod Wilsford
Birthday: November 21, 1958
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Marital Status: Single
Height & Weight: 6'1" - 245 lbs
Trained by: Tojo Yamamoto
Wrestling Debut: : 1978

Johnny Rich (born John Richardson on November 21, 1956 in Hendersonville, Tennessee) is an American professional wrestler. He is the cousin of wrestler Tommy Rich.

Rich started wrestling in 1976 in Alabama's Southeast Championship Wrestling under the name Roy Rogers. He soon changed his name to "Johnny Rich" because his cousin, Tommy Rich, was very popular with the fans.

He achieved some success as a member of the "Rat Patrol" with Scott and Steve Armstrong. The Rat Patrol feuded with Ron Fuller's Stud Stable, which included Arn Anderson in the early 1980s.

In the mid-1980s, Rich wrestled in Southeast Championship Wrestling with his cousin Tommy and Steve Armstrong, feuding with Robert Fuller's version of the Stud Stable. He lost a "loser-leaves-town" match to them and came back as a masked wrestler called The Intern.

In 1987, Rich wrestled in the American Wrestling Association and called himself Johnny "Crash" Rich. He had some mid-level success there as a baby-face.

In the late 1980s, he wrestled in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions where he teamed with his cousin Tommy and his "brother", Davey Rich.

In the early 1990s, he was a jobber in World Championship Wrestling on WCW Saturday Night.

He retired in the mid-1990s but came back in 2004 to work on the independent circuit in the Alabama area, where he can still be found today.

WCW: "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, Part 3

In late 2005, Rhodes signed a WWE Legends deal and was brought onto the Creative Team as a "creative consultant", starting on September 8, 2005. He made an appearance on WWE Homecoming in which he, along with other legends, beat up the young and cocky Rob Conway, to whom Rhodes delivered a Bionic elbow.

He made sporadic televised appearances after Homecoming, including one on June 19, 2006 to promote his recently released DVD teasing him becoming General Manager of RAW. On October 23, 2006 he returned to television to be in the corner of Ric Flair during Flair's match with Kenny of The Spirit Squad.

He was among the three choices of tag team partners for Ric Flair in his match at Cyber Sunday against the Spirit Squad for the World Tag Team Championship. In the end Roddy Piper was picked and won the title with Flair.

On the November 20, 2006 episode of "RAW," Rhodes defeated Spirit Squad member Nicky with an elbow drop in a short bout.

At Survivor Series 2006, he participated in a 4 on 4 Survivor Series match which pitted himself along with Ron Simmons, Sgt. Slaughter, and Ric Flair, against the Spirit Squad. Rhodes team was victorious.

On the February 12, 2007 taping of RAW it was announced that Dusty Rhodes will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007.

A three-DVD collection titled The American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story was released by WWE Home Video on June 6, 2006. It features a retrospective of Rhodes' life, 25 matches (not all full matches) spanning his entire career, and over 40 of his interviews.

Jakks Pacific released two WWE Classic Superstars action figures of Rhodes in 2006. The first was attired in black trunks reminiscent of his 1980s appearance in the NWA. This figure was a part of the WWE Classic Superstars Series 10. The second figure was attired in his yellow and black polka dot outfit from his 1989-1991 WWF run and included a removable headband, tanktop, and nightstick. This figure was released boxed as an internet store exclusive.

A third Dusty Rhodes figure in the WWE Classic Superstars line is slated for release in 2007 as part of the lines 13th series. The figure will be clad in red tights and its appearance (including hair style) will be based on Rhodes' look in the 1970s.

Mike Jones's Virgil character in the World Wrestling Federation was named, by Bobby Heenan, as an inside joke on Dusty's real name. When Jones jumped to World Championship Wrestling, Heenan continued the joke by having his characters name made "Vincent", in reference to WWF owner Vince McMahon. The joke continued later in WCW when Jones changed his name again, this time to Shane, the same as Vince's son's, Shane McMahon.

When Ric Flair left for WWE in 1991, taking the WCW Title with him, his old Florida Heavyweight Championship belt was used as a replacement at The Great American Bash for the title match between Lex Luger and Barry Windham until a replacement could be made.

In storylines featured in the WWE video game SmackDown! vs RAW 2006, an obscure stipulation on a World Heavyweight Championship match that forces the title to not change hands is named "The Virgil Runnels Amendment", a reference to the Dusty finish.

During an interview on WWE's The American Dream DVD set, Rhodes claims that his most popular promo of all time was his "Hard Times" interview during his feud with Ric Flair. The promo -- which references out of work steel workers, factory runners and other blue collar individuals -- apparently resonated so strongly with wrestling fans that people came to him in arenas in tears to thank him for honoring their plight.

Outkast's Andre 3000 makes a reference to Dusty Rhodes and his signature Bionic Elbow on the title track off their 1994 debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

He has two sons that are professional wrestlers, Virgil Runnels III (best known as Goldust or Dustin Rhodes) and Cody Runnels.

WCW: "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, Part 2

He was fired from Jim Crockett Promotions because of a taboo on-screen bloodletting during an altercation with The Road Warriors. Rhodes bladed himself while Road Warrior Hawk took a spike from his outfit and "jammed" it in Dusty's eye. It looked very vivid at the time (even though it was planned out), and it infuriated then-owner of WCW, Ted Turner. Rhodes was then fired from WCW. Following this, Rhodes returned to Florida to compete in Florida Championship Wrestling, where he captured the PWF Heavyweight title, and also returned to the AWA for a few appearances.

Rhodes came to the WWF as the yellow polka-dotted "Common Man" Dusty Rhodes, a gimmick some felt was intended to humiliate him. He was managed by Sapphire. During his time in the WWF, Rhodes was embroiled in a heated feud with Randy Savage and his manager/partner Sensational Queen Sherri who in turn found a rival in Sapphire. After a particularly intense confrontation between the two couples, Savage's girlfriend Miss Elizabeth allied herself with Rhodes and Sapphire and was instrumental in helping them win the WWF's first mixed tag-team match during WrestleMania VI. However, Sapphire left Rhodes during SummerSlam 1990 for The Million-Dollar Man's money, which resulted in a feud with the latter.

Rhodes later returned to WCW and joined the broadcast team, usually working with Tony Schiavone on WCW Saturday Night. He would be paired with Schiavone and Bobby Heenan on pay-per-views.

Rhodes was originally on the side of WCW in its battle with the nWo. At Souled Out 1998, Larry Zbyszko asked Rhodes, who was working the PPV broadcast, to accompany him to the ring for his match against Scott Hall. Zbyszko won the match by disqualification due to interference by the nWo, but in the postmatch melee Rhodes turned on Zbyszko and joined the nWo in a shocking moment that actually forced Schiavone off the broadcast in shock; he would later return, ripping Rhodes for his actions for most of the rest of the night (kayfabe).

He eventually left WCW and went to ECW where he put over former ECW Champion, "King of Old School" Steve Corino. Rhodes returned once more to WCW, re-igniting his feud with Ric Flair.

He appeared on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling shows, becoming the Director of Authority at their November 7 pay-per-view, TNA Victory Road 2004. At the same time, Rhodes became a true powerhouse behind the scenes of TNA, acting as head booker and writer. In May 2005, TNA President Dixie Carter asked Rhodes to move onto a creative team, which would have included several other names, including Jeremy Borash, Bill Banks and Scott D'Amore. Rhodes balked and resigned as booker, waiting out the rest of his contract with TNA, which expired soon after.

For several years, Rhodes operated Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, a small Georgia-based promotion. Rhodes' son, Virgil Runnels III, known in wrestling as Dustin Rhodes, followed his father into the business, most notably as the eccentric WWE character Goldust.

WCW: "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes

Ring name(s) Dusty Rhodes
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (185 cm)
Billed weight 288 lb (131 kg)
Born October 12, 1945, Austin, Texas
Resides Brooksville, Florida
Trained by Joe Blanchard
Pro Wrestling Debut 1968

"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes (born Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. on October 12, 1945 in Austin Texas) is an American professional wrestler. Rhodes currently works with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Rhodes started his career as a rule-breaking heel, tagging with fellow Texan Dick Murdoch to form the tag team The Texas Outlaws in the American Wrestling Association. Many wrestling fans do not know that the beloved "American Dream" was once the hated "'Dirty' Dusty Rhodes". In 1974, Rhodes turned face after turning on tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike :Graham, leading him to break out as a solo babyface superstar, primarily in Florida, referring to himself as "Stardust", the "White Soul King", and the "American Dream", a working class hero. Rhodes ascended to the top of several National Wrestling Alliance promotions in Florida (where he also wrestled wearing a mask as The Midnight Rider), Georgia, and eventually with Jim Crockett Promotions in the Mid-Atlantic, which was the forerunner of World Championship Wrestling. Here, he formed teams with Manny Fernandez, Magnum T.A. as "America's Team" and Nikita Koloff as The Super Powers. Rhodes was a World 6-Man Tag Team Champion with the Road Warriors. Currently, Rhodes is working as a booker for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Rhodes had legendary feuds with stars such as Abdullah The Butcher, Pak Song, Terry Funk,Kevin Sullivan, Blackjack Mulligan, Nikita Koloff, Harley Race, "Superstar" Billy Graham, "Crippler" Ray Stevens and most notably, The Four Horsemen (especially Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard). Rhodes, Flair, and Race each fought each other many times over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Rhodes won the NWA World Title three times; twice by defeating Race (in 1979 and 1981) and once by defeating Flair (1986).

Rhodes also was a booker for WCW (which was then known as Jim Crockett Promotions) while they were competing with the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment) after he won the Television Title in 1985. He is credited with inventing many of the WCW pay-per-view names and gimmicks, such as War Games, BattleBowl, and Lethal Lottery.

The term Dusty Finish refers to one of Rhodes' favorite techniques, ending a match in controversy after the referee is knocked unconscious.

WCW - Dustin Runnels

Virgil Riley Runnels III (born April 11th, 1966; often called Dustin Runnels) is an American professional wrestler who has competed in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He is probably best-known for his WWE character Goldust, a sexually ambiguous movie star. He has also wrestled as Dustin Rhodes in WWE, WCW, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is the son of Dusty Rhodes, one of the best-known wrestlers of the 1970s and 1980s.

Dustin Rhodes received his first National exposure in The World Wrestling Federation in the later part of 1990. In December of 1990, Dustin Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase in a 10-minute challenge match on WWF television. Then at the Royal Rumble on January 19, 1991 Dustin Rhodes and his father, Dusty Rhodes were defeated by Ted DiBiase and his kayfabe bodyguard, Virgil in a tag-team match.

In February 1991, Runnels went to World Championship Wrestling, where he feuded with Larry Zbysko at the mid-card level. In April, Alexandra York offered him to join her heel York Foundation stable, but he turned her down. This started a feud with Foundation member Terrence Taylor that lasted several months. York, in reality, was Runnels' first wife, Terri.

At different times, he had Barry Windham, Sting, Ricky Steamboat and Nikita Koloff as his tag partners.

October 1992 saw him reform his team with Windham to again win the Tag Team Titles. In November, Windham turned on him and started a brief feud.

In January 1993, he won the United States Title and also began a feud with Rick Rude that would run through August. In October, he started feuding with Paul Orndorff and Steve Austin over the title, eventually losing it to Austin in December.

He became involved in a feud with Bunkhouse Buck and Col. Robert Parker in March 1994. Parker eventually brought in Terry Funk and Arn Anderson to feud with Dustin. Dustin brought in his father, Dusty, who had a previous long lasting feud with Funk, to help him. This feud lasted until December when Parker brought in The Blacktop Bully to feud with Dustin. Dustin and the Bully were both fired in March 1995 when they both "bladed" (cut themselves) during the King of the Road Match at the Uncensored 1995 PPV after they were told not to.

In September 1995, Runnels made his debut in the WWF as Goldust. He would wear a gold colored jumpsuit and face paint along with a platinum blonde wig (over his short platinum blond hair) and play "mind games" with opponents. His primary psychological tactic was to make opponents think he was homosexual, usually by groping them and expressing affection. At the same time a major rift had grown between him and his father, supposedly over his marriage to Terri.

When Runnels left WWF he took some time off, patched up his differences with his father (the two had not spoken for years) and rejoined WCW, starring in several vignettes (in August 1999) as a strange, white face painted dream villain, Seven. After seeing several of the promos that aired for the Seven character, Turner Standards and Practices thought that people would mistake his gimmick for that of a child predator, so they dropped the gimmick before he even wrestled. When he actually debuted in the ring, he took the Seven suit off and cut a promo on stupid gimmicks. He became Dustin Rhodes again and feuded with Jeff Jarrett. During this time he referred to himself as "The American Nightmare", a play on his father's "American Dream" nickname.

He feuded with Terry Funk in early 2000 after turning on him and was given time off due to differences with Vince Russo. He had gotten himself into trouble with Russo while appearing on the Internet radio program, WCW Live! when he made many disparaging remarks towards the WCW Creative team and Russo in particular, calling him a "sawed-off midget" and an "asshole". He came back in February 2001 to help his father feud with Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett. When Vince McMahon bought WCW a month later, he did not acquire Dustin's contract.

WCW: Renegade

Ring name(s) Rio, Lord of the Jungle,Renegade
Billed height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Billed weight 255 lb (116 kg)
Born October 16, 1965,Atlanta, Georgia
Died February 23, 1999
Billed from Parts Unknown
Trained by Terry Taylor,Jody Hamilton,WCW Power Plant
Debut 1992

Richard C. Williams (October 16, 1965 - February 23, 1999) was an American professional wrestler, better known as Renegade.

Rick Williams began wrestling in 1992 after a stint as a male stripper. He went by the name Rio, Lord of the Jungle but achieved no real success on the independent circuit.

Williams's career peaked in 1995 when he was hired by World Championship Wrestling. During early 1995, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were involved in the main-event feud with a group called the Dungeon of Doom who consisted of various wrestlers. For a big upcoming tag team match Hogan and Savage began claiming that their mystery partner would be "the Ultimate Surprise" and showing a silhouette of a man with long hair and tassels tied to his arms, implying that the Ultimate Warrior was the man in question. When the day arrived out ran a very familiar-looking man to very familiar-sounding theme music. He was called The Renegade, billed by Hogan as "the man that's gonna bring Hulkamania into the 21st Century", and wrestled in the exact same style as the Ultimate Warrior.

Managed by Jimmy Hart, Williams soon overran many heels and eventually won the WCW Television Championship from Arn Anderson. By this stage, however, the real Ultimate Warrior had appeared in several wrestling magazines, dispelling the belief of some fans that Williams was the Ultimate Warrior, forced to wrestle under a new name (like John Tenta, Ed Leslie and Ray Traylor) due to his original name being trademarked by the World Wrestling Federation, which the court sided in favor of Warrior. Renegade's fanbase quickly evaporated, he dropped the Television Championship to Diamond Dallas Page. During the November 6, 1995 edition of Nitro, Renegade was buried on TV by a heel Jimmy Hart when Hart "re-possessed" the gimmick saying, "You're not a Renegade! You're just plain Rick!". He then receded into the background.

Over the next two years, Williams was steadily de-pushed, eventually languishing as a jobber on the WCW "b-shows" WCW Thunder and WCW Saturday Night and put in a feud with former tag team partner and jobber Joe Gomez that went nowhere. He was used as a stunt double for the Ultimate Warrior when he joined WCW for a short period in 1998. WCW opted not to renew Williams's contract in late 1998 and Williams, severely depressed, committed suicide in February 1999. Arn Anderson, who initially put him over, would lament his death in an interview saying that too much was expected of him by WCW being where he was in his wrestling career to be pushed to the level of Hogan.