Rufus R. Jones
| Rufus R. Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
July 4, 1933 Dillon, South Carolina, United States |
| Died |
November 13, 1993 (aged 60) Kansas City, Missouri |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rufus R. Jones |
| Billed from | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Debut | 1969 |
| Retired | 1987 |
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 who competed in the Central States and Mid-Atlantic regional promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance as well as the American Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life
Lloyd grew up in Dillon, South Carolina and attended South Carolina State University, where he played on the football team. He also got involved with boxing and competed as a Golden Gloves boxer.[1]
Career
Early career
Lloyd trained to become a wrestler at the Tony Santos Boston Wrestling School.[2] At the beginning of his career, he used the ring name Buster Lloyd, the Harlem Hangman. He claimed to have learned how to fight on the corner of Lenox Avenue and 125th Street in Harlem.[3] In this gimmick, he wrestled in Texas and criticized the local wrestlers as being inferior fighters to someone who grew up on the streets. He feuded with Tiger Conway, Sr., who emerged the victor in the feud.[3]
Lloyd later adopted the ring name of Rufus R. Jones, nicknamed "Freight Train". In interviews, he would tell opponents that his middle initial, R, stood for "guts".[4][5] He formed a tag team with Burrhead Jones, who was billed as his cousin.[1]
Missouri
Jones moved to Missouri to wrestle, where he worked for promoter Sam Muchnick in the St. Louis Wrestling Club.[1] He also competed for Heart of America Sports/Central States Wrestling. In 1971, he won his first championship by teaming with Steve Bolus to win the Central States version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship in late 1971.[6][7] He later won the belt twice more, teaming with The Stomper and Bob Geigel.[6][7] He also had a short stint in Florida briefly feuding with Leroy Brown in the early 80s. During the year of 1989, Jones traveled to Puerto Rico ( In the Caribbean ) to wrestle in the World Wrestling Council ( Capitol Sports Promotion ).
Personal life
Lloyd was married to Brooksie Jones Lloyd. They had three daughters, Melaney, Crystal, and Kendall, as well as a son, Kenneth Johnson, who worked for the World Wrestling Federation for many years as "The Doctor of Style" Slick.[8] After his retirement from wrestling, Carey Lloyd worked with Bob Geigel in security at a dog-racing track in Kansas City Ks. He then opened a restaurant named Rufus' Ringside Restaurant and Bar in Kansas City, Missouri.[8]
On November 13, 1993, Lloyd died of a heart attack while hunting deer in Brunswick, Missouri.[9][10]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- The Freight Train (two shoulder blocks followed by a headbutt)
- Headbutt
Championships and accomplishments
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bob Brown (1), Dewey Robertson (1), Mike George (1)
- NWA Central States Television Championship (1 time)
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (4 times) – with Steve Bolus (1), The Stomper (2), Bob Geigel (2)[6][7]
- 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)[11]
References
- 1 2 3 Mooneyham, Mike. "Rufus R. Jones : The 'R' Stood For 'Guts'". The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham. Archived from the original on November 14, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ↑ Oliver, Greg. "HWA supplies WWF with future talent". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- 1 2 Martin, William C. "Friday Night in the Coliseum". The Atlantic Online. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ↑ "Lobby". Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ↑ "About Us". The Wrestling Gospel According to Mike Mooneyham. Archived from the original on November 12, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- 1 2 3 Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2006). "(Kansas and Western Missouri) West Missouri: North American Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 253. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- 1 2 3 "NWA North American Tag Team Title (Central States version)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- 1 2 "Rufus Was the King of Wrestling (article from Charleston Post and Courier)". WrestlingClassics.com. 1993-11-27. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ↑ "Rufus R. Jones (article from Kansas City Star". WrestlingClassics.com. 1993-11-17. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ↑ Shabazz, Julian L. D. (1999). Black Stars of Professional Wrestling. Awesome Records. p. 54. ISBN 1-893680-03-7.
- ↑ Pedicino, Joe; Solie, Gordon (hosts) (November 7, 1987). "Pro Wrestling This Week". Superstars of Wrestling. Syndicated. WATL.
Further reading
- Flair, Ric. Ric Flair: To Be the Man. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 0-7434-5691-2
- Race, Harley and Gerry Tritz. King Of The Ring: The Harley Race Story. Champaigne, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC, 2004. ISBN 1-58261-818-6
- Shoot with Slick. Perf. Ken Johnson. DVD. Highspots.com, 2006.
External links
- The Way It Was: Rufus R. Jones by Percival A. Friend
- Rufus R. Jones: The 'R' Stood For 'Guts' by Mike Mooneyham
- Black History Month: Pro Wrestling's Black Stars, Part 3 by Denny Burkholder
- Championship Wrestling from Florida: Rufus R. Jones
- Rufus R. Jones at Find-A-Grave
- Profile at OWW
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