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The Renegade (wrestler)

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The Renegade
Portrait of The Renegade
Birth nameRichard Wilson
Born(1965-10-16)October 16, 1965[1][2]
Marietta, Georgia,U.S.
DiedFebruary 23, 1999(1999-02-23)(aged 33)
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Renegade[1]
Rio, Lord of the Jungle[1][2]
Rick Wilson
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Billed weight255 lb (116 kg)[1]
Billed fromParts Unknown
Macon, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Los Angeles, California
Trained byKiller Kowalski[1]
DebutMay 26, 1990

Richard L. Wilson[3][4](October 16, 1965 – February 23, 1999) was an Americanprofessional wrestler.He was best known for his tenure inWorld Championship Wrestling(WCW) under thering nameThe Renegade,where he was aone-timeWCW World Television Champion.

Early life[edit]

Wilson was born inMarietta, Georgiaand lived an abusive childhood; his father was in jail for his involvement in a car accident, and his stepfather frequently beat him.[5]He worked as a male exotic dancer in the New England area.[5]

Professional wrestling career[edit]

Early career (1990–1995)[edit]

Wilson went toBostonto train for a wrestling career under the tutelage ofKiller Kowalski,but Kowalski never trained him, so Richard Byrne, one of Kowalski's students, continued his in-ring education.[5]Wilson debuted on May 26, 1990 for a television taping for the North Carolina-basedNorth American Wrestling Association,losing a match toRobert Fuller,which aired on July 14. In 1992, he joined Killer Kowalski'sInternational Wrestling Federationunder the ring name "Rio, Lord of the Jungle"; the character included him banging on his chest like a gorilla and wearing a loincloth.[5]During his early career, Wilson wrestled for the JapanesepromotionWARand the New England independent circuit.[5][6]Wilson worked a try-out match for theWorld Wrestling Federationon an August 18, 1993 taping ofWWF Superstars,facingThe Brooklyn Brawler.[5]

World Championship Wrestling (1995–1998)[edit]

World Television Champion (1995)[edit]

In 1995, Wilson was signed byWorld Championship Wrestling(WCW).Hulk HoganandRandy Savagewere involved in the main event feud with Ric Flair and Vader.[5]Leading up toUncensored,in which Hogan was scheduled to faceVaderin a strap match in the main event, Hogan began hyping an "Ultimate Surprise"[7]and showed a silhouette of a man with long hair and tassels tied to his arms, implying thatthe Ultimate Warriorwas the man in question.[5]On March 19 at Uncensored, Wilson, under the ring name The Renegade, was billed by Hogan as "the man that's gonna bring Hulkamania into the 21st Century."[7][8][9]

Soon after his debut, The Renegade acquiredJimmy Hartas hismanagerand soon defeated severalheelswhile utilizing mannerisms, moves andentrance musicvery similar to the Ultimate Warrior's. On June 18, 1995, Renegade defeatedArn Andersonfor theWorld Television ChampionshipatThe Great American Bash,his first and onlychampionship.[2]The following month atBash at the Beach,Renegade defeated"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorffto retain his title for the first time.[2]Under a month later onClash of the Champions XXI,Renegade again retained his title in a rematch with Orndorff.[2]He would continue to defend his title in matches (mostly against enhancement talent)[5]until he lost the World Television Title toDiamond Dallas Pageon September 17 atFall Brawl.[10]

He then went on to lose to Orndorff on an episode ofMain EventprecedingHalloween Havocthe next month in less than two minutes.[2]On the November 6 episode ofNitro,after losing toKevin Sullivan,Jimmy Hart who had just turned on Hulk Hogan alsoturnedon Renegade before ultimatelyburyinghim by splashing water in his face to remove his facepaint before saying, "You're not a Renegade! You're just plain old Rick! A nobody! You're nothing!"[5][11]

Various rivalries (1996–1998)[edit]

Over the next few years Wilson's career went into a gradual decline. He returned to television on the February 26, 1996 episode ofNitroas The Renegade, in a losing effort toLex Luger.[7]Upon returning, Renegade's signature facepaint and singlet were replaced with trunks and tribal armbands; his physique was also shrinking.[12]After wrestling sporadically throughouthouse shows,Renegade returned on the July 1 episode ofNitro,where he teamed up withJoe GomezandThe Rock 'n' Roll Expressin a losing effort toThe Four Horsemen.[13]After competing in theWorld War 3battle royal, which was won byThe Giant,[2]Renegade formed a short-livedtag teamwith Joe Gomez in late 1996. The team was not successful, as they were relegated to beingjobbers.[9][14][15]

After their team ended in early 1997, Renegadeturnedheelfor the first time in his career during a match withScotty Riggson the March 22 episode ofSaturday Night,which he lost.[16]Renegade remained a jobber while competing sporadically onNitro,Thunder,andSaturday Night.[5][8][16][17]After a five-month hiatus, Renegade returned on the August 12 episode ofSaturday Night,losing toSuper Caló.[18]Renegade would remain utilized as a jobber throughout the rest of 1997 and 1998 (as well as being used forstunt doublefor the actual Ultimate Warrior during his 1998 WCW run)[19]before wrestling the final match of his career on the December 7 episode ofNitro,which he lost toWrath.[20]He was released from WCW soon after.[5]He then worked as a bouncer and was training to be afarrier.[5]

Death[edit]

Severe depression continued to increase for Wilson after being released from WCW as well as a bad financial situation, and the fact that no other wrestling companies had made any offers to him.[4]Wilson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on February 23, 1999, at the age of 33.[5]Police said that he was arguing with his girlfriend, who lived with him in the home, when he suddenly pulled out a.380 caliber pistol in the kitchen and shot himself with it.[4][5]Wilson's grave site is located at Parkhill Cemetery in Muscogee County, Georgia, USA.[2]

Championships and accomplishments[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdef"Renegade profile".Cagematch.
  2. ^abcdefgh"Renegade profile".Online World Of Wrestling.
  3. ^Bowman, Colin (June 1999), "Editor's Note",WCW Magazine,no. 51,World Championship Wrestling, Inc.,p. 7
  4. ^abcMagee, Bob (February 28, 1999)."AS I SEE IT 2-28-1999".Pro Wrestling's Between The Sheets.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  5. ^abcdefghijklmnopPlombon, Jonathan (February 23, 2022)."The moderate rise and tragic fall of The Renegade".Slam! Wrestling.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  6. ^Kreikenbohm, Philip."The Renegade match listings".Cagematch.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  7. ^abc"Nitro report on February 26, 1996".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  8. ^ab"This Week in WCW: February 15, 1997 – February 17, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  9. ^ab"This Week in WCW: March 15, 1997 – March 17, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  10. ^"Fall Brawl report on September 17, 1995".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  11. ^"Nitro report on November 6, 1995".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  12. ^"WorldWide report on November 8, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  13. ^"Nitro report on July 1, 1996".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  14. ^"This Week in WCW: November 30, 1996 – December 2, 1996".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  15. ^"This Week in WCW: January 11, 1997 – January 13, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  16. ^ab"This Week in WCW: March 22, 1997 – March 24, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  17. ^"This Week in WCW: February 1, 1997 – February 3, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  18. ^"This Week in WCW: August 16, 1997 – August 18, 1997".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  19. ^Reynolds, R.D.;Alvarez, Bryan(2014).The Death of WCW: 10th Anniversary Edition of the Bestselling Classic — Revised and Expanded.ECW Press.ISBN978-1770411753.
  20. ^"Nitro report on December 7, 1998".DDT Digest.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  21. ^Kreikenbohm, Philip."The Renegade's awards".Cagematch.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.
  22. ^"NWA/WCW World Television Title".Wrestling Titles.RetrievedFebruary 23,2022.

External links[edit]

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