Ron Simmons
Ron Simmons ( born May 15, 1958 in Perry, Georgia ) is a former American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the two largest American wrestling leagues WCW and WWF / E. In addition, Simmons was before his wrestling career professional - Footballer in the National Football League and the Canadian Football League.
Career
After finishing school Simmons began studying at Florida State University, where he also played football. Following his studies, he joined the National Football League and played for the Cleveland Browns. Towards the end of the 1980s, Simmons finished then this career and turned to wrestling.
NWA / WCW (1986 - 1996)
Simmons stepped up to the beginning of his career for a number of different wrestling leagues, but especially for the NWA and WCW. Here he celebrated his great successes. He took, for example, the first African-American wrestler the WCW World Heavyweight Championship title. With Butch Reed, he also formed the successful tag team Doom and both won collectively referred to as NWA and WCW World Tag Team title. After the end of this era Simmons took the mid-1990s then offered a contract by Vince McMahon and joined the WWF.
World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1996 - 2009)
In the summer of 1996 he made his debut along with manager Sunny with the gladiator gimmick Faarooq Asad. A feud for the WWE Intercontinental Championship title against Ahmed Johnson ( connected to a title match at SummerSlam ) had to be canceled due to a kidney injury of the latter, however. But Simmons remained in the happening to the Intercontinental Champion title active, but lost the tournament final for the vacant title against Marc Mero. A little later he separated from both the last name Asad and the Roman outfit and conveniently lay a gimmick with African-American roots. In the quarrel with the end of the year returning Johnson, he founded the group Nation of Domination (including Savio Vega and Crush ). A singles match against Johnson at the Royal Rumble in 1997 was as lost as a Street Fight at WrestleMania XIII to the side of his Stables against Johnson and the Legion of Doom.
Following the group broke up in this formation. It freshened the Stable with new people on ( The Rock, D -Lo Brown, Mark Henry) and entered in the course of matches against hostile Stables. At King of the Ring Simmons lost a title match against The Undertaker at In your House - Badd Blood again an Intercontinental tournament finals - this time against Owen Hart. As a team member of The Rock in December 1997, won the WWE Intercontinental title, Simmons was slowly forced out of the leadership role. The final break was made in 1998 at WrestleMania XIV and led to a title match at the May issue of In your House, which lost Simmons. The rest of the year he spent as a precious jobber.
After repeated Gimmicktod The Undertaker in late 1998 that recruited named after his return to his group Ministry of Darkness, among others Simmons also. Together with Bradshaw, he formed and from then until the end of his WWE career, the tag team The Acolytes. In their existence as a team they brought three times the WWE World Tag Team Championship. First, even as part of the Ministry, they split up soon on this. As a single team they fehdeten then, inter alia, with the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, the New Age Outlaws and Edge & Christian.
From 2000, both competed with a gimmick than pubs clubs, offering their services as bodyguards of the Acolytes Protection Agency ( APA). In the context of brand extension in 2002, the team has been separated and Simmons appeared as a single wrestler on SmackDown! of. Only a year later also switched Bradshaw in the Thursday show and the Acolytes were reunited. After feuds against the Basham Brothers and Team Angle at WrestleMania XX, the Acolytes challenged their last match, a 4-corner elimination match for the WWE Tag Team title that they lost. A little later, the team was finally dissolved. Bradshaw was as JBL a push for world heavyweight title contender, while Simmons received the suspension from WWE due to alleged alcohol problems.
When siebenhundertsen edition of Monday Night Raw, which took place on 23 October 2006, you could see him after a long on-air abstinence at the side of John Cena again. The fans in the hall greeted him with loud cheers, while his most famous catch phrase was the best: - He then retired with a shake of the head and thunderous applause back to the backstage area " DAMN! ". This phrase is now used as a running gag of WWE.
Later he was with WWE as a " Ambassador at Large for Public Affairs " and is co-ordinated in this position, the public relations in countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq in order to inform the stationed U.S. military about the happenings in WWE.
On 13 January 2009 he was released as part of cost savings from the WWE. On April 1, 2012 Simmons was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Champion
- World Championship Wrestling
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- 3x WWF World Tag Team Champion ( with Bradshaw )
- Memphis Championship Wrestling
- Ohio Valley Wrestling
- Florida Championship Wrestling