Ron Fuller (wrestler)
| Ron Fuller | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ronald Welch |
| Born |
September 7, 1947 Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Residence | Loudon, Tennessee |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ron Fuller Ron Welch Tennessee Stud |
| Billed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (120 kg) |
| Billed from | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Debut | 1973 |
| Retired | 1987 |
Ronald Welch (born September 7, 1947) is a retired professional wrestler and manager better known by his ring names Ron Fuller and Tennessee Stud. He is the elder brother of Robert Fuller (Col. Robert Parker). Ron and his brother co-owned Continental Championship Wrestling for a time.
At 6'9", Fuller was a basketball stand-out in high school and won a scholarship to the University of Miami. Upon graduation, he followed in his family's footsteps and became a professional wrestler. He started out with his grandfather and father's promotion in Tennessee and eventually bought it out. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Fuller expanded his territory from Tennessee to the Florida panhandle, naming it Southeastern Championship Wrestling and making it a "hot spot" for Southern wrestling.
In the early 1980s, Fuller wore a mask and called himself the "Tennessee Stud". He teamed with his brother Robert and cousin Jimmy Golden several times, challenging for the NWA Southeast Tag Team Championship held by the heel team of Arn Anderson and Jerry Stubbs. The Fullers came up on the short end in their title chase, with the storyline being that Robert was injured by Anderson and Stubbs. Ron went through a variety of tag team partners, including André the Giant, to try and beat the Anderson/Stubbs tandem. Fuller finally found a partner in Bob Armstrong and seemed to beat Anderson and Stubbs, but the title was held up by NWA President Bob Geigel, who ordered a rematch. Fuller turned heel on Armstrong, allowing Stubbs and Anderson to keep the belts.
As the territory's owner, he created a new singles belt called the NWA Southeast Continental Heavyweight Championship. In the storyline, he named Freebird Michael Hayes the champion. The following week, Hayes arrived in Dothan, AL, to defend the belt against Fuller. Fuller won and planned to leave the area to defend it. However, Fuller was "contractually obligated" to stay in the territory. Fuller tore up the contract, but TV announcer Charlie Platt revealed it was a photocopy. Bob Armstrong sneaked up behind Fuller, holding a piece of paper. When Fuller asked where the original copy was, Platt replied, "Right behind you." When Fuller turned, Armstrong punched him and he fell over the announcers table. Armstrong then gained his revenge on Fuller by winning the Continental title.
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