The Renegade (wrestler)
| The Renegade | |
|---|---|
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|
| Birth name | Richard Wilson |
| Born |
October 16, 1965 Marietta, Georgia, United States |
| Died | February 23, 1999 (aged 33) Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Cause of death | Multiple gunshot suicide |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Renegade Rio, Lord of the Jungle |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Billed from | Parts Unknown |
| Trained by | Killer Kowalski |
| Debut | 1992 |
Richard "Rick" Wilson (October 16, 1965 – February 23, 1999) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name The Renegade, where he was a one-time WCW World Television Champion.
Wilson trained to wrestle under Killer Kowalski and debuted in 1992 under the ring name "Rio, Lord of the Jungle". During his early career, Wilson wrestled for the Japanese promotion WAR.
In 1995, Wilson was signed by World Championship Wrestling. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were involved in the main event feud with Ric Flair and Vader. Leading up to Uncensored, in which Hogan was scheduled to face Vader in a strap match in the main event, Hogan began hyping an "Ultimate Surprise" and showed a silhouette of a man with long hair and tassels tied to his arms, implying that the Ultimate Warrior was the man in question. 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."
Soon after his debut, The Renegade acquired Jimmy Hart as his manager and soon defeated several heels while utilizing mannerisms, moves and entrance music very similar to the Ultimate Warrior's. On June 18, 1995, Renegade defeated Arn Anderson for the World Television Championship at The Great American Bash, his first and only championship. The following month at Bash at the Beach, Renegade defeated "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff to retain his title for the first time. Under a month later on Clash of the Champions XXI, Renegade again retained his title in a rematch with Orndorff. However, a few months later, the real Ultimate Warrior had appeared in several wrestling magazines and dispelled the belief that Wilson was the Ultimate Warrior. As a result, Renegade's momentum was virtually halted before he subsequently lost the World Television Title to Diamond Dallas Page on September 17 at Fall Brawl. He then went on to lose to Orndorff on an episode of Main Event preceding Halloween Havoc the next month in less than two minutes. On the November 6 episode of Nitro, after losing to Kevin Sullivan, Jimmy Hart turned on Renegade before ultimately burying him by splashing water in his face to remove his facepaint before saying "You're not a Renegade! You're just plain Rick!"
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