Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Bad to the Bone 25 Years of Riots and Wrestling by Ron Starr Bad to the Bone: 25 Years of Riots and Wrestling by Ron Starr. Bobby Eugene Nutt (April 3, 1950 - June 8, 2017), better known by his ring name Ron Starr, was an American professional wrestler. Starr was a mainstay for numerous wrestling territories throughout the 1970s and 80s, capturing almost three dozen championships throughout his career including two reigns as NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and several reigns as NWA World Tag Team Champion. He was also notable for his involvement with Stampede Wrestling in Canada and his tenure with the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. Starr has been called "one of the unsung heroes of the territory days of professional wrestling" and "one of the most effective heels that territorial professional wrestling had ever seen. Bobby Nutt was born to parents Oscar and Betty Nutt. His love of professional wrestling came from his mother, who was a wrestling fan and would attend shows on Friday nights. In 1970 at the age of 18, Bobby enlisted in the United States Army, serving eighteen months in Vietnam. Nutt had difficulty becoming re-accustomed to American life but soon found work in the construction industry where he worked alongside his father. He was noticed at a local YMCA gym by wrestlers Buddy Colt and Billy Spears, who introduced him to the possibility of a career in professional wrestling. Starr debuted in 1972 and soon made a name for himself working for Jim Crockett Promotions in the National Wrestling Alliance, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Championship Wrestling From Florida territories. He travelled extensively throughout his career, making his New Japan Pro Wrestling debut in 1976 and accumulating championships in various territories throughout the Gulf Coast, Central States, San Francisco, Pacific Northwest, Los Angeles, Memphis, Stampede, Atlantic Grand Prix and Puerto Rico. During his tenures in Japan, China and South Africa, he primarily wrestled under the ring name "Mr. Wrestling." Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Starr was a prolific traveller throughout the territory system. He captured singles and tag team championships in Central States, Gulf Coast, Pacific Northwest, Texas and Southeastern territories and won several NWA world championships, including two reigns as NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion, beating Pat Barrett in 1976, and then Les Thornton in a tournament in 1980. Starr had perhaps one of his best-remembered runs during his tenure with Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, where he was a two-time Stampede Tag Team Championship as one-half of the tag-team “Devastation Inc.” alongside Wayne Ferris (aka the Honky Tonk Man). Having wrestled several tours for New Japan between 1976-1980, Starr spent the later part of the wrestling career from 1987 wrestling overseas for New Japan and the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. In the WWC, he captured 12 titles including being a two-time Junior Heavyweight Champion, four time World Tag Team Champion, three time North American Tag Team Champion and two time Television Champion. In his later life, Starr published his autobiography, titled "Bad to the Bone: 25 Years of Riots and Wrestling". The book was reviewed by Marty Goldstein of SLAM! Sports, who called it "an essential volume for any true fan of the business" due to its concise detailing of the territory system. The book was forwarded by Mick Foley, who credits Starr with teaching him the art of "brawling" in wrestling, during their 1989 feud. According to Rock Rims (who worked with Starr on his autobiography) Starr had suffered four heart attacks and four strokes in the last two decades of his life. Starr died on June 8, 2017 and was found by his wife that morning at 6:20am having died in his sleep, reportedly of a collapsed lung. The Wrestling Insomniac. Born Timothy Smith and also known as Rex King, he debuted in 1987 in the Pacific Northwest Wrestling as Rex King teaming with Steve Doll as the Southern Rockers. In 1993 he and Doll entered the WWE under the names Timothy Well and Steven Dunn as the team Well Dunn. The duo won several tag team championships in Music City Wrestling, PNW, USWA, & World Wrestling Council. Well passed away from kidney failure. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka 73, May 18, 1943 - January 15, 2017. Snuka debuted in 1968 in Hawaii and toured the territories headlining wherever he went. He's known for famously leaping off the top of the cage in Madison Square Garden on October 17, 1983 onto Don Muraco after losing the match to the Intercontinental Champion. However that was not the first time he'd soared off the cage. That was June 28, 1982 against Bob Backlund. Snuka died in hospice care from undisclosed illness just two weeks after a judge ruled him unable to stand trial for in the May 1983 murder of Nancy Argentino. Jun Izumida 51, October 28, 1965 - January 25, 2017. Izumida was a sumo wrestler from 1986 to 1991 before debuting in All Japan Pro Wrestling in May 1992. He left AJPW following Misawa when he formed Pro Wrestling Noah. He retired October 3, 2012 wrestling his final match in at the AJPW 40th Anniversary show teaming with Takao Omori & Manabu Soya defeating Dark Cuervo, Dark Ozz, & RONIN. He was found dead on January 31st, it was determined that he had passed away days earlier from a heart attack. Tom Drake 86, 1931 - February 2, 2017. Drake attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he wrestled and played football. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but he didn't last long in the NFL before he was drafted by the US Army in 1954 during the Korean War. After leaving the Army he became the head wrestling coach for the University of Alabama. He later enrolled in law school at the same University earning his degree. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives holding the Cullman County seat for 32 years even holding consecutive terms as Speaker of the House. He wrestled for 24 years from 1954 to 1978 while doing everything I mentioned above. He had matches with some of the greatest legends of wrestling including Lou Thesz, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George, and "Classy" Freddie Blassie. "Bruiser" Bob Sweetan 76, July 4, 1940 - February 10, 2017. A native of British Columbia, Sweetan debuted in 1966 and wrestled 21 years primarily for Central States Wrestling but also in the territories in Mid-South, Texas, San Francisco, Puerto Rico, and Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. Outside the ring Sweetan's personnel life wasn't the best. He was a convicted sex offender and in 2000 he was deported back to Canada. He died from complications with diabetes and other ailments. Chavo Guerrero Sr. 68, January 7, 1949 - February 11, 2017. A second generation superstar from the famous Guerrero family, Chavo Sr. wrestled for 46 years from 1970 until 2016. He wrestled all over the world as a singles star and with his brothers in various tag teams. He had an unexpected run in the WWE in 2004 as Chavo Classic including a month long Cruiserweight Championship reign. He passed away from liver cancer. George "The Animal" Steele 79, April 16, 1937 - February 16, 2017. The Animal debuted in 1967 as The Student in the Detroit area under a mask. Later he went to the WWWF feuding with Bruno Sammartino over the WWWF Championship. He is best known by my generation for his run in mid 80's and his infatuation over Randy "Macho Man" Savage's valet/wife Miss Elizabeth. He stopped wrestling in 1988, returning in 1997 wrestling on and off for three years. He passed away from kidney failure. Nicole Bass 52, August 10, 1964 - February 17, 2017. Bass got into the world of wrestling after a spending over a decade as a female bodybuilder. She debuted in ECW joining Justin Credible's stable alongside Chastity and Jason in 1998. At WrestleMania XV she debuted as Sables bodyguard lasting in the WWE for only a few months. She made some independent appearances before leaving wrestling in 2000. Bass passed away from a stroke she suffered the day before. Ivan Koloff 74, August 25, 1942 - February 18, 2017. The Russian Bear wrestled for over thirty years and is quite possibly best known for defeating Bruno Sammartino on January 18, 1971 for the WWWF Championship ending Bruno's near 8 year reign. I first recall seeing him in Jim Crockett Promotions teaming with his nephew Nikita and Krusher Kruschev. He passed away from liver cancer. Johnny K-9 53, December 7, 1963 - February 21, 2017. Born Ion Croitoru, Johnny K-9 began wrestling in 1984 for Stampede Wrestling before going to the AWA. He also wrestled as a jobber in the WWF, and toured Japan with NJPW, FMW, & WAR. He wrestled under other names such as Bruiser Bedlam, The Terrible Turk, and more. Outside wrestling he was in various motorcycle gangs and accused of murder, assault, trafficking cocaine, and bombing a police station. Tom Jones 77, October 22, 1939 - March 4, 2017. Jones wrestled for 30 years across North America but primarily out of Texas. He held championships in California, Georgia, and the Pacific Northwest to name a few. Jones promoted shows in Oklahoma and helped his son "Human Highlight Reel" Cody Jones get his start in wrestling. "Outlaw" Ron Bass 68, December 21, 1948 - March 7, 2017. Bass debuted in 1971 for the NWA Gulf Coast Territory. He would go on to compete in Championship Wrestling from Florida and Jim Crockett Promotions before entering the WWE in 1987.