John Richardson (born November 21, 1958) is a retired American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Johnny Rich. He wrestled for the World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s, Mid-South Wrestling, Continental Championship Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, Georgia Championship Wrestling and other Southern promotions.
| Johnny Rich | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Richardson |
| Born | November 21, 1958 Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Johnny Rich Intern Roy Rogers |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 246 lb (112 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | Tojo Yamamoto |
| Debut | 1981 |
| Retired | 2007 |
Professional wrestling career
editRich made his debut in 1981 in Memphis as Roy Rogers.[2] He later worked for Mid-South Wrestling from 1982 to 1983. He made his debut for Continental Championship Wrestling in 1985.
In 1984, he won the NWA Southeast United States Junior Heavyweight Championship defeating Rip Rogers.
Rich was part of the Rat Patrol with Tonga Kid and Steve Armstrong where he won the NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship four times with them. Later he won the titles again with his real-life cousin Tommy Rich as the Riches twice.[3]
In 1988, he teamed with Davey Rich (David Haskins) billed as his cousin as the Riches and later the Party Patrol in the South and Smoky Mountain Wrestling until 1992.
In 1989, he made his debut in World Championship Wrestling with Davey Rich as a team. In 1990, Rich would go on his own. He participated in the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship tournament where he lost to Richard Morton in the quarter finals in August 1991.[4] He would also team with Joey Maggs as The Creatures, a masked tag team which appeared at Halloween Havoc that year, losing to Big Josh and P. N. News on October 27, 1991.[5] They would continue as a team until 1993.[6] In 1994, Rich left WCW.
He would work in the independent circuit until retiring in 2007.
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Southeastern Championship Wrestling/Continental Championship Wrestling
- NWA Southeast United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Tonga Kid (3), Steve Armstrong (1) and Tommy Rich (2)[7]
- NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[8]
- AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Davey Rich
- USA Wrestling
- USA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Davey Rich
References
edit- ^ "Profile". CageMatch. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Johnny Rich". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Johnny Rich; Online World of Wrestling".
- ^ "WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament – 1991". The History of WWE. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ Karlsson, Peter (April 10, 2005). "World Championship Wrestling Results 1991 - Halloween Havoc 1991". American Wrestling Trivia.
- ^ "10 WCW Tag Teams You Definitely Won't Remember". Whatculture. February 21, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title (Alabama & e. Tennessee)".
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.