Rick Wilson
Marietta, Georgia, USA
Richard L. Wilson was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name The Renegade, where he was a one-time WCW World Television Champion.
Wilson went to Boston to train for a wrestling career under the tutelage of Killer Kowalski, but Kowalski never trained him, so Richard Byrne, one of Kowalski's students, continued his in-ring education. Wilson debuted on May 26, 1990 for a television taping for the North Carolina-based North American Wrestling Association, losing a match to Robert Fuller, which aired on July 14. In 1992, he joined Killer Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation under the ring name "Rio, Lord of the Jungle"; the character included him banging on his chest like a gorilla and wearing a loincloth. During his early career, Wilson wrestled for the Japanese promotion WAR and the New England independent circuit. Wilson worked a try-out match for WWE on an August 18, 1993 taping of WWF Superstars, facing The Brooklyn Brawler.
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 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."
On June 18, 1995, Renegade defeated Arn Anderson for the Television Championship at The Great American Bash, his first and only championship. The following month at Bash at the Beach, Renegade defeated Paul Orndorff to retain his title for the first time. He would continue to defend his title until he lost it to Dallas Page on September 17 at Fall Brawl.
On the November 6 episode of Nitro, after losing to Kevin Sullivan, Jimmy Hart who had just turned on Hulk Hogan also turned on Renegade before ultimately burying him by splashing water in his face to remove his face paint before saying, "You're not a Renegade! You're just plain old Rick! A nobody! You're nothing!"
Over the next few years Wilson's career went into a gradual decline. Renegade would remain utilized as a jobber throughout the rest of 1997 and 1998 (as well as being used for stunt double for the actual Ultimate Warrior during his 1998 WCW run) before wrestling the final match of his career on the December 7 episode of Nitro, which he lost to Wrath. He was released from WCW soon after. He then worked as a bouncer and was training to be a farrier.
Severe depression continued to increase for Wilson after being released from WCW as well as a bad financial situation, and the fact that no other wrestling companies had made any offers to him. Wilson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on February 23, 1999, at the age of 33. Police said that he was arguing with his girlfriend, who lived with him in the home, when he suddenly pulled out a .380 caliber pistol in the kitchen and shot himself with it. Wilson's grave site is located at Parkhill Cemetery in Muscogee County, Georgia, USA.
