Ron Simmons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Simmons
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Simmons in 2020
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Ronald Simmons
May 15, 1958 Perry, Georgia, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Florida State University |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Doom #1 Faarooq Faarooq Asaad Ron Simmons |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Billed from | Warner Robins, Georgia "The Mean Streets" (as Faarooq Asaad) |
| Trained by | Hiro Matsuda |
| Debut | 1986 |
| Retired | March 17, 2012 |
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Football career |
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| Position: | Defensive tackle |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Warner Robins (GA) |
| College: | Florida State |
| NFL Draft: | 1981 / Round: 6 / Pick: 160 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Ronald K. Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is a famous American former professional wrestler and football player. He is best known for his time in WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Before becoming a wrestler, Simmons played football as a defensive tackle. He played for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and United States Football League (USFL) during the 1980s.
Simmons played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. He was recognized as an All-American for his amazing skills. He later played professionally for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders, and the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits.
In wrestling, Simmons used his real name in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). In the World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/E), he was known as Faarooq Asaad and Faarooq. In WCW, Simmons made history by becoming the WCW World Heavyweight Champion one time. He was the first African American to win this title, making him the first Black world champion in professional wrestling history.
He also won the WCW World Tag Team Championship once with Butch Reed. He was also a WCW United States Tag Team Champion once with Big Josh. In the WWF, he was a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bradshaw. They were known as the Acolytes Protection Agency. Simmons also led a group called the Nation of Domination. He was honored by being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
Contents
Football Career Highlights
College Football Success
Ron Simmons was a highly sought-after player when he joined Florida State. He played as a defensive nose guard for four years (1977–1980). His coach, Bobby Bowden, was like a second father to him. Simmons earned All-America honors in 1979 and 1980.
During his time, the Seminoles had an impressive record of 39 wins and 8 losses. They finished in the top 20 teams three times. They also played in the Orange Bowl twice after his junior and senior years.
In 1979, Simmons finished ninth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. This award goes to the most outstanding college football player. In 1988, Florida State retired his jersey number 50. This was only the third time a number had been retired in the school's history. Simmons was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. He was also elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Professional Football Journey
Ron Simmons had a short career in the National Football League (NFL). The Cleveland Browns picked him in the sixth round of the 1981 NFL draft. However, he was released by the team in August 1981.
He then played six games for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League in 1981. He was released by them in July 1982. Simmons then joined the Tampa Bay Bandits in the United States Football League. He played there from 1983 to 1985. During this time, he was teammates with future professional wrestler Lex Luger.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting in WCW (1986–1988)
Simmons began his wrestling career with Jim Crockett Promotions in 1986. His first match was on July 1, where he won against The Tahitian Prince. He mostly wrestled against newer competitors that summer.
On August 7, he had a big win against Ivan Koloff. Simmons continued to win against wrestlers like a young Rodney Anoa'i and The Barbarian. He remained undefeated in single matches until February 1988.
Becoming Part of Doom (1989–1991)
In March 1989, Simmons started to wrestle more aggressively. He teamed up with Butch Reed to form a tag team called Doom. At first, they wore masks and were known as Doom #1 and Doom #2. Their manager was Woman.
Doom won their first big match against The Steiner Brothers at Halloween Havoc 1989. However, they struggled for a while, losing matches. Woman even left them to manage another group. On February 6, 1990, they lost to the Steiner Brothers again. Because of a special rule, they had to take off their masks.
With a new manager, Teddy Long, Doom bounced back. They defeated The Steiner Brothers to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship in 1990. They held the titles for nine months. They defended them against teams like The Rock 'n' Roll Express. Doom was also recognized as the first WCW World Tag Team Championship holders in January 1991. They lost the titles in February 1991. After this, Doom broke up. Simmons then started wrestling against Reed, winning a cage match against him.
Making History as World Champion (1992–1994)
Simmons spent the first half of 1992 wrestling against Cactus Jack. He defeated Cactus Jack at SuperBrawl II. On August 2, 1992, something big happened. A title match between Sting and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader was canceled. Sting was injured.
WCW President Bill Watts held a raffle to pick a new challenger. Simmons won the raffle! He then defeated Vader to win the championship. By beating Vader, Simmons became the first recognized African American WCW World Heavyweight Champion. This made him the second African American wrestler to win a major World Heavyweight title.
Simmons held the title for five months. He continued to wrestle against Cactus Jack and The Barbarian. His title reign ended on December 30, 1992, when Vader defeated him to win the title back.
After losing the championship, Simmons wrestled in less important matches. He became a bit angry, feeling like fans had forgotten him. He left WCW in 1994.
Time in ECW and Japan (1994–1995)
Simmons joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in September 1994. In November 1994, he teamed up with 2 Cold Scorpio. They tried to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship but didn't succeed. Simmons also challenged ECW World Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas but couldn't win the title.
He also wrestled in Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 1995. He teamed with other American wrestlers there. After these appearances, Simmons took a break from wrestling. He worked as a warehouse manager for a Coca-Cola factory.
Joining the WWF: Nation of Domination (1996–1998)
In 1996, Simmons returned to wrestling and signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He first appeared on Monday Night Raw on July 22, 1996. His first character was "Faarooq Asad," a gladiator-like fighter. He wore a black and blue outfit and was managed by Sunny.
He soon shortened his name to Faarooq. He formed a group called the Nation of Domination (NOD). This group was inspired by real-life groups that fought for Black rights. They first wrestled against Ahmed Johnson.
The Nation of Domination grew, with members like Rocky Maivia (who later became The Rock). Faarooq's leadership was challenged by The Rock in early 1998. The Rock felt he should be the leader because he was the Intercontinental Champion.
At the Royal Rumble match, Faarooq even eliminated some of his own Nation members. The Rock then eliminated Faarooq. The next month, the Nation lost a big tag team match. After the match, Faarooq and The Rock almost fought.
At Wrestlemania XIV, Faarooq did not help The Rock in his title defense. He walked away, and the crowd cheered for him. This meant he was now a "good guy" (face). The next night, The Rock took over the Nation of Domination and kicked Faarooq out. Faarooq then wrestled against his former group members.
The Acolytes Protection Agency (1998–2004)
After leaving the Nation, Simmons teamed up with Bradshaw in November 1998. They formed a tough tag team called the Acolytes. They were part of a group called the Ministry of Darkness, led by The Undertaker.
The Acolytes won the tag team titles twice during this time. They defeated Kane and X-Pac but lost the titles to the Hardy Boyz. They won them back but lost them again to Kane and X-Pac.
After The Undertaker got injured, the Ministry of Darkness broke up. Faarooq and Bradshaw continued to team together. They became known as the "Acolytes Protection Agency" (APA). They were like bodyguards for hire. They won their third tag team title in June 2001.
The APA teamed together until 2002. Ron Simmons then started wrestling under his real name. This was because a terrorist group had a similar name. Simmons briefly teamed with Reverend D-Von. In June 2003, he returned to WWE, and the APA reunited with Bradshaw.
In his last story in WWE, he was "fired" by the manager, Paul Heyman. This happened after the APA lost a match. In real life, Simmons was planning to retire due to his health and age. He became a backstage agent for the company.
Video Games and Awards
Ron Simmons in Video Games
Simmons is a character you can play in many wrestling video games. These include WWF War Zone, WWF Attitude, WWF WrestleMania 2000, and WWF No Mercy. He also appears in WWF SmackDown!, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, and WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It. More recent games include WWE WrestleMania X8, WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, WWE RAW 2, WWE '13, WWE 2K16, WWE 2K22, ‘’WWE 2K23’’, and WWE 2K24.
Championships and Achievements
Ron Simmons has won many awards and championships throughout his career:
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award (2023)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Frank Gotch Award (2025)
- Memphis Championship Wrestling
- MCW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bradshaw
- Ohio Valley Wrestling
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bradshaw
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1992)
- Stanley Weston Award (2021)
- Ranked No. 20 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WCW/NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Butch Reed
- WCW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Big Josh
- World Wrestling Federation / WWE
- WWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bradshaw
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
Images for kids
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Simmons in 2020
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Ron Simmons while playing for Florida State University in 1981.
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Simmons at the WrestleMania Axxess in 2009
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Simmons being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Ron Simmons para niños
- List of gridiron football players who became professional wrestlers
