| Rufus R. Jones | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Carey L. Lloyd |
| Born | (1933-07-04)July 4, 1933 Clio, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1993(1993-11-13) (aged 60) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Children | 4, includingSlick |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Rufus R. Jones |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 273 lb (124 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Debut | 1969 |
| Retired | 1988 |
Carey L. Lloyd (July 4, 1933 – November 13, 1993), also known by hisring nameRufus R. "Freight Train" Jones, was an American professional wrestler. He competed in the Central States, St. Louis and Mid-Atlantic regional promotions of theNational Wrestling Alliance as well as theAmerican Wrestling Association andAll Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lloyd was born inClio, South Carolina, and as a young boy, moved to a tenant home inDillon.[2] He also worked as a carpenter and attendedSouth Carolina State University, where he played on the football team.[2] He also got involved with boxing and competed as aGolden Gloves boxer,[3][4] amassing a 32–3 record.[5]
Lloyd trained to become a wrestler at the Tony Santos Boston Wrestling School.[6] At the beginning of his career, he used the ring name Buster Lloyd, claiming to have learned how to fight on the corner ofLenox Avenue and125th Street inHarlem.[2][7] In thisgimmick, he wrestled in Texas and criticized the local wrestlers as being inferior fighters to someone who grew up on the streets. He feuded withTiger Conway, Sr., who emerged as the victor in thefeud.[7]
He made his professional wrestling debut in 1969, working in Eastern Canada forGrand Prix Wrestling in the Maritimes and International Wrestling in Montreal. In 1969, he wrestled in Japan for theJapan Pro Wrestling Alliance. Lloyd later adopted the ring name ofRufus R. Jones, and was nicknamed "Freight Train", which was also the name of his finisher consisting of two shoulder blocks followed by aheadbutt.[2][8][5] In interviews, he would tell opponents that his middle initial, R, stood for "guts".[3][4][8] He formed atag team withBurrhead Jones, who was billed as his cousin.[3]
Jones then moved to Missouri to work forSam Muchnick in theSt. Louis Wrestling Club.[3] He also competed forHeart of America Sports/Central States Wrestling. On September 10, 1970, he won his first championship by teaming withDanny Little Bear to win the Central States version of theNWA North American Tag Team Championship.[9][10] He won the belt three more times with different partners, including Steve Bolus,The Stomper andBob Geigel.[4][9][10][8] On February 5, 1976, Jones wrestledNWA World Heavyweight ChampionTerry Funk to a one-hour draw inWinston, Salem, until beating him via disqualification on July 6.[8][4] He did not win the world title, but instead won theNWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship on November 30 fromGreg Valentine.[11] He lost the title to Valentine on January 19, 1977, but regained it from him on February 11 until dropping the title on April 4 toRic Flair.[11]
Between 1972 and 1982, he worked forAll Japan Pro Wrestling. He also had a short stint in Florida forSoutheastern Championship Wrestling, winning theNWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship.[12] Jones wrestled his final match inPuerto Rico for theWorld Wrestling Council (Capitol Sports Promotions), on September 10, 1988, at A Hot Night in Bayamon, where he andJimmy Valiant defeatedThe Wild Samoans (Afa &Sika) by disqualification.[13]
Carey Lloyd was married to Brooksie Jones Lloyd for thirty years.[2] They had three daughters, Melaney, Crystal, and Kendall, as well as an adopted son,Kenneth Johnson, who worked for theWorld Wrestling Federation for many years as "The Doctor of Style" Slick.[3][5] After Lloyd's retirement from wrestling, he worked with Bob Geigel in security at adog-racing track inKansas City, Kansas. He then opened a restaurant in 1991, named Rufus' Ringside Restaurant and Bar inKansas City, Missouri.[2][3]
On November 13, 1993, Lloyd died of aheart attack while hunting deer inBrunswick, Missouri; he was 60 years old.[3][2][14] He had a wide number of lodge members and fans at his funeral, and masonic rituals were performed at the viewing of his body prior to burial.[8]
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