Ron Simmons
Titles Won:
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship
- WWF Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bradshaw
- WWE Hall of Fame (2012)
He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/E) under both his real name and the ring names Faarooq Asaad (sometimes spelled Asad) and Faarooq (sometimes spelled Farooq).
He is signed with WWE, working in their Legends program.In WCW, Simmons was a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion; as the first African American to win the title, he is recognized by WWE as the first black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling history. He was also a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion with Butch Reed and a one-time WCW United States Tag Team Champion with Big Josh.
In the WWF, Simmons was a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bradshaw as one half of the Acolytes Protection Agency. Former leader of stable The Nation of Domination, he also competed for the company’s singles championships on pay-per-view and television, headlining the 1997 King of the Ring event against The Undertaker for the WWF Championship. Simmons was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012.
Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for four seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for Florida State University, and was recognized as an All-American. He played professionally for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, the CFL’s Ottawa Rough Riders and the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits.
Notable Feuds
w/ Butch Reed vs. The Four Horsemen
vs. Butch Reed
vs. Cactus Jack
vs. Ahmed Johnson
w/ Nation of Domination vs. Los Boricuas vs. Disciples of Apocalypse
w/ The Ministry vs. D-Generation X
Other Notable Achievements
NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
MCW Southern Tag Team Championship – with Bradshaw
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship – with Bradshaw
WCW United States Tag Team Championship – with Big Josh
WCW World Tag Team Championship – with Butch Reed