Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson ( July 26 , 1956 ) is an American retired professional wrestler , better known by his ring name , Tommy Rich . He is best known for his appearances in Georgia and Memphis throughout the 1980s , as well as his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the 1990s . Professional wrestling career . Rich started wrestling in 1974 in the regional promotions in Tennessee after training with Jerry Jarrett . Georgia . Throughout the 1980s , he alternated his time between Tennessee , Georgia , and Alabama territories of the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) . He won dozens of NWA regional titles during this time . He is best known as one of the original stars of the TBS wrestling shows from the 1970s and 1980s . His bloody feud s with " Mad Dog " Buzz Sawyer , Ole Anderson , Ivan Koloff , the Fabulous Freebirds , and every other major heel to come through the Georgia territory made Rich one of the most popular wrestling stars of the period . On April 27 , 1981 , in Augusta , Georgia , he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . He dropped the belt back to former champion Harley Race four days later in Marietta . Race stated in a shoot interview with RF Video that the title switch was to ensure a power struggle in the Georgia territory ended with promoter Jim Barnett victorious ( Barnett was a minority holder in Georgia and the booker of the NWA title , and the title switch , with the fan interest and boosted live gates , shored up his position ) . He had a feud in Georgia Championship Wrestling with " Mad Dog " Buzz Sawyer for the NWA Georgia National Title . The feud lasted close to two years , culminating in the " Last Battle of Atlanta , " in 1983 , which featured Sawyer and Rich in a fully enclosed , " last man standing " cage match . The only known footage of the match is owned by noted wrestling historian , Barry Ham . Sawyer and Rich tried forming a team for a short period of time afterward to feud with a new team called the " Road Warriors " . Rich was later directed into a feud with Ted DiBiase . Memphis . Rich then returned to the Memphis area , where he formed a team with " Hot Stuff " Eddie Gilbert known as " Fargo ' s Fabulous Ones " . The previous Fabulous Ones , Steve Keirn and Stan Lane , walked out on the territory . They held the AWA Southern Tag Team titles in 1984 , then dropped them to Phil Hickerson and the Spoiler ( Frank Morrell ) . Afterward , Gilbert turned heel and Rich and he had a brief , but intense feud , which began on television when the two were presented with a " Tag Team of the Year " award by announcer Lance Russell and two guests . Gilbert , unaware his former partner was at the taping , badmouthed Rich , then the International Heavyweight Champion , until Rich came out to confront him . Rich immediately got the upper hand , running Gilbert into the steel ringpost several times , bloodying him in the process before the cameras went to a commercial . After the commercial break , Gilbert told Russell he wanted Rich to come back out so he could apologize to him in person , stating he was wrong for still being bitter about the break - up of the team , and was fueled by jealousy of Rich ' s championship title reign and new found star status . When Rich accepted Gilbert ' s apology , Gilbert suddenly turned on him and rammed Rich ' s head into the ringpost , just as Rich had done to him moments earlier . After competing in Southeast Championship Wrestling , Rich would again return to the Memphis area in 1987 and contribute to one of the greatest feuds in wrestling history . Austin Idol versus Jerry Lawler went on for over a year and culminated in a hair vs . hair match at the Mid - South Coliseum . Rich hid under the ring for the entire event only to emerge during the cage match , causing Lawler to lose the match and his hair , which led to a heel turn for Rich . After Bill Dundee later joined the feud on Lawler ' s side , it would climax with a tag team scaffold match that saw Lawler and Dundee emerge victorious and Paul E . Dangerously , Rich and Idol ' s manager , suffer a broken arm when he fell off the scaffold trying to escape from the fan favorites . From there , Rich went to the AWA and turned face again , engaging in feuds with Adrian Adonis and Kevin Kelly ; in one memorable event that took place on ESPN ' s " AWA Championship Wrestling " , Rich and Kelly faced off in an arm - wrestling challenge when Sherri Martel , Kelly ' s manager , interfered on her protégé ' s behalf , leading Rich to retaliate by tearing off Martel ' s dress and leaving her in her underwear . World Championship Wrestling ( 1989 - 1992 ) . In 1989 , Rich returned to the Georgia area . The NWA , having been bought by Ted Turner in late 1988 , was in the middle of a face lift and Rich was part of a host of veteran wrestlers to enter the promotion during this period . At first he was referred to as " former NWA World Champion " , etc . , but was soon relegated to midcard status . The push received by big names like Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk and young talent like Brian Pillman and Great Muta , essentially bumped older talent like Rich , the The Iron Sheik and Wild Bill Irwin to the fringe . Rich would mount an unsuccessful challenge to NWA US Champion Lex Luger in a series of title matches during this time period . He even dropped a match to the much older and soon to be retired Harley Race at The Great American Bash in July 1990 . In 1991 , in another attempt to revive his career , he joined Alexandra York ' s York Foundation and became " Thomas Rich " . He teamed with the other members , Terrence Taylor and Richard Morton to win the WCW Six - Man Titles . When the York Foundation disbanded in early 1992 , Rich was relegated to the lower card . Independent circuit ( 1992 - 1997 ) . From 1992 to 1996 , he wrestled for the United States Wrestling Association ( USWA ) , American Wrestling Federation and Smoky Mountain Wrestling mostly as a heel . Some of his notable tag team partners in the USWA were Doug Gilbert and Gorgeous George III . In 1995 he attempted to regain the NWA World title , from Dan Severn , but was unsuccessful . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( 1997 - 1999 ) . Rich debuted in the Philadelphia , Pennsylvania - based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling in January 1997 . Later that year , he became the leader of The Full Blooded Italians , adopting the nickname " The Big Don " and the tongue - in - cheek gimmick of a caporegime . Rich both managed The Full Blooded Italians and occasionally wrestled . He left ECW in 1999 . Independent circuit ( 1999 - 2012 ) . Since leaving ECW in 2000 , Rich has worked on countless independent promotions as well as legends events and reunion events . In addition to wrestling on the events he has appeared at autograph signings & legends conventions . Personal life . Richardson is married to Terry , with whom he has three daughters and six grandchildren .