Rick Fuller

Richard Fuller is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He would later be featured in several video games including WCW Nitro and WCW/nWo Thunder.
==Professional wrestling career==
===Early life and career===
Born in Middleboro, Massachusetts, Fuller graduated from Middleborough High School in 1987 and soon began training under "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka and "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas at their wrestling school in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Touring the Northeast during the 1990s, Fuller won championship titles in several promotions and, most notably, feuded with Scott Garland while in the New England Wrestling Association later fighting over the NEWA Heavyweight title during 1992 and 1993.
===World Championship Wrestling===
In early 1997, Fuller made debut in World Championship Wrestling losing to Lex Luger at the The Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 13, 1997. Regularly appearing on Monday Night Nitro, WCW Saturday Night during the year, he also lost to Chris Benoit on February 22 and Diamond Dallas Page on March 3. Later that month, he would also face Road Block and Johnny Swinger on WCW Saturday Night before teaming with Roadblock against Lex Luger & The Giant at Monday Night Nitro on March 31, 1997.
Suffering losses to Booker T and Jeff Jarrett during the next two months, he lost to Meng in a dark match on Monday Night Nitro on May 12. After another loss to Jeff Jarrett on WCW Saturday Night on May 24, he also lost to The Giant in a handicap match with Johnny Swinger and Jerry Flynn at Monday Night Nitro on May 26. In early June, he would also lose to Ice Train and Buff Bagwell and later to "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan on Monday Night Nitro in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 13.
One of the first victims of Bill Goldberg's winning streak during early 1998, Fuller was pinned by Goldberg at WCW Thunder on February 2. He later appeared on WCW Worldwide losing to Konnan on February 21. as well as appearing on WCW Saturday Night facing Hugh Morris, Jim Duggan and Prince Iaukea as well as to Booker T and Steve McMichael on WCW Thunder before defeating Doc Dean on July 25, 1998.
During the next few months however, while scoring victories over preliminary wrestlers, he would lose matches to Scott Norton, Bryan Clark, Marty Jannetty and Jerry Flynn before losing to WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg at WCW Thunder in Lexington, Kentucky on September 10. He would also lose to Ernest "The Cat" Miller and Rick Steiner before defeating El Dandy on WCW Worldwide on October 17, 1998.
Defeating Lash LeRoux at WCW Worldwide on January 26, Fuller later teamed with Knuckles Nelson at the NWA Parade of Champions, substituting for the injured Erich Sbraccia, winning the then vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship against Team Extreme (Kit Carson and Khris Germany) winning by reverse decision at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas, Texas on June 10, 1999. However, the two would hold them for less than a week before losing the titles to The Public Enemy in Bolton, Massachusetts on June 17.
Fuller would make only occasional appearances with WCW for most of the year, defeating Sick Boy at WCW Thunder in Birmingham, Alabama on July 14 instead wrestling for independent promotions including an appearance at Ultimate Professional Wrestling's Slam & Jam '99 defeating former trainer "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Maine on December 30, 1999.
Returning to WCW in early 2000, Fuller faced Tank Abbot on Monday Night Nitro on February 14 and later appeared on WCW Saturday Night during its last months on the air facing The Wall, The Demon and, in the last episode, participated in a 6-man Hardcore Battle Royal won by Brian Knobbs and included Norman Smiley, Adrian Byrd, Dave Burkehead and The Dog on April 1, 2000.
===Return to the independent circuit===
After the close of WCW, Fuller returned to the independent circuit and, while in East Coast Championship Wrestling joined the stable Alliance of Defiance with Kevin Kelly and Billy Fives in early 2001. He would also make an appearance in the World Wrestling Federation facing Devon Storm at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut on May 21.
In December 2001, he assaulted then-referee Barry Ace during a match for NWA New England after he had unintentionally caused Fuller to mistime a wrestling move. NWA New England Vice President Vinnie Capelli later made a public statement accepting full responsibility for the incident as Barry Ace was not a fully trained referee at the time. Despite this incident, Fuller remained with the promotion and, the following year, he won the NWA New England Heavyweight Championship. Several years later, Fuller and Ace both portrayed prison inmates in the film What Doesn't Kill You.
===Recent years===
During 2006, Fuller would continue his feud with Brian Milonas in East Coast Championship Wrestling defeating him on May 6 although he was later eliminated by Milonas in the ECCW "Road to the Championship" Tournament on May 20. The following month he debuted New England Championship Wrestling defeating Nat Turner on July 15 although he would later lose to NECW U.S. Champion Eric Shred by disqualification on October 7 and, with Evan Siks, defeated Eddie Edwards & DC Dillinger by disqualification on October 28, 2006. Defeating Triplelicious and Chris Green during the next several weeks, he joined Team Nightmare (Evan Siks, Jason Blade and Brian Fury) defeating Team Sabotage (Kristian Frost, John Walters, Eddie Edwards and DC Dillinger) in an 8-man elimination match on December 16, 2006.
In early 2007, he lost to Abyss in a stretcher match during a Powerhouse Wrestling of New England event on January 27 and, the following month in Big Time Wrestling, defeated Eddie Edwards on February 25 before losing to Mister TA in a dog collar match on March 2, 2007. From late 2007 through early 2008, he wrestled for a small company in Fair Haven, Massachusetts called Alliance Championship Wrestling.
On May 18, 2007 Fuller faced Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Brian Milonas in the main event of the Homecoming benefit show in Byfield, Massachusetts, a fundraising event held by Chaotic Wrestling and Fabulous Productions to raise money for charities in the New England area including the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Newbury Police Association and the Trista Zinck Scholarship Fund. The match, which featured WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena as special referee, also saw Vince McMahon in a rare appearance on the independent circuit who attempted to interfere in the match only to be stopped by John Cena.
On December 28, 2007 Fuller defeated Brian Fury to win the NECW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in Quincy, Massachusetts.
On June 27, 2008, Fuller and tag team partner Fred Sampson defeated The Blowout Boys to become the new Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Champions.
In 2008 Fuller competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he formed a tag team with Giant Bernard. He is also a singles competitor in the New Jersey-based ISPW and the New England-based Big Time Wrestling.
==Personal life==
Fuller is married and has two children.
==In wrestling==
*Finishing moves
**Fuller Effect (Reverse piledriver)
**Spinning wheel kick – WCW
*Signature moves
**Belly to back suplex
**Big boot
**Chinlock
**Knife-edged chop
**Overhead gutwrench backbreaker rack
**Uppercut
*Nicknames
**"The Lumberjack"
**"Big"
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Chaotic Wrestling
**Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Fred Sampson
*Eastern Wrestling Alliance
**EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*NWA New England
**NWA New England Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**NWA New England Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
*NWA Southwest
**NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Knuckles Nelson
*New England Championship Wrestling
**NECW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*New England Wrestling Association
**NEWA Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
**NEWA Interstate Championship (1 time)
**NEWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jack Tanner
*Powerhouse Wrestling
**PW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jimmy "Jact" Crash
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
**PWI ranked him #189 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 2009
*Whaling City Wrestling
**WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with "Sweet" Scott Ashworth
*Yankee Pro Wrestling / Top Rope Promotions
**YPW/TRP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
==External links==
*CageMatch profile
*
Category:1969 births
Category:1990 debuts
Category:American wrestlers
Category:Massachusetts wrestlers
Category:Big Time Wrestling alumni
Category:Chaotic Wrestling alumni
Category:National Wrestling Alliance alumni
Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Powerhouse Wrestling alumni
Category:World Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment alumni
Category:Living people
Category:High Voltage Wrestling alumni
Category:Male wrestlers
Category:NWA World Tag Team Champions
Category:Century Wrestling Alliance alumni
Category:Yankee Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Eastern Wrestling Alliance alumni
Category:NWA Southwest alumni
Category:Impact Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Rampage Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Phoenix Championship Wrestling alumni
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Category:Jersey Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:New England Championship Wrestling alumni
Category:Top Rope Promotions alumni
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Category:Independent Superstars Of Professional Wrestling alumni
Category:NWA On Fire alumni
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Category:House Of Bricks Pro Wrestling alumni