Robert Welch (May 14, 1951) is a American professional wrestler and manager better known by his ring names Robert Fuller and Col. Robert Parker. Robert and his brother Ron co-owned Continental Championship Wrestling for a time.
Career[]
Fuller started wrestling in 1970 in the Alabama and Tennessee regions. He often teamed with his cousin Jimmy Golden and they won many tag team titles.
In the 1980s, he took his brother Ron's idea and made a stable called The Stud Stable. Among the members in the independent versions of this stable were Golden, Sid Vicious, Cactus Jack, Dutch Mantel, Gary Young, and Brian Lee.
He spent some time in the American Wrestling Association with Golden in 1988, and they feuded with The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson). He also wrestled in the Texas area where he teamed with Jeff Jarrett.
In 1993, Fuller went to World Championship Wrestling as manager Col. Robert Parker, a takeoff of Col. Tom Parker of Elvis Presley fame. He managed Sid Vicious and teamed with manager Harley Race and his protege, Vader to form "The Masters of the Powerbomb". They feuded with Sting and Davey Boy Smith. In 1994, he managed "Stunning Steve" Austin before reforming his "Stud Stable" with Golden as "Bunkhouse Buck", Meng, Dick Slater, Terry Funk and Arn Anderson. They feuded heavily with Dusty and Dustin Rhodes. In 1995, Col. Parker courted Sherri Martel to the dismay of both the Stud Stable and Sherri's charges, Harlem Heat. Parker and Sherri went to get married and Sherri was attacked by Madusa, who was supposed to be Parker's wife. Parker and Sherri split and feuded and then made up again, with Parker leaving the Stud Stable to help Sherri manage Harlem Heat. While with Harlem Heat, Parker's official title was "promoter", while Sherri retained the "manager" designation. One trademark of Parker's managing would be his fanning himself during matches. In October 1996, Harlem Heat fired Parker after he cost them the WCW World Tag Team Championships. He quickly started to manage The Amazing French Canadians (Jacques Rougeau and Carl Ouellet), trading in his gray suit for a French Foreign Legion uniform. Harlem Heat and The Amazing French-Canadians immediately began feuding.
Fuller was released from WCW in 1998 and in March 1998, he resurfaced in the WWF as Tennessee Lee, a character similar to his Col. Parker character, and began managing Jeff Jarrett. His time in the WWF was short-lived; he would be released in June 1998 and went back to wrestling with Golden on the independent circuit in Alabama.
On June 2, 2006 in Irondale, Alabama, Fuller managed Shannon Spruill against El Mexico for the NWA Wrestle Birmingham Junior Heavyweight Championship. With the help of Fuller (who referred to Spruill as his "Million Dollar Baby"), Spruill defeated El Mexico to win her third wrestling title.
On September 14, 2006, Fuller was seen, once again as Col. Parker, being interviewed by Robert Roode on TNA Impact!.
Personal life[]
Robert Fuller comes from a wrestling family: his father Buddy Fuller and his grandfather Roy Welch were wrestlers, as were his brother Ron Fuller and his cousin Jimmy Golden ("Bunkhouse Buck").
He has been married four times. Joyce Logan, who he has his oldest daughter Kimberly by, Sylvia Wilson (Miss Sylvia), who he has Katie and Charlotte by, Susan Lostraglio, who he had no children with, and his current wife Laverne Stewart. He has 7 grandchildren. Fuller currently resides in Seminole, Florida.
In wrestling[]
- Managers
- Ron Fuller
- Jonathan Boyd
- Downtown Bruno
- Eddie Gilbert
- Ronald Gossett
- Ron Slinker
- Miss Sylvia
- Wrestlers managed
- Arn Anderson
- Steve Austin
- Bunkhouse Buck
- Terry Funk
- Cactus Jack
- Jeff Jarrett
- Brian Lee
- Dutch Mantel
- Meng
- Dick Slater
- Sid Vicious
- Gary Young
Championships and accomplishments[]
- AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Toru Tanaka (1) and Bill Dundee) (1)
- CWA Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Jimmy Golden (2) and Brian Lee (1)
- National Wrestling Alliance
- Regional
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Kendall Windham
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Tim Woods (1) and Bob Armstrong (3)
- NWA Southeast Continental Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Southeast Continental Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jimmy Golden
- NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
- NWA Southeast Tag Team Championship (15 times) - with Ron Fuller (2), Eddie Boulder (1), Jos LeDuc (3), Bob Armstrong (2), and Jimmy Golden (7)
- NWA Southeast Television Championship (2 times)
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America Version) (1 time) - with Kevin Sullivan
- PWI ranked him # 332 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- PWI ranked him # 80 of the best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Jimmy Golden.
- USWA Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Brian Lee (2), Jeff Jarrett (3), and Mike Mitchell (1)
- WCWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jimmy Golden (1) and Brian Lee (1)
- Other Titles
- NAWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
