Ronald Heard (December 21, 1948 – March 7, 2017) was an American professional wrestler, best known under the name Ron Bass. His gimmick was a Texan cowboy, who entered World Wrestling Federation (WWF) rings to the sound of a bullwhip.
Career[]
Heard started wrestling as Ron Bass in 1975. Throughout the 1970s, he performed primarily in National Wrestling Alliance territories. He was known as "Cowboy" Ron Bass, Sam Oliver Bass, and "Outlaw" Ron Bass, depending on which territory he was working at the time.
In the early 1980s, he wrestled in Florida Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, frequently teaming with Black Bart as The Long Riders in both promotions. He also teamed and feuded with Barry Windham in Florida. Bass' feud with Barry Windham (over a saddle given to Bass by Dusty Rhodes) led to Windham losing a loser-leaves-town" match to Bass and coming back to wrestle as the masked "Dirty Yellow Dog."
In wrestling[]
- Finishing maneuvers
- Inverted suplex slam
- Skull vice
- Texas Gourdbuster (Kneeling push down facebuster)
Championships and accomplishments[]
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Stan Hansen
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ken Mantell
- NWA Florida Bahamian Championship (1 time)
- NWA Florida Global Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Barry Windham
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (2 times)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (4 times) - with Black Bart (3), and One Man Gang (1)
- NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Don Bass (1) and Dutch Bass (1)
- NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)
- NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Randy Rose
- NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Don Bass
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time)
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Black Bart
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship (1 time)
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Dr. Hiro Ota (1), Moondog Lonnie Mayne (1), and Roddy Piper (1)
- AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Stan Lane
- NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Arkansas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with John Anson (1) and Moondog Mayne (1)
- PWI ranked him # 294 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
