Welcome to "The Thump!" — an irregular column spotlighting the best Black elements of professional wrestling. Named after the signature move of groundbreaking Black wrestler The Junkyard Dog, "The Thump!" showcases the history and impact of Black athletes in the squared circle.
"The Natural" Butch Reed! Ron Simmons! Ladies and gentlemen, this is DOOM! And they dominated the WCW tag-team division from 1989 thru 1991, where they held the WCW Tag Team Championship for a record 281 days. "Hacksaw" Butch Reed had been working the central NWA territories, managed by Slick, and lost a "loser leaves town match"…so he went to WWF! Repackaged as "The Natural" Butch Reed, with blonde hair, Reed was a mid-card wrestler often feuding for the coveted Intercontinental Championship. Ron Simmons was playing professional football for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) before beginning his soon-to-be-legendary wrestling career, which began in the NWA Florida territory.
At Capital Combat Doom shocked the world when they beat the Steiner Brothers, a team that at that point in time did not lose very often. Doom won the tag-team titles and quickly set about defending them against the former champions the Steiners as well the rest of WCW’s very talented tag-team division. Doom defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express at the Great American Bash 1990 and also mauled such teams as Flyin’ Brian & The Z-Man and The Southern Boys. In the fall of 1990 Doom soon got their hands full with The 4 Horsemen after a backstage altercation that saw the arrogant Horsemen insult Doom by not wanting to share a dressing room with them (this of course was a storyline). Doom then turned face and began a feud with The Four Horsemen. At Halloween Havoc 1990 Doom held on to their tag-team titles against Ric Flair and Arn Anderson despite both teams being counted out.
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Interesting Facts: Butch Reed's manager, 'The Doctor of Style' Slick, was WWF's first black manager. Doom started as a masked tag-team, managed by Sherry Martel. Doom was later managed by Teddy Long, current GM of WWE Smackdown! Ron Simmons went on to become WCW's first black Heavyweight Champion. Butch Reed held multiple titles in the NWA and USAW, even defeating Junk Yard Dog for the Mid South North American Heavyweight.
C'mon Son: Butch Reed was booked to become WWF Intercontinental Champion, defeating Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat…but he no-showed the event. Butch Reed was replaced by The Honky Tonk Man, who defeated Steamboat, and went on to become the LONGEST EVER REIGNING Intercontinental Champion (64 weeks). As Ron Simmons would say…DAMN!
[Source: OWW.com]