| Ronnie Garvin |
| Ronnie Garvin
Height: 5'10" Weight: 230 lbs. Real name: Roger Barnes Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Finishing move: Hands of Stone, Garvin Stomp, Hammer Jammer (Sharpshooter) Pro debut: 1962 Other aliases: Miss Atlanta Lively (Ron would dress up as "Miss Atlanta Lively" in the NWA to get heels like Jim Cornette and Ric Flair by surprise), "Rugged", "Hands of Stone" Ron Garvin, Mr. Knoxville Career highlights: NWA World Heavyweight Champion, NWA National Heavyweight Champion, NWA National TV Champion (4), NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion (Florida version) (w/Terry Garvin), NWA United States Tag Team Champion (w/Barry Windham), NWA National Tag Team Champion (w/Jerry Oates), NWA Florida Tag Team Champion (w/Ole Anderson), NWA Georgia Tag Team Champion (2) (w/Terry Garvin), NWA Southeast Heavyweight Champion (5), NWA Southeast Tag Team Champion (3), AWA International TV Champion, WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion (2), Mid-Southern Tag Team Champion (2) (w/Terry Garvin), ICW Southeast Champion (2), NCW Heavyweight Champion, Tennessee Mountain Wrestling Champion, Tennessee Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Champion (w/Tim Horner) Trained by: Pat Girard Ron Garvin (born Roger Barnes) started wrestling in 1962. He formed a team with his "brother" Terry Garvin in the 1960's and early 1970's and they won a few regional tag team titles together. They were managed by their other "brother", Jimmy Garvin (actually Ron's stepson in real life). Garvin made a name for himself as a singles wrestler in the Georgia and Alabama territories in the late 1970's after splitting with Terry and Jimmy. He then went to the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions where he would achieve his greatest success. He became "The Hands of Stone" Ron Garvin and he feuded with Tully Blanchard and Black Bart before entering in a feud with NWA World Champion Ric Flair in 1987. On September 26, 1987, Garvin was able to defeat Flair for the title. His winning the belt was a last minute booking decision by the committee due to losing their original choices for successors. Magnum T.A., the original choice, was forced out of in-ring competition following a tragic car accident and Buddy Landel was fired for drug use on the day he was to win the title. He held it for 3 months before losing it back to Flair. He briefly feuded with Jim Cornette's "Midnight Express" of Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane after Cornette threw fire in his face. Jimmy Garvin came to his rescue and they teamed for awhile against them before Ron had a singles feud with Cornette's bodyguard, Big Bubba Rogers. At the 1988 Great American Bash, he turned heel by knocking Dusty Rhodes out with a punch to keep him from winning Barry Windham's U.S. Title. He was managed by Gary Hart but left after only a few months as a heel. He wrestled in the American Wrestling Association in late 1988 as a heel and feuded with Greg Gagne over the AWA International Television Championship. He also feuded with Carlos Colon over the WWC Universal Title on trips to Puerto Rico during this time. Garvin next went to the WWF wrestling as a babyface under the name "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin. He feuded with Greg Valentine. Valentine defeated him in a 'loser must retire' match, but the feud continued with Garvin as a referee. He went back to wrestling months later, but only ended up jobbing to up and coming wrestlers such as Earthquake. He then returned to the independents, mainly in the Carolinas, on a semi-retired basis and can still be found in 2005 as a wrestler or special referee in the independents in the Mid-Atlantic area. |
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