Real Name - Edward A. Welch
Lifespan - 3/24/25 - 1/15/96
??? - Dyersburg, TN
Aliases - none
Athletic background - n/a

Place in History - Buddy Fuller has as fascinating a life story in pro-wrestling as anyone, but because most of his career happened behind the wall of kayfabe, it is little known. Born Edward Welch to wrestler/promoter Roy Welch, he came up with pro-wrestling all around him. His three uncles were all wrestlers along with his father, who was the most successful of the crew. Roy ran out of Nashville with Nick Gulas from the 1940s until he retired in 1975. Not surprisingly Edward found his way into the pro-wrestling world, but what is unusual is that he so wanted to be known as something other than Roy Welch's kid that he changed his name to "Buddy Fuller" and spent most of his career outside of his father's home territory and did not return regularly until after Roy's death. Buddy promoted out of Mobile, Alabama, which his father and Gulas owned, from 1954 to 1959 before selling to his cousin Lee Fields. Although he had been a top star in the region, Fuller only made sporatic returns frequently to team with his uncle and top babyface Lester Welch. In the 1960s, Fuller established himself as a top star in Georgia and eventually bought into the promotion. He and fellow owner and top babyface Ray Gunkel were understandibly jockeying for positioning when Ray died and his widow Ann took over his shares. She and Fuller butted heads and to alleviate the situation Buddy traded stock with his uncle Les and headed to Florida while the problems in Atlanta grew worse. Buddy's two sons, Ronald and Robert, were both breaking in under their father's eye and some suggest he and Gunkel bickered over the possible nepotism going on. In Florida, Buddy mostly wrestled underneath as he was into his 40s and trying to help his sons get over. After his father's death and Jerry Jarrett split from Gulas, Fuller found his way back to Tennessee to help ease the situation. He aligned with Jarrett as a silent partner and helped soften the tension between the "outlaw" office out of Memphis and the NWA. His sons had gotten over and were doing well for themselves and Fuller focused on real estate investments and even ran a wrestling school for a time. The promotion bug bit him again before the 1970s were through and he worked with Jarrett and Louis Tillet to run Ohio. It never worked out and Buddy Fuller spent the later years of his life penniless in Florida, where he died. Buddy Fuller certainly left a sizable mark on pro-wrestling in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and several other states where he wrestled and promoted. He was a tough businessman who strived to be his own man and he found great success with that determination. Sadly, his luck ran out and he became a forgotten star of rasslin' from years long gone. Buddy Fuller should be remembered more accurately as having one of the best minds in pro-wrestling as he successfully booked Florida, Alabama and Western Tennessee and became a well-regarded wrestler who could inarguably draw crowds.