Rufus R. Jones

[Dylan Waco]

Discuss Here.

[Dylan Waco]

I've been toying with the idea of him at my 100 for a few weeks. Still not sure whether I'll pull the trigger on it, but the nature of the system is no surprises, so I figured I'd nominate him late if he was still on my mind and here we are.

 

I live in Charleston, South Carolina. Here in town the wrestling shows for years (from the immediate post-war period through until 1985) were held in a place on King Street called County Hall. That area of town has always been predominantly black, and among the people in this area - especially the Gullah - Rufus is a legend. I used to hear about him all the time as a kid from classmates parents and occasionally classmates themselves who had things passed down to them. Where older white fans acknowledge Rufus as a star and loved him in their own way, it really is incredible to see the connection he had to African descended people in the lowcountry.

 

I've always been fascinated with him for that reason, but for years I heard he was terrible and pretty well avoided him. And the truth is that he's not a classically good wrestler. At all. Having said that if you told me "you can watch Rufus R Jones matches all day on a loop for the next 24 hours or those of Wrestler X" I'd take Rufus over nearly every wrestler you could put in that X slot. His charisma really does come through the sceen. His goofy facial expressions really do resonate with me, perhaps in part because I actually live among people who they spoke to directly. I love his fired up come back, I love his ridiculous over the top selling, and by god I love the double punch!

 

I've seen many Rufus matches I've enjoyed. None that I would ever call great, other than maybe the street fight battle royal match I used to nominate him where he was just one of many guys. That said he's a guy who's flaws do not matter to me at all. As a South Carolinian I feel connected to him both through the people he influenced that I know in daily life, the research I've done on his career for academic projects, and yes his performances as a wrestler.

 

We all have Dusty Rhodes (who admittedly was a better pure worker). Tim Evans has Konan Big. Some other people might feel a connection with Billy Graham or even Jay Strongbow. But I've got Rufus R. Jones.

[soup23]

How would you compare the rep Rufus had to someone like Johnny Weaver in Charleston?

[Dylan Waco]

People like Johnny Weaver, The Scotts, Swede Hanson and Rip Hawk, Wahoo, Blackjack Mulligan and others definitely have a place in the cultural memory of the town. That said, the only one who really feels like a cultural figure that is part of Charleston proper is Rufus. Aside from Flair who of course has remained on television since the era, no one gets referenced more by fans of all eras when talking about Crockett Promotions wrestling in this town. In my neighborhood I've had talks at the bus stop with guys about wrestling several times and Rufus almost always comes up first, and is universally remembered the most fondly.