Ron Simmons

Ronald Kyle Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American former professional wrestler and football player. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he was the first ever African American WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons played football as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for four seasons during the 1980s. Simmons played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was recognized as an All-American. He played professionally for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders and the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. Simmons performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/E) under both his real name and the ring names Faarooq Asaad (sometimes spelled Asad) and Faarooq (sometimes spelled Farooq). In WCW, Simmons was a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion; as the first African American to win the title, he is recognized by WWE as the first black world champion in professional wrestling history. He was also a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion as one half of Doom with Butch Reed (the longest reign with that championship) and a one-time WCW United States Tag Team Champion with Big Josh. He was one of the most prominent stars in the WWF in the early Attitude Era. In the WWF, he was a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bradshaw as one half of the Acolytes Protection Agency. Simmons was a sporadic world title contender between ECW and the WWF, and led the Nation of Domination stable in the latter promotion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012.