36 Facts About Rick Link

Richard Link was born on February 28,1959 and is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, trainer and promoter.

Rick Link was part of the NWA's 1983 visit to New Zealand, frequently appearing on the country's long-running wrestling programme On the Mat, and remained undefeated throughout the tour.

Rick Link has been long billed as "World Brass Knuckles Champion" in his home state.

Rick Link started training to become a pro wrestler at the age of 15.

Rick Link was taught by Johnny Hunter, an older NWA veteran who trained Ken Spence and George South, who set up a ring in Link's backyard and worked out with the teenager 7 days a week unless Hunter was on the road.

Rick Link appeared in televised matches for well over a year against wrestlers such as Bulldog Brower, The Love Brothers, Don Fargo, Buddy Austin, Killer Karl Krupp and Karl Von Stronheim.

Rick Link later credited these men for giving him valuable experience during his early career though, he joked in a later interview that "it took a few months of getting stretched before they warmed to me".

In 1979, Rick Link began wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rick Link was then brought into Angelo Poffo's International Championship Wrestling by his son "Macho Man" Randy Savage and took part in TV tapings with Angelo and Lanny Poffo, Ronnie Garvin, Ox Baker, Rip Rogers, Pez Whatley, and The Samoans during 1982.

Later that year, Rick Link left the United States for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta and accompanied the promotion on its first-ever Caribbean tour in Antigua and Montserrat in the West Indies where he wrestled Bret Hart, "Dr D" David Schultz, Gama Singh and JR Foley.

Rick Link joined the NWA on a major tour of New Zealand in 1983.

Rick Link was among the many foreign wrestlers to appear on the country's long-running wrestling programme On the Mat and whose opponents included Lars Anderson, Mark Lewin, Curt Kummala and Steve Rickard.

Rick Link worked in Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii for Lia Maivia during his New Zealand tour.

Years later, Rick Link became the first wrestler to appear in New Zealand cartoonist Jason Conlan's "On The Mat" comic strip for Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Rick Link was interviewed by Kiwi Pro Wrestling, one of New Zealand's three major wrestling companies, which was later posted on their website.

Rick Link returned to the US in the summer of 1983 and spent most of the decade wrestling for promoter Jerry Jarrett in Memphis, Tennessee and NWA Central States promoters Harley Race, Pat O'Connor and Bob Geigel in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rick Link first arrived in the Continental Wrestling Association as one of the "monster heels", such as Jos LeDuc, the Mongolian Stomper, Kamala, King Kong Bundy and Andre the Giant, brought to Memphis to challenge Jerry "The King" Lawler for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.

Rick Link was managed by Jimmy Hart during his first run in the territory and whose "gimmick" included eating a raw chicken walking to the ring or during interviews.

Hart later claimed that Rick Link was probably his least favourite wrestler to manage because of this eccentricity.

Rick Link fared better than prior opponents defeating Lawler for the title at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis on June 20,1983, ending Lawler's 25th reign.

Rick Link was as close to getting publicly ill as I had ever seen, which, to a young teenage boy, is priceless.

Rick Link briefly held on to the title but Crews managed to regain it at a house show soon afterwards.

Rick Link managed to win the TV championship in an official match before losing the title back to Crews that same year.

That summer, Rick Link returned to Memphis where he resumed his feud with Jerry Lawler.

Rick Link would have a few more stints in Memphis over the next two years.

Rick Link started competing under his real name "The Beastmaster" Rick Link and made appearances for independent promotions up and down the Eastern seaboard.

In October 1997, Rick Link feuded Ken Spence, a fellow student of his trainer Johnny Hunter, over the NDW Heavyweight Championship in a series of "bloody" steel cage matches.

On July 17,1998, Rick Link headlined a New Dimension Wrestling supercard with Buddy Landel, Tully Blanchard, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, the Iron Sheik, "Mr USA" Tony Atlas, One Man Gang and Abdullah the Butcher at the Motor Sport Park in Concord, North Carolina.

Rick Link's opponent used a fork against him during the match which eventually ended in a no-contest.

Rick Link feuded with The Iron Sheik, Kamala II and ex-World Championship Wrestling commentator Chris Cruise over the title.

Rick Link was a regular in Southern Championship Wrestling, which helped produce future WWE superstars Shane Helms, Joey Matthews, Shannon Moore and the Hardy Boyz, where he was part of manager Count Grog's "heel" stable The Brotherhood with Major DeBeers, Boris Dragoff, Manny Fernandez, K C Thunder and Frank Parker.

Since the early-2000s, Rick Link made appearances with old NWA veterans of the Carolinas in various independent promotions such as Willie Clay's Carolina Championship Wrestling and World Class Extreme Wrestling.

Rick Link won the match when Baby Doll, Foley's valet, turned against him and joined with Rick Link and his manager Count Grog.

Rick Link later defeated Eskimo Joe after Rick Link hit his opponent with a fireball.

One year later, on January 31,2009, Rick Link was among the many independent wrestlers who performed at the 7th-annual Seagrove Supershow, co-promoted by ACW and GOUGE, which included George South, Malia Hosaka, Brandi Wine, Scrap Yard Dog, Ric Converse, Lumbee Warrior, Rob Killjoy, Semour Snott, Count Grog, Cowboy Willie Watts, Leroy Green and Otto Schwanz.

Two weeks later, Rick Link beat Scapyard Dog in a dog collar match at the GOUGE vs ACW Legends Super Show in Seagrove.