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Former NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Ron Starr Passes Away

Posted: Jun 9th 2017 By: Dave Meltzer

Ron Starr, one of the most underrated workers during the 70s and 80s who was best known in Puerto Rico, Stampede Wrestling, and on the West Coast, passed away.

Starr, whose real name was Robert Eugene Nutt, is believed to have been 67 years old. Details of his passing are not yet clear.

Starr wrestled regularly from 1972 to 1992. He won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship from Pat Barrett in 1976, while working for Leroy McGuirk. Starr got a major break at the tail end of the Roy Shire territory in San Francisco where he held the U.S. title three times with notable matches with Buddy Rose, Ed Wiskoski (Col. DeBeers), Harley Race, and Roddy Piper.

Perhaps his biggest match was in 1979 when he captured the San Francisco Battle Royal, throwing out Race to win it, and leading to a championship match with Race.

He also won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title from Les Thornton in 1980.

He was a regular in the mid-80s in Stampede Wrestling as tag team partners with Wayne Farris, who later became the Honky Tonk Man.

He is best known in Puerto Rico, where he often teamed with Chicky Starr, but was a multiple-time WWC World Tag Team Champion from 1986 until his full-time career ended in 1992.