Outlaw Ron Bass Passes Away at 68
The wrestling world has lost another member of its family as Ronald Heard, best known to many as "Outlaw" Ron Bass, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68.
According to a report from PWInsider, Bass passed away due to complications from a ruptured appendix. The report states that Bass didn't know what actually happened, and waited a week to receive medical attention. Because of the delay, Bass was unable to recover and ultimately succumbed.
Bass began his wrestling career in the 1970s with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) where he became a multi-time champion, including the NWA Florida Global Tag Team Championship with Barry Windham in 1982. Bass joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1987. He became a mid-card heel during his time. He took part in the inaugural Royal Rumble match in 1988, and even defeated Shawn Michaels to qualify for the 1988 King of the Ring tournament.
Bass had notable feuds with the Junkyard Dog and Brutus Beefcake during his short run in the WWF. His feud with JYD was memorable because he used his bullwhip named "Miss Betsy" to choke and drag him around the ring. He ultimately retired from regular competition in 1991.
His last official match took place in 2005 where he teamed with Larry Zbyszko to face Windham and Mike Rotunda.
Recently, Bass was part of the ongoing class-action lawsuit against the WWE in 2016 that claims the company concealed risks of traumatic head injuries from its contracted employees.
Fightful.com sends our condolences to the family and friends of Bass.
