Thoughts on Ron Simmons

[President Evil]

I was never much of a fan of WCW before 1996. But from my understanding he was the first African American to win the World title, from Vader in 1992 which was and still is a big deal. Good for him.

Then he went to WWF in the summer of 1996 and looked RIDICULOUS with that HOMEMADE helmet thats looks like a kindergarten student did it. I can almost accept the blue outfit he had on. But you could feel the integrity and the ability to be taken seriously just trickling away second by second because of that silly outfit he had on.

And then paired up with Sunny? Really?

Then a year or two later he formed the Nation of Domination with Kama, The Rock, D Lo Brown and Mark Henry. He actually had something going for him, but by this time the fans had lost complete interest in him. If used properly he could have been a main guy, he had longevity, he lasted with the company up until 2004 if not further.

The E dropped the ball with this guy. I would have liked to see a storyline between Ron Simmons and Booker T since both were the first African American champs in the business.

 

[The Perfect Max]

Forgotten the APA. As I remember, they were quite popular, and Faarooq (Ron Simmons for those living under a rock from 2000 - 2004) was certainly no joke. The Acolytes were fun and entertaining and meaningful. They had Tag Team title shots and oppertunitys but that never took away Simmons "purpose."

Anyway, the good ol' DAMN is always fun to watch cos he does it just perfect and at the right time. Just like the time when Orton was talking to Cena at Backlash 2007, that was funny as fuck. Then Simmons was right behind Orton the whole time and then shouted DAMN.

So, that is my opinion on Faarooq. He will always be Farooq to me.

 

[GodCompleX]

Ron Simmons was definitely underutilized in WWE. His stint with Sunny was foolish at best. Then bounced back with N.O.D and then even further with APA. He definitely could have been a singles main event player and I feel the boat was missed on a Farooq vs JBL feud after APA split up............................................................................................ ...........................................................................................................................
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......................DAMN!

 

[FlairFan2003]

Simmons was a very good worker, pretty good but underutilised on the mic, he could be serious, he could be funny, he could hook you into wanting to see him wrestle, the best all time mic guys like Austin, Angle, HBK, Flair, HHH, etc could do all those things.

His early stint in WWE left a lot to be desired but he perserved and the NOD was a pretty big deal. He was way over as a fan favorite in WCW when he won the title from Vader, although my favorite WCW memories are of his heel run with Teddy Long as his manager in the tag team Doom with Butch Reed, they were pretty bad ass, and his promos were just starting to get good then.

Personally, when I think of RS I thkink of the story Ric Flair told when talking about disrespectful The Steiners would be to younger or undercard talent. He noted the time they played a fairly cruel prank on Reed, Simmons partner at the time, but a wrestler who was for the most part considered a mid carder at best, bouncing around different promotions, never quite making it.

When Flair saw Simmons after a show they had some drinks and according to Flair Simmons knew about the prank on Reed and wasn't happy. Reed wasn't much of trouble maker or one to stand up for himself and let it go. When Flair asked Simmons what he would do if The Steiners messed with him like that he emphatically said they would not. When he asked again what would happed if The Steiners quote "F#@*#d with you" Simmons, according to Flair, looked him dead in the eye and said "Ric, I'm UN F#@*&able!!"

Needless to say you never hear stories about anyone screwing around with RS!!

 

[President Evil]

Yes I had left out the APA from my introduction because I wanted to give out my thoughts on him on how he did in WCW and then how badly he was used specially in the beginning of his WWF stint.

The APA was cool, very cool, and it came at the perfect time 1998-1999 just as the Attitude era was getting hot. Luckily and fortunately when the name Faarooq is mentioned he's remembered more for being in the APA and NOD than that silly ass gladiator gimmick he was given at the beginning of his WWF tenure.

This is a prime example of Vince McMahon obtaining someone from another organization and making him wear a silly ass costume and not being used properly. Why the hell did he do those things anyway? Another example was Dusty Rhodes, a legend, and when he joined the WWF in 1990-91 he wore this silly ass polka dot outfit and from what I remember he was in the midcard level forever.

 

[It'sMyYard]

APA - back when tag teams were hot... they were brawlers. A different kind of tag team than the TLC crew. He could indeed have been in the main picture. But I'm half pleased he wasn't so he was able to drink a can, play some cards and unleash in the Mid card with Bradshaw. they were truly entertaining

 

[Kane666]

I thought Ron Simmons was a great wrestler.I really think he should've stayed in WCW though.He might've gotten a few more reigns as World Champion or atleast a few with the T.V. or U.S. titles.That's one of the things that i and i assume many people hate about Vince.He was never willing to push a talent he didn't create.Unfortunately Ron Simmons was another victim of that ass backwards way of thinking.

 

[The Brain]

Then he went to WWF in the summer of 1996 and looked RIDICULOUS with that HOMEMADE helmet thats looks like a kindergarten student did it. I can almost accept the blue outfit he had on. But you could feel the integrity and the ability to be taken seriously just trickling away second by second because of that silly outfit he had on.

And then paired up with Sunny? Really?

Then a year or two later he formed the Nation of Domination with Kama, The Rock, D Lo Brown and Mark Henry. He actually had something going for him, but by this time the fans had lost complete interest in him. If used properly he could have been a main guy, he had longevity, he lasted with the company up until 2004 if not further.

This is a prime example of Vince McMahon obtaining someone from another organization and making him wear a silly ass costume and not being used properly. Why the hell did he do those things anyway?

You’re not telling the whole story here. It’s common for people to criticize the Faarooq Asad gladiator character but it didn’t last anywhere near one year, much less two. Simmons joined the WWF as that character in July 1996. It was at Survivor Series only four months later that he formed the Nation of Domination. During his time in the Nation Faarooq was a pretty important character in the WWF. Sure he never won a singles title but so what? Guys didn’t need titles to get over back then. The NOD was a controversial group that received a lot of time and attention. The feud with Ahmed Johnson was huge. Let’s not forget Faarooq headlined a ppv with The Undertaker in a world title match. The biggest problem Faarooq had was one of his lackeys was becoming the most electrifying man in sports entertainment and taking his spotlight. The Rock wasn’t going to be in anyone’s shadow as 1997 became 1998. Rock had to take over the NOD and once Faarooq was out of that group he was just treading water until the APA came around. Maybe Simmons could have been bigger, but I don’t think he was anywhere close to as misused as a lot of people think. On the other hand I don’t think he was the major star in WCW that people think. He did get a five month title reign which was huge, but aside from that he was pretty much a mid card or tag team guy just like in WWF.

 

[drobs85]

King of the Ring 1997 Faarooq should have beat the undertaker for the title but neither taker nor wwf would let that happen. Yea he was under utilized but i mostly think that was more due to his stiffness. Man this guy botched more than the king himself Batista. Faarooq didn't sell jack but wanted the other wrestlers to take these power moves and beatings from him.

 

[fraserbee]

I was a huge fan of him when I first got into wrestling. I first came across him as a member of Doom, which was possibly his best in-ring work. Simmons and Reed worked really well together because they had different strengths which made a much rounder package than either ever could on their own.
As a singles guy, they never quite pushed him right in my eyes. In my view, look at Brock Lesnar a decade later as an idea of what Simmons could have been. He was an amazing athlete, extremely strong and very agile (in the early 90s he had an amazing standing dropkick) for a man of his build. Unfortunately, they pushed the fact that he was good at foodball and was black, neither of which meant much in wrestling.
In the WWF/E I think he did well and got a decent push to begin with, especially considering he was one of the oldest guys on the roster. He just never really came across as a true main eventer, but had a good run as an upper mid-card guy.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Simmons was really good back in his day. He was a very good worker, had a great look and everything he did looked devastating. He was rightfully chosen as the first ever African-American World Champion. He was more than deserving of the title.

He was still a big name when he arrived in WWE, but why the hell did Vince stick him with the ridiculous Gladiator costume. It was an insult to a proven talent. Thank God it did not last long, and Simmons went on to lead the Nation, who were a great faction at the time even though he was eventually overshadowed by The Rock.

However, I most enjoyed Simmons as part of the APA. The Acolytes were cool additions to Undertaker's Ministry and everyone knew how tough they were but it was when they became the beer drinking, cigar smoking protection for hire that they were at their most entertaining. I loved the whole gimmick as you know that Faarooq and Bradshaw were two rough, tough guys who could beat the hell out of anyone, and it was cool to see them with the tag team titles on a few occasions.

I think Simmons could have been given a bigger push as a singles wrestler when he first joined the WWE, but he was not young even then and the WWE was looking at younger wrestlers at the time so I can see why he wasnt pushed as a main eventer, there was no reason to give him such a shit gimmick for his debut though.

I also think that a JBL vs Simmons feud would have been good after Bradshaw turned on him, but sadly the 'E wanted JBL to immediately be the top heel, which meant Simmons was ignored.

Its funny to see his cameo roles now, and the "DAMN!" is always funny. I just hope the younger fans realise who he is, and what he accomplished during his career.

 

[Texas Tornado]

He paved the way for african american wrestlers like booker t and mark henry. His highest point was definitely with the nation of domination their feud with the dx. The gladiator gimmick must have been thought of by Vince Russo. Oh and btw, DAMN!

 

[abhilash81]

I was a kid when APA used to interfere to save the faces getting beaten up by heels and it felt really cool to me. as for now, whenever he gives an appearance, he speaks just one word and it's funny as hell always....

 

[HBsam31]

I gotta agree with the Brain here. His match with Vader in which he won the title was awesome, and the crowd popped huge, but other than that he was pretty much a mid carder in WCW. He had his stint with doom, and everything else other than the title win was pretty forgettable. Also his Farooq Asad character did not last long, and with the Nation was a a pretty recognizable star. As the Brain said at the time no one was going to overshadow the Rock, and he had to take over. He later joined the ministry which was a focal point of WWE at the time, and then broke away with Bradshaw as the APA. Looking back he had a decent WWE career, but I don't think he would have had a significant run with the World title if given a shot.

 

[the_People's_Voice]

Oh yeah! I have said it many times and I will say it again, my favorite tag team of all time was the Acolyte Protection Agency for sure. By saying that, I'm not saying they were the absolute best in any regard of winning matches, tag team titles or any pure wrestling awards but they knew how to get in the ring, or any other setting come to think of it, and tearing it up! They were comedic, rough, awesome and patriotic. I miss the Bradshaw with a beard and back when Ron Simmons used to do the dope Dominator finisher...them were the days. Their rivaly with Right to Censor is one of my favorite tag team rivalries too.

 

[Potatogod93]

Honestly, I thought he was probably pushed too much in Dubbya C Dubbya. I mean Ron Simmons was charismatic in the ring, but not on the mic. His move set... meh. He was good, but he wasn't great. That alone with his build would make him a great tag team wrestler or stable guy ... which he was with NOD, Doom, and APA/Ministry, but not great a singles wrestler. He provided good matches with Luger, Vader, and Cactus Jack, but should not have ever been champion. BUT I also don't think Luger made a good champion in the early 90's. His championship matches were all pretty bad for the most part. The only saving grace was his physic and he was sold to be nearly unbeatable.

The early 90's for Dubbya C Dubbya was really all about Sting. End of Story. Flair was gone for a year and a half.. Sid left for a year or so... Luger ended up leaving... Cactus never got brought to a big enough status... Bulldog was hardly there ... Rude seemed for the most part an afterthought (other than the Steamboat fued) and was a prop to a stable and Arn was a tag wrestler. Early 90's Belonged to Sting and then everyone else much like Hogan in the WWF

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I always thought Simmons/Faarooq was a good worker. I never saw much of his WCW work, but obviously I know of him being the first black World Champion, and I have since gone back and watched some of his matches from WCW. He was just as solid back then as he was in the WWF, and a really good athlete.

I can't believe he was forced to/agreed to wear that ridiculous helmet when he first joined the WWF, thank god that didn't last too long! After forming the Nation Faarooq was an important member of the WWF, I think he could have been a great Intercontinental Champion, but like another poster has already said, he didn't need a singles title to get over.

Obviously, with the emergence of The Rock, there would be less attention of Faarooq, but then Vince made the great decision of pairing him up with another floundering wrestler in Bradshaw, forming the Acolytes and having them join The Undertaker. They were a good tag team, hard-hitting and stiff but definitely did their best work then they went off on their own and added some comedy to their act as the APA.

The APA was great. So entertaining, with their card playing antics backstage, always having a beer and a cigar going and that hilarious random door in the middle of the room which other wrestlers had to go through in order for the APA to acknowledge them. I was glad that they were given a few Tag Team Title reigns- well deserved.

It was a shame to see Simmons retired in the way he was, I definitely think a Faarooq v JBL feud would have been entertaining, but its great that he has been given HOF status, he is certainly a worthy addition to the HOF and is still brilliantly entertaining every time he pops on up on TV throwing out a "DAMN!"