Former professional wrestler Rick Link, who once defeated WWE legend Jerry “The King” Lawler for the Southern Championship, has sadly passed away.
Link was on dialysis for his kidney but weeks ago decided to stop his lifesaving treatments. Link’s sister announced in late December that he’d be entering hospice care. A donation link was created to help cover his eventual funeral expenses. Link’s family has raised over $3,000 with the support of wrestling fans worldwide.
The 66-year-old’s wrestling career began when he trained under Johnny Hunter at just 15-years-old. He made his debut in 1975. In his early career, he wrestled under the name M.E.B. (Man Eating Beast). He found work in NWA’s Georgia Championship Wrestling.
By 1983, he won his first AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship going by ‘Man Mountain Rick’. He held that title for just one week before Lawler won it back. He continued to wrestle throughout the south until the ‘90s when he settled back down in his home territory — the Carolinas. In the late stage of his wrestling career he fought Abdullah The Butcher, Kamala II, The Iron Sheik, and Ricky Morton.
The 6’3″ 348-pound man wrestled throughout the early 2000s, entering a semi-retirement by 2010. His last recorded match took place in 2023 at 63 years old.
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