Another Historic Wrestler Has Passed On With Ron Bass

Ron Heard, best know as “Outlaw” Ron Bass, passed away earlier this week as a result of a burst appendix. He was 68.

The success of “Outlaw” Ron Bass largely predates the era of the WWF, doing a great deal of work in southern NWA territories. He worked angles with stars as big as Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham, and enjoyed a tag team championship run as part of the fictional Bass family.

That tag team success would even continue in Japan, where he–along with Stan Hansen–would briefly trade the NWA International Tag Team Championship with the prolific team of Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta.

Bass also had a WWF run in the late 80s, and was even part of the very first Survivor Series elimination match in 1987. He would also feud with midcard stars like Junkyard Dog and Brutus Beefcake.

List This! - Barbaric Moment No. 4: Outlaw Ron Bass attacks

He would retire early from wrestling to earn a bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University, later working in construction in Florida.

The burst appendix which claimed his life occurred last week, but Bass didn’t realize how serious the problem was. By the time went to the hospital, the poison had spread too far, and he did not recover.

Though Ron Bass was certainly a lesser known star, a few wrestling legends showed their respects on social media.

Sorry to hear about the passing of The Outlaw Cowboy Ron Bass. Great guy and a real pro. Our former stars are dying too quickly, too soon pic.twitter.com/84ZJfFcrWY

— Tony Schiavone (@tonyschiavone24) March 8, 2017

RON BASS REAL THE OUTLAW BROTHER. HE ALWAYS IMPRESS ME. GOD BLESS HIM REST IN PEACE pic.twitter.com/MKy6t5KYK7

— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) March 8, 2017