Territory Wrestling Legend Buddy Colt Passes Away At 85

Ron Read, better known as Buddy Colt has passed away.

A legendary star of the territory era, Colt's life was changed forever when a plane he was piloting a plane and crashed en-route to Tampa. On the plane with Colt was Gary Hart, Austin Idol, and Bobby Shane. Sadly Shane did not survive.

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Buddy Colt spoke with ABC Action News in 2019 about the crash and injuries.

"I had to wear a steel brace, which completely shattered my right ankle. I wrestled three matches after [the crash] all tag-team matches, and I did very little. I realized pretty quickly that I couldn’t perform [in the ring] any longer."

Regarding his love for wrestling, Colt described his passion for the ring.

“It’s [professional wrestling] in my blood. There’s nothing like wrestling in front of a capacity crowd with fans screaming your name,” Read says. “Professional wrestling turned my life around – I absolutely love it.”

Reportedly, Colt was suffering from dementia and Parkinson's prior to his death.

Fightful extends its condolences to Buddy Colt's family, friends, and fans.

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