Nelson Combs (July 21, 1935 – February 3, 2002) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, trainer and promoter, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

, Nelson Royal. He held the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship on six occasions along with numerous regional championships.

Early life

Combs was born on July 21, 1935, in

Wheelwright, Kentucky Wheelwright is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Floyd County, Kentucky, Floyd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 509 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 780 in 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

. As a youth, he participated in

amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...

. While competing in an amateur wrestling contest in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, he met professional wrestler Don Eagle, who agreed to train him.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1955–1965)

Combs was trained as a professional wrestler by Eagle, debuting in 1955 in the Midwest Wrestling Alliance promotion under the ring name Nelson Royal. In the late 1950s, Royal wrestled for the

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

–based promotion

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. ...

, where in 1958, he briefly held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with Black Hawk, and for the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

-based promotion Big Time Wrestling. In 1962, Royal adopted the character of "Sir Nelson Royal", a "pompous, overbearing Englishman in tails and

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...

". He formed a tag team with The Viking (Bob Morse). In the early-1960s, Royal wrestled for the

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

–based promotion

Heart of America Sports Attractions Heart of America Sports Attractions, Inc., operating as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebr ...

as "Medic #1", one-half of the tag team The Medics with Medic #2 (Pedro Gordy). In January 1961, The Medics won a tournament to become the inaugural NWA Central States Tag Team Champions, losing the championship to Bulldog Austin and Tarzan Kowalski later that year. In June 1963, The Medics briefly held the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Central States version)''. On May 7, 1964, Royal teamed with Wahoo McDaniel in a loss to "Gorgeous Gus", a black bear.

Mid-Atlantic mainstay (1965–1983)

In 1965, Royal abandoned his aristocratic character and adopted the character of a good-natured

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

. In 1966, he formed a tag team with Tex McKenzie. In 1968, Royal formed a tag team with Paul Jones in the

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

–based promotion

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in ...

. In 1969, Royal briefly wrestled for the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

–based promotion NWA Hollywood Wrestling, where he and Jones held the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship. In September 1970, the duo defeated The Minnesota Wrecking Crew to win the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship. They lost the championship to The Blond Bombers in December 1970. Royal held the championship once more in 1973, this time with Sandy Scott. In the mid-1970s, Royal wrestled for the

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

–based promotion

Southeastern Championship Wrestling Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama, from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship W ...

. He held the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship on three occasions in 1975: twice with Les Thatcher and once with Ron Wright. On December 6, 1976, Royal defeated Ron Starr to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. He lost the championship to Chavo Guerrero, Sr. in February 1978, regaining it the following month and losing it to Guerrero once more in April 1978. In July 1979, Royal won the championship for a third time, defeating Al Madril by forfeit. Royal held the championship until December of that year before vacating it upon retiring from professional wrestling His father was in ill heath and Nelson operated his farm as well as his own western wear business.

Late career (1983–1989)

Royal broke his retirement in 1983, wrestling a handful of matches over the following years before returning to a fuller schedule in 1986. At StarrCade on November 27, 1986, Royal appeared in a vignette promoting the upcoming Bunkhouse Stampede, in which he sat by a campfire explaining the rules of the match. Royal was involved in the creation of the Big Gold Belt, serving as the contact between Jim Crockett Jr., who commissioned it, and Charles Crumrine, whose shop made the belt. His name appears on the back of the main plate along with the maker's hallmark. In early 1987, Royal made a second tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling. In October of that year, Royal won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship for a fourth time. He lost the championship to Scott Armstrong twice, on both occasions quickly regaining it, before finally vacating it upon his retirement from professional wrestling in 1989. In 1989, Royal founded Atlantic Coast Wrestling, a short-lived

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

promotion. Royal ran a

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

Mooresville, North Carolina Mooresville is a town located in the southwestern section of Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of the fast-growing Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 50,193 at the 2020 census, making it the most populo ...

, with Gene Anderson. Wrestlers trained by Royal included Rockin' Robin,

Johnny Ace John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s. He emerged as a prominent figure in postwar R&B an ...

, and

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...

Personal life

Royal was married to Karen L. Royal. He had three children: two sons and a daughter. His daughter, Shannon Lloyd McCrary, performed as a

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

in USA Championship Wrestling and Atlantic Coast Wrestling under the ring name "Sha Sha". Royal settled in

, where he owned a ranch. Royal opened Nelson Royal's Western Store, a store specializing in

western wear Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garments ...

cowboy boot Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a High-heeled footwear#Men and heels, high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no l ...

s and

horse tack Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domestication of the horse, domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as Saddle, saddles, Stirrup, stirrups, Bridle, bridles, Halter, ...

, in Mooresville in 1967. He was active in Crime Stoppers and

Drug Abuse Resistance Education Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is an American education program aimed to prevent the use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chief ...

Death

Royal developed

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in his later years. He died from a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on February 3, 2002, at the age of 66.

Championships and accomplishments

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...

**Other honoree (1996) *

** NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Medic #2 ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Central States version)'' (1 time) – with Medic #2 *

** NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Paul Jones (1 time) and Sandy Scott (1 time) *

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

** NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (6 times) *

NWA Hollywood Wrestling NWA Hollywood Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Los Angeles) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Los Angeles, California in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Southern California. It ...

** NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Paul Jones * NWA Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes **Class of 2009 *

** NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Black Hawk *

** NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Les Thatcher (2 times) and Ron Wright (1 time)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal, Nelson 1935 births 2002 deaths American male professional wrestlers People from Floyd County, Kentucky Professional wrestlers from Kentucky Professional wrestling trainers Professional wrestling promoters 20th-century male professional wrestlers NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions