Paul Jones Passes Away at 75

On a day in which we learned of the passing of Bruno Sammartino, news broke Wednesday that another notable wrestler had passed away at some point this week: "No. 1" Paul Jones.

He was 75 years old. As of this writing, no cause of death, nor the actual date, is known. Dick Bourne of Mid-Atlantic Gateway said he passed near his home in Atlanta, GA.

Born Paul Frederik, Jones debuted in 1961 and began working throughout the southern U.S., Japan, and the Pacific Northwest in the early stages of his career. He eventually landed in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling where he spent the majority of his career, feuding with the top stars like Ivan Koloff, Ric Flair, The Andersons, Jack Brisco, and Terry Funk. In Mid-Atlantic, he won several tag team and singles titles and over his career, he held more than 20 championships.

He eventually became a manager in addition to some wrestling, backing the "Paul Jones Army", a heel faction that included Koloff, The Powers of Pain, "Superstar" Billy Graham, and more. After some years on the indies, he retired in 1991 and opened up an auto body shop.