1933-07-04 | 1993-11-13

Carey L. Lloyd, also known by his ring name Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones, was an American professional wrestler who competed in the Central States and Mid-Atlantic regional promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance as well as the American Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s. Lloyd grew up in Dillon, South Carolina and attended South Carolina State University, where he played on the football team. He also got involved with boxing and competed as a Golden Gloves boxer. Lloyd trained to become a wrestler at the Tony Santos Boston Wrestling School.[3] At the beginning of his career, he used the ring name Buster Lloyd, the Harlem Hangman. He claimed to have learned how to fight on the corner of Lenox Avenue and 125th Street in Harlem.[4] In this gimmick, he wrestled in Texas and criticized the local wrestlers as being inferior fighters to someone who grew up on the streets. He feuded with Tiger Conway, Sr., who emerged the victor in the feud. Lloyd later adopted the ring name of Rufus R. Jones, nicknamed "Freight Train". In interviews, he would tell opponents that his middle initial, R, stood for "guts".[5][6] He formed a tag team with Burrhead Jones, who was billed as his cousin. Jones moved to Missouri to wrestle, where he worked for promoter Sam Muchnick in the St. Louis Wrestling Club.[2] He also competed for Heart of America Sports/Central States Wrestling. In 1971, he won his first championship by teaming with Steve Bolus to win the Central States version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship in late 1971. He later won the belt twice more, teaming with The Stomper and Bob Geigel. He also had a short stint in Florida briefly feuding with Leroy Brown in the early 80s. During the year of 1989, Jones traveled to Puerto Rico to wrestle in the World Wrestling Council (Capitol Sports Promotion ). Lloyd was married to Brooksie Jones Lloyd. They had three daughters, Melaney, Crystal, and Kendall, as well as a son, Kenneth Johnson, who worked for the World Wrestling Federation for many years as "The Doctor of Style" Slick.[9] After his retirement from wrestling, Carey Lloyd worked with Bob Geigel in security at a dog-racing track in Kansas City, Kansas. He then opened a restaurant named Rufus' Ringside Restaurant and Bar in Kansas City, Missouri. On November 13, 1993, Lloyd died of a heart attack while hunting deer in Brunswick, Missouri