- Early days
Richard Williams began wrestling in 1992 after a stint as a male stripper. He went by the name Rio, Lord of the Jungle but achieved no real success on the independent circuit.
- WCW (Ultimate Surprise)
Williams's career peaked in 1995 when he was hired by WCW. In early 1995, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were involved in the main-event feud with the Dungeon of Doom. For a big upcoming tag team match, Hogan and Savage began claiming that their mystery partner would be "the Ultimate Surprise" and showed a silhouette of a man with long hair and tassels tied to his arms, implying that the Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig) was the man in question.
When the day finally arrived, fans saw a very familiar-looking man to very familiar-sounding theme music. Billed by Hogan as "the man that's gonna bring Hulkamania into the 21st Century", the mystery man is known as The Renegade, wrestled in the exact same style as the Ultimate Warrior.
- WCW (World Television Champion)
Managed by Jimmy Hart, Williams was soon pushed heavily and overran many heels in WCW. He eventually won the WCW World Television Championship from Arn Anderson at The Great American Bash. The Renegade would also successfully retain his title against "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff at Bash At The Beach and Clash of the Champions.
By this stage, the real Ultimate Warrior had appeared in several wrestling magazines, dispelling the belief of some fans that Williams was the Ultimate Warrior. As Renegade's fanbase quickly evaporated, he dropped the Television Championship to Diamond Dallas Page on the November 6, 1995 edition of WCW Nitro.
- WCW (Renegade's decline)
Renegade was buried on TV by a heel Jimmy Hart when Hart "re-possessed" the gimmick saying: "You're not a Renegade! You're just plain Rick!" He then receded into the background.
Over the next 2 years, Williams was steadily de-pushed, eventually languishing as a jobber on the "b-shows" of WCW Thunder and WCW Saturday Night where he was put in a feud with former tag team partner and jobber Joe Gomez that went nowhere. Williams was also used as a stunt double for the real Ultimate Warrior when he joined WCW for a short period in 1998.
- Death
WCW opted not to renew Williams's contract when his contract expires in late 1998. Severely depressed, Williams killed himself with a gun on 23 February, 1999.
Arn Anderson, who initially put Williams over, would lament his death in an interview saying that too much was expected of Williams by WCW being where he was in his wrestling career to be pushed to the level of Hulk Hogan.
Links:
1) Renegade vs. Arn Anderson (The Great American Bash 1995)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wcw%2Brenegade/video/x4ahe5_arn-anderson-vs-the-renegadewcw-tv_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)
2) Renegade vs. Paul Orndoff (Bash @ The Beach 1995)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wcw%2Brenegade/video/x6l8v9_the-renegade-vs-mr-wonderful-paul-o_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)
3) Renegade vs. Goldberg
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wcw%2Brenegade/video/x6hulp_the-renegade-vs-goldberg_sport (Thanks to smithjoe)
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