February 15, 2021 Observer Newsletter: Butch Reed bio, Bellator to Showtime

Bruce Reed, mostly known as “Hacksaw” Butch Reed, who in the early-to-mid 80s was an incredible blend of power and agility and became one of the best wrestlers in the world in a short period of time, passed away on 2/5 at the age of 66.

Reed tested positive for COVID-19 on 1/12, and then suffered two major heart attacks later in the month, which he never recovered from.

Reed, born July 11, 1954, excelled in a wide variety of sports, notably football, basketball, track (where he both ran the 100 meters and threw the shot put), and powerlifting, before pro wrestling. The peak of his career was when he was for a time the top babyface in Championship Wrestling from Florida, and later, one of the key players, as both a babyface and a heel in the glory days of Mid South Wrestling.

He also had an incredible series of matches battling for the NWA championship against Ric Flair in Florida, Mid South Wrestling, Central States and St. Louis during his in-ring peak from 1982 to 1985, when he was top ten in the world.

He also had a run in the WWF under the name “The Natural” Butch Reed, where at some point he was slated to win the Intercontinental title in the 80s, and his last major promotion run was with World Championship Wrestling as part of the tag team of Doom with Ron Simmons.

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