Bunkhouse Buck
Quick Facts
Biography
James "Jimmy" Golden (born August 1, 1950) is a third generation American professional wrestler, who was known as Bunkhouse Buck in World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, although his career spans many decades. He also appeared in 2010 as Jack Swagger Sr.
Golden has many relatives in wrestling: his cousins are Robert and Ron Fuller, his father is Billy Golden and his uncle is Buddy Fuller, and his nephew is Eddie Golden. His grandfather is Roy Welch. Also, Golden's son Bobby Golden followed in his father's footsteps, after being trained by his father he began wrestling for NWA Rocky Top.
Professional wrestling career
Jimmy Golden started wrestling in 1969 in his father's (Billy Golden) territory in Alabama. He started teaming with his cousin Robert Fuller in the 1970s and last teamed together on the independent circuit in 2005. Golden also wrestled in the early 1970s in Australia for Jim Barnett.
Jimmy Golden and Robert Fuller were members of the Stud Stable, managed by Ron Fuller in Southeastern Championship Wrestling, later Continental Championship Wrestling, throughout the early 1980s. He was heel most of the time, while his cousins occasionally were face. Pensacola, Florida and Mobile, Alabama were his stomping grounds in the early 1980s. The Stud Stable under Robert Fuller performed in the CWA in Memphis in 1988-1989
Among their feuds during this time were The Rock 'n' Roll Express, Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers, Tommy and Johnny Rich and Kerry and Kevin Von Erich. He also teamed with Dennis Hall as "The Avengers" in the early 1970s.
Jimmy Golden joined the newly founded Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1991. He competed at the Volunteer Slam tournament on May 22, 1992 in Knoxville for the company's heavyweight championship, but was eliminated by Robert Gibson in the first round. He went on to feud with Gibson, which turned into a tag team feud when Jimmy's partner Robert Fuller joined the promotion while Ricky Morton arrived to join Gibson. This rekindled the Stud Stable versus Rock 'n' Roll Express feud from the 1980s. Golden continued to wrestle for the promotionthrough 1993.
In 1994, Golden followed Fuller to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where Fuller was the manager "Col. Rob Parker" and wrestled for him as Bunkhouse Buck. He feuded mainly with Dustin Rhodes and then teamed with Dick Slater to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles. By 1997, he had left WCW for the independent circuit again.
Golden appeared on the July 16, 2010, episode of WWE SmackDown, portraying the character of Jack Swagger's father, and Swagger abandoned him to be chokeslammed and tombstoned by Kane. He returned on the September 3, episode of SmackDown, reprising his role as Jack Swagger's father, and was again left by Swagger to be attacked by Montel Vontavious Porter.
On August 30, 2011 in New Tazewell, Tennessee, Jimmy Golden became the Tennessee Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.
Personal life
Golden trained his son Bobby Golden in wrestling with TMW. He married Patricia Ward in the 1970s.
Championships and accomplishments
- All-American Wrestling
- AAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Wild Samoan
- All-Star Championship Wrestling
- ASCW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- ASCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Thad Clark and Keith Hart
- Cajun Wrestling Federation
- CWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ron Fuller
- NWA Mid-America / Continental Wrestling Association
- CWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Robert Fuller
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) – with Buddy Rose
- NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship (Alabama version) (1 time)
- NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship (Alabama version) (1 time)– with Ramon Perez
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America Version) (2 times) – with Dennis Hall
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Robert Fuller
- Heartland Wrestling Association
- HWA Barroom Brawl Championship (1 time)
- Iron Ring Wrestling
- IRW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Eddie Golden
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Rocky Top
- NWA Rocky Top Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Nationwide Championship Wrestling
- NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Premiere Championship Wrestling
- PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (8 times)
- NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (15 times) – with Robert Ruller (7), Ricky Gibson (2), Rip Smith (1), Norvel Austin (1), Bob Roop (1), Randy Rose (1), Mongolian Stomper (1), and Brian Lee (1)
- NWA Southeastern United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Gibson
- Southern Championship Wrestling
- SCW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Southern States Wrestling
- SSW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- SSW Television Championship (1 time)
- SSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with G.Q. Strattus
- Tennessee Mountain Wrestling
- TMW Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- United Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- UACW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tim Horner
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dick Slater
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Austin Idol
- World Class Wrestling Association
- WCWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Robert Fuller
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Worst Tag Team (1995)