Harold Edward Cox (born November 4, 1973), better known by the ring name Eddie Golden, is an American professional wrestler. A member of the Golden wrestling family, he is the father of Evan Golden and the nephew of Bunkhouse Buck.
Golden was one of the top junior heavyweights in the Southeastern territories during the 1990s and won numerous championship titles in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. He was known for his work in tag teams, specifically as part of The Beautiful Blondes with Stan Lee and the fourth incarnation of The Heavenly Bodies with K. C. Thunder.
A major star in Southern States Wrestling during the 1990s, Golden won the SSW Junior Heavyweight Championship three times and the SSW Tag Team Championship twice with Alex Shane and Stan Lee. In 2000, Golden joined NWA Wildside where he was part of Jeff G. Bailey's NWA Elite stable with Ruckus, Onyx, and Terry Knight. He was considered by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as one of the promotion's "best young veterans", winning the NWA Wildside Television Championship three times and having impressive matches against AJ Styles, E. Z. Money, and Kid Kash."The PWI 500." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (December 2001): pg. 59.
Early life Harold Edward Cox was born on November 4, 1973, in Johnson City, Tennessee. A member of the Golden-branch of the famed Welch-Fuller wrestling family, he is the grandson of Montgomery, Alabama, wrestling promoter Billy Golden and nephew of Jimmy Golden. He briefly attended East Tennessee State University during his beginning tenures of professional wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1990–1991) Golden made his professional wrestling debut in 1990. He spent the first few years of his career wrestling on the local Tennessee independent circuit. By October 1991, Golden was in Tennessee Championship Wrestling working with the likes of Stan Lee, E. Z. Money, J. C. Black, Wayne Rogers, Jeff Tankersley, The Christian Brothers (Bam Bam and Danny Christian), and a teenaged Beau James refereeing matches. Golden also teamed with Big Ox as The Texas Outlaws in Bruce Wren's Southeastern Championship Wrestling. The Texas Outlaws won the SECW Tag Team Championship three times between 1992 and 1999.
Southern States Wrestling (1992–1996) Golden was among several wrestlers who followed Beau James when he founded Southern States Wrestling. On March 20, 1992, Golden defeated Jamie Gibson in Banner Elk, North Carolina, to become the first-ever SSW Junior Heavyweight Champion. He held onto the title for over a year before losing to Alex Shane in Fall Branch, Tennessee, on April 30, 1993. Golden regained the title in Sullivan Gardens, Tennessee, on May 28 but dropped it back to Shane in Fall Branch a month later. He and his uncle, managed by The Godfather, feuded with The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) that same year. An encounter between the two teams occurred at WrestleFest 93, during a "Southern Hospitality" interview segment with "Big" Al Bass, and turned into a four-way brawl.
In the summer of 1994, Golden began teaming with former rival Alex Shane. The two captured the SSW Tag Team Championship from The Death Riders (Chic White and The Tennessee Equalizer) in Fall Branch on July 15, 1994. A week later in Johnson City, Tennessee, Golden defeated Keith Hart at a show for Tim Horner's National Championship Wrestling promotion. Golen and Shane eventually lost the tag team title to Mike Powers and The Alabama Heartthrob in Kingsport, Tennessee, on August 6, 1994.
At the end of the year, Golden began teaming with Stan Lee as The Beautiful Blondes. The team would win a number of tag team championships throughout the Southeastern United States during the next few years. On December 17, 1994, Golden and Lane defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) at an All-Star Wrestling show in Elizabethton, Tennessee. That summer on the independent circuit, The Beautiful Blondes defeated The Young Guns (Scott Sterling and Jeff Lovin) in Elizabethton for Tennessee Championship Wrestling.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Tennessee Championship Wrestling at the Park and Recreational Building." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. January 1996: 46+. On September 9, Golden and Lane lost to Ricky Morton and The Crow in Rural Retreat, Virginia.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Virginia - United Wrestling Alliance at the High School." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. January 1996: 47+. On October 1, 1995, they faced David Jericho and Chris Hamrick at a Great American Wrestling Federation show in Asheville, North Carolina.Parris, Dan. "Arena Reports: North Carolina - Great American Wrestling Federation at the Agricultural Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. February 1996: 45+. Back in SSW, the team also defeated David Jericho and Danny Cooley in Ledgar, North Carolina on December 9, 1995.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: North Carolina - Southern States Wrestling at the High School." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. April 1996: 45+. Golden also defeated The Alabama Heartthrob for the SSW Junior Heavyweight Championship in Fall Branch that same week.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at the Sampson Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. April 1996: 46+.
The Beautiful Blondes claimed their first tag title when they defeated Beau James and Ricky Morton for the SSW Tag Team Championship in Fall Branch on January 5, 1996. A few weeks later, the team faced then WWF World Tag Team Champions The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) at an International Pro Wrestling in Asheville. On February 10, they wrestled The Olympian and Tony Prichard to a double-disqualification in Morristown, Tennessee.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Tennessee Mountain Wrestling at the Talley Ward Building." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 1996: 45+. On February 26, at SSW's 5th Anniversary Show, The Beautiful Blondes lost the tag belts to Death & Destruction (Frank "The Tank" Parker and "Ruthless" Roger Anderson).Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at the Sampson Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 1996: 45+.
On March 1, Golden successfully defended the junior heavyweight title against Scott Sterling.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at the Sampson Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. August 1996: 60+. The Beautiful Blondes had less luck that month losing matches to Sterling with partners Steve FlynnFerguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at Samson Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. August 1996: 60+. and Danny Christian respectively.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at Hunter Elementary School." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. August 1996: 60+. On May 3, 1996, The Beautiful Blondes wrestled Battering Ram and Ironman at a United Wrestling Alliance show in Hansonville, Virginia;Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Virginia - United Wrestling Alliance at the Bluegrass Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. October 1996: 52+. the following night in Nora, Virginia, the two wrestled their opponents in singles matches with Golden losing to Battering Ram.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Virginia - UWA at the Ervington High School." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. October 1996: 52+. On May 11, The Beautiful Blondes wrestled Medic Madness (Dr. Dan and The Orderly) to a double-disqualification at a Great American Wrestling Federation show in Asheville, North Carolina.Parris, Dan. "Arena Reports: North Carolina - GAWF at the National Guard Armory." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. October 1996: 49+. The following year, Golden lost to Ricky Morton at the Sampson Center in Fall Branch, Tennessee.Ferguson, Fay and Michael J. DiMuzio. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at the Sampson Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 1997: 52. The bout was promoted as a "clean scientific match", however, Morton became frustrated when the younger wrestler kept successfully countering his moves. He then uncharacteristically used "heel" tactics against Golden and scored the winning pinfall only after using the ring ropes for leverage and pulling Golden's tights. He also unsuccessfully challenged Beau James for the SSW Appalachian Heavyweight Championship.Ferguson, Fay. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Southern States Wrestling at the Sampson Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. June 1997: 66+.
Tennessee Mountain Wrestling (1996–1997) At the end of 1996, Golden began competing in Tennessee Mountain Wrestling where he quickly won the promotion's light heavyweight championship. On November 30, Golden defeated Chris Steelheart in Morristown, Tennessee. On December 7, 1996, he lost to Steelheart in a non-title match at Holston High School in Knoxville.Needham, Bill. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Tennessee Mountain Wrestling at the Holton HS." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. May 1997: 52. He and Ricky Rockett wrestled to a double-countout at a TMW show in Johnson City the same month. On January 5, 1997, Golden suffered his first defeat in the promotion at the hands of Chris Powers in Knoxville, Tennessee. Golden formed a short-lived alliance with Chris Steelheart when he began feuding with Ricky Rockett. The two defeated Rocket and David Jericho in a tag team match on February 14,Needham, Bill. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - TMW at the Parks & Recreation Building." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 1997: 51–52. however, Golden was unable to win the TMW Light Heavyweight Championship from Rocket in their title bout at Holsten Elementary School.Needham, Bill. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - TMW at Holston Elementary School." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. September 1997: 50. Two months later, Golden and Rusty Riddle were defeated by Ricky Rocker and David Jericho at the Johnson City Parks & Recreation Center.Needham, Bill. "Arena Reports: Tennessee - Tennessee Mountain Wrestling at the Parks & Recreation Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. September 1997: 50.
Independent circuit (1997–2000) Golden continued teaming with Stan Lee during this time. In February 1997, The Beautiful Blondes wrestled Surge and Venom at a National Championship Wrestling television taping in Asheville, North Carolina.Wheeler, Joe. "Arena Reports: North Carolina - National Championship Wrestling TV taping at Playworld II." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 1997: 49+. On April 4, The Beautiful Blondes and Allen King wrestled a 6-man tag match against Scott Sterling, Ricky Harrison, and Donnie Dallas for Southern Championship Wrestling in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Golden traveled to Georgia's National Championship Wrestling for the summer where he faced David Jericho and Ricky Rocket. On July 10 in Sylva, North Carolina, Golden lost to Rocket in a match for the then vacant NCW Television Championship. He again lost to Rocket in Sylva on October 2, 1997.Barrie, Allan. "Arena Reports: North Carolina - National Championship Wrestling at the Bailey's." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. March 1998: 76+. On February 21, 1998, The Beautiful Blondes wrestled GAWF Tag Team Champions Kane and Abel Adams at a Great American Wrestling Federation event in Red Oak, North Carolina.Parris, Dan. "Arena Reports: Pennsylvania - Great American Wrestling Federation at the Community Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. August 1998: 71+.
By the late-1990s, Golden has established himself as a formidable competitor in the Southern United States with victories over veteran wrestlers such as Bobby and Jackie Fulton, Tony Anthony, Tracey Smothers, and Jimmy Valiant. Though considered a "heel" wrestler by Southern wrestling fans, he was very popular with crowds in his native Tennessee. Golden briefly feuded with Stan Lee but would eventually reform The Beautiful Blondes with him."The PWI 500." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (Holiday 1998): pg. 62.