Richard Edward Floyd (February 3, 1931 – August 11, 2011) was a

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

man from the 53rd District who served from 1980 until 1992, when he was defeated by

Juanita Millender-McDonald Juanita Millender-McDonald (September 7, 1938 – April 22, 2007) was an Politics of the United States, American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 until her death in 2007, representing Califo ...

, after he and fellow Democratic assemblyman Dave Elder were reapportioned into the 55th District. He represented the 55th District again after McDonald was elected to Congress from 1996 until 2000, when he was termed out. He ran for a neighboring

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

seat in 2000, but lost in the primary to Edward Vincent. Floyd received approximately 30% of the vote. On the March 10, 1989, edition of ''

ABC News Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progr ...

'', Floyd debated

Lou Albano Louis Vincent Albano (July 29, 1933 – October 14, 2009) was an Italian-American professional wrestler, manager and actor, who performed under the ring/stage name "Captain" Lou Albano. He was active as a professional wrestler from 1953 until 1 ...

on state athletic commissions deregulating

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

following

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

's public acknowledgment of its predetermined nature. Floyd had recently introduced a bill supporting deregulation by the

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the events. ...

, and claimed it was foolish for states to be involved in assigning referees whose roles require they act incompetently. Albano aggressively promoted the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

and

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

as more legitimate than McMahon's

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(which he had recently and unamicably left), and deserving the same safety regulations afforded other sports. Floyd laughed off Albano's insistence on maintaining

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

, saying of it, "He's playing a game, like they all do. I'm a politician, I do the same thing."Special News Broadcast recorded from ''ABC Evening News'' for Friday, March 10, 1989, from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive
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References

External links

Richard Floyd
1931 births 2011 deaths Politicians from Philadelphia Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly People from Los Angeles County, California 20th-century American politicians {{California-CAAssembly-stub