Raymond "Ray" Washington Traylor, Jr. was an iconic American professional wrestler, widely renowned for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) where he was known as the Big Boss Man. He also made notable appearances in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under various personas, including The Boss, Guardian Angel, and Big Bubba Rogers. Throughout his WWF career, Traylor captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship once and the WWF Hardcore Championship four times.
In the summer of 2000, he began to appear less frequently on WWF's main television shows, primarily wrestling on Jakked and Heat. A minor feud with Crash Holly was interrupted when he suffered a legitimate injury in January 2001. Traylor made his return on the December 20, 2001 episode of SmackDown, teaming with Booker T as his enforcer at Vince McMahon's behest. The duo faced off against legends like Stone Cold and The Rock, before quietly disbanding in late January 2002. His final matches took place in the International Wrestling Association of Japan, where he competed for the IWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Outside the ring, Traylor was a devoted family man, married to his childhood sweetheart, Angela, and a father to two daughters, Lacy and Megan. In July 2004, he ran for Commission Chairman in Paulding County, Georgia, and owned a storage company. Tragically, Traylor passed away from a heart attack on September 22, 2004, at the age of 41. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016, with his family accepting the honor on his behalf.
