RIP: Richmond’s Ron Cromartie, who trained future world champ Swerve Strickland

Ron Cromartie, who wrestled in the Mid-Atlantic as The Pharaoh, and trained a future world champ, Swerve Strickland, passed away earlier this week.

The news of Cromartie’s passing got into the public domain through condolences shared online by Strickland, who won the AEW world title in 2024.

“R.I.P. Ron ‘The Pharaoh’ Cromartie. My original trainer passed over this past week,” Strickland tweeted. “I just wanted everyone to know he was a great human and loved pro wrestling. He will be incredibly missed. I hope I made you proud.”

Per an online bio on Cagematch, Cromartie had an in-ring career spanning from 2004-2007, before transitioning to training at the Ground Xero Wrestling Training Academy, which he co-founded with David McCloud, a Richmond-based indy wrestler.

GXW put on shows featuring local and regional talent, including Strickland, who trained at the academy from 2008-2012, during his time in the U.S. Army Reserves, when he was stationed in Pennsylvania.

In addition to that tie to a world champ, Cromartie had two others – to Mickie James, a Richmond native and five-time WWE women’s champ, who worked as the head trainer at the GXW Academy between her stints in WWE and TNA Impact; and James’ husband, Nick Aldis, who is a former NWA world champ and is now the on-screen general manager of “Smackdown.”