Real Name - Wallace Dean Vaughn
Lifespan - ?/?/40 - 12/3/97
265 lbs. - Memphis, TN
Aliases - Jerry Dean
Athletic background - Baseball (Semipro), Football (High School)
Professional background - ???(`60-`64), St. Louis(`6?), Nashville(`64-`67), GCCW(`67), Tri-State(`69), GCCW(`70), GCCW(`71-`72), St. Louis(`71), Tri-State(`73), GCCW(`73), Tri-State(`74), GCCW(`75-`77), IWE(`76), WOW[FL](`87-`88)
Teachers - Billy Wicks
Peak Years - `69-`76

Place in History - Rip Tyler was made for Southern style rasslin’. Born and raised in Nashville, trained by a rasslin’ great and never cut out for traditional wrestling areas, Dean Vaughn was reborn as Rip Tyler in Nick Gulas’s Nashville promotion. Originally he and “brother” Tim were building a name for themselves in the mid-60s. Injuries prevented them from hitting that peak as Rip had to replace Tim with another “brother” Randy a couple times in Alabama. Rip had been doing well in Oklahoma, which would be one of his home territories, tagging with a fourth “brother” Tarzan Tyler for a time. By the early 70s, Rip Tyler was hitting his stride as a performer and needed a regular tag partner to make it to the next level. That person was Eddie Sullivan and the two of them were terrors in Alabama throughout the 1970s. Typically, Rip would come in and he and Eddie would be hotshotted into the tag title situation be it with faces or heels. Then he would return to Oklahoma for a run on top or to book. By 1975, Rip had taken over the book in Mobile from Cowboy Bob Kelly and was pushing himself hard along with Sullivan and other buddies of his. Business began dropping off, so Lee Fields replaced Tyler with Grizzly Smith before bringing Kelly back. Tyler left and did not return until Southeastern brought him in briefly as a manager. In 1987, Rip attempted to run his own promotion, WOW (World Organization Wrestling), but it failed to catch on. Rip Tyler died a decade later from liver cancer. There are many pro-wrestlers who are faulted for achieving success in the manner Rip Tyler did. He caught numerous lucky breaks that helped him work his way into an influential position where he solidified himself in a top spot. While he had the book for periods of time in both Oklahoma and Alabama, Rip Tyler is not remembered as a good booker, but rather and good hand, strong heel and excellent tag wrestler with his long-time partner Eddie Sullivan.