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PWInsider.com is saddened to report that former California star "The Shooter" Tony Jones has passed away. Jones was a regular in the Bay area of California after training at the late Roland Alexander's All Pro Wrestling school in Hayward, CA. Jones may be best known for taking part in a WWF tryout as part of the 1999 Barry Blaustein documentary Beyond the Mat, wrestling Mike Modest.
There is no word yet as to the circumstances of Jones' passing. I believe he was 53 at the time of his passing.
Jones last wrestled in 2017. As an in-ring performer, he was one of the best to come out of the APW school from a technical standpoint. He debuted in 1997 and a year later, took part in the WWF tryout as part of the documentary. Jones and Modest worked the tryout, with Modest going over as the film showed WWF stars backstage watching, with some remarking how they were going to steal certain moves.
Modest won the bout with a Fisherman's Buster, which Vince McMahon wasn't familiar with and noted that the move didn't go right when it actually did. After the match, the talents were advised by Jim Ross on what they could do better with Ross advising Jones to add some muscle mass so he could "be in the hunt." Neither were ever hired by WWF/WWE, nor did they even receive another tryout.
Jones spent the majority of his career working for California promotions, including Pro Wrestling Iron, XPW, UPW and others but also toured Japan for Battlarts in 2000. A San Francisco native, Jones was a really talented amateur wrestler, competing for San Francisco State University, where he won Bay Area Freestyle Championship eight times, the Bay Area Greco-Roman Championship seven times and was the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Champion in 1994.
PWInsider.com sends our deepest condolences to Jones' family, friends and fans.
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