A recent controversy surrounding candidate for mayor of Ringgold, Georgia, Paul Lee, didn’t do much in aiding his campaign, as he ended with 55 out of 644 total votes in his loss to incumbent Nick Millwood on Nov. 5.
A Paul Lee campaign poster at a busy intersection in Ringgold, Georgia.
Lee, who goes by the ring name “Natureboy,” has been a regional superstar over the past couple of decades south of the Mason-Dixon line, due to his affiliation with various minor league wrestling organizations, the most recent being Universal Championship Wrestling. His fame is met with acclaim from many, but it also draws a slew of controversy from major fans and even the wrestlers themselves, due to his impersonation of former WWE and WCW superstar Ric Flair. Lee is currently a major affiliate with the American Wrestling Federation (AWF). A former member of the AWF is part of those who are against the gimmick. The member chose to remain anonymous.
“He’s like a cover band for Ric Flair,” he said. “The only reason he keeps people in the seats is because they don’t want to pay the extra 100 bucks that it takes to see the real Flair.”
Fans have gone as far as violent threats toward Lee over his persona. A woman in the crowd at a AWF event in Ringgold pulled a loaded gun on him during a match, which caused Lee and officials within the organization to strengthen security at future events.
“What that woman did was a disgrace,” said the former AWF member. “I support Paul for the way he was able to handle that situation. Lord only knows what could’ve happened had he not put a stop to her.”
Lee also has seen controversy for his actions outside of the ring. A viral video of an altercation between him and a comedian, Grant Lyon, became physical, which ended in Lyon getting kneed in the groin. *Warning as the video contains graphic language.
“It was ridiculous and completely avoidable,” said Lyon. “He was drinking and sending out threats in whatever kind of gimmick he does for wrestling. This kind of stuff is expected in what I do, but a knee in the balls isn’t how you typically expect to end a show.”
Aside from his wrestling presence, Lee owns a used car lot and a gym in the Ringgold area. He hopes to open more gyms and even restaurants in the future, which coincide with his campaign agenda to expand the opportunities for business development throughout Ringgold.
Lee’s most recent bid for mayor isn’t his first attempt. He attempted to run in 2015, but because of a residency requirement for the city of Ringgold, he was not allowed. He disputed his denial to become an official candidate and even threatened court action, but none of this came to fruition. This election ended with Nick Millwood becoming the mayor of Ringgold.
“This city would’ve seen some change had they of let Paul run back then,” said Ringgold resident and Lee supporter, Chuck Hefner. “(Millwood) doesn’t have a spine on him.”
Lee was cleared to run this year by election officials, and he did so despite previous controversy. His slogan, “Let’s make Ringgold RIGHT,” can be found in many posts made on his campaign’s official Facebook page by himself and his supporters.
Lee’s campaign quickly found detractors from a Facebook page titled, “We don’t want Paul Lee for MAYOR.” The page has seen multiple posts regarding personal conflicts between Lee and members of the community, but many of the posts do not contain evidence to support the accusations made. The page has 658 followers, which is over 100 more than Lee’s own campaign page. *Warning as the page contains explicit posts.
Lee’s recent campaign quickly found more controversy after two teenagers stole some of his campaign signs. Lee decided to take efforts for punishment into his own hands by having one the teens hold up his campaign signs during election night. This has caused a stir from the parents of the teen as well as the community of Ringgold.
“I am getting more news coverage on this thing alone than if something important happened,” said Lee in a live interview with Kelly Curtin of WTVC-TV Newschannel 9 News. “I mean the boys got caught stealing signs.”
The controversy has since been overshadowed, due to Lee’s landslide defeat in the election for mayor of Ringgold.
“It’s all part of the political process,” said winner Mayor Nick Millwood regarding the election controversy. “I hope the best for Mr. Lee as we move forward to keep providing for the community of Ringgold.”
Lee was silent for the few days following the election, but he made a statement towards his supporters, via his Facebook campaign page.
“With the election over there’s only 2 things to do,” said Lee in his post. “Make money and make deals—wooooo.”
Mr. Lee declined to comment on the issues.