[5] In 1976, he signed as a rookie free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League, but the linebacker was cut before the season.

Reed and Jerry Roberts beat Mike George and Bob Sweetan for the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship in 1980[8] and lost it to The Kelly Twins in January 1981.

On April 7, 1982, Reed had what is now recognized as the first 5-star rated match by Dave Meltzer in which he challenged Ric Flair for the NWA title in Miami, Florida.

Back in 1983, Duggan was part of the heel group, The Rat Pack, along with Ted DiBiase and Matt Borne and used every dirty move he could think of to beat Reed.

On July 16, 1983, Reed won the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship and turned back JYD's challenges in subsequent months.

Reed's run as a double champion did not last long as JYD got his title shot with Dusty Rhodes as the special guest referee.

During a match, Reed and Landel attacked JYD as he performed under a mask as "Stagger Lee" and painted him yellow.

Just as the feud was about to reach its heated highlight, the Junkyard Dog left Mid-South and signed with the World Wrestling Federation without informing booker Bill Watts of his decision.

Reed went to the American Wrestling Association for a short stint as Jimmy Garvin's bodyguard, then returned to Mid-South in the middle of 1985.

[8] After leaving Mid-South Wrestling once more, Reed returned to Kansas City and the NWA Central States territory run by Bob Geigel.

[10] He feuded initially with Tito Santana, a target of Slick's verbal jabs, and made his pay-per-view debut at WrestleMania III, where he defeated Koko B.

[11] In the weeks after WrestleMania, Reed targeted new Intercontinental champion Ricky Steamboat and faced him at house shows and on an episode of Wrestling Challenge.

Savage caught Reed, threw him off for a slam and immediately hit his diving elbow drop off the top turnbuckle for the win.

Reed did not see much success in the early parts of his run with JCP; his biggest match was a loss to Sting at the Chi-Town Rumble on February 20, 1989.

[16] It was obvious to most wrestling fans that Ron Simmons and Butch Reed were under the masks — they had both been on WCW television shortly before Doom debuted, and they were the only two African-American wrestlers in the company with the same massive physical appearance — but the announcers were made to keep up the storyline (although Jim Ross accidentally exposed Reed's identity on commentary during Starrcade 89: Future Shock).

Doom followed up on this success by defeating Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich at Clash of the Champions IX, looking very strong in the process.

In the fall of 1990, Doom soon feuded with The Four Horsemen and defended against them in two inconclusive tag team title matches at Halloween Havoc 1990[21] and Starrcade 1990.

On February 24, 1991, at WCW's WrestleWar PPV, Doom took on former tag team champions The Fabulous Freebirds[24] and lost due to miscommunication between Reed and Simmons.

Teddy Long sided with Butch Reed as the former Doom partners engaged in a short but intense feud.

Reed and the Barbarian teamed up to defeat Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham at Clash of the Champions XX[26] but left WCW for good shortly afterwards.

After leaving WCW, Reed went to the United States Wrestling Association where he resumed feuding with Junkyard Dog.

[8] Reed continued to work on the independent scene on a part-time basis so that he could participate in the rodeo circuit in Kansas City.

Reed's last match was on May 18, 2013, teaming with Bob Orton Jr. and losing to Flash Flanagan and Ron Powers at SICW in East Carondelet, Illinois.

[30] On February 5, 2021, an Instagram post from Reed's official account announced his death from complications of two heart attacks that occurred in January.