Dick Murdoch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dick Murdoch |
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| Birth name | Hoyt Richard Murdoch |
| Born | August 16, 1946 Waxahachie, Texas, United States |
| Died | June 15, 1996 (aged 49) Amarillo, Texas, United States |
| Cause of death | Myocardial infarction |
| Alma mater | West Texas State University |
| Children | 1 |
| Family | Frankie Murdoch (father) Killer Tim Brooks (cousin) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Daddy Murdoch Black Ace Dick Murdoch The Invader Ron Carson Super Rodeo Machine The Texan |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 288 lb (131 kg) |
| Billed from | Waxahachie, Texas |
| Trained by | Killer Karl Kox Bob Geigel Pat O'Connor |
| Debut | 1965 |
Hoyt Richard Murdoch (born August 16, 1946 – died June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler. He was famous for his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was well-known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Murdoch began his wrestling journey in 1965. A few years later, he teamed up with his friend Dusty Rhodes. They were known as The Texas Outlaws. After they stopped teaming, Murdoch wrestled in many different places. These included the National Wrestling Alliance, Florida Championship Wrestling, and Mid-South Wrestling. He also wrestled overseas.
In 1984, he joined the World Wrestling Federation. There, he formed a tag team called the North-South Connection with Adrian Adonis. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship. From 1981 to 1989, Murdoch also wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He later worked for Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. He retired from full-time wrestling in the early 1990s.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Wrestling
Dick Murdoch was the stepson of wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch. He grew up with other wrestlers' children, Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk. They often watched their fathers wrestle in Texas. Dick also attended Caprock High School. There, he took part in amateur wrestling.
Starting His Career (1965–1981)
Murdoch started wrestling in 1965. His first ring name was "Ron Carson." He teamed up with Don Carson. Soon, he began wrestling under his real name. He worked for different groups within the National Wrestling Alliance.
In 1968, he formed a successful tag team with Dusty Rhodes. They were called The Texas Outlaws. This team lasted into the early 1970s. During this time, he started using the name Dick Murdoch. He learned a wrestling move called the brainbuster from Killer Karl Kox.
The Texas Outlaws won several titles. In 1978, they held the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship. In 1980, they also won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship. Murdoch also wrestled in Japan for All Japan Pro-Wrestling. He held the NWA United National Championship there briefly in 1980.
Mid-South Wrestling (1979–1985)
Murdoch had some of his most famous matches in Mid-South Wrestling. This was in the early 1980s. He teamed up with Junkyard Dog. They became very popular champions in the area. Murdoch's "Captain Redneck" character appealed to white fans. Junkyard Dog was popular with black fans. This made them a strong team.
World Wrestling Federation (1983–1985)
In 1984, Murdoch joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He formed a tag team with Adrian Adonis. They called themselves the "North-South Connection." Adrian was from New York (North), and Dick was from Texas (South).
They appeared in funny videos with Mean Gene Okerlund. In these videos, they visited each other's hometowns. They showed how different their city and country lifestyles were.
On April 17, 1984, Murdoch and Adonis won the World Tag Team Titles. They beat Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas. They defended their titles against many teams. These included Jack and Jerry Brisco. They also faced The Wild Samoans and Sgt. Slaughter and Terry Daniels. On January 21, 1985, they lost the titles to the U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda). Murdoch left the WWF soon after.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1981–1989)
Murdoch started wrestling for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1981. This helped him become known around the world. He entered the MSG Tag League that year. He teamed with Stan Hansen. They finished in third place.
He returned in 1982 for the MSG League. He finished in fourth place. He also teamed with the Masked Superstar in the MSG Tag League. They finished fourth. Murdoch had some matches against Hulk Hogan.
In 1983, he often wrestled against Riki Choshu's Ishin Gundan group. He teamed with Adrian Adonis again for the MSG Tag League. They reached the finals but lost to Antonio Inoki and Hulk Hogan.
In 1984, Murdoch and Adonis teamed up regularly in New Japan. They faced top teams like Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. Murdoch also entered the MSG League as a single wrestler. He even defeated his partner, Adonis. They reached the finals of the MSG Tag League again but lost to Inoki and Fujinami.
In 1985, Murdoch entered the IWGP League tournament. He made it to the semifinals before losing to Andre the Giant. He and Adonis defended their WWF Tag Team titles in Japan. After leaving the WWF, they wrestled full-time in New Japan. They tried to win the vacated WWF International Tag Team Championship but did not succeed.
Murdoch and Adonis then went their separate ways. Murdoch wrestled in singles matches. He had tough matches against Inoki, Fujinami, Abdullah The Butcher, and Bruiser Brody. He reunited with the Masked Superstar for the IWGP Tag Team League.
In 1986, Murdoch wrestled against newer wrestlers like Keiji Mutoh and Shinya Hashimoto. He also faced veterans. He reached the finals of the IWGP League but lost to Inoki. He and Masked Superstar also reached the semifinals of the IWGP Tag Team League.
In 1987, Murdoch often teamed with younger foreign wrestlers. These included Scott Hall and Owen Hart. He also formed an unusual team with Antonio Inoki. They reached the finals of the Japan Cup Tag Team League. They lost to Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami.
In 1988, Adonis returned to New Japan. He and Murdoch reformed their tag team. They also formed a trio with Owen Hart. Murdoch and Adonis had a title match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. They lost to Masa Saito and Riki Choshu. After Adonis's death in July, Murdoch did not return to Japan for five months.
He came back in November 1988 for the Japan Cup Tag Team Elimination League. He teamed with Scott Hall and Bob Orton Jr.. They had many exciting matches. Murdoch left New Japan in 1989. His last match there was on August 5, 1989.
Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW (1986–1991)
Murdoch briefly returned to Mid-South Wrestling in 1985. Then, in 1986, he joined Jim Crockett Promotions (part of the NWA). He was a fan favorite. He had matches against Ric Flair for Flair's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He also teamed with Ron Garvin against Flair and the Four Horsemen.
In early 1987, Murdoch became a villain. He joined Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Petrov. They tried to get Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. Murdoch was a NWA United States Tag Team Champion with Ivan. He injured Nikita's neck during a match. This led to Murdoch being suspended for 30 days. His team also lost their title.
After mid-1988, he became a fan favorite again. He reunited with Dusty Rhodes. They had a rivalry with Gary Hart's team. Murdoch left the NWA and wrestled in Puerto Rico and Japan.
He returned to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1991. He formed a team called the "Hardliners" with Dick Slater. They were villains again. They attacked the Steiner Brothers at Clash of the Champions XV. They had a rivalry with the Steiners.
Later Career (1989–1996)
After leaving WCW in 1989, Murdoch wrestled in Japan for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling. In 1991, he worked in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council. He won the WWC Television Championship there. He also won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship in 1992.
He returned to Japan to wrestle for other groups from 1992 to 1994. In 1993, he appeared at Slamboree: A Legends' Reunion. He teamed with Don Muraco and Jimmy Snuka. He also made a one-time appearance for Extreme Championship Wrestling.
From 1993 to 1994, he worked in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He had a rivalry with Bob Armstrong. In one match, Armstrong held him in a headlock for 23 minutes. Murdoch kept the audience entertained with his movements.
On January 22, 1995, Murdoch made a surprise return to the WWF. He entered the WWF Royal Rumble as the twenty-seventh wrestler. However, Henry O. Godwinn eliminated him. He also briefly worked as a manager for Bob Backlund. Murdoch lost to Wahoo McDaniel at Slamboree on May 21. His very last match was a victory over Rod Price in Amarillo, Texas, on June 6, 1996.
Personal Life and Other Work
Dick Murdoch was the cousin of wrestler Killer Tim Brooks.
Murdoch appeared in four movies. These included The Wrestler (1974) and Paradise Alley (1978). He also appeared on TV shows like Learning The Ropes and The Jerry Springer Show. Besides wrestling, Murdoch took part in rodeo events. He also owned a bar and did promotional work for Coors beer.
Other Media
Murdoch was a character in video games. He appeared in Fire Pro Wrestling (2001) and Wrestle Kingdom 2 (2007).
Death
Dick Murdoch died from a heart attack on June 15, 1996. He was 49 years old. He had taken part in a rodeo earlier that day. His ex-wife found him dead on a couch at home. Murdoch had high blood pressure in his later years. However, he had no known heart problems before this.
Championships and Accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- NWA United National Championship (1 time)
- Central States Wrestling
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Brown
- NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (3 times) – with Dusty Rhodes (1) and Bob Sweetan (2)
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dusty Rhodes (1), Bobby Duncum (1)
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
- Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
- NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Don Carson
- Jim Crockett Promotions
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ivan Koloff
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes
- NWA Detroit
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes
- NWA Mid-America
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) – with Don Carson
- NWA Tri-State / Mid-South Wrestling Association
- Mid-South North American Championship (2 times)
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Junkyard Dog
- NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) (3 times)
- NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times) – with Killer Karl Kox (1) and Ted DiBiase (1)
- NWA Western States Sports
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version) (3 times)
- NWA International Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (3 times)
- NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bobby Duncum (1) and Blackjack Mulligan (2)
- National Wrestling Federation
- NWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1974)
- PWI ranked him #96 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- St. Louis Wrestling Club
- NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2010
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Lars Anderson (1), Dusty Rhodes (1)
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWC World Television Championship (3 times)
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Adrian Adonis
See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
