Tyrus (wrestler) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tyrus
Tyrus in 2014
Birth name	George Timothy Murdoch
Born	(1973-02-21) February 21, 1973 (age 52) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Antelope Valley College University of Nebraska at Kearney
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Brodus Clay G-Rilla George Murdoch George T. Murdoch Monstrous BC Tyrus
Billed height	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Billed weight	375 lb (170 kg)
Billed from	The Concrete Jungle Pasadena, California Planet Funk
Trained by	Deep South Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling
Debut	2006
Retired	2023

George Murdoch (born February 21, 1973) is an American TV personality, actor, and former professional wrestler. He is best known by his wrestling name Tyrus.

As a wrestler, he was a champion in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he held the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. On TV, Tyrus appears on Fox News and Fox Nation. He is a co-host on the show Gutfeld! and also helps with other programs. In 2024, Tyrus became the host of Maintaining with Tyrus on the streaming platform OutKick.

Tyrus started his wrestling career training in WWE's special schools like Deep South Wrestling (DSW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He first appeared on NXT as Brodus Clay. Later, he became famous in WWE as "The Funkasaurus," a fun-loving dancer with his backup dancers, the Funkadactyls. He wrestled for WWE until 2014. From 2014 to 2017, he wrestled in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as Tyrus. In 2021, he joined the NWA, where he won the NWA World Television Championship and later the top title, the Worlds Heavyweight Championship.

Tyrus has also written books. His 2022 book, Just Tyrus: A Memoir, was a New York Times bestseller. His second book, Nuff Said, came out in 2023.

Early life

George Murdoch was born on February 21, 1973. He is biracial, meaning he has both black and white parents. He spent some of his childhood living with a foster family.

When he was 15, Murdoch left home. In 1990, he went to Quartz Hill High School in Los Angeles County, California. Then, in 1992, he attended Antelope Valley College in Lancaster. By 1995, he was studying to become a teacher at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He also played college football for the Lopers. However, his football career ended when he had surgery for a ruptured appendix. This surgery affected nerves in his leg, causing him to have a permanent limp.

Before becoming a wrestler, Murdoch worked as a bodyguard for the famous rapper Snoop Dogg.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

G-Rilla at an FCW event in 2007

Training and early days (2006–2008)

After signing with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), George Murdoch was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW). This was a special training territory for WWE. There, he wrestled as G-Rilla, playing the role of a street tough. He worked in DSW until June 2007, then moved to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), another WWE training area. He wrestled in FCW until he left WWE in February 2008.

NXT and bodyguard role (2010–2011)

After a break, Murdoch rejoined WWE in January 2010 and went back to FCW. He started using the name Brodus Clay. In December 2010, he joined the fourth season of NXT, a WWE show where new wrestlers learn from experienced ones. He teamed with Ted DiBiase and later chose Alberto Del Rio as his mentor. Brodus Clay finished second in the competition.

After NXT, Brodus Clay became Alberto Del Rio's new bodyguard on Raw in March 2011. He helped Del Rio in his matches, including at WrestleMania XXVII. Clay also had his own matches, often winning against other wrestlers. He took a break to film a movie and returned in August 2011, continuing to win matches.

The Funkasaurus (2012–2014)

Clay as the Funkasaurus with The Funkadactyls (Naomi and Cameron), and Hornswoggle dancing

In January 2012, Brodus Clay returned to WWE TV with a new, fun-loving character called "The Funkasaurus." He was a dancing hero, known for his funk music and dance moves. He was joined by his backup dancers, The Funkadactyls (Naomi and Cameron), and was announced as being from "Planet Funk."

The Funkasaurus quickly became popular. He won many matches, often dancing after his victories. He made his first big pay-per-view appearance at the Royal Rumble, where he quickly won his match. At WrestleMania XXVIII, he danced on stage with "Momma Clay." He continued his winning streak, which reached 21 matches.

Later, Brodus Clay started teaming up with Tensai, and they formed a tag team called "Tons of Funk." They often wrestled alongside The Funkadactyls. They won many matches against other teams.

In late 2013, Brodus Clay started to change his attitude. He became more aggressive and seemed jealous of new wrestlers like Xavier Woods. This led to him becoming a "heel" (a bad guy character) in wrestling. He attacked his former partner Tensai and lost several matches. On June 12, 2014, Brodus Clay was released from WWE.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling (2014–2018)

On September 16, 2014, Murdoch joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), using the name Tyrus. He teamed up with Ethan Carter III (EC3). Tyrus won his first match in TNA against Shark Boy. He and EC3 tried to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship but lost in the semifinals.

Tyrus had many matches in TNA. He won a special "gauntlet for the gold" match at Bound For Glory in 2015. This made him the number one challenger for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He had his championship match in April 2016 but lost to Drew Galloway.

Tyrus later returned to Impact Wrestling (the new name for TNA) as a "fixer" for hire. He teamed up with different wrestlers. In August 2017, Tyrus left Impact Wrestling. He returned briefly in January 2018, winning a match against his former boss, EC3. However, he left Impact again in April 2018.

Independent circuit (2018)

In December 2018, Tyrus wrestled for Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore promotion. He teamed with Robert Strauss but lost to David Arquette and RJ City.

National Wrestling Alliance (2021–2023)

On March 11, 2021, Tyrus joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He won his first match against Kratos. He quickly became a top contender for the NWA World Television Championship. In August 2021, Tyrus defeated The Pope to win the NWA World Television Championship. He successfully defended his title many times against different challengers.

In September 2022, Tyrus gave up his NWA World Television Championship. He used a special "Lucky 7" rule, which allowed him to challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. On November 12, Tyrus won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship by defeating Trevor Murdoch and Matt Cardona. This was his first world championship title.

Tyrus successfully defended his NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship against Matt Cardona in February 2023 and against Chris Adonis in April 2023. In June 2023, he teamed with Chris Adonis in the Crockett Cup tournament, reaching the semifinals.

In July 2023, EC3 gave up his NWA National Heavyweight Championship to challenge Tyrus for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. Tyrus asked for their match to be a bullrope match because of their past history. He also added a special rule: if he lost, he would retire from wrestling. On August 27, at NWA 75, Tyrus lost the bullrope match to EC3. Because of the rule, he had to retire from wrestling. After the match, he said goodbye and thanked his family, the NWA, and Billy Corgan.

Filmography

Film

Television

Championships and accomplishments

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA World Television Championship (1 time)
• Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling
  • PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 58 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2023
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • Bound for Gold (2015)
• WWE
  • Slammy Award (1 time)
    • Best Dancer of the Year (2012)

Books

• Just Tyrus: A Memoir (2022), Post Hill Press
• Nuff Said (2023), Post Hill Press

See also

In Spanish: George Murdoch (luchador) para niños