Dick Murdoch

Dick Murdoch
Ring name(s)	Ron Carson Dick Murdoch Black Ace Captain Redneck The Invader Super Rodeo Machine The Texan[1]
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight	277 lb (126 kg; 19.8 st)
Born	August 16, 1946(1946-08-16) Waxahachie, Texas
Died	June 15, 1996(1996-06-15) (aged 49) Canyon, Texas
Trained by	Killer Karl Kox Bob Geigel Pat O'Connor
Debut	1965

Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler.

Professional wrestling career

A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers fight all around Texas. Frank Murdoch held the NWA Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in his career.

Dick Murdoch started wrestling in 1965 as Ron Carson in a tag team with Don Carson. He soon started wrestling under his real name. In 1968, he formed a tag team that would continue throughout the early 1970s with Dusty Rhodes called "The Texas Outlaws". After splitting with Rhodes, he wrestled for Florida Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, and Mid-South Wrestling.

His most noted work as a wrestler came in Mid-South Wrestling in the early 1980s, where he teamed with Junkyard Dog. The pair was the most popular champions in the region, attracting the hardcore, working class white fans with his "Captain Redneck" persona and JYD drawing the support of the black fan base. Their feud with the Fabulous Freebirds was perhaps Mid-South's most compelling storyline.

In 1984, he went to the World Wrestling Federation and formed a tag team with Adrian Adonis that captured the World Tag Team Titles. He left the WWF in 1985 after dropping the tag-team title to the US Express and wrestled in Mid-South Wrestling briefly before turning up in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in 1986. He feuded with Ric Flair and attempted to win Flair's NWA World Title.

In early 1987, Murdoch joined Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Petrov in their attempt to get Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. Murdoch, who at the time held the NWA United States Tag Team Championship with Ivan, injured Nikita's neck after a brain-buster suplex on the floor that summer, resulting in Murdoch being (kayfabe) suspended for 30 days and the team being stripped of the tag team title. Murdoch left the NWA and wrestled in the World Wrestling Council before appearing in World Championship Wrestling as one half of the "Hardliners," or "Hardline Collection Agency," with Dick Slater in 1991. They feuded with Rick and Scott Steiner but could not win their title.

Murdoch was the twenty-seventh entrant in the 1995 WWF Royal Rumble. He was eliminated by Henry O. Godwinn. Murdoch was wrestling in the independents when he died of a heart attack on June 15, 1996.

Personal life

Murdoch was married on September 21, 1966 in Potter County, Texas to Janice Hix. Together, they had one child before divorcing on October 1, 1973.^[2]

Murdoch is the cousin of wrestler "Killer" Tim Brooks.^{[citation needed]}

According to a shoot interview with Bad News Brown, Dick Murdoch was a member of the KKK.^{[Full citation needed]} This was also mentioned by Tito Santana in his autobiography, Tales From The Ring.^{[Full citation needed]}

Murdoch appeared in 4 movies: The Wrestler (1974), Paradise Alley (1978), Grunt! The Wrestling Movie (1985), and Manhattan Merengue! (1995). He also appeared on an episode of Learning The Ropes and an episode of The Jerry Springer Show.^[3]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves

• Brainbuster

• Signature moves

• Bionic elbow
• Calf branding
• Elbow drop

• Managers

• Joe Don Smith
• Paul Jones
• Oliver Humperdink
• "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
• Jim Cornette
• Skandor Akbar
• Lou Albano

• Nicknames

• "Captain Redneck"
• "Dirty" Dick Murdoch

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling

• NWA United National Championship (1 time)^[4]

• Central States Wrestling

• NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[5]
• NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bob Brown^[6]
• NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (3 times) – with Dusty Rhodes (1) and Bob Sweetan (2)^[7]

• 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)^[8]

• Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling

• NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Don Carson^[9]

• Jim Crockett Promotions

• NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ivan Koloff^[10]

• NWA Big Time Wrestling

• NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes^[11]

• NWA Detroit

• NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes^[12]

• NWA Mid-America

• NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (1 time) – with Don Carson^[13]

• NWA Tri-State / Mid-South Wrestling Association

• Mid-South North American Championship (2 times)^[14]
• Mid-South Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Junkyard Dog^[15]
• NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) (3 times)
• NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)^[16]
• NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times) – with Killer Karl Kox (1), Ted DiBiase (1)^[17]

• NWA Western States Sports

• NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version) (3 times)^[18]
• NWA International Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (3 times)^[19]
• NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[20]
• NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Duncum^[21]

• National Wrestling Federation

• NWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1974)^[22]

• • PWI ranked him #96 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003^[23]

• St. Louis Wrestling Club

• NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[24]

• World Championship Wrestling (Australia)

• IWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Lars Anderson (1), Dusty Rhodes (1)^[25]

• World Wrestling Council

• WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[26]
• WWC World Television Championship (2 times)^[27]

• World Wrestling Federation

• WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Adrian Adonis^[28]

References

1. ^ "The 3rd Annual Crockett Cup (April 22–23, 1988)". thehistoryofwwe.com. 2009 [last update]. http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/crockettcup88review.htm. Retrieved September 27, 2011. "A masked man named the Texan (looks like Murdoch) comes in to attack the Rider." 
2. ^ "Hoyt Murdoch". Texas Divorces, 1968–2002. Family Tree Legends Records Collection (Online Database). Pearl Street Software, ©2004–2005.
3. ^ Ellison, Lillian (2003). The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle. ReaganBooks. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-06-001258-8. 
4. ^ NWA United National Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
5. ^ NWA Central States Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
6. ^ NWA Central States Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
7. ^ NWA North American Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
8. ^ NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida) history At wrestling-titles.com
9. ^ NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
10. ^ NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
11. ^ NWA American Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
12. ^ NWA World Tag Team Title (Detroit) history At wrestling-titles.com
13. ^ NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-America) history At wrestling-titles.com
14. ^ North American Heavyweight Title (Mid-South) history At wrestling-titles.com
15. ^ Mis-South Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
16. ^ NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Title history At wrestling-titles.com
17. ^ NWA United States Tag Team Title (Tri-State) history At wrestling-titles.com
18. ^ NWA Brass Knuckles Title (Amarillo) history At wrestling-titles.com
19. ^ NWA International Heavyweight Title (Amarillo) history At wrestling-titles.com
20. ^ NWA Western STates Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
21. ^ NWA Western States Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
22. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Inspirational Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiinsp.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-27. 
23. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-15. 
24. ^ NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
25. ^ IWA World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
26. ^ WWC Universal Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
27. ^ WWC World Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
28. ^ WWWF/WWF/WWE World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com

Persondata
Name	Murdoch, Dick
Alternative names
Short description	Professional wrestler
Date of birth	August 16, 1946
Place of birth	Waxahachie, Texas
Date of death	June 15, 1996
Place of death	Canyon, Texas