Dick Murdoch

Dick Murdoch (August 16, 1946 - June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler.

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

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.

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 titles 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 U.S. 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 titles.

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 titles.

Murdoch was one of the entrants in the WWF Royal Rumble 1995.

Murdoch was wrestling in the independents when he died of a heart attack on June 15, 1996 at the age of 49.

Profile
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.
 * Height: 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
 * Weight: 277 lb
 * Born: August 16, 1946
 * Died: June 15, 1996
 * Town of birth: Waxahachie, Texas
 * Trained by: Killer Karl Kox, Bob Geigel, Pat O'Connor
 * Nickname: Captain Redneck
 * Other Gimmicks: Black Ace, Ron Carson, The Invader, Super Rodeo Machine

Dick Murdoch was a second generation wrestler. His father was Frank Murdoch, who wrestled mainly in the southwest U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s. Frank Murdoch held the NWA Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in his career.

Finishing and signature moves

 * Brainbuster
 * Calf Branding

Championships and accomplishments

 * Mid-South Wrestling
 * Mid-South North American Championship (2 times)
 * Mid-South Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Junkyard Dog


 * National Wrestling Alliance
 * National
 * NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) (3 times)
 * NWA United National Championship (1 time)
 * NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ivan Koloff


 * Regional
 * NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
 * NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Dusty Rhodes (1), Bob Sweetan (2), and Bob Brown (1)
 * NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Dusty Rhodes (1) and Bobby Duncum (1)
 * NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship(2 times)
 * NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bobby Duncum
 * NWA World Tag Team Chamionship (Detroit Version) (1 time) - with Dusty Rhodes
 * NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America Version) (1 time) - with Don Carson


 * Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 * PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year award in 1974.
 * PWI ranked him # 96 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked twice in the best tag teams of the "PWI Years".
 * PWI ranked him # 35 of the best 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Adrian Adonis.
 * PWI ranked him # 45 of the best 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Masked Superstar.


 * World Wrestling Council
 * WWC Television Championship (1 time)
 * WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * World Wrestling Federation
 * WWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Adrian Adonis

Trivia

 * Murdoch is the cousin of wrestler Killer Tim Brooks.
 * Murdoch appeared in 4 movies: The Wrestler in 1974, Paradise Alley in 1978, Grunt! The Wrestling Movie in 1985 and Manhattan Merengue! in 1995.
 * Dick Murdoch is not related to Trevor Murdoch, however Trevor took the ring name when a physical and facial similarity was noticed between the wrestlers.