Pioneer Singles Wrestler
Dick Murdoch
Trained by Killer Karl Kox, Bob Geigel, and Pat O'Connor, Dick Murdoch
began his wrestling career in 1965 as Ron Carson, in a tag team with Don
Carson. Shortly thereafter, he started wrestling under his real name.
In 1968, Murdoch formed a tag team, with Dusty Rhodes called "The
Texas Outlaws". The team would continue throughout the early 1970's
until finally splitting up . Murdoch went on to wrestle 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 one year later and headed to Mid-South Wrestling briefly before turning
up in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in 1986 where he feuded with Ric
Flair in an attempt to win Flair's NWA World Title.
In early 1987, Murdoch joined Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Petrov in their
feud with Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. Murdoch injured Nikita's neck
after a brain-buster suplex on the floor that summer.
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.
In addition to his wrestling career, Murdoch appeared in 4 movies: The
Wrestler in 1974, Paradise Alley in 1978, Grunt! The Wrestling Movie in
1985 and Manhattan Merengue! in 1995.
Murdoch was wrestling in the independents when he died of a heart attack
on June 15, 1996 at the age of 49.
Murdoch's list of championships and accomplishment is quite impressive:
National Wrestling Alliance
1-Time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Detroit version), with Dusty Rhodes
1-Time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Mid-America version), with Don Carson
1-Time NWA United States Tag Team Champion, with Ivan Koloff
World Wrestling Federation
1-Time WWF World Tag Team Champion, with Adrian Adonis
Mid-South Wrestling
4-Time NWA Tri-State North American Champion
1-Time Mid-South North American Champion
3-Time Mid-South Tag Team Champion, with Junkyard Dog
Central States Wrestling
2-Time Central States Heavyweight Champion
4-Time Central States Tag Team Champion, with Dusty Rhodes once, Bob Sweetan
twice, and Bob Brown once
2-Time Central States Missouri Champion
World Wrestling Council
1-Time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion
2-Time WWC Television Champion
Florida Championship Wrestling
1-Time Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion
2-Time Florida Tag Team Champion, with Dusty Rhodes once and Bobby Duncum
once
Other championships
2-Time Southwest Championship Wrestling Champion
1-Time Western States Tag Team Champion (with Bobby Duncum)
1-Time AJPW NWA United National Champion
It is an honor to induct Dirty Dick Murdoch into the Independent Wrestling
Hall of Fame.
