Dick Murdoch

Dick Murdoch
Birth nameHoyt Richard Murdoch[1]
Born(1946-08-16)August 16, 1946[2]
Waxahachie, Texas, United States[1]
DiedJune 15, 1996(1996-06-15) (aged 49)[3]
Amarillo, Texas, United States[3]
Cause of deathMyocardial infarction[3]
Alma materWest Texas State University[4]
Children1
FamilyFrankie Murdoch (father)[5]
Killer Tim Brooks (cousin)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Big Daddy Murdoch[1]
Black Ace
Dick Murdoch[1]
The Invader[1]
Ron Carson[2]
Super Rodeo Machine
The Texan
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[6]
Billed weight288 lb (131 kg)[6]
Billed fromWaxahachie, Texas
Trained byKiller Karl Kox
Bob Geigel
Pat O'Connor
Debut1965[2]

Hoyt Richard Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the NWA, World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.[1][2]

Murdoch started his wrestling career in 1965, and three years later, he began teaming with longtime partner Dusty Rhodes as the Texas Outlaws. After they split up, Murdoch wrestled for several territories including the National Wrestling Alliance's Florida Championship Wrestling, and Mid-South Wrestling, also touring overseas. He joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1984 and teamed with Adrian Adonis to form the North-South Connection, winning the WWF Tag Team Championship.

In 1981, Murdoch gained international exposure by joining New Japan Pro-Wrestling and stayed there until 1989. He later wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions, engaging in feuds with the likes of Ric Flair, Nikita Koloff, and Dusty Rhodes. He also worked for World Championship Wrestling in 1991 as part of a tag team with Dick Slater until going into semi-retirement, while making appearances at the 1995 Royal Rumble and Slamboree 1993: A Legends' Reunion.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Dave Meltzer (1986). The Wrestling Observer's Who's who in Pro Wrestling. Wrestling Observer. p. 81.
  2. ^ a b c d Greg Oliver; Steven Johnson (2007). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. pp. 347–348. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Muchnick2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference RossRoss2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference WattsWilliams2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.