Dick Murdoch

Dick Murdoch (August 16, 1946 - June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler.
==Career==
A second-generation wrestler, the stepson of 1950s Texas wrestler Frank 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 (WWF) and formed a tag team with Adrian Adonis that captured the WWF Tag Team Championship. He left the WWF in 1985 after dropping the tag team championship to the US Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo) 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 Heavyweight Championship.
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 brainbuster on the floor that summer, resulting in Murdoch being (kayfabe) suspended for 30 days and the team being stripped of the tag team titles.
Afterwards Murdoch became a lone mercenary in WCW. He advertised being "for hire" and would attempt to injure other wrestlers for money. After Jim Cornette's mother put a $50,000 reward to anyone who could injure Dusty Rhodes, Murdoch briefly accepted Cornette as a manager to try to collect on the bounty. 
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.
==In wrestling==
*Finishing and signature moves
**Brainbuster
**Calf Branding
*Teams and stables
**The Carson Brothers
**The Hardliners
**The Texas Outlaws
**The North South Connection
*Managers and valets
*Joe Don Smith (Puerto Rico)
*Paul Jones
*Oliver Humperdink	
*Eddie Gilbert
*Jim Cornette
*Skandor Akbar
==Championships and accomplishments==
*All Japan Pro Wrestling
**NWA United National Championship (1 time)
*Capitol Sports Promotions
**WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**WWC Television Championship (3 times)
*Mid-South Wrestling
**Mid-South North American Championship (1 time)
**Mid-South Tag Team Championship (3 times) with Junkyard Dog
*National Wrestling Alliance
**Big Time Wrestling (Detroit)
***NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (1 time) with Dusty Rhodes
**Central States Wrestling
***NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
***NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Bob Brown
***NWA Central States United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
***NWA North American Tag Team Championship (3 times) with Dusty Rhodes (1) and KO Cox (2)
**Championship Wrestling from Florida
***NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Dusty Rhodes (1) and Bobby Duncum
***NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**Mid-Atlantic
***NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Ivan Koloff
**NWA Big Time Wrestling
***NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Dusty Rhodes
**NWA Gulf Coast
***NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (3 times) with Don Carson (3)
**NWA Tri-State
***NWA Tri-State Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
***NWA Tri-State North American Championship (4 times)
***NWA United States Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Killer Karl Kox (1), Ted DiBiase (1), and Bob Sweetan (1)
**NWA Western States
***NWA International Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
***NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship (5 times)
***NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
***NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Bobby Duncum (1) and Blackjack Mulligan (1)
**St. Louis Wrestling Club
***NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
*National Wrestling Federation
**NWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Dusty Rhodes
*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 Championship Wrestling (Australia)
**IWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Lars Anderson (1) and Dusty Rhodes (1)
*World Wrestling Federation
**WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Adrian Adonis
==External links==
* Profile
Category:American wrestlers
Category:WWE World Tag Team Champions
Category:Wrestlers who have died
Category:Texas wrestlers
Category:1946 births
Category:1965 debuts
Category:1996 deaths
Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
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Category:Catch Wrestling Association alumni
Category:Central States Wrestling alumni
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Category:Male wrestlers