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Don Muraco

May 18, 2023

Don Muraco (born September 10, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler and podcaster. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1981 to 1988, where he held the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship on two occasions and was crowned the inaugural winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 1985. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014.[2][3][4]

Don Muraco
Don Muraco (bottom) against The Mongolian Stomper in June 1975
Birth nameDon Muraco
Born (1949-09-10) September 10, 1949 (age 73)
Sunset Beach, Hawaii, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Aka Oni
Don Muraco[1][2]
Don Morrow[1]
Dr. X
”The Rock” Don Muraco
The Magnificent Muraco[1]
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[3]
Billed weight275 lb (125 kg)[3]
Billed fromSunset Beach, Hawaii[3]
Trained byTom Andrews[4]
Steve Bolus[4]
Bulldog Bob Brown[4]
Mr. Fuji[4]
Dean Ho[4]
Lonnie Mayne[4]
Bud Ratelle[4]
Debut1970[4]
Retired1995

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1970–1981)

Muraco was born at Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii in 1949 and is of Native Hawaiian heritage.[1][2] A Hawaii state amateur wrestling champion for Punahou School in 1967,[5] Muraco chose professional wrestling over football. He spent the first year of his career learning the ropes in Vancouver, Portland, Florida and Los Angeles before getting his first big break, for Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association (AWA).[6] Wrestling as a face, he often tag teamed with Jimmy Snuka, against wrestlers such as Larry Hennig, Ivan Koloff and Dusty Rhodes.[7] In 1973, tired of life in Minneapolis, he left the AWA for Roy Shire's San Francisco NWA territory.[6]

In 1974, Muraco moved to Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF). He was frequently compared to the NWA World Champion Jack Brisco, whom he physically resembled.[6] In a match between the two on May 28, 1974, Muraco reversed Brisco's finishing move, the figure four leglock. Though Muraco lost the match by disqualification, this feat made him a star.[8]

After brief stints in Texas and Georgia, Muraco returned to California in 1975 and won his first singles title, the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship. He then won the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Masked Invader #1. In San Francisco, Muraco learned to work as a heel.[9]

 
Barry Windham attempts to apply a Boston crab to Muraco during a match in 1980

From 1977 through 1981, Muraco shuttled several more times between Florida, San Francisco and his native Hawaii. In Florida, he was involved in two high-profile angles. In 1979, a masked villain called "The Magnificent M" appeared in the territory. Though it came as little surprise when he was eventually unmasked as Muraco, his bald head shocked the audience.[10] Then, in 1980, he feuded with Barry Windham, in which the bigger and more experienced Muraco piledrove the rookie on the concrete floor.[9] Windham eventually got his revenge, in the process becoming a credible wrestler in the eyes of the fans.[11]

World Wrestling Federation (1981–1984, 1985–1988)

Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion (1981–1984)

Muraco debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in Allentown, Pennsylvania defeating Steve King on February 24, 1981. Managed by The Grand Wizard, he captured the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship on June 20, 1981, from Pedro Morales; he lost it to Morales on November 23 in a Texas Death match, capping a bloody feud.[12] That year, Muraco wrestled then WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund several times, including a 60-minute draw on October 24.[13] He split 1982 between Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (where he partnered with Roddy Piper for a time), Georgia Championship Wrestling (where he also wrestled under a mask as Dr. X) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (where he wrestled in the annual MSG League tournament), before returning to the WWF that fall.[14]

Now managed by Captain Lou Albano, Muraco regained the Intercontinental title from Morales on January 22, 1983.[2] That year, Muraco feuded with Albano's former protégé, Jimmy Snuka. The feud culminated on October 17, in a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden. Snuka lost the match, but afterward dragged Muraco back into the ring and hit his finisher, the Superfly Splash, from the top of the 15-foot cage.[15][16] In the crowd at the Garden for this match was future WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, the Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Bubba Ray Dudley.[17]

 
Bob Backlund giving Muraco a piledriver, c. early 1980s

During his two Intercontinental title reigns, Muraco had bloody feuds with Bob Backlund, Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson. He portrayed an arrogant villain who angrily demanded respect, while engaging in disrespectful behavior himself; in one match, he brought a submarine sandwich to the ring and ate it while dominating his outmatched opponent. Later, he would preface his matches by dedicating his impending finishing move, the piledriver, to either the heel commentator or whomever he was feuding with at the time. Audiences regularly mocked Muraco and his Hawaiian origins with derisive chants of "beach bum". On February 11, 1984, Muraco lost the Intercontinental title to Tito Santana.[18] After a series of unsuccessful rematches, Muraco took a hiatus from WWF in August 1984. He went to NWA Polynesian for a short stint, and also wrestled in Japan.

Alliance with Mr. Fuji (1985–1987)

Muraco returned to the WWF in 1985, managed by Mr. Fuji. After not wrestling on the card of the first WrestleMania, Muraco headlined three consecutive Madison Square Garden cards against WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan, climaxing in a bloody steel cage match on June 21, which Hogan won. On July 8, Muraco won the first King of the Ring tournament when he pinned The Iron Sheik in the Final. Before defeating the Sheik, Muraco had defeated the Junkyard Dog, Les Thornton and Pedro Morales to reach the Final.[19]

In addition to feuding with Ricky Steamboat for much of the remainder of the year which included hanging Steamboat from the top rope with Steamboat's own karate belt on an episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, Fuji and Muraco debuted Fuji Vice, a series of skits parodying Miami Vice, on Tuesday Night Titans (Fuji General, a parody of the ABC soap General Hospital, followed soon after). In 1986, Muraco allied with Adrian Adonis and Bob Orton Jr. in their feud with Roddy Piper. This led to Orton and Muraco becoming a regular tag team. In March 1987 they lost to the Can-Am Connection (Tom Zenk and Rick Martel) in the opening match of Wrestlemania III in front of a reported 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome.[20] In July 1987, a falling out between Muraco and Orton led to a feud between them and a face turn for Muraco. Muraco won almost every match in the feud, on TV and at house shows, until Orton left the WWF that year.

"The Rock" (1987–1988)

In a TV taping aired in November 1987, Muraco solidified his face status by saving Superstar Billy Graham from a three-on-one beating by Butch Reed, One Man Gang and Slick, and taking Graham as his new manager. Muraco adopted Graham's tie-dye attire and changed his nickname from "Magnificent Muraco" to "The Rock" (although announcer Gorilla Monsoon continued to refer to Muraco by his previous nickname). Muraco replaced Graham on the team led by his former rival Hulk Hogan at the first Survivor Series,[21] and had a good showing at the first Royal Rumble, where he eliminated three wrestlers (tied for second most with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan) and was one of the final four competitors.[22] He later reached the quarterfinals of the WWF World Heavyweight Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV.[23] In his final months with the WWF, he feuded with Greg Valentine and lost to Dino Bravo at the inaugural SummerSlam.[24] Muraco had his last match in the WWF against Barry Horowitz in October 1988 on a tour of Italy, but was then fired.

Various promotions (1988–1995)

After leaving the WWF, Muraco split his time between Stampede Wrestling (where he defeated Makhan Singh to win the North American Heavyweight title), the AWA (where he wrestled AWA World Heavyweight Champion Larry Zbyszko to a double disqualification), All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Herb Abrams' UWF (where he feuded with Cactus Jack). On May 23, 1993 he made an appearance at World Championship Wrestling where he teamed with Dick Murdoch and Jimmy Snuka against Wahoo McDaniel, Jim Brunzell and Blackjack Mulligan at Slamboree 1993: A Legends' Reunion.[25]

Eastern Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)

Before the promotion was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling, Muraco rekindled old feuds there with Jimmy Snuka and Tito Santana. He defeated Snuka on September 30, 1992, for the ECW Championship, dropping it to The Sandman on November 16. On April 3, 1993, he regained it in a rematch, finally losing it to Santana on August 8.

Wrestle Association R (1994)

Muraco, as Aka Oni, debuted for Wrestle Association R (WAR) on August 25, 1994, defeating Takashi Ishikawa. He had twelve more matches with the promotion, culminating in a tag loss (with Ai Oni) to Animal Hamaguchi and Ryuma Go on December 4, at WAR Mega Power in Sumo Hall.[26]

Retirement (1995–present)

After retiring from the ring in 1995, Muraco returned to Hawaii. In 2003, he co-founded Hawai'i Championship Wrestling with local TV producer Linda Bade, which ran from 2003 to 2008. He was the storyline commissioner of Hawai'i Championship Wrestling until 2006. He also worked as a longshoreman.[27] On May 22, 1998, he returned to wrestling for one night where he lost to The Honky Tonk Man at Northern Wrestling States Wrestler Alliance. He also returned to wrestling in Hawaii where he defeated the Kodiak Bear at Hawaiian Islands Wrestling Federation on January 9, 1999.

In 2004, Muraco was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 by Mick Foley, who, like Tommy Dreamer, Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley, credits the 1983 steel cage match between Muraco and Snuka at Madison Square Garden (which he attended) as his inspiration for becoming a wrestler.[28] He managed his son, Joe, in WXW. On August 27, 2005, he teamed with Joe to defeat another father and son team, Bob and Brad Armstrong, at WrestleReunion 2.[29] In 2007, Muraco inducted his former manager, Mr. Fuji, into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007.

Muraco currently resides in Hawaii with his wife Sharon.[30] He has three children, one of whom would follow in his footsteps as a professional wrestler, that being his son, Joe.[29]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Don Muraco's profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Solomon, Brian (2006). WWE Legends. Pocket Books. pp. 214–218. ISBN 978-0-7434-9033-7.
  3. ^ a b c d "Don Muraco". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ward, Marshall (March 28, 2014). "Don Muraco surfs a wave into Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame". Canoe.ca. Quebecor Media. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  5. ^ Cisco, Dan (1999). Hawai'i Sports: History, Facts, and Statistics. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 424. ISBN 0824821211.
  6. ^ a b c Don's actual height was 6 feet tall and he weighed in around 255 pounds.Kayfabe Memories. Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  7. ^ SLAM! Wrestling - Don Muraco Results Archive. Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  8. ^ WrestlingOnline.com - CWF Memories. April 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  9. ^ a b Wrestlibrary - Don Muraco. Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  10. ^ KayFabe Memories p2. Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  11. ^ CWF Archives - 25 Greatest Angles. Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  12. ^ Shields, Brian (2010). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Gallery Books. p. 199. ISBN 978-1416532576.
  13. ^ "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". www.wrestlingdata.com.
  14. ^ "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". www.wrestlingdata.com.
  15. ^ Ginzburg, Evan (October 18, 2018). "Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco – The Legendary Moment Remembered". Pro Wrestling Stories. from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  16. ^ Dixon, James; Furious, Arnold; Maughan, Lee; Dahlstrom, Bob; Richardson, Benjamin; Henry, Justin; Hey, Dan (December 17, 2015). The Complete WWE Guide Volume Six. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-326-50746-6.
  17. ^ Dasgupta, Riju (January 16, 2017). "5 things you may have forgotten about Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka". Sportskeeda. from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Beaston, Eric (September 23, 2015). "Full Career Retrospective and Greatest Moments for Tito Santana". Bleacher Report. from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Cawthon, Graham. "King of the Ring 85 - Foxboro, MA - Sullivan Stadium - July 8, 1985 (23,000; 20,000 paid)". The History of WWE. from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Full WrestleMania III results". WWE. February 17, 2005. from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "Survivor Series 1987 - Full Event Results". WWE. November 6, 2006. from the original on November 26, 2005. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Full Royal Rumble 1988 results". WWE. May 18, 2011. from the original on January 12, 2006. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Full WrestleMania IV results". WWE. May 19, 2011. from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "Full SummerSlam 1988 results". WWE. March 7, 2019. from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  25. ^ Cawthon, Graham. "Slamboree 1993: A Legends Reunion - Atlanta, GA - Omni Coliseum - May 23, 1993 (7,008; 37,000 paid)". The History of WWE. from the original on August 22, 2002. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "Don Muraco: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)". www.profightdb.com.
  27. ^ SLAM! Wrestling - Muraco, Santana, Proud to be honoured Retrieved on September 29, 2008.
  28. ^ Foley, Mick (1999). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. ReganBooks. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-06-039299-4.
  29. ^ a b Johnson, Mike (August 27, 2022). "8/27 THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 28 YEARS AGO, ECW GOES EXTREME, SUMMERSLAM 1990 AND MORE". PWInsider.com.
  30. ^ Mooneyham, Mike (May 10, 2019). "Where is Don Muraco now?". The Post and Courier.
  31. ^ a b Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  32. ^ "ECW World Heavyweight Title". www.wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  33. ^ Caldwell, James (November 26, 2013). "News: Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame announces 2014 HOF class". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 26, 2013.

External links

  • Don Muraco at IMDb
  • Don Muraco on WWE.com
  • Don Muraco's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database
Preceded by
First tournament
 King of the Ring tournament winner
1985 		Succeeded by

May 18, 2023
muraco, born, september, 1949, american, retired, professional, wrestler, podcaster, best, known, appearances, with, world, wrestling, federation, from, 1981, 1988, where, held, intercontinental, heavyweight, championship, occasions, crowned, inaugural, winner. Don Muraco born September 10 1949 is an American retired professional wrestler and podcaster He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1981 to 1988 where he held the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship on two occasions and was crowned the inaugural winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 1985 He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014 2 3 4 Don MuracoDon Muraco bottom against The Mongolian Stomper in June 1975Birth nameDon MuracoBorn 1949 09 10 September 10 1949 age 73 Sunset Beach Hawaii United StatesProfessional wrestling careerRing name s Aka OniDon Muraco 1 2 Don Morrow 1 Dr X The Rock Don MuracoThe Magnificent Muraco 1 Billed height6 ft 3 in 191 cm 3 Billed weight275 lb 125 kg 3 Billed fromSunset Beach Hawaii 3 Trained byTom Andrews 4 Steve Bolus 4 Bulldog Bob Brown 4 Mr Fuji 4 Dean Ho 4 Lonnie Mayne 4 Bud Ratelle 4 Debut1970 4 Retired1995 Contents 1 Professional wrestling career 1 1 Early career 1970 1981 1 2 World Wrestling Federation 1981 1984 1985 1988 1 2 1 Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion 1981 1984 1 2 2 Alliance with Mr Fuji 1985 1987 1 2 3 The Rock 1987 1988 1 3 Various promotions 1988 1995 1 4 Eastern Championship Wrestling 1992 1993 1 5 Wrestle Association R 1994 1 6 Retirement 1995 present 2 Championships and accomplishments 3 References 4 External linksProfessional wrestling career EditEarly career 1970 1981 Edit Muraco was born at Sunset Beach Oahu Hawaii in 1949 and is of Native Hawaiian heritage 1 2 A Hawaii state amateur wrestling champion for Punahou School in 1967 5 Muraco chose professional wrestling over football He spent the first year of his career learning the ropes in Vancouver Portland Florida and Los Angeles before getting his first big break for Verne Gagne s American Wrestling Association AWA 6 Wrestling as a face he often tag teamed with Jimmy Snuka against wrestlers such as Larry Hennig Ivan Koloff and Dusty Rhodes 7 In 1973 tired of life in Minneapolis he left the AWA for Roy Shire s San Francisco NWA territory 6 In 1974 Muraco moved to Championship Wrestling from Florida CWF He was frequently compared to the NWA World Champion Jack Brisco whom he physically resembled 6 In a match between the two on May 28 1974 Muraco reversed Brisco s finishing move the figure four leglock Though Muraco lost the match by disqualification this feat made him a star 8 After brief stints in Texas and Georgia Muraco returned to California in 1975 and won his first singles title the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship He then won the San Francisco version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Masked Invader 1 In San Francisco Muraco learned to work as a heel 9 Barry Windham attempts to apply a Boston crab to Muraco during a match in 1980 From 1977 through 1981 Muraco shuttled several more times between Florida San Francisco and his native Hawaii In Florida he was involved in two high profile angles In 1979 a masked villain called The Magnificent M appeared in the territory Though it came as little surprise when he was eventually unmasked as Muraco his bald head shocked the audience 10 Then in 1980 he feuded with Barry Windham in which the bigger and more experienced Muraco piledrove the rookie on the concrete floor 9 Windham eventually got his revenge in the process becoming a credible wrestler in the eyes of the fans 11 World Wrestling Federation 1981 1984 1985 1988 Edit Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion 1981 1984 Edit Muraco debuted in the World Wrestling Federation WWF in Allentown Pennsylvania defeating Steve King on February 24 1981 Managed by The Grand Wizard he captured the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship on June 20 1981 from Pedro Morales he lost it to Morales on November 23 in a Texas Death match capping a bloody feud 12 That year Muraco wrestled then WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund several times including a 60 minute draw on October 24 13 He split 1982 between Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling where he partnered with Roddy Piper for a time Georgia Championship Wrestling where he also wrestled under a mask as Dr X and New Japan Pro Wrestling where he wrestled in the annual MSG League tournament before returning to the WWF that fall 14 Now managed by Captain Lou Albano Muraco regained the Intercontinental title from Morales on January 22 1983 2 That year Muraco feuded with Albano s former protege Jimmy Snuka The feud culminated on October 17 in a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden Snuka lost the match but afterward dragged Muraco back into the ring and hit his finisher the Superfly Splash from the top of the 15 foot cage 15 16 In the crowd at the Garden for this match was future WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley the Sandman Tommy Dreamer and Bubba Ray Dudley 17 Bob Backlund giving Muraco a piledriver c early 1980s During his two Intercontinental title reigns Muraco had bloody feuds with Bob Backlund Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson He portrayed an arrogant villain who angrily demanded respect while engaging in disrespectful behavior himself in one match he brought a submarine sandwich to the ring and ate it while dominating his outmatched opponent Later he would preface his matches by dedicating his impending finishing move the piledriver to either the heel commentator or whomever he was feuding with at the time Audiences regularly mocked Muraco and his Hawaiian origins with derisive chants of beach bum On February 11 1984 Muraco lost the Intercontinental title to Tito Santana 18 After a series of unsuccessful rematches Muraco took a hiatus from WWF in August 1984 He went to NWA Polynesian for a short stint and also wrestled in Japan Alliance with Mr Fuji 1985 1987 Edit Muraco returned to the WWF in 1985 managed by Mr Fuji After not wrestling on the card of the first WrestleMania Muraco headlined three consecutive Madison Square Garden cards against WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan climaxing in a bloody steel cage match on June 21 which Hogan won On July 8 Muraco won the first King of the Ring tournament when he pinned The Iron Sheik in the Final Before defeating the Sheik Muraco had defeated the Junkyard Dog Les Thornton and Pedro Morales to reach the Final 19 In addition to feuding with Ricky Steamboat for much of the remainder of the year which included hanging Steamboat from the top rope with Steamboat s own karate belt on an episode of WWF Championship Wrestling Fuji and Muraco debuted Fuji Vice a series of skits parodying Miami Vice on Tuesday Night Titans Fuji General a parody of the ABC soap General Hospital followed soon after In 1986 Muraco allied with Adrian Adonis and Bob Orton Jr in their feud with Roddy Piper This led to Orton and Muraco becoming a regular tag team In March 1987 they lost to the Can Am Connection Tom Zenk and Rick Martel in the opening match of Wrestlemania III in front of a reported 93 173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome 20 In July 1987 a falling out between Muraco and Orton led to a feud between them and a face turn for Muraco Muraco won almost every match in the feud on TV and at house shows until Orton left the WWF that year The Rock 1987 1988 Edit In a TV taping aired in November 1987 Muraco solidified his face status by saving Superstar Billy Graham from a three on one beating by Butch Reed One Man Gang and Slick and taking Graham as his new manager Muraco adopted Graham s tie dye attire and changed his nickname from Magnificent Muraco to The Rock although announcer Gorilla Monsoon continued to refer to Muraco by his previous nickname Muraco replaced Graham on the team led by his former rival Hulk Hogan at the first Survivor Series 21 and had a good showing at the first Royal Rumble where he eliminated three wrestlers tied for second most with Hacksaw Jim Duggan and was one of the final four competitors 22 He later reached the quarterfinals of the WWF World Heavyweight Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV 23 In his final months with the WWF he feuded with Greg Valentine and lost to Dino Bravo at the inaugural SummerSlam 24 Muraco had his last match in the WWF against Barry Horowitz in October 1988 on a tour of Italy but was then fired Various promotions 1988 1995 Edit After leaving the WWF Muraco split his time between Stampede Wrestling where he defeated Makhan Singh to win the North American Heavyweight title the AWA where he wrestled AWA World Heavyweight Champion Larry Zbyszko to a double disqualification All Japan Pro Wrestling and Herb Abrams UWF where he feuded with Cactus Jack On May 23 1993 he made an appearance at World Championship Wrestling where he teamed with Dick Murdoch and Jimmy Snuka against Wahoo McDaniel Jim Brunzell and Blackjack Mulligan at Slamboree 1993 A Legends Reunion 25 Eastern Championship Wrestling 1992 1993 Edit Before the promotion was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling Muraco rekindled old feuds there with Jimmy Snuka and Tito Santana He defeated Snuka on September 30 1992 for the ECW Championship dropping it to The Sandman on November 16 On April 3 1993 he regained it in a rematch finally losing it to Santana on August 8 Wrestle Association R 1994 Edit Muraco as Aka Oni debuted for Wrestle Association R WAR on August 25 1994 defeating Takashi Ishikawa He had twelve more matches with the promotion culminating in a tag loss with Ai Oni to Animal Hamaguchi and Ryuma Go on December 4 at WAR Mega Power in Sumo Hall 26 Retirement 1995 present Edit After retiring from the ring in 1995 Muraco returned to Hawaii In 2003 he co founded Hawai i Championship Wrestling with local TV producer Linda Bade which ran from 2003 to 2008 He was the storyline commissioner of Hawai i Championship Wrestling until 2006 He also worked as a longshoreman 27 On May 22 1998 he returned to wrestling for one night where he lost to The Honky Tonk Man at Northern Wrestling States Wrestler Alliance He also returned to wrestling in Hawaii where he defeated the Kodiak Bear at Hawaiian Islands Wrestling Federation on January 9 1999 In 2004 Muraco was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 by Mick Foley who like Tommy Dreamer Bubba Ray Dudley and D Von Dudley credits the 1983 steel cage match between Muraco and Snuka at Madison Square Garden which he attended as his inspiration for becoming a wrestler 28 He managed his son Joe in WXW On August 27 2005 he teamed with Joe to defeat another father and son team Bob and Brad Armstrong at WrestleReunion 2 29 In 2007 Muraco inducted his former manager Mr Fuji into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007 Muraco currently resides in Hawaii with his wife Sharon 30 He has three children one of whom would follow in his footsteps as a professional wrestler that being his son Joe 29 Championships and accomplishments Edit50th State Big Time Wrestling NWA Pacific International Championship 1 time All California Championship Wrestling ACCW Heavyweight Championship 1 time 31 Championship Wrestling from Florida NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship 1 time 2 NWA Florida Television Championship 1 time NWA United States Tag Team Championship Florida version 1 time with Jos LeDuc Eastern Championship Wrestling ECW Heavyweight Championship 2 times 32 Georgia Championship Wrestling NWA Macon Tag Team Championship 1 time with Robert Fuller NWA Hollywood Wrestling NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship 1 time 2 NWA New Zealand NWA British Empire Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship 1 time NWA San Francisco NWA United States Heavyweight Championship San Francisco version 1 time 2 NWA World Tag Team Championship San Francisco version 1 time with Invader 1 Pacific Coast Championship Wrestling PCCW Heavyweight Championship 1 time 31 Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2014 33 Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI ranked him 50 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003 PWI ranked him 102 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1993 Stampede Wrestling Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship 1 time World Wrestling Federation Entertainment WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship 2 times 2 King of the Ring 1985 2 WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004 2 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Heel 1981 Most Impressive Wrestler 1981 References Edit a b c d Don Muraco s profile Online World Of Wrestling Retrieved April 5 2011 a b c d e f g h i j Solomon Brian 2006 WWE Legends Pocket Books pp 214 218 ISBN 978 0 7434 9033 7 a b c d Don Muraco WWE com WWE Retrieved December 20 2015 a b c d e f g h i Ward Marshall March 28 2014 Don Muraco surfs a wave into Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Canoe ca Quebecor Media Retrieved December 20 2015 Cisco Dan 1999 Hawai i Sports History Facts and Statistics Honolulu University of Hawaii Press p 424 ISBN 0824821211 a b c Don s actual height was 6 feet tall and he weighed in around 255 pounds Kayfabe Memories Retrieved on September 29 2008 SLAM Wrestling Don Muraco Results Archive Retrieved on September 29 2008 WrestlingOnline com CWF Memories Archived April 28 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on September 29 2008 a b Wrestlibrary Don Muraco Retrieved on September 29 2008 KayFabe Memories p2 Retrieved on September 29 2008 CWF Archives 25 Greatest Angles Retrieved on September 29 2008 Shields Brian 2010 Main Event WWE in the Raging 80s Gallery Books p 199 ISBN 978 1416532576 Wrestlingdata com The World s Largest Wrestling Database www wrestlingdata com Wrestlingdata com The World s Largest Wrestling Database www wrestlingdata com Ginzburg Evan October 18 2018 Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco The Legendary Moment Remembered Pro Wrestling Stories Archived from the original on November 1 2020 Retrieved November 3 2021 Dixon James Furious Arnold Maughan Lee Dahlstrom Bob Richardson Benjamin Henry Justin Hey Dan December 17 2015 The Complete WWE Guide Volume Six Lulu com ISBN 978 1 326 50746 6 Dasgupta Riju January 16 2017 5 things you may have forgotten about Jimmy Superfly Snuka Sportskeeda Archived from the original on January 19 2017 Retrieved November 3 2021 Beaston Eric September 23 2015 Full Career Retrospective and Greatest Moments for Tito Santana Bleacher Report Archived from the original on September 25 2015 Retrieved November 3 2021 Cawthon Graham King of the Ring 85 Foxboro MA Sullivan Stadium July 8 1985 23 000 20 000 paid The History of WWE Archived from the original on October 21 2007 Retrieved November 3 2021 Full WrestleMania III results WWE February 17 2005 Archived from the original on June 29 2011 Retrieved November 3 2021 Survivor Series 1987 Full Event Results WWE November 6 2006 Archived from the original on November 26 2005 Retrieved November 3 2021 Full Royal Rumble 1988 results WWE May 18 2011 Archived from the original on January 12 2006 Retrieved November 3 2021 Full WrestleMania IV results WWE May 19 2011 Archived from the original on June 29 2011 Retrieved November 3 2021 Full SummerSlam 1988 results WWE March 7 2019 Archived from the original on June 29 2011 Retrieved November 3 2021 Cawthon Graham Slamboree 1993 A Legends Reunion Atlanta GA Omni Coliseum May 23 1993 7 008 37 000 paid The History of WWE Archived from the original on August 22 2002 Retrieved November 3 2021 Don Muraco Profile amp Match Listing Internet Wrestling Database IWD www profightdb com SLAM Wrestling Muraco Santana Proud to be honoured Retrieved on September 29 2008 Foley Mick 1999 Have A Nice Day A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks ReganBooks p 34 ISBN 978 0 06 039299 4 a b Johnson Mike August 27 2022 8 27 THIS DAY IN HISTORY 28 YEARS AGO ECW GOES EXTREME SUMMERSLAM 1990 AND MORE PWInsider com Mooneyham Mike May 10 2019 Where is Don Muraco now The Post and Courier a b Royal Duncan amp Gary Will 2000 Wrestling Title Histories 4th ed Archeus Communications ISBN 0 9698161 5 4 ECW World Heavyweight Title www wrestling titles com Retrieved November 3 2021 Caldwell James November 26 2013 News Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame announces 2014 HOF class Pro Wrestling Torch Retrieved November 26 2013 External links EditDon Muraco at IMDb Don Muraco on WWE com Don Muraco s profile at Cagematch net Wrestlingdata com Internet Wrestling DatabasePreceded byFirst tournament King of the Ring tournament winner1985 Succeeded byHarley Race Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Don Muraco amp oldid 1153978591, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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