Tex McKenzie
| Tex McKenzie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Frank Hugh McKenzie[1] |
| Born | July 21, 1930 Edmonds, Washington, United States[2] |
| Died | May 31, 2001 (aged 70)[3] Victoria, British Columbia, Canada[3] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tex McKenzie[3] Goliath[2] Dakota Mack[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 9 in (206 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 280 lb (127 kg)[2] |
| Trained by | Jack Pfeffer[2] |
| Debut | 1950[2] |
| Retired | 1977[1] |
Frank Hugh McKenzie (July 21, 1930 – May 31, 2001) was an American professional wrestler. During his career, he appeared in the American Wrestling Association, IWA Australia, National Wrestling Federation and Maple Leaf Wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
[edit]Early career
[edit]McKenzie wrestled in Texas during the early 50s under the name Goliath.[3][1] In 1954, he went to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. He formed a tag team with Ilio DiPaolo and won the NWA Calgary Tag Team Championship by defeating Al and Tiny Mills in early November.[4][5] McKenzie also held the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship in June with Whipper Billy Watson.[5]
American Wrestling Association (1958, 1961–1965, 1970)
[edit]McKenzie started wrestling for the American Wrestling Association in Minnesota in 1958, competing there for many years. In 1961, he feuded with Bob Geigel and Bill Miller. On October 10, 1970, McKenzie defeated Tarzan Tyler for the AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship in Omaha, Nebraska, before dropping the title a month later to Ole Anderson and leaving the company.[6]
IWA Australia (1964–1969)
[edit]
In 1964, he went to Australia to wrestle for IWA Australia, feuding with Killer Kowalski. On June 6, 1967, McKenzie defeated Kowalski for the IWA World Heavyweight Championship.[7] He dropped the title to Skull Murphy in August.[7] A year later, he regained the title by defeating Toru Tanaka on November 13, 1968, before once again dropping the title to Murphy and leaving Australia in 1969.[7]
Various promotions
[edit]From 1965 to 1967, he wrestled for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, forming a tag team with Nelson Royal in the late 60s.[3][8] McKenzie would wrestle in Toronto for Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1970 to 1975. He teamed with various partners against the Love Brothers and the Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello and Don Kent). In 1974, he and Red Bastien held the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship.[9][5] McKenzie also did commentary for the International Wrestling Association during this time before retiring from wrestling in 1977.[5][1]
Death
[edit]On May 31, 2001, McKenzie died at a hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, at the age of 70, from complications of an abdominal aortic aneurysm he suffered while on a boat.[3]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)[10]
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (1 time) – with Ilio DiPaolo[4]
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- American Wrestling Association
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ken Kenneth[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Johnson, Steven; Oliver, Greg; Mooneyham, Mike (2012). The Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: Heroes and Icons. ECW Press. ISBN 9781770902695.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Tex McKenzie bio". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Mooneyham, Mike (June 16, 2001). "Tex McKenzie Dead At 73". The Wrestling Gospel. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "Canadian Tag Team Title (Alberta & Saskatchewan)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Lentz III, Harris M. (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
- ^ a b "Midwest Heavyweight Title (Nebraska)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "IWA World Heavyweight Title (Australia)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ Mooneyham, Mike (February 10, 2002). "Nellie Royal Leaves Behind Golden Memories". The Wrestling Gospel. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Whalen, Ed (host) (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990". Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart. Event occurs at 15:38. Shaw Cable. Calgary 7.
- ^ "IWA World Tag Team Title (Australia)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ "Canadian Open Tag Team Title (Ontario)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2023.