Bill Dundee

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Bill Dundee
Bill-Dundee-In-Ring-2018.png
Dundee in 2018
Birth nameWilliam Cruickshanks
Born (1943-10-24) 24 October 1943 (age 81) [1]
Angus, Scotland [1]
ChildrenDonna Dundee–Eaton (deceased)
Jamie Dundee
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Bill Dundee [1]
William Dundee [1]
Sir William Dundee [1]
Squire William [1]
Billed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) [1]
Billed weight214 lb (97 kg; 15.3 st) [1]
Billed fromAustralia
Debut1962
RetiredDecember 14, 2019

William Cruickshanks (born 24 October 1943) [1] is an Australian retired professional wrestler and author better known by his ring name Bill Dundee. Cruickshanks is the father of Jamie Dundee and was the father-in-law of wrestler Bobby Eaton. [2]

Contents

Career

Dundee was born in Angus, Scotland, and raised in Melbourne. At 16, he joined the circus as a trapeze artist. [1] He started wrestling in Australia in 1962 and finally arrived in the United States as "Superstar" Bill Dundee in 1974 with his tag team partner George Barnes.

Dundee made a name for himself in the Memphis Territory, where he regularly teamed and feuded with Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Valiant for years. Dundee and Lawler ventured to the American Wrestling Association in 1987 and captured the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice.

As a singles wrestler, he held the Southern Heavyweight Championship belt several times from 1975 to 1985. Also, he had a successful team with "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel that wreaked havoc in Tennessee.

Dundee had a brief run in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, Central States Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling in 1986, where he teamed with Jimmy Garvin and feuded with Sam Houston for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship. He also briefly managed The Barbarian and The MOD Squad while in those territories.

He also had a run in World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s as Sir William, the manager for Lord Steven Regal.

Dundee worked as a booker for Memphis, Louisiana and Georgia.

He frequently appears on Jackson, Tennessee, talk radio station WNWS 101.5 with Dan Reeves and on a talk show on Public-access television cable TV channels in West Tennessee. He still promotes indy cards across Tennessee and in Southaven, Mississippi. He currently runs a podcast on Anchor named If You Don't Want the Answer, Don't Ask the Question.

On 20 July 2019, Dundee, at 75 years old, defeated Tony Deppen to win the unofficial WOMBAT Television Championship for Game Changer Wrestling in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He retired from wrestling in December 2019.

Personal life

Dundee's son also became a wrestler under the name Jamie Dundee. On the 7 September 2023 episode of the YouTube series Story Time with Dutch Mantell , Jamie revealed that his father is suffering from late-stage dementia. [3]

Books

Championships and accomplishments

1Dundee's and Lawler's reigns with the AWA World Tag Team Championship began on cards hosted by the CWA through the interpromotional relationship between the AWA and CWA that also allowed the defense of the AWA Southern Heavyweight and Southern Tag Team Championships primarily within the CWA.
2The CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship was promoted in both the CWA and WCWA while the promotions had a working relationship in 1989 and 1990.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Bill Dundee profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 29 November 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  2. ↑ "An Exclusive Interview with Bobby Eaton". DDT Digest. May 1999. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
  3. ↑ "Jamie Dundee on Gives Sad Bill Dundee Health Update". YouTube . 7 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4.
  5. ↑ NWA Central States Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  6. ↑ "Next Official Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony". Official Memphis Wrestling. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Mid-South Television Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  8. 1 2 NWA/AWA Southern Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  9. 1 2 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4.
  10. ↑ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  11. ↑ AWA World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  12. ↑ CWA International Heavyweight Title (Memphis) history At wrestling-titles.com
  13. ↑ CWA International Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  14. 1 2 Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: CWA Southwestern Heavyweight title [Jarrett]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 272. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4.
  15. 1 2 "CWA Southwestern Title". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  16. ↑ CWA World Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  17. ↑ NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  18. ↑ NWA Mid-America Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  19. ↑ NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Title (Mid-America) history At wrestling-titles.com
  20. ↑ OVW Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  21. ↑ Hoops, Brian (17 April 2020). "Daily pro wrestling (04/17): WCW Spring Stampede 1994". Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  22. ↑ Pedicino, Joe; Solie, Gordon (hosts) (27 June 1987). "Pro Wrestling This Week". Superstars of Wrestling . Atlanta, Georgia. Syndicated. WATL.
  23. ↑ NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title (Northern Division) history At wrestling-titles.com
  24. ↑ NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Title (Southeastern/Continental) history At wrestling-titles.com
  25. 1 2 USWA Southern Heavyweight/Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  26. ↑ USWA Junior Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  27. ↑ Will, Gary; Duncan, Royal (2000). "Texas: NWA Texas Heavyweight Title [Von Erich]". Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 268–269. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4.
  28. ↑ "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  29. ↑ Texas Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
  30. ↑ USWA World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
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