Andrew Lutzke
Don Muraco: WWF 1983 Timeline
Presented by Sean Oliver and the Kayfabe Commentary Crew
The Man: Don Muraco got his start in wrestling at the age of 19 after being spotted on the Hawaiian beaches by Lord James Blears. Muraco had a natural good look from being a high school football and wrestling star. After training with Dean Ho, Muraco worked the Hawaii, Vancouver, Florida and Portland territories to gain experience under the name Don Morrow. He was spotted by Verne Gagne and brought into the AWA to be Billy Robinson’s partner in a quest to snag the tag team titles. He was successful enough to be named the 1972 AWA Rookie of the year under the name Don Muraco.
Muraco grew tired of being so far from the beach and moved on in 1973 to Roy Shire’s San Francisco based promotion. In 1974 Don returned to Florida and became a star by taking World Champion Jack Brisco to the limit, even reversing his vicious figure four leglock. Muraco ended up friends with the Briscos and it was often commented how similar the Briscos and Muraco looked. This resemblance led to Don switching places with Jack in matches with both Dory Funk jr. and Dusty Rhodes and helping Brisco gain tainted wins.
Muraco became the Americas Champion in Los Angeles in 1975. The west coast allowed Muraco to sporadically return to Hawaii, where he won the Hawaii Heavyweight Title and the Pacific International Heavyweight belt. He made brief stops in Georgia and Texas. By 1977 Muraco started working in New Zealand and took the British Commonwealth Title that year. He would end up back in San Francisco, feuding with his trainer Dean Ho and winning the San Francisco version of the US Title in the process. The famous annual San Francisco Battle Royal was won by Muraco in 1978. Most of the rest of the 70’s saw Muraco wrestle between Florida, San Fran and Hawaii. In 1979 a masked man showed up in Florida known as “The Magnificent M”; supposedly before the angle could play out Jerry Brisco accidentally revealed it was Muraco on TV and the mask came off soon after – revealing a newly shaved head on Don. Muraco claimed he didn’t want to look like a Brisco anymore – thus the shave job.
“The Magnificent” Muraco became a hot heel in Florida, winning the Florida title and trying to end rookie sensation Barry Windham’s career by piledriving him on the cement floor. Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham would have many battles with Muraco over this. Don’s status was such that Bob Backlund defended his WWWF title against him in Florida during the big “Last Tangle in Tampa” card headlined by Dusty vs Harley Race for the NWA World title, held in front of 17,000 fans.
Muraco would chase Backlund the following year, entering the WWF himself and taking on The Grand Wizard as a manager. Muraco snagged the Intercontinental title from Pedro Morales on June 20, 1981, after using a foreign object. After months of rematches, he lost it back to Morales on November 23.
Muraco left the WWF in early 1982 and ventured to the Mid Atlantic territory and formed a tag team with “good guy” Wahoo McDaniel while Muraco was a heel. The story was the pair won a (fictional) west coast tag tournament that earned them a spot in the NWA tag title tourney. Not surprisingly, Don turned on Wahoo and picked Roddy Piper as his new partner. Piper and Muraco would travel to Georgia that summer and feud with Dusty Rhodes, Tommy Rich and Paul Orndorff. Muraco also ended up with Scott Irwin as a partner against the Fabulous Freebirds. The Piper/Muraco tandem would split after Muraco attacked Gordon Solie on TV and Solie’s color commentator Roddy Piper saved him
Muraco would rejoin the WWF in the Fall of ’82 and continued to chase Pedro and Backlund – this time with Captain Lou Albano as a manager. Albano,“The Guiding Light” led Muraco back to the IC gold on January 22, 1983 beating Pedro Morales again. This IC title run is most famous for Muraco’s feud with newly christened babyface Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka.
This feud climaxed in a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden on October 17th. Snuka lost the match in under 7 minutes after accidentally headbutting Muraco to the arena floor. However Snuka would famously drag Muraco back into the cage and deliver a “Superfly Splash” from the top of the cage.
Muraco would hold the title for over a year, finally losing the belt on February 11th, 1984 to Tito Santana. Despite the loss, Muraco would remain a main villain for several years after – at one point wrestling World Champion Hulk Hogan at three straight Madison Square Garden cards. Then on July 8th, 1985 Muraco would win the first “King of the Ring” tournament beating JYD, Les Thornton, Pedro Morales, and Iron Shiek. Muraco also played along with the new less serious WWF direction by doing goofy things like eating a sub sandwich while beating up a jobber, doing a series of vignettes with his new manager Mr. Fuji in which the pair were supposedly trying out for Hollywood and making jokes about cocaine:
Muraco could still be vicious when needed though and ended up feuding with Ricky Steamboat after hanging him:
Muraco would be part of a big angle at the start of 1986 when he battled Hulk Hogan on national television via “Saturday Night’s Main Event” – Bobby Heenan took on Muraco as a client that night in order to set Hogan up for a sneak attack from King Kong Bundy – he and Muraco beat down Hogan and injured his ribs – leading to Hogan and Bundy at Wrestlemania 2, meanwhile Hogan’s buddy Paul Orndorff took up for Hogan and challenged Muraco that night. This would be the last of Muraco as a top heel though as he would join Bob Orton Jr in a tag team, and other than helping Adrian Adonis injure Roddy Piper-the tandem wasn’t heavily featured. The team would split in July of 1987 and feud.
That Fall Muraco found a new friend when he saved “Superstar” Billy Graham from a beat down from One Man Gang and Butch Reed.
Graham’s career would end from the beatdown and Muraco took on Graham as an advisor. Muraco enjoyed some initial success, getting to be part of Hulk Hogan’s Survivor Series team against OMG and Reed that November, and later in Spring being part of the big 14 man tournament for the World title.
Muraco would lose his advisor to an assault from Greg Valentine and would use this as fuel for a feud with the “Hammer”:
Muraco started losing more and more that Summer and would be fired by the WWF that Fall. Muraco had some success afterwards though – 1st in Stampede Wrestling- beating Mike “Bastion Booger” Shaw for the North American Heavyweight title and he would later appear in the AWA against World Champ Larry Zbyszko and Herb Abram’s UWF.
Muraco would appear in WCW at Slamboree ’93 in a “Legends” match but also wrestled for the upstart ECW company, wrestling his WWF foes like Tito Santana and Jimmy Snuka, as well as ECW future stars like The Sandman:
Muraco ran his own independent wrestling group in Hawaii and wrestled until 2006 on small local shows. He would deservedly enter the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Shoot:
Muraco says the main difference between Vince Jr vs Sr was all the merchandising that Jr. implemented.
The boys didn’t realize the scope of what Vince Jr was planning.
The houses were strong in the Northwest so the wrestlers weren’t hurting prior to expansion.
The wrestling war started in Columbus, Ohio since it was close to Pittsburgh, but Ole Anderson’s Georgia Championsip Wrestling had it claimed.
Muraco wasn’t afraid of being blackballed as he was a top guy and would find work.
The Jimmy Snuka and Muraco feud is brought to Detroit and bombs from what Don can recall.
Snuka is arrested in January for attacking his girlfriend. The WWF brass cover for him since he’s a big draw.
Pedro Morales loses in MSG via pinfall for the first time in 18 years as Muraco bests him for the title.
Muraco says he was drawing well, even without Backlund on the card.
Buddy Rogers carried heat with Bruno Sammartino all the way into the 80’s and the office kept them apart whenever possible.
Muraco talks about putting Vaseline on a NFL jersey while wearing it to the ring versus Rocky Johnson in MSG. Johnson was supposed to tear the jersey off and ended up blown up before their match could even get going from struggling with the slippery shirt.
Backlund was a pleasure to work with. Hard working guy, but a little aloof personally.
The “Magnificent One” doesn’t believe he was ever in line to win the World strap.
By March WWF tries invading California and draws a few thousand people with Andre and Roy Shire stars Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens.
The midgets and women were not necessary as business was doing well.
Eddie Gilbert injures his neck in a car wreck, that same night Jimmy Snuka killed his girlfriend and Muraco saw both in the emergency room back to back.
Snuka tells at least 2 significantly different versions of how his girlfriend suffered severe head trauma.
Muraco says he drove Snuka to the police station instead of the police doing it. He talks of drinking beer the whole way there.
Fritz Von Erich was a lousy payoff guy – Paul Boesch was much better in that regard.
The boys were given ribs as catering in Canada and Stu Hart was there and dug through the garbage to gnaw the meat off the bones of the disposed ribs. Muraco was amazed since Hart was a millionaire by this time.
Backlund sets the New Jersey indoor attendance record the summer of ’83.
The Muraco and Snuka feud begins – Snuka wasn’t a gym rat despite his body.
Muraco and Snuka set a new MSG attendance record in July with 27,000 people attending.
Snuka versus Muraco being broadcast on USA network set the station’s ratings record (as of 1983 of course).
Another trip to California somewhat bombs due to a rain storm ruining an outside show.
The Grand Wizard would make sure to put over his charges – some managers wanted to be the stars.
The Ohio invasion begins in Fall and Vince Sr. spearheads the business side of this.
Muraco doesn’t say anything significant about Snuka’s famous “Superfly Splash” on top of him from the top of the cage.
The locker room was open to all the new talent starting to pour into the WWF.
“Iron” Mike Sharpe flooded a locker room from showering too long. He almost got locked in the Boston Garden by staying in the shower long past the main event.
The Bulldogs cut Sharpe’s suitcase open so his OCD meticulously folded clothes fell out and almost made him miss his transportation.
Hogan was easier to work main events with than Backlund as Hogan was a quick easy match, while Backlund was going to be an athletic longer match.
Final Thoughts:
This was an interesting interview. Muraco’s memory is a little foggy as far as what happened what year exactly. (A common issue when relating things from 30 years ago one would surmise). Also, the Snuka murder portion was a little more bare than what one might have expected, but Don provided enough stories and perspectives that would make it hard for a fan not to learn from viewing this. Muraco himself seems jovial and that lack of bitterness certainly helps shape a positive perspective on the era covered.
Photo Courtesy of Online World of Wrestling.
