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Bill Dundee

{{Short description|Scottish-born Australian professional wrestler and author (born 1943)}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Infobox professional wrestler

|name = Bill Dundee

|image = Bill-Dundee-In-Ring-2018.png

|caption = Dundee in 2018

|birth_name = William Cruickshanks

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1943|10|24}}{{cite web|title=Bill Dundee profile|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/bill-dundee/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129043412/http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/b/bill-dundee.html|archive-date=29 November 2009|access-date=2009-11-28|publisher=Online World of Wrestling}}

|birth_place = Angus, Scotland

|children = 2

|names = Bill Dundee
William Dundee
Sir William Dundee
Squire William

|height = {{height|ft=5|in=7}}

|weight = {{convert|214|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

|billed = Australia

|trainer =

|debut = 1962

|retired = December 14, 2019

}}

William Cruickshanks (born 24 October 1943) 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.ddtdigest.com/features/eaton.htm |title=An Exclusive Interview with Bobby Eaton |access-date=2007-04-05 |date= May 1999 |publisher=DDT Digest | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070407232640/http://www.ddtdigest.com/features/eaton.htm| archive-date= 7 April 2007 | url-status= live}}

Career

Dundee was born in Angus, Scotland, and raised in Melbourne. At 16, he joined the circus as a trapeze artist. 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.

In 1993, Dundee signed with World Championship Wrestling as Sir William, the manager for Lord Steven Regal, he was fired in October 1994 due to a contract dispute.

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.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3tsFdqyMEQ | title=Jamie Dundee on Gives Sad Bill Dundee Health Update | website=YouTube | date=7 October 2023 }}

Books

  • If You Don't Want The Answer, Don't Ask The Question: Bill Dundee's Life Story

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.

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.memphiswrestlinghistory.com/ Memphis Wrestling history]
  • {{Professional wrestling profiles}}

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{{AWA World Tag Team Championship}}

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Category:1943 births

Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers

Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers

Category:Australian emigrants to the United States

Category:Australian male professional wrestlers

Category:AWA International Heavyweight Champions

Category:AWA World Tag Team Champions

Category:Living people

Category:OVW Heavyweight Champions

Category:People from McKenzie, Tennessee

Category:Professional wrestling announcers

Category:Professional wrestling executives

Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets

Category:Sportspeople from Angus, Scotland

Category:Scottish emigrants to Australia

Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States

Category:Scottish male professional wrestlers

Category:USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champions

Category:USWA World Tag Team Champions

Category:CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Champions

Category:NWA Texas Heavyweight Champions

Category:NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Champions