Tex McKenzie
Frank McKenzie (July 21, 1930 – May 31, 2001) was an American professional wrestler who appeared in American Wrestling Association, IWA Australia, National Wrestling Federation and Maple Leaf Wrestling. He appeared in many territories during his career.
| Tex McKenzie | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Frank H. McKenzie |
| Born | July 21, 1930 Edmonds, Washington |
| Died | May 31, 2001 (aged 70) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Tex McKenzie Goliath Dakota Mack |
| Billed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Billed weight | 280 lb (130 kg) |
| Trained by | Jack Pfeffer |
| Debut | 1950 |
| Retired | 1979 |
Professional wrestling career
Early career
McKenzie stood at 6"10 and weighted at 280 pounds. Made his pro wrestling debut in 1950 in Texas. In 1954 he went to Canada to wrestle for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. He teamed up with Ilio DiPaolo and they won the NWA Calgary Tag Team titles by defeating Al and Tiny Mills.[1]
American Wrestling Association (1958, 1961-1965, 1970)
In 1958 he debuted for American Wrestling Association in Minnesota where he wrestled 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.[1]
He dropped the title a month later to Ole Anderson. After the loss, he left the company.
WCW Australia (1964-1969)
In 1964 he went to Australia to wrestle for IWA Australia. He would feud with Killer Kowalski. On June 6, 1967 he defeated Kowalski for the IWA World Heavyweight Championship. He dropped the title to Skull Murphy in August. A year later he regained the title defeating Toru Tanaka on November 13, 1968. Once again he dropped the title to Skull Murphy. In 1969 he left Australia.
Various promotions
From 1965 to 1967 he wrestled for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. Also wrestled in Hawaii, Portland, Detroit, and Vancouver. Then he went to Toronto to wrestle for Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1970 to 1975. In 1974 he feuded against Dusty Rhodes in Championship Wrestling from Florida. In 1975, he did commentary for the International Wrestling Association.
Death
McKenzie retired from wrestling in 1979. He was inducted into the Stampede (Calgary) Wrestling Hall of Fame and Northwest Wrestling Hall of Fame. He died on May 31, 2001 at 70 from abdominal aortic aneurysm.[2]
Championships and accomplishments
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 1995)[3]
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (1 time) - with Ilio DiPaolo
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- Maple Leaf Wrestling
- American Wrestling Association
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with and Red Bastien[4][5]
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ken Kenneth
References
- "Tex McKenzie". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- "Tex McKenzie Dead At 73". Mike Mooneyham. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- 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.
- 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.
- "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.