Norman Frederick Charles III (25 July 1941 – 22 August 2019[4]) was an English professional wrestler who was known worldwide under the name Murphy the Surfie. Initially Charles competed both in North American and international promotions as part of The Royal Kangaroos with his cousin Jonathan Boyd.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
| Norman Frederick Charles III | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Norman Lowndes[1][2] |
| Born | 25 July 1941 Droylsden, England |
| Died | 22 August 2019 (aged 78) Milton, Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Norman Frederick Charles III Maurice LaRue Murphy the Surfie Murphy the Magnificent Norman Fredick Charles Wild Red Berry[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Sydney, Australia |
| Trained by | Al Morgan[3] |
| Debut | 1960[3] |
| Retired | 1985 |
Professional wrestling career edit
Charles made his professional wrestling debut in 1960, wrestling initially in Australia before he and his cousin travelled to North America to compete as The Royal Kangaroos, a name inspired by the legendary tag team the Fabulous Kangaroos.[15] Boyle and Charles worked mainly for Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Oregon, capturing their first NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship from Kurt and Karl Von Steiger on 11 July 1971,[16] their first reign lasted only 6 weeks but the cousins would win the tag team title a further four times between June 1971 and December 1975.[16]
After working for Pacific Northwest, the Royal Kangaroos headed further north to join Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion. In June 1977 the duo defeated Leo Burke and Keith Hart for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship but dropped it to Leo Burke and his new tag team partner Bobby Burke only a short time later.[16] After their run in Stampede together the Royal Kangaroos broke up after a disagreement in Calgary Canada over differences in how to promote themselves. Charles remained with Stampede for some time while Jonathan Boyd returned to the Pacific Northwest.
Championships and accomplishments edit
- All-South Wrestling Alliance
- ASWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jonathan Boyd[17]
- Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (2001)
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- Mid-Atlantic Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jonathan Boyd[18]
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
- Tag Team of the Year (1975) with Jonathan Boyd[20]
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling
- Other titles
- South Pacific World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jonathan Boyd
References edit
- ^ a b "Norman Frederick Charles". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Wrestler Profiles". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d Philip Kreikenbohm. "Norman Frederick Charles III".
- ^ "Norman Lowndes Obituary".
- ^ "Media Man".
- ^ "Clipping – NZ Wrestling". Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "The Turnbuckle".
- ^ "NJPW: 1974: Big Fight Series". Puroresu Dojo.
- ^ "AJPW: 1976: New Year Giant Series". Puroresu Dojo.
- ^ "The Turnbuckle".
- ^ "prowrestlingarchives".
- ^ "Wrestling".
- ^ Mike Cline (16 October 2013). "Mike Cline's MID-ATLANTIC GRAPPLIN' GREATS".
- ^ Philip Kreikenbohm. "Maurice La Rue".
- ^ Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson (2005). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-683-6.
- ^ a b c Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "ASWA Georgia Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com.
- ^ "Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic)". Wrestling-Titles.com.
- ^ "NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com.
- ^ Rodgers, Mike (2004). "Regional Territories: PNW #16". KayfabeMemories.com.
- ^ "British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title (Alberta & Saskatchewan)". Wrestling-Titles.com.
- ^ "Stampede International Tag Team Title (Alberta & Saskatchewan)". Wrestling-Titles.com.