Bill Dundee
Dundee in 2018
Birth name	William Cruickshanks
Born	(1943-10-24) 24 October 1943[1] Angus, Scotland[1]
Children	Donna 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 height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Billed weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15.3 st)[1]
Billed from	Australia
Debut	1962
Retired	2019

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

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, Taking the place of Jerry Lawler at the top draw . He and George Barnes defeated every team in Nick Gulas' Mid America promotion . Selling Out at the Memphis Mid-South Coliseum , Louisville Gardens , Nashville Fairground Arena , Chattanooga, and Birmingham Al. They captured the Top tag team titles , drug them on the ground , as the American championships weren't worthy of going around their waists .

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. Also, he had a successful team with "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel that wreaked havoc in Tennessee.

As a singles wrestler, he held the Southern Heavyweight Championship belt several times from 1975 to 1995. He captured the CWA World Heavyweight Title by Defeating Billy Robinson in Memphis TN in April 1980 . He defeated Jerry Lawler in 1995 to take the Unified World Title , where it was defended in the AWA, CWA, CWF, WCCW , and Japan.

Dundee had a 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 and Buddy Landel 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.

Bill was inducted into the WCW / NWA Hall of Fame in 1993, and was Honored on TV in Memphis that same weekend . The first Hall of Fame ceremony was held on May 23, 1993, at Slamboree 1993 at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.[5] The first wrestler inducted into the Hall of Fame was Lou Thesz, along with Verne Gagne and Mr. Wrestling II and Bill Dundee.

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

Dundee was still active as of 2019 in Memphis Wrestling, where he has been a heel and a baby face. 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.

Books

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

Personal life

Dundee's son Jamie Dundee, also became a wrestler, whereas his daughter Donna, married wrestler Bobby Eaton. His grandson, Dylan Eaton, wrestles as well.

In the early 2000's , Bill Bill started the first Classic Wrestling TV show. He hosted , and would have guests, and would play only the very best classic wrestling matches from the Memphis territory . It was an entertaining show, with a great set, with the idea of couches with coffee table that would display Championship Title belts of yesteryear . It was aired only in the small market of Jackson TN , television . Bill loved the wrestling business, and is old school . He prefers the Kayfabe era , and would protect it, regularly . He once almost fought Jerry Lee Lewis at a show they were both headlining , for bad mouthing the "fake" wrestlers , that were even "More Popular" than him, in the 70's, in Memphis . Bill told him, "your bodyguard won't be able to help you, killer , I'll knock you out so fast, right here in front of everybody !^[3]"

On 26 June 2021, his daughter Donna died at the age of 57 from breast cancer. Just over a month later, his son-in-law Bobby Eaton died on 4 August 2021 at the age of 62, just two weeks after suffering a fall at his home.

On the 7 September 2023 episode of the YouTube program 'Story Time With Dutch Mantell', Bill Dundee's son Jamie Dundee said that Bill is suffering from late-stage dementia.^[4]

Championships and accomplishments

• American Wrestling Federation

Continental Wrestling Association CWA World Heavyweight Champion - Defeating Billy Robinson in April 1980 in Memphis TN .

• • AWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[5]
• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[6]
• Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2017^[7]
• Mid-South Wrestling Association
  • Mid-South Television Championship (1 time)^[8]
• NWA Mid-America / Continental Wrestling Association / Championship Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (9 times)^[9]
  • AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (14 times) – with Norvell Austin (1), Robert Gibson (1), Jerry Lawler (4), Robert Fuller (1), Tommy Rich (2), Dream Machine (2), Steve Keirn (2) and Dutch Mantel (1)^[10][11]
  • AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jerry Lawler^[12]1
  • CWA International Heavyweight Championship (4 times)^[13]
  • CWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocky Johnson^[14]
  • CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[15][16]
  • CWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[17]
  • CWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Rich
  • NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[18]
  • NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Gibson^[19]
  • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version) (1 time)^[9]
  • NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) (3 times) – with Big Bad John (2) and Tommy Rich (1)^[10]
  • NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[20]

NWA Southern Tag Team Titles - "8 Times" George Barnes x2 , Eddie Marlin , Tojo Yamamoto , Rocky Johnson x2 , Tommy Gilbert NWA Austria Asian Tag Team Titles - 8 Times With Partner George Barnes

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[21]
• Power Pro Wrestling
  • PPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jerry Lawler^[22]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 56 of the 100 top tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Jerry Lawler in 2003
• Pro Wrestling This Week
  • Wrestler of the Week (21–27 June 1987)^[23]
• Southeastern Championship Wrestling
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tommy Rich^[24]
  • NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (Southeastern version) (1 time)^[25]
• Supreme Wrestling
  • Supreme Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rob Royale
• United States Wrestling Association
  • USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[26]
  • USWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[27]
  • USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[26]
  • USWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (3 times)^[28][29][30]
  • USWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Jerry Lawler (2) and Jamie Dundee (1)^[31]
• WOMBAT Wrestling
  • WOMBAT Television Championship (1 time, current)
• World Class Wrestling Association
  • CWA Southwestern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[15][16]2

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

External links

• Memphis Wrestling History
• Bill Dundee's profile at Cagematch.net