Despite being founded in 1948, for many fans the Hulkamania era of WWE pretty much marked the beginning of the company’s existence, as it coincided with the company’s national expansion and elevation to wider pop culture success. As a result, there are workers who came in on the cusp of that era and worked in the midcard that end up being a little forgotten, even if they had a role in a major moment in the company’s history. One such wrestler is Don Muraco, sometimes named The Magnificent Muraco.
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With a career lasting from 1970 to about 2006, Muraco is a legend of the business, but one that fans maybe aren’t quite aware of, as he wasn’t the most colorful or the most popular. Let’s look at what fans should know about him.
10 From Hawaii
Born in 1949 in Sunset Beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Don Muraco grew up as a fan of wrestling, attending local shows and watching Verne Gagne’s Minneapolis-based promotion American Wrestling Association on TV. With a high school football background, Muraco sought wrestling training, doing stints in Vancouver, Florida, and Los Angeles before returning to Hawaii and continuing to wrestle. Soon enough, he’d capture the attention of a visiting Gagne, who’d encourage him to travel to the mainland and wrestle for AWA.
9 AWA Run
Performing for the American Wrestling Association proved to be Don Muraco’s first exposure to wider wrestling audiences, as the AWA had broken away from the NWA in 1960 and had a massive territory in the midwest. A babyface tag team specialist, he found success teaming with future rival Jimmy Snuka, but had a number of shots at Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens’ AWA World Tag Team Title, often alongside Billy Robinson. Muraco’s AWA run would last from 1971 to 1973, with living in Minneapolis being his primary reason for departing. From there, Muraco would wrestle in various territories across the United States, developing the heel persona that he’d take to WWE.
8 Two-Time Intercontinental Champion
Upon signing to WWE, Don Muraco made his debut in late February of 1981, gaining WWE mainstay manager the Grand Wizard as a representative. It would only be four months before Muraco captured his first WWE gold, defeating Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Championship, holding the belt for 156 before dropping it back to the previous champ.
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The following year, Muraco would trade out the Grand Wizard for Captain Lou Albano, and rekindle his rivalry with Morales, finally winning the IC strap back in early 1983. This run would last over a year at 385 days, ending at the hands of Tito Santana in February 1984.
7 Steel Cage Match With Jimmy Snuka
While Intercontinental Champion, Don Muraco would enter a feud with his former tag team partner, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who had broken away from Albano’s management to become a wildly popular babyface. Their rivalry would lead to a landmark steel cage match in October of 1983 in Madison Square Garden. While Muraco would retain the title, Snuka would deliver an unforgettable moment in the post-match, executing his signature Superfly Splash on Muraco from off the top of the cage.
6 The First King of the Ring
In July of 1985, WWE debuted a special event called King of the Ring, featuring a tournament of the same name. Don Muraco would win the first iteration of this tournament, defeating Junkyard Dog and old rival Pedro Morales (among others) in the bracket before besting Iron Sheik in the final round. However, King of the Ring was strictly an untelevised house show with little bearing on what fans saw on TV, and WWE would not put one of these tournaments on television until 1993.
5 Face Turn as “The Rock”
Despite reportedly enjoying working as a heel, Don Muraco ended up turning babyface in 1987 when he intervened during a beatdown of Superstar Billy Graham, fighting off a trio of other heels. This would result in Graham becoming Muraco’s manager, with Muraco undergoing a bit of repackaging in the process. Now nicknamed “The Rock” — about a decade before Dwayne Johnson — Muraco started wearing tie-dyed outfits to match Graham’s style, and even teamed with Hulk Hogan in the first Survivor Series.
4 ECW Champion
After departing WWE in 1988, Don Muraco eventually showed up in a promotion that’s surprising in retrospect: ECW, albeit in 1992, back when it was the NWA-affiliated Eastern Championship Wrestling and not yet Extreme Championship Wrestling.
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While Muraco was once again wrestling old rivals Tito Santana and Jimmy Snuka, he also managed to reach the top of the company by becoming a two-time ECW Champion. Muraco’s first reign would last 47 days before dropping it to The Sandman, while his second would last 127 days, ending at the hands of Tito Santana.
3 WCW Match
Aside from ECW, Don Muraco spent the rest of his career wrestling for the infamous Herb Abrams version of Universal Wrestling Federation, the Japanese Wrestling Association-R (WAR), and various freelance and indie shows. Amid those stints is a one-off appearance for World Championship Wrestling in May of 1993 for the inaugural Slamboree PPV, which was dubbed “A Legends’ Reunion,” and features various veterans on the card. There, Muraco teamed with Dick Murdoch and Jimmy Snuka against Blackjack Mulligan, Jim Brunzell, and Wahoo McDaniel, which ended in a No Contest as the whole thing descended into a brawl.
2 Became A Promoter
By the end of the 1990s, Don Muraco’s in-ring career began to slow down, with the legend wrestling what seemed to be a final match in Hawaii in 1999. From there, Muraco remained in the business by opening up a promotion in his home state, Hawai'i Championship Wrestling, in 2003. Lasting until 2008, HCW featured some notable American stars like Sting, Diamond Dallas Page, and Rikishi as well as Japanese talent like The Great Muta, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Satoshi Kojima.
1 His Final Match Was With His Son
Also performing in HCW was Don Muraco’s son Joe Muraco, whose in-ring career lasted from 2004 to about 2006. While the elder Muraco would function as manager to his son in promotions like the Florida-based World Xtreme Wrestling (founded by Afa of the Wild Samoans), the two also teamed up in the ring in August of 2005. The nostalgia show WrestleReunion 2 featured an opening tag team match where Joe and Don Muraco took on “Bullet” Bob Armstrong and his son, Brad Armstrong, in a winning effort.
