Dick Beyer
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| Richard Beyer | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Dick Beyer The Destroyer Dr. X |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in |
| Billed weight | 265 lbs |
| Born | July 11, 1931 |
| Resides | Buffalo, New York |
| Debut | 1954 |
| Retired | 1993 |
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X who wore a wrestling mask.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
As an athlete at Syracuse University, Beyer was a member of the varsity football and wrestling teams. He played in the 1953 Orange Bowl for Syracuse. Beyer graduated with a Masters Degree in education.
[edit] Wrestling career
Beyer's career as a "masked" wrestler, The Destroyer, began in 1962 in Los Angeles. He used the “figure-four-leg-lock” on his way to the WWA championship on July 27, 1962 in a win over Freddie Blassie. Beyer went on to defend the WWA title for 10 months.
In early 1963, Beyer wrestled 3 sold-out matches against Shohei “Giant” Baba at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, making the 2 wrestlers very famous in Japan. In May 1963, Beyer traveled to Japan for the first time, to wrestle with Rikidozan, in a match watched by 70 million TV viewers. In June 1964, Beyer returned to Los Angeles and beat Dick “The Bruiser” for another WWA title. Beyer lost the title to Bob Illis in September, won it back in November, and then lost it for the last time in March 1965 to Pedro Morales.
Between 1967 and 1972, Beyer wrestled as Doctor X while in Minneapolis, although he was known as "The Destroyer" elsewhere. During 1972, Beyer had several epic battles with the legendary "Crippler" Ray Stevens. Their last match was a particularly bruising affair which resulted in Beyer as Doctor X having his leg "broken." This "injury" allowed Beyer to leave the Minneapolis area to join a wrestling tour in Japan.
From 1973, Beyer wrestled in Japan for 6 straight years, in a deal with Giant Baba and NTV of Tokyo. During his tenure in Japan, Beyer helped promote All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for Giant Baba, and established himself as a television personality in a late-night TV show called “Uwasa No Channel.” Beyer held the PWF United States Championship until 1979, when he left AJPW and the championship was abandoned. From 1979, Beyer wrestled in Toronto and Montreal, against Bob Backlund, André the Giant, Terry, Dory Funk, Tony Paresi, Nick Bockwinkel, Édouard Carpentier, Mad Dog Vachon, Superstar Billy Graham, and others.
[edit] Post-Wrestling
Beyer went into semi-retirement in 1984. From 1984 to 1995, Beyer taught physical education in the Akron Central School District in Akron, New York, where he also coached football, wrestling and swimming.
Beyer now lives in Buffalo, New York.
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
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- All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Billy Red Lyons
- PWF United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times) - first champion
- American Wrestling Alliance (San Francisco)
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- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Billy Red Lyons
- International Wrestling (Montreal)
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- International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National
- Regional
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Art Michalik (3), and Rip Oliver (2)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) (1 time) - with Golden Terror
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- Inducted in 2005
- World Wrestling Association (Los Angeles)
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- WWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- WWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dan Manoukian
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Hard Boiled Haggerty (2)
