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Don Muraco)
Don The Magnificent Muraco, later known as "The Rock", was a Hawaiian professional wrestler in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Born on September 10, 1949, Muraco wrestled in the old AWA, and several National Wrestling Alliance territories. His greatest success was in the early 80's in the WWE where he held the Intercontinental Championship twice for a combined period of almost 18 months. The hugely muscular and genuinely intimidating Don Muraco had bloody fueds with Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund, Rocky Johnson, Jimmy Snuka and Tito Santana. During his tenure in the WWE, Muraco had several colorful managers (The Grand Wizard, Captain Lou Albano, and Mr. Fuji). Rumour has it that he was fired from the then-WWF in late 1988 after supposedly "disrespecting" booker Nick Bockwinkel.
In the early 90's Muraco was the first to hold the ECW Championship, before it became Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Although Muraco wrestled mostly as a heel, his intensity, charisma and cockiness won him many fans, especially in New York and Philadelphia. Along with Jake The Snake Roberts, Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage, Muraco was a precursor to the 90's attitude era when lines were blurred between heels and babyface. He was the first wrestler to be known as "the Rock", originally simply as a play on his name, and his finishing maneuvre, which The Undertaker would later call the "tombstone", was the infamous reverse piledriver.
