William Smithson (May 31, 1950 – March 21, 2013Wrestlingdata.com
/ref>) was a professional wrestler who wrestled as Moondog Spike during the early 1990s with Moondog Spot from 1991 to 1992 and Moondog Cujo from 1992 to 1993 as part of The Moondogs.

Professional wrestling career

Trained by Tojo Yamamoto in Tennessee, Smithson made his debut in 1978 as a tag team partner of Jerry Ralph in one of the many incarnations of the "Inferno" tag teams managed by Mike Duprée. During the mid-1980s, under the name ''Dizzy Golden'', he formed a tag team with his storyline brother Mike Golden in the Mid-South area winning the Texas All-Star U.S.A. Tag Team Championship twice during a feud with the "Dream Team" of King Parsons and Tiger Conway Jr. in 1986 and reigned as its last tag team champions until the title was retired in November 1986 following the federation's purchase by

World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by ...

. He briefly went to Memphis after the demise of Texas All Star Wrestling as the Australian "Bluey". He was bought in by George Barnes to help feud with Bill Dundee who Barnes had turned on and said Dundee had gotten too "American". That same year he worked for

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...

. After that he went to ICW in the New England area where he wrestled there in late 1987 and 1988 as Moondog Spike.He won the Hwy Title as well as twice the Tag straps. In 1991, Smithson began teaming with Moondog Spot in the Memphis-based

United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Champions ...

. Together they violently feuded with

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

and Jerry "The King" Lawler throughout the year; the feud being featured in

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

's "Feud of the Year" in 1992. With Moondog Spot's retirement the following year, Lanny Keane, Jr. was brought in as Moondog Cujo to replace Moondog Spot. Smithson and Keane, Jr. would feud with The Dogcatchers and win the USWA Southern Tag Team Championships several times before Lanny Keane left to pursue a singles career as Bloody Ox Brody. In 1993 he returned to Japan teaming with Moondog Splat for W*ING. Smithson disappeared soon after the split however, possibly due to health problems resulting from his weight gain. He would work occasionally in the independent circuit until his last match in 2011. He died in March 2013.

Championships and accomplishments

* International Championship Wrestling (New England) ** ICW Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** ICW Tag Team Championship ( 2 times) - with Moondog Spot (1) and The Dungeon Master (1) * Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2022 - with The Moondogs * Texas All-Star Wrestling ** Texas All-Star USA Tag Team Championship ( 2 times) with Mike Golden *

** USWA World Tag Team Championship ( 6 times) - with Moondog Spot (3), Moondog Cujo (2) and Mike Lozansky (1) *

**PWI ranked him # 150 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 1992.

References

External links

Online World of Wrestling: Bill Smithson
*
Legends: The Moondogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moondog Spike 2013 deaths 1950 births American male professional wrestlers ICW/IWCCW Heavyweight Champions Professional wrestlers from Tennessee USWA World Tag Team Champions