Tyrus (wrestler)
George Timothy Murdoch is an American cable news personality, author, actor, and former professional wrestler known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he was signed to the National Wrestling Alliance, where he is a former NWA World's Heavyweight Champion. As a cable news personality, he appears on Fox News, and its sister streaming service Fox Nation, primarily as a co-host/panelist on the late-night talk show Gutfeld!, as well as a contributor/fill-in host on other programs. In 2024, Tyrus was named host of Maintaining with Tyrus on the streaming platform OutKick, which is owned by Fox.
After training in WWE's developmental territories, such as Deep South Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling, Murdoch under the ring name Brodus Clay debuted during the fourth season of NXT, a WWE television show where rookies were paired with established WWE wrestlers as mentors. He debuted on the main roster as Alberto Del Rio's bodyguard. During 2012, WWE changed his gimmick to The Funkusaurus, a funk dancer accompanied by his backup dancers the Funkadactyls. He wrestled in WWE until his departure in 2014. From 2014 to 2017, Murdoch wrestled in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name of Tyrus. In 2021, he joined the NWA, where he won the NWA World Television Championship, and later the promotion's primary title — the World's Heavyweight Championship.
His 2022 autobiography Just Tyrus: A Memoir was a New York Times bestseller. His second book Nuff Said was released in 2023. Tyrus' third book What It Is, America was released on November 11, 2025.
Early life
Murdoch is biracial; his father is black and his mother is white. He has stated that when he was born, his father was 19 years old and his mother was 15. In 2018, Murdoch disclosed a childhood incident in which his abusive father damaged his eye by hitting him; this incident led his mother to leave his father. While Murdoch's mother moved back to her parents' home, Murdoch has stated that he and his brother were not welcome there because they were part black. According to Murdoch, he and his brother lived with a foster family for many years; during this time, Murdoch was "obsessed" with changing his skin color, thinking that this would allow him to be reunited with his family. Murdoch and his brother eventually lived with their mother again, but Murdoch left home at age 15.In 1990, Murdoch attended Quartz Hill High School in Los Angeles County, California, and then in 1992, Antelope Valley College in Lancaster. By 1995, he was attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he studied to become a teacher, and played college football for the Lopers. However, Murdoch has stated that his football career ended when surgery to remove a ruptured appendix severed nerve endings in his leg, leaving him with a permanent limp.
Murdoch has worked as a bodyguard for Snoop Dogg.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
Developmental territories (2006–2008)
After signing a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, Murdoch was assigned to Deep South Wrestling, a WWE developmental territory, where he worked as G-Rilla, adopting the gimmick of a street thug. He worked in DSW until June 2007, when he was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling, another WWE developmental territory. Murdoch worked in FCW, wrestling for the FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship against Harry Smith on September 25, but lost via disqualification, but he was released from his contract on February 4, 2008.NXT and alliance with Alberto Del Rio (2010–2011)
After a two year hiatus, in January 2010, Murdoch re-signed with WWE and returned to FCW. While he started with the G-Rilla ringname, he began to use the name of Brodus Clay, a play on Snoop Dogg's real name, in May 2010. During the finale of season three of NXT, Clay was named part of the fourth season, with Ted DiBiase and Maryse as his Pros. He made his in-ring debut on NXT on the December 14, 2010, episode, teaming with DiBiase to defeat Byron Saxton and his mentor Chris Masters. During the season, he won a four-way elimination match on the January 25 episode of NXT, earning the right to choose a new Pro, picking Alberto Del Rio. In the season finale, Clay ended the competition in second place, losing to Curtis.Following his stint in NXT, on the March 7 episode of Raw, Clay debuted as Del Rio's new bodyguard. As Del Rio was feuding with Edge and Christian, Clay faced off with single matches against them and also teamed with Del Rio to face Edge & Christian. Clay accompanied Del Rio to the ring at WrestleMania XXVII for his match with Edge. On the April 25 episode of Raw, Del Rio was drafted to Raw, while Clay remained on SmackDown. Clay's final appearance with Del Rio occurred on May 1 at Extreme Rules, when he interfered on Del Rio's behalf as Del Rio faced Christian in a ladder match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Despite this, Del Rio was unsuccessful in winning the match. After a three-month absence due to the filming of the movie No One Lives, Clay reappeared on the August 4, 2011, episode of Superstars, where he defeated Pat Silva. Over the next few weeks, Clay continued to squash various jobbers on Superstars.
The Funkasaurus (2012–2014)
WWE ran vignettes promoting his return to television on the November 7, 2011, episode of Raw. However, Clay's television return was continuously delayed by authority figure John Laurinaitis to be "next week", with this trend continuing all the way into January 2012. Around this time, Clay was informed by management that he would be portraying a dancing face character upon his return. He was hesitant to follow through with their request, but gained the confidence to try it with encouragement from Dusty Rhodes. Clay made his television return on the January 9, 2012, episode of Raw as a face with a fun-loving, funk dancing gimmick, with the nickname "The Funkasaurus" and began using Ernest "The Cat" Miller's theme song "Somebody Call My Momma". Now accompanied by The Funkadactyls and announced as hailing from "Planet Funk", Clay incorporated gyrations and dance moves into his various squash wins on both Raw and SmackDown. Clay made his pay-per-view singles debut at the Royal Rumble on January 29, quickly defeating Drew McIntyre.At WrestleMania XXVIII, Clay made an on-stage appearance, calling and dancing with Momma Clay. The following night on Raw, Clay started a feud with Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger when he saved Santino Marella from them. Clay and Marella beat Ziggler and Swagger on the April 9 episode of Raw. On the April 20 episode of SmackDown, Clay began a brief association with Hornswoggle. At Extreme Rules, Clay defeated Ziggler. By May, Clay was on a 21-match winning streak since adopting the Funkasaurus gimmick.
On the May 28 episode of Raw, Big Show, now a villain, blamed Clay for dancing in the ring just moments after Big Show was crying after getting fired. Hearing this, Clay then challenged Big Show to a match that night. Before the match could start, Big Show attacked Clay at ringside and brutally assaulted him. On the June 8 episode of SmackDown, Clay was banned by General Manager John Laurinaitis from appearing on Raw "to protect him from Big Show" so he was transferred to SmackDown. Big Show's attack also led Clay to vow to be more aggressive in the ring. At No Way Out, Clay defeated David Otunga in the pre-show match. Later during the pay-per-view, Clay interfered in the main event steel cage match, costing Big Show the match to John Cena and as per the match stipulation, causing the firing of John Laurinaitis. Big Show then made an appearance on the June 22 episode of SmackDown, leading to Clay physically confronting him. With Laurinaitis fired, Clay was allowed to return to Raw from June 25, where he faced Big Show; Big Show defeated Clay to end Clay's 24-match winning streak. Clay then began a feud with Damien Sandow on the July 30 episode of Raw; Sandow attacked Clay when he laughed at a video of Sandow's beatdown at the hands of DX. Clay and Sandow finally faced off on the August 20 episode of Raw, where Sandow won, but he was attacked by Clay after the match. At the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Clay took part in 10 man elimination tag team match alongside Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara, but he was the first man out after being eliminated by Tensai.
In January 2013, Clay competed in the 2013 Royal Rumble match and was eliminated by five men. Tensai was embarrassed after a dance contest, but Clay encouraged him to dance and have fun because "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Tensai, with Clay's encouragement, began using several "silly dance moves". Two days later on WWE Main Event, Clay came out to support Tensai during his match with Titus O'Neil. Following this, Clay and Tensai formed a tag team and went on to defeat established teams such as Primo & Epico, Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal of 3MB and Team Rhodes Scholars. On the March 22 episode of SmackDown, Tensai and Clay were defeated by Team Rhodes Scholars after an interference from The Bella Twins. Tensai and Clay announced their official tag-team name "Tons of Funk" on the March 27 episode of Main Event, where they accompanied The Funkadactyls to ring in a losing effort to The Bella Twins. The two teams were originally booked to face each other in an eight-person mixed tag team match on April 7 at WrestleMania 29, but their match was cut due to time constraints. The match instead took place the following night on Raw, where Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls emerged victorious.
In November 2013, Clay started a storyline where he became angry and jealous of the debuting Xavier Woods, who "borrowed" Clay's music and The Funkadactyls for his entrance. Clay thus began to exhibit more villainous tendencies, such as repeatedly attacking Woods, after he had defeated Woods in a match. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Clay faced Woods' partner, R-Truth and continually assaulted Truth instead of going for a win, so Tensai and the Funkadactyls left in protest and Clay lost the match.
On the next day on Raw, Clay completed his heel turn by abandoning Tensai to lose their tag match and attacking Tensai after the match. Clay found no immediate success, as he went on to lose to Tensai, Woods and Truth in singles matches. On the April 17 episode NXT, Clay would lose by countout against Adrian Neville in a non-title match. He lost a No-Disqualification match to Adrian Neville for the NXT Championship in what would be his last match with the company. On June 12, 2014, Clay was released by WWE.