Tyrus’s Redemption: From Wrestling Failure to Fox News Phenomenon — The Astonishing Rise of George Murdoch

In the sparkling world of professional wrestling, where one moment of triumph can be erased by a single script change, few stories illustrate the power of resilience and reinvention better than the saga of George Murdoch—known to millions as Tyrus. Once dismissed as a WWE misfit whose only memorable asset seemed to be his towering 6-foot-7 physique, Tyrus’s journey from mid-card gimmick to prime-time television stardom is proof that second acts are alive and well in American media.

Beginnings in the Ring: A Colossus With No Voice

When Tyrus first entered the WWE universe in 2006, he commanded attention. At nearly 400 pounds, his presence alone could quiet a rowdy arena. Wrestling insiders initially dubbed him a “can’t-miss prospect,” casting him as Brodus Clay, a forceful henchman built to intimidate and overpower. But WWE stardom has always required more than size—it demands personality, improvisation, and undeniable charisma. In the unforgiving world behind the curtains, rumors buzzed that Murdoch lacked the mic skills and emotional range needed for main-event status. “He was a powerhouse, but when he spoke, the room went silent for the wrong reasons,” one former WWE creative admitted. “He just wasn’t connecting.”

WWE’s creative directors spun the wheel of fate, latching Tyrus onto Alberto Del Rio as his silent, looming bodyguard. Just as he gained traction, the company abruptly flipped the script. In 2012, he was recast as The Funkasaurus, a disco-dancing, lighthearted gimmick that transformed a fearsome force into a punchline. Under glitzy spotlights, Tyrus would shimmy to the ring in neon tracksuits—amusing for a while, but stripping him of the presence necessary for championship gold. Insiders and critics alike scoffed: “He’ll never be The Rock. He’s the muscle, not the mouth.”

Overshadowed by The Shield

While Brodus Clay danced, a revolution was taking place. The Shield—Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose—were debuting with storm-like intensity. Their explosive rise up the WWE ladder left talents like Tyrus in the dust. Booked mainly to lose to up-and-coming stars, Tyrus’s dreams of main-event glory faded. “In the era of The Shield, you either found your voice or got left behind,” recalls a wrestling historian. By 2014, out of favor with creative and overshadowed by hungrier, more dynamic personalities, Tyrus was released from WWE. His wrestling ambitions, once sky-high, now lay in tatters.

An Unsteady Stint in TNA

A fresh start beckoned with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2014, where he’d finally adopt the name Tyrus. Again, he was quickly boxed in as a stereotypical enforcer, his potential sacrificed in forgettable feuds and booking confusion. TNA’s struggles—financial instability, creative chaos—didn’t help. “He was a great big man but not a headline act,” said a TNA insider. By 2017, the opportunity to redefine himself in wrestling was slipping away, his athletic future hanging by a thread.

Redemption in the NWA

Then came NWA—a smaller, tradition-driven promotion willing to let him rewrite his own story. For the first time, Tyrus had creative control. Gone were the dancing routines and silent muscle gimmicks; in their place, a menacing, intelligent heel who could command attention with every word. The gamble paid off. By 2022, Tyrus claimed the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, finally earning recognition as a main-eventer. The moment was sweet, but reality was unavoidable: at nearly 50, wrestling’s physical grind was no longer sustainable.

The Fox News Reinvention

As one chapter closed, another unexpectedly opened. While still an active wrestler, Tyrus found himself appearing on Fox News’s The Greg Gutfeld Show around 2016. There, everything switched. The skills critics claimed he lacked—wit, timing, the ability to connect—came alive under studio lights. Soon, Tyrus was a fixture on Gutfeld!, alongside sharp-tongued libertarian Kat Timpf.

Timpf, known for her fearlessness and wit, became not just a colleague but a champion for Murdoch’s untapped potential. “He’s raw, he’s real, and he tells it like it is,” she said. As a duo, they lit up the screen, teasing, debating, and riffing on news and culture. For the first time, Tyrus was unleashed—not as a sideshow, but as a star. His wrestling promos might have lacked spark, but on television, he became a magnetic commentator—funny, blunt, and impossible to ignore.

Fox News audiences, craving authenticity and a new voice, rallied behind him. His segments on Outnumbered, The Five, and Fox & Friends quickly built a following, lauded for mixing humor with personal anecdotes about overcoming adversity. In 2024, Fox saw fit to cement his place by launching Maintaining with Tyrus on OutKick, where he addressed hot-button issues—from cancel culture to his own hard childhood—with unflinching honesty.

Proving Everyone Wrong

What makes Tyrus’s story extraordinary is not a single second chance—but his capacity to turn every flaw into a feature. Where WWE and TNA saw dead ends, Fox News spotted depth. His memoirs, Just Tyrus and Nuff Said, detail a rough upbringing and the grind of showbiz, channeled into a voice that resonates with regular viewers. “Wrestling gave me thick skin,” Tyrus explained. “But Fox News gave me permission to be myself and speak my truth.”

At 52, Tyrus stands as a living rebuttal to every critic who called him wooden or uncharismatic. He’s not only reinvented himself but also redefined what it means to rise after a public fall. No longer pigeonholed as wrestling’s muscle, he’s a media juggernaut with real influence. His journey from the ring’s undercard to cable’s main event is a beacon for anyone who’s ever been underestimated or typecast.

The Lasting Legacy

Today, George Murdoch—Tyrus—is living proof that it’s not where you start or even where you stumble that matters, but how you rise, adapt, and blaze your own trail. From comedic spectacle in wrestling to a serious, powerful voice in the national conversation, he has written one of the most unexpected and inspiring redemption stories in American entertainment.

As he succinctly put it, “I didn’t need a script to be me. Fox gave me a chance—and the audience gave me my voice back.” For a man written off as a footnote, Tyrus has written a show-stealing new chapter—one that’s only just begun.