About the pay I guess it depends on who you were and who you were working for. I've heard stories of guys driving all day just for twenty bucks. In the height of my dads career he was making about two grand a week. Good money for the time. But he was also busting his ass and working for four different territories at one time. He would get paid more for overseas trips. But he might be gone for months at a time. One time he was in Australia for nine months. I'm that was the kind thing that lead to his first divorce. Murdoch was married four times.
Something I didn't know, Terry Funk told me when my dad died that his dad and mine started the first insurance for wrestlers if they got hurt. Five percent was taken form their pay and the promoters would match it.
As far as his name goes. When he started wrestling, just doing jobs he wrestled as Herb Gerwig, his real name. The Sheik saw potential in him and hooked him.up with promoter Joe Dusek who said people wont pay to see Herb Gerwig, but they might pay to see killer Carl Cox. And that's how he got his name. When he stated working in Texas he changed it to all K's for to get heat with the ethnic crowds. It worked. At one point early in his career he was even told by one promoter to wrestle as Don Gehrig, Lou's brother.