- "Dr. Death" Steve Williams
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Steve Williams 
Ring name(s) "Dr. Death" Steve Williams Billed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] Billed weight 285 lb (129 kg)[1] Born May 14, 1960
Lakewood, ColoradoDied December 29, 2009 (aged 49)
Denver, ColoradoBilled from Norman, Oklahoma[1] Trained by Bill Watts
Buddy LandelDebut 1982 Retired October 25, 2009 Steven "Steve" Williams (May 14, 1960 – December 29, 2009),[2] better known by his ring name "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, was an American professional wrestler and former star of collegiate football and wrestling at the University of Oklahoma.
Contents
Early life
Williams attended Lakewood High School in Colorado, graduating in 1978. He was on the track team, played football, and wrestled all four years, so he was a well-respected athlete. Williams graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1981 after a football career that saw him named an All-American. He also competed as an amateur wrestler, losing in the finals of an NCAA tournament to future Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner. Already interested in professional wrestling, Williams had a ready-made nickname which dated back to an incident in junior high where he had to wrestle in a hockey goalie's mask and was jokingly labeled "Dr. Death" by one of his school's coaches.
Professional wrestling career
Early years (1982–1988)
Williams, trained for professional wrestling by Bill Watts and Buddy Landel, started wrestling in 1982 in Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. In 1985, he formed a team with Ted DiBiase and feuded with Eddie Gilbert and The Nightmare. In 1986, Mid-South was renamed the Universal Wrestling Federation and Williams went on to win the UWF Heavyweight Championship from Big Bubba Rogers. When Jim Crockett Promotions bought the UWF in late 1987, he was one of the few UWF wrestlers to receive an initial push in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Teaming with Terry Gordy and Mike Rotunda (1988–1994)
Williams became involved with Jimmy Garvin's war with Kevin Sullivan's Varsity Club in 1988, often teaming with Jimmy and Ron Garvin or Ron Simmons in various matches, including a Triple Cage "Tower of Doom" match at The Great American Bash in 1988. Williams, however, turned heel and joined the Varsity Club in late 1988. He and Sullivan won the NWA United States Tag Team Championship at Starrcade. They feuded with the Road Warriors and he and Mike Rotunda won the NWA World Tag Team Championship in the process.
In May 1989, Williams and Rotunda were stripped of the title, and the Varsity Club disbanded. Williams went to All Japan Pro Wrestling where he formed a tag team with Terry Gordy called the Miracle Violence Connection. They went on to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship from the Steiner Brothers. One week after winning the WCW World Tag Team title, they won the vacant NWA World Tag Team title, defeating Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham in the tournament final. Their NWA World Tag Team title win, however, went unrecognized by the NWA. They held onto both titles until September 1992, when they lost them to Rhodes and Windham. At Starrcade in 1992, Williams substituted for the injured Rick Rude to challenge Ron Simmons for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, but lost by disqualification. He left WCW shortly thereafter.
Unbeaten for a decade (1987–1997)
It was during the 1990s that Williams arguably had his most success. He continued to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling and became a main eventer for the company, making him one of the most successful foreign athletes in Japanese wrestling history. He also sporadically wrestled in the U.S. on the independent circuit. That run was brought to an end during one of his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). After defeating Axl Rotten in approximately 2 minutes, Williams had an impromptu ECW World Title match, but lost to the then champion Raven. The loss happened in February 1997 at ECW Crossing the Line Again.
Later years (1998–2004)
In 1998, Williams was signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) prior to the "Brawl for All" competition which was set up in legitimate fights. He was expected to win the competition, but after beating Pierre Carl Ouellet in the first round, he was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Bart Gunn, suffering a major injury in the process. Following the event, Williams was involved in a brief angle where he was managed by Jim Ross before Williams was released. During his time with Ross, he would attack people with suplexes.
In 1999, Williams appeared briefly in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) again with Oklahoma as his manager in a feud with Vampiro, as a result of this feud, he wrestled against Jerry Only from the Misfits on an 1999 episode of WCW Monday Nitro in a steel cage match. He went back to All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and wrestled a couple of matches for WWE in 2003 against Lance Storm. In late 2003, he was involved with the independent promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW) and also wrestled for the new NWA Mid-Atlantic, where he won their title in one of the first professional wrestling events in China.
On March 14, 2004, Williams faced Belarusian kickboxer Alexey Ignashov in a mixed martial arts bout in the K-1 promotion and was knocked out 22 seconds into the fight. This proved to be his first and only professional fight.[3]
Battle with cancer, return to wrestling, and death (2004–2009)
In 2004, Williams underwent surgery for throat cancer and was declared cancer-free the next year. He made an appearance at a SmackDown! brand house show on March 11, 2006 in Alexandria, Louisiana, after which he was signed to help train up and coming WWE wrestlers in its Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental territory. While acting in that capacity he made a few appearances on OVW television "helping out" fellow Oklahoma wrestler Jake Hager and briefly working as his tag team partner. He also made an appearance at an August 30 Raw brand house show, sitting ringside, during which he addressed the crowd and announced how happy he was to be "four years cancer free."
In 2007, he appeared at a taping of Harley Race's World League Wrestling in West Plains, Missouri, signing autographs and giving a brief speech about his battle with cancer and his newfound Christian faith.
Later, he made appearances for Oklahoma based independent federation Sooner World Class Wrestling (SWCW).[4] He also worked for Southwest Airlines in Colorado.[5]
After the death of longtime rival and friend Mitsuharu Misawa in June 2009, Williams made the decision to retire from the ring after 27 years. Williams' final American match took place August 15 in Colorado Springs, Colorado for Asylum Championship Wrestling. He defeated Franco D'Angelo for the ACW Heavyweight Championship, which he vacated after the match.[6] His final match was held on October 25 in Tokyo.
Death
The throat cancer eventually returned and Williams's health gradually worsened. His last public appearance was at the K&S Wrestlefest Wrestling Convention on December 12, 2009, in Carteret, New Jersey. On December 29, 2009, Williams died at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver from throat cancer.[7] He was 49 years old.
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown 1 match 0 wins 1 loss By knockout 0 1 By submission 0 0 By decision 0 0 Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes Loss 0-1 
Alexey IgnashovKO (knees) K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata March 14, 2004 1 0:22 Niigata, Japan In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Backdrop Driver[1] (High-angle belly to back suplex)
- Doctor Bomb[1] (Gutwrench powerbomb pin)
- Oklahoma Stampede[1] – innovated
- Signature moves
- Nicknames
- "Dr. Death"
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[8]
- AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (8 times) – with Terry Gordy (5), Gary Albright (1), Vader (1), and Johnny Ace (1)[9]
- World's Strongest Tag Team League (1990, 1991, 2000) – with Terry Gordy (2) and Mike Rotundo
- January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal Winner (1995, 2000)[10]
- Asylum Championship Wrestling
- ACW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Wrestling Association of Japan
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ryo Miyake[11]
- Mid-South Wrestling Association / Universal Wrestling Federation
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ted DiBiase[13]
- UWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[14]
- UWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ted DiBiase[15]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1985)
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (1992) with Terry Gordy
- PWI ranked him # 8 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1991.
- PWI ranked him #78 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[16]
- Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)
- UWF SportsChannel Television Championship (1 time)
- UWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Championship Wrestling
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kevin Sullivan[18]
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) – with Mike Rotunda[19]
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Terry Gordy[20]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1993) vs. Kenta Kobashi on August 31
- 5 Star Match (1995) with Johnny Ace vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi on March 4
- 5 Star Match (1996) with Johnny Ace vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama on June 7 in Tokyo, Japan
- Match of the Year (1996) with Johnny Ace vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama on June 7 in Tokyo, Japan
- Most Improved (1985)
- Rookie of the Year (1982)
- Tag Team of the Year (1992) with Terry Gordy
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2011)[21]
1Gordy and Williams unifies the WCW World Tag Team Championship with the NWA World Tag Team Championship after winning the NWA title in a tag team tournament. This happens nearly four years after Ted Turner's purchase of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from Jim Crockett, Jr. He renamed the promotion World Championship Wrestling but it remained an NWA affiliate until September 1993. As a result, the two titles were separated once more and Gordy and Williams are now recognized as having two separate title reigns with two different titles rather than one unified reign.
²This promotion, while operating out of the same area and using some of the same regional championships, is not the same promotion once owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. and didn't begin operating until the mid 1990s.References
- ^ a b c d e f "Dr Death's WWE Alumni Bio". World Wrestling Entertainment. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/drdeath/bio/. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ "Wrestling legend Steve Williams passes away.". Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online. http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/11793/124/. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ MMA profile on Sherdog
- ^ Adam Lash. "Oklahoma Wrestling News and Results featuring Steve Williams vs. Butch Reed". Newswire. Indy Wrestling News. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. http://www.indywrestlingnews.com/newswire/719-oklahoma-wrestling-news-and-results-featuring-steve-williams-vs-butch-reed.html. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- ^ "Check out Updated Q&A's.....Random Thoughts....Looks who's coming to JR's BBQ.". JR's Blog. JRs Bar B Q. http://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/check-out-updated-qasrandom-thoughtslooks-whos-coming-jrs-bbq. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
- ^ Schramm, Chris. ""Dr. Death" Steve Williams dead at 49". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on 2010-11-17. http://www.webcitation.org/5uJF52R57. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
- ^ Gerweck, Steve (December 30, 2009). "Dr. Death Steve Williams passes away". Wrestle View. http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1262197330.php?style=dark. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ AJPW World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/alljap/ajtourn.htm
- ^ IWA World Tag Team Title (IWA Japan) history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ Mid-South Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ UWF World Heavyweight Title (Mid-South) history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ UWF World Tag Team Title (Mid-South) history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ^ USWA Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/WCW) history At wrestling-titles.com Archived 31 July 2007 at WebCite
- ^ WCW World Tag Team Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (2011-10-20). "Thurs. update: Brisco, GSP updates, Hall feature, WWE drops announcer, TV show looks to be canceled". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe/22628-thurs-update-brisco-gsp-updates-hall-feature-wwe-drops-announcer-tv-show-looks-to-be-canceled. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
Further reading
- Williams, Steve & Caiazzo, Tom (March 15, 2007). How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life. Foreword by Jim Ross, Special foreword by Barry Switzer. Sports Publishing L.L.C.. ISBN 1-59670-180-3. http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Williams-Death-Became-Life/dp/1596701803.
External links
- WWE Alumni Profile of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams
- Bill Watts talks about Steve Williams life and death Mid-South Wrestling
- Steve Williams at Online World of Wrestling
All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions Jumbo Tsuruta · Genichiro Tenryu · Terry Gordy · Stan Hansen · Mitsuharu Misawa · Steve Williams · Toshiaki Kawada · Akira Taue · Kenta Kobashi · Vader · Keiji Mutoh/Great Muta · Shinya Hashimoto · Satoshi Kojima · Taiyō Kea · Minoru Suzuki · Kensuke Sasaki · Suwama · Yoshihiro Takayama · Ryota Hama · Jun Akiyama (current)Categories:- 1960 births
- 2009 deaths
- American male professional wrestlers
- American sport wrestlers
- American mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists from Oklahoma
- Super heavyweight mixed martial artists
- People from Lakewood, Colorado
- People from Norman, Oklahoma
- People from Shreveport, Louisiana
- Oklahoma Sooners football players
- Deaths from esophageal cancer
- Cancer deaths in Colorado
- Finishing moves
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