"Dr. Death" Steve Williams passes away

"Dr. Death"
STEVE WILLIAMS
1960-2009




















Steven Williams,
better known to wrestling fans the entire world over as
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams;
one of the most physically toughest men ever to compete
in the wrestling industry,
died late Tuesday night in Denver,CO
after a long battle with throat cancer.
He was 49 years old.

He had been battling the disease for a number of years,
first apparently beating it even with great odds against him.
It came back this year and his health had worsened in the last few months.


"Dr. Death" Steve Williams started wrestling in 1979,
and he held numerous titles in Japan.
He also competed for Mid-South Wrestling,the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling.
In addition,he had brief runs with the World Wrestling Federation and Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Also,for a 10-year portion of his career,
Williams went undefeated in the United States.

Williams formed two of the world's best tag teams
with the late Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy
and with Ted DiBiase Sr.,
as well as a notable team with current
WWE Vice President of Talent Relations
John Laurinaitis (Johnny Ace).

Williams was in particular a major star in the 1990s for All Japan Pro Wrestling
where he arguably had his most success becoming a main eventer for the company,
making him one of the most successful foreign athletes in Japanese wrestling history.


Williams was discovered and was recruited into professional wrestling
by "Cowboy" Bill Watts
at the University of Oklahoma,
where Williams was a star offensive lineman on the football team
and a four-time All-American heavyweight wrestler.

He also competed as an amateur wrestler losing in the finals of an NCAA tournament to future Olympic medalist Bruce Baumgartner.
Many of his peers in wrestling over the years had believed if he had not played college football and concentrated on wrestling that he would have been a strong candidate for an Olympic gold medal in 1984 or 1988.

Already interested in professional wrestling,
Williams had a ready-made nickname which dated back to an incident
when he attended Lakewood Junior High School in Lakewood,CO
where he had to wrestle in a hockey goalie's mask to protect a broken nose and was jokingly labeled "Dr. Death" by one of his school's coaches.


"Dr. Death" Steve Williams was truly one of the toughest men to have ever stepped into the squared circle and to have ever competed in the sport of professional wrestling.

He will be very truly and sorely missed beyond words.




















R.I.P.