The Piledriver Report 12.31.09: Goodbye, Steve Williams

As is often the case during the days that my article is due for posting, I scan the internet looking for any late breaking news that will affect what I will be writing about that particular week. I was pretty set in my choice of writing material for this week. After all, Bret Hart and the Hulkster are making their returns to the Monday night wrestling scene in a few days. I still decided to “surf the net” before typing this week’s article. I was saddened to find the following headline appear on my home website of 411wrestling.com, “Steve Dr. Death Williams Passes Away.” Needless to say, my article topic became pretty obvious.

REMEMBERING DR. DEATH

I knew that Steve Williams was battling terminal cancer, and that it would take a miracle of great proportions for ‘Dr. Death” to defeat the grim reaper. Even so, seeing that headline stunned me for a little bit. I can’t believe that he past away. Between Umaga, Capt. Lou Albano, and now Steve Williams, it seems that the death knoll is hitting the professional wrestling industry once again.

I remember the first time that I saw Steve Williams. Believe it or not, but it was not on TV in a wrestling ring. Rather, it was on the inside of one of the “Apter” wrestling magazines. I can’t remember which periodical it was, but it was the one that was full color. At the time, most of the Apter magazines were mostly in black and white print. The headline of the article exclaimed “Sew Me Up Doc, I’ve Got A Match Tonight!” There was a picture of Dr. Death where he had “eighty-two” stitches in his eye. The article talked about Steve Williams eye got busted up, and he wrestled the next night after the doctors sewed him up. Even though the Apter magazines were famous at the time for sticking with kayfabe (not sure if they still do now), the mark in me couldn’t help but be impressed by the picture of this man’s eye all stitched up, yet still wrestling in a ring.

I didn’t have access to Bill Watts’ Universal Wrestling Federation, so I didn’t get to see “Dr. Death” in action. However, thanks to the Apter magazines, I was able to follow Williams as he rose up the ranks in the UWF until he beat Big Bubba Rogers for the company’s top title. In December 1987, Jim Crockett Promotions purchased the UWF from Bill Watts. At the time, the Universal Wrestling Federation, it was said, had the best wrestling action in the United States.

While I was a tried and true World Wrestling Federation supporter, I was very intrigued at the thought of seeing the top stars in the UWF on a national stage that was Jim Crockett Promotions. What intrigued me even more was the inter-promotional war that was bound to ignite between the stars of Crockett Promotions and the wrestlers who used to call the UWF home. The rivalry between the two groups got off to a nice start as the UWF Television champion Terry Taylor had his sights set on the NWA World Television champion Nikita Koloff. Both belts were unified at Starrcade 1987 when Nikita Koloff pinned Taylor after hitting him with a Russian Sickle clothesline. Also on the card, Steve Williams successfully defended the UWF World title against Barry Windham.

The UWF/Crockett war was off to a good start. Unfortunately, like the WWE’s InVasion angle, the inter-promotional war fizzled out quickly. Instead of getting a Ric Flair/Steve Williams World title unification match, Crockett Promotions just retired the UWF World title, along with any InVasion type war between Crockett’s players and the former UWF stars.

Williams would go on to wrestle for Crockett’s group, along with tours of Japan. I was disappointed with his push, until late 1988. In late 1988, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams joined the Kevin Sullivan led group called the Varsity Club. Those wrestlers who gained entrance into the Varsity Club had to have a legitimate background in collegiate athletics. While the group’s origins started with former University of Michigan and Syracuse University standouts, Rick Steiner and Mike Rotundo, Steve Williams’ University of Oklahoma pedigree allowed him to fit right in.

A heel Steve Williams added a new dimension to his character. The Varsity Club was a very unique concept. The group putting an emphasis on their collegiate wrestling background made them seem more like more legitimate athletes then the rest of the WCW roster. It’s no surprise then that the Varsity Club was surrounded by championship gold. It seemed like Mike Rotundo was either the WCW Television champion or a Tag Team titlist throughout the Varsity Club run. In the six-month stint that Steve Williams had in the group, he was both the United States Tag Team champion with Kevin Sullivan, and the World Tag Team titleholder with Mike Rotundo.

MIRACLE VIOLENCE CONNECTION

After leaving WCW, Steve Williams went to All Japan Pro Wrestling. Unfortunately, I did not have access to Japan wrestling shows, so I wasn’t able to see Williams Japan stints. However, thanks to the Apter magazines, I was able to keep track of a new tag team that he formed with former Fabulous Freebird, Terry Gordy. They called their tag team the Miracle Violence Connection. They took Japan by storm, and were thought of by many as the world’s greatest tag team.

In the early nineties, the Miracle Violence Connection had company at the top of the tag team food chain. World Championship Wrestling’s Rick and Scott Steiner were looked at by most United States wrestling fans as the top team in the business. In 1992, the argument would be settled after Gordy & Williams beat the Steiner Brothers for the WCW World Tag Team championships on July 5th. A week later, the Miracle Violence Connection won the NWA World Tag Team titles to become dual champions.

At Starrcade 1992, the main event was to feature the WCW World Champion Ron Simmons defending his World title against Rick Rude. Unfortunately, Rick Rude was injured, and could not wrestle on the show. Steve Williams took Rude’ spot in the title match. Unfortunately for “Dr. Death,” Williams would not become the first wrestler to hold the UWF World title and WCW World championship, as he lost the match by disqualification.

Steve Williams most dominant decade was in the nineties, where he became a main event wrestler for All Japan wrestling. His run in All Japan made him one of the top foreign wrestlers in Japan’s pro wrestling history. Due to his Japan commitments, Williams wrestled sporadically in the United States. Because of his Japan run, Steve Williams had the distinction of not suffering a pinfall loss in the United States for over a decade. That streak came to an end on February 1997 when “Dr. Death” lost by pinfall at ECW’s Crossing the Line Again show in an ECW World title match against Raven.

THE DOC CHECKS OUT

In 1998, Steve Williams made his WWF debut during their “Attitude Era.” The WWF tried to take advantage of Williams legitimate athletic background and tough guy image by promoted a contest called Brawl For All. The Brawl For All was a tournament featuring WWF wrestlers in legitimate fight competitions. This tournament was designed to put Williams over as a huge star, as he was the favorite to win the tournament. That would not be the case, as Williams was knocked out by Bart Gunn in the quarterfinals. “Dr. Death” suffered an injury in the contest, and would never achieve any major level of success in the WWF. The closest Williams came to being a main player in the WWF was when he was managed by Jim Ross in an undercard angle.

In 1999, Williams returned to World Championship Wrestling. This time, he was managed by Jim Ross impersonator, “Oklahoma.” After his short WCW run, it was back to Japan and the indy scene.

In 2004, Steve Williams discovered that he had throat cancer. Following throat surgery, Williams was declared cancer free in 2005. Unfortunately, his cancer returned. This time, cancer would not do the job to the man known as “Dr. Death.” Instead, just two months and four days after he officially retired from professional wrestling, Steve Williams passed away from throat cancer. He will be missed. Rest in peace Doctor.