 Williamsc. 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Steven Franklin Williams (1960-05-14)May 14, 1960 Lakewood, Colorado, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | December 29, 2009(2009-12-29) (aged 49) Denver, Colorado, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Cause of death | Throat cancer | |||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Oklahoma | |||||||||||||||||
| Professional wrestling career | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ring name(s) | Steve Williams Dr. Death[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Billed weight | 285 lb (129 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Billed from | Lakewood, Colorado Norman, Oklahoma[2] Nagoya, Japan Shreveport,Louisiana | |||||||||||||||||
| Trained by | Bill Watts[3] Buddy Landel | |||||||||||||||||
| Debut | 1982 | |||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Steven Franklin Williams (May 14, 1960 – December 29, 2009), best known under thering name"Dr. Death" Steve Williams, was an Americancollegiate andprofessional wrestler andcollegiate football player. He was known for his tenures inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) andAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and is a three-time professional wrestlingworld heavyweight champion, having won both theHerb Abrams andBill Watts versions of the UWF World Heavyweight Championship and the AJPWTriple Crown Heavyweight Championship.
In addition to his success as a singles professional wrestler, Williams achieved notoriety in Japan in tag team competition, winning theWorld Tag Team Championship eight times with notablegaijin tag team partnersTerry Gordy,Gary Albright andVader. His tag team success continued in North America, winning tag team titles in the Mid-South (UWF), WCW, and the NWA as well as winning theWorld's Strongest Tag Determination League twice with Gordy andMike Rotunda.[1][4]
In 2004, Williams was diagnosed withthroat cancer, and underwent successful surgery the following year. He continued to wrestle on theindependent circuit until his cancer returned in 2009, dying that year at the age of 49. Williams was posthumously inducted into theWWE Hall of Famein 2021 as part of the Legacy Wing.
Steven Franklin Williams was born and raised in theDenver suburb ofLakewood, Colorado on May 14, 1960. He was the youngest of four children born to Gerald (died 1985) and Dottie Williams (died 2016). He grew up in Lakewood, where he also was living with his mother at the time of his death. Williams attendedLakewood High School, graduating in 1978. He was on thetrack & field team, playedfootball, andwrestled all four years.
Williams graduated from theUniversity of Oklahoma in 1981 where he playedfootball and also competed as anamateur wrestler, where he was a four time All American,[5] finishing 6th as a freshman, 5th as a sophomore, 3rd as a junior and 2nd as a senior. He lost in the finals of anNCAA tournament his senior year to future 2x Olympic gold medalistBruce Baumgartner. Already interested in professional wrestling, Williams had a ready-made nickname that dated back to an incident injunior high wherein he had to wrestle in ahockeygoalie's mask due to shattering his nose and was jokingly labeled "Dr. Death" by one of his school's coaches and his sister.
Williams started every game in1982 for theOklahoma Sooners at right guard. He was named to theUPIAll-Big Eight first team and played in the1983 Fiesta Bowl. He was also a member of the Sooners1980 Orange Bowl and1981 Sun Bowl squads. Williams played both guard positions while at OU.[6]
Williams was selected by theNew Jersey Generals in the 1983USFL Territorial Draft on January 3, 1983. He signed with the Generals on January 31, just prior to the opening of training camp. Williams was converted to a defensive tackle in training camp. During camp, Williams suffered a bruised knee and was placed on injured reserve for the first six games of the Generals 1983 season.
After being activated for week #10 vs. theBirmingham Stallions on May 9, Williams was the starting nose tackle for the Generals in a 22–7 loss atGiants Stadium in the Meadowlands. The game was telecast live on ESPN. Williams started at nose tackle the following week on May 16, in a 31–24 loss to theMichigan Panthers at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI – a game also shown on ESPN.
Williams, trained for professional wrestling byBill Watts andBuddy Landel, started wrestling in 1982 in Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. In 1985, he formed a team withTed DiBiase and feuded withEddie Gilbert and The Nightmare. In 1986, Mid-South was renamed theUniversal Wrestling Federation and Williams went on to win theUWF Heavyweight Championship fromBig Bubba Rogers. WhenJim Crockett Promotions bought the UWF in late 1987, he was one of the few UWF wrestlers to receive an initial push in theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA). During this time he also worked forMid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling,World Class Championship Wrestling andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Williams became involved withJimmy Garvin's war withKevin Sullivan'sVarsity Club in 1988, often teaming with Jimmy andRon Garvin orRon Simmons in various matches, including a Triple Cage "Tower of Doom" match atThe Great American Bash in 1988. Williams, however, turnedheel and joined the Varsity Club in late 1988. He and Sullivan won theNWA United States Tag Team Championship atStarrcade. They feuded withThe Road Warriors and he andMike Rotunda won theNWA World Tag Team Championship in the process.
In May 1989, Williams and Rotunda were stripped of the title, and the Varsity Club disbanded. Not long after, Williams turned face again and had a short feud with Rotunda over who was responsible for the Varsity Club's breakup, before entering a feud withLex Luger for theNWA United States Championship. Williams was scheduled to face Luger for the title atWrestleWar '90 on February 25, 1990. When Sting, who was scheduled to faceRic Flair for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship, suffered a legitimate knee injury, Luger turned face and was moved from the US title match to the World Title match in Sting's place. He then departed the company.
Following a one-time appearance forNew Japan Pro Wrestling on February 10, 1990, at theirSuper Fight In Tokyo Dome card where he defeatedSalman Hashimikov,[7] he then went toAll Japan Pro Wrestling in 1990 where he found success withTerry Gordy in a tag-team calledThe Miracle Violence Connection, which they formed prior in 1987 inJim Crockett Promotions, winning the world tag team titles together on March 6 by beatingStan Hansen andGenichiro Tenryu. During that year, Williams was dividing his time between All Japan and New Japan, meaning he was holding the AJPW tag belt on the New Japan rings, something rare for the time. After a few more matches for New Japan, Williams firmed with All Japan in January 1991 and became exclusively loyal to them. On February 29, 1992, atSuperBrawl II, then WCW Executive Vice PresidentKip Frey announced that he was negotiating to bring Williams and Gordy back to World Championship Wrestling. On March 9, the duo defeated three enhancement teams at a television taping forThe Main Event in Anderson, SC in contests that would not air until May. On the April 18 edition ofWCW Saturday Night it was announced that Williams and Gordy would be part of the upcoming tournament for the vacantNWA Tag-Team Championship that summer.
AtClash of the Champions XIX on June 16, the duo defeated the Australian representativesLarry O'Day &Jeff O'Day in the opening round of the NWA Tournament. As a bonus for the Clash, it was announced by new WCW Executive Vice PresidentBill Watts that the quarter-finals would begin later that night; as a result in a non-title match Williams and Gordy defeatedWCW World Tag Team ChampionsThe Steiner Brothers. While waiting for the next round to begin following the Clash, the duo would face and defeatMarcus Bagwell andTom Zenk in house show matches. AtBeach Blast, Williams and Gordy again faced The Steiner Brothers, this time going to a thirty-minute draw. On July 5, 1992, at a house show at theOmni in Atlanta, GA, Williams and Gordy won theWCW World Tag Team Championship from The Steiner Brothers[8] Shortly afterwards atThe Great American Bash, the final two rounds of the NWA Tag-Team Championship Tournament were run. Gordy and Williams defeatedRicky Steamboat andNikita Koloff in the semi-finals, and then beatDustin Rhodes andBarry Windham in the tournament final. Their NWA title win, however, went unrecognized by the NWA.
Steve Williams and Terry Gordy then began feuding with the Dangerous Alliance, defeatingBobby Eaton andArn Anderson in house show matches. On the September 26 edition of the Main Event, the duo sustained their first televised defeat when they were beaten by The Steiner Brothers in a non-title matchup. On the October 3 edition of WCW Saturday Night, they were then upset by Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham and lost both titles. Williams and Gordy received a rematch atHalloween Havoc 92 but Gordy quit the company and was replaced by Steve Austin and they were only able to wrestle Rhodes and Windham to a time limit draw. On December 12, Williams teamed withBig Van Vader in an unsuccessful challenge to Windham & Rhodes in Columbus, OH. On December 28 he participated in the Battle Bowl event atStarrcade and teamed withSting to defeatEric Watts andJushin Liger. At the start of the event it was announced that he would be substituting for an injuredRick Rude to challenge Ron Simmons for theWCW World Heavyweight Championship, but lost by disqualification. He left WCW shortly thereafter.[9]
Williams made his debut forHerb Abrams'sUniversal Wrestling Federation in September 1990. Williams defeatedBam Bam Bigelow in the tournament finals for theUWF SportsChannel Television Championship atBeach Brawl.[10] After winning, Williams went to Japan and vacated the title.
Williams returned for a one-night appearance in 1994 atUWF Blackjack Brawl where he was award the UWF World Heavyweight Championship and defeatedSid Vicious by disqualification.[11][12]
In February 1990,[13] Williams began to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling withTerry Gordy, initially as part ofThe Miracle Violence Connection team, while still wrestling for New Japan at the same time. They established themselves on the card and had matches against the likes ofGiant Baba,Stan Hansen,Jumbo Tsuruta,Genichiro Tenryu andAndré The Giant.
Williams became the last wrestler to defeat André The Giant, which took place June 5, 1992.[14] André in the early 90s was ill withacromegaly, and during one of Williams's Tag Team Championship victories with Terry Gordy, André shook Williams's hand as a way to pass the torch.[15] Both of them prior had been close friends prior inMid-South Wrestling. After André's death in February 1993, Williams began winning many matches against AJPW native main-eventers in singles such as defeatingAkira Taue (April 1993),Kenta Kobashi (September 1993) andJun Akiyama (April 1994). Williams would go on to defeat Kobashi twice again in 1994.
Over time Williams gradually got traction and fanfare from the Japanese audience. Baba booked him to be amain eventer for the company. After, Williams became one of the most successful foreign athletes in Japanese wrestling history, especially in reference to the 90s and early 2000s. On July 28, 1994, he defeated top AJPW starMitsuharu Misawa for the AJPW Triple Crown Championship, holding it for three months before dropping it toToshiaki Kawada. Williams became a mainstaygaijin on AJPW television along withStan Hansen,Terry Gordy,Johnny Ace andGary Albright. He would either team with them or fight them in singles from 1994 to 1998 in a variety of feuds during a wrestling boom inJapan, comparable to that of WWF'sAttitude Era.
On August 31, 1997, Williams won theWorld Tag Team Championship titles withGary Albright.[16] Williams' last TV appearance for his first All Japan run was on the June 28, 1998 edition of AJPW TV. He andWolf Hawkfield defeatedMasao Inoue andTakao Omori before Williams went to the WWF, giving a symbolic farewell to Giant Baba and the Japanese audience after the match.[17]
He also sporadically wrestled in the U.S. on theindependent circuit. That run was brought to an end during one of his appearances inExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). After defeatingAxl Rotten in approximately 2 minutes, Williams had an impromptuECW World Heavyweight Championship match, but lost after being pinned by then-championRaven. The loss happened in February 1997 atCrossing the Line Again.
In May 1998, Williams was signed by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) prior to the "Brawl for All" competition, which was set up inlegitimate fights. WWF took interest in signing him due to his success in All Japan. Before entering the Brawl for All and signing a contract, he had only one in-ring match with the WWF, which was against2 Cold Scorpio on aWWF Shotgun tapingdark match (April 28, 1998). According to house show cards and recaps,Vince McMahon introduced him to the ring for this dark match.[18]
On the July 20 edition ofRaw is War, Williams entered the Brawl for All tournament, making his first WWF television appearance with many expecting him to win. However, after beatingPierre Carl Ouellet in the first round, he facedBart Gunn in the second round. Gunn took Williams down, tearing his quad, then knocked Williams out. Williams missed several months following the injury. Upon healing in January 1999, Williams worked dark matches onHeat/Shotgun/Raw is War tapings, mainly against Bob Holly (then still a part of theJ.O.B. Squad) to open up the tapings. His first match after rehabilitating his quad was defeating Holly on January 12, 1999, in Beaumont, TX.
Williams was involved in a briefangle where he was managed byJim Ross in early 1999 before Williams was released. During his time with Ross, he would attack people withsuplexes, debuting on the February 22, 1999 edition of Raw is War. He wore akabuki mask and threw Bart Gunn off a stage during a match of his. On the March 1 episode of Raw, Jim Ross announced that Bart Gunn would fightButterbean atWrestleMania XV, and Gunn and Ross argued over the Brawl For All in a worked shoot. During the segment, Williams attacked Gunn with the backdrop driver, revealing himself to be the masked man. This story was played-off on WWF television as Williams getting revenge against Gunn for his Brawl for All loss.
After, Williams was involved in two storylines as a babyface, one where he was pursuing theWWF Hardcore Championship fromHardcore Holly, and another where he sought to get even withTiger Ali Singh for making fun of Ross on live television. On the March 15, 1999 edition ofSunday Night Heat, Tiger Ali Singh paid a fan (Ed Ferrara) to impersonate Jim Ross, who had a bout withBell's palsy at the time. Out of anger, Williams attacked Ferrara with a backdrop driver and Singh with his signature "Dr. Bomb" slam, and Ross would proceed to conduct a promo beforeVince McMahon sentBig Show out to clear the ring. Williams would stare at Big Show, but would later leave the ring with Ross. On the March 21, 1999 edition of Sunday Night Heat, Williams defeatedThe Hardy Boys in a handicap match.[19] He next appeared on the March 22 edition of Raw is War, where he andWWF Hardcore Champion, Hardcore Holly, brawled in a fraternity house in Albany, New York. At WresleMania XV on theHSN version ofWWF Free For All, Williams cut a backstage promo on Bart Gunn, saying how "Bart deserved what he got" after Bart lost to Butterbean. The day after on March 29 Raw episode, Williams and Hardcore Holly fought in a hardcore match, which Williams lost becauseAl Snow interfered. On the April 5 Raw episode, Williams attacked both Snow and Holly with suplexes in the ring. Later in the week on the April 10 episode ofWWF Shotgun, Williams defeated Tiger Ali Singh in what would be his final match for the company.
While injured with a bad hamstring Williams decided to wrestle at the Giant Baba Memorial Show on May 2, 1999.[20] Despite wrestling injured he didn't want to miss out at this event due to not wanting to let his mentor Giant Baba down, who died at the beginning of the year.
In Williams' autobiography, as well as in hisRF Video shoot interview in 2001, these midcard storylines were meant as a way to build his character up on television before entering a main event feud withStone Cold Steve Austin, which in Williams's contract was promised to be a 6-month feud. Williams was released in mid-April for needing further time to rehab his injury and for refusing to work forFMW, a Japanese promotion with which the WWF had talent exchanges. He was scheduled to compete against Snow and Holly atBacklash: In Your House for the WWF Hardcore Championship, but he did not appear due to his release.
According to a radio interview from November 1999,[21] Williams was originally planned to have some ofTriple H's storylines before his release. Most notably, the segment on the October 4, 1999 episode of Raw is War when Triple H attacked Jim Ross was the moment when Williams was going to start his feud with Austin. Because the angle was originally planned for Williams, this storyline was supposed to be how he would become a heel, as Ross was going to manage him as a babyface until that point later in the year. Williams stated in his book that his main event push was going to start after the debut ofWWF Smackdown! onUPN.
In November 1999, Williams healed from his hamstring injury and appeared briefly inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) again, withOklahoma (who in an ironic twist happened to be Ed Ferrara) as his manager in a feud withVampiro. As a result of this feud, he wrestled againstJerry Only from theMisfits on the November 29 edition ofWCW Monday Nitro in asteel cage match. On December 2 on Thunder in Topeka, KS, Williams rebounded to defeatSilver King,Villano IV andVillano V in a three on one match. On the following Nitro in Milwaukee, WI, Williams teamed with Oklahoma to defeat Vampiro and Jerry Only. On December 13, 1999, he then facedSid Vicious in New Orleans, LA, but was pinned. AtStarrcade 99 on December 19, Williams faced Vampiro in a one-on-one encounter and was defeated via disqualification after he shoved refereeCharles Robinson.[22]
Very shortly after, the announcement that he would return to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) was on December 26, 1999.[23]
Williams went back to AJPW and had a second full-time run from 2000 to 2003. In the early 2000s, Williams was ababyface with anantihero edge, portraying an AJPW loyalist keeping the legacy of the Baba family name alive, as well as a comeback story upon his injury in the Brawl For All. Williams made his return on January 2, 2000, winning the New Year's Battle Royal on AJPW TV. In the following weeks, Williams defeated Mike Barton to start up a revenge angle[24] and teased a program withBig Van Vader. In a match they kept slapping each other acting as if they were setting up a future angle, but both of them swerved the audience and excitedly high-fived to reveal themselves as tag-team partners.[25] Together they held a tag-team title reign when they captured theWorld Tag Team Championship titles fromKenta Kobashi andJun Akiyama in February 2000. They split in early April when Vader left the company.
Williams then feuded with success in singles againstAkira Taue in the spring,[26]Jinsei Shinzaki in the summer,[27]Scott Norton in the fall atNJPW Do Judge!!, andMike Barton again at the beginning of 2001 in a revenge match.[28]
In the summer of 2000, Williams had an unsuccessful feud againstToshiaki Kawada throughout AJPW TV episodes, which Williams lost, the angle being that Williams sought to get even with Kawada for defeating him for the Triple Crown Championship in 1994. On the December 9, 2000 pay-per-view Steve Williams andMike Rotunda won theWorld's Strongest Tag Determination League in the main event and honored Giant Baba after the match.[29]
Williams had a main event pay-per-view match againstKeiji Muto on July 14, 2001, for theTriple Crown Heavyweight Championship, which Williams lost when the referee (secretly aligned with Muto) kayfabe called a two-count as a three-count. After leaving the backstage area Williams would then going on a huge swearing tirade, where he kicked a trash can, was about to cry in tears, and then throwing his armpads to the ground while swearing again.[30] Such scenes never happened in the traditional All Japan and was characteristic to the "crash TV" style ofVince Russo's writing. This would be an early sign of what would become thePro Wrestling Love era, ultimately leading Williams into a grudge feud with Muto into 2002.
In late 2001, 2002 and early 2003 Williams often teamed withMike Rotundo andMike Barton. The latter he befriended on TV and took part in multiple in-ring and backstage skits with, such as singing together in the ring forAbdulla The Butcher's birthday and Williams supporting Barton's effort in fightingGenichiro Tenryu and Keiji Muto. However, Williams would turn on Barton on the April 15, 2002 pay-per-view, before befriending him again in October 2002.[31]
Williams would have sporadic singles feuds againstKeiji Muto (defeating him in a singles match once out of revenge in March 2002) andGeorge Hines, as with his wearing hamstring he couldn't compete in singles like he used to. Staying in the tag division was safer for Williams' longevity in AJPW's upper-midcard and main events, as well as the popularity of tag-teams in Japanese wrestling at this time. Williams last main event in the Budokan would be on the August 31, 2002 Summer Action Series pay per view, where Williams and Muto would each lead their own 5-man teams in a 10-man elimination match. The match ended with Williams scoring a clean pinfall victory against Muto, thus ending the angle.[32]
In the tag division, Williams notably feuded withSatoshi Kojima, where Williams took the role of the veteran AJPW loyalist and Kojima as the young NJPW invader, who served as the sidekick to Keiji Muto. Williams surprise attacked and suplexed Kojima on TV when Kojima was cutting an in-ring promo, and Williams would often mention Kojima in his backstage promos as someone he would like to defeat. In November 2002, Williams andMike Rotunda faced Kojima and Taiyo Kea in a hardcore tag-team match at the Korakuen Hall in a losing effort. After a series of three house show matches involving Rotunda at Williams's side, where they defeated Kojima and his team each time, the Williams vs. Kojima feud ended abruptly in January 2003 when AJPW's sale finalized and Williams left the company, with no singles match payoff.[33][34]
William's last appearance during his second All Japan run was on the January 13, 2003 pay-per-view of AJPW. On this show, Williams,Mike Rotunda, andShigeo Okumura defeatedGeorge Hines,Hideki Hosaka andJohnny Smith.[35]
During his vacations from AJPW, Williams would still work in independent promotions in the United States, most notably the Christian Wrestling Federation (CWF). He became the CWF Heavyweight Champion sometime in the first half of 2002, later holding a successful title defense against Apocalypse in August 2002 at theSix Flags Darien Lake Resort. During the match, Apocalypse worked as a heel and had two wrestlers interfere in the match in his favor, but Williams was able to fight both of them back using Japanese style moves. After, Williams defeated Apocalypse by way of pinfall after using the Dr. Bomb powerbomb. Post match, he cut an AJPW-like promo, saying, "I might be the champion today! The CWF champion, me! But the real man is the champion!", pointing at the sky and the crowd cheering in response.[36]
Upon leaving AJPW in January 2003, Williams began to work more shows for the CWF while hoping for potential work with NJPW, NOAH or WWE as a trainer. Ultimately, Williams was hired IWA Japan later that year.
In his autobiography, Williams spoke positively about his time in the CWF, saying that since his "focus is to win souls for Jesus Christ, I really enjoyed working here and for other Christian organizations".[37] Williams then spoke about his match in 2002, saying "I remember one stint where Wyndham [his son, then 10 years old] and I spent four days in Buffalo, New York, at a Christian convention. The event was located inside the Six Flags theme park. Not only did I wrestle, but Wyndham and I had a great time riding all the rides".[38]
Williams wrestled a couple of matches for WWE on May 23 and 24, 2003 againstLance Storm. In late 2003, he was involved with the independent promotionMajor League Wrestling (MLW) and also wrestled forIWA Japan and 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 facedBelarusiankickboxerAlexey Ignashov in amixed martial arts bout in theK-1 promotion and wasknocked out 22 seconds into the fight. According to Williams he was tested positive with throat cancer a couple days before the match. This was his first and only professional fight.[39]
In March 2004, Williams underwent surgery forthroat cancer, the tumor developing and remaining undetected since September 2003. Williams made a surprise appearance on the July 22, 2004 AJPW pay-per-view while he was undergoing surgery. He andGenichiro Tenryu defeatedArashi andNobukazu Hirai on the show. Williams also cut a promo in a very hoarse and sickly voice, saying that he still wanted to wrestle Kawada again and return to AJPW when Williams became healthy. This would be Williams's last appearance in the Pro Wrestling Love era as well as in AJPW.
Williams was declared cancer-free in March 2005, making the announcement on the March 27, 2005 edition of IWA Japan TV. This was also the show where he publicly unveiled hiselectrolarynx.[40] His return match was againstKing Kaluha, who he defeated on August 27, 2005, atWrestleReunion 2.[41] According to promoter Sal Corrente, Williams was initially hesitant to work with King Kaluha but was ultimately appreciative about the choice of opponent.[42]
Williams made an appearance at aSmackDown! brandhouse show on March 11, 2006, inAlexandria, Louisiana, after which he was signed to help train up-and-coming WWE wrestlers in itsOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW)developmental territory. While acting in that capacity, he made a few appearances on OVW television, where he helped fellow Oklahoma wrestlerJake Hager and briefly working as his tag team partner. He also made an appearance at an August 30Raw house show, during which he addressed the crowd and announced how happy he was to be cancer free for four years.
Later, he made appearances for Oklahoma-basedindependent federation Sooner World Class Wrestling (SWCW).[43] He also worked forSouthwest Airlines in Colorado.[44]
After the death of longtime rival and friendMitsuharu Misawa in June 2009, Williams made the decision to retire from wrestling after 27 years. Williams's final match took place August 15 inColorado Springs, Colorado, for Asylum Championship Wrestling. He defeated Franco D'Angelo for the ACW Heavyweight Championship, which he vacated after the match.[45]
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, inCarteret, New Jersey. On December 29, 2009, Williams died at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver from throat cancer.[46] He was 49 years old.
Williams was of German descent and grew up in a Protestant background.[47] He became aborn again Christian early in his first AJPW run, and prior to that was a Christian believer who in general lacked interest inorganized religion. He stated in his book that before becoming closer to God than he already was, he used to "skim the Bible" and also had a difficult time fitting in with more dogmatic and ritualistic churches.[48] Williams also took interest inEast Asian religions, having attended Japanese temples while on tour in Japan.[49]
Beginning in late 1990, not long after he debuted in AJPW, Williams was known for praying backstage before each match.
Williams was known for his Christian motivational speaking in personal interviews both before and after being diagnosed with throat cancer, comparable in personality toMarc Mero, who he was also a friend of during their time in WCW and WWF.
During the time of theChris Benoit double-murder/suicide case in the summer of 2007, Williams was highly critical of Benoit's actions, posting on his website that he found it "very disturbing" as Williams in his book considered Benoit to be a "very close friend". After the details of the case became known, Williams wrote that he "felt no sorrow for Chris Benoit", where he also wrote how he has "always asked God to give me life so that I could LIVE for my son". He also stated that he has "no idea how someone can murder their family and then stick a Bible next to them." Williams also criticized the mainstream media's disparaging reports onVince McMahon and the wrestling business over the Benoit incident, adding, "Every sport has a steroid problem. I can promise you that when I see golfers likeTiger Woods taking steroids, I quit. I know this is funny, but I am sick and tired of CNN, FOX, and other media outlets beating down wrestling and steroids. I don’t agree with steroids."[50]
Despite taking McMahon's position regarding Benoit, Williams was critical of McMahon's treatment of his workers, breaking of contracts and sexualization of women, feeling that "Vince is pushing the envelope right now, and if he doesn't watch it, he's going to fall and he's going to fall into the wrong hands".[51]
Williams has routinely stated how he lovedGiant Baba "like his own father" during the 1990s, as Williams's father died earlier in 1986.[52] Baba helped Williams during his bouts of depression and various personal problems like Williams's divorce in early 1995, as well as helping him end his drug and pill addiction.[53] Williams got clean after an incident in March 1995 where he resorted tomarijuana and other drugs and painkillers to help alleviate his depression from his divorce, sneaking them on a plane with him to Japan. Williams was barred from entering Japan for one year and suspended from AJPW until he got clean, returning to AJPW TV in April 1996.
Upon getting clean and his life back into order thanks to Giant Baba and Williams'sfaith, even after their divorce Williams and his ex-wife Tammy were still close, continuing to raise their daughter Stormy and son Wyndham, even remarrying, only to divorce again later.[54]
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 |  Alexey Ignashov | KO (knees) | K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata | March 14, 2004 | 1 | 0:22 | Niigata, Japan |
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