One of the toughest pro-wrestlers ever to compete.  Steve Williams is known worldwide as
“Dr. Death.” He went to the University of Oklahoma and excelled both in football and
wrestling.  In 1982, he made it to the finals of the NCAA Wrestling Tournament and lost to
Bruce Baumgartner, 4-3.  Williams turned professional later in the year.

  Williams worked primarly in the south for Bill Watts’ Mid-South Promotion early in his
career.  He was very successful in the region and held a high level of fan support.  Steve met
a sharp corner of a ring barrier on June 5, 1985 and needed 108 stitches to his eye in
Shreveport.  He had been competing against Brad Armstrong.  Returned to team with Ted
DiBiase against the Fantastics.  Williams won the UWF World Heavyweight Championship
from Bubba Rogers on July 11, 1987 in Oklahoma City.  After the organization was bought by
Jim Crockett Promotions, Williams defended his title on NWA Cards.  In December, the UWF
Belt was deactivated by officials.  He continued to wrestle for the Alliance, but turned heel
and joined Kevin Sullivan’s “Varsity Club” along with Mike Rotundo, Rick Steiner and Dan
Spivey.

  On December 26, 1988 in Norfolk, Williams and Sullivan captured the NWA United States
Tag Team Title from the Fantastics during the Starrcade event.  Two months later, they
dropped the title to Eddie Gilbert and Steiner, who had previously jumped ship from the
Club.  In New Orleans during Clash VI, Williams teamed with Rotundo to upset the Road
Warriors.  Their prize was the NWA World Tag Team Championship.  The victory nearly
earned them “Tag Team of the Year” honors.  After a controversial match in Nashville on May
7th, NWA Promoters stripped Williams and Rotundo of the belts.  Both Sullivan and Spivey
interfered in their defense against Hawk and Animal.

  In Fayetteville, Williams wrestled Terry Gordy to a double-countout on June 14, 1989.  After
leaving the NWA, Steve ventured to All-Japan Pro Wrestling.  He immediately formed a tag
team with Gordy, who also left the states.  On March 6, 1990 at Budokan Hall in Tokyo,
Williams and Gordy dethroned Genichiro Tenryu and West Texas State Alumni, Stan Hansen
for the World Tag Team Championship.
  
  During their reign together, Gordy won the AJPW Japanese Triple Crown on two
occasions.  On June 8, 1990, Williams pinned Kenta Kobashi in Tokyo, Japan.  Great Kabuki
and Jumbo Tsuruta beat Williams and Gordy for the tag straps on July 19th in Tokyo.  In
December ’90, they rebounded to win the annual AJPW Tag Team Tournament, beating Stan
Hansen and Dan Spivey in the finals.  Williams and Gordy captured the World Tag Title in the
process.  On February 26, 1991, the champs defeated Toshiaki Kawada and Mitsuhara
Misawa in Sendai, Japan.  Hansen and Spivey dethroned Williams and Gordy in April 1991,
but the latter team regained the belts for the third time in July during a match in Yokosuka.  
Later in the month, Kawada and Misawa won the title in Kanazawa.  Williams and Gordy won
the annual December Tag Tournament in Tokyo and held the belts into March of 1992.  Akira
Taue and Tsuruta won the championship in Tokyo.

  Both Williams and Gordy signed a contract to return to the United States and appear for
World Championship Wrestling.  WCW was holding a tournament to determine new NWA
World Tag Team Champions and seemingly, the four-time AJPW World Champions were
among the top two favorites.  On the other side were the Steiner Brothers, Rick and Scott.  
Took Paul E. Dangerously as their manager.  The Steiners lost their claim to the WCW World
Tag Team Title on July 5th to Williams and Gordy and a week later in Albany, the new WCW
Champs captured the vacant NWA World Tag Title in the tournament final over Dustin
Rhodes and Barry Windham.  Williams and Gordy were double champions.  In September,
Rhodes and Windham captured the four belts in Atlanta.  In the weeks following, Williams and
Gordy both returned to Japan.

  At the All-Japan Anniversary Show on October 21, 1992 in Tokyo’s Budokan Hall, Williams
and Dan Spivey beat Kenta Kobashi and the Patriot.  Got the pin over the later.  In late
January 1993, Williams and Gordy teamed for their fifth AJPW World Tag Title.  Williams
defeated Davey Boy Smith on April 7, 1993 in Miyagi, Japan.  Lost the tag title in May to
Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue.  On July 28, 1994, Williams beat Mitsuharu Misawa to
capture the AJPW Unified Japanese Triple Crown in Tokyo.  He lost the belt a few months
later to Kawada at the group’s 22nd Anniversary Show before 16,000 fans at Budokan Hall.

  Williams entered ECW.  Teamed with Tommy Dreamer on August 3, 1996 in Philadelphia,
dropping a match to Brian Lee and Taz at the ECW Arena before 1500 fans.  Longtime
partner, Terry Gordy soon joined Williams.  Williams and Gordy teamed with Dreamer on
September 14th in Philadelphia against the Eliminators and Brian Lee.  Their efforts to win
failed.  Gordy and Williams teamed against the Eliminators on October 26th.  John Kronus
and Perry Saturn beat them in Philadelphia.

  He captured the AJPW and PWF World Tag Team Title with Gary Albright on July 25, 1997
from Johnny Ace and Kenta Kobashi in Tokyo, Japan.  Williams teamed with Mike Rotundo to
win the 2000 annual Real World Tag League Tournament on December 9, 2000 in Tokyo,
Japan.  The two ousted Masa Fuchi and Toshiaki Kawada in the finals of the round-robin
tournament to win the event.  It was Williams’ third championship tournament victory.

  In July 2001, Williams’ longtime friend Terry Gordy died.  Their achievements as a foreign
tag team remain among the best in Japanese History.

[Updated through 2001]

TITLE HISTORY:

  -Co-holder of the Mid-South Tag Team Title (1986) w/ Ted DiBiase
  -Co-holder of the UWF World Tag Team Title (1986) w/ Ted DiBiase
  -UWF World Heavyweight Title (1987) defeated Bubba Rogers
  -Co-holder of the NWA United States Tag Team Title (1988-’89) w/ Kevin Sullivan
  -A two-time co-holder of the NWA World Tag Team Title
          w/ Mike Rotundo (1989) defeated The Road Warriors
          w/ Terry Gordy (1992) defeated Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham, tournament
                  final
  -Co-holder of the WCW World Tag Team Title (1992) w/ Terry Gordy
  -UWF SportsChannel TV World Heavyweight Title (1991) won tournament
  -AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Title (1994) defeated Mitsuharu Misawa
  -An eight-time co-holder of the AJPW World Tag Team Title
          w/ Terry Gordy (1990) defeated Stan Hansen and Genichiro Tenryu
          w/ Terry Gordy (1990-’91) defeated Stan Hansen and Dan Spivey, tournament
                  final
          w/ Terry Gordy (1991) defeated Stan Hansen and Dan Spivey
          w/ Terry Gordy (1991-’92) won tournament
          w/ Terry Gordy (1993) defeated Toshiaki Kawada and Mitsuharu Misawa
          w/ Johnny Ace (1996-’97) defeated Jun Akiyama and Mitsuharu Misawa
          w/ Gary Albright (1997) defeated Johnny Ace and Kenta Kobayashi
          w/ Vader (2000) defeated Jun Akiyama and Kenta Kobayashi





Research by Tim Hornbaker
Steve Williams Wrestling History
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