Well, it’s the end of the year, and the end of the first decade of this millennium. As promised in my last article, it’s time to talk about the Wrestler of the Decade. While there are quite a few wrestlers who could be consider for this honor, I have narrowed it down to an elite group of five: Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, John Cena, Samoa Joe, and Kurt Angle. I was tempted to add Edge to this group because he did have a pretty good decade, culminating in recent years with his heel turn and claiming the top titles in the WWE, however, I will stand by my decision. I can tell you right away that I will have difficulty choosing exactly who my choice for Wrestler of the Decade will be, however I will do my best to select one of these great stars. But, before I do that, let’s take a closer look at all five nominees and why I believe they are here. Read the rest of this entry

A couple of weeks ago my column talked about some of the wrestlers we have lost in 2009.  Today, sadly, another name gets added to the list, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams.  Please join me as we remember Dr. Death and his contributions to the world of wrestling.

Like many wrestlers, Steve Williams was a collegiate football player in his youth.  He was named an All-American, but Williams already had an interest in professional wrestling.  He also had a ready made nickname in “Dr. Death,” given to him by one of his coaches in school when he used to wrestle in a hockey mask.

Early on, Williams feuded alongside the likes of Jimmy and Ron Garvin as well as Ron Simmons feuding with Kevin Sullivan’s Varsity Club before eventually turning heel and joining the rival faction.  With Sullivan he claimed the NWA United States Tag Team Championships and teamed with Mike Rotunda, he won the NWA World Tag Team Championships.  In ’89, Williams and Rotunda would be stripped of the belts and the Varsity Club disbanded.

Steve would go overseas to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling to team with Terry Gordy, calling themselves the Miracle Violence Connection.  The team would go on to win the WCW World Tag Team Championships from the Seiner Brothers and the vacated NWA World Tag Team Titles by defeating Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham in the tournament finals.  However the NWA Tag Title victory would not be recognized by the NWA.  Gordy and Williams would hold both sets of titles for a little over 3 years before losing them to Rhodes and Windham in September of 1992.  At Starrcade of that year Dr. Death would sub for an injured Rick Rude facing Ron Simmons for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, losing by disqualification and subsequently leaving WCW.

The ‘90s were the most successful decade for Steve Williams as he continued with AJPW working his way to main event status.  He became one of the most successful foreign athletes working in Japan, returning to the US to wrestle the independent circuit on occasion.  He would go unpinned on US soil for over a decade.  He would work for Extreme Championship Wrestling, where his unbeaten streak would come to an end after an impromptu match against then champion, Raven in February of 1997.

Steve Williams was picked up in 1998 by the WWF to compete in the company’s “Brawl for All” competition.  Dr. Death was the expected winner of the legitimate fighting tournament, but was knocked out in the quarterfinal round by Bart Gunn, sustaining a serious injury.  He would be paired with Jim Ross as a manager for a brief time, attacking people with suplexes before his release from the WWF.

Steve would make a brief return to WCW to feud with the likes of Vampiro before returning to All Japan Pro Wrestling.  Over the next several years, Dr. Death would make a few appearances with WWE, competing in a couple matches against Lance Storm before signing on in a training capacity with Ohio Valley Wrestling.

In 2004, Williams underwent surgery for throat cancer.  He would continue to wrestle and train off and on until the passing of his friend and rival Mitsuharu Misawa this past June.  He would win his final match in America against Franco D’Angelo for the Asylum Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, which he vacated following the match.  His final match was on October 25^th in Tokyo, Japan.

On December 30^th, 2009, Steve Williams’ succumbed to his long time battle with throat cancer.  From the few people I’ve talked to who have had the opportunity to speak and get to know Steve Williams a little, I am told he was a very nice, down to earth guy.  Personally, he was in wrestling during a time in my life when I was really focused on the business.  He will be missed.  Thank you, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, and may you find peace.

It’s time to once again enter that land where things are no longer extreme, but predictable, and new talent in the WWE work to prove themselves to the fans, ECW.  This week marks the “Homecoming” of Matt Hardy and Evan Bourne.  They hype the WWE gives is that one used to reign over ECW (Matt Hardy, of course) and the other conquered the skies above (Matt Sydal…er…um…Evan Bourne).  So, let’s suicide dive right into an hour of ok but predictable matches, mediocre comedy, and the newest stars of the WWE. Read the rest of this entry

A Very Merry Belated Christmas to all of you wrestling fans. This year saw many interesting developments in the world of wrestling, both in the ring and out of it. For me personally, a lot of the ups and downs in wrestling were out of the ring. I feel I have grown as both a wrestling fan and someone who has worked close to the business. I’ve made several acquaintances and friends who have some connection to wrestling, either as a wrestler or personality, or someone working behind the scenes. Taking into account the great moments and the low points, 2009 was interesting to say the least. Read the rest of this entry

The ECW Homecoming qualifying matches continue tonight as the WWE’s resident “Extremists” welcome back former ECW Champion Jack Swagger.  With Ezekiel Jackson and Kane already qualified, who else will move on to fight for the top prize on ECW?  And will Swagger be welcome backed by the ECW faithful?  We’ll learn all this and more as Swagger is first to hit the ring tonight. Read the rest of this entry

It’s the first Smackdown since Tables Ladders and Chairs and The Animal Batista is sure to be in a foul mood after having his match restarted against the Undertaker when he claimed the World Heavyweight Championship in a controversial way.  But first up, General Manager Teddy Long is making his was out to the ring. Read the rest of this entry

Many great names can be listed as Break Out stars of 2009 in the world of wrestling. On the independent front, you have to look at Chris Hero, Tyler Black, and Davey Richards. In the big leagues names like CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, and The Miz. The WWE’s recent Slammy Awards listed Sheamus as Breakout Star of the Year. In my opinion, this was a slap in the face to the great stars out there, both in the big leagues and on the Independent front. Read the rest of this entry