The doctor is in: after 20 years in the ring, Steve "Dr. Death" Williams is still going strong

Wrestling Digest, April, 2003 by Jim Varsallone

AN APPRECIATIVE FAN RECENTly handed Steve "Dr. Death" Williams a beer during his a tag-team match.

The good Doctor took the half-filled cup, acknowledged the South Florida crowd, and then gingerly dumped the brew on the ground. The fans' cheers quickly turned to groans.

The formerly hard-living Williams just shrugged. He simply doesn't drink anymore. Dr. Death wants to stay alive. And for someone who's logged 20 years nationally and internationally in pro wrestling, Williams is in excellent shape.

During this most-recent chapter of his storied life, Williams finds himself tagging with P.J. Friedman against Above Average Mike Sanders and Jimmy Yang in a Major league Wrestling ring.

With his experience and name recognition, Dr. Death is helping MLW get off the ground. Reminiscent of ECW, MLW invaded the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale for its Florida debut.

"I'm always excited when there's a new promotion coming up," Williams says. "This company has a good outlook. We have some good talent here. Dusty Rhodes, that's a great one. You've got Sabu. You've got Kojima, one of the top stars from All Japan pro wrestling. Vampiro's here."

MLW features a diverse talent pool which includes several stars from Japan. Williams himself knows plenty concerning Japanese wrestling.

"There are a lot of so-called wrestling fans who are die-hard and up-to-date on the Japanese wrestlers," Williams says. "They'll be excited to see that. Your other fans who aren't really up on Japan wrestling won't know these guys. It's going to be interesting, but what I see is that they're bringing in Japanese talent so Americans can see what kind of wrestling they've got over there."

Japan helped initiate the hardcore style later modified by ECW, so fans can expect plenty of rough-and-tumble thrills and spills in MLW.

"I've been in the business 20 years. I've seen it go up and I've seen it go down. I've seen it do everything. The way I see MLW is just like going to a buffet. You get a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

"It's something maybe the wrestling business needs now. I'm not going to pull any punches, but wrestling's gone south. It's not a sport. It's a show. I'm from the old school, and we used to beat the heck out of each other," Williams says.

Following a recent MLW show, Dr. Death spent the weekend visiting "patients" at a fan fest in South Florida and hanging with one of his tough guy friends, Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

"We're going to have fruitcake and eggnog," the 42-year-old Williams jokes. "I can only have eggnog nowadays."

Williams, a native of Norman, Okla., debuted in the pro ranks in 1982. Prior to his career in pro wrestling, Williams was a star football player and wrestler at Oklahoma University.

A three-time All-American in wrestling, Williams twice won the Big 8 title. In his senior season, Bruce Baumgartner edged Williams 4-3 in the NCAA heavyweight wrestling finals. Baumgartner later captured the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics.

Also an All-American in football, Williams twice helped OU win the Big 8 championship, and competed in three Orange Bowls and a Sun Bowl.

"I was back at OU a couple of months ago for the Colorado game," Williams says. "I'm not much of a fan to sit out in the rain all day. It was raining terrible. I don't drink anymore, so I can't go to the pub. So, I went to the jock dorm where all the athletes stay. I went over there, and they had a big TV screen, and we watched it there.

"I don't get to stay up with OU like I liked to because I'm out of the country a lot. I'm in Japan. As soon as I leave the United States, I become Japanese. I've been doing that for 17 years, and I love it."

A 1978 graduate of Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Colo., he earned a football scholarship to Oklahoma. That's where he gained the nickname Dr. Death for his extremely tough reputation. Graduating OU in 1982 with a bachelor of science degree in Health and Recreation, he signed a contract with the USFL's New Jersey Generals.

A 6'1", 265-pound offensive guard, he was cut in 1983. Wrestling promoter Bill Watts quickly offered Williams a contract with the Universal Wrestling Federation, and an amazing journey began.

"Last year, I went through seven broken ribs and didn't miss one tour," Williams says. When people say Dr. Death is the toughest man in pro wrestling, I'd say I am. I went through 108 stitches and then went out the next 20 minutes and had a match. I love wrestling. I've been everywhere in the world except Europe and Germany, and that's where I'd like to go."

In 1985, Doc earned most improved honors in the UWF. He enjoyed much success in singles and tag action. He also teamed with Ted DiBiase, and they were the runners-up as tag team of the year. In 1986, Williams defeated One Man Gang in 21:43 in Houston to become the winner of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated/ UWF Challenge Cup Tournament.

In 1990 and 1991, Terry Gordy and Williams become the first Americans to win the All Japan tag-team title tournament consecutive years. In 1992, Gordy and Williams captured the NWA/ WCW world tag-team titles. In 1994, Doc won All Japan's Tripe Crown.