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JR's Blog: Thoughts On A Friend Named Dr. Death

Posted: Jan 2nd 2010 By: CMBurnham

Since Steve "Dr. Death Williams passed away earlier this week I have not addressed the matter until now. Losing Steve, which came as no major surprise knowing how sick he was in the final days of his life, has affected me in ways that words cannot adequately describe.

I grew up an only child and somehow from a rural, eastern Oklahoma background made my way into the unique and challenge business of professional wrestling.

Then in the late 70's, I inherited a "younger brother" by the name of Doctor Death. That began a 30+ year relationship that was challenged at times but it never failed us because of the foundation upon which it was constructed.

Like Steve, that foundation was rock solid, strong, and seemingly indestructible.

OU wrestling coach Stan Abel called his boyhood friend Cowboy Bill Watts in the late 70's about Stan's starting heavyweight aptly nicknamed "Dr. Death" and told him that Doc was "born to be a pro wrestler." Cowboy wasted no time in making the contact with Steve and their relationship began with Bill the mentor and Steve the student. (Cowboy would provide Doc with ample doses of "tough love" that a lesser man would never have been able to survive.)

I was always in awe of Doc as I had never seen a man of his size, he was 330 when he first signed with Watts while still a student at OU, with the quickness, flexibility and reflexes of this powerhouse. Obviously, Doc's strength was remarkable as he was a 500 pound bench presser and had to ability to do leg presses with all the weights that were able to fit on the machine in the OU weight room.

Heck, I remember Doc military pressing 300 pound Terry Gordy several times inside a cage extending his arms so that Bam Bam's back was touching the back of the cage.

However, as strong as Doc was, as quick as he was, and as generally athletic as he was, he had a heart of gold and was blessed with a kind, gentle spirit and a loving heart.

These are rare traits in a business not known for its tender side.

Doc formed an amazing team with a young Ted DiBiase who would go on to become the "Million Dollar Man." This team complimented each other amazingly well was Teddy could talk, had great crowd psychology and knew how to utilize Doc has Teddy's "stopper." There is not a tag team in the business today that could not improve their skills by studying Doc and DiBiase's in ring work.

Of course, Doc's most physically dominating tag partner was Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy of Freebird fame. These two were absolute beasts as a team and are arguably one of the top, small handful of tag teams of all time. I worked diligently to help bring these two men to WCW back in the day and the moment that they walked in the locker room business picked up in the tag team world.

WWE owns all the WCW footage and perhaps some day you will be able to see just how dominating and marketable Doc and Bam Bam were during their WCW run. Japanese fans and fans of Japanese wrestling certainly know.

Prior to coming to WCW, the Dr. Death vs. One man Gang bouts I had the privilege of calling plus Doc's UWF Title win in OKC over Big Bubba Rogers aka The Big Bossman were classics. Doc vs. Big Bubba for Bubba's UWF Title was a "clinic" and if you are a fan of the wrestling business that emphasized in ring performances and athleticism over sizzle then you should find this match and enjoy it.

When I brought Doc to WWE, I saw him as being toward the end of his physical peak period but with enough fuel to do big business with Steve Austin. Doc would need a mouthpiece but once the bell rung I always felt that the physicality and athleticism of the two "Steve Williams" would be spectacularly "Old School" and do nothing but draw money.

We never got there due to the ill fated and poorly conceived "Brawl for it All" which saw Doc lose to a very tough Bart Gunn after Doc continued to fight after tearing the quadriceps (thigh muscle) off the bone. Folk lore has it that as the head of talent that I "penalized" Bart Gunn for him simply doing his job and disposing of his opponent, in this case Doc, which is so ridiculous that it's laughable. Bart's creative burial was not a talent relations issue.

Doc never really recovered from the "Brawl for it All" from an internal perception stand point and I think that his close relationship with me also did him no favors. We both talked about that situation on many occasions over the years but overwhelmingly agree that our friendship that began in the 70's was more important that any "run" with WWE or any other company would ever have been. We had both been in the business long enough to know that lasting friendships were a rare commodity in the wrestling game.

We were paired on Monday Night Raw with another "beaut" of an idea where a disgruntled J.R. would return after one of my bouts of Bells palsy with Doc as my "bodyguard" to re-take my position as the play by play voice of Monday Night Raw. I've always looked at the storyline as somewhat lame but it did keep Doc working until he could hopefully get his shot in the ring.

Doc did the same role in WCW with Ed Ferrara playing "Oklahoma" and many fans have asked me if I was ever angry at Steve for this portrayal. Not no, but Hell no, as he was doing his job for which he was booked. Steve, like me, was old school and old school guys most generally do as they are instructed/booked no matter if they like it or not. I can give you a list of several things that I have done in wrestling that I did not like but that I did anyway because that was simply my job. (Some folks have condemned me for some of these TV moments and have called me a "sellout" which is also laughable.) Steve was doing his job for which he was hired on to do and paid for his services. Plain and simple.

I could likely write much more about Steve "Dr. Death" Williams and perhaps I will in the coming days as my many memories of our times together continue to flood my mind. If I ever commit on writing a book about my career you can be sure that there will be a chapter on Doc. Without question, Steve "Dr. Death" Williams comprised an important aspect of my professional career but more importantly Doc was one of my best pals and who will hold a special place in my heart until the day that I die.

Many of you have sent me emails to our Q&A section but there is simply no way that I can address them all individually but I do want you all to know that they are appreciated. I also received a ton of emails and texts from a true "who's who" in the business of which which touched me greatly.

Steve Williams had an overwhelming faith in God and that was his greatest gift and asset in his latter days. It was also inspirational to those of us that were closest to him.

Through Doc, I have learned that Faith has to be one's top priority so at the end of the day the "Good Doctor" prescribed me the best medicine one person can provide another.

Thanks, Doc. I love you and will never forget you.

Jimbo

Tags: Steve Williams, Bill Watts, Terry Gordy, Ted DiBiase, WCW, WWE, One Man Gang, UWF, Bubba Rogers, Ed Ferrara