Steve Williams on What Doomed Mid-South Wrestling

[@TitleMatchWrestling]

RIP to the late-great Steve Williams Stream the Full Shoot Interview (2001) titlematchnetwork.com/wrestling-shoot-interviews-results/

[@thomasmuller1425]

Imagine Dr. Death as NWA World Heavyweight Champion during the Jim Crocket Promotion days. I think even if it was a short run where Ric Flair wins the title back, I think that could've been a huge moment for Steve Williams.

[@fjccommish]

For whatever reason, he never got that push.

[@mattmuller3756]

100% UWF purchase and wasted performers was one of the major mistakes that ended Crockett and forced the purchase of JCP by Turner. UWF vs JCP Starrcade '87 may of been huge if booked correct.

[@fjccommish]

@@mattmuller3756 Steve looked like a wrestler, conducted himself like a wrestler, performed in the ring - he was made into an upper mid carder = ridiculous.

[@michaeldalton8374]

As a teen, UWF was AWESOME!!!

[@jimh.412]

I loved the UWF. 💪💪

[@tigerconway]

loved seeing midsouth or UWF every sunday night at 10:30 had lots of talents loved it...

[@CactusJacksEar]

Absolute legend.

[@dominicalberto2179]

He gives good interviews. It is too bad he passed away at 49!

[@Lantern72]

Yeah- i always thought the initial plan was to have a title unification match at the 88 crockett cup. Flair would obviously go over- but the fans got cheated out of that angle. The flair/ koloff title match at the cup made no sense- because koloff had been away for awhile. The williams/flair run wouldve given some closure to the UWF title. It was a pretty prestigious belt for the time. I think it desrved a better ending- than to just do away with it on the spot. Even the house show run was scrapped. It was advertised as flairvl v dr death at the richmond Coliseum in 88- but the card was scrapped come match time. Like he said- he only had a match or 2 one on one.

[@mattmuller3756]

yeah or Starcadde 87' UWF vs JCP may of been great if booked right...

[@Censored4UViaGoogle]

What a lackluster main event. Flair is so overrated. Same promo and match for 40 years

[@Lantern72]

@Spooky_515 sigh.... Flair put asses in the seats. Just because a bunch of jealous a**hats all wanna repeat the same lame speech. All that "Hes overrated ", "same match" bullsh** means nothing, as its coming from a bunch of haters- who could never do what Flairs done. He worked the schedule, and he led the promotion. He and Dr Death were both huge stars during that time. So yes- it wouldve been a nice series of matches.

[@arturoalmazan5262]

The same way World class championship wrestling died ; Mid South; had potential but it didnt survive. they had all the talent but ; the wwf ran everything in the late 80s and early 90s till WCW gave them competition with the Nwo. RIP dr death steve Williams 🙏

[@glocksNgrippers]

I always thought Steve Williams and Jim Duggan would been a very successful tag team on the national level.

[@at0micwerew0lf]

I grew up on Mid South/UWF...That woulda been one helluva burly tag team.

[@mattmuller3756]

be a great tandem in Japan in my opinion

[@Pillar5770]

I agree. WCW missed out on that opportunity in 1999. Duggan, Williams, and Gordy would have dominated the tag division.

[@bobnewfart]

Teddy and Steve were one of the top 5 tag teams of all time IMO while in MId Shouth

[@TrevyTrev-andTheFunkyPets]

Yes it would’ve. But him & Debiase was great. Duggan & Jake the Snake was a brief team was a cool.

[@danielmoore411]

These old school promoters didn’t understand( or only understood in part) that wrestling was a TV product. Vince for all his faults understood marketing, production, and later pay per view. Vince ran a television program that had a little bit of wrestling. It attracted all ages. Watts, Von Erich, the Crocketts etc were running a house show wrestling program on TV marketed at a male demographic. Hence the reason they trailed Vince.

[@robertshowermanjr6645]

One hell of a good football player as well as wrestler

[@PatBrooks-u6w]

Doc's right about Mid-South. Trying to reach out to Anaheim, Philadelphia, Atlanta, etc. didn't work. If they stayed Mid-South and worked the territory (maybe going into DFW, but no more than that until they were more financially stable), they could have lasted longer. If Memphis went another 10 years, Mid-South definitely could have.

[@Censored4UViaGoogle]

Memphis had better storylines and Mid south went down hill after they lost JYD. They didn’t have a star to build around after that. They had potential stars but Watts didn’t realize wrestling fans wanted entertainment not 20 minute wrist locks

[@PatBrooks-u6w]

@@Censored4UViaGoogle They weren't wrestling fans then.

[@karlvanslyke9059]

If Bill Watts would have stayed in that territory the whole wrestling business would be completely different

[@JasonQuinn-qq4om]

You can say what you want about Bill Watts but he understood professional wrestling. Go back and watch those old Mid-South/UWF shows. Tons of talent interesting story lines. Steve is right. Bill tried to go nationwide and failed.

[@mox19380]

I really admire Dr. Death. Flair didn't want to do a program with him because he had other, better options (Luger, Sting, Steamboat, Funk). Flair had worked with everyone from real shooters (Harley Race) to complete gimmicks (Hogan). so it doesn't really add up that he wouldn't work with Dr. Death because he was a legit wrestler. Hell Flair was a state champion wrestler himself

[@ZenOfMKVLI]

Very few people have something bad to say about Bill Watts and his approach to the Wrestling business.

[@xhuntarianx]

Scott Steiner did, he tried to fight Watts but apparently Watts threatened to shoot him lol

[@thomass789]

@@xhuntarianxBut to be fair, Watts was older at that time. Of course Steiner would have beat up a guy Watt’s age, especially because Scotty was a legit tough guy and accomplished amateur wrestler.

[@thomass789]

Most of Watts’s critics are the people who worked under him at WCW, and there are quite a few. I loved Mid-South, but some of the stories of how Watts behaved and treated people in WCW are not exactly flattering to the Cowboy.

[@xhuntarianx]

@@thomass789 I get that of course Scott in his prime against an older retired Watts wouldn't be a fair fight. My point was more that there were definitely people that had a problem with Watts' business tactics, to the point of wanting to fight him even.

[@jimbrown5091]

Barry Windham, Jake Roberts and several others buried Watts as a person. Both from Midsouth and WCW there a lot of people who didn't like Watts.

[@Scorch1028]

Erik Watts entertained audiences around the world as one-half of Tekno Team 2000.

[@johnjones9699]

Hell yeah 😁

[@msoi215]

#RIPDrDeath

[@tobysgamingworld1550]

“Was Bill Watts a uh uh Bully to you?” LMBO was he a bully to a Dr Death in his early 20’s that looked like a white Incredible Hulk? Naw I doubt he tried bullying him. 😂😂😂that’s not a guy you bully.

[@paulbenoit6076]

The point of this is to entertain the fans and not injure your partner in the entertainment.

[@Censored4UViaGoogle]

True but to do so you can’t be a delicate little tulip

[@CactusJacksEar]

Flair didn't fully grow.

[@davidcota4978]

🦁

[@mahmud9973]

Hello

[@NoneofYabiz-rx3zi]

All the marks talking bout tough guys. None of them understood the true essence of the business. It's all supposed to be a work! You're not supposed to hurt anyone or get hurt yourself. You're supposed to make it look legit without actually hurting anyone. And being a tough guy is soooo overrated. Look at all the tough guys once the get older. In constant, chronic pain with a lower quality of life all because they wanted to show off how tough they could be. That's just dumb and shortsighted asf.

[@Grisna_25-]

Steve

[@JWS1985]

Williams

[@JackDaniels-pl1mv]

​@@JWS1985 Dr. Death

[@Goawaykidyoubotherme]

Vince taking everyone

[@dustyhaynes5688]

Steve keeps talking about getting screwed out of opportunities. You think he got screwed or do you think he wasnt all he claims to be? If he was all he says he was he would have had ample opportunities.

[@psychicgangstalker]

All i can say is watch his ajpw matches from 90-99 and his tag team matches with Terry Gordy. Idk if he could cut promos but he could tear the house down every night

[@richardwang1739]

I can't stand this guy repeatedly putting himself over at every moment

[@tormmac]

no one would know who he was if JR wasnt a Khan-tier Sooners mark

[@rockfresh1993]

Click off the dam video

[@mayorhaggar1275]

Sometimes you gotta put yourself over.

[@albalog2449]

This interview was in the early 2000s when he had a career resurgence in AJPW (All Japan). His confidence was very high, and for a guy his age his run from January 2000 to January 2003 was a lot of fun.

[@tysman621]

He was over and isn't the young Schmucks so he can do that!