Former Shreveporter Steve Williams Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame

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It's WrestleMania week, one of the biggest weeks in sports. Many people will claim that professional wrestling isn't a real sport and doesn't deserve to mentioned in the same breathe as let's say the Super Bowl. But, the reality is that WrestleMania typically one of the highest attended sports events in the world, has a massive economic impact on the towns that host the event and is one of the Top 5 sporting events as far as financial value in the world out performing things like the College Football Playoffs, the Final Four and World Series. In short, Mania Week is a big deal.

And last night, Mania Week kicked off with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Stars like Kane (Glen Jacobs), Rob Van Dam and JBL all were honored and celebrated. There was also a name and face us here in Shreveport are very familiar with - "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing. The Legacy wing is reserved for the best pro wrestlers who made an impact during the 'territory days' outside of the WWE.

Williams is a pro wrestling legend winning numerous titles around the world (mostly in Japan) and was widely considered one of the best wrestlers of his generation. However, for us here in Shreveport-Bossier, Dr. Death wasn't just a pro wrestler...he was one of us.

After his USFL Football career ended, Williams began training to become a professional wrestler. After getting trained in the profession by "Cowboy" Bill Watts, he started working for Watts' Mid-South Wrestling/UWF. In case you've forgotten, Mid-South filmed the majority of their national television shows at Shreveport's Irish McNeil's Boys Club at the Fair Grounds.

Basically, Steve spent so much time working in Shreveport, he just moved here and stayed for a large portion of his life. He owned a gym here in town. He was a frequent guest on 'The Big Dog' K945. He was a major part of our community up until he passed away due to cancer in 2009.

And as great as Steve was in the ring, he was even better out of it. He may have looked like a killer, but the reality is he was a really sweet guy with an amazing sense of humor. He was a great guy and a great wrestler. I can't think of anyone more deserving of the title Hall of Famer.

Below is one of Dr. Death's visits to the K945 morning show where Erin McCarty challenges Steve to a fight. It's hilarious and worth the listen.

To the Williams family, congratulations on this long overdue honor