Al Williams was an American
professional wrestler. He was a prominent competitor of the early
television era of professional wrestling, appearing on national telecasts for
Fred Kohler's NWA Chicago territory.
He held several titles throughout his career and was a former
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and
NWA World Tag Team Champion.
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Williams began his career in 1933 in
Chicago wrestling at the Northwest Arena for NWA Chicago. The following year, he wrestled throughout the
American South
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
for territories including NWA Tri-State in Arkansas,
Harry Light Wrestling Office in Detroit and Al Haft Sports in Ohio. Williams became a mainstay for these promotions during the 1930s.
By the outbreak of World II in 1939, Williams had become a prominent feature in the Chicago territory.
USO plane crash
In 1945, he was a part of a
USO wrestling tour in benefit of Allied troops in Europe.
On March 3, 1945, the tour's plane crashed in
France midway from England to Paris, resulting in the death of six wrestlers (George Mack, Jack Ross, Gerald "Kid" Chapman, Harold "Al" Sabath, Gaius W. Young and Ben Reuben) along with an additional ten inhabitants of the plane. It remains the largest loss of wrestling personnel life in a wreckage.
For reasons unknown, Al Williams - the seventh member of the group - was not on board the flight and thus survived.
Williams returned to the United States soon after the tragedy and at the same month, headlined a Fred Kohler NWA Chicago event, the proceeds of which went to the children and widows of his colleagues who perished in the crash. All six wrestlers had been wrestling for Fred Kohler prior to the wreckage.
Television era and championship victories
In September 1945, Williams became the Midwest Junior Heavyweight Champion.
He was a standout wrestler for the following decade in the NWA's junior heavyweight division, becoming the
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion in August 1948
and having memorable feuds with wrestlers such as
Billy Goelz
William Charles Goelz (January 3, 1918 – November 20, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, booker and trainer who was a prominent competitor in the National Wrestling Alliance throughout the 1940s, 50s and 60s. He held 16 championship ...
.
During the 1940s and 50s, Williams was a prominent competitor in the early
television era of professional wrestling, appearing on national telecasts for Fred Kohler's NWA Chicago territory.
Heavily tattooed, he was an eye-catching feature-wrestler on programming broadcast out of the Marigold Garden. Alongside his success as a singles competitor he also wrestled in the Chicago territory and throughout the Midwest as part of a prominent "roughneck" tag team with Rudy Kay.
His in-ring career lasted until the mid-1970s, taking Williams throughout the United States and
Canada. He wrestled his last recorded match while working for
Vince McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation (now
WWE) in a time limit draw against Pete Doherty in Albany, New York
Championships and accomplishments
*
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
**
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
**
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Indianapolis version) (2 times)
** NWA Midwest Junior Heavyweight Championship
** Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
** Intermountain Junior Heavyweight Championship
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Al
American male professional wrestlers
Sportspeople from Chicago
20th-century professional wrestlers
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champions