Ian Rotten

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John Williams


Statistics
Ring name(s)	Ian Rotten Johnny Lawler Zach Blades The Midnight Rider Ian Bloody
Billed height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Billed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Born	June 1, 1969 Baltimore, Maryland
Resides	Louisville, Kentucky
Billed from	Newcastle upon Tyne The Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas
Trained by	Axl Rotten
Debut	August 10, 1990
Retired	December 7, 2007

For other persons named John Williams, see John Williams (disambiguation).

John Williams is a American professional wrestler better known as Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in GWF, ECW, and his own IWA: Mid-South.

1 Career
2 In wrestling
3 Championships and accomplishments
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Career

After becoming a fan of Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham while growing up in Florida, John Williams began his career as Johnny Lawler, the storyline illegitimate son of Jerry "The King" Lawler. However, after heat from Jerry Lawler, and a short stint as hockey gimmick Zach Blades, Williams went to wrestle for Skandor Akbar in the Global Wrestling Federation. Akbar wasn't a fan of the Zach Blades gimmick, and after Brian Knighton suggested they become "brothers", they became Ian and Axl Rotten, the Bad Breed. The Bad Breed would go on to defeat the Texas Mustangs (Bobby Duncum, Jr. & Johnny Hawk) for the GWF Tag Team Championship in January 1993.

The Bad Breed entered Extreme Championship Wrestling together in 1993, and after feuding for a number of months, they lost a tag match against The Public Enemy, where the losing team could never team up again. This led to what was probably ECW's bloodiest ever feud, during the first six months of 1995, where Ian and Axl Rotten engaged in a number of violent gimmick matches, culminating in a Taipei Death Match, which saw both men tape their fists, and then glue broken glass onto their taped fists.^[1]

Ian left ECW in late 1995 over pay disputes, and moved to Kentucky to be with his wife and started a wrestling hotline. Ian found that many fans were calling in to complain about the "old fashioned" style of wrestling they were seeing at the local USWA shows run by Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett, and, realising there was a demand for the more violent ECW-style product, started the IWA Mid-South promotion in early 1997. Throughout the next ten years, Ian would be involved in many of the most violent matches that IWA Mid-South held, as well as wrestling for Combat Zone Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, Chikara and many others, as well as making an appearance at the Hardcore Homecoming shows in 2005, including the Taipei Death 2 rematch against Axl Rotten.

Rotten wrestled his retirement match at IWA Mid-South's 499th event, against "his best trainee" Mickie Knuckles, in Plainfield, Indiana on December 7, 2007. However, he has since broke that retirement twice, wrestling for JCW as Ian Bloody and Combat Zone Wrestling.

[edit] In wrestling

Finishing and signature moves
- Rotten Rush (Double underhook DDT)
- Career Killer (Diving elbow drop)
- This Is Gonna Hurt (Chair shot)
- Sambo suplex
- Falling chokebomb
- Brainbuster
- Corkscrew elbow smash
- Head vice
- Snap suplex
- Pumphandle slam

Nicknames
- The King of Hardcore

Entrance Themes
- The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
- When I'm Gone by Three Doors Down
- Bring the Noise by Public Enemy

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

Global Wrestling Federation

GWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Axl Rotten

Independent Wrestling Association Deep South

IWA Deep South Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mickie Knuckles

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Axl Rotten twice, with Cash Flo, Tarek The Great and Mad Man Pondo once
IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch (2 times) 1997 and 2001

Mid-American Wrestling

MAW World Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
MAW Hardcore Cup Winner (2 times - 2001 and 2003)

National Wrestling Alliance

NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Blaze

Pro Wrestling Unplugged

PWU Hardcore Championship

westside Xtreme wrestling

wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
wXw Hardcore Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him # 277 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1993
PWI ranked him # 301 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1994
PWI ranked him # 180 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1995
PWI ranked him # 178 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1996
PWI ranked him # 181 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1997
PWI ranked him # 310 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1998
PWI ranked him # 347 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 1999
PWI ranked him # 352 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2000
PWI ranked him # 323 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2002
PWI ranked him # 346 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
PWI Feud of the Year - 1995 (Axl Rotten vs. Ian Rotten)