10 British Wrestlers Who Had Profound Impact In America
6. Doug Williams
A former national judo champion, Doug Williams first match was in 1993 (where a young MC called Dean Ayass also worked his first ever show). A product of Andre Bakers Hammerlock School of Wrestling, Williams was clearly the star pupil, entering into a main event feud with his trainer. Moving to the FWA, where he became a headliner, his first venture to the US came with Sheldon Goldbergs New England Championship Wrestling. Williams first major break in the US came at the seminal King of Indies event in 2001, which also featured Bryan Danielson, Low Ki, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian and Spanky, and was the inspiration for Ring of Honor starting up the following year. Williams made several appearances for ROH in the early part of the decade, facing Danielson in his debut and challenging for the ROH World Championship later that same year. In 2004, Williams captured the ROH Pure Championship, defeating Alex Shelley in the tournament final. While being a regular part of the Pro Wrestling NOAH roster in Japan, Williams continued to make appearances for ROH, and in 2008, he was selected to represent Team International in TNAs World X Cup tournament, and continued to make regular appearances for TNA thereafter. As part of the British Invasion stable, he captured both the TNA and IWGP World Tag Team Championships, and once the stable split, he embarked upon a successful run as a singles competitor, winning the X Division Championship in January 2010. He then became a member of the headline stable Fortune, sharing the TV screen with the likes of Ric Flair and AJ Styles. By the end of the year, Williams had turned face and left the stable, and in December 2010, he enjoyed the biggest win of his career in the United States, when he cleanly pinned AJ Styles with his own Styles Clash manoeuvre to win the World Television Championship at the Final Resolution PPV. He lost the belt to Abyss the following month and then fell down the pecking order after a change in booker. After making only sporadic appearances on screen, Williams was appointed as a trainer in TNAs developmental territory, OVW, but was then given his contract release in 2013.
Dean Ayass is a well known name to British wrestling fans. A commentator, manager, booker and ring announcer who has been involved in the business since 1993, Dean's insight into the business is second to none.
