UK wrestling legend Doug Williams retirement lasted longer than Terry Funks average retirement, but it seems to be over as he is set to face Michael Elgin in Pro Wrestling NOAH.
The 47 year old grappler retired in December 2018, after facing Yoshinari Ogawa for Pro Wrestling NOAH, and has laid dormant for a close to a year. This will change in January 2020 when he faces Elgin.
Doug Williams Legacy
Williams made his name in companies like Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. He predated the indy boom in the UK, but appeared in companies like Progress where he was a former Atlas Champion. His ring work is highly regarded, and you’ll struggle to find a bad match of his, he could be lightly compared to fellow UK legend William Regal in that regard.
Is This A Full Return?
With Williams being a fairly major name in the history books of Pro Wrestling NOAH, and 2020 being their 20th anniversary as a wrestling company, this return to the Japanese company might be in honor of that. It’s unclear why Williams initially retired, and he might remain semi-retired, and just work matches occasionally.
Pro Wrestling NOAH
NOAH is a company who have been struggling for years, unable to really come back from the tragic death of their founder, the legendary Mitsuharu Misawa. Misawa is arguably one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots, but years of dangerous bumps took their toll and he died in the middle of the ring in a tag match. Since then, they’ve gotten by but never reached the same heights as when he was around.
Their current ace Kaito Kiyomiya carries on his legacy, recently defending the GHC Heavyweight Title in a fantastic bout with Kenoh. They are a company who are trying their best to rise back up, but they will never be the level they were in the early to mid 2000’s, when they were true rivals to New Japan Pro Wrestling. They even sold out the Tokyo Dome in 2005.
