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Ian Rotten

Real name: John Benson Williams

Birth date: June 01, 1970

Trained by: Axl Rotten

Ring Names: Ian Rotten, Johnny Lawler, Zach Blades

Debut: August 10, 1990

Championships and accomplishments

In wrestling

John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and his wrestling promotion IWA: Mid-South.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

After becoming a fan of Dusty Rhodes and "Superstar" Billy Graham while growing up in Florida and Baltimore, Maryland, John Williams, began his career under the name Johnny Lawler, the storyline illegitimate son of Jerry "The King" Lawler. After a short stint as hockey gimmick Zach Blades, Williams went to wrestle in the Global Wrestling Federation.

Bad Breed

In GWF, Williams formed The Bad Breed, a tag team with Brian Knighton as brothers Ian and Axl Rotten, respectively. They defeated the Texas Mustangs (Bobby Duncum, Jr. & Johnny Hawk) for the GWF Tag Team Championship in January 1993, losing the titles shortly thereafter. In June 1994 in Extreme Championship Wrestling, the Bad Breed started a feud with The Public Enemy over the ECW Tag Team Championship, but never won the title.

Later career

The Rotten brothers briefly feuded with each other prior to Williams' termination from ECW in late 1995. He moved to Kentucky, where he started a wrestling hotline followed by the IWA Mid-South promotion in early 1996. IWA was controversial for its use of violent and bloody hardcore wrestling. In 2008, IWA and Williams were investigated by Indiana State Police over the violence in their shows. In 2011, IWA shut down and was restarted by a third party, with Williams making occasional appearances.
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