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Dr. Bill Miller

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Dr. Bill Miller
Birth nameWilliam M. Miller
Born(1927-06-05)June 5, 1927
Fremont, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 24, 1997(1997-03-24) (aged 69)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materOhio State University
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Big Bill Miller
Dr. Bill Miller
Doctor "X"
Mr. M
The Crimson Knight
Billed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[1]
Billed weight290 lb (130 kg)[1]
Billed fromFremont, Ohio[1]
Debut1951
Retired1976

William M. Miller[2] (June 5, 1927 – March 24, 1997) was an American professional wrestler. He was a one time American Wrestling Association world champion and also wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance, the World Wrestling Association and the World Wide Wrestling Federation.

Professional wrestling career

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Born on June 5, 1927, Miller was raised on the Twin Pines Farm in Fremont.[3][4] He was a nine-letterman at Ohio State University in wrestling, football and track; he was also a member of the OSU team that won the 1950 Rose Bowl.[1][5] He was an all-american heavyweight wrestler, a two-time Big Ten heavyweight champion, and Conference MVP in his senior year.[3][5] Miller was also an All-American shot-put and discus track star.[1][3] He was voted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 for both wrestling and track.[1]

After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Miller began to wrestle professionally in Columbus under promoter Al Haft.[4] He became a veterinarian while starting his wrestling career, hence, the "Dr." in his name.[3][1][4] On May 1, 1952, Miller defeated Don Eagle to win the Ohio version of the AWA title, until losing it on September 2 to Don Arnold.[3][4] He wrestled as "Mr. M" in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and held the AWA title for over seven months while engaging in a feud with Verne Gagne.[4] On August 21, 1962, Mr. M was unmasked by Gagne.[2] Under his own name, he wrestled in the Detroit area with The Sheik (Eddie Farhat) through the 60s. Miller also donned a mask as the Crimson Knight, until November 20, 1970, when he lost to Dory Funk Jr. and was subsequently unmasked by him.[3][2] Near the end of his career, he worked for the WWA with Dick the Bruiser in the Indianapolis area.[2] He was also a frequent challenger to Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Championship in the mid-1960s, facing him in a one-hour bout and a 48 second squash loss.[4]

Bill and Dan Miller, c. 1973

In the early 1960s, Bill teamed with both his storyline brother Big Ed Miller, and real life brother Danny Miller.[5][6] From August 1965 to February 1966, Bill and Danny held the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, winning it from Gorilla Monsoon & Cowboy Bill Watts, but losing them to Johnny Valentine & Antonio Pugliese in Madison Square Garden.[4][1] He was also a part of a brutal feud against Ray Stevens for the San Francisco version of the United States title, leading to a death match between the two on June 21, 1969, at the Cow Palace, where guest referee Rocky Marciano knocked out Miller, disappointed in his rule breaking tactics.[4]

After retiring from the ring in 1976,[1] he returned to his first love of veterinarian medicine and opened a practice in Ohio, performing autopsies on animals.[3][4]

Death

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On March 24, 1997, Miller died of a heart attack at the age of 69, after working out at a gym while leaving the building.[2][3] He was survived by his wife and six kids.[2]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Bill Miller profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson, Steven; Oliver, Greg (2010). Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. pp. 261–264. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Murphy, Dan; Young, Brian (2021). The Wrestlers' Wrestlers: The Masters of the Craft of Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 66–70. ISBN 9781773056876.
  5. ^ a b c Mooneyham, Mike (June 9, 2013). "MOONEYHAM COLUMN: Pro wrestling great Danny Miller filled big shoes". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Industries. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Oliver, Greg (July 10, 2005). "Newton HOF set to grow by six". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  7. ^ "AWA United States Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "AWA World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "World Heavyweight Title (Nebraska)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "Texas Brass Knucks Title [East Texas]". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  11. ^ "IWA World Heavyweight Title (Japan)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Whalen, Ed (host) (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990". Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart. Event occurs at 15:38. Shaw Cable. Calgary 7.
  13. ^ "IWA World Tag Team Title (Australia)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  14. ^ "WWA World Tag Team Title (Indiana)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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