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

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]

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

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bill Miller profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Johnson, Steven; Oliver, Greg (2010). Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. pp. 261–264. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Murphy, Dan; Young, Brian (2021). The Wrestlers' Wrestlers: The Masters of the Craft of Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 66–70. ISBN 9781773056876.
  5. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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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