Ian Dean (3 July 1970 – 13 August 2018) was an English

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, best known as Doc Dean. He worked for

All Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW), also known as Super Slam Wrestling (SSW), is a British professional wrestling promotion founded by Brian Dixon in 1970 and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, i ...

, often teaming with

Robbie Brookside Robert Edward Brooks (born 11 March 1966), better known by his ring name Robbie Brookside, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a trainer/producer for the NXT brand. He has toured all over the w ...

as The Liverpool Lads. In 1997, he participated on

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

Best of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (stylized as the BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. and often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Supe ...

tournament, defeating

Jushin Thunder Liger , better known as and later , is a Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer. He is the longest-tenured member of the NJPW roster, having work ...

. He also worked televised matches for

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

in the late 1990s.

Professional wrestling career

Dean made his debut at the age of 14 in 1984 for

(ASW). He worked for the promotion throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He teamed with

to form The Liverpool Lads, a successful

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. Together, they held the ASW British Tag Team Championship twice. They team disbanded after Dean turned on partner Brookside, setting up a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

between the two. Later they would reconcile only for Brookside to turn on Dean in 1995 in Croydon. However they later reconciled again, this time permanently. The duo were the subject of a

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

video diary that captured matches, backstage footage, and details about life on the road. On occasions, Dean teamed up with the third member of The Liverpool Lads, Frankie Sloan. The three toured Africa, Asia, and Europe. As a singles wrestler, Dean also held the

British Welterweight Championship The British Welterweight Championship is the welterweight professional wrestling championship competed for throughout the Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom, British wrestling circuit. The championship was recognised and defended on m ...

twice. In 1997, Dean attended the

tournament for

, during which he defeated

and

Chavo Guerrero Jr. Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Fe ...

He met

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

in Japan, who later recounted their time together in his autobiography ''A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex''. Later that year, he signed a contract with

(WCW) and he and Brookside appeared on ''

WCW Saturday Night ''WCW Saturday Night'' is an American weekly Saturday night television show on TBS that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarn ...

'' and ''

WCW Main Event ''WCW Main Event'', originally ''NWA Main Event'', is an American televised wrestling program of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from April 3, 1988 to January 3, 1998. For most of its run, it was the promotion's secondary show and ...

'' as enhancement talent. Dean worked for WCW until July 1998, when he decided to retire from wrestling due to injuries.

Personal life

Dean set up his own

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses piping, pipes, valves, piping and plumbing fitting, plumbing fixtures, Storage tank, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. HVAC, Heating and co ...

business in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

shortly after retiring. He later had to quit his job due to neck and back injuries. He had three children. His had his son Adam with female wrestler

Klondyke Kate Jayne Porter (born 10 May 1962) is an English female professional wrestler known by her ring name Klondyke Kate. She wrestled for All Star Wrestling, holding their British Women's Championship, which she won in a match featured in a BBC2 docume ...

. On 13 August 2018, Dean died from a heart attack at his home in Orlando, Florida; he was 48 years old. After his death, Klondyke Kate opened a fundraising page to raise money to send Dean's body across the Atlantic to be buried in his hometown of Liverpool.

Championships and accomplishments

:* ASW British Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with

(2 times) * European Wrestling Union :*EWU European Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Robbie Brookside *Other Championships :*

British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship The British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that although being created in England, was most notorious in Japan. History Not long after its creation in 1995, the title made its way to Michin ...

( 1 time)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Ian 1970 births 2018 deaths English male professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Liverpool English emigrants to the United States British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Champions 20th-century English sportsmen