John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), and his own 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 Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

and

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, 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.

The Bad Breed

In GWF, Williams formed The Bad Breed, a tag team with

Brian Knighton Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with Worl ...

as brothers Ian and Axl Rotten, respectively. They defeated the Texas Mustangs (

Bobby Duncum, Jr. Bobby Edward Duncum Jr. (August 26, 1965 – January 24, 2000) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as a member of The West Texas Rednecks. Professional wrestling career E ...

& 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 Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, 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.

Personal life

Williams is the father of John Calvin Glenn, known also by the ring name of J.C. Rotten.

Championships and accomplishments

**ACW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Drake Younger * Global Wrestling Federation ** GWF Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) - with Axl Rotten * Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South **

IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Championship is the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title debuted at the "Crowning of a Champion" event on April 3, 1997, when Tower of Doom won a twelve man tournamen ...

( 8 times) ** IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship ( 5 times) - with Axl Rotten (2), Cash Flo (1), Tarek the Great (1) and Mad Man Pondo (1) ** IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch ( 1997,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

) * Juggalo Championship Wrestling ** JCW Tag Team Championship ( 1 times) - with Lane Bloody * NWA New Jersey ** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(New Jersey version)'' ( 1 time) - with Blaze * NWA Revolution **NWA Revolution Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Danny McKay *

Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its even ...

** wXw World Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **wXw Hardcore Championship (1 time)

References

External link

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rotten, Ian 1970 births American male professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestling promoters ECW Originals members People from Baltimore Professional wrestlers from Maryland 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers GWF Tag Team Champions