Rockin' Rebel - In Cold Blood
In recent years the far seedier side of the professional wrestling business has been coming out more and more, thanks to the influx of wrestler biographies, shoot interviews, and of course, the phenomenal Dark Side Of The Ring. Many aspects were already well-known within the business, while some were common knowledge items that drew big headlines at the time of their events.
While murders that have been wrestling-adjacent are few and far between, most people know and think of the big ones. Of course, Rikidozan was stabbed in 1963, and Bruiser Brody’s slain in the same manner over two decades later in a Puerto Rican locker room. And then there is the biggest of the big, the Chris Benoit tragedy, which saw Benoit murder both his son Daniel and wife, Nancy, before taking his own life. Many had hoped it would be a tragic situation never to be repeated, but alas, it would not stand as the only murder-suicide in wrestling history.
Born in Alabama in 1966, a young Charles Williams would become enamoured like many young children of the generation with professional wrestling. At the age of 22, Williams would go on to sit under the learning tree of both Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, collectively known as the Rock N’ Roll Express. With an impressive physique and training from two future Hall Of Famers, Charles Williams would begin competing under Rockin’ Rebel, leaning into his Southern roots and the Confederate flag, something frequently seen in professional wrestling at the time.
Rebel would hit the independent scene running, eventually signing with Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, based out of the Philadelphia area. He would also get his big break on television, showing up on WWF programming as an enhancement talent, doing the honors for the big-name talent of the time. Throughout his career, his most successful run would be with the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, where he would become the inaugural Tri-State Champion. Unfortunately for Rebel, the TWA would seemingly go as quickly as it had come, closing up shop in 1991.
Rebel would again hit the indies to a minimal level of success before returning to Philly for the new name of TWA, Eastern Championship Wrestling. He would be a regular fixture for ECW and the formation of Extreme Championship Wrestling but would usually find himself looking at the lights. Rumors run rampant, but apparently, a practical joke was played on Rebel where he was told he would be winning a big match, only to find himself attacked by everyone in the ring and unceremoniously dumped over the top rope. For many, this “rib” would be something to laugh about backstage, but Rebel was notoriously known as a very quiet and intense figure. Shane Douglas, the man at the top of the card, would speak on his Triple Threat Podcast, remembering what Rebel was like backstage.
“He and I always got along although Chuck and anyone that knows him knows what I am talking about, he wasn't the kind of guy who would let his hair down with you. If you were talking about subject A, he would say a few things about subject A and was on his way and he was like an overly intense guy.”
Beyond his intense backstage persona, the man behind Rockin’ Rebel had married the apple of his eye Stephanie, but all was not bliss. Allegedly during their marriage, Williams would hold Stephanie hostage in their closet with a firearm (eerily reminiscent of Dynamite Kid). Friends and family would later say that Stephanie would try to escape their marriage frequently, with Williams gaslighting her by threatening to kill himself if she ever left. This would be enough to keep their marriage while Williams continued his wrestling career dream.
As ECW began to phase out the early bits of their programming that weren’t working, Rockin’ Rebel found himself on the chopping block, leaving the company in 1995. As he continued working, things began to look up, and he would be brought on at different times with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation. Still, he would never see any TV time, functioning more as a touring enhancement talent. This would be the last serious attempt at a run for Rebel, with his career relegated to the role of touring worker with a small amount of infamy from his ECW days.
Nearly twenty years later, Williams's death would send shockwaves through the wrestling world. On Friday, June 20th of, 2018, the two ten-year-old children of Chuck and Stephanie Williams found the bodies of their parents. Both were dead from gunshot wounds. Upon police arriving at the scene, it was quickly discovered that this was a murder-suicide, much like the Benoit tragedy over a decade before. At some point the night before, Charles Williams shot his wife, Stephanie before turning the gun on himself. Adding to the horrific scenario, the day before the shooting, Chuck had posted a Facebook picture of himself, Stephanie and their children all looking very happy, with the caption reading, “Days of spending time with the ones who love you and you love them are far and few, make them count…”
As Williams had wrestled for over 25 years leading into this tragedy, it became clear that CTE may have played a role in the scenario. It was later revealed that Williams had his brain donated to science for review, again like Benoit before him. As previously mentioned, the man behind the Rockin’ Rebel was a quiet and intense individual. While many were remembering their one-time colleague and friend, Sean Waltman discussed the matter in the frankest way possible on his podcast, stating:
“People have heard about the murder-suicide in the Philadelphia area, Rockin’ Rebel, his name is Chuck Williams, he was an ECW original I don’t know. I knew the guy just casually and he was always nice to me but you guys I don’t go by ‘I can only judge him by how he was to me.’ Bullshit. I watch how people treat others. There’s ulterior motives for people treating me well sometimes so I watch how they treat others. Especially when they don’t think I’m paying attention. I’m really so sad by this. Let me read something real quick. An ECW original sent me this, ‘He wasn’t a good guy at all. Stephanie lived in fear for her life all the time. Chuck did time in jail in the 90’s for holding her hostage in a closet with a gun to her head. His family talked into not pressing charges. She would try to leave him and he would always threaten to kill himself. The one time she tried to leave he called her at her moms’. He said he was going to kill himself, he lit a firecracker to make her think he shot himself. Just mental torture type shit. He was a bully and a piece of shit.’ It seems like a lot of people failed this poor woman and now there are two ten-year-old kids that don’t have a mom and it’s so fucking sad.”
It seemed that some knew of Williams’ real trauma beforehand, but as often does, no one was able to speak up. In a case like the Rockin’ Rebel, being out of the public eye, it’s hard to see if there may have been warning signs, with only the testimony of those closest to the family. Whether the tragedy could have been prevented can’t be said, and in the end, it doesn’t matter. Whether it was CTE, an intense individual too overbearing on his wife, or a wife that couldn’t escape the clutches of her tormentor, two children are now without parents.
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