In 2015, Pittsburgh Steelers superstar running back, Le'Veon Bell found out that he would be suspended for the first two games of the NFL season due to marijuana usage. This and the loss of LeGarrette Blount to the New England Patriots left the Steelers with no great options to start. Then, news broke that the Carolina Panthers were going to cut their former running back, DeAngelo Williams. Pittsburgh saw this opportunity and jumped on it.
Steelers' Williams Balls Out
Without Bell, many fans were nervous, but Williams would go and ball out for the Steelers. He would rush for 147 yards and have three touchdowns in the two games that Bell had been suspended for. But this was not where they needed him most. During Week 8 of the 2015 season, Bell was on a tear looking like he once did, but would then tear his ACL in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and would not be able to return for the rest of the season. It was here where Williams really stepped up to the plate and made it look like our offense didn't skip a beat.
Although he only played for two seasons with the Steelers, the impact he made was immense. Even though he had over 1,000 rushing yards during his time in Pittsburgh, many fans tend to forget that he even played there. One of the most forgettable things about Williams is his stint in professional wrestling where he was considered to have one of the best celebrity performances ever in the ring.
Although it was a short-lived career in the wrestling ring, Williams made the most of this opportunity. On July 2, 2017, Williams made his debut and only match at Impact Wrestling's Slammiversary. He tag-teamed this match with former NFL player Quinn Ojinnaka who goes by the nickname "moose" in the wrestling world. They wrestled against Eli Drake and Chris Adonis. Pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer even made comments on how impressive he was.
"It was freaky how good he was. This guy probably has the potential to be one of the greatest wrestlers I've ever seen."
Although Williams went out and made a name for himself in wrestling, he made it clear that this was a one-time thing and that it would most likely never happen again. He did this one match more for his uncle who used to watch wrestling with him when he was younger. So, when this opportunity came, he thought more about his uncle rather than just having the opportunity alone.
"It was a one-shot deal. A lot of the things that I do, if not all the things that I do, has a meaning to it. I don’t do it just because the opportunity came."
Although many football players have had antics outside of playing in the sport, is this one of the best? Could we ever see Williams back in the ring?
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