Steve Lawler

Charlie Smith, a popular Georgia wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s, once told him he was "the only man he'd ever known who would go to jail for the business."

Steve Gower (January 24, 1965 – September 2, 2021), better known by his ring name Steve "The Brawler" Lawler, was an American professional wrestler and trainer.

He was a mainstay of regional and independent promotions in the Southern United States since the early 1980s, especially in Georgia and the Carolinas, having wrestled for Deep South Wrestling, Southern Championship Wrestling, Georgia All-Star Wrestling, North Georgia Wrestling Association, Peach State Wrestling and Dusty Rhodes' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling.

In later years, he appeared with other NWA veterans for the revived Georgia Championship Wrestling.

A noted tag team specialist, he was a member of the original Bad Company with John Michaels and The Nightmare, a popular "heel" group in the mid-to late 1980s, as well as successful runs with Dennis Gale, Dino Minelli, Bulldog Raines and younger brother Terry Lawler.

One of the first students ever trained by Glenn Holbrook, Gower became a trainer himself and served as an instructor for the Masked Superstar's wrestling school and the Global Wrestling Federation's training facility.

Among his students include Buff Bagwell, Disco Inferno, Murder One, and Terry Lawler.

A native of Buford, Georgia, Steve Gower was a lifelong fan of professional wrestling and had wanted to become a wrestler as early as 13 years old.

As a teenager, he entered and won several toughman contests in Dothan, Alabama.

Meeting with Buddy Landell in Atlanta during the mid-1980s, Landell offered to bring him in to WCW, but Gower declined, not willing to be under contract to the organization.

Around this time, Steve Kyle (the original "Steve "The Brawler" Lawler"), was wrestling in the Gulf Coast and Memphis territories though the two should not be confused.

It was also around this time that he joined the original Bad Company, a three-man tag team similar to The Fabulous Freebirds, with John Michaels and The Nightmare and were successful in the region during the mid-to late 1980s.

In 1984, a local wrestler out of Macon offered to train him as a professional wrestler, however, Gower later claimed that the veteran wrestler "took my money" and "taught me everything to do wrong."

It was after his initial match in Griffin, Georgia, which he later referred to as "a complete disaster", that he was approached by Glenn Holbrook in the dressing room after the show.

Seeing potential in the 19-year-old, he invited Gower to train with him.

He spent every day for the next 15 weeks working out with Holbrook before he went on the road.

Gower briefly toured Florida, where he wrestled on television as "Adrian Steele", and where he was first given the name Steve "The Brawler" Lawler.

Gower would also fill in for masked wrestlers, most notably The Flame.

He soon formed a tag team with "Cowboy" Dennis Gale and traveled to various NWA territories and "outlaw" promotions in the South and East Coast.

He later claimed that many opponents would refuse to wrestle them, or not show up at all, because of their stiff wrestling style.

In 1986, Gower began wrestling for Jody Hamilton's Deep South Wrestling where he feuded with Crazy Luke Graham over the promotion's "brass knuckles" championship.

Though a fan favorite while wrestling against Graham, he turned "heel" shortly after defeating him for the title.

On April 28, 1987, he and The Nightmare wrestled the Rock n' Roll Rebels (Greg Evans & Richard Sartain) at a benefit show for Ware County High School in Waycross, Georgia.

The trio also battled "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, Johnny Rich, and Ricky Morton in the spring of 1988, their matches later being aired on the nationally syndicated program "Pro Wrestling This Week."

One of his matches against Tommy Rich was later featured on "Blood Battles of the South" highlighting the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion's "bloodiest grudge matches."

While working for Hamilton, Gower also started competing in Southern Championship Wrestling and began competing there full-time following the close of DSW.

During his time in the promotion, he formed a popular tag team with Dino Minelli known as "Thunder and Lightning" and twice won the promotion's tag team championship.

Their first reign began after defeating Ranger Ross and Joey Maggs for the belts in Alpharetta, Georgia on October 23, 1988, and held the titles for two months before being defeated by Ross and Mr. Wrestling II in Atlanta on December 30, 1988.

In their second and final championship reign, with manager Sir Samuel F. Kent, a feud with Georgia Power (Nightmare Ted Allen & Jimmy Powell) would end with their losing the titles to them in 1989.

The two were compared to the Rock 'n' Roll Express and similar teams at one time for their "chemistry and ability in the ring", however, their partnership ended in a bitter break up.

Gower continued wrestling in various Southern independent promotions having memorable matches, and gaining invaluable experience, against such well-known veterans as Ray Candy, Randy Rose, Mr. Wrestling II, Dick Slater, Ken Timbs, Mike Golden, Abdullah the Butcher, The Bullet, and Scott Studd, among others.

One of the top stars for Joe Pedicino's Georgia All-Star Wrestling, Gower won the GASW Heavyweight Championship from Nick Busick in Carrollton on December 2, 1990, and held the title for over four months before dropping the title to Joel Deaton in Canton, Georgia on April 21, 1991.

He also ran a wrestling school during this period for the Masked Superstar, and later the Global Wrestling Federation's training facility, where he trained a number of wrestlers including Marcus Alexander Bagwell, Disco Inferno, Murder One and his younger brother, Terry Lawler.

Bagwell, wrestling under the name "The Fabulous Fabian", defeated Gower for the GASW (North Georgia) Television Championship in his first professional match.

On September 15, 1991, Gower faced his former student a second time at an interpromotional show in Marietta, Georgia between the Global Wrestling Federation, where Bagwell was now wrestling as "The Handsome Stranger", and Georgia All-Star Wrestling which he lost to Bagwell via disqualification.

Gower continued his long-running feud against Tommy Rich in GASW, helped by manager Dave Prazak, where the two had several wild brawls.

Prazak later claimed that during one of their encounters, in which Rich put Prazak in a piledriver, "both he and Steve Lawler were roaring drunk for that match."

They would eventually meet in a "lights out" match at Douglasville, Georgia with the loser being forced to retire.

Gower himself later said the greatest matches he ever had were against Rich calling them "some of the bloodiest, they were some of the hardest, and I have a lot of respect for Rich to this day."

With the end of the NWA territory system, Gower remained in Georgia working for independent promotions such as Peach State Wrestling (1991–95), shortly after it began bringing in SCW stars for its televised matches, and the North Georgia Wrestling Association (1992–97).