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Cowboy Bill Watts talks about how wrestling has changed (for the worse), how little he thinks of the Ultimate Warrior and more.

Posted: Feb 27th 2006 By: oklastaff

On Thursday, February 23, Wrestling Weekly with hosts Doc Young and Les Thatcher welcomed legendary wrestler and promoter "Cowboy" Bill Watts to the show.

Legendary "Cowboy" Bill Watts has become part of pro wrestling?s storied history since his debut in 1963. A former American Football League player, Bill notoriously feuded with Bruno Sammartino, Verne Gagne (AWA) and Gene Kiniski (NWA) in the early part of his wrestling career. The second part of his career found him running Mid-South Wrestling and the Universal Wrestling Federation with Jim Ross as a promoter. But it was the time he spent as Vice President of Wrestling for Turner Broadcasting for WCW and the subsequent three-month stint at WWF right after in the early 1990s that led him to leave wrestling behind for good.

Bill talked about the late Wahoo McDaniel, also a pro football player, getting him into the pro wrestling business. They played football together at OSU and Bill described one night sitting around drinking "Colorado Kool-Aid" (Coors beer) and seeing Wahoo with a huge paycheck in his hands. Wahoo told Bill he would be great as a wrestler and said, "I?ll get you in, I?ll get you booked" and after a few false starts, the rest is wrestling history. Bill said, "Wahoo was a free spirit" and a "great guy, great friend" as well as "one tough linebacker."

Bill said he was playing for the Indianapolis Warlords while he was breaking into the business and was offered a contract from the Houston Oilers for $8,000. He soon realized that this is considerably less than he could make in wrestling, which he said could be as high as $25,000 per year?pretty good money for the early 1960s.

Bill talked about his stint at WCW when Sting offered him a caveat that the wrestling business had changed. Bill said in the early days wrestlers were paid based on how much they drew, not regardless of the size of the house. He said about kayfabe, "If you take the mystery out of it, to me you?ve lost something." He cited the "Titanic" movie as an example, "It sinks!"


Bill says he believes there are still a lot of great guys working out there but it is decidedly very different now. The kids, he said, are "bigger, stronger, faster" and he?s certain "it will never go back to the way it was." He was surprised when he worked a short stint at the WWF in the 90s that the moves are now so choreographed that the guys had trouble working up a last-minute match on their own.

As a promoter he believed in "running it like a business" and would often fine wrestlers for indiscretions because he is a firm believer in "personal responsibility." He said many workers left his company angry at him but would thank him later. He says fines "are just a way to wake them up." Still, his strict style and reputation he believes precedes him because it is often taken out of context and passed on from an outsider?s point of view. He was asked about a comment by the Ultimate Warrior that Bill was unfairly tough?reportedly kicking guys in the ribs for no reason. Bill admitted, "We did some tough things" but "the Ultimate Warrior is such a pussy." He said he couldn?t believe a guy with that physique could be such a sissy. Bill said, "I have no respect for him."

Bill became a Christian in 1984 and with the help of fellow Christian Scott Williams, he recently penned his autobiography called The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story: Rebellion, Wrestling, and Redemption. The book chronicles his vast career in the territories as a wrestler, his work as a promoter, and how his life has changed with the help of Jesus Christ among other topics.

He said it was hard to write the book but felt that if he could help at least one person, it was worth reliving what he calls "the mind, the blood and the beer" of a "hedonistic, amoral business." Since he had no interest in feeding his own ego, Bill said he initially "had no desire to do it." He calls his life "a snapshot of rebellion" and said he used anger and temper to protect himself from the pain of feelings of inadequacy and a difficult childhood. He admittedly "ran on temper" for many years only to find solace in God by understanding his relationship with Him. So he hopes that his story will ultimately help at least one person.

Bill talked about his special relationship with Jim Ross who he calls "a master of commentary" and his experience at Ring of Honor at Jim Cornette?s insistence. He said at ROH, "They treated me like a million bucks." And he talked about the current product being offered on television, stating that "it?s gone beyond the pale" and it disrespects women and promotes drugs among other things.

"Cowboy" Bill Watts? book, The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story: Rebellion, Wrestling, and Redemption can be ordered on Amazon.com or by any local book retailer. For more about Bill, check out his Web site at
www.cowboybillwatts.com.

Listen to the entire show at www.wrestlingweekly.com.