Plenty of people know about the lasting legacy of what could have been the worst president in the history of any wrestling promotion, let alone WCW, Jim Herd. To say that this man was an abject failure as a booker would be like saying The Titanic took on a tiny leak. Some of this visionaries ideas included hunchback wrestlers, placing the over face Lex Luger with the dastardly Harley Race, and worst of all, letting Ric Flair go to the World Wrestling Federation with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Let's put things into perspective: Dusty Rhodes referred to the man as "The most untalented motherfucker in the history of the world." When a man like Dusty Rhodes is calling you that, it's really time to re-evaluate your life.
Of course, Herd was ousted, unable to deal with carny and bullshit mindset of some of the best bullshitters in the world (Cough... Dusty... Cough). WCW was in need or a president who actually understood the wrestling mindset, and could bring WCW back from the doldrums they reached. They would find that man in the name of Bill Watts, off a succesful term as the promoter of the highly succesful UWF. One thing that couldn't be denied was that Watts had an eye for talent, and saw fit to push the men who proved they could work in the ring. Watts was responsible for bringing in men like Vader, Chris Benoit, and Jushin Liger to work for his company, as well as gave the thumbs up to push men like Steve Austin, Brian Pillman, and Mick Foley, who otherwise never had the chance to get over under Jim Herd. Actually, it wasn't so much as Jim Herd, as much Dusty Rhodes, which brings us to another positive point about Bill Watts. Bill, not one to bullshit, saw to fit to trim the fat of WCW, and get rid of the people that tried to manipulate the boys for their own personal desires. WCW, for the first time some would argue ever, finally had a strong, defined leader in the front office. He'd prove to be the first, perhaps only, president to have a strong grip on the backstage, and on the boys. For once, the WCW was actually a professional company.
However, plenty of Bill Watts' moves in WCW were unpopular, to say the least. He eliminated top rope moves, and got rid of the mats around the ring, in an attempt to give more of an "old school" feel. This would cause a rift between Watts and the lightheavyweights, like Brian Pillman. He also would eliminate catering, and in general find his workers for obselete, sometimes innocuous "rules of the road". Even worse, Watts had a habit of not being a "corporate man", per se. He would do such "Good Ol' Boy" things as throwing racial epitehs in conversation, and calling his female colleagues the "c" word. Even worse, he was very prone to saying racist and sexist things to the public. It was Watts who would utter to the Pro Wrestling Torch:
Yes, clearly Bill Watts lacked the tact and poise of a corporate executive, let alone the president of the company. And while he understood wrestling, ther was plenty about his reign as president that would lead to him, ultimately, being ousted from WCW.
So, with all you have in front of you, and your own perception, was Bill Watts a success, or failure in WCW?
Of course, Herd was ousted, unable to deal with carny and bullshit mindset of some of the best bullshitters in the world (Cough... Dusty... Cough). WCW was in need or a president who actually understood the wrestling mindset, and could bring WCW back from the doldrums they reached. They would find that man in the name of Bill Watts, off a succesful term as the promoter of the highly succesful UWF. One thing that couldn't be denied was that Watts had an eye for talent, and saw fit to push the men who proved they could work in the ring. Watts was responsible for bringing in men like Vader, Chris Benoit, and Jushin Liger to work for his company, as well as gave the thumbs up to push men like Steve Austin, Brian Pillman, and Mick Foley, who otherwise never had the chance to get over under Jim Herd. Actually, it wasn't so much as Jim Herd, as much Dusty Rhodes, which brings us to another positive point about Bill Watts. Bill, not one to bullshit, saw to fit to trim the fat of WCW, and get rid of the people that tried to manipulate the boys for their own personal desires. WCW, for the first time some would argue ever, finally had a strong, defined leader in the front office. He'd prove to be the first, perhaps only, president to have a strong grip on the backstage, and on the boys. For once, the WCW was actually a professional company.
However, plenty of Bill Watts' moves in WCW were unpopular, to say the least. He eliminated top rope moves, and got rid of the mats around the ring, in an attempt to give more of an "old school" feel. This would cause a rift between Watts and the lightheavyweights, like Brian Pillman. He also would eliminate catering, and in general find his workers for obselete, sometimes innocuous "rules of the road". Even worse, Watts had a habit of not being a "corporate man", per se. He would do such "Good Ol' Boy" things as throwing racial epitehs in conversation, and calling his female colleagues the "c" word. Even worse, he was very prone to saying racist and sexist things to the public. It was Watts who would utter to the Pro Wrestling Torch:
Yes, clearly Bill Watts lacked the tact and poise of a corporate executive, let alone the president of the company. And while he understood wrestling, ther was plenty about his reign as president that would lead to him, ultimately, being ousted from WCW.
So, with all you have in front of you, and your own perception, was Bill Watts a success, or failure in WCW?
