WWE HOFer Jake Roberts Recalls Bill Watts Fining Wrestler Over Minor Mistake

Rules, discipline, and punishments are arbitrary concepts that may or may not have reasonable justification. Pro wrestlers have rules to follow just like anyone else but at times the punishments handed down have come off as excessive, usually in the form of heavy monetary fines. 

WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts who wrestled for Mid-South Wrestling talked about MSW promoter Bill Watts acting out over a minor mistake, telling the tale on "The Snake Pit."

"He was really brutal with Ernie [Ladd], and 'Bad Bad' Leroy Brown was there for a while, and we were in Jackson, Mississippi, and Leroy hit the ropes and when he did the top rope broke, and he went over, he hit the floor on his head, he had like 18 stitches. Bill Watts fined him $350 for breaking the rope," Roberts remembers.

Roberts detested the punishment as ring ropes have a low cost due to it being a cable wrapped with tape. Roberts did not note when this accident happened but as he wrestled for MSW up until 1986, inflation from the mid-80s calculates $350 to be a modern equivalent of $1100. This was at a time when wrestlers were not paid like they are today.

Roberts then commented on Watts beating on the young, aspiring wrestlers who wanted to come in through his territory.

"He wanted tough guys, that was his thing," Roberts. "I think you need to test them. I think you need to push the s— out of them and make 'em work and work hard. But no need to physically abuse 'em."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Snake Pit" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.