Jake Roberts Says Old-School Pro Wrestling Promoter Was An ‘Ugly Racist’

Jake Roberts has been on and off AEW programming on numerous occasions since signing with the company in 2020, largely due to health concerns. The Snake has now a lot to say about the infamous wrestling promoter Bill Watts, and it’s not all favorable.

On his Snake Pit with Jake Roberts podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer confessed that he had some appreciation for Watts, with whom he wrestled in Mid-South Wrestling in the 1980s. “Don’t get me wrong, I respect the man for what he can teach you about wrestling,” Roberts said. “But as far as a human being, he was ugly, racist, bully bastard.”

Roberts went on to say that he was not in a minority position, stating that “everybody hated this f*cker,” though he didn’t note that Watts had some fans in wrestling after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Watts’ dismal relationship, according to Roberts, was intergenerational. “He disrespected my father right out in the open,” he said, referring to Grizzly Smith, who was active from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.

Jake Roberts also noted how Watts “disrespected Ernie Ladd, called Ernie Ladd words I won’t say – you know what word I’m talking about. Because he knew Ernie couldn’t do anything about it because he needed the job.” In terms of his interactions with Watts, Roberts stated that he “just kept my mouth shut, my hands raised and my head down” to avoid the promoter limiting his opportunities.

If you started moving your way up to card, then you don’t want to go back down the card. All it takes is a pencil and an eraser and you can go from making 1,500 a week to making 700 a week. That was good money then.

Jake Roberts’ comments are the second time in a month that he has disparaged Watts in an interview. Let’s see how Watts reacts to this. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Ringside News.

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