I enjoyed your web site featuring pics of Bill Watts. I had the pleasure of living in Houston, TX when Watts had MidSouth (later UWF) wrestling there. I also have very vivid memories of him wrestling in the St.Louis area when I was a kid......he came to town in the late '60's as "Dr. Scarlet" a vicious masked heel........after beating everyone in his path he was given a title shot at Gene Kiniski. Dr. Scarlet did an interview on the "Wrestling at the Chase" show a week or so prior to the title match.....during the interview I remember that he apologized for "having to hurt alot of good men and friends of his while under the mask; but that was the only way, he explained, that he could get a shot at Kiniski's title........he then agreed to unmask at the onset of the title bout........My late father took my brother and I to Kiel Auditorium for that match.
I remember how suspenseful it was waiting to see the true identity of this masked giant. I will never ever forget when he simultaneously pulled off his mask and dropped his cape....it was "Cowboy Bill Watts" and Kiniski immediately jumped out of the ring....he wanted nothing to do with Watts........Whipper Watson was the guest referee for the match and errantly counted 1-2-3 in the third and deciding fall while Kiniski had Watts pinned but with the Cowboy's foot over the bottom rope.......Watts and Watson had words and on the next show at Kiel Whipper Watson came out of retirement for a grudge match against a very mad and disappointed Watts........we went to that show as well and Watts calmed down after seeing how defenseless the old Whipper was...he took it easy on the old guy, pinned him, then they shook hands after the match.........I hope you enjoyed reading this piece of Cowboy Bill Watts memorabilia as much as I enjoyed writing it..........fond memories indeed.......in fact, when Cowboy Watts had his "Last Stampede" match in Houston, TX in the '80's, I was there at ring side yelling "Dr. Scarlet, Dr. Scarlet" and Watts looked around in disbelief that anyone would have remembered that so many years later.