[12] When he came out, he had lost a significant amount of weight,[13] and had to put it back on, despite the coaches at the time preferring their players to be small and quick, which Watts had struggled with before the accident.

[15] Watts turned professional in 1961 and joined the Oilers, but did not last long there, and according to a shoot interview, he left after knocking out a coach.

[16] Watts then had a try-out with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL), but after a discussion with general manager Jim Finks, who wanted him to quit his wrestling career, Watts left the Vikings having decided he could make more money back in Oklahoma.

[14] As a professional wrestler, he famously feuded with WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino, but was unable to win the title.

Watts also had a successful run winning tag belts with Buck Robley in the NWA Tri-State/Mid South Wrestling before he became head promotor in the Oklahoma/Louisiana areas.

He is often credited with creating the current and popular "episodic" style of TV wrestling, building solid creative storylines week-on-week, with an emphasis on solid in-ring action with dependable wrestlers like "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, The Junkyard Dog, Ted DiBiase and Jim Duggan.

After losing over half a million dollars, Watts sold the UWF to NWA Mid-Atlantic's Jim Crockett Promotions, who kept many of their stars, such as Sting.

According to his autobiography, Controversy Creates Ca$h, Eric Bischoff (who worked under Watts at the time) felt Watts would intimidate anyone he was talking to and was only interested in taking the WCW product back to 1970s standards, with poorly lit arenas and house shows in remote rural towns.

After a lengthy interview on wrestling, Watts commented on Lester Maddox, a 1960s restaurant owner and segregationist Governor of Georgia) who refused service to black customers.

"[18] Watts claims that when he was hired by WCW, he had explained the situation to Turner president Bill Shaw, apparently to his satisfaction.

[citation needed] However, a year later wrestling journalist Mark Madden brought the interview to the attention of Hank Aaron, himself a vice president in the Turner organization with the Atlanta Braves, who then pushed for Watts' removal.