The Squared Circle: Watts 1981-1987 (Hardcover)

248 PAGES. HARDCOVER VERSION. “Cowboy” Bill Watts had been one of Leroy McGuirk’s biggest stars in Tri-State Wrestling, the territory that included Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. Watts purchased the territory in 1979 and changed it’s name to Mid-South Wrestling, which would change to the UWF in 1986 to broaden its national appeal. Watts almost immediately withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance after purchasing the territory, though he maintained a close relationship with the NWA and hosted their champion in his territory often. Watts had an even closer relationship with promoter Paul Bosch in Houston. As the territory moved through the 1980s, Watts expanded further and further into Oklahoma and Arkansas, bumping up with and often competing against Memphis (Jerry Jarrett) and Dallas (Fritz Von Erich). He maintained a working relationship with both, especially when Vince McMahon began taking the WWF national. They all saw him as a threat, though there seemed to be little agreement as to what should be done about it. In 1982, Watts began filming his television as the Irish-McNeil Boys Club in Shreveport, Louisiana before moving the tapings to arenas in 1986 as part of the UWF re-branding. Irish-McNeil was destroyed by a fire in 2007. The Bill Watts territory was known for its more “realistic,” fast-paced, action-packed style. It’s stars were mainstays such as Ted DiBiase, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Junkyard Dog, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, Terry Taylor, the Fantastics, the Sheepherders, and the Fabulous Freebirds. The roster was always strong, but Vince McMahon’s spread nationally in the mid-1980s painted a clear picture of the end of the territory system in professional wrestling. In 1987, Watts sold the territory to Jim Crockett Jr. Yet, when it was on fire, the Mid-South territory may have been the best one in the United States. You can experience that here! NOTE: You must have the Core Rulebook to play this game.