Bill Watts Once Fined Wrestler $50 For Laughing

Wrestlers had to mind their P's and Q's working down in Mid-South Wrestling, but also, apparently, their chuckles. "The Grappler" Len Denton was the latest guest on "Stories With Brisco & Bradshaw," and the territory star talked about how a fiery Bill Watts, the territory's promoter, once docked his pay due to excessive happiness. 

"Bill Watts fined me $50 for laughing one time," Denton said. "I was sitting in the dressing room getting my s*** on, talking to the boys. Somebody said a joke and [Watts] just walked in about the time the guy said the punchline. I went, "Hahaha," and he's like, 'That's $50, a**hole! ... And it was out of my check when I got my check Tuesday."

John "Bradshaw" Layfield couldn't believe what he was hearing, so Denton went into further detail.

"I was doing the interviews, and the heels sit on one side of the studio and the babyfaces on the other side," Denton said. "I go, '$50? Bill!' He goes, 'Shut the f*** up! Do your promos!' That's as far as it went."

Bradshaw then asked Denton's thoughts of Watts overall.

"I know he had a lot of pressure on him with that territories combining and all this stuff, but he was kind of a bully," Denton said.  "He was a bully if you get away with it, you know? But there's a lot of guys in the business like that, but you get used to him, but Bill as far as smart wise and creative wise, he was excellent."

Denton is certainly not the first to label Watts a bully. Jake "The Snake" Roberts recently expressed similar sentiments about the legendary "Cowboy" of Mid-South.