Jake Roberts Says Bill Watts Only Showed Him Compassion When His Apartment Burned Down

To say WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts doesn't like former professional wrestler and promoter Bill Watts wouldn't be accurate enough. He's called him an "ugly, racist, bully bastard" of a human being in the past, and even singled him out as the only man he truly hates. On "The Snake Pit" podcast, the former Mid-South Television Champion shed some light on a horrific apartment fire in the 80s that brought out Watts' softer side. Somewhat.

When Roberts left Watts and Mid-South for Vince McMahon and the WWF, there was a period of 10 days in which McMahon was out of the country. Therefore, technically, he had quit his job without having a current one. But his wife at the time, Cheryl Hagood, was supportive through and through.

"She always worked hard for me, and she always supported me in everything that I did." After 13 years of marriage, the couple divorced in large part due to his battles with addiction. After being apart for 24 years, he and Hagood recently "rekindled" their relationship. 

Things were far from steady when he was navigating jobs. "We had a baby and she was taking care of the daughter, and doing a fine job even after our house burnt," Roberts continued. "We had an apartment that burnt to the ground when she was like eight months pregnant." 

They had held a cookout, but one of the embers fell in between the wooden planks and didn't start a fire until several hours later. Hagood managed to get out with their baby, the clothes she had on, and her wedding ring. "That was the one time Bill Watts actually showed a little compassion for me."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Snake Pit" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.