
In the 1960's, in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), Watts famously feuded with WWF Champion Bruno Sammartino, but was unable to win the title.
Watts became Executive Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (succeeding Kip Frey) in 1992. He took a lot of his old-school values with him, such as banning moves from the top rope and the babyfaces and heels separation. His tenure was not long, nor were his ideas overly embraced. Under Watts' reign as WCW chief, Ron Simmons became the first African-American professional wrestler to hold a widely recognized World Heavyweight Championship.
Bill later went on to a position of booking power in the World Wrestling Federation. His tenure there was short, as Watts stated in later interviews that he was only there on a three-month contract and had no interest in staying long-term. On April 4, 2009, Watts was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2009.