15. The Curious Case Of Bill Watts And Ron Simmons
Come Black History Month, WWE likes to trumpet Ron Simmons' undeniably historic accomplishment as the first African-American world heavyweight champion, but the reasons supposedly underlying that reign are anything but uplifting. The story goes that Simmons won the title because WCW's then-president, Bill Watts, was facing accusations of racism and needed to save face. Defenders of Watts often point out that his other promotions were built around Black champions, including Junkyard Dog and Ernie Ladd, which is indeed true. Suspiciously, though, when WCW was hit with a racial discrimination suit in 2000, Booker T won the world title literally out of nowhere. Watts was long gone by then, so whatever his personal feelings were, it certainly appears that someone in the WCW hierarchy had a favorite tactic for deflecting charges of racism.
