The End of The Road
On November 28, 1971, he teamed with Bulldog Brower at the Gardens to beat Diego the Sundowner and Man Mountain Cannon in less than five minutes.
Watson was hit by an out-of-control car while placing a fireplace screen in the trunk of his car on November 30 on Rogers Road in Toronto. After a three hour surgery at Northwestern Hospital, his knee eventually recovered, but Watson could never wrestle again. Although he nearly lost a leg, he continued his fundraising activities into his retirement.
Watson was well known for his contributions to charity. He raised millions for campaigns such as the Easter Seals and was responsible for having 150,000 children join a safety club. He made many public appearances across Canada in support of crippled children and held an annual Easter Seals skate-a-thon at the Gardens. For a number of years, he was director of the Ontario Society for Crippled Children. He is an inductee into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame.
His legacy is well-remembered in York Region where he lived. W.J. Watson Public School in Keswick, Ontario is named in his honour. His campaign to build The Whipper Watson Therapeutic Pool at Southlake Regional Health Centre is illustrated in a mural in the facility. Over the course of the next twelve years, Watson gained 130 pounds to weigh 350 pounds. He died on February 4, 1990 in Orlando, Florida.
Read more about this topic: Whipper Billy Watson
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