Hello fellas, I don't usually chime into discussions of this nature but in this case I thought I'd put my two cents in. I think it's a matter of semantics really.

First of all as far as my understanding goes, both Burke and Watts were respected guys in the NY underworld because they were "with" made men that were respected. You gotta remember that. Next, both Burke and Watts were very "capable" guys with a gun. And neither one was somebody to take lightly. But at the end of the day each was only flesh and blood and would have gotten clipped in two seconds if it was ordered by the hierarchy. And each was of Irish/German lineage I think. END of story!! They could kill good fellows on the sneak but they could never beat a good fellow legitimately "at a table". Thats just the way it is.

BOTH were very big earners. Burke always earned and of course his claim to fame was the $5.8 million Lufthansa heist. Burke had pulled big heists before as well. Watts was said to be another good earner who had many millions "out on the street" which in and of itself shows a certain sophistication (it's not an every day occurrence to have $9-million out "working" as some alleged he had).

But between the two I'd say that Watts lived a much, much, much better and loftier lifestyle. My understanding is that he lived in a home worth big money in S.I. I think it was. He also owned a home in Florida, down south, or the Islands that was a show stopper. Burke lived in a mediocre run of the mill house in Queens. Watts dressed like a star, like a million dollars in custom made suits and shirts. Burke dressed like the half a blue-collar guy he was, a half a slub. Watts ate in the finest Manhattan restaurants and drank in Park Avenue establishments, while Burke grabbed hotdogs off a cart and slugged down whiskey at Roberts Lounge in Ozone Park. There is NO comparison between the two in that category.

Both were equally capable and deadly. Both were equally treacherous and "snakes." Both served their crews loyally and kicked up big money. And both ended up doing a lot of time in prison.

Vario or Gotti?? LOL....... Paulie was a HUGE earner and very well respected. BUT he was never liked or considered for a hierarchy position. He was from Brooklyn. End of story! The Lucchese power was ALWAYS in Harlem. Only in recent years with Amuso has the power shifted to Brooklyn. Not in Vario's day.

Gotti? Well respected capo as well. He became "BOSS" so obviously that trumps "capo" but he was NEVER deserving of that spot. He took it!! And now the world sees how well the borgata faired under him. Gotti was a disaster for the Family and OC in general. A fucking disaster!! They should have named him "Johnny Titanic" after the ship that sunk instead of "The Teflon Don". lol

Remember too that supposedly Watts had been either directly or indirectly under boss Paul Castellano (if that's even true - I don't know). If true, then he had as good a audience to the bosses ear as anybody. True or false that I cannot say.

Truthfully I'm not a fan of either man. I think they were both treacherous guys and not to be trusted at all. But thats just me.

Hello fellas, I don't usually chime into discussions of this nature but in this case I thought I'd put my two cents in. I think it's a matter of semantics really.

First of all as far as my understanding goes, both Burke and Watts were respected guys in the NY underworld because they were "with" made men that were respected. You gotta remember that. Next, both Burke and Watts were very "capable" guys with a gun. And neither one was somebody to take lightly. But at the end of the day each was only flesh and blood and would have gotten clipped in two seconds if it was ordered by the hierarchy. And each was of Irish/German lineage I think. END of story!! They could kill good fellows on the sneak but they could never beat a good fellow legitimately "at a table". Thats just the way it is.

BOTH were very big earners. Burke always earned and of course his claim to fame was the $5.8 million Lufthansa heist. Burke had pulled big heists before as well. Watts was said to be another good earner who had many millions "out on the street" which in and of itself shows a certain sophistication (it's not an every day occurrence to have $9-million out "working" as some alleged he had).

But between the two I'd say that Watts lived a much, much, much better and loftier lifestyle. My understanding is that he lived in a home worth big money in S.I. I think it was. He also owned a home in Florida, down south, or the Islands that was a show stopper. Burke lived in a mediocre run of the mill house in Queens. Watts dressed like a star, like a million dollars in custom made suits and shirts. Burke dressed like the half a blue-collar guy he was, a half a slub. Watts ate in the finest Manhattan restaurants and drank in Park Avenue establishments, while Burke grabbed hotdogs off a cart and slugged down whiskey at Roberts Lounge in Ozone Park. There is NO comparison between the two in that category.

Both were equally capable and deadly. Both were equally treacherous and "snakes." Both served their crews loyally and kicked up big money. And both ended up doing a lot of time in prison.

Vario or Gotti?? LOL....... Paulie was a HUGE earner and very well respected. BUT he was never liked or considered for a hierarchy position. He was from Brooklyn. End of story! The Lucchese power was ALWAYS in Harlem. Only in recent years with Amuso has the power shifted to Brooklyn. Not in Vario's day.

Gotti? Well respected capo as well. He became "BOSS" so obviously that trumps "capo" but he was NEVER deserving of that spot. He took it!! And now the world sees how well the borgata faired under him. Gotti was a disaster for the Family and OC in general. A fucking disaster!! They should have named him "Johnny Titanic" after the ship that sunk instead of "The Teflon Don". lol

Remember too that supposedly Watts had been either directly or indirectly under boss Paul Castellano (if that's even true - I don't know). If true, then he had as good a audience to the bosses ear as anybody. True or false that I cannot say.

Truthfully I'm not a fan of either man. I think they were both treacherous guys and not to be trusted at all. But thats just me.