| The Batten Twins | |
|---|---|
| Tag team | |
| Members | Bart Batten Brad Batten Downtown Bruno (manager) Scotty Ace (manager) |
| Name(s) | The Batten Brothers U.S. Express The Wild Angels |
| Billed heights | Bart: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Brad: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Combined billed weight | 453 lb (205 kg) |
| Hometown | Mount Hope, West Virginia, United States[1] |
| Billed from | Charleston, West Virginia (CWA) Kansas City, Missouri (WCCW) |
| Former member(s) | Brent Batten |
| Debut | May 12, 1983[1] |
| Disbanded | May 21, 2005[1] |
| Years active | 1983–2005 |
The Batten Twins were aprofessional wrestlingtag team, consisting of twin brothers Bart and Brad Batten.[2][3] They performed under the "Batten Twins" name inCentral States Wrestling,Continental Wrestling Association,International Championship Wrestling,Jim Crockett Promotions,Southern Championship Wrestling,Texas All-Star Wrestling,World Championship Wrestling, and theWorld Wrestling Council, and the nameU.S. Express inWorld Class Championship Wrestling. The team also appeared in various independent promotions during the 1990s including, most notably,Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling,IWA Mid-South,Smoky Mountain Wrestling andSouthern States Wrestling.[4]
A popular tag team in theSouthern United States during the 1980s,[5] the Battens faced off against some of the top tag teams of the era.[6] They began their wrestling career working for thePoffo family in 1983. As identical twins, the brothers were a rarity in pro wrestling at the time of their debut.[6] Their tenure in the NWA's Central States territory saw them engaged in a long feud with Sheik Abdullah.[7] They held theNWA Central States Tag Team Championship a record four times, defeatingThe Midnight Express, theMidnight Rockers, Sheik Abdullah andAkio Sato, andBobby Jaggers (in a singles match) for the title.[8]
The Battens were also major stars inPuerto Rico during the late-1980s where they wonWWC Tag Team Championship four times and theWWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship twice.[1][4][9] Their unexpected "heel turn" made them one of the most hated wrestlers in the country.[6] After returning to the U.S., the Battens continued wrestling on the Southern independent circuit until the early-2000s. In April 2005, The Batten Twins ended their 23-year career with a retirement tour of their home state.[10]
Bradley Jay "Brad" Batten and Bartley Alan "Bart" Batten were born to Marjorie (née Hayes) and Jack Batten inNew Martinsville, West Virginia on September 8, 1958.[11] They were involved inyouth sports at an early age. In 1969, the brothers were featured inThe Charleston Daily Mail about identical twins who participate inlittle league baseball.[12] Both brothers playedfootball from junior high to college with Bart attendingWest Virginia State University and Brad going toGlenville State College. As both schools had a longtimefootball rivalry, the brothers often played against each other but with Bart as awide receiver and Brad arunning back they were never on the field at the same time.[6] In addition to teaching school, Bart Batten went on to play two years of semi-professional football for the West Virginia Rockets.[6]
Both brothers were wrestling fans and decided to try out for a career in pro wrestling after attending severalInternational Championship Wrestling shows in the early 1980s. The two spent about a year working out until they each weighed 210 lb (95 kg). They also experimented withsteroids during this time. Then living inSt. Albans, West Virginia, Bart approachedLanny Poffo at an ICW show inBeckley. The wrestler introduced Brad to his brotherRandy Savage and invited the brothers to the promotion's next show inMarmet to meet with their fatherAngelo Poffo. Lanny later admitted to Brad that he was skeptical about him having a twin brother but when the twins entered the dressing room the Poffo family "saw dollar signs" as identical twins were very rare in the wrestling business at the time.[6]
The Battens were initially trained by Lanny Poffo inSutton, West Virginia. Bart recalled that Poffo had tried to "shoot on him" during their first day of training by putting him in afront facelock. He had wrestled three years in high school, however, and was able to reverse the facelock and make Poffo submit to aguillotine hold. Their training progressed quickly after this incident, with both Angelo Poffo and Randy Savage taking part,[13] and they were put into their first match after only a few sessions. The brothers became close friends with both Lanny and Randy. Brad especially became a key figure behind the scenes by helping produce ICW's television show as well as driving the ring truck andsetting up the ring.[6]
They made their pro debut on May 12, 1983, againstTony Falk and Doug Vines inPrestonsburg, Kentucky.[1][14] Brad was injured shortly after their debut when he blew out his left knee performing a jumpinghigh five and toe kick with his brother. Ironically, this would become a signature maneuver during their career. He would be out of action for nearly a year and a half.[6] While his brother was recovering from his injury, Bart was paired with Johnny Wilhoit and subsequently defeatedTojo Yamamoto andGypsy Joe for theICW United States Tag Team Championship. They remained champions until the promotion's close the following year.[8]
After ICW's close, Brad Batten began working for rival promoterJerry Jarrett'sContinental Wrestling Association promotion inMemphis, Tennessee. Wrestling under the name "Mark Batten", he made his first appearance at theMid-South Coliseum teaming withPorkchop Cash againstAWA Southern Tag Team ChampionsTommy Rich andEddie Gilbert on April 30, 1984. Following their loss, Batten formed a new tag team with Johnny Wilhoit called "The New Generation".[6] A music video filmed on Jarrett's estate nearNashville was aired onMemphis Championship Wrestling to introduce the team; it became aviral video after it was shown byJon Stewart onThe Daily Show nearly thirty years later.[15] The team was intended to capitalize on the popularity ofThe Fabulous Ones andThe Rock 'n' Roll Express but they failed to catch on with fans.[16] The New Generation's last match was against The Dirty White Boys (Tony Anthony andLen Denton) at the Mid-South Coliseum on October 8, 1984, which they lost.[17][18]
Brad was eventually joined by his brother and had their first match together against former trainers Lanny Poffo and Randy Savage.[6] At the end of year, the team had several matches against The Nightmares (Danny Davis and Ken Wayne).[19][20] The brothers also wrestledPlowboy Frazier in three separatehandicap matches at the Mid-South Coliseum between December 31, 1984, and January 28, 1985. They lost to Frazier andAdrian Street in a tag team match that same month. On February 11, the Battens got their revenge on Frazier when they finally beat him in a handicap match; due to the pre-match stipulations, the twins would havelost their hair had they lost the match.[21]
In their first three months together, the Battens faced Eddie Gilbert &"Iron" Mike Sharpe, The Terminators (Crow and Riggs),[22] and The Wild Hoggs (J.R. and King Harley Hogg) atWMC Studio.[17] In April 1985, Brad Batten wrestled single matches against Mike Sharpe,[23]Mr. Wrestling andAWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage. The Batten Twins also challengedThe PYT Express (Koko Ware andNorvell Austin) for the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship but they were unsuccessful in winning the title. That summer, the Battens battled Hot Property (Billy Travis and Ron Sexton)[24] and The Kiwi Sheepherders (Jonathan Boyd andRip Morgan)[25] before leaving the area.
The Batten Twins moved on to theNWA's Central States territory where they had a long-running feud with Sheik Abdullah The Great and his various tag team partners, most oftenAkio Sato andTarzan Goto,[7] but also includingAmerican Starship Coyote andMr. Pogo. Within a few weeks of their arrival, they also received a title shot againstNWA Central States Tag Team Champions"Bulldog" Bob Brown andMarty Jannetty. It was during this match that the champions split up when Brown stopped cooperating with his partner. The championship remained vacant until The Batten Twins defeatedThe Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey andBobby Eaton) in a tournament final on November 21, 1985.[7][26][27]
Their first title reign lasted three months before the championship was held-up following a title defense inKansas City, Kansas against Sheik Abdullah and Akio Sato on February 20, 1986. The title was returned to The Batten Twins following a rematch one week later.[7] On March 6, Bart Batten defeated Sheik Abdullah in aTexas Death match.[1] Batten took the first fall when he made his opponent submit to anabdominal stretch while Abdullah took the next two wins by pinfall. The bout ended when Abdullah failed to get up after a 10-count. Batten had previously lost to Abdullah in an Iranian Death match two months earlier.[28] On April 19, the team entered the inauguralJim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament at theLouisiana Superdome but were eliminated in the first round by Nelson Royal andSam Houston.[29][30][31]
In May 1986, The Batten Twins were defeated by the young duo of Marty Jannetty andShawn Michaels,The Midnight Rockers, for the NWA Central States Tag Team titles.[32] They quickly regained the belts from The Midnight Rockers the following week,[33][34][35] causing Michaels to leave the territory,[36] but dropped them to Hacksaw Higgins and J.R. Hogg on May 29.[26][27] Though their feud was short-lived, the Battens considered The Midnight Rockers one of their favorite opponents of all time.[6]
Bart and Brad Batten were brought intoWorld Class Championship Wrestling during the summer of 1986. The team was renamed the U.S. Express and Bart given the name "Mark Batten".[6] One day after losing the NWA Central States belts, they made their WCCW television debut againstKiller Brooks andMatt Borne inDallas, Texas on May 30, 1986.[37][38]
On June 9, The Batten Twins andSteve Simpson beat Matt Borne, Killer Brooks and The Assassin in a six-man tag team match. During the next two months, The Battens scored victories over Jerry Allen and The Grapplers (Grappler #1 and Grappler #2). On July 11, they were beaten by Matt Borne andThe Dingo Warrior. A week later inFort Worth, both brothers wrestled in singles matches; Bart Batten was pinned by WCCW Television Champion"Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer, however, Brad Batten beat The Dingo Warrior via disqualification.[37][38] After the Batten-Sawyer bout, Sawyer put Bart Batten in agorilla press slam and tossed him over the top rope. He fell 20 feet onto the concrete floor. The WCCW TV Champion then attacked Brad Batten and Perry Jackson, who were coming to aid Bart, which instigated a 4-man brawl between Sawyer and Borne versus Steve Simpson andKevin Von Erich. Brad Batten later talked withFritz von Erich about booking the brothers as "heels" and suggested a "family vs. family" storyline pitting the Batten andVon Erich brothers against each other but the promoter turned down the idea.[6]
At Labor Day Star Wars '86, The Batten Twins lost toMark Lewin andKevin Sullivan in the opening rounds of championship tournament for theWCWA World Tag Team Championship. The next night atFort Hood's Prichard Stadium, The Batten Twins defeated Killer Brooks and Perry Jackson. Moments after Bart pinned Jackson, their opponents began fighting with each other with Brooks vowing never to partner with Jackson again.[39] They lost toRick Rude andJos LeDuc a week later inFort Worth. At the3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza, The Batten Twins were beaten byChris andMark Youngblood.[37][38]
The Battens made a brief appearance inTexas All-Star Wrestling before they departed the territory. On November 1, Brad Batten wrestledMaster Gee on the debut episode ofTexas Championship Wrestling. The Batten Twins faced The Grapplers the following week. Brad Batten made a third and final appearance for TASW on the November 15th 1986 episode ofTexas Championship Wrestling againstBlack Bart.[40]
By December 1986, the Batten Twins were back in NWA Central States and had scored victories over The Thunderfoots (Thunderfoot #1 and Thunderfoot #2) and Porkchop Cash & Colt Steele.[41] On January 30, 1987, Brad and Bart Batten lost a chance to regain the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship fromThe MOD Squad (Spike and Basher) at theSt. Louis Arena. The match was later aired on theJim Crockett Promotions television special "NWA Super Towns on the Superstation".[1][42] The winning team won an invitation to the second annualJim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament.[43] On February 27, Brad Batten teamed with Rick McCord to beat The MOD Squad for the belts. They soon became involved in a feud with Porkchop Cash andKen Timbs.[44] The title was declared held-up on April 3 after a controversial title defense against Cash and Timbs when the former used aforeign object to win the match; a rematch was held a week later for the belts, which Batten and McCord lost.[27]
Three months later, Brad Batten andBobby Jaggers were awarded the vacant titles by the NWA after Karl Kovac was fired andThe Warlord left to work in Japan. Batten and Jaggers split up two months later. The title was decided in a singles match between them on August 6, which Batten won. This allowed The Batten Twins to regain the title as Brad chose Bart Batten as his partner. They were joined byDowntown Bruno as their manager.[45] Brad and Bart Batten faced The Kansas Outlaws (Bobby Jaggers and Psycho Sam) inCarroll, Iowa andSheldon, Missouri later that month.[46] Their fourth and final title reign came to an end when the team was defeated by Rick McCord and Porkchop Cash inVersailles, Missouri on November 9, 1987.[1][27]
The Battens moved on to World Organization of Wrestling inPensacola, Florida where they feuded withBadd Company (Paul Diamond andPat Tanaka) and The Fabulous Fargos (Ken Timbs and Pat Rose). They teamed withMr. Olympia in several six-man tag team matches against The Fargos andBob Holly. One of the team's matches saw their opponents break up when Big Bubba turned on his partnerSamoan Kokina.[47][48]
After a brief stint inSouthern Championship Wrestling, The Batten Twins went to Puerto Rico to compete in theWorld Wrestling Council where they found considerable success. Their stay in the country was not without some controversy, however. The Battens were among the six American wrestlers who decided to remain after the murder ofBruiser Brody on July 17, 1988.Wrestling Observer editorDave Meltzer speculated that the team may have had "legit heat" as they were the only wrestlers to leave a U.S. promotion to compete in Puerto Rico and "may have to stay there until this all blows over".[49] Bart Batten later defended their decision as they had families to support and could not afford to turn down bookings. The Battens had been fans of Brody prior to entering wrestling, later becoming friends with him while in NWA Central States and WCCW, and Brad felt that their old friend "wouldn't have held it against us".[6]
On August 6, they defeated The Ninja Express (Kendo Nagasaki andMr. Pogo) inSan Juan, Puerto Rico for theWWC Tag Team Championship. A month later atWWC Aniversario 1988, the Battens retained the titles againstThe Sheepherders (Butch Miller andLuke Williams). The Sheepherders had initially been declared the winners after Miller had interfered in the match by hitting Brad in the head with a flagpole. A second official came out to inform the referee what had occurred and the Battens were awarded the match via disqualification.[50][51][52] The Batten Twins later provided commentary with Ecuadorian promoterHugo Savinovich when the match was released on DVD. They consider this bout one of the greatest matches of their career. They lost the title to Chicky and Ron Starr inAguadilla on October 16, but they won the titles back inCaguas on November 12, 1988. The team lost the title two months later toDan Kroffat andTama the Islander. The Batten Twins regained the belts for a third time in Bayamón on March 4, 1989, only to drop the belts toJason the Terrible andSteve Strong a week later.[1] That same month, The Batten Twins were featured as part of a cover story forWrestling Life.[53]
That spring the Battens were on the look out for more tag team gold. They beat The Ninja Express for theWWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship inDorado on April 2,[54] their opponents having won them the previous night in San Juan. Shortly after winning the belts, the Battens began feuding with The Puerto Rican Express (Hurricane Castillo, Jr. and Miguelito Perez). On April 29, a title bout between the two teams inCarolina ended in controversy and the championship was declared held up by the promotion. The Batten Twins regained the title in a rematch on May 14, however, they ended up losing the belts to Castillo and Perez inJayuya, Puerto Rico on June 9, 1989.[1][55][56] The Battens would wrestle Castillo and Perez in over 40 times. Brad Batten named The Puerto Rican Express as the best tag team they had ever faced.[6]
The tense relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rican wrestling industries led the Battens to adopt a "rebellious" attitude towardsCarlos Colón and other promoters. During their second Puerto Rican tour, The Battens wrestled inscaffold matches thirteen nights in a row.[57] The brothers would become one of the biggestheel performers in the country during their three-year run.[6]
Both of the Batten brothers worked inWorld Championship Wrestling, however, they mostly wrestled separately and aspreliminary wrestlers.[13] Brad wrestled three tag team matches on WCW television in the spring and fall of 1990. The first match was withMark Kyle on the March 2nd edition ofWorld Championship Wrestling wrestling againstThe Steiner Brothers (Rick andScott Steiner). Six months later, Brad appeared onWorld Championship Wrestling (aired September 8) with Joe Barrett at theGeorgia Mountains Center inGainesville, Georgia againstNWA Tag Team ChampionsDoom (withTeddy Long). His third and final appearance was onWCW Main Event (aired September 30) where he and Dave Diamond took on"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair andNWA Television ChampionArn Anderson at the Cobb County Civic Center inMarietta, Georgia. Batten's team lost the match when Anderson hit Batten with aspinebuster and Flair forced him to submit to thefigure-four leglock.[58] On March 7, 1992, onWCW Power Hour Bart Batten wrestled"Flying" Brian Pillman. The Batten Twins first and only appearance as a team was on the March 22nd edition ofWCW Main Event at theCivic Center inAnderson, South Carolina againstDustin Rhodes andBarry Windham. The Battens lost when Rhodes pinned one of the twins with his bulldog finisher.[59]
With the demise of the NWA territories, The Battens found a home inSmoky Mountain Wrestling.[10] They were among the teams to enter the championship tournament inHarrogate, Tennessee to crown the inauguralSMW Tag Team Champions but were defeated byThe Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane andTom Prichard) in the opening round.[1][60] Bart Batten also fell victim to "Hollywood" Bob Holly's undefeated streak in a singles match the following week.[61] The brothers defeated The Heavenly Bodies via disqualification a month later in Beckley, West Virginia. Their opponents held on to the belts, however, as titles could not change hands by disqualification. Over the next few weeks The Battens racked up victories on SMW television defeating Joe Cazana & Scott Sandlin inSpartanburg, South Carolina andDutch Mantel &Jimmy Golden in Tazwell, Virginia. They were unable win the tag titles from The Heavenly Bodies in subsequent rematches.[62][63] On the May 25 episode ofSmoky Mountain Wrestling (aired June 20), the Battens told Bob Caudle in a TV interview that the team would temporarily stop pursuing the tag team champions so thatThe Fantastics (Bobby andJackie Fulton) could have a title shot now that Jackie Fulton had recovered from a recent injury.[64]
The4th of July edition ofSmoky Mountain Wrestling inCumberland, Kentucky saw a match between The Batten Twins and Dixie Dynamite &Danny Davis end in a no contest when a backstage brawl involving The Heavenly Bodies and The Fantastics disrupted the bout. The following week saw Bart Batten team up withSMW Heavyweight ChampionBrian Lee againstThe Dirty White Boy and"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. Lee replaced one of the Battens following an injury and were awarded the match by disqualification.[64] On August 10, the Battens lost toThe Studd Stable (Jimmy Golden andRobert Fuller) at Polk High School inBenton, Tennessee.[62][63]
On the January 30, 1993 episode ofSmoky Mountain Wrestling, Brad Batten was the opponent selected to wrestle fellow "fan favorite"Tracy Smothers for theSMW "Beat The Champ" Television Championship; his name was drawn from a hat by Dutch Mantell at the beginning of the program. The Batten Twins made their final SMW appearance losing to The Studd Stable inNewton, North Carolina on February 7. The team lost the match when Fuller made one of the twins submit to a surprise "Fuller leglock" (Inside toe holdleglock). This was the first time the move had been used in the promotion. Bart Batten returned to Newton the following week to face Kevin Sullivan in a singles match.[1] When Sullivan and his partnerThe Nightstalker began attacking Batten prior to the match, and Sullivan using a metal spike to stab him, Brian Lee andTim Horner came to Batten's rescue.[63]
The Battens were working only part-time in SMW in the early-1990s and, as there were very limited spots in its tag team division, they decided to go on another tour of Puerto Rico with the World Wrestling Council.[6] They captured the WWC Tag Team Championship from The Latin Connection (Ray González andRicky Santana) in March 1993. On April 2, they jumped to rival Americas Wrestling Federation[1] where they won the promotion's vacant tag team championship and held the belts until the AWF's close in June 1993.[8] On December 3, 1993, wrestling as "The Wild Angels", the Batten's defeated The Fantastics for Big Time Wrestling's Ohio Tag Team Championship.
The Batten Twins returned to SMW in early 1994. Their first match back was againstThe Moondogs (Moondog Rex andMoondog Spot) inRed Jacket, West Virginia which ended in a double countout. A rematch was held the next night inHickory, North Carolina, which The Batten Twins lost. They suffered several more defeats at the hands of The Thrillseekers (Chris Jericho andLance Storm) over the summer.[65] On April 20, 1995, they got a shot at the then reigning SMW Tag Team ChampionsThe Dynamic Duo (Al Snow andUnabomb) inAshland, Kentucky, and the following night inSpencer, West Virginia, but came up short both times.[66]
The Batten Twins continued wrestling on the independent circuit after SMW folded. On May 31, 1997, the Battens lost to Terminal Punishment (Allan Funk and Gregg Anderson) inLorain, Ohio.[67] On August 3, they wrestledLittle Guido and Tracy Smothers at a Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling show at Turner's Hall inCleveland, Ohio. The Batten Twins also defeated Beau James and Frank Murdoch for the Championship Pro Wrestling tag team titles that summer.[68] During this time, the Battens had several run ins withDeath & Destruction (Frank "The Tank" Parker and"Ruthless" Roger Anderson). A few days after winning the CPW Tag Team Championship, they beat Mountain State Wrestling Association tag champions Death & Destruction in a non-title match.[69]
The Battens also occasionally wrestled forIan Rotten'sIWA Mid-South promotion inLouisville, Kentucky.[70] On September 11, The Batten Twins lost toShark Boy and The Tower Of Doom. A week later, however, they avenged this loss in aThree-Way Dance with American Kickboxer and Tarek the Great.[71] On November 1, The Battens defeated Dark Overlord and Gatekeeper inNew Martinsville, West Virginia to become the firstAtlantic Coast Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions. They lost the title to The Country Cousins (Cousin Elmer and R.J. Stomper) and failed to regain the belts in a rematch held inBuckhannon, West Virginia on December 13, 1997.[72] On May 9, 1998, The Battens andThe Bushwhackers headlined a show held at Riverside High School inEllwood City, Pennsylvania.[73]
They also worked for the Appalachia Pro Wrestling, where they encountered rivals Death & Destruction,[74] and Nationwide Championship Wrestling where they won the NCW Tag Team Championship.[75] In April 2001, The Batten Twins wrestled John Noble andStan Lane inHardeeville, South Carolina. Noble counted his matches with The Battens among the favorites of his career.[76] The brothers also assisted promoter Scotty Ace produce NCW's weekly television show. They were living inHuntington, West Virginia at the time and had to travel the furthest of the entire roster.[57]
That same year, The Batten Twins appeared on an episode ofThe Jerry Springer Show posting as brothers who were secretly dating a woman unaware that they were identical twins.[1] They were among several Southern independent wrestlers used as "guests" for the show.[77]
The Batten Twins began competing forSouthern States Wrestling based inKingsport, Tennessee. On March 20, 2001, they beat Beau James andK. C. Thunder for theSSW Tag Team Championship. Aligned with Scotty Ace, the Battens continued feuding with James and Thunder throughout the year. At the second annualMark Curtis Weekend of Champions, they defeated James and Thunder in aSteel Cage"loser leaves town" match thanks in part to outside interference from Scotty Ace and Ricky Harrison who "turned heel" by attacking his former allies.[78] The Batten Twins lost the belts to The Heartbreakers (Andy Douglas and Kelly Charles) on June 1 but regained them two months later. The team defended the NCW and SSW Tag Team Championships while competing in both promotions. On September 3, they successfully defended both belts againstJimmy Valiant and Flex Armstrong at an NCW show inHuntington, West Virginia.[79]
Their feud with K. C. Thunder continued into the fall.[80] On October 13, The Batten Twins and their allies Ricky Harrison and Scotty Ace were beaten in an 8-man tag team match against Beau James, KC Thunder, PJ Sharp and Steve Flynn; the brothers had also defended their NCW/SSW titles against Ray Idol and Tony Givens that same night. They remained champions for only two more weeks when they were defeated in Kingsport by K. C. Thunder and Steve Flynn on October 27, 2001.[81]
In 2002, The Battens began wrestling for the Mid-South Wrestling Alliance out ofOak Hill and Blue Ridge Wrestling out ofPrinceton, West Virginia, alongside another former SMW veteran "Player" Brian Logan. On August 3, 2002, The Batten Twins lost to Death & Destruction at aMason-Dixon Wrestling show for the Blackberry Festival inNutter Fort, West Virginia.[82] The two teams met again inWilliamson, West Virginia three months later where The Batten Twins defeated Death & Destruction following a wild 4-way brawl.[83] On August 15, they defeated the "New" West Virginia Wrecking Crew (Danny Ray and Scott McComas) in a tournament final to become the first-ever MSWA Tag Team Champions.[84] The Batten Twins retained the title against The Rebel and Jamie Bolen in Marsh Fork on September 7[85] but they were stripped of the titles on October 19, 2002, when they failed to appear for a scheduled title defense inSmithers, West Virginia.[86]
The Battens won the SSW Tag Team Championship for a third and final time when they beat Thorn and Tim Baldwin in Kingsport on March 22, 2003. At the two-day Mark Curtis Weekend of Champions, Bart Batten defeated Thorn in a singles match by disqualification and later on the team retained their title against Thorn and Flex Armstrong.[87] After a near nine month title reign, the Battens dropped the belts back to Thorn and Baldwin on September 3. The following night, Brad Batten defeated Jesse Taylor for theSSW Heavyweight Championship. He decided to forfeit the title and officially surrendered the belt to promoter Beau James a month later.[81] In one of his last SSW appearances, Brad Batten joined Ray Idol and Jimmy Golden in a 6-man tag team match to beat K. C. Thunder, Nightmare and Super Destroyer inGreeneville, Tennessee on September 20, 2003.[88]
By the early-2000s, for the most part, The Batten Twins stayed within West Virginia working for local independent promotions such as American International Wrestling, Independent Pro Wrestling, Mid South Wrestling Alliance, Mountain State Wrestling, Mountaineer Pro Wrestling and Nationwide Championship Wrestling.[89] They trained future NWA starJason "The Gift" Kincaid during this time.[90][91]
They did, however, travel toAshland, Kentucky on May 23, 2003, to take part in a benefit show for the family of Tyler Dietrich who were struggling to pay expensive medical bills after their young son was diagnosed with cancer.This One's For Tyler involved wrestlers from seven different independent promotions including Nationwide Championship Wrestling and Ohio Championship Wrestling. The Batten Twins were part of a six-man tag match with Cuzin Elwood against The Poachers and Vic the Bruiser.[92] On July 24, The Batten Twins lost to Mike Woods and Gary Valiant by disqualification at aNWA Main Event TV taping inMurfreesboro, Tennessee.[93]
In January 2004, The Batten Twins briefly feuded with Jared and Bitch Lancaster in Mountain State Wrestling. On February 6, 2004, they fought to a double-disqualification against Johnny Blast and Cuban Assassin #2 inMinnora, West Virginia.[94] A March 16 bout against The Memphis Mafia ended in a no-contest.[95] Four days later, they won the West Virginia Tag Team Invitational inSmithers, West Virginia.[94] On April 28, The Batten Twins were defeated by Eric St. Clair andGeorge South inFayetteville, West Virginia.[96] On September 21, 2004, The Batten Twins defeated Lance Erikson and Stan Lee by disqualification at a MPW show in Oak Hill.[94][97]
In April 2005, the Batten Twins announced their retirement[4] and would be going on one last wrestling tour throughout their home state of West Virginia.[10] The reason behind their decision to retire was partly because the brothers "didn't want to be aGypsy Joe" and risk serious injury due to their ages. Brad Batten had also met a woman inCleveland, Ohio and wanted to move out of the state to live with her.[6] The two were married three years later.[11] On May 21, 2005, The Batten Twins wrestled their last match with Bart's son, Brent Batten, defeating "Superstar" Shane Matthews, Chris Vega and J.V. Insanity inBradley, West Virginia.[1][98]
While his brother left for Cleveland, Bart continued to be involved in the local independent circuit. He was thecolor commentator for theBluefield, West Virginia-based All Pro Wrestling and hosted Network West Virginia's Monday night showMountain State Wrestling TV.[1] On July 5, 2014, Bart Batten appeared with fellowSmokey Mountain Wrestling alumniBobby Blaze,Jim Cornette andMick Foley for Bluegrass Championship Wrestling's "Rumble on the River" show inAshland, Kentucky.[99]
Brad Batten left West Virginia after retiring from pro wrestling. He later settled inCrestline,Ohio where he lived with his wife for several years. Batten died at theOhio State University Medical Center on November 18, 2014, after suffering a sudden heart attack near his home.[4][9][11][13] The news was announced by the World Wrestling Council on its officialFacebook page.[10]
On January 21, 2015, Bart Batten was a guest on theWorld Domination with Terry Garvin Simms podcast with retired wrestler Terry Simms. He discussed his reaction to Brad's death and revealed that both of them had becomeborn again Christians after they had split up. It was not until Bart Batten called up his brother that he discovered they had unknowingly done so on exactly the same day. Bart talked about training with the Poffo family in ICW and their NWA career during the1980s wrestling boom. He was also very critical of the modern wrestling industry and blamedVince McMahon for "destroying the [NWA] territories".[6] Both Garvin and Downtown Bruno have maintained that the Battens would have been major stars had they been given the opportunity by the bigger territories.[6][45]
The only U.S. wrestlers left in Puerto Rico are Bobby Jaggers, Dan Kroffat, Ron Starr, the Batten Twins, and Tony Falk. The rest left. "The wrestling grapevine indicates that there are no hard feelings towards the guys that were there and stayed, being that everyone understands you have to make money to feed your family. However in the case of the Battens, who left a U.S. promotion to go to Puerto Rico, they may have to stay there until this all blows over because there may be some hard feelings because of them going there."