.jpg) Armstrong after winning theWCW Light Heavyweight Championship in 1992 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Bradley James[4] (1962-06-15)June 15, 1962 Marietta, Georgia, U.S.[5] |
| Died | November 1, 2012(2012-11-01) (aged 50) Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S. |
Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent | Bob Armstrong (father) |
| Family | Road Dogg (brother) Scott Armstrong (brother) Steve Armstrong (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Arachnaman[1] B.A. Badstreet[1] Buzzkill[1] Brad Armstrong Candyman[1] Dos Hombres[1] Fantasia Freedom Fighter[1] Mr. R[2] Armstrong's Avenger |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 233 lb (106 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Marietta, Georgia |
| Trained by | Bob Armstrong[1] |
| Debut | July 4, 1980 |
| Retired | February 12, 2011 |
Robert Bradley James (June 15, 1962 – November 1, 2012), better known by hisring name,Brad Armstrong was anAmericanprofessional wrestler best known for his appearances with thepromotionWorld Championship Wrestling in the 1990s. He was the son of wrestler"Bullet Bob" Armstrong and brother to professional wrestlersSteve,Scott andBrian.
Brad Armstrong began his career three weeks after graduating fromWheeler High School, wrestling his first match on July 4, 1980, at the age of 18.[4][6] In 1984, he moved to the Georgia territory of theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA),Georgia Championship Wrestling.[5] During this time, Armstrong began teaming with "White Lightning"Tim Horner.[7] He was also involved in anangle withTommy Rich, who wasfeuding withTed DiBiase. After Rich lost to DiBiase in a "loser leaves wrestling" match, he put on a mask and came back as Mr. R, who DiBiase insisted was really Rich. On February 18, during a TV match for DiBiase'sNWA National Heavyweight Championship, Rich visited announcerGordon Solie and DiBiase unmasked Mr R, only to find that it was actually Armstrong, who pinned DiBiase to win the championship.[8]
Armstrong also held theNWA National Tag Team Championship twice that year, once with his father, and once with Horner.[1] They returned toSoutheastern Championship Wrestling in 1985, before joining the NWA's Mid-Atlantic territory,Jim Crockett Promotions, in 1986. In the summer, Brad toured Japan forAll Japan Pro Wrestling, taking part in a tournament to determine the inauguralWorld Junior Heavyweight Champion, but lost toHiro Saito in the finals.[9] AtStarrcade '86: Night of the Skywalkers on November 27, Armstrong facedJimmy Garvin, but their match ended in adraw.[10] He then moved toBill Watts'Universal Wrestling Federation (then known as Mid-South Wrestling).[1] On December 5, he defeatedErnie Ladd to win theMid-South North American Heavyweight Championship, before losing it to DiBiase on January 16, 1985.[11]
In early 1987, Armstrong reunited with Horner, forming atag team known asThe Lightning Express.[2] On May 17, they defeatedSting andRick Steiner to win theUWF Tag Team Championship.[12] AtThe Great American Bash on July 4, they successfully defended the championship againstAngel of Death andBig Bubba Rogers.[13] They lost the titles toThe Sheepherders (Butch Miller andLuke Williams) on October 16.[12] The Lightning Express went back to JCP (which becameWorld Championship Wrestling in November 1988) after the UWF was bought out by Crockett, but were not pushed, and Horner left for theWWF in late 1988. On the August 4, 1990, edition ofWCW Saturday Night, Armstrong announced he would be forming a new tandem withDoug Furnas. However, Furnas left the company shortly thereafter, leaving Armstrong to continue his Lightning Express partnership with Horner.[14]
A month later, Armstrong went back into singles competition asThe Candyman, dressed in red and white tights and handing out candy to fans during his entrances.[1] He received a significantpush in the new WCW, developing an undefeated streak by pinning the likes ofDutch Mantell,Buddy Landell, andJames Earl Wright.[14] AtHalloween Havoc on October 27, Armstrong defeatedJ.W. Storm, a recent addition to WCW who was also on an undefeated streak.[15] On November 15,The Iron Sheik upset The Candyman at ahouse show in Kansas City, ending his undefeated streak.[14] AtClash of Champions XXIII on November 20, The Candyman lost to the debutingBig Cat after the referee stopped the match.[2]
By January 1991, Armstrong dropped the Candyman gimmick and reunited with Horner, facingThe Fabulous Freebirds in a match that ended in a double disqualification.[16] AtSuperBrawl I on May 19, Armstrong helped the Freebirds capture the vacantWCW United States Tag Team Championship from theYoung Pistols, becoming Fantasia, the third member of the Freebirds under a mask and covered in black feathers.[17] His name was quickly changed to Badstreet to prevent legal action fromDisney. The three Freebirds then won theWCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship while Hayes and Garvin held theWCW United States Tag Team Championship.[18]
In September 1991, Armstrong began to tour Japan withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling. Later that year, Armstrong was given another masked gimmick, Arachnaman, who bore such a strong resemblance toSpider-Man thatMarvel Comics threatened legal action, causing WCW to drop the character in the span of three months.[19] On July 5, 1992, Armstrong defeatedScotty Flamingo to win theWCW Light Heavyweight Championship (also known as the second incarnation of theNWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and the first incarnation of theWCW Cruiserweight Championship).[20] He soon injured his knee during a tour ofJapan in a match againstThe Great Muta inSapporo, and was stripped of the title at theClash of the Champions XX.[21] He returned weeks later, and remained with the company until early 1995.
In June 1995, Armstrong joinedSmoky Mountain Wrestling. He would split his time between SMW in Knoxville and theUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA) in Memphis, winning theUSWA Heavyweight Championship once and theSMW Heavyweight Championship twice during his stay.[22][23] After SMW folded in December 1995, Armstrong continued wrestling regularly for the USWA.
Armstrong eventually returned to WCW in February 1996. AtSlamboree on May 19, Armstrong unsuccessfully challengedDean Malenko for theWCW World Cruiserweight Championship.[24] In the summer of 1997, he turnedheel, changing his look, sporting short hair and a goatee, and developing a bad attitude and mean streak. By the end of the year, he developed a string of losses, which he blamed on the "Armstrong Curse". On February 22, 1998, he lost toGoldberg atSuperBrawl VIII during Goldberg's undefeated streak.[25]
In 1999, he was repackaged as "B.A.", a member ofThe Four Horsemen stable.[26] After the group disbanded, he began a feud withBerlyn, who attacked Armstrong's brotherScott and badmouthed the United States of America. On October 24, atHalloween Havoc, Armstrong defeated Berlyn.[27] After Halloween Havoc,Vince Neil forced Armstrong to find a gimmick, eventually becoming "Buzzkill", ahippie with aTie-dye shirt and a takeoff of his brother Brian's gimmick, Road Dogg.[1][2]
In March 2000, Armstrong injured his knee in an accident backstage at aWCW Saturday Night taping, where he got run over byThe Haiti Kid andSky Low Low, severely injuring his knee. After going through knee surgery, his WCW contract expired as the company was bought by WWF in 2001.[1]
Armstrong came out of retirement in 2004 and wrestled on theindependent circuit.[5] He started teaming with his dad and his brotherScott, winning several tag team championships.[28] On February 19, 2005, while working for Exodus Wrestling, he defeatedGeorge South to win the EWA Heavyweight Championship.[2] The Armstrongs feuded with theMidnight Express over the following years, both in singles and tag team competition.[2] On November 6, 2010, Armstrong teamed withRicky Morton to win theNWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship, defeatingChris Hamrick and Jeff Lewis.[29] His last wrestling match occurred atA Nightmare To Remember on February 12, 2011, where he was defeated by Kyle Matthews.[30]
On September 15, 2006, Armstrong signed a contract withWorld Wrestling Entertainment and began wrestling atECWbrandhouse shows againstEric Pérez and acting as a trainer to the younger members of the roster.[31][2] In December, around the time rumors of ECW color commentatorTazz leaving the company began to circulate, Armstrong began to make sporadic appearances as a "guest commentator" on the brand.[32] The three-man booth did not last and Armstrong resumed his role as aproducer. While working as a producer for WWE, Armstrong continued to wrestle for various independent promotions in the Southeast. At the same time, Armstrong worked at a health store in Marietta and volunteered at Shiloh Hills Christian School in Kennesaw, performing various functions including serving as field trip monitor and assisting with car duty on campus.[4]
James married his wife Lori Jean Spranz on October 17, 1998.[5] Together, they had one daughter, Jillian.[4]
On November 1, 2012, Armstrong was found dead at his home in Kennesaw, Georgia after seeing his physician the previous week for an undisclosed medical issue. He was 50 years old.[33] His formerLightning Express tag team partner and best friendTim Horner speculated that he died of aheart attack,[34] which was confirmed by his brother Scott in a 2022 interview.[35] Eulogizing Armstrong,Jim Ross described him as "one of the more talented in-ring performers I've ever worked with...one of the most underrated all-time greats ever in the business."[36]
But Arachnaman was so similar to Marvel's meal ticket, legal action was threatened and the vigilante lasted all but three months in WCW.
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