Another Wrestler dead early

Brad Armstrong has died at the age of 51. He was a southern star for many years, the son of the famed "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and came to greater recognition through World Championship Wrestling in the late 1980s early 1990s.

While he was never a true main eventer on a national scale, with most of his success coming in territories like Georgia and Continental, he was beloved in the industry and respected as one of the greatest talents.

"Brad Armstrong could work with anybody. That guy was as smooth as silk," wrote Steve Austin in his autobiography, The Stone Cold Truth. "He was like Ricky Steamboat, in a way -- another guy you went out there with and never had to say a word to. He knew the finish and how to get there. I knew how good he could be. I'd call all the spots in the ring and we'd just wrestle."

Dusty Rhodes, on the Ring of Honor DVD, Secrets of the Ring, talked about putting Armstrong in high positions when Rhodes was the booker in WCW. "Did Brad ever get any big shots? I thought Brad was tremendous, and I still do to this time. I felt very comfortable putting him in a main event," said Rhodes.

"Brad Armstrong didn't want to stay mediocre. He wanted to be on the top."

"Gutted to hear about Brad Armstrong passing," wrote Steve Corino on Twitter. "Amazing wrestler & even better guy."

A graduate of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Robert Bradley James, born June 15, 1961, followed his father into the pro wrestling ring, having grown up around the business.

"I took Brad under my wing at 18 when he started and was 210 pounds," Bob Armstrong told the Ringside Talk radio show in March 2011. "He was a pretty tough character, so I figured he do alright with my guidance. Sure enough when he was 19 we won the national [tag team]championships. They had 22 teams from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South America. They brought them all into the old Omni in Atlanta, and sure enough, we came out on top."

Four of Bob Armstrong's boys would enter pro wrestling -- Brad, Brian (Road Dogg Jesse James, BG James, etc.), Steve, and Scott, who wrestled but is now a WWE referee.

In a March 2011 interview with SLAM! Wrestling, Bob Armstrong talked about what a tight-knit family they were. "We've never really been apart. I've got three sons who live within 45 minutes of me, one within five minutes of me. Brad's the only one that stayed around the Atlanta area; he married a lady from HBO, and her headquarters are up there. But my other three sons are with me all the time. We wrestle together."

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Brad Armstrong was one of those guys people talked about as someone you could just send out to improv a match and always give you something good. WCW Saturday Night was basically built around that.

Wrestling is so gross.

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Never understood why he didn't get a push.

Sad to hear of this.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

RIP

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This.

He was probably my favorite jobber back during the early-mid 90s WCW era. He may have won the TV belt once, and that was probably it. Always a solid worker, and the best of the Armstrong boys. Fuck Road Dogg.

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I grew up watching Brad Armstrong on WTBS in the early 80's. He wrestled everybody in Georgia Championship Wrestling which was the precursor to World Championship Wrestling. It was Gordon Solie on the call, and the NWA was the territory. He wrestled every main eventer, but never got the gold. I thought he was seriously underrated. He was in programs with all of the NWA greats at the time. Flair, Road Warriors, 4 Horseman, Rhodes, Magnum T.A., etc. Great wrestler who could work any style. Yet another part of my childhood gone. R.I.P. Bad Brad!!!!

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"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken