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Alabama Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame

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Bullet Bob Armstrong was born October 3, 1939

When he was a child, Bob's father took him to see Gorgeous George wrestle. As a young man he was impressed and intrigued by the flamboyant performer. As a young man, Bob served in the Marine Corps of the United States armed forces and was stationed in Korea.

He debuted as a wrestler in 1960, adopting the ring name "Bob Armstrong". By 1966, Armstrong had become popular in the Savannah, Georgia area.

Armstrong achieved considerable popularity in the Southeastern United States, particularly in Alabama and his home state of Georgia. He frequently wrestled for affiliates of the National Wrestling Alliance, and on October 9, 1974 in Miami Beach, Florida, Armstrong challenged Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

While bench pressing in a gym in Georgia, the bench that Armstrong was lying upon broke, leading to the weight falling on his face. Armstrong's face was severely damaged and his nose was torn entirely off, and he required plastic surgery to repair it. While undergoing surgery, Armstrong donned a wrestling mask to conceal his disfigured features and began using the ring name "The Bullet". As "The Bullet", Armstrong feuded with the Stud Stable in Continental 
Championship Wrestling. He eventually discarded the mask after his surgeries were complete, but retained the nickname "Bullet" for the remainder of his career.

Armstrong trained each of his sons to wrestle, and formed tag teams with them in the 1980s and 1990s.

 

In the course of his career, he toured both Japan and Korea.

In the ring, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong carved out distinction as a tough, working-class hero who would never back down from a fight. Outside of it, he raised four boys who would proudly carry on his legacy. In both respects, he has been revered as a man of honor.

The crowds who lined up to watch the grappler in arenas throughout Alabama and Georgia saw something of themselves in Armstrong. He wasn't the biggest man in the ring and he wasn't flashy, but he had tenacity. It was this “never say die” spirit that helped Armstrong persevere when a weightlifting accident nearly disfigured him. Instead of sulking on the sidelines, he pulled on a mask and became "The Bullet." His popularity only grew.

What endeared Armstrong to his fans the most was the fact that he was a true southerner. Although the talented competitor was often lured by big paydays “up north,” he was too much of a good old boy to be tempted by the bright lights of New York City or Chicago. He made his greatest mark in promotions like Southeastern Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling. It was where he felt at home and where he felt connected to the people.

A dedicated family man, Armstrong and his beloved wife, Gail, raised four sons — Brad, Scott, Steve and Brian. Physical like their father, the boys would all grow up to become professional wrestlers. Brian is best known as "The Roaddogg" Jesse James, a former member of DX and one of the most popular Superstars of WWE’s “Attitude Era.” Brad and Steve both found success in World Championship Wrestling. Scott was a WCW competitor as 
well and later made his mark as one of WWE’s top officials. All of the Armstrong boys are highly-respected as talented performers by their peers, which shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as how The Bullet trained all of them. Over the years, Armstrong also had the opportunity to team with each of his sons and won championships with them on many occasions. Amazingly, The Bullet still gets in the ring with his sons to this day. Although he’s 
understandably slowed a bit with age, he can lace up the boots and dish out a Georgia Jaw Jacker when he needs to. It's proof that the Southern Superstar is still as tough as nails.

Bob was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

Bob and his sons have performed all over the world and are considered wrestling royalty in the State of Alabama.  

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