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Brad Armstrong was born June 15, 1962
Brad Armstrong started out in the National Wrestling Alliance's Gulf Coast territory, Southeastern Championship Wrestling in July 1980 at the age of 18.
Armstrong moved to the NWA's Georgia territory, Georgia Championship Wrestling, in 1984, where he feuded with Tom McCartney, Ted DiBiase alongside his father Bob and "White Lightning" Tim Horner. Armstrong took great advantage of a mix of technical wrestling and explosive speed in his style.
Armstrong held the NWA National Tag Team Championship twice that year, once with his father, and once with Horner. All three returned to Southeastern Championship Wrestling in 1985, before eventually joining the NWA's Mid-Atlantic territory, Jim Crockett Promotions, in late 1986. Armstrong feuded with Jimmy Garvin, locked horns with the Four Horsemen, and teamed with both his father and Horner at various times.
In 1986, Brad went on his first tour of Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling, to take part in a tournament to determine the first World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Brad made it to finals, but lost the match and the title to Hiro Saito on July 31.
Armstrong then moved to Cowboy Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling, Universal Wrestling Federation, in 1986 where he won The North American Heavyweight Championship from Ernie Ladd in 1986.
In early 1987,Brad reunited with Tim Horner forming an exciting tag team known as "The Lightning Express, winning the UWF Tag Team Championship from future superstars Sting and Rick Steiner. They then feuded with the "Sheepherder's," later known as The Bushwhackers, Butch Miller and Luke Williams, to whom they eventually lost their belts.
The Lightning Express then went back to Jim Crockett Promotions (which became World Championship Wrestling in November 1988) after the UWF was bought out by Crockett, but were not pushed, and Horner left for the WWF in late 1988. Armstrong bounced between singles wrestling, temporary tag teams for much of the next few years.
In April 1991, the Fabulous Freebirds began speaking of a third member named Fantasia, who debuted at SuperBrawl I on May 29 to help the Freebirds capture the vacant WCW United States Tag Team Titles from the Young Pistols. Armstrong, under a mask and covered in black feathers, would quickly have his name changed to Badstreet (the name was changed to prevent legal action from Disney). The three Freebirds then won the WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, while Hayes and Garvin held the WCW United States Tag Team Championship.
In September 1991, Armstrong began to tour Japan with New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he would tour Japan several times between 1991 and 1996.
On July 5, 1992, Armstrong won the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship (also known as the second incarnation of the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship and the first incarnation of the WCW Cruiserweight Championship), by defeating Scotty Flamingo. He soon injured his knee during a tour of Japan in a match against The Great Muta in Sapporo, and was stripped of the title at the Clash of the Champions two months later. He returned weeks later, and remained with the company until early 1995.
In June 1995, Armstrong joined Smoky Mountain Wrestling. By August, he'd split his time between SMW in Knoxville and United States Wrestling Association in Memphis. Armstrong won both The USWA Heavyweight Championship and the SMW Heavyweight Championship three times during his stay. After SMW folded in November 1995, Armstrong wrestled regularly for the USWA until February 1996 when he returned to WCW.
Armstrong eventually returned to WCW in February 1996. At Slamboree, Armstrong challenged Dean Malenko for the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship Brad, changing his look, sporting short hair and a goatee, had developed a bad attitude and mean streak. By the end of the year, he developed a string of losses, which he claimed was blamed by the "Armstrong Curse".
In 1999, he was repackaged as "B.A.", a member of The No Limit Soldiers stable.
In March of 2000 Brad was involved in an accident backstage at a WCW Saturday Night taping, severely injuring his knee. After going through knee surgery, his WCW contract expired in 2001, and he left the business for a couple years, until returning to the independent circuit in 2003.
In 2006, Armstrong signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and began wrestling at ECW brand house shows and acting as a trainer to the younger members of the roster. While working as a producer for WWE, Armstrong continued to wrestle for various independent promotions in the Southeast.
Brad and his family have performed all over the world and are considered wrestling royalty in the State of Alabama.
Brad passed away on On November 1, 2012 and is deeply missed to this day.
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