Brad Armstrong ... One of the best there never was?

[Mouthy Idiot]

Brad Armstrong died earlier this month and I am very puzzled about this dude and his career. I guess I am really curious as to why he never had that big push in sports entertainment in the 90's or early 2000s. I understand he had some very early success in the early 80s and that was in the NWA and UWf and some other regions but it was also based on being the son of Bullet Bob Armstrong. I dont know alot about his situation when it comes to backstage politics or anything but he seemed to have a really good look/ability in the ring to where he should have been a star.

I mean he even came from a wrestling family which usually means the sons of the fathers get pushed. Alot of wrestlers claimed he was a very good worker and they loved working with him because he was so good in the ring. He wasnt some small guy either. He wasnt huge but he was listed as about 6 foot 260 pounds which is a decent sized man. He had some muscle on his frame and again he was considered a handsome guy so what was the problem. I assume he probably wasnt the best talker / promo guy which probably is what held him back. Maybe he had trouble on the mic but I remember him from wcw and he seemed normal although probably alittle too vanilla character wise so he was put under a mask at least 3 times in wcw portrayin different masked gimmicks.

I mean one of his brothers is Road Dogg and he was a major talent on the mic and in promos with DX and Brad was better looking and had a way better body than Road Dogg so im just curious why he never had that push or title run. Its just very odd he never did anything in the 90's era TV boom . I mean they could have put him in the NWO and been the NWOS wrestling machine he would have got props from fans for his talent in the ring and hated at the same time. Something could have been done for him. He couldnt have been that bad on the mic or personality wise that he could never get some heat. They tried some gimmick with him called Buzzkill and I guess it didnt work it was some sort of Road Dogg type gimmick. It just weird everything failed for him and Im really wondering why?

So I guess what Im asking is why didnt Brad Armstrong ever get his big chance in wcw or even wwe? What held him back? What was possibly wrong. There are tons of dudes who were very dull who were given pushes and the business has a way of weeding those guys out once they fail. What was the problem with Brad and why didnt he ever get over.

 

[justtxyank]

Brad Armstrong got some run in WCW in the early 90s. Unfortunately you nailed it exactly. He was vanilla as vanilla gets. He wasn't even Vanilla Bean. Just plain old Vanilla. He couldn't cut promos and he didn't have a lot of in ring charisma either.

I was a fan, but he didn't have star quality at all. Even his matches that were really good didn't often strike you. He wasn't good at selling himself in matches or promos and he wasn't an egomaniac behind the scenes trying to get a push.

 

[HBsam31]

I always found myself rooting for Brad Armstrong, but yeah he was pretty dull in and out of the ring. I was a kid and still remember himi pretty well so he did get some time in WCW, but he just didn't have those top tier tools. It's sad that he died so young though. Another wrestler from my childhood gone to early.

 

[spaldoni]

I was a big fan of Brad Armstrong. I remember on TBS the Tommy Rich, Ted Dibiase, Mr. R angle where Brad Armstrong posed as Mr. R and pinned Dibiase. Great angle. Brad had great wrestling skills and was exciting to watch. Him and Tim Horner were a fast paced tag team called The Lightning Express and were UWF tag champs. I thought he would of been a great TV champ or a great US tag champ with Horner. It's such a shame he passed away so young. R.I.P. Brad.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I disagree that Armstrong never made it bigger than he did because he was boring.

His problem... like with so many others before him, was that he was very good at being the guy that could get others over, and the guy that could help a promoter determine if someone was worth pushing or not.

He kind of settled into that type of role, and he kind of gets remembered as he is as a result.

The guy was a great pro... and had he been a little more selfish, could have had a really good run as a fiery babyface. He was great in that role. He had a great look. Was as solid as they get in the ring. Probably had one of the best standing drop kicks ever.

It's a shame that he's gone so young. RIP.

 

[LascoX]

Mr Mojorising brings up a good point. Brad was sort of locked into the midcard as a solid worker that could get others over. I will admit he was a bit to vanilla for his own good but he was always a solid worker. My favorite feud of his was with Dibiase after Ted had broke his dads face in a match. It was some of the best promos Brad did and he brought some good emotion to it as well as having some great matches. It was sad he never got a bigger push but he did have a solid run in the business.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Armstrong got a nice sustained push in 86-87 in the NWA. He had solid mid card feud vs Jimmy Garvin, who was one of the top heels at the time and a fairly long feud over the TV Title vs Tully Blanchard during the $10,000 challenge series. In between he replaced Magnum TA in the main events of several shows vs Ric Flair. Although he aquitted himself well in their matches Armstrong's relative lack of charisma made him look like a mid carder vs Flair (Although Armstrong got the house shows the NWA brass inserted Nikita Kolloff into Magnum's main event spot at Starrcade). However, the NWA was still big on Armstrong after the Flair matches, leading to his prominent placement vs Blanchard that eventually grew into a run vs The Horsemen in general (allowing his dad Bullet Bob to enter the picture for a bit). Even after his feud vs Blanchard ended Armstrong was still getting TV Time in a tag team with Tim Horner. In between this he appeared in the short lived UWF.

If memory serves me correct he dropped out of the NWA in early 1988 due to drug issues. Afterwards he would appear periodically for short runs as enhancement talent mostly, giving good matches but ultimately losing to more established stars. Other young stars during his big push (86-88) that far exceeded his career included Lex Luger, Sting, Brian Pillman, Curt Henning, Shawn Michaels (though it took a long time) and Arn Anderson to name a few.

Ultimately Armstrong was a great athlete and a solid in ring performer but he didnt show enough charisma to get himself over with the audience. Sadly, my last memory of him was his last televised World Title match vs Ric Flair in 1996, an entertaining 10 minute bout that as expected ended with a Flair victory.