In mid '85, Ron Fuller decided to change the name of the Southeastern promotion to Continental Championship Wrestling, and make Birmingham the cornerstone city. The promotion's TV shows, which had been taped at a Dothan TV station (WTVY), were moved to the larger confines of Boutwell Auditorium in B'ham (although as time passed, Birmingham's Alabama Fairgrounds, the Knoxville Civic Center, the Montgomery Civic Center, and yes, the Dothan Civic Center, would again see TV tapings).

Fuller also made a change in the announce team. Rather than sticking with the familiar face of Charlie Platt, a Dothan favorite even to this day, Fuller called on an old friend - legendary wrestling commentator Gordon Solie.  Platt would return in 1988, but Solie, as always, was the master. He was a commanding presence, and whether exchanging a word of strange wisdom with Kevin Sullivan, smothering laughs while conducting interviews with Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden, or sharing a laugh with Brad Armstrong, Tom Prichard or Wendall Cooley, Solie got the wrestlers' respect, and in doing so, seemed to watch the action, and explain it, from the fan's point of view, with a few 'technical' terms ("pectoralis major," for instance) thrown in for good measure. Gordon could call a match like no other, and his wit was never better than it was during his run with Continental, from 1985 until the summer of 1988.

The name and announcer changed, but the roster remained largely the same. Fuller's brother Robert remained on, as did his cousin, Jimmy Golden, but instead of the fan favorite roles fans had grown accustomed to, Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden, who already had a Lex Luger-like tendency to switch from fan favorite to rulebreaker like most people change underwear, became MONSTER heels.  The Armstrongs remained a part of the team, as did Johnny Rich. Rich's cousin and former NWA World champ Tommy "Wildfire" Rich had a run in 1985, which we'll get into more in our next segment, and Mr. Olympia-Jerry Stubbs still played a large role.  But one of the biggest - maybe THE biggest overall angle in Continental Wrestling history (Continental, folks, not Southeastern) was Bob Armstrong's transformation into "The Bullet," as a result of an epic war with the Fuller family.

Cooincidentally, the Bullet gimmick was essentially born on my very first night of watching Continental Championship Wrestling. Bob Armstrong, a popular but older fan favorite who had been feuding wildly with Ron Fuller for months, asked for a cage match in which he and a partner would take on Ron and Golden. The stipulation: The loser of the fall would have to leave Continental, not for six months or a year, but forever.

Fuller accepted, and if you were able to read the previous installments, you know that Bob's partner was Ron's brother Robert, who, of course, stabbed Bob in the back, allowing a violent triple-team. The angle was that Bob lost the match, but if you've ever seen the tape, you'll notice there was no pinfall. Technically, he didn't lose, but the promotion took the angle that he did, and they ran with it.

As Bob was being pummeled, sons Steve and Scott tried to get into the ring, couldn't, and were aided by their brother, Brad, who was really just about to reach his prime. The Fullers and Golden left the ring, confident they had demolished the elder Armstrong. But the feud was just beginning. The Fullers did injure Scott Armstrong with the Fuller Leglock, a toe-hold, and Dick Slater, who came in to "help" the Armstrong boys, would be another turncoat. Things looked bleak. But that's when the Bullet - Bob Armstrong under a mask - returned. Let me tell you, it was quite a sight to see masked Bob Armstrong (shhhh - I forgot - I can't give away the secret) strut to the ring to the gritty guitar and saxophone of George Thurogood's "Bad To The Bone," but the crowd went wild, and I mean, WILD. The Bullet is still, in my mind, the Continental equivalent of Sting to the NWA in 1988-89, or of Hulk Hogan in 1984-89 WWF. He was, to borrow a phrase from the great Ric Flair, "the man."

Throughout fall 1985, Ron Fuller and the Stud's Stable continually took their individual shots at the Bullet, and even brought in several others to do the job, including Dick Slater. But few proved a match, at least in the long haul, for the Bullet.  The year of 1985 was a transition year for the promotion, but the final five months of that year, August through December, featured debuts of stars like Adrian Street, and up-and-comers like Tom Prichard and Wendall Cooley.

And it was a transition year for me. I've got to tell you, Continental was unlike any promotion ever. The fans became so familiar with the wrestlers, it was like watching a friend move when someone lost the infamous occasional "loser-leave-town" match. The wrestlers felt that way, too - that's why people like Jerry Stubbs, Larry Hamilton, Cooley and the Armstrongs always kept coming back. They were loved there. There, they were the best show in town. Over the course of these narratives, you will see that I have a real passion for this promotion. It means a lot to me; I grew to know many of the wrestlers, and the venues became a monthly stop, not for some teenage nerd, but for a guy who was pretty popular in school who needed an outlet. It was a getaway, an escape, from the everyday teenager's world of algebra, economics, and girls. When I was at a Continental card, or watching the promotion's show on the weekend, I would forget my own problems, just for a little while, to see what stupid, devious trick Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden might pull next. It was a wonderful time, a great time in my life and for wrestling in the southeast. I look forward to sharing as many moments with you as possible, and bringing you inside the world of Continental Championship Wrestling. "Until then, so long, from deep in the heart of Dixie." - Gordon Solie.