A wide receiver on the football team who came into class late was told to turn in his homework. In a hilarious move on his part, in Tommy Rich-esque fashion, the guy drops his books and shouts out, "Somebody said somethin' about HOMEWORK!"

The female teacher couldn't help but laugh; she knew who Rich was, and that that was his catch phrase. She had taken her daughter to a Continental card just the week before in Columbus, MS.

An assistant principal at our school jokingly threatened a student with suspension, saying, “You’re gonna lose a loser-leaves-town.” 

Our football team even began to refer to themselves as the Stable, much like athletes in the mid '90's did with the nWo.

Then, I realized they were having fun -- and before long, so was I.  In the summer months of '85, during that transition period, the promotion's wrestlers and even Mr. Solie seemed to be trying to find their niche. By fall, they had found it, and in a big way. 

The latter half of '85 had its light-hearted moments -- such as Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden discussing how to end the career of Brad Armstrong while sitting in a hot-tub at Fuller's house (yes, this happened; I have it on tape). But all in all, it was a serious time for the promotion, with the war between the Bullet & the Armstrong family against Fuller, Golden, Ron Fuller and the rest of the Stud's Stable.

The Bullet vs. the Stud’s Stable

In the absence of their father, Bob, the Armstrong sons put their faith in Dick Slater, a faith that proved to be misguided. Slater quickly turned his back on the Armstrongs, and before long, the Tennessee Stud’s crew had put Scott Armstrong out of action with a broken leg.

Slater wasn’t around long enough for anyone to get revenge on; if Slater’s 1985 impact had been an earthquake, it wouldn’t have registered on the Richter scale.

The Bullet and Brad Armstrong dedicated the rest of 1985 to busting up the Stable, and while the Stable did ultimately fall by the wayside for a while in 1986, it was Kevin Sullivan, not the Bullet, that would be responsible (more on this soon).

I can remember wild southern street fights, pitting the Bullet & Brad versus Robert Fuller & The Flame. Every time those guys would yank the Bullet’s mask off, one of the Armstrong boys would be there with another, before the cameras could capture the Bullet’s face.

The championship picture, which had always included both the Armstrongs and the Fullers, became secondary. Who made who look like a fool on television became primary, and if you could injure your opponent in the process, it had been a great week. What a bloodthirsty feud.

The feud didn’t end when 1985 ended. Ron Fuller would spend the early part of 1986 trying to rid the area of the Bullet, bringing in Dutch Mantell and yes, even a heel Mr. Wrestling II in an effort to get the Bullet’s mask.

Little could Fuller have known that by the end of ’86, he would be right by the Bullet’s side, battling Kevin Sullivan and his men.

Still, in 1985, no feud was hotter. Ron Fuller wanted so desperately to pull the mask off the Bullet, to rid the area once and for all of “Bullet” Bob Armstrong. No price was too high, no cost too great, and you could hear that in Fuller’s voice.

Just the same, the Bullet truly despised the Stable, not just for ripping off Bob Armstrong, but for injuring Scott and for corrupting people like Frank Lancaster, who saw the light in 1986 and became a fan favorite.

Other notable feuds

With Brad and the Bullet battling the Stable, which in addition to the Fullers & Golden included the Flame, Boomer H. Lynch, Lancaster and Mr. Olympia, there were other things happening in ’85 to make Continental pop.

Austin Idol, long a top fan favorite in the area when it was Southeastern Championship Wrestling, saw fit to work his way out. Idol had been injured by the new Southeastern champ, “Exotic” Adrian Street, and departed, leaving the effeminate Street to brag that he had rid the area of “The Universal Heartthrob.”

For those of you who have never seen Adrian Street -- if there are any of you out there that qualify -- this man (referred to on occasion by Gordon Solie as “Mr. Street, Mrs. Street, whatever the case may be”) might have been the Gorgeous George of his time, but he was one heck of a wrestler. Street could wrestle his way out of anything -- when he chose to do so. His first option, or so it seemed, was interference by his valet, Miss Linda, with a spray bottle of hair spray, or wielding a crutch as a weapon.

Street painted the Southeastern belt a bright pink, seemingly as much to disrespect the title and the fans as to match his own personality. 

Street began a lengthy feud with Norvell Austin, a rather large black wrestler who had a fairly large following in the south. Austin also wrestled in Georgia a great deal.

Austin’s one problem with Street was Linda’s constant interference. While he might win a battle or two here and there around the area, Street was winning the war...  ...And then entered Lady Maxxine. Lady Maxxine was a large female wrestler who sported a pink mohawk, but the feminism about Maxxine stopped there. She was there to neutralize Linda in every sense, and for the most part, did a good job. The fans really responded to Austin and Maxxine, mainly, I think, because of their dislike of Linda.

In the absence of previous U.S. Junior Heavyweight champion Roy Lee Welch, Tim Horner, a young man, a close friend of the Armstrong family, became a dominant junior heavyweight champ. Horner had some scientific battles with then-NWA junior champ Denny Brown, and then entered a feud with a man who would one day represent Continental’s best on the roster:  Tom Prichard.

Horner and Prichard traded the U.S. Junior title like they were playing hot potato, and although Horner ultimately kept the title and won the feud, Prichard earned the fans’ respect.

I said he earned their respect -- not their adoration. Prichard would later align himself with Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden, who gave him his “Doctor” nickname that still sticks today.

Soto and the Flame continued their war, seemingly oblivious to everything going on around them, although from time to time the Flame worked house shows against The Bullet.

Riches & the Nightmares

Tommy Rich and Johnny Rich combined for a formidable team, and made a successful run. Their war against the Nightmares was a classic, and included gimmick match (Nightmare cage, street fights) after gimmick match.

This feud would also spill into 1986, with some of its best moments coming in ’86. Ken Wayne and Danny Davis actually covered Johnny Rich with Kayo Syrup and with feathers, and dubbed him “The Birmingham Bird.” While even fans who cheered the Riches and hated the Nightmares didn’t want to see Johnny humiliated, nobody could help but laugh. The Nightmares had a great sense of humor, although it was rarely displayed in their war with the Riches, who get credit as the team that revealed the faces of Wayne & Davis to the wrestling world. 

NEXT MONTH:

The culmination of the Riches versus the Nightmares; a “bad guy” Mr. Wrestling II, who entered a series of Indian strap matches against the Bullet; the return of Roy Lee Welch, who had “convenient” knee problems against Tim Horner; the rise of Jerry Stubbs as the promotion’s top heel, and his bloody but fantastic feud against Brad Armstrong for the Continental title.

Plus: The entrance into the area of “Wildcat” Wendall Cooley.