That night set the stage for some of the promotion's best scientific matches, and for Welch to steal the belt from Horner in one of Continental's funniest angles. People in the south can catch Horner on a commercial for BC Headache Powder that's running right now, but if you want to see Horner at his best, don't watch Smokey Mountain. That was great, but this feud with Welch is a funny and sarcastic Tim Horner at his absolute best, in and out of the ring. 

The feud, as I said, almost overshadowed Stubbs vs. Brad Armstrong. I said "almost." Stubbs vs. Brad A. was always one of Continental's best matchups, going back to their feud for the U.S. Jr. title in the earlier part of the 1980s, and the feud for the Continental belt was even better. Stubbs was known for his brainbuster, a move Continental deemed illegal.  One night at a TV taping, Stubbs was challenged by Frankie "The Thumper" Lancaster, a mid-card level wrestler with solid skills. Stubbs had insulted Lancaster earlier in the night, and Lancaster returned the favor, asking for a shot at Stubbs' title. Stubbs told Lancaster not only would he put up the title, but he would also give "The Thumper" $1,000 if he could last 10 minutes in the ring with Stubbs without being pinned. Lancaster readily agreed.

The next week on TV, the title match with the $1,000 stipulation took place. Naturally, a bloodied Lancaster went the distance with Stubbs, who tried in vain to pin Lancaster four or five times in the last 20 seconds of the 10 minutes. When the bell rang and legendary ring announcer Freddie Miller gave Lancaster Stubbs' money, Stubbs went nuts, attacking Lancaster and brainbusting him on the concrete floor.  Brad Armstrong, the top contender for the belt and a former champion, rushed out and smacked Stubbs from behind, running him out. As Miller and Brad Armstrong and paramedics tended to Lancaster, Stubbs went to the podium with Mr. Solie to gloat.

"All he can do down there is help one Frank Lancaster off the floor," Stubbs laughed. "That's where you belong, Lancaster. You've "thumped" through my money your last time. You won't thump through any more money I've got."

Armstrong countered. "I've been through hell and high water with Jerry Stubbs, and this is one of the most despicable things I've ever seen, dropping this man on his head on the concrete floor. The name of this sport is wrestling. Stubbs, if you wanna play that game, by God, I'll play that game with you. The Continental belt is coming home soon -- that ain't a threat, it's a promise."

Stubbs & Brad would feud throughout the summer, with plenty of no DQ, bloody matches and even in 10 rounds of boxing. Don't let the gimmick fool you; Stubbs vs. Brad A., at their ages then, could have main-evented any card in the country. Ask KM's own Michael Calloway -- he can attest to that.

The Bullet, of course, continued his ongoing war against the Stud's Stable, even with the absence of the Stud himself. "The Tennessee Stud" Ron Fuller had decided earlier in the year to take the summer off and work behind the scenes, but that made for some creative booking -- bringing in Mr. Wrestling II as a heel, bringing in Dutch Mantell for a short run, and bringing in El Fuego, a cheap knockoff of the Flame.

The Bullet, in June, made short work of El Fuego, and in fact, I saw one of those matches in person.  When the 1985-86 school year ended, I finally persuaded my mom to allow us to go to a CCW card in Columbus, one of the promotion's showcase cities.

She was skeptical (she felt that wrestling brought out a low class of people), but took me, anyway, with my sister.  Some of the people there did look a little wild, and I still can't believe they thought the anger between these guys was real, but I had a great time. Some of the matches from that night were Cooley vs. Street, Horner vs. Welch, Stubbs vs. Brad (for the title), and a double main event: The Bullet vs. El Fuego in a cage, and a six-man cage match between Rich-Steve Armstrong-Intern and Fuller-Golden-Prichard.

It was a great night of wrestling, and of course, the Bullet got the squash win over El Fuego. The Bullet (aka Bob Armstrong, of course) was gearing up for the summer feud against Sullivan, on his way imminently. The six-man battle was just one in a series of battles between the Stable and the Riches and Armstrong. Prichard was coming into his own, and no matter what else you hear (and Prichard reads this site -- he'll second this), here's how the "Dr." got placed in front of his name.

Prichard had a successful feud with Horner over the U.S. Jr. belt that got him over as a rulebreaker. But Fuller & Golden were the top heels in the company at the time, and the promotion decided to pair him as a second with the flamboyant team. Prichard's excuse: He had left medical school and this was his way to keep practicing medicine, as a "cut-man" to Fuller & Golden, thus the nickname, "doctor." The name stuck, even after Prichard split with Fuller & Golden, and the rest is history.

Running out of time for now. I realize this column was short on personal perspective; we'll cover that more next time.       Until next month.....

NEXT MONTH:

A look at how the promotion eased Street into a fan favorite role; how Sullivan's arrival in the area changed the promotion permanently; the continued development of Prichard as one of the area's best stars; the rise of Wendell Cooley, and a lot, lot more, including more in-depth looks at my appearances at CCW cards.