This wasn’t the Butch Miller and Luke Williams version, nor was this those wacky Bushwhackers. NO!!! This was "Lord" Jonathan Boyd and "Crazy" Luke Williams, and they were absolutely brutal. It was told on Southeastern TV that this duo was the longest reigning Southeastern Tag Team Champions, at a full 18 months as the number one team in the area. Now I don’t know how much of this was kayfabe on the territories part, but nonetheless, this team was awesome. I talked about The Sheepherders feud with Jimmy Golden and Robert Fuller last month, and it was a heck of a feud. The Sheepherders were relentless in their efforts to rid the area of the cousins, but in the end we all know who stayed in the area and who left. J Untold broken bones, gallons of spilt blood were the results of the hatred between these two teams. I didn’t know that New Zealanders hated the United States so much, until I seen The Sheepherders. Any other feuds the Sheepherders had in Southeastern pale in comparison to the feud they had with Fuller and Golden.

Rich, Armstrong and Tonga were the good guy version of The Midnight Express. They debuted by hiding in a box, which sat in front of the announce desk for most of the show, until Jerry Stubbs and Arn Anderson couldn’t wait to get into the box. All hell broke loose, and a new presence was felt in Southeastern. Matches were announced, whether single or tag as versus the R.A.T Patrol. This was effective, in that gave the RAT’s the advantage. Eventually, another Armstrong (Steve) replaced Tonga, and the team kept plugging along. Now I’ll be the first to admit that this was not one of my favorite periods, when the RAT Patrol was being pushed. First, I think there were too many other great wrestlers in the area that had to put them over, who shouldn’t have had to. Second, this was about the time when I started to like the bad guys more than the good guys. I don’t begrudge them their success, but I just wasn’t a fan. I will not however, discount the impact the R.A.T. Patrol made. They were very, very popular, and for that, they were rewarded with a strong push.

Who were these masked men? That was my question when they first appeared in Southeastern. I tell you what, they helped redefine the Southeastern tag team scene and bring it back to the glory days. The Nightmares were dominant. They broke the rules. They were good for using the switch out, to cheat their way to a victory. Darn it, I loved this team. They ended the reign of the R.A.T. Patrol. I celebrated. Danny Davis and Ken Wayne were just phenomenal. They are my favorite tag team of all time. The green capes and green masks were mesmerizing. Their abilities in the ring, second to none. If I may put forth a bit of personal philosophy, The Nightmares rank right up there with the other acknowledged teams of the 1980s. Their feud with the Tommy and Johnny Rich was superb. The infamous tag team cage match in which the masks were lost is an absolute favorite of mine, and it is one that I hope to add to my video collection very soon. Without the masks, nothing changed, as Davis and Wayne kept up their winning ways. They eventually turned to the good side and had a feud with Tony Anthony and Jerry Stubbs. Now this was a hard time for me, my all time favorite wrestler, Jerry Stubbs feuding against my all time favorite tag team. Sorry Danny and Ken, but I had to pull for Jerry. No hard feelings. J

That’s it for this month fans. Stay tuned for  more Southeastern Championship Wrestling Kayfabe Memories.

NEXT MONTH:  I plan on looking at the Bob Armstrong heel turn, his teaming with "The Flame" and his eventual babyface return. 

I am open for suggestions, so feel free to email me if you have anything you’d like for me to write about.

All feedback can be addressed to Jeff Luce.