wrestling / Columns
The Professional 3 3.03.13: Top Brad Armstrong Gimmicks
Before I go any further, please check out this week’s Hardway Podcast with Brian Fury from Chaotic Wrestling in the New England area. He truly is a hard working wrestler who deserves a big time break. If nothing else, enjoy the stories of a young independent wrestler trying to pave his way and make a little niche in the world of underground pro wrestling.
If there is anything I have to base the Professional 3 around this week, it is the lovely thing wrestlers love to call GIMMICKS. A good gimmick can jumpstart a wrestling career and get people recognizing your talents inside the ring. With a good gimmick, you can become marketable and ultimately, make some serious money in the game. Fans connect to characters as much as in-ring work, and the more unique, yet somehow connected to wrestling persona you have, the bigger fan base you will have.
Yet, if you gain yourself a character which is borderline ridiculous that no one understands, gets, or cares about, you will find yourself stuck in the bowels of a wrestling company. Some wrestlers dread being given a gimmick that they can’t make work, thus making them bitter and frustrated at the sport in general. It’s all about what gimmick you get. That’s why I’m completely shocked at a lot of wrestling fans already not getting behind Fandango.
Fandango already has you hooked. With the hate surrounding him BEFORE his television debut, the gimmick will work. Johnny Curtis is a made-man for years to come. This is picture-perfect for a wrestler trying to make his name.
However, for some wrestlers, they can’t just seem to gain a break with certain characters they are given. One in particular never got the respect he deserved as an in-ring competitor, despite the multiple gimmicks he was given and how hard he tried to make them work. This week in the Professional 3, I am here to give exposure to a man who more than deserved his fair. Ladies and gentlemen…THE PROFESSIONAL 3: Top 3 Brad Armstrong Gimmicks
Even before his Light Heavyweight championship run in the summer of ’92, Brad had received some absolutely ludicrous characters by the WCW booking committee. Even worse, his final two years before WCW closed were not any better in the character department. An impossible list of characters were given to Brad, and yet, he did his damnedest to make it work.
Here’s the deal with wrestling when it comes to making it in this crazy sport: Sometimes you have to work with what you’re given. Wrestlers are not always a fan of what characters they are forced to play, but to pay the bills and to get mainstream recognition, you make the most of what you are given. Trust me when I say, Brad definitely attempted to do his best with what he was given. This week in the Professional 3, I am here to list, in my opinion, the Top 3 Brad Armstrong Gimmicks. I had a lot of fun researching the majority of these characters, and it’s an honor and a privilege to give my take on these three.
Now, I bet a few might be asking, “Why aren’t you covering Brad Armstrong’s gimmick in the No Limit Soldiers from WCW in 1999?” Bottom line, that wasn’t entertaining enough to put in this column. Not because of Brad, but because Master P is the worst rapper of all time, and the fact that “Hooty Hoo” was a hit to the youth of this country and worth a WCW contract worth $1 million is a disgrace. Sorry, had to rant on that for a quick second.
Bottom line, some wrestlers can’t catch a break if they aren’t given a good enough character for the fans to connect to. Brad Armstrong, despite the in-ring wrestling greatness he was blessed to have, never got the right gimmick to make it to the next level of superstardom. But Brad made the most of every opportunity he had with some of the goofball gimmicks. And for nothing else, this is what Brad Armstrong left to the wrestling world: the ability to try different things to make a name for himself.
Rest in Peace, Brad. 1961-2012
Jon Harder
@TheJonHarder