Joseph Melton James, better known to wrestling fans as “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, passed away yesterday after a courageous battle with bone cancer. He was 80 years old.

He made his professional wrestling debut back in 1960 after giving up a career as a firefighter.

Bob Armstrong was a popular name in Alabama and Georgia during the territorial days of professional wrestling. He regularly performed for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and its countless affiliates during that time.

While Bob Armstrong retired in 1988, he was a semi-retired performer who wrestled his last known match in 2019 against The Assassin for Continental Championship Wrestling (CCW).

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Armstrong’s 4 sons, Scott, Brad, Steve, and Brian all became professional wrestlers as well. Brian Armstrong (aka Road Dogg) currently works backstage in NXT. Scott Armstrong is a WWE referee. Brad Armstrong wrestled in the NWA and WCW for years before taking a job as a producer in WWE. He died in 2012 at the age of 50. Steve Armstrong wrestled for years as well in WCW and briefly in WWE.