November, 1999
by Patty Therre
"He had three kills and that took a lot out of him. He told me about it a couple of times and it broke his heart, but he asked the other guys to give up and drop their weapons. They didn't and they opened fire on him first. Since Brian was standing on the sand hill, he had to open up. Killing another human being was not in his vocabulary, but in the Marines they teach you to kill or be killed. If he had just stood on that sand hill, I'd be visiting his grave today."
-- Road Dogg's father Bob Armstrong talking about his son's Desert Storm experience
World Wrestling Federation fans need no prompting to sing along with the Road Dogg, Jesse James, as he slips into his shtick in the ring. The Road Dogg (real name Brian James) has finally found his niche in the WWF. Combining technical skills taught to him by his famous father "Bullet" Bob (James) Armstrong, and his in-born entertaining skills, the Road Dogg has been elevated from "the Roadie," to country singer to super-cool member of D-Generation X, the WWF's most popular group. James, for his part, is the voice behind D-Generation X and seems just as at ease behind the mic as he does wrestling in the ring.
It was a long road to the WWF and the character of Road Dogg for Brian James, one that took him through the horrors of war during Desert Storm. He was born into a family of three older brothers and a famous wrestling father. Being the youngest, and smallest, of the family served only to toughen young Brian.
Brothers Steve, Scott and Brad, currently all under contract with World Championship Wrestling, spent much of their time shooing away little brother Brian and he spent most of his time finding ways to get under their skin.
"Brian was the biggest pain in the neck," said Brad, who wrestles as BA in WCW. "He would constantly make wisecracks to our friends and always challenged them no matter how big or tough they were."
"His older brothers couldn't bring anyone home without them getting beat up by Brian," father Bob Armstrong said. "He was the little guy but the first thing he wanted to do was fight them."
"Bullet" Bob, a 35-year wrestling veteran who, at 60, still competes in independent shows, taught his sons how to wrestle and said Brian always had the talent in him.
"He watched me on TV from the time he was born and he was always into wrestling. He learned by example, I think," Bob said. "The boys would often put on wrestling shows for me, putting them on film for me to watch when I got home. They would all pile on top of each other and every single time, Brian would be on the bottom. Being the smallest made him tough. He never complained, he just jumped right back into it and, in the end, ended up on the bottom again. Ironically, he is now the biggest of my four sons."
Despite being a gangly youngster, Brian had the same pssion for wrestling as his older brothers and often donned a mask and worked independent shows with his father.
"He wrestled his brothers his whole life and from the very first time he stepped into the ring, he knew how to wrestle," his father said.
The Road Dogg wasn't always DX material. He spent six grueling years in the Marine Corps after high school and was called to war in Operation Desert Storm.
"He went into the Marines because I did," Bob said. "We were the only father and son team that I know of and we both made Outstanding Man in our platoons."
James was in the colorguard and was on hand for President Bush's inauguration at the White House. He also was in the hot sands of the Gulf War.
"The war was a hard time for Brian," Brad said. "It changed him."
Young Brian wasn't prepared to go out in the field to kill another human being. But that is what he had to do during the war.
"He had three kills and that took a lot out of him," Bob said. "He told me about it a couple of times and it broke his heart, but he asked the other guys to give up and drop their weapons. They didn't and they opened fire on him first. Since Brian was standing on the sand hill, he had to open up. Killing another human being was not in his vocabulary, but in the Marines they teach you to kil or be killed. If he had just stood on that sand hill, I'd be visiting his grave today."
It was Bob who advised Brian to get out of the Marines, seeing no future in the military and the distinct possibility of more wars to come.
"When he did leave, and was away from the authority he had been under for six years, he broke loose, got himself tattooed, and really showed his true colors," Bob said. "He's a showman. And he was able to do that in wrestling."
After dabbling in electronics for a while, Brian decided it was time to pursue wrestling seriously. He joined WCW for a while, tagging with Brad as the Armstrongs. They never took off as a team and Brian left for the WWF, leaving his three brothers, all under WCW contract, behind.
In the WWF, Brian was dubbed the Roadie to Jeff Jarrett's country singer character. The Roadie played second fiddle to Double J until he decided to break away from the WWF and try the independent scene. He went on to win the United States Wrestling Association heavyweight, TV, and tag team titles behind rejoining WWF in the same gimmick.
When Jarrett departed for WCW, it was revealed that the Roadie, now dubbed Jesse James, actually had performed Jarrett's hit country song, "With My Baby Tonight." On September 23, 1996, Brian debuted the song on RAW, which became his ring music, with Brian himself singing it live each time he walked to the ring. Although his character never really got over, the song did, and it appeared on the WWF's Full Metal CD in 1995 (but credited to Jeff Jarrett at the time) and even got some limited airplay on a few country stations.
But Jesse James was evolving. Always the talented technical wrestler, Brian realized that to make it in the big leagues, he'd have to stand out from the pack and show his talents.
"These days, the new type of wrestling is 'you wrestle when you have to' and Brian can do that. He can entertain and wrestle," Bob said.
Bob has seen wrestling move more toward entertainment.
"I've watched the change and I've changed with it. If you don't change with it, you get left behind," Bob said. "It's all about ratings. I realize that. It's not about pure athletic competition anymore. Don't get me wrong and think I'm saying you don't have to be an athlete, because non-athletes don't make it in this business. But pure athletes don't either. You have to combine both entertainment and athleticism and that is what I have adapted my style to and that is what Brian does."
Now 29, Brian is the father of two and spends his free time doing charity work for Sacred Heart's Children's Foundation.
"He loves to do things for kids," Bob said. "He didn't realize how precious kids were until he had his own. Doing things like that, donating your time for others, makes you a better person inside and, I believe, can add to the longevity of your wrestling career. That, and working out regularly in the gym. Barring injury, with his talent, the sky is the limit for Brian."
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