Bobby Fulton has a story that is not the neat, polished highlight reel most fans picture when they hear "The Fantastics." Before the cheers, there were locker rooms where "learning" meant being stretched until the building emptied. There were scaffold matches in which a single slip could change everything. And, of course, there was that one phone call from a name that still turns stomachs decades later. This is the road that built him, and the parts of it that most fans never hear about.
Bobby Fulton reveals The Fantastics’ untold origin: flaming ribs, scaffold wars, and promoter glances that changed wrestling forever. Photo Credit: WWE / Bobby Fulton. Artwork by Pro Wrestling Stories.
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Jim Phillips, author of this article and one of the great wrestling historians here at Pro Wrestling Stories, is in the challenge of his life after being paralyzed on January 21st, 2023. Learn his story and how you can help him reach his goal of taking his first steps again!
Pro Wrestling Stories historian and author Jim Phillips sat down with Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics in 2018 for a candid look at what it took to survive wrestling’s territorial era, when midnight drives between towns, dressing room politics, and raw hustle separated the ones who lasted from the ones who vanished.
Ride shotgun with Fulton in this unearthed conversation as the road runs from Ohio to Texas, through locker room ribs, hard-earned tag team lessons, and the gritty climb up the ranks.
He recalls mentors who took "stretching" too far, scaffold battles where one mistake could change everything, and the instant he locked eyes with a promoter and knew his life was about to change.
Bobby Fulton’s Early Career: From Ohio Teen to WWWF Prospect (1976-1978)
Stan ‘The Man’ Stasiak battles Bruno Sammartino at Boston Garden in 1977, a match from the WWWF territorial era that influenced young Bobby Fulton’s early wrestling education in the Northeast territory. Photo Credit: WWE.
Bobby Fulton, born October 4, 1960, began his wrestling career at the remarkably young age of sixteen in his home state of Ohio.
It was the late 1970s, a time when the business was fiercely protected, and wrestling schools were few and far between. Bobby learned by doing. That is, getting in the ring, listening, and absorbing everything around him. As he ventured north to the WWWF territory, which would later become WWE, he was thrust into the world of TV tapings and locker room antics.
One memorable moment took place during a packed taping session in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Surrounded by grizzled veterans, Bobby was caught off guard when Stan “The Man” Stasiak pulled a classic rib: he taped Bobby’s boot and lit it on fire.
As Bobby danced around trying to figure out what was happening, Stasiak roared, "Hot foot!"
The boys had a good laugh at his expense, a rite of passage in the industry.
Before he could return the favor, Bobby was already on his way to Tennessee for the next chapter.
Bobby Fulton and Eric Embry: Building Tag Team Chemistry in Nashville and Knoxville
Eric Embry, longtime tag team partner of Bobby Fulton, helped shape Fulton’s character work and match psychology during their run as Bobby and Don Fulton in Nashville and throughout the Tennessee wrestling territory. Photo Credit: WWE.
Tennessee became a turning point for Bobby, not just professionally, but personally. It was in the Volunteer State that he met his in-ring brother and longtime friend, Eric Embry.
Wrestling as Bobby and Don Fulton, the two carved out a place for themselves in the Nashville circuit. Embry, known for his creativity and business acumen, helped Bobby hone his character work and match psychology.
Moving east to Knoxville, Bobby crossed paths with Terry Taylor, another standout talent of the era. Their chemistry in the ring led to a short but impactful run as a tag team known as The Fantastic Ones. It foreshadowed what was to come, and Bobby credits both Embry and Taylor with helping shape his early tag-team instincts.
The road was calling once more, and Fulton soon found himself in new territory again.
Working for Poffo Family’s ICW: Bobby Fulton in the Outlaw Promotion Era
Angelo Poffo, who founded International Championship Wrestling (ICW) with his sons, Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo. Bobby Fulton worked this outlaw promotion in Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee during the early 1980s. Photo Credit: ICW.
While working the loop from Louisville through western Kentucky and southeast Missouri, Bobby Fulton and the crew made a pit stop in Cape Girardeau at a local buffet.
While enjoying his meal, Bobby noticed Poffo outside the window, disappearing and reappearing like a specter. Curious, he kept watching until someone clued him in. Angelo was doing free squats in the parking lot, keeping limber after lunch.
It was strange at first, but in wrestling, these quirks become cherished memories. Life on the road was never predictable, but it was never dull either.
Bobby Fulton in Southwest Championship Wrestling: Meeting Joe Blanchard in San Antonio
Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW), the San Antonio-based promotion owned by Joe Blanchard from 1978 to 1985, became the breakthrough territory for Bobby Fulton, where he faced Adrian Street and captured his first major title. Photo Credit: Southwest Championship Wrestling archives / JADAT Sports Inc.
After parting ways with ICW/CWA, Bobby teamed up with Tony Falk for a bold move, heading to Texas in pursuit of opportunity. They drove nearly 48 hours straight to San Antonio, arriving at the historic HemisFair Arena. The moment Bobby Fulton walked in and locked eyes with promoter Joe Blanchard, he knew he had found something special.
Blanchard saw potential in Bobby immediately.
“You can tell when a promoter sees money in you,” Bobby recalled to me. “Joe had that look in his eyes.”
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Scaffolds, Championships, and Lessons from Adrian Street
Flamboyant British wrestler, Adrian Street, gained the upper hand on Bobby Fulton during their heated feud at New Orleans’ Municipal Auditorium on October 1, 1984 – a rivalry that helped establish Fulton as a major Southwest Championship Wrestling star. Photo Credit: WWE.
The rivalry between Bobby Fulton and Adrian Street became one of the signature storylines of Southwest Championship Wrestling. Their chemistry was undeniable, and their battles escalated into dangerous scaffold matches that left fans on the edge of their seats. Street, though an antagonist in the ring, became an unlikely mentor.
"He stretched me one night and held it until it was time to go home," Bobby shared.
It was a lesson in pacing and storytelling, two things Street mastered.
In 1984, Bobby captured his first Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship from Street in Beaumont, Texas, cementing his place as a rising star in the wrestling territory system.
Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers Form The Fantastics: Tag Team Wrestling’s New Era in ’84
Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers formed The Fantastics in 1984, revolutionizing tag team wrestling with their speed and agility. The team competed across Mid-South Wrestling, Continental Championship Wrestling, WCCW, Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA), WCW, and international territories in AJPW and WWC in Puerto Rico. Photo Credit: WWE.
After wrapping up another feud with Eric Embry – this one ending in a scaffold match – Bobby Fulton was ready for the next big leap. It came in the form of a partnership with Tommy Rogers. Together, they would form The Fantastics, a tag team that captured fans’ hearts with their athleticism, charm, and fearless in-ring style.
The Fantastics emerged during a critical transition in tag team wrestling. Gone were the days of lumbering giants; this was a new era of speed, agility, and synchronized tandem offense.
Legends Recognize The Fantastics’ Impact on Tag Wrestling
Bobby Fulton, one-half of The Fantastics, became a distinctive figure throughout the 1980s territorial wrestling era, earning respect from promoters in Georgia Championship Wrestling and across the NWA circuit for his tag team mastery and drawing ability. Photo Credit: WWE.
During a run at Georgia Championship Wrestling, The Fantastics performed at the Norfolk Scope. After a rough night with uninspired opponents, Bobby and Tommy sat backstage, disappointed. Then promoter Jim Barnett walked in. “Boys, when you work as hard as you two do, you never have a bad match,” he told them.
Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Arn Anderson once commented that he enjoyed following The Fantastics because their pace and energy forced him to elevate his own performance. That was the highest praise a tag team could hope for during a fiercely competitive era.
Bobby Fulton in World Wrestling Council: Navigating Wrestling’s Darkest Chapter
The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) faced The Sheepherders in the quarter-finals of the inaugural 1986 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup at the New Orleans Superdome, ending in a double disqualification in one of the tournament’s most memorable matches. Photo Credit: WWE.
In one of their most notable appearances, The Fantastics defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in the second round of the inaugural Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup, held in the Superdome in New Orleans.
In the quarter-finals, they faced the Sheepherders once more in a wild contest that ended in a double disqualification. Had they won, they would have moved on to face The Road Warriors. Still, their performance cemented their reputation as top-tier contenders.
The Fantastics continued to wrestle across the U.S., Japan, and Puerto Rico. At one point, they even faced each other in the WWF’s Light Heavyweight Division.
Puerto Rico and Unfinished Business
World Wrestling Council (WWC), Puerto Rico’s premier wrestling promotion of the 1980s, where Bobby Fulton worked and experienced one of the darkest moments of his career following Bruiser Brody’s death in the territory. Photo Credit: WWC.
While working in the World Wrestling Council, Bobby received a phone call from José González, the man responsible for Brody’s death. It was a haunting experience, speaking to someone who had taken the life of a friend and fellow wrestler.
Though deeply unsettling, Bobby pressed on. Wrestling was his life, and he faced every chapter with resilience. The industry may be built on illusion, but its emotional toll was very real.
Bobby Fulton’s Retirement and Legacy: From In-Ring to Promoting With His Son Dillon
Bobby Fulton continued to wrestle through the 1980s and into the 1990s before transitioning to the promotional side of wrestling. Photo Credit: Dan Ramey.
In the 1990s and beyond, Bobby Fulton began transitioning into the promotional side of the business. Alongside his son Dillon, he launched World Classic Big Time Wrestling in Ohio.
Even while promoting, Bobby continued to step into the ring when needed. His love for wrestling never wavered.
On July 16, 2020, Bobby officially announced his retirement, bringing an incredible in-ring career full circle.
Bobby Fulton and The Fantastics’ Enduring Legacy in Professional Wrestling
Bobby Fulton photographed in August 2014, decades after his peak as one of the most respected tag team wrestlers in professional wrestling history and a key figure in territorial wrestling’s evolution during the 1980s. Photo Credit: Bobby Fulton.
Spending time with Bobby Fulton and his son, Dillon, was a privilege. As a longtime fan of The Fantastics, it’s hard to overstate the impact Bobby had on tag team wrestling. He inspired generations of fans and wrestlers alike with his heart, hustle, and humility.
From flaming ribs in Allentown to scaffold matches in Texas and blood-soaked feuds in UWF, Bobby Fulton gave everything he had to the business.
And for that, we thank him. All roads may lead home, and for Bobby, those roads built a legacy.
Stay connected with Bobby Fulton’s latest ventures on X/Twitter and Facebook.
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"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan."— Keith Elliot Greenberg
Jim Phillips is a senior author for Pro Wrestling Stories and a lifetime member of the Cauliflower Alley Club. He has been a passionate pro wrestling fan since the late '70s and has spent the past decade as a journeyman writer, sharing his insights and stories with the wrestling community. He can also be heard in the BBC Radio production Sports Strangest Crimes: The Ballad of Bruiser Brody. Tragically, Jim is currently facing the greatest challenge of his life after being paralyzed on January 21st, 2023. You can learn more about his journey and how you can support him in reaching his goal of taking his first steps again at the link above.
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