International Championship Wrestling (1983–1984) Both brothers were wrestling fans and decided to try out for a career in pro wrestling after attending several
International Championship Wrestling shows in the early 1980s. The two spent about a year working out until they each weighed . They also experimented with
steroids during this time. Then living in
St. Albans, West Virginia, Bart approached
Lanny Poffo at an ICW show in
Beckley. The wrestler introduced Brad to his brother
Randy Savage and invited the brothers to the promotion's next show in
Marmet to meet with their father
Angelo Poffo. Lanny later admitted to Brad that he was skeptical about him having a twin brother but when the twins entered the dressing room the Poffo family "saw dollar signs" as identical twins were very rare in the wrestling business at the time. and they were put into their first match after only a few sessions. The brothers became close friends with both Lanny and Randy. Brad especially became a key figure behind the scenes by helping produce ICW's television show as well as driving the ring truck and
setting up the ring. Brad was injured shortly after their debut when he blew out his left knee performing a jumping
high five and toe kick with his brother. Ironically, this would become a signature maneuver during their career. He would be out of action for nearly a year and a half. The team was intended to capitalize on the popularity of
The Fabulous Ones and
The Rock 'n' Roll Express but they failed to catch on with fans. The New Generation's last match was against The Dirty White Boys (
Tony Anthony and
Len Denton) at the Mid-South Coliseum on October 8, 1984, which they lost. Brad was eventually joined by his brother and had their first match together against former trainers Lanny Poffo and Randy Savage. The brothers also wrestled
Plowboy Frazier in three separate
handicap matches at the Mid-South Coliseum between December 31, 1984, and January 28, 1985. They lost to Frazier and
Adrian Street in a tag team match that same month. On February 11, the Battens got their revenge on Frazier when they finally beat him in a handicap match; due to the pre-match stipulations, the twins would have
lost their hair had they lost the match. In their first three months together, the Battens faced Eddie Gilbert &
"Iron" Mike Sharpe, The Terminators (Crow and Riggs), and The Wild Hoggs (J.R. and King Harley Hogg) at
WMC Studio.
Mr. Wrestling and
AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage. The Batten Twins also challenged
The PYT Express (
Koko Ware and
Norvell Austin) for the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship but they were unsuccessful in winning the title. That summer, the Battens battled Hot Property (
Billy Travis and Ron Sexton) and The Kiwi Sheepherders (
Jonathan Boyd and
Rip Morgan) before leaving the area.
NWA Central States (1985–1986) The Batten Twins moved on to the
NWA's Central States territory where they had a long-running feud with Sheik Abdullah The Great and his various tag team partners, most often
Akio Sato and
Tarzan Goto, but also including
American Starship Coyote and
Mr. Pogo. Within a few weeks of their arrival, they also received a title shot against
NWA Central States Tag Team Champions "Bulldog" Bob Brown and
Marty Jannetty. It was during this match that the champions split up when Brown stopped cooperating with his partner. The championship remained vacant until The Batten Twins defeated
The Midnight Express (
Dennis Condrey and
Bobby Eaton) in a tournament final on November 21, 1985. Their first title reign lasted three months before the championship was held-up following a title defense in
Kansas City, Kansas against Sheik Abdullah and Akio Sato on February 20, 1986. The title was returned to The Batten Twins following a rematch one week later. On April 19, the team entered the inaugural
Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament at the
Louisiana Superdome but were eliminated in the first round by Nelson Royal and
Sam Houston. In May 1986, The Batten Twins were defeated by the young duo of Marty Jannetty and
Shawn Michaels,
The Midnight Rockers, for the NWA Central States Tag Team titles. They quickly regained the belts from The Midnight Rockers the following week, causing Michaels to leave the territory, but dropped them to Hacksaw Higgins and J.R. Hogg on May 29. On June 9, The Batten Twins and
Steve Simpson beat Matt Borne, Killer Brooks and The Assassin in a six-man tag team match. During the next two months, The Battens scored victories over Jerry Allen and The Grapplers (Grappler #1 and Grappler #2). On July 11, they were beaten by Matt Borne and
The Dingo Warrior. A week later in
Fort Worth, both brothers wrestled in singles matches; Bart Batten was pinned by WCCW Television Champion
"Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer, however, Brad Batten beat The Dingo Warrior via disqualification. They lost to
Rick Rude and
Jos LeDuc a week later in
Fort Worth. At the
3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza, The Batten Twins were beaten by
Chris and
Mark Youngblood.
NWA Central States (1986–1987) By December 1986, the Batten Twins were back in NWA Central States and had scored victories over The Thunderfoots (
Thunderfoot #1 and Thunderfoot #2) and Porkchop Cash & Colt Steele. On January 30, 1987, Brad and Bart Batten lost a chance to regain the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship from
The MOD Squad (Spike and Basher) at the
St. Louis Arena. The match was later aired on the
Jim Crockett Promotions television special "NWA Super Towns on the Superstation". The winning team won an invitation to the second annual
Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament. On February 27, Brad Batten teamed with Rick McCord to beat The MOD Squad for the belts. They soon became involved in a feud with Porkchop Cash and
Ken Timbs. The title was declared held-up on April 3 after a controversial title defense against Cash and Timbs when the former used a
foreign object to win the match; a rematch was held a week later for the belts, which Batten and McCord lost. Brad and Bart Batten faced The Kansas Outlaws (Bobby Jaggers and Psycho Sam) in
Carroll, Iowa and
Sheldon, Missouri later that month. Their fourth and final title reign came to an end when the team was defeated by Rick McCord and Porkchop Cash in
Versailles, Missouri on November 9, 1987.
World Wrestling Council (1988–1989) After a brief stint in
Southern Championship Wrestling, The Batten Twins went to Puerto Rico to compete in the
World Wrestling Council where they found considerable success. Their stay in the country was not without some controversy, however. The Battens were among the six American wrestlers who decided to remain after the murder of
Bruiser Brody on July 17, 1988.
Wrestling Observer editor
Dave Meltzer speculated that the team may have had "
legit heat" as they were the only wrestlers to leave a U.S. promotion to compete in Puerto Rico and "may have to stay there until this all blows over". Bart Batten later defended their decision as they had families to support and could not afford to turn down bookings. The Battens had been fans of Brody prior to entering wrestling, later becoming friends with him while in NWA Central States and WCCW, and Brad felt that their old friend "wouldn't have held it against us". The Batten Twins later provided commentary with Ecuadorian promoter
Hugo Savinovich when the match was released on DVD. They consider this bout one of the greatest matches of their career. They lost the title to Chicky and Ron Starr in
Aguadilla on October 16, but they won the titles back in
Caguas on November 12, 1988. The team lost the title two months later to
Dan Kroffat and
Tama the Islander. The Batten Twins regained the belts for a third time in Bayamón on March 4, 1989, only to drop the belts to
Jason the Terrible and
Steve Strong a week later. That spring the Battens were on the look out for more tag team gold. They beat The Ninja Express for the
WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship in
Dorado on April 2, their opponents having won them the previous night in San Juan. Shortly after winning the belts, the Battens began feuding with The Puerto Rican Express (Hurricane Castillo, Jr. and Miguelito Perez). On April 29, a title bout between the two teams in
Carolina ended in controversy and the championship was declared held up by the promotion. The Batten Twins regained the title in a rematch on May 14, however, they ended up losing the belts to Castillo and Perez in
Jayuya, Puerto Rico on June 9, 1989. The Battens would wrestle Castillo and Perez in over 40 times. Brad Batten named The Puerto Rican Express as the best tag team they had ever faced. The brothers would become one of the biggest
heel performers in the country during their three-year run. On March 7, 1992, on
WCW Power Hour Bart Batten wrestled
"Flying" Brian Pillman. The Batten Twins first and only appearance as a team was on the March 22nd edition of
WCW Main Event at the
Civic Center in
Anderson, South Carolina against
Dustin Rhodes and
Barry Windham. The Battens lost when Rhodes pinned one of the twins with his bulldog finisher.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1992–1993) With the demise of the NWA territories, The Battens found a home in
Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Bart Batten also fell victim to "Hollywood" Bob Holly's undefeated streak in a singles match the following week. The brothers defeated The Heavenly Bodies via disqualification a month later in Beckley, West Virginia. Their opponents held on to the belts, however, as titles could not change hands by disqualification. Over the next few weeks The Battens racked up victories on SMW television defeating Joe Cazana & Scott Sandlin in
Spartanburg, South Carolina and
Dutch Mantel &
Jimmy Golden in Tazwell, Virginia. They were unable win the tag titles from The Heavenly Bodies in subsequent rematches. On the May 25 episode of
Smoky Mountain Wrestling (aired June 20), the Battens told Bob Caudle in a TV interview that the team would temporarily stop pursuing the tag team champions so that
The Fantastics (
Bobby and
Jackie Fulton) could have a title shot now that Jackie Fulton had recovered from a recent injury. The
4th of July edition of
Smoky Mountain Wrestling in
Cumberland, Kentucky saw a match between The Batten Twins and Dixie Dynamite &
Danny Davis end in a no contest when a backstage brawl involving The Heavenly Bodies and The Fantastics disrupted the bout. The following week saw Bart Batten team up with
SMW Heavyweight Champion Brian Lee against
The Dirty White Boy and
"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. Lee replaced one of the Battens following an injury and were awarded the match by disqualification. On April 20, 1995, they got a shot at the then reigning SMW Tag Team Champions
The Dynamic Duo (
Al Snow and
Unabomb) in
Ashland, Kentucky, and the following night in
Spencer, West Virginia, but came up short both times.
Independent circuit (1996–2001) The Batten Twins continued wrestling on the independent circuit after SMW folded. On May 31, 1997, the Battens lost to Terminal Punishment (
Allan Funk and Gregg Anderson) in
Lorain, Ohio. On August 3, they wrestled
Little Guido and Tracy Smothers at a Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling show at Turner's Hall in
Cleveland, Ohio. The Batten Twins also defeated Beau James and Frank Murdoch for the Championship Pro Wrestling tag team titles that summer. During this time, the Battens had several run ins with
Death & Destruction (
Frank "The Tank" Parker and
"Ruthless" Roger Anderson). A few days after winning the CPW Tag Team Championship, they beat Mountain State Wrestling Association tag champions Death & Destruction in a non-title match. The Battens also occasionally wrestled for
Ian Rotten's
IWA Mid-South promotion in
Louisville, Kentucky. On September 11, The Batten Twins lost to
Shark Boy and The Tower Of Doom. A week later, however, they avenged this loss in a
Three-Way Dance with American Kickboxer and Tarek the Great. On November 1, The Battens defeated Dark Overlord and Gatekeeper in
New Martinsville, West Virginia to become the first
Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions. They lost the title to The Country Cousins (Cousin Elmer and R.J. Stomper) and failed to regain the belts in a rematch held in
Buckhannon, West Virginia on December 13, 1997. On May 9, 1998, The Battens and
The Bushwhackers headlined a show held at Riverside High School in
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. They also worked for the Appalachia Pro Wrestling, where they encountered rivals Death & Destruction, and Nationwide Championship Wrestling where they won the NCW Tag Team Championship. In April 2001, The Batten Twins wrestled John Noble and
Stan Lane in
Hardeeville, South Carolina. Noble counted his matches with The Battens among the favorites of his career. The brothers also assisted promoter Scotty Ace produce NCW's weekly television show. They were living in
Huntington, West Virginia at the time and had to travel the furthest of the entire roster.
Southern States Wrestling (2001–2003) The Batten Twins began competing for
Southern States Wrestling based in
Kingsport, Tennessee. On March 20, 2001, they beat Beau James and
K. C. Thunder for the
SSW Tag Team Championship. Aligned with Scotty Ace, the Battens continued feuding with James and Thunder throughout the year. At the second annual
Mark Curtis Weekend of Champions, they defeated James and Thunder in a
Steel Cage "loser leaves town" match thanks in part to outside interference from Scotty Ace and Ricky Harrison who "turned heel" by attacking his former allies. The Batten Twins lost the belts to The Heartbreakers (Andy Douglas and Kelly Charles) on June 1 but regained them two months later. The team defended the NCW and SSW Tag Team Championships while competing in both promotions. On September 3, they successfully defended both belts against
Jimmy Valiant and Flex Armstrong at an NCW show in
Huntington, West Virginia. Their feud with K. C. Thunder continued into the fall. On October 13, The Batten Twins and their allies Ricky Harrison and Scotty Ace were beaten in an 8-man tag team match against Beau James, KC Thunder, PJ Sharp and Steve Flynn; the brothers had also defended their NCW/SSW titles against Ray Idol and Tony Givens that same night. They remained champions for only two more weeks when they were defeated in Kingsport by K. C. Thunder and Steve Flynn on October 27, 2001.
Independent circuit (2002) In 2002, The Battens began wrestling for the Mid-South Wrestling Alliance out of
Oak Hill and Blue Ridge Wrestling out of
Princeton, West Virginia, alongside another former SMW veteran "Player" Brian Logan. On August 3, 2002, The Batten Twins lost to Death & Destruction at a
Mason-Dixon Wrestling show for the Blackberry Festival in
Nutter Fort, West Virginia. The two teams met again in
Williamson, West Virginia three months later where The Batten Twins defeated Death & Destruction following a wild 4-way brawl. On August 15, they defeated the "New" West Virginia Wrecking Crew (Danny Ray and Scott McComas) in a tournament final to become the first-ever MSWA Tag Team Champions. The Batten Twins retained the title against The Rebel and Jamie Bolen in Marsh Fork on September 7 but they were stripped of the titles on October 19, 2002, when they failed to appear for a scheduled title defense in
Smithers, West Virginia.
Southern States Wrestling (2003) The Battens won the SSW Tag Team Championship for a third and final time when they beat Thorn and Tim Baldwin in Kingsport on March 22, 2003. At the two-day Mark Curtis Weekend of Champions, Bart Batten defeated Thorn in a singles match by disqualification and later on the team retained their title against Thorn and Flex Armstrong. After a near nine month title reign, the Battens dropped the belts back to Thorn and Baldwin on September 3. The following night, Brad Batten defeated Jesse Taylor for the
SSW Heavyweight Championship. He decided to forfeit the title and officially surrendered the belt to promoter Beau James a month later.
Independent circuit (2003–2004) By the early-2000s, for the most part, The Batten Twins stayed within West Virginia working for local independent promotions such as American International Wrestling, Independent Pro Wrestling, Mid South Wrestling Alliance, Mountain State Wrestling, Mountaineer Pro Wrestling and Nationwide Championship Wrestling. They trained future NWA star
Jason "The Gift" Kincaid during this time. They did, however, travel to
Ashland, Kentucky on May 23, 2003, to take part in a benefit show for the family of Tyler Dietrich who were struggling to pay expensive medical bills after their young son was diagnosed with cancer. ''This One's For Tyler'' involved wrestlers from seven different independent promotions including Nationwide Championship Wrestling and Ohio Championship Wrestling. The Batten Twins were part of a six-man tag match with Cuzin Elwood against The Poachers and Vic the Bruiser. On July 24, The Batten Twins lost to Mike Woods and Gary Valiant by disqualification at a
NWA Main Event TV taping in
Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In January 2004, The Batten Twins briefly feuded with Jared and Bitch Lancaster in Mountain State Wrestling. On February 6, 2004, they fought to a double-disqualification against Johnny Blast and Cuban Assassin #2 in
Minnora, West Virginia. A March 16 bout against The Memphis Mafia ended in a no-contest. Four days later, they won the West Virginia Tag Team Invitational in
Smithers, West Virginia. On September 21, 2004, The Batten Twins defeated Lance Erikson and Stan Lee by disqualification at a MPW show in Oak Hill.
Retirement tour (2005) In April 2005, the Batten Twins announced their retirement ==Post-retirement==