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Missy Hyatt on the role Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton played in her career

Posted: Jun 3rd 2015 By: Missy Hyatt

Two people who were very influential in my career were Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton. I never got to thank them, which is an oversight on my part in recent years. I never got to thank them on an almost nightly basis during 1985 thru 1987. I probably had none to very little conversation with both of them when I worked together with them in World Class and UWF due to separate locker rooms during the kayfabe era.

My first two years, I managed several combinations that had John Tatum, Jack Victory, Sting, Rick Steiner, Eddie Gilbert, and various partners against The Fantastics. I learned every night to be at the right place, when to interject myself in to the match, and most of all in ring psychology. I was so fortunate to have the ultimate learning experience being at ringside managing against The Fantastics.

All of those matches were put together with just a finish, a few spots, and the rest were called in the ring. Maybe I?m being biased, but those matches were great during that time period. Keep in mind John Tatum was green and learning on the fly, which is a testament on how The Fantastics made him elevate his game.

Gilbert (with a torn rotator cuff) with Ron Simmons had a hell of a match with The Fantastics at a live NWA Clash Of The Champions in which they incorporated a real injury to tell a compelling story, which shows how all of those guys knew how to play off of each other for over thirty minutes.

I learned from ringside on how a match should be paced. The Fantastics worked a fast paced match that didn?t go overboard in doing more stuff than the fans could process. Bobby and Tommy could take turns selling in the same match or on different nights, which made them in my opinion more superior to The Rock N Roll Express.

The Fantastics could have a four star technical match with various incarnations of The Midnight Express, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, etc. They could work fast paced-stiff Japanese style matches in AJPW. They could have brawls with The Sheepherders. Even in 2015, I could watch a Fantastics match and it still holds up to my standards for in-ring action and storytelling. Tommy had a dropkick at 5?10? that ranked up with Kazuchika Okada for you current fans.

I strongly urge anybody who never seen The Fantastics to check out my favorite matches that involved them that are probably on YouTube or the WWE Network:

- Fantastics vs. Sheepherders from Crockett Cup 1986
- Fantastics & Terry Taylor vs. Sheepherders & Jack Victory in a barbed wire cage
- Fantastics vs. Midnight Express from Clash Of Champions #1, Great American Bash 1988, and their 43 minute Worldwide match.

I hope Tommy Rogers is at peace, and my sympathy goes out to his loved ones. And, better late than never, thank you Bobby Fulton for teaching me so much without ever realizing it.