on July 31. Armstrong then moved to Cowboy Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling / Universal Wrestling Federation, in 1986 where he won The North American Heavyweight Championship from Ernie Ladd in 1986 and losing it to Ted DiBiase a month later. In early 1987, Brad reunited with Tim Horner forming a tag team known as "The Lightning Express, winning the UWF Tag Team Championship from future superstars Sting and Rick Steiner. They then feuded with the "Sheepherders," later known as The Bushwhackers, Butch Miller and Luke Williams, to whom they eventually lost their belts. The Lightning Express then went back to Jim Crockett Promotions (which became World Championship Wrestling in November 1988) after the UWF was bought out by Crockett, but were not pushed, and Horner left for the WWF in late 1988. Armstrong bounced between singles wrestling, temporary tag teams, and sorting out personal issues for much of the next few years. After teaming with a returning Tim Horner during the summer of 1990, Armstrong announced on the August 4, 1990 edition of WCW Saturday Night that he would be forming a new tandem with Doug Furnas, and that they planned on challenging for the United States Tag-Team Championship. However Furnas would leave the company shortly thereafter, leaving Armstrong to continue his Lightning Express partnership with Tim Horner and to also occasionally team with David Sierra and Brad Anderson. In September 1990 he was split off as a singles wrestler again and rebranded The Candyman. Dressed in red and white tights and handing out candy to fans on his way to the ring, Armstrong began to receive his first significant singles push in the new WCW. He went undefeated, pinning Dutch Mantell, Buddy Landell, and James Earl Wright over the next two weeks. At the 1990 Halloween Havoc, Armstrong faced JW Storm (Jeff Warner), who was a recent addition to WCW and was also on an undefeated streak. The Candyman pinned Storm in what Jim Ross stated was an upset. The run finally ended on November 15, when The Iron Sheik upset The Candyman on a house show in Kansas City, Kansas. On Clash of Champions XXIII on November 20, The Candyman was defeated by the debuting Big Cat after the referee stopped the match. By the beginning of 1991, Armstrong had dropped the Candyman gimmick and had reunited with Tim Horner. In January 1991, the Lightning Express faced The