Bartley Alan Batten, age 68, of Stambaugh, passed away on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at his residence.

He was born on September 8, 1958, in New Martinsville, WV, to the late Jack and Marjorie Hayes Batten. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his twin brother, Bradley Batten, and his brother, Jeff Batten.

Bartley is survived by his wife, Tama Stapleton Batten; two sons: Master Sergeant Brandon (Melinda) Batten and Brent Batten, both of St. Albans, WV, along with four grandchildren.

At the request of the family, a memorial service will be held at a later date. There will be no visitation.

Bartley's cousin, Dana Smith, wrote a touching tribute, and the family wished to share a portion of it with you.

Brad and Bart were born September 8, 1958, in New Martinsville, WV, to Jack Batten and Marjorie "Mort" Hayes Batten. Their mother, Mort, was the baby sibling in a family of 10 Hayes brothers and sisters who were all musical, and some professionally, which is where my love for music was founded. My grandmother Ruth Hayes Smith was their aunt, which made them 1st cousins to my dad, Rocky Smith.

I was a big wrestling fan growing up, and when I learned that two of my dad's cousins were wrestlers themselves, I thought that was the coolest thing. They were trained by the legendary Angelo Poffo in the early 1980s, and his sons, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "Leaping" Lanny Poffo. I didn't get to see them much on TV since they were mostly with World Class Championship Wrestling (or WCCW) at that time, and that company rarely appeared on TV here in WV. But I was super excited when they did occasionally show up onscreen. The first time I remember meeting them was sometime after they won the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship from Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton of the Midnight Express around 1985/86. I was about 8 years old.

The family invites you to share other fond memories of your favorite wrestler as you sign the guest book for this obituary. 

Jones-Preston Funeral Home is both honored and privileged to be entrusted with all final arrangements for Mr. Bartley Alan Batten.