JJB grew up a loner. His parents were killed when he was two, and he was raised by his grandfather, Running Wolf. The Apche children generally ignored him for being white, and the white children ignored him for being Apache.  But his Grandfather taught him the old Apache way, including SuChi, the Apache unarmed fighting method, a martial art most people have never heard of. He excelled and soon his Grandfather had him enrolled in traditional martial arts classes. As a youth, he spent time in Japan learning from the masters, and is a master of Kenjitsu, Karate and Aikido. 

But Texas was in his blood, and Apache was his heritage, so he returned home. Battles' strict honor code made him a natural in the police force, and it wasn't long before he became one of the elite 99 men and women that make up THE TEXAS RANGERS.  While working undercover in a small wrestling promotion, he seriously beat a wrestler who was using his fame to "get close" to children. Rather than put the Rangers through a media spectacle, he excepted a demotion to reserve status. But the wrestling bug had bitten him, and although he still was included in many Ranger cases, he had time to pursue his new passion.