Midnight express wrestling

The Midnight Express was the name used by several professional wrestling tag teams of changing members, usually under the management of Jim Cornette. In they were joined by Norvell Austin.

Text by RD Reynolds. One need look no further than the 57 nWo reunions, with each have less impact than the one before. Therefore, it is a bit surprising that one tag team duo, in this case, the Midnight Express, underwent several changes before finally coming up with a winning formula. And make no mistake about it — Lane and Eaton were without question one of the greatest tag teams in the history of pro wrestling. The Midnight Express was everything a heel tag team should be — mean, funny, skilled, and could get heat just by looking at a fan in the crowd. They won numerous tag title belts, including being the first team to ever win both the US and NWA World titles simultaneously. During this period, they would often bring out the belts in a wheelbarrow, as it was simply too much gold to carry!

Midnight express wrestling

But one tag team that needs to be in the conversation is The Midnight Express, who dominated divisions and collected belts primarily in WCW , but also branched out to other promotions. Over the course of nearly 20 years, The Midnight Express evolved quite a bit, changing lineups, managers, and even number of members. In , WWE kicked off an invasion storyline with the National Wrestling Alliance , itself a shell of the far-reaching organization it once was before the s. Modern fans may be unaware of him, but Ron Starr was considered one of the great heels of the territory days. A few years after his stint in the Midnight Express, Ferris would end up signing to WWE and adopt the name Honky Tonk Man , eventually racking up one of the longest reigns with the Intercontinental Championship. By the early s, Norvell Austin had a degree of notoriety in Southern wrestling — as a heel, he teamed with trailblazer Sputnik Monroe as one of the only mixed-race tag teams in the early s. As a result, the underrated Austin defended the tag team championships alongside Condrey and Rose by using the Freebird Rule. During the late s, one of his biggest clients was The original Midnight Express. While fans might be unaware of Randy Rose and Norvell Austin as Midnight Express members, they should at least be aware of Dennis Condrey, who was not only a founding member, but stuck around with the group throughout much of its existence in the s. A standout tag team wrestler in the Southern territories, Condrey hit a whole new level when he was paired with Randy Rose to form the Midnight Express, and his departure from Southeastern Championship Wrestling in signaled the end of the first phase of the group. Being a heel manager, he also took active part in many matches during his time with the Midnight Express, getting beaten up on their behalf. Lane was no stranger to tag team success, having previously teamed with Steve Keirn as The Fabulous ones in other territories. But which team was better?

With Mr. When the issues were resolved, Cornette and the Midnight Express returned to the promotion. Eaton and Lane had for a time what many considered the best finishing move in all midnight express wrestling wrestling.

The Midnight Express is a professional wrestling tag team that has had various members and achieved most of its success in the s. The group's gimmick was the so-called " Freebird Rule "; which allowed any two members of the team to wrestle their matches on any given night, thus their opponents who had only kayfabe signed to face "The Midnight Express", didn't know which combination they would get. Being good at spotting young talent, Jim Cornette recruited him to team up with Dennis Condrey. Condrey was a former rival of Bobby Eaton so they were familiar with each other's styles and with the addition of cornerman Jim Cornette they became a tight knit unit. Cornette including Eaton into the group led to dissension within the original 3 members, with first Rose and then Austin leaving the stable. The Express had up until then been a tight stable but once Eaton and Condrey joined together the Midnight Express wrestled exclusively as a 2-man team until end of the Midnight Express legacy.

In the s tag team wrestling was as hot as it ever has been. The s would be the home of some of the greatest tag teams of all time. Even the original WrestleMania was headlined by tag team action. Of the others, the Midnight Express could lay claim as the greatest professional wrestling tag team of the s. While the Express would have many members more on that later in most cases the team would be managed by the silver-tongued Jim Cornette or promo master Paul E.

Midnight express wrestling

But one tag team that needs to be in the conversation is The Midnight Express, who dominated divisions and collected belts primarily in WCW , but also branched out to other promotions. Over the course of nearly 20 years, The Midnight Express evolved quite a bit, changing lineups, managers, and even number of members. In , WWE kicked off an invasion storyline with the National Wrestling Alliance , itself a shell of the far-reaching organization it once was before the s. Modern fans may be unaware of him, but Ron Starr was considered one of the great heels of the territory days. A few years after his stint in the Midnight Express, Ferris would end up signing to WWE and adopt the name Honky Tonk Man , eventually racking up one of the longest reigns with the Intercontinental Championship. By the early s, Norvell Austin had a degree of notoriety in Southern wrestling — as a heel, he teamed with trailblazer Sputnik Monroe as one of the only mixed-race tag teams in the early s. As a result, the underrated Austin defended the tag team championships alongside Condrey and Rose by using the Freebird Rule. During the late s, one of his biggest clients was The original Midnight Express. While fans might be unaware of Randy Rose and Norvell Austin as Midnight Express members, they should at least be aware of Dennis Condrey, who was not only a founding member, but stuck around with the group throughout much of its existence in the s.

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Tom Prichard was thought about, but never officially suggested. Eaton was highly regarded for his psychology and timing. August He couldn't explain it, but it was a pleasure and an education going out there and working with him. This version was short-lived as Eaton soon started working independent wrestling cards with Dennis Condrey, sometimes with Lane and Cornette as well. The highlight of the angle saw Eaton and Condrey tarring and feathering Magnum T. After confronting Ole Anderson , the booker at the time, over the scheduling, Cornette was told to "go home" if he disagreed. This was done to give the move more "shock value". Bubba Rogers worked a few dates to fulfill obligations, but Dusty Rhodes made the decision to pick Stan Lane who was a singles star in Florida at the time. Article Talk. Pro Wrestling Illustrated. June

The Midnight Express remains one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history that still hasn't entered the WWE Hall of Fame. While they never wrestled in WWE, in their more successful iterations, the team remains influential to countless heel tag teams working today. However, even if they never make it into the Hall of Fame, they still hold a place in wrestling history as the team that revolutionized tag team wrestling.

No specific reason has ever been given by Dennis Condrey only speculations from people around him. The Express had until this point been a group of wrestlers, but now worked exclusively as a two-man team. In , WWE kicked off an invasion storyline with the National Wrestling Alliance , itself a shell of the far-reaching organization it once was before the s. Over the course of nearly 20 years, The Midnight Express evolved quite a bit, changing lineups, managers, and even number of members. Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use American English from February All Wikipedia articles written in American English Use mdy dates from February All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June Being good at spotting young talent, Jim Cornette recruited him to team up with Dennis Condrey. For the first time in 7 years there was no Midnight Express, it was the end of an era in tag-team wrestling. After reuniting the team, Eaton and Gulas had one final run with tag team champions and worked an intense feud with Latham and Ferris. NWA Hall of Fame inductees. After arguing Jim Cornette stopped accompanying the Express to the ring, choosing to only manage the Dudes. Gannosuke and Tarzan Goto C. Retrieved May 31, Wrestling Title Histories 3 ed.