Here is the second installment of "Looking Down the Hall", a guest column from Pun's House Message Board poster, Sharky.
I am a huge fan of tag team wrestling. Tag team wrestling was at it’s peak in the mid 80’s. And one team in my eyes stood out above all the rest. I’m not ashamed to say they were my favorite team. They helped change tag team wrestling forever.
Ricky Morton , Robert Gibson, The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.
Ricky & Robert began teaming together in 1983 in the Memphis territory. Memphis was known for producing great tag teams over the years like The Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn & Stan Lane (yes THAT Stan Lane) Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert, Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee, just to name a few. They were the young, energetic face team that the fans quickly fell in love with.
They left Memphis and joined Bill Watts’ Mid-South territory. Here they began a feud that would span over a decade and across numerous promotions; Jim Cornette’s Midnight Express. Loverboy Dennis and Beautiful Bobby seemed to bring out the best in Ricky & Robert. They lit up arenas throughout the territory and both teams became huge draws.
It was their next move that truly made the team great. They headed to Jim Crockett Promotions and immediately were thrust to the top of the tag title scene. They engaged in long running feuds with Ivan, Nikita Koloff & Krusher Krushev. The Russians would trade the titles back and forth with the Express a couple of times. The duo were regulars on WTBS “World Championship Wrestling” coming in with bandanas on their boots and upbeat music, they were a sensation.
Now, naturally, most of their TV matches were 80’s squash matches, used as a precursor to an interview segment with the “Winners.” And could Ricky Morton talk. He was charismatic, with Ric Flair’s wild eyes and Dusty Rhodes’ rambling southern drawl, the crowd ate it up, especially the women. Gibson was quiet and reserved, and normally let Ricky take the lead.
In the ring, they were top notch. Remember, this was the Golden Era of tag team wrestling, the mid 1980’s. The Russians, Midnight Express, Ole and Arn Anderson, Arn and Tully Blanchard, The Brittish Bulldogs, The Midnight Rockers, They faced them all. Four times they became World Tag Team champions, which means among their peers, they were among the best of the best.
Tag team wrestling was changing. Choreographed double team moves were just coming into vogue. And Ricky & Robert were right there at the forefront. Storytelling also changed and grew more dramatic. The now familiar “Face-in-peril / Hot tag” spot that nearly every tag team match these days uses? It’s called “Playing Ricky Morton” He did it so well, you were convinced that there was no way he would get out of trouble, and every time, Robert would get the tag, come in, clean house, and the bad guys would retreat. Because if they didn’t, Ricky would find his second wind and one Double-Dropkick later, the bell would be ringing.
It wasn’t just their matches that got imitated. Their look, the long hair, Rock N Roll music fit right in with the 80’s scene. Teams in other territories began popping up that bore a striking resemblance. The Rock N Roll RPM’s in Memphis, The Midnight Rockers in the AWA. In fact, The Rocker’s Shawn Michaels lists one of his early influences in his career being the times he traveled through Mid-South with… Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson. They were young, energetic, and good at what they did.
Like a lot of stars of the 80’s, when the business changed, so did their role in it. Ricky & Robert slowly became mid-carders and saw their TV time reduced. By the time the Attitude Era rolled around, they were well past their primes. They made a couple of appearances on RAW during the Cornette/NWA angle, playing cowardly heels this time, but the magic was gone.
I present to you, candidates for the Hall of Fame, The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.
Ricky Morton , Robert Gibson, The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.
Ricky & Robert began teaming together in 1983 in the Memphis territory. Memphis was known for producing great tag teams over the years like The Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn & Stan Lane (yes THAT Stan Lane) Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert, Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee, just to name a few. They were the young, energetic face team that the fans quickly fell in love with.
They left Memphis and joined Bill Watts’ Mid-South territory. Here they began a feud that would span over a decade and across numerous promotions; Jim Cornette’s Midnight Express. Loverboy Dennis and Beautiful Bobby seemed to bring out the best in Ricky & Robert. They lit up arenas throughout the territory and both teams became huge draws.
It was their next move that truly made the team great. They headed to Jim Crockett Promotions and immediately were thrust to the top of the tag title scene. They engaged in long running feuds with Ivan, Nikita Koloff & Krusher Krushev. The Russians would trade the titles back and forth with the Express a couple of times. The duo were regulars on WTBS “World Championship Wrestling” coming in with bandanas on their boots and upbeat music, they were a sensation.
Now, naturally, most of their TV matches were 80’s squash matches, used as a precursor to an interview segment with the “Winners.” And could Ricky Morton talk. He was charismatic, with Ric Flair’s wild eyes and Dusty Rhodes’ rambling southern drawl, the crowd ate it up, especially the women. Gibson was quiet and reserved, and normally let Ricky take the lead.
In the ring, they were top notch. Remember, this was the Golden Era of tag team wrestling, the mid 1980’s. The Russians, Midnight Express, Ole and Arn Anderson, Arn and Tully Blanchard, The Brittish Bulldogs, The Midnight Rockers, They faced them all. Four times they became World Tag Team champions, which means among their peers, they were among the best of the best.
Tag team wrestling was changing. Choreographed double team moves were just coming into vogue. And Ricky & Robert were right there at the forefront. Storytelling also changed and grew more dramatic. The now familiar “Face-in-peril / Hot tag” spot that nearly every tag team match these days uses? It’s called “Playing Ricky Morton” He did it so well, you were convinced that there was no way he would get out of trouble, and every time, Robert would get the tag, come in, clean house, and the bad guys would retreat. Because if they didn’t, Ricky would find his second wind and one Double-Dropkick later, the bell would be ringing.
It wasn’t just their matches that got imitated. Their look, the long hair, Rock N Roll music fit right in with the 80’s scene. Teams in other territories began popping up that bore a striking resemblance. The Rock N Roll RPM’s in Memphis, The Midnight Rockers in the AWA. In fact, The Rocker’s Shawn Michaels lists one of his early influences in his career being the times he traveled through Mid-South with… Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson. They were young, energetic, and good at what they did.
Like a lot of stars of the 80’s, when the business changed, so did their role in it. Ricky & Robert slowly became mid-carders and saw their TV time reduced. By the time the Attitude Era rolled around, they were well past their primes. They made a couple of appearances on RAW during the Cornette/NWA angle, playing cowardly heels this time, but the magic was gone.
I present to you, candidates for the Hall of Fame, The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.
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