Match #5 for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship: NWA United States Tag Team Champions ‘Flyin’ Brian Pillman & ‘Z-Man’ Tom Zenk vs. The Midnight Express (‘Beautiful’ Bobby Eaton & ‘Sweet’ Stan Lane) w/Jim Cornette
Special stipulation is that Jim Cornette must be locked in a cage at ringside. All 4 men brawl in the ring and Pillman and Zenk dump them outside. Cornette is not in his cage yet tries to get involved but he is clotheslined by referee Randy Anderson. Pillman and Zenk carry him to the cage and he is locked. Eaton and Pillman start the legal action. They tie up and it’s broken on the ropes. Eaton consults with Lane before locking up again. A right hand by Eaton but Pillman fights back with chops. Football tackle by Pillman. Dropkick by Pillman. Lane rushes the ring but is met with a hip toss.

Z-Man and Pillman take care of both with some monkey flips, and a flying clothesline. Eaton paces outside to regroup and Lane is back on the apron. It’s Zenk and Lane. Collar and elbow with a side headlock by Zenk. Lane gives a kick to the mid section, but on the next ride Zenk lands 3 arm drags. Eaton rushes to help. He holds Z-Man but Zenk is able to move and Lane drop kicks his partner. Zenk sends Lane for the ride and lands another drop kick. Lane and Eaton keep checking in with the caged Cornette. Pillman is back in and he ties up with Lane.

Lane delivers rights and sends Pillman but Brian returns with a sunset flip. Arm drag take down by Pillman but Lane breaks it up with a poke to the eye. A tag is made to Eaton but Bobby is immediately captured in an arm bar. Eaton fights out and delivers some straight rights. Football tackle and an unsuccessful sunset flip by Eaton. Eaton tries a monkey flip but Pillman lands on his feet and catches his opponent in the face with a drop kick. Collar and elbow tie up and a tag is made to Lane. Pillman maintains control and quickly tags in Zenk. Wristlock by Zenk but Lane but it’s quickly broken.

Snapmare by Lane who then misses with an elbow. Arm drag into an armbar by Zenk. Atomic drop by Zenk and Lane runs into his charging partner. Lane regroups and is back in the ring. Kick to the mid section and then to the back. Lane misses an ax handle and Zenk grabs a wrist. This doesn’t last as Eaton is tagged back in, but Zenk is still in control of the arm. Eaton pulls the hair and reverses the arm bar submission with Zenk on the mat. The two exchange reversals on the mat with Eaton using the hair to his advantage. Back to their feet, a tag is made to Pillman. Eaton dumps Pillman out.

He tries to ram Pillman’s head into the turnbuckle from the apron but Pillman blocks it. Up to the top rope and a sunset flip gives Flyin Brian a 2 count. Wristlock by Brian who tags in Z Man and they execute a double back body drop. Z Man is whipped into the Express’ corner. Eaton chases him but he is back body dropped to the outside. Zenk uses the ropes to pull Lane into the ring. Pillman rushes in and lands a drop kick. Double hip toss by Pillman and Z-Man on Lane who rolls out of the ring to regroup. Lane and Zenk lock up. Drop toe hold by Lane but Zenk reverses it into a hammerlock. Lane fights out and a tag is made to Eaton.

He’s greeted with a scoop slam. Zenk holds the wrist and Pillman is in with an arm bar. Eaton pulls Pillman down by the hair. Monkey flip by Pillman who follows with a cross body but Eaton ducks. Outside of the ring, Eaton takes advantage with a neck breaker. Lane is in the ring and he defend Pillman’s entrance with a knee to the throat. Pillman gasps for air and rolls in the ring. Lane snaps Pillman’s neck on the top rope and rushes him with a clothesline. Tag is made to Eaton. Snap mare take down by Lane before he exits and Eaton comes in with an elbow.

Eaton with a slingshot back breaker and Lane is back in. The ref is distracted and Eaton takes a cheap shot before Lane chokes Pillman on the ropes. Eaton takes more liberties from the apron. Tag is made to Eaton. Lane with a drop toe hold and Eaton with an elbow to the back of the head. Eaton goes for a cover but Zenk breaks it up. Pillman fights with some mid section rights but Lane is tagged back in and Pillman is kicked down. Pillman is once again thrown to the outside. Lane gives chase and throws Pillman into the steel rail.

Lane pulls him back in, he sends him for the ride. Pillman leaps over the back body drop for a sunset flip but the ref isn’t there for a quick count. Eaton is tagged back in. Pillman is slammed to the mat and Eaton lands a flying elbow drop. Eaton attempts a few pins but can only get 2 as Pillman shows his strength. Back to their feet, Lane is tagged back in. Pillman surprises him with an inside cradle for a near fall. More quick tags by the Express. Scoop slam by Lane and a tag is made to Eaton. Lateral press gets Eaton 2.

Eaton heads for the top and he lands a flying leg drop. He’s slow to make the cover and Pillman kicks out. Pillman is sent for the ride. He reverses a side slam attempt with one of his own. Zenk and Lane are tagged at the same time and Z-Man cleans house. He grabs Lane in a sleeper but Eaton breaks it up. Side Russian legsweep by Lane who tags in Eaton. Eaton to the top rope. Lane throws Eaton for the Rocket Launcher and Zenk kicks out at two. Irish whip by Eaton but Zenk moves.

Right from Zenk. Eaton reverses an Irish whip but Zenk comes back with a high cross body off the 2nd turnbuckle. Lane breaks up the pin and Pillman attacks him. The ref lectures Pillman as Lane gets up for a savate kick to the back of Zenk’s head. Eaton falls on top for the pin and we have new champions!
Winners and NEW NWA United States Champions: The Midnight Express (Eaton/Savate Kick)

• EA’s Take: Cornette in a cage is a call back to a stipulation from Starrcade few years ago, but it was hilarious when he got clotheslined! The Midnight Express are one of the most in-sync tag teams I’ve ever seen and Brian Pillman uses an awful lot of sunset flips. Those are my takeaways. The title change here makes the outcome at WrestleWar more sensical, as it didn’t seem like Pillman & Zenk were destined for a long run together.

In The Arena: Sting makes his way to the ring in street clothes followed by Robocop. The 4 Horsemen rush in and lock Sting in the cage Jim Cornette was in. Robocop pulls the door off the cage to free Sting. The Horsemen back off.

Backstage: The Junkyard Dog is standing by with Tony Schiavone, Jim Cornette interupts him, upset that the time isn’t being used on the team who just won tag team belts. Cornette asks where he’s been while The Midnight Express were busy winning matches. JYD gives him an address and Cornette yells that’s his mother’s house! Cornette tries to blind side him with his tennis racket, to no avail. JYD is back.

Match #6 is a Corporal Punishment Match: The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael ‘P.S.’ Hayes & ‘Gorgeous’ Jimmy Garvin) vs. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Hayes and Gibson start us out. Hayes is dancing and taunting. Hayes is very bothered by the fans and he heads to floor. He is back to the ring and he ties up with Dibson. Hayes with vicious rights in the corner until Gibson receives a slap to the face. Collar and elbow tie up and Gibson backs Hayes off with a right. A tag is made to Garvin who wants Morton and the Express oblige. Morton taunts the Freebird strut. Morton reverses an Irish whip and Gibson clotheslines Garvin in the corner. They try it again but Garvin moves.

Clothesline and a drop kick by Morton. They regroup and tie up. Morton is sent for the ride and is victim of a back body drop. Garvin attempts a clothesline with the strap but Morton moves and grabs the strap. Both free birds take whips to their back and they escape to the floor. The straps are put back. Collar and elbow tie up before a quick tag to Gibson who puts Garvin in a full nelson. Side headlock by Gibson. They run the ropes and a sunset flip from Gibson gets 1. Tag is made to Morton and he ties up with Garvin. Side headlock by Morton and he hangs on through an attempted atomic drop. Gibson comes in with no tag as the referee is distracted with Hayes.

He questions it and the RnR tell him to ask the crowd. The ref is with Hayes once again as Morton and Gibson swap spots with the reverse chin lock and the referee is suspicious. Garvin is to his feet fighting back. Irish whip but Morton moves. Single leg pick up by Morton and he puts on a figure four. Hayes rushes the ring but Gibson cuts HIM off with a figure four. The holds are broken and Garvin and Hayes double team Gibson who is now the legal man. There’s an elbow and a strut from Michael Hayes. He now has the strap and Gibson takes some shots to the back.

He counters with a right and gets a whip from Morton. There is a stand off between Hayes and Gibson. Hayes misses a whip shot and Gibson goes to work whipping both Freebirds. The RnR clear the ring. The straps are put back in the corners and Hayes and Gibson circle. They exchange rights before Gibson is whipped into the Freebird corner. A tag is made to Garvin. He takes down Gibson and delivers a knee to the back of the head. He gets a 2 count before lifting Gibson for a scoop slam. Garvin stays on the offense and he rubs Gibson’s face into the mat. Gibson is dumped to the outside and Michael Hayes takes some cheap shots.

Back in the ring, Gibson catches Garvin with a kick to the face on an attempted back body drop. Morton is tagged back in. Morton gets a roll up attempt and Garvin kicks out. Morton is flung to the Freebird corner where Hayes takes a cheap left hand shot. Garvin attempts a pin but the referee is late. Reverse chin lock by Garvin who sits on his back for leverage. The crowd chants Rock ‘n’ Roll as Morton crawls toward his corner. Garvin gives Gibson a right and the Freebirds double team Morton. Hayes is in and he continues the reverse chin lock. Hayes delivers rights in the corner.

Morton reverses an Irish whip and gets 6 straight rights in the corner. He whips Hayes to the opposite corner but Hayes catches him with a right hand. 3 elbow and knee drops from Hayes before returning to the chinlock. A running bulldog from Hayes gives the Freebirds 2 and a half. Garvin is tagged in and he stomps away at the head. Snapmare into another reverse chin lock by Garvin. Ricky Morton fights back, but the ring is cut in half. Morton is tossed outside and Hayes whips and chokes him while the referee isn’t looking. Morton is pulled back to the apron and into the ring.

He gets a knee to the midsection as well as a scoop slam. Garvin keeps the pressure on with a knee to the head. Another scoops slam by Garvin and he heads for the top rope. Morton cuts him off and delivers a gorilla press slam from the top. Hayes is tagged in but his face is jammed into the turnbuckle by Morton. He stops the momentum with an elbow to the face. Hayes attempts his running bulldog on Morton but Ricky throws him. A tag is made to Gibson and he elevates Hayes for a back body drop. All 4 men brawl in the ring.

Morton is thrown to the outside and they double team Gibson. Hayes hits Gibson with his DDT and he struts around the ring. He sets up for another DDT but Morton rushes up to the top rope and instead executes a sunset flip for the win.
Winners: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express (Morton/Sunset Flip)

• EA’s Take: I’d have to go back and look to see whether or not these were actually the legal men, but whatever works! For a Corporal Punishment stipulation match (basically a strap match), I was surprised the straps weren’t used more than they were, but how creative can you get with that really? More classic WCW rivalries here and just classic, fgoold old fashioned wrastlin’.

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