Backstage: Gordon Solie is standing by with Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express. Solie reminds them that they won last time, but things could change. Cornette goes off about how some things change, but some things never change and one thing that never changes is that they are the greatest tag team ever. Stan Lane says today is the day the music died.

Match #3: The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) w/Jim Cornette vs. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Gibson and Lane get the action started. Collar and elbow tie up. Arm drag by Gibson. Another tie up and Lane sends Gibson for a hip toss. Tie up, and a shoulder tackle by Gibson from the ropes. Lane complains to the referee and tells the crowd off. Side headlock from Gibson who lands another shoulder tackle. Lane sets up for a monkey flip but Gibson stops short and lands a right. Lane rolls out of the ring to regroup. Lane is back up on the apron complaining to the referee, and Nick Patrick shoves him off the apron. Cornette jumps up in protest and wags his finger at Patrick until he is then forced off the apron.

Cornette is in the ring looking to fight the referee. Patrick untucks his shirt and looks to oblige and the crowd loves it. The wrestlers calm them down and back them off. A “Rock n Roll” chant breaks out as the action gets started again. Morton is now in for RnR. They run the ropes and Morton lands an atomic drop which also knocks Eaton out of the ring who was rushing in. Outside of the ring, Lane slaps Eaton to the ground as Cornette tries to settle things down. Lane is back in the ring with Morton. Collar and elbow tie up and Lane lands straight right hands followed by a scoop slam. Eaton is tagged in, but he’s met with two arm drag take downs.

Eaton sets up a test of strength and Morton engages. Morton walks up Eaton’s body and leaps off to strike Lane who was running in for a save. Gibson makes sure Eaton doesn’t come back with funny business and they clear the ring. Morton backs Lane away with threatening punches and he’s kicked out of the ring. Eaton is in the ring and he sends Morton for the ride. Cornette grabs the foot and trips Morton. Cornette is chased around the ring. Morton tags at his foot and Cornette stumbles into the ring. Gibson grabs Midnight’s heads and bashes them together before knocking Cornette down to the floor.

Lane helps his manager regroup and it’s Eaton and Gibson locking up. Eaton is sent for the ride and RnR hits him with a double back body drop. Lane comes into the ring but gets a double clothesline. They slow it down and regroup. It’ll be beautiful bobby and Gibson tying up. Downstairs with a knee by Eaton and a tag is made to Lane. Lane is immediately taken over with an arm drag and taken down with a straight right. Tag is made to Morton who comes in with a double elbow before being dumped to the floor. Lane gives chase but his head is slammed off the post. Lane is slow to tag Eaton. Eaton and Morton tie up and Morton takes control of the arm. Eaton comes back with a straight right and the two exchange blows.

Morton dives at Eaton and they both stumble out to the floor. Stan Lane is the first one to the fallen competitors and he body slams Morton on the floor. Gibson tends to his partner and helps him back into the ring. Backbreaker by Eaton in the ring who goes in for a choke before Patrick breaks it up. Tag is made to Stan Lane and they double team Morton’s back. Cornette gets in on the action and strikes Morton with the tennis racket. Some kicks by Lane before a tag is made to Eaton. Drop toe hold by Lane before letting Eaton take over with a leg drop. Eaton spins Morton for a 2 count. Eaton lifts Morton for a standing vertical suplex. Another 2 count for Midnight. Lane is tagged in and Morton is sent for the ride and a power slam. Gibson breaks it up.

Lane prevents the tag and knocks Gibson off the apron. Morton is dumped outside and Eaton takes advantage with a hot shot on the railing. Cornette takes liberties with Morton as well. Morton reverses Bobby’s attempt to drive him into the post. Back in the ring, the legal man Stan Lane falls victim of a sunset flip while Cornette distracts Patrick. Morton reverses a scoop slam, but the two men run toward the same rope. Eaton tags himself in and gets Morton off Gibson with a neckbreaker. Eaton taunts the crowd and pulls Morton up. He slaps Morton around and hot shots him on the turnbuckle. Tag is made back to Lane and he puts his boot to Morton’s throat.

Morton’s sent for the ride but kicks Lane in the face. Quick tag back to Eaton who hauls Morton down in a hammerlock. Tag is made to Lane who holds onto a modified camel clutch. Lane stomps Morton and pulls him up with an arm bar but Morton fights him off. Tag is made to Eaton and Morton is trying to fight out. Body slam by Eaton who goes to the top rope and lands a flying elbow drop. Gibson breaks up the pin. Lane is tagged back in and he chokes Morton on the top rope. Patrick pulls him off and Cornette takes another cheap shot. Morton is desperate for a tag. Lane holds onto the arm bar and he taunts Gibson.

Tag is made back to Eaton and he holds a hammerlock before throwing Morton into the turnbuckle. Another arm bar take down from Eaton. Morton tries breaking the hold with elbows. There is a triple reversal on an Irish whip and the two men collide and fall down. Eaton is the first one up and he makes the tag. Side slam from Lane and they set up for the Rocket Launcher but Morton gets his knees up. Morton rolls away from Eaton and tags in Gibson who cleans house. He holds Eaton down on a sunset flip that followed an Irish Whip reversal but Lane breaks it up. Morton takes Lane to the corner.

Gibson runs the ropes but Cornette nails him with the tennis racket. Gibson kicks out at two and Lane is legally tagged. The Midnight Express attempt a double flapjack on Gibson but Morton breaks it up by spearing Eaton and Gibson falls on Lane with an inside cradle. The RnR Express pick up the win.
Winners: The Rock & Roll Express (Gibson/Inside Cradle)

• EA’s Take: It’s funny, The Midnight Express enjoyed a long run as babyfaces, but I guess a program with Morton & Gibson or The Road Warriors are bound to make you the heel. I’m not sure if the two teams had any significant matches after this one, but it definitely had an end of an era vibe to it. This was one of the best tag team rivalries of the 1980’s, the old “tried and true” if you will and if this was their finale, it was a good one. I also loved the commentary team crapping all over Jim Cornette the whole time!

Backstage: Gordon Solie is standing by with The Road Warriors who are ready for their Chicago Street Fight. They discuss Dan Spivey’s injury. Paul Ellering knows that Teddy Long could have him come out of anywhere to interfere.

Match #4 is a Chicago Street Fight: The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) w/Paul Ellering vs. The Skyscrapers (‘Mean’ Mark Callous & The Masked Skyscraper) w/Theodore R. Long
The Road Warriors are escorted to the ring on motorcycles. The managers actually start the action and Ellering decks Long out of the ring before the four wrestlers brawl. Hawk lands a big clothesline on Callous and Animal gets one on the Masked Skyscraper. The Skyscrapers throw rights before Animal lands an inverted atomic drop on Callous. Big boot by Hawk on TMS. Powerslam by Hawk while Animal stands up for straight rights on the turnbuckle on Callous.

Doom are seen walking toward the ring in tuxedos. Teddy Long talks to the two men, pointing and barking. Inverted neckbreaker from Hawk on Callous. TMS stomps Animal in the corner and Callous gets up and works on Hawk’s left leg. Animal blocks a right and delivers one on TMS before a drop kick. Hot shot from Mean Mark on Hawk. Callous goes in for the double team on Animal but Hawk is quickly up and blindsides him with a clothesline. He also clotheslines the masked man. Powerslam from Animal on TMS as Callous works on Hawk on the other side of the ring. Animal and TMS have worked their way outside and Hawk and Callous are quick to follow on the other side.

Hawk runs and delivers a clothesline from the apron on Callous. Standing drop kick on the floor from Hawk. Callous gets back up and tries choking Hawk. The two exchange blows and Hawk goes head first into the steal. Inside the ring, TMS tries to mount some offense on Animal. Callous and Hawk have re-joined them in the ring. The Skyscrapers attempt a double clothesline on Animal, but he ducks and comes back to hit both of them himself. Callous is up first and Hawk back body drops him over the top rope. Animal lifts The Masked Skyscraper up for the Doomsday Device and The Road Warriors pick up the win.
Winners: The Road Warriors (Hawk/Doomsday Device)

• After The Bell: Teddy Long is pulled into the ring by The Road Warriors. They attempt to throw him outside, but Doom catches him. Doom takes off their jackets and enter the ring for a brawl.
• EA’s Take: If you’ve never heard of ‘Mean’ Mark Callous, spoiler alert…he’s The Undertaker. It was a very short stint in the NWA/WCW for him, as he will go on to debut for the WWF at Survivor Series in November of this same year. This match was relatively fast and it was clearly more about setting up The Road Warriors against Doom going forward than it was about these ‘replacement’ Skyscrapers. Part of me wonders if the match only went five minutes as an audible on the fly in terms of time they had remaining. Or was that was the plan? If they needed to trim somewhere, perhaps they could have given these guys five more minutes (twice as long) and cut Flair/Luger down to 33. Doesn’t seem like a big sacrifice to me and I’m sure they would have put on a good show with more time.

Pages: 1 2 3 4