[1990-02-25-NWA-Wrestle War '90] Midnight Express vs Rock & Roll Express

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

The MOTY at this point. Just a fantastic match. There are so many things that were so good about this, from Cornette nearly getting into a fist fight with the referee, to the MX infighting after an accidental bump, to the way Morton was worked over as Face in Peril. Such a near-perfect combination of psychology and top-notch action. I've always really loved this match. Watching it again just elevated it even more for me. Worth more of a write-up than I'm giving it at the moment.

[PeteF3]

I don't think this was as good as Liger/Sano but it's a pretty fair 2nd place. Just an epic teasing beatdown of Ricky Morton even by his standards, with about 5 or 6 hope spots and great cut-offs. Great near-fall on Robert Gibson kicking out of a racket shot and a counter to the double flapjack for the pin. Cornette was absolutely brilliant throughout all of this, timing his interference perfectly, interacting with the cameraman, and little touches like quickly flipping the tennis racket around and using it as a backscratcher to avoid getting caught.

[Tim Cooke]

I watched this match to death about 10 years ago, to the point that I knew all of the spots by heart and was completely tired of it. When Cornette released the handhelds of the MX/RnR 1986 feud, I wanted to re-visit the 1990 matches to see Lane vs. Condrey and hopefully have a fresh perspective. This Yearbook finally gave me that opportunity. This is in the top 5 for 1990 from me. I'm 75% of the way through the Yearbook (being unemployed sucks but doesn't suck) and the only thing that really stands out as better than this is the 10/19/90 Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi 6 man. Everything you want from the MX vs. RnR "formula" match.

[Childs]

If I was going to show a new fan the perfect evocation of the Midnights/R'n'R rivalry, I'd probably pick this match. Tight but not short, lots of great spots, classic face-in-peril segment by Morton, well-done Cornette shenanigans. This had it all. It didn't feel as BIG as the Flair-Luger main event, but I probably enjoyed it more.

[soup23]

Amazing that after so many matches between these two at this point and time they can have a match so great and fresh. All of the Cornette stuff was amazing especially the moment when Nick Patrick untucked his shirt and was ready to throw down. The shot that Eaton especially was laying in was brutal. A great Ricky Morton beat down ensues which leads to a satisfying finish. An amazing match.

[Cox]

Nothing more to add that hasn't already been said. This should be required viewing for every young tag team breaking into the business, because it's a damned near perfect tag team match.

[Kevin Ridge]

Fan has a "We've Herd enough" sign and gets paid a visit by Doug Dillinger. Gets to keep his sign though. Beginning stuff was a blast. Fun tag team wrestling. Cornette gets really worked up at one point against Nick Patrick and looks like they are ready to go. Cornette of course backs off when he realizes Patrick is fired up himself. Crowd was eating this up. Cornette was providing a lot of physical comedy. Midnights teased some issues. Excellent match.

[Johnny Sorrow]

This match can cure depression. I've never seen it before and I'm grinning from ear to ear. It's God Damned AWESOME.

[Superstar Sleeze]

What I think is so amazing about this match is its ability to seamlessly transition from comedy to dramatic wrestling. So many matches would have felt disjointed or directionless given this format, but that is why the Midnights and RnRs are the best of the all-time because of their deft execution of this format. This has to be one of the best face shine segments in the history of wrestling. It establishes the RnRs as clearly the best tag team, the Midnights bump & stooge in a way that keeps that million-watt smile on your face and it never feels like heel in peril. It is so good nobody has mentioned that cool spot where Morton climbs up on Eaton and delivers a fist drop onto Lane. That was a holy shit moment for me. They just jammed so many damn good spots in that opening segment. Next thing you know Bobby Eaton and Ricky Morton slug it out and end up tumbling outside and Lane delivers a wicked slam and we enter Ricky Morton's bread and butter.

 

The Midnights have so many MOVEZ~! but they never get lost in just tossing them out and everything is filled with great heelish behavior: the tennis racket shots, the eye-rakes and cutoffs. Morton is in his element. Is this considered the best RnR/Midnights match? I have not seen them all, but I don't think I have seen a better one as even before the finish it feels amazing. The face in peril segment I believe is in excess of 10+ minutes, but it never once drags. The finish is great and I am happy the Rock N Rolls go over because in such a feel-good match it was the perfect touch to have the Rock N Rolls pick up the duke. Right now, my two favorite matches to watch are this one and Ricky Morton vs Flair Steel Cage GAB '86. Ricky Morton is a Godsend to wrestling.

[Laney]

Excellent match here. This is a classic tag team match with two of the greatest teams in history. RnR dominates the beginning of the match as the Midnights struggle to come up with a game plan. The Midnights are able to get in control with a bodyslam on the outside to Morton and then spend the majority of the match working him over. There's some beautiful false hope tag attempts here and when Morton finally makes the tag the place comes unglued. This match is a real treat to watch.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

This was just so superb. I was ready to call it a night, but now I want to stay up and keep watching. I so love those Bobby Eaton short uppercuts.

[garretta]

If this wasn't the best Rock 'n' Roll/Lane version MX match, it has to be in the top three. So many spots we haven't seen before, and so many we have, each executed to perfection. Corny's on top of his game as well, both in belligerence and physical interference. I would have paid to see him go at it with Nick Patrick. This might have been the two teams' last high-profile match, so they decided to let it all hang out and end this part of the feud on the highest note possible.

 

Even JR and the Funker on commentary are at their best, with both men getting off lines about Corny and doing some first-rate back and forth about Corny's spot as Power Hour co-host and host of The Louisville Slugger (which everyone seems to forget Terry gave to him, so why try to make a program out of it? I guess the thought of Terry insulting Corny was worth a small bit of retconning.)

 

My number one tag match and number one NWA match for the month and year so far. Also a strong contender for Match of the Year overall (though I'm still partial to Garvin/Valentine).

[drew wardlaw]

First off, nothing gets me STOKED like the Midnights strutting down the ramp in those robes to their post-disco synth theme. As a side note, Coast to Coast AM used to use that song as bumper music, so frequently I would wake up in the middle of the night after falling asleep with the radio on to the sound of Beautiful Bobby about to give a right hand to some chump. 1990 was a really great year for WCW tag team wrestling, and this is the big one that starts the year off. This is also the swan song for MX vs R n' R proper. I always go back and forth between this and the MX vs Southern Boys match from the summer. I generally choose this one, but we'll see. Honestly, this is my favorite MX vs R'n'R match. I've seen a decent amount, but this was the first one that I saw, and I can't deny my nostalgia for it. I love seeing what can be done within a very traditional formula. You've got Cornette throwing hands and flopping on the apron, Eaton delivering awesome right hands and high impact offense, Sweet Stan delivering some patented karate maneuvers, Morton taking one of the best beatings of his career (like someone else said, the hope spots are absolutely heart-wrenching, and Gibson showing tons of heart. To make a musical comparison, it's maybe like 80's King Crimson or something, adding a lot of depth and skill to a very pop oriented formula. Just a great, feel good match, and one of my all time favorites.

[ThomasFromIowa]

My goodness, I made a hateful post about this match to talk about another match between these two. Now, I hate myself. This was a damn good match.

[dawho5]

First things first. I LOVE this match. It is one of the definitive Southern tags I have ever seen and Cronette just adds to it in droves.

 

There was a comment about Kerry von Erich being that 30 year old who thinks he's still 18 and how sad it is in another thread. I like how the RnRs are this close to being those guys in 1990. The timeframe for their gimmick has clearly passed. But they manage to make it work by being an incredible tag team. Also, it's strange how all of these spots still seem cutting edge compared to most heavyweight wrestling you see considering they have been using them for years. Easily my favorite match on the set so far.

[JKWebb]

#106

 

http://placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-150-101/2/

 

Well, It hasn't been too long since I've seen this, but I was excited to fire this one up today. It's good timing hitting this on the countdown with the HOF approaching. Cornette is super entertaining in this. The ref stuff at the beginning, all his expressions, Stan Lane with some CPR... great stuff. There has been so much talked about here already, so not much to sum up. But, two of the greatest tags and one of the greatest managers off all time put on a clinic. I love the Eaton/Morton punch exchage that leads to them tumbling over the top where Morton eats a slam from Lane. Morton, per usual, great FIP. The chemistry of these two teams is legendary, and this match is one of the best examples why.

[SmartMark15]

So so so so good. Just effortless to watch. Entertaining from bell to bell whether it's Cornette's shenanigans or Morton's amazing selling. That extended FIP segment is the reason that FIP is called Playing Morton. Every single person in this match was amazing (Cornette and Patrick included) and it just moved with such simple organic progressions. Even simple stuff like accidental knocking off heads to cut off Morton's comeback came off so well. A belter of a finishing stretch too with a tense nearfall from Cornette's racket shot.

 

****1/2

[Superstar Sleeze]

Midnight Express vs Rock N Roll Express - WrestleWar 1990

I need to watch this match more frequently than every six years thats for sure!  

What I think is so amazing about this match is its ability to seamlessly transition from comedy to dramatic wrestling. So many matches would have felt disjointed given this format, but that is why the Midnights and RnRs are the best of the all-time because of their deft execution of this layout. This has to be one of the best face shine segments in the history of wrestling. I have watched a lot of Midnights shining up babyface tag teams so thats really saying something now in 2019. It establishes the RnRs as clearly the best tag team, the Midnights bump & stooge in a way that keeps that million-watt smile on your face and it never feels like heel in peril. As the biggest "Sweet" Stan on the internet, is there a better Stan Lane performance? I dont think so. He is so on his game in this match. He takes the beginning of the match. He just makes Gibson look great. I love that spot where Lane goes for the monkey flip and Gibson fist drops him. It is just perfect fun wrestling. Then of course the Lane/Patrick confrontation that leads to great Cornette/Patrick confrontation that always puts an ear to ear smile on your face when you watch. Another great spot is Lane gets hit with an atomic drop and collides with Eaton. Then Lane shoves Eaton. It is so rare that there is dissension that does not lead to anything so that makes it stand out. Sometimes tempers flare it doesnt mean the team has to dissolve. I liked that touch. It is so good nobody has mentioned that cool spot where Morton climbs up on Eaton and delivers a fist drop onto Lane. That was a holy shit moment for me. They just jammed so many damn good spots in that opening segment. Honestly, it is not worth making an entire list. Really just watch it. It is just comedy gold and the Midnight Express cant buy a break. Morton looks so damn good in there. Next thing, you know Bobby Eaton and Ricky Morton slug it out and end up tumbling outside and Lane delivers a wicked slam and we enter Ricky Morton's bread and butter.

The Midnights have so many MOVEZ~! but they never get lost in just tossing them out and everything is filled with great heelish behavior: the tennis racket shots, the eye-rakes and cutoffs. Again, like the the babyface shine, I dont think there is too much of a point of just listing move after move, but I think what makes that's this so good is how urgent the action is. They know that Morton is one of the greatest of all time so they are constantly tagging in and out. How many times did Morton have one member of the Midnight Express down, but the other cut him off. Stuff like ramming Eaton's head off the post, but Lane saves. Or Morton looks for an O'Connor Roll, but Lane had blind tagged Eaton and he hits a devastating neckbreaker. The spots looked great: Eaton's top rope elbow drop and Lane's powerslam, but it was the tension around the hot tag that makes this work. You really felt that agony of it being 2 on 1. Every time Morton would get the upper hand on one the other would save. It was exhilarating. Morton is in his element. The face in peril segment I believe is in excess of 10+ minutes. On second watch, I do think they go a little too long. The arm work at the end is strong but ultimately it is filler. The more Morton I watch the more I believe his penchant for really long face in peril segments is to the detriment of the match. I realized this time the finish is botched, but still the finish stretch was red hot and liked that Midnights had another nearfall with the racket shot before they went home. I am happy the Rock N Rolls go over because in such a feel-good match it was the perfect touch to have the Rock N Rolls pick up the duke.

Is this considered the best RnR/Midnights match? I asked this back in 2013. I actually think I have now seen every major one now. I think some of the Condrey matches from 1986 on TBS are little underrated, but I dont think they match this level. Lane/Eaton are the ultimate workrate heel tag team and while I dont think workrate is everything, but when you add how selfless and how character-driven the Midnights are with this workrate you have a recipe for really amazing matches. To me, this match will leave smiling for days on end. ****3/4

[cactus]

This one was a bit of a letdown to me. They get plenty of time here, with most of it going to Morton and Gibson's shine segment. We get a lot of stalling and ga-ga as Cornette argues and tries to fight with the referee. Nick Patrick is more than happy to oblige and puts his dukes up and Corny ends up embarrassing himself. They really hammed it up here and I found it a tad too goofy for my palette. We do get some cool tag-team spots at least, with Morton jumping up onto Eaton's shoulders during a test of strength to take out Lane being one of my favorites. Morton is eventually worked over for a long time by the Midnights. I found this segment fine, but I've seen Morton sell and milk for that hot tag a lot better in other matches and I didn't find it all that compelling. Eaton impressed me the most out of everyone here. He may not be known as a brawler, but he still knows how to throw a magnificent punch. The finish was also brilliant, with Morton and Gibson foiling the Midnight's finishing move in a spectacular fashion. ★★★¼

[Chess Knight]

Gotta love when everything goes wrong for a stooging Midnights until the FIP. You could nitpick a poorly executed move or two here but structurally this is pretty much flawless classic Southern tag wrestling with some of the most enjoyable double team shine ever. Its a great Jim Cornette match too, I had a lot of fun with the teased fight with Nick Patrick and loved when he yanked Morton's leg and dashed the fuck out of there before getting sprung. Also an insanely fun moment where Cornette turns his back while on the apron, the Midnights get their heads bonked together, and he turns around to find neither of them there but instead Gibson sprinting at him to deliver a punch. I don't really want to potentially open up a can of worms, but this is what I wish 'comedy' wrestling was - just legitimately funny beat downs of heels that doesn't involve people wrestling in slow motion or some shit. The transition from that to the Morton FIP was great with the double bump over the top rope and then the sneak slam by Lane, ending the question of who got the worst of it. The mood changed as the (obviously) mostly pro-RNR crowd went from having fun to having something to yell about. Morton is Morton on the sell, the Midnights frequently tag and keep it interesting, Cornette gets his cheap shots in and Eaton looks incredible especially when dropping his weight down from above. I suppose you can say this could have used some more time after the hot tag but they still got that fantastic tennis racket near fall on Gibson in, and the actual finish rules. One of those matches I hadn't seen in over a decade and I never assumed it wouldn't hold up.