[2001-01-20-NWA Mid-Atlantic] Dusty Rhodes & Ricky Morton vs Bobby Eaton & Ricky Nelson

[GSR]

First off someone did a real weird job on the editing of this tape.  If you plan on watching here is a time guide so you can at least watch it in order:

 

00:00:00-00:01:49 then fast forward to

00:07:32-00:17:32 finally rewind back to

00:01:49-00:07:32

Ricky Nelson is a former Jim Crockett Promotions job guy from the mid to late 80’s and is the current NWA Mid-Atlantic Jr. Heavyweight champion.  After he and Eaton are introduced he corrects the ring announcer, informing him that they are the ‘new’ Midnight Express.  Bobby is hesitant to lock up with ‘the Dream’ and there’s a good three minutes or so of stalling.  The Irish whip is reversed and Eaton sees big Dust’s arm cocked for a bionic elbow so ducks to the outside.  There is some local non-wrestler in the face’s corner and after Bobby gives him a shove he has to sell this terrible looking clothesline from him before Morton throws him back inside.  A Nelson right hand to the jaw of Rhodes has no effect and the crowd come alive as ‘the Dream’ shakes and psyches himself up.  Bionic elbow for Nelson and a noggin knocker for he and ‘Beautiful’ Bobby’.  There’s a great spot where Eaton thinks he’s avoided a Morton right hand, only to turn around and be met with it, proceeding to then hit his head on the turnbuckle when selling the punch.  Things go from bad to worse for the heels, Bobby grabbing hold of Morton so Nelson can slug him, but Ricky moves and he nails his own partner instead.  I’m not so sure the “you fucked up!” chants are the most appropriate in this environment!  Tonya Michaels, their valet, is up on the apron to try and calm things down, when we get another noggin knocker and Morton plants a kiss on her.  Her face is a treat selling that and as Ricky motions that his heart is all a beating now, ‘the Dream’ is in, rubbing his lips and wanting to lay one on her too!  Nelson wants a time out but he should know by now that he won’t be getting one of them here.  He grabs a side headlock and jabs Dusty in the throat, the heels drawing Morton into the ring so they can get some cheap shots in behind the referee’s back.  Some nice false tags from Nelson and Eaton as they go about getting heat on ‘the Dream’.  Dusty makes the hot tag and all four men end up battling it out.  Another miscommunication sees Michaels accidentally slap Bobby, Morton with a back drop and ‘the Dream’ drops an elbow to take a trip to the pay window.  We get a bit of post-match action, but Eaton and Nelson fare equally as bad again then as they did during the match itself.

Not ideal having to fast forward and then rewind to watch this in order.  A nostalgic trip back to 1987, and while Dusty can’t do much, boy can he still work a crowd.  Surprised to see him play the FIP, would’ve thought hands down prior to this starting he’d be the hot tag throwing bionic elbows around left, right and centre.  Bobby Eaton has some nice subtleties, I enjoyed the comedy and thought the valet wasn’t the worse either.  Simple, harmless and entertaining.

[soup23]

In a small gym and judging by the attendance and Rhodes’ fee at the time, I’m not guessing this was profitable. This is also the most frankensteined match I have seen as we cut to a JIP and get the finish and then the match is played from the start up to the point we JIP’d in. Eaton looks to be in a lot better shape than in 2002 when he and Tracy Smothers start a riot in IWA. Match isn’t much at all. Crowd is into it and we get the pleasing spots but effort is certainly feeling like it is on auto pilot. The Dusty FIP segment wasn’t long or engaging and the faces get a quick victory and then try to commit rape on the valet of Nelson. *1/2