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The Rock 'n' Roll Express is a
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
consisting of professional wrestlers Robert Gibson and
Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. For most of his career, Morton has performed with Robert Gibson (wrestler), Robert Gibson as the Rock 'n' Roll ...
. The duo began teaming together in Memphis in the early 1980s, followed by
Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level riv ...
(later to be known as the Universal Wrestling Federation), followed by
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...
(JCP). They held the
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
nine times, with the first four times in JCP. They also feuded with The Four Horsemen. In the late 1980s, they were contenders for the
American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis ...
's
AWA World Tag Team Championship The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991. History When the NWA Minneapolis ...
. By 1991, the team was losing momentum, and Morton turned
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
on his partner to join
The York Foundation The York Foundation was a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling between 1990 and 1992. It was led by tech-savvy businesswoman Alexandra York, and comprised former babyfaces who adopted formal wear and formalized their ri ...
in
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
(WCW). In 1992, the team reformed in both the
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Champions ...
and
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
, where they held the
SMW Tag Team Championship The SMW Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, whe ...
ten times. The duo also worked in the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
. On March 31, 2017, the Rock 'n' Roll Express was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
by
Jim Cornette James Mark Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author, sports historian, and podcaster who previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, photographer, promoter, tra ...
.


History


Formation

Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson both teamed with each other in 1980 with Robert's brother Ricky in Memphis without the Rock N' Roll Express name. The Rock 'n' Roll Express was formed with
Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. For most of his career, Morton has performed with Robert Gibson (wrestler), Robert Gibson as the Rock 'n' Roll ...
and Robert Gibson in 1983 in Memphis by head booker
Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...
. They were originally paired together as an alternative to the popular team of
The Fabulous Ones The Fabulous Ones were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Stan Lane and Steve Keirn who was active between 1982 and 1991 with brief reunions during the 1990s. The Fabulous Ones competed primarily in North American territories such as ...
(
Steve Keirn Stephen Paul Keirn (born September 10, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories as Steve Keirn as one-half of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, as ...
and
Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American former professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship ...
) when they could not wrestle in certain towns. The
gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...
of The Rock 'n' Roll Express was a couple of high flying wrestlers who loved
glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...
music, as it was a popular genre of music at the time. In 1983 and 1984, the team participated in a series of matches against The Galaxians, the Bruise Brothers (
Porkchop Cash Bobby Cash (born October 22, 1947) better known by his ring name Porkchop Cash is an American retired professional wrestler. He competed primarily in professional wrestling promotions aligned with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), includin ...
and
Troy Graham Troy Rolland Thompson Jr. (October 26, 1949 – March 7, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Troy Graham and The Dream Machine. Professional wrestling career Thompson was discovered by Jimmy Hart and fir ...
), and the team of
Lanny Poffo Lanny Mark Poffo (December 28, 1954 – February 2, 2023) better known by his ring names "Leaping" Lanny Poffo and the Genius, was a Canadian-American professional wrestler, motivational speaker, poet, and actor. Poffo was a second generation pr ...
and
Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
. They soon made their way to Mid-South Wrestling where they started a feud with the Midnight Express (
Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the manageme ...
,
Dennis Condrey Dennis Condrey (born February 1, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling ...
, and manager Jim Cornette). The feud began when Cornette threw a celebration for the Midnight Express after they won the Mid-South Tag Team Championship. During the celebration, The Rock 'n' Roll Express shoved Cornette's face into the celebratory cake. The rivalry between the two teams carried on into the Mid-Atlantic area.


Jim Crockett Promotions (1985–1988)

The Rock N' Roll Express went to the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
(NWA)'s
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...
(JCP) in 1985 and won four
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
s over the next couple of years. On July 9, 1985, the team debuted in JCP against the team of
Ivan Koloff Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "the Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff, where he was billed from Russia and, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ...
and Krusher Khrushchev, whom they defeated to begin their first reign as champions. The reign lasted until October 13 of that same year. At
Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from ...
in 1985, they recaptured the title, only to lose them on a prime time WTBS special to the Midnight Express, '' Superstars on the Superstation'', on February 7, 1986. This title change is significant because televised matches between major contenders were rarely shown in those days. They won the title back in Philadelphia on August 16, 1986, and held them until a Saturday night prime time match on WTBS' ''
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
'' against
Rick Rude Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who performed for many Professional wrestling promotion, promotions, incl ...
and the Raging Bull Manny Fernandez. The Rock 'n' Roll Express won the belts back when Rude, still a champion, simply left the NWA to go work for
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
in the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(WWF). Needing to save face, promoter Jim Crockett had
Ivan Koloff Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "the Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff, where he was billed from Russia and, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ...
substitute for an 'injured' Rude, and the Express won the belts for what proved to be the final time. During their time in JCP, the Rock 'n' Roll Express achieved enormous popularity. At times the company would run two shows in one night, with the Rock 'n' Roll Express often headlining the "B" team cards. They would often outdraw the concurrent "A" team shows with bigger-named talent. On one occasion, this led them to receive a jealous reprimand from booker Dusty Rhodes after they sold out Charlotte, while the A team card with Rhodes did less than half the gate in Baltimore. Morton and Gibson were so popular during this time period that they were actually asked to leave Carowinds Amusement Park because they were creating a mob and it was shutting down the park. It was a common occurrence for the fans to swarm them as they did their ring entrance which drew a huge crowd reaction when their music (
Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangement ...
's Rock 'n' Roll Is King and later Ricky Morton's Boogie Woogie Dance Hall) began. Fans would also hang out at their houses, and at the height of their popularity, the Charlotte police would station an officer at their homes to keep fans away. Robert Gibson says they went nine months without a day off during this period, and when they repeatedly requested time off, Jim Crockett told them that it would cost them too much money in lost ticket sales. They eventually would fake injuries to get days off. In November 1986 at Starrcade 1986, Starrcade, The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated Ole Anderson and Arn Anderson in a Steel Cage match to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship. After a series of matches running from late August through early October, they lost their title for a fourth and final time (They would win four more in later years, but only the first four were also recognized by
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
later) in the fall of 1987 to Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard thanks to a pre-match attack by their longtime rivals, The Midnight Express. Morton suffered an injured arm in the attack which led to Gibson beginning the match alone. Eventually Morton would join the match in a sling, but the match ended when Gibson told the referee to stop the match due to Morton's injury. They feuded heavily with The Four Horsemen members Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, who constantly mocked them and attacked them outside of the ring. During late 1987, the Rock 'n' Roll Express feud with the Midnight Express heated up again which led to an historic scaffold match on November 26, 1987, at Starrcade 87 in Chicago. Morton and Gibson defeated Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane eight minutes into the match. As 1988 began, they entered into a brief feud with the Sheepherders. On January 23, 1988, in Cincinnati, Ivan Koloff & the Warlord defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express in twelve seconds, with Morton and Gibson leaving the company after the match. After a several month absence, Ricky and Robert did an interview with Bob Caudle at Clash of the Champions II where they discussed returning to the NWA. On June 26 at the start of The Great American Bash (1988), The Great American Bash Tour, Ricky and Robert defeated the Sheepherders in their return match. They won several more matches against the Sheepherders, as well as a few others until a pay dispute led to Robert Gibson departing JCP again in late July. Ricky Morton stayed on and wrestled singles matches, as well as tag team and six man matches with a variety of partners such as Nikita Koloff, Brad Armstrong, and Steve Williams. Morton had his last match on September 23, 1988, before leaving JCP again.


AWA and return to the NWA/WCW (1988–1992)

In 1988, The Rock 'n' Roll Express went to Memphis and AWA. They had a brief feud with The Rockers, The Midnight Rockers in the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), over the
AWA World Tag Team Championship The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991. History When the NWA Minneapolis ...
. Their first match on February 15, 1988, ended in controversy, causing the AWA World Tag Team title to be held up. A week later, on February 22, a rematch for the held-up titles was held and The Midnight Rockers won them back. In all, the Rock 'n' Roll Express spent April to May, and October to December 1988 in the AWA having short runs with Verne Gagne. Robert Gibson stated that they went to the AWA out of respect to Wahoo McDaniel who was wrestling there at the time. On February 2, 1989, in Kansas City they had a match with The British Bulldogs, and they also did a brief tour in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling during 1988. On January 3, 1990, Morton and Gibson made their return to the NWA. During the early part of the return they had TV matches with the Midnight Express, the Horsemen, and The Fabulous Freebirds. On July 7, 1990, they challenged Doom (professional wrestling), Doom for the NWA World Tag Team Championship at The Great American Bash (1990), The Great American Bash in the semi-main event, but lost. On September 22, 1990, in a match against Doom at a house show in Jacksonville, Florida, Robert Gibson suffered a torn ACL when Butch Reed came off the top rope on his extended knee while Ron Simmons was holding it. Morton would state years later on a podcast with Ric Flair that the injury actually occurred the day before the match when Robert's wife hit him with a car. Ricky says that he told Robert to just get to the ring and go down right after the start of the match so that he could be paid while injured. Gibson was forced to miss a considerable amount of time throughout the rest of 1990 and the first half of 1991 while recovering from surgery which was performed by James Andrews (physician), Dr. James Andrews. On June 12, 1991, at ''Clash of the Champions XV'' in Knoxville, Tennessee, Morton turned on a returning Gibson to join the York Foundation, which led to a match between Morton and Gibson at The Great American Bash (1991), The Great American Bash on July 14, 1991. Richard Morton (managed by Alexandra York) pinned Robert Gibson at 17:23 after Morton came off the top and hit Gibson in the back with a computer as York distracted referee Bill Alfonso on the apron. The former partners had more matches over the next several weeks, mostly won by Morton. Morton and Gibson continued their singles careers until Robert was released by WCW in November 1991. Morton stayed on in WCW as a heel until the summer of 1992.


SMW, USWA, WCW, and WWF (1992–1996)

In late July 1992, Ricky Morton briefly feuded with Eddie Gilbert (wrestler), Eddie Gilbert in the
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Champions ...
(USWA), and before his brief USWA run ended, Gibson joined him for a few tag team matches. They reunited on August 8, 1992, in
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
(SMW) and feuded with The Heavenly Bodies (1990s tag team), The Heavenly Bodies, winning the tag team title ten times. The feud with the Heavenly Bodies, which had been ongoing for approximately a year, included a Steel cage match, barbed wire cage match and a Professional Wrestling Death match, Texas death match. The rivalry carried over to both
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
and the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(WWF) in 1993, splitting pay per view matches for the two promotions. The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated the Heavenly Bodies (
Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American former professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship ...
and Tom Prichard, Dr. Tom Prichard) at WCW's SuperBrawl III event and the Bodies (this time Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) defeating the Express for the
SMW Tag Team Championship The SMW Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, whe ...
at the Survivor Series (1993), Survivor Series. Defending the SMW tag title at the event was part of an agreement between the WWF's
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
and SMW's Jim Cornette. Back in SMW in May 1994, The Rock 'n' Roll Express lost their title to the team of Chris Candido and Brian Lee (wrestler), Brian Lee, who were managed by Tammy Lynn Sytch, Tammy Fytch. The duo, however, won the title back in August. After that feud ended, they feuded with The Gangstas over the titles. During that feud, they had Jim Cornette as their manager. Soon after the Gangstas feuded, Cornette betrayed Morton and Gibson, as they feuded with The Dynamic Duo (professional wrestling), The Dynamic Duo, whom they lost the titles to in April 1995. In April 1995, they defeated Dick Murdoch and Randy Rhodes to win the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship. In June 1995, they were stripped of the titles, as their USWA match with PG-13 (professional wrestling), PG-13 ended in controversy. A week later, they defeated PG-13 to win back the NWA World Tag Team titles and win the USWA World Tag Team Championship, making them double champions, but it didn't last, as they lost the USWA titles back to PG-13 a week later. In July 1995, they scheduled to feud with The Thugs over the SMW Tag Team Championship, and set to turn heel, but in August 1995, Morton was suspended after an altercation between his girlfriend Andrea Callaway and Tracy Smothers' girlfriend Angela Lambert, leaving Gibson on his own. As a result of Morton's suspension, they vacated the NWA World Tag Team titles. When Morton returned to SMW, Gibson had turned heel and joined Jim Cornette's Militia, but the proposed feud between the two didn't materialize as the promotion folded shortly after his return. After SMW's closure, they reunited in the USWA and resumed their feud with PG-13.


Return to WCW (1996–1997)

On June 3, 1996, Morton and Gibson made their return to World Championship Wrestling on Monday Nitro, facing and losing to Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, and preliminarily reigniting an old WCW rivalry. They made their second appearance on ''Monday Nitro'', August 5, 1996, losing to WCW World Tag-Team Champions Harlem Heat. Their third appearance came three weeks later, where they faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson again on ''Nitro'' in Lakeland, Florida. They lost to Flair and Anderson, but three days later in Orlando, Florida at a WCW Worldwide taping, the Rock 'n' Roll Express gained their first victory in their comeback, defeating High Voltage (professional wrestling), High Voltage. Their next appearance came on ''WCW Saturday Night'' on September 30, where they fell to The Faces of Fear (Tonga Fifita, Meng and The Barbarian (wrestler), The Barbarian). Morton and Gibson appeared sparingly going forward on Saturday Night and ''WCW Pro''. They left in 1997 to participate in independent federations.


World Wrestling Federation (1998)

A year later, they were in the WWF for a brief stint as part of the NWA (wrestling stable), NWA angle (managed by former rival James E. Cornette). They then used The Rockers' old theme music. Their first appearance came on ''Monday Night RAW'' when they faced Skull and 8-Ball on January 12, 1998, in State College, Pennsylvania, and lost via disqualification. During their time in the company, they appeared at WrestleMania XIV in March 1998 in a tag team battle royal (professional wrestling), battle royal, which was won by the The Road Warriors, Legion of Doom 2000. They also had feuds with L.O.D. 2000 and The New Midnight Express having an NWA Tag Team Title match at the WWF Pay Per View Unforgiven against them.


Independent Circuit (1998-present)

After WWF in May 1998 they worked for the independent circuit. They went to work for Ohio Valley Wrestling and Power Pro Wrestling until 1999. As of 2023, they still team together.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003, 2016)

In early 2003, Morton and Gibson appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA as part of Vince Russo's Sports Entertainment Xtreme (SEX) faction. The duo feuded with America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling), America's Most Wanted, Chris Harris (wrestler), Chris Harris and James Storm. In late 2003 and early 2004, they worked for the All World Wrestling League, owned by Eddie and Thomas Farhat, the sons of the "Original Sheik" Ed Farhat. The duo returned to TNA for the special Total Nonstop Deletion, participating in the Tag Team Apocalypto open invitational for The Hardy Boyz, The Broken Hardys' TNA World Tag Team Championship.


AWWL (2005)

Starting in 2005, they would team up again, often wrestling against the Midnight Express in the Mid-Atlantic area. On June 7, 2008, they defeated The Midnight Express (
Dennis Condrey Dennis Condrey (born February 1, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling ...
and
Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the manageme ...
) at the NWA Anniversary Show#2008, NWA 60th Anniversary Show in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia.


PWA (2009)

In 2009, the Rock 'n' Roll Express joined Booker T's Pro Wrestling Alliance in Houston, Texas and became PWA Tag Team Champions.


WWE Hall of Fame (2017)

On February 6, 2017, the WWE announced it would be honoring the Rock 'n' Roll Express by inducting the team into the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
at the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 31, 2017. On March 20, WWE officially announced that the team will be inducted by Jim Cornette. They recently captured the Viral Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championships at VPW's Holiday Havoc on December 9, 2017.


National Wrestling Alliance (2019–present)

On April 5, 2019, the NWA announced that the Rock 'n' Roll Express would compete in the Crockett Cup (2019) on April 27, 2019, in Concord, North Carolina. They were defeated by The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) in the first round. On October 1, 2019, during the second day of NWA Power television tapings, The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated The Wildcards (Bram (wrestler), Thomas Latimer & Royce Isaacs) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship for the fifth time.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2019–2020)

On September 28, 2019, the Rock 'n' Roll Express made their New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut at Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2019) in New York City, New York. They teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi and defeated ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' (Tetsuya Bushi, Bushi, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito), it was also referee Tiger Hattori's final match in the United States. On September 29, at Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, they teamed with Tanahashi and Chaos (professional wrestling), Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and Yoshi-Hashi) in a Elimination tag team match, twelve-man tag team elimination match versus Bullet Club (Jay White, Kenta Kobayashi, Kenta, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Chase Owens, and Gedo (wrestler), Gedo).


All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)

The Rock 'n' Roll Express made their All Elite Wrestling (AEW) appearance on the October 30, 2019 episode of ''All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, Dynamite'' to crown the inaugural AEW World Tag Team Championship, AEW World Tag Team Champions, but were ambushed by Proud n Powerful (Santana and Ortiz). At AEW Full Gear, the two participated in the aftermath of the opening tag team match between The Young Bucks and Proud n Powerful, where Morton executed a Canadian Destroyer on Santana followed up by a suicide dive onto Sammy Guevara and Ortiz. On the August 12 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express were involved in a segment with FTR (professional wrestling), FTR and Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard to celebrate Tag Team Appreciation Night. However, after a scuffle between Tully Blanchard and Ricky Morton, FTR would attack The Rock 'n' Roll Express. On the January 4, 2025 episode of ''AEW Collision'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express made an appearance where they were ultimately kidnapped by Jon Moxley and the Death Riders. On the January 22, 2025 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express would again be kidnapped and attacked by Moxley and the Death Riders. On the April 23, 2025 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express would be involved in a new angle which saw them getting attacked by FTR.


The New Rock 'n' Roll Express

Over the years, when Morton and Gibson were not teaming with each other, they each had different tag team partners, calling themselves "The New Rock 'n' Roll Express." Ricky Morton teamed with Ricky Fuji while in Japan for FMW, and with Brad Armstrong (wrestler), Brad Armstrong, Kid Kash, or his cousin Todd in the independent circuit in the U.S., while Robert Gibson teamed with Marty Jannetty in International Wrestling Association of Japan, IWA Japan as "The Rock 'n' Rockers," which played off both the Rock 'n' Roll Express and Jannetty's famous tag team with Shawn Michaels, The Rockers. Ricky Morton also teamed on occasion with Jack Ward ("JT Walker"), a professional wrestler billed from Paintsville, Kentucky. Brawl in the Fall and The Pastor of Pain On November 1, 2014, The Rock n Roll Express were contracted for a match at "The Brawl in the Fall" at a church in rural North Carolina. Approximately 30 minutes before match time, Gibson approached the promoter (George South) to ask for $500 above the previously agreed compensation. South refused, sending Gibson into a fit of rage. Gibson then kicked a toilet in the church restroom, breaking the seat, and departed the venue. The Student Pastor at the church joined Morton's corner under the ring name "The Pastor of Pain"(PoP). This version of The New Rock n Roll express was victorious over "The Dawsons" with a roll up by Morton for the pinfall. The Dawsons immediately attacked Morton from behind. When The Pastor of Pain came to the aid of Morton the Dawsons attempted a clothesline, but PoP ducked under and delivered a devastating double clothesline of his own.


Championships and accomplishments

*Appalachian Mountain Wrestling **AMW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Cauliflower Alley Club **Tag Team Award (2022) *Continental Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Association / Championship Wrestling Association **AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (AWA Southern Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) **CWA Tag Team Championship (CWA Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) **CWA World Tag Team Championship (CWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) *
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...
**WCW World Tag Team Championship, NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'' (List of WCW World Tag Team Champions, 4 times) *Korean Pro-Wrestling Association **
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
(List of NWA World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) *Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts), Mid-South Wrestling Association **UWF Tag Team Championship, Mid-South Tag Team Championship (UWF Tag Team Championship#Title history, 3 times) *
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
**
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
(List of NWA World Tag Team Champions, 2 times) **NWA Hall of Fame (NWA Hall of Fame#2006, Class of 2006) *NWA Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling **NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship, MACW Tag Team Championship (NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship#title history, 3 times) *National Wrestling Alliance, NWA Southwest **
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
(List of NWA World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) *NWA Wildside **NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship, NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship (NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) *Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame **Class of 2024 *Mid-South Wrestling Association **MSWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Reality of Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Alliance **PWA Tag Team Championship (PWA Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) *Pro Wrestling Elite **PWE Tag Team Championship *Pro Wrestling Illustrated **PWI Tag Team of the Year award in 1986 **PWI ranked them # 4 of the best 100 tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003. *Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum **Class of 2021 *Rocket City Championship Wrestling **Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) *
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
**
SMW Tag Team Championship The SMW Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, whe ...
(SMW Tag Team Championship#Title history, 10 times) *Traditional Championship Wrestling **TCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Ultimate Championship Wrestling **UCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Champions ...
**
NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...
(List of NWA World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) **USWA World Tag Team Championship (USWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) * UPW Pro Wrestling **UPW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) *Viral Pro Wrestling **VPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *World Organization of Wrestling **WOW Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Dave Meltzer#Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Wrestling Observer Newsletter **Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2014) *WWE **
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
(Class of 2017) 1During this win, the title was awarded to them and the records are unclear as to where this occurred and which promotion they wrestled for at the time.


''Luchas de Apuestas'' record


References


Further reading

*


External links


2017 interview with Robert Gibson: Robert did an interview with a local magazine about his career in September 2017Memphis Wrestling HistoryThe Official Rock-n-Roll Express fan website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rock 'N' Roll Express, The American Wrestling Association teams and stables Extreme Championship Wrestling teams and stables Total Nonstop Action Wrestling teams and stables Independent promotions teams and stables Jim Crockett Promotions teams and stables National Wrestling Alliance teams and stables New Japan Pro-Wrestling teams and stables Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Smoky Mountain Wrestling teams and stables USWA World Tag Team Champions United States Wrestling Association teams and stables World Championship Wrestling teams and stables WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWE Hall of Fame team inductees WWE teams and stables