Ricky Morton on why wrestling is different today
Posted: Jan 3rd 2017 By: Ricky Morton
Now-a-days, these younger guys don’t have the opportunity to learn like we did and know how sacred our business was too.
You wrestled every night and you got into the programs and you were on a 'bicycle tape' of the towns, if you know what I mean by that... you went around from town to town and you had to follow your TV shows and your shows were on a bicycle tape; it was a week late getting from Memphis to Louisville the next night.
You might start an angle on Saturday with somebody that went to Memphis that Monday, but on that Tuesday, you had to wrestle from a week before that, which you shot on TV. And it was a great experience learning, not only that but watching how these guys ran these programs and kept them going.
Tag-team wrestling isn't as big today. I just don't think guys want to tag anymore. The reason why is everybody's jealous of everybody. Nobody wants to compliment anybody. [In the Rock 'n' Roll Express] I knew my job. My job was to get beat up and give Robert the hot tag. Guys don't want to do that today.
These days, they've lost the reality of wrestling. Every match is one high spot. They start the match out with a high spot and they end with one. You've got to learn how to work.
Go into a fight and have someone give you a knee. If you go into the rope and I give you a knee, are you going to do a forward flip? Sell it like it actually happened to you. Tracy Smothers asked me once how long I could sell a punch. I said until you come back and get me. That's what the lost art is today.
And another thing about back then, and I don’t know if you understand, the heel and babyfaces kayfabed; we didn’t even dress in the same locker rooms, so we didn’t have the time, like these guys do today, to go over every move of your match. When you went out, you called everything in the ring.
That was just the way it was back then with our business and I’m sorry that guys missed out, but business was different back then.
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Spotlight in History
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- 2006 Rexx Reed def. Carnage for the ACW Hardcore Champion
- 2006 Carnage def. Rexx Reed for the ACW Hardcore Champion
- 2007 Aaron Neil def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Oklahoma Champion
- 2007 Brad Michaels def. Ryan Davidson for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
- 2007 Bad Boy & Outlaw became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
- 2011 The Unknown & Johnny USA def. Michael H & Mr. Big for the NCW Tag Team Champions
- 2011 Mr. Big became the NCW Heavyweight Champion
- 2012 Sam Stackhouse def. Prophet for the BYEW Heavyweight Champion
- 2012 Rage Logan became the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
- 2012 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Damon Windsor) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
- 2017 Aaron Anders became the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
Week of Sun 04-28 to Sat: 05-04
- 04-28 1954 Red Berry def. Whitey Whittler for the TSW Tri-State Champion
- 04-28 1976 Ted DiBiase & Dick Murdoch def. Buck Robley & Bob Slaughter for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
- 04-28 1980 Kevin Von Erich def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
- 04-28 1989 The Simpson Brothers (Steve Simpson & Shaun Simpson) def. Beauty & The Beast (Terrance M. Garvin & The Beast [2nd]) for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Champion
- 04-28 2000 Heather Savage def. Jenna Love for the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
- 04-28 2002 Summer Rain became the OCW Oklahoma Womens Champion
- 04-28 2007 Eric Rose def. Jersey Devil for the UWF06 Light Heavyweight Champion
- 04-28 2007 Joe Herell became the UWF06 Violent Division Champion
- 04-28 2017 Brandon Groom def. Sam Stackhouse for the BPPW Oklahoma Champion
- 04-28 2018 Dusty Gold def. Wesley Crane for the UWE United States Champion
- 04-29 2006 AWOL def. Michael York for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
- 04-29 2006 Natural Born Sinners (Appolyon & El Lotus) def. Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) for the ACW Tag Team Champions
- 04-29 2006 Rexx Reed def. Carnage for the ACW Hardcore Champion
- 04-29 2006 Carnage def. Rexx Reed for the ACW Hardcore Champion
- 04-29 2007 Aaron Neil def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Oklahoma Champion
- 04-29 2007 Brad Michaels def. Ryan Davidson for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
- 04-29 2007 Bad Boy & Outlaw became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
- 04-29 2011 The Unknown & Johnny USA def. Michael H & Mr. Big for the NCW Tag Team Champions
- 04-29 2011 Mr. Big became the NCW Heavyweight Champion
- 04-29 2012 Sam Stackhouse def. Prophet for the BYEW Heavyweight Champion
- 04-29 2012 Rage Logan became the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
- 04-29 2012 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Damon Windsor) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
- 04-29 2017 Aaron Anders became the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
- 04-30 1954 Frenchy Roy became the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
- 04-30 1955 Ricki Starr became the TSW Oklahoma Champion
- 04-30 2004 Shadow of Death def. Terry Montana for the TPW Hardcore Champion
- 04-30 2011 Ryan Reed def. Rolling Thunder for the UWE United States Champion
- 04-30 2011 Ray Martinez def. Ryan Reed for the UWE United States Champion
- 04-30 2016 Ray Martinez became the SRPW Heavyweight Champion
- 04-30 2022 Clayton Bloodstone def. Ky-Ote for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
- 04-30 2023 El Gallardo/El Vaquero def. Cappuccino Jones for the BPW Lion Heart Champion
- 04-30 2023 Heavyweight Grappling (Dan Webber & Morrison) def. Subject To Death (Cade Fite & Leo Fox) for the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
- 05-01 1981 Super Destroyer def. Jim Garvin for the MSW Louisiana Champion
- 05-01 2016 Skylar Slice def. Nikki Knight for the MSWA Ladies Champion
- 05-01 2021 Fuel def. Derek James for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
- 05-02 1964 Mike Clancy & Al Lovelock def. Karol Krauser & Stan Pulaski for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
- 05-02 1969 Johnny Valentine def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
- 05-02 1977 Stan Hansen def. Dick Murdoch for the TSW North American Champion
- 05-02 1984 Krusher Khrushchev became the MSW Television Champion
- 05-02 1984 The Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) def. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
- 05-02 2009 Ozzy Hendrix def. Shank for the SWCW Luchadore Champion
- 05-02 2015 Gail Kim became the IWR Diamonds Champion
- 05-02 2015 Kareem Sadat became the BCW Independent Hardcore Champion
- 05-02 2021 Drake Gallows def. Blade [2nd] for the AIWF National Champion
- 05-03 1973 Rip Tyler & Eddie Sullivan def. The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Dale Valentine) for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
- 05-03 1985 Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams def. The Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
- 05-03 2003 El Sufamilico def. Ichiban [1st] for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
- 05-03 2008 Damon Windsor def. Havoc for the SWCW Heavyweight Champion
- 05-03 2008 Miss Sheila def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
- 05-03 2014 Sam Stackhouse def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Champion
- 05-04 1953 Mike Clancy def. Karl Von Poppenheim for the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
- 05-04 1968 Danny Hodge & Skandar Akbar became the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
- 05-04 1969 Jerry Miller & Jim Osborne def. Danny Little Bear & Frank Dalton for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champion
- 05-04 1973 Blackjack Mulligan def. Jose Lothario for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
- 05-04 1986 Kerry Von Erich & Lance Von Erich & Steve Simpson def. The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes, & Buddy Roberts) for the WCCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion
- 05-04 1986 The Von Erichs (Kerry Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich & Lance Von Erich) became the WCCW World 6-Man Tag Team Champion
- 05-04 1987 The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) became the WCCW World Tag Team Champion
- 05-04 2003 Ichiban [1st]/Rocco Valentino def. El Sufamilico for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
- 05-04 2013 Tim Rockwell def. Daemon Storm for the UWE United States Champion
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