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REVIEW: Timeline History of WCW 1986 with Rock 'N Roll Express

Posted: Jul 3rd 2016 By: Alan Wojcik

While the WWF was going through their national expansion and cartoon-like sports entertainment characters, fans of Jim Crockett Promotions AKA NWA/WCW were getting good old fashioned professional wrestling. The promotion was led by World Heavyweight champion Ric Flair but also by one of the greatest tag teams in the history of wrestling. KAYFABE COMMENTARIES chose the legendary ROCK N ROLL EXPRESS AKA
RICKY MORTON & ROBERT GIBSON to lead us through 1986.

Ricky & Robert entered 1986 with the NWA World Tag Team titles they had won from Ivan & Nikita Koloff at Starrcade 1985. The duo arrived in JCP/NWA the previous summer,
defeating Koloff & Krusher Kruschev (you know him as Barry"Smash" Darsow) for the same belts in their debut match. But 1986 would see the arrival of "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey, "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton & James E Cornette AKA The Midnight Express. Their feud would make millions of dollars for JCP (which only lasted until 1988 as we found out in the JJ DIllon visit to the series) & make the guys national heartthrobs to all the ladies. The duo covered many of the following things:

Dealing with Dusty Rhodes as a booker who also wanted the babyface spotlight, working in a promotion that still had separate heel and babyface locker rooms, the arrival of the
"Big Gold Belt" as World title, the AWA & NWA running supershows in the Meadowlands, the inaugural Jim Crockett Sr Memorial Cup, Ricky getting his face rubbed on the locker
room floor by Ric Flair, the emergence of the Four Horsemen as a faction, look-a-like Rock N Roll Express contests plus the legendary dream date with the Rock N Roll Express contest, competing with Ole & Arn Anderson, Magnum T. A.'s near death car accident and Starrcade: Night of the SkyWalkers. Also covered are the arrivals of the Midnight Express (from Mid-South), "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin & Precious (from World
Class), Big Bubba Rogers (RIP Ray Traylor), Buddy Landell (RIP), Dick Murdoch (RIP) & Rick Rude (FRom World Class).

Just like in their prime, Gibson is the quieter of the duo. However they both give their opinions & memories of an amazing year in professional wrestling history. They heap
lots of praise on their in ring partnership with the Midnights. The best stories about their feud involves a timekeeper who was a huge fan of the RNR plus dealing with the ravenous lady fans of Jim Crockett Promotions. Also surprising is stories of how Rhodes tried to kill off the team's popularity despite them drawing record houses, were the guys ever asked to work for the WWF and how Morton almost became World Heavyweight champion.

Next to be releasesd by www.KayfabeCommentaries.com YouShoot w/ Swoggle (Available now), Back to the Territories w/Baron Von Raschke/Indianapolis (July 19) & the debut of Gabe Sapolsky's Next Evolution w/Johnny Gargano (August 4). Be sure to follow Alan Wojcik through @MyNameIsWojcik on Twitter and www.facebook.com/KayfabeWrestlingRadio