The Road Warriors were one of the most magnetic forces in wrestling history. Two destroyers, beckoned to the ring by the opening riff of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.”
The Midnight Express were their antithesis. The Southern tag formula is the most perfect artistic embodiment of professional wrestling.
“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey were masters of the genre, strutting to the ring to the tune of Giorgio Moroder’s “Chase.”
Against the uncompromising might of Road Warrior Hawk and Animal, the delicate balance between commanding heel and plucky underdog was eschewed.
Accompanied by Jim Cornette and the brooding Big Bubba, Eaton and Condrey would need to exhaust every stratagem in their arsenal if they hoped to survive, with their NWA World Tag Team Championships intact.
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The exact date and setting here is unclear. The video indicates that it’s from an episode of “NWA World Championship Wrestling” that aired in July 1986. Beyond that, the details are unclear. According to WrestlingData, the Road Warriors and Midnight Express wrestled three times in July 1986, all of which ended in disqualification – once in Raleigh on July 6th, in San Antonio on July 13th, and again in Baltimore on July 19th.
I reached out to my friend and former Jim Crockett Promotions wrestler, Mark Fleming, to get a better idea. Fleming’s estimated guess is the latter of the three. If so, that means this match took place in the Baltimore Civic Center – which was actually a frequent stop on the WWF’s touring schedule in the 1970s and 1980s.
Just shy of 12 minutes from bell-to-bell (not including commercial breaks), this is a delightful television match – full of the airy bullshit that made the Midnight so special. There’s a novelty in great ‘80s tag team wrestling that fascinates me. Before the primacy of work rate, it was incumbent on wrestlers to fill the intervening moments with meaningful reactions. Therein lies one facet of “selling.” The Midnight were masters of the artifice. They’re flummoxed, in a way that’s understood in simple terms.
After failing to mount any offense against Animal in the early goings – Condrey nearly conceded, walking down the aisle in retreat. After receiving some harsh words of encouragement from Cornette, Condrey returned to the ring and flaunted his biceps to muster some courage. When Hawk flexed in return, Condrey’s dismay was tangible.
The Road Warriors are widely regarded as arguably the greatest tag team in pro-wrestling history. Beyond all of the pomp and circumstance of their entrance and Mad Max aesthetic, I would vehemently deny that assertion. While Hawk and Animal were wildly influential box office attractions, I much prefer the Midnight’s approach to tag team wrestling. Maybe that’s why the Road Warriors are so endearing in this particular match. Eaton and Condrey are the perfect canvases for the wrecking machines, magnifying their unique charm to its logical extreme.
Look no further than a moment midway through the match, where Eaton exited the ring to escape Hawk and catch his breath. Animal pressed Eaton over the top rope and back into the waiting arms of Hawk, who sent Eaton crashing back through the ropes with a clothesline. Before Eaton could recompose himself, Animal finished the combination with another clothesline.
There’s nothing polished about the Road Warriors’ offense. Fortunately, weapons of mass destruction don’t need to be precise.
The Midnight took a decisive advantage shortly thereafter, thanks to an errant flying elbow from Hawk. Eaton and Condrey used subterfuge and quick tags to isolate Hawk, finally managing to accumulate some damage. Even Cornette manages to deal a fell blow of his own with his iconic tennis racket. However, the brief control segments ended when Hawk made a hot tag to Animal, signaling the end of the affair.
The conclusion is a crash course in controlled chaos, with the match quickly devolving into an all out skirmish. The Road Warriors manager, Paul Ellering, tried chasing Cornette around the ring, but was interrupted by Cornette’s other managerial adversary—Baby Doll—who cold-cocked Cornette in the back of the head.
A wonderful ending to this run-of-the-mill title defense on NWA television.
Rating: ***½
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