Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane vs. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson

[4.0] "Two hot teams of that era, but clearly not their most interesting match. There is a lot going on around the action, but the in-ring quality falls short, especially considering the match's duration. In-ring quality: 0.75/5. Stakes: 0.5/2. Justification: 1/1. Placement on the card: 1/1. Suspense: 1/1. Bonus/penalty: none. Total: 4.25/10. Match watched on the WCW YouTube channel."

[8.0] "The match begins with an AMAZING one-two LOL combination when Sweet Stan accuses Jim Cornette of stealing Ivanka away from Donald Trump (the IRONY there), then J.R. makes a crack about thinking Cornette didn't even like girls. We get Terry Funk on guest commentary for the bout and yeah, he's downright fantastic, as you'd imagine. Cornette tries to bait Nick Patrick into a fist fight and the crowd goes CRAZY for the tomfoolery while Funk makes references to Jimmy Swaggart, of all possible things. The tag match itself is the classical MX/RNR formula and you don't need me tell you how well it works all these years later. It's just fantastic execution of EVERYTHING -- the comedy spots, the heel shenanigans, the transitions, the counters, the outside brawling and of course, the babyface comeback. It's a hell of a match that uses up just about every Southern-style tag trick in the book; if you're looking for a match that'll put a smile on your face, look no further."

[7.0] "One thing to appreciate about this match are the punches that are thrown. This match is full of great looking punches, something you don't see much of anymore. These matches always worked so well as a piece of business. Enjoy a classic matchup between these two legendary teams and see what it is that made them so great at what they did."

[8.0] "I really enjoyed this match. It was action-packed and entertaining. I even enjoyed the over-the-top portion between the ref and Jim Cornette (I found it funny, and it made me more interested in the match). In the end, I think it was a great tag team match with good physicality, an entertaining base, and enough action never to feel bored. Despite its length (over 23 minutes), it didn't really feel that way. Yes, it felt long, but it didn't feel like it was going on forever or overstaying its welcome. All in all, a great match. 8/10"

[8.0] "To conclude Jim Cornette's pre-match promo with some punch, Stan Lane declares this "the day the music died." It was a cute line, but one with some bite. Surrounded by contractual controversies, The Midnight Express weren't long for the NWA and in truth, neither were the Rock 'n' Roll Express. This isn't their last match together, but it's the final showdown with a stature befitting their history. Naturally, the results are terrific, rocking Greensboro with all the hits and more. It's a particularly brilliant Bobby Eaton performance, which is saying something, though Ricky Morton isn't far behind. The heat on the latter is extended and barely drags a smidge, effortlessly providing an edge that after some early comedy, could've easily been absent. ****"

[10.0] "Great match between two classic rivals, many creative exchanges to show how well these teams know each other, some really top notch stuff from Cornette, and a simple but highly effective match structure to draw the viewer into the story. My only complaint is the heat on Morton went a bit long but they always kept things popping. Definitely one I would recommend."

[10.0] "A great match with no real flaws and red-hot action, with the crowd rabidly supporting the Rock 'n' Roll Express and protesting every single villainous thing that Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express did in an attempt to cheat their way to a victory."

[8.0] "Ricky Morton rolls it back to 1985 here as he puts in one of his all-time sell jobs for the Midnights. The heat segment was really long but it worked so well as the Midnights are awesome and Cornette got the whole thing super over. Finally the hot tag comes and it's great. I just love anything the Midnights do."

[7.0] "A very well structured Tag Team Match. Ricky Morton once again sold for most of the contest - he was constantly moving, the hope spots were great with him teasing his comeback and he laid the ground perfectly for Gibson's hot tag. The Midnight on the other were great as a heel team and their timing on cheating and distracting the referee was top notch. I do think though that Patrick getting physical with Cornette was a bit too much, but everything else was really solid."

[8.0] "This was a great match, but the bar is so high with these four guys that I still felt like something was missing."

[9.0] "This was a classically structured tag team match executed incredibly well. Morton looks great in the early portion and brings plenty of excitement, with some light hearted comic relief between Jim Cornette and Nick Patrick to add some extra personality (even if it was admittedly a bit too over-the-top for me, it still managed to make me laugh). I love the simple but effective spot where the Midnight Express take over on the outside, and even when the pace slowed during the heat segment I thought everybody did a great job keeping things engaging. The finish was a little abrupt, but it worked with the story of the match and I really liked the spot itself, which was a pretty clever little reversal. I'm a sucker for this style of tag team wrestling, and got everything I was looking for out of this match."

[10.0] "An absolute classic. One of my favourite matches ever. Just wonderful on every level, from the in ring work, to the personalities, to the manager spots. It had a bit of everything. This was one of the first Midnight Express matches I saw, and I was hooked from there on."

[5.0] "I thought that this match was perfectly fine. There was a little too much of the outside shenanigans with Jim Cornette, and that kept it from being a 3 star match. The Midnight Express and The Rock 'n' Roll Express have certainly had better matches with each other."

[8.0] "I was very happy to finally get to see these two teams, two of the greatest of all time, go at it in a match without any gimmicks on a PPV. The Midnight Express and Rock N' Roll Express both deliver here, and give me my favourite match of the night. Was this was very good I think these two teams have had better. Cornette fun as always to watch."

[9.0] "One of the best tag team matches in WCW history. An old feud, familiar opponents, Nick Patrick and Jim Cornette teasing a fight with each other, and great wrestling between the R&R's and Midnight make this one a winner on every level, though I think the Fantastics were a better opponent for the Midnights."

[8.0] "Really good match between two teams that didn't really have bad matches with each other. Goes without saying that the chemistry is off the charts, and this is a real fun one to watch."

[5.0] "I didn't find this one to be particularly engaging or original. Cornette is fun to watch on the outside bu the in-ring action is underwhelming."

[6.0] "Found this one underwhelming. Just boring for alot of parts, and Cornettes shenanigans got old for me. Was hard to suspend disbelief with how stupid the ref was too"

[6.0] "This one was a bit of a letdown to me. They get plenty of time here, with most of it going to Morton and Gibson's shine segment. We get a lot of stalling and ga-ga as Cornette argues and tries to fight with the referee. Nick Patrick is more than happy to oblige and puts his dukes up and Corny ends up embarrassing himself. They really hammed it up here and I found it a tad too goofy for my palette. We do get some cool tag-team spots at least, with Morton jumping up onto Eaton's shoulders during a test of strength to take out Lane being one of my favorites. Morton is eventually worked over for a long time by the Midnights. I found this segment fine, but I've seen Morton sell and milk for that hot tag a lot better in other matches and I didn't find it all that compelling. Eaton impressed me the most out of everyone here. He may not be known as a brawler, but he still knows how to throw a magnificent punch. The finish was also brilliant, with Morton and Gibson foiling the Midnight's finishing move in a spectacular fashion."

[8.0] "A very good match. Classic old-school tag team wrestling with both teams operating at a high level. It's not a perfect match. For example, I found the square-off between Cornette and the referee to be particularly goofy. ****"

[8.0] "It's the Rock N Roll Express against the Midnight's. You go into it expecting to be entertained and it always delivers!"

[9.0] "This was a masterclass in tag team wrestling from two of the best teams to ever do it. This lived up to the legendary reputation the Express and Midnight feud has. I also really enjoyed Cornett's involvement, though the stuff with the ref was a bit much."

[8.0] "There's a little too much Cornette at the beginning, but they make up for it with excellent tag work for the rest of the match. Some great old school tag work makes this click along with some exclamation points along the way to make this stand out above the usual tag work of the day. Really great work from both teams. ****1/4"

[7.0] "This was exactly as fun as you expect it to be between these two teams, I really enjoyed Jim Cornette and his nonsense. Best thing on the show."

[9.0] "This might not be on the level of some of their mid 80s barn-burners in the territory with the OG Midnights, but it was still a fantastic tag team matchup worth watching for all fans. This had all the classic RNR/MNX spots from the past that we all love, and it's just an overall wonderful tribute to all their past classics with a little bit of everything. All five men (can't forget Corny! ) gave it their all, delivering what was the last classic between the two GOAT teams. [****1/2]"

[10.0] "Realistically, this is a self-indulgent loveletter to the history shared between the Rock & Rolls and both incarnations of the Midnights that they'd feuded with over the years. It's not a deeply meaningful match at all, but what it is, is a microcosm of everything that made the Express/Express rivalry legendary. It's the perfect stamp on (in my opinion) the single geeatest tag team rivalry of all time, where all five men--yes, including Jim Cornette--work at their highest level to deliver something special for the fans. From that perspective, and as a big fan of the Express/Express feud, I can't see how this isn't a ***** match. Granted, as a pure wrestling match, I can completely understand a slightly lower rating. From any angle though, this is an EXCELLENT tag team match."

[10.0] "Just the greatest Southern tag ever. It's not for the highest stakes literally, but nothing feels bigger than Midnights vs. Rock & Rolls when the two teams are on, with important assists coming from Cornette & Nick Patrick."

[8.0] "Absolutely incredible. Intelligent, great and smooth work between arguably the two teams with the most chemistry in the entire history of tag team wrestling. Cornette was his usual great self by being able to constantly get heat for the heels while making an idiot out of himself at the very same time. He was just the perfect chickenshit heel manager, especially working with the Midnights. Great great match, highly recommended. [****]"

[8.0] "Very good match, classic southern tag between two extremely smart teams. Crowd were invested the whole time. Agree with a previous review that said the Morton heat segment went on a bit long, and would have liked a more decisive finish, but still very good and engrossing throughout. ****1/4"

[10.0] "What an amazing match, these two teams have been wrestling each other for years and it shows, they absolutely tore the house down on that, clearly the highlight of their feud."

[10.0] "You need to watch this match. Two of the greatest tag teams to have ever stepped into the ring, coming near the end of a storied rivalry with a history of immaculate matches. The story of this match is predicated on legitimate sports strategy and it integrates into the good vs. evil comeback fable as smooth as butter. For much of it, Rock 'N' Roll's Ricky Morton is cut off from his partner by the stifling, smothering offense of Midnights' Bob Eaton and Stan Lane. Moves are crisp, counters are exchanged and re-countered with such brisk, elegant fluidity, but it's never showy and always hones in on that one simple premise; that the Midnights are isolating and brutalising the indomitable Morton. He gets outstanding babyface fire by enduring their punishment and outwitting them despite insurmountable odds. But it seems to be a futile struggle until the cockiness of the Midnights, attempting an overly ambitious finishing move, is what finally allows the him to tag Gibson in. It? s a moment of dramatic catharsis so sweet and so satisfying that only storytellers at peak form could deliver it in so potent a form. Small details (like Jim Cornette attempting to revive a collapsed Stan Lane by fanning him with his tennis racket) and character touches (The Rock 'N' Roll Express are a unified whole with synchronised offensive moves while the Midnights bicker and squabble amongst each other) make it seem real. At its most frenetic, the action moves like lightning, chaotic and hectic, but your eye is always drawn to the important action. At its slowest, it drips with atmosphere and mounts tension over a knife's edge. Even the commentary is excellent, with Jim Ross knowingly foreshadowing the match's turning point early on. This is deep, sophisticated, layered wrestling like only the south can do. When it was done I just watched it again. I want to watch it right now, in fact. In short; it's masterful. The mullets are awful, though."

[8.0] "From an in-ring standpoint, this was probably the peak for the Midnight Express vs. Rock and Roll Express feud. All four men went out there like they had a point to prove, and they felt that they did, as they tore the house down with one of the few great matches in WCW in 1990."

[8.0] "Two of the most phenomenal tag teams in wrestling history. Eaton & Lane work the crowd well, to get massive heat & the interaction between Jim Cornette and referee Nick Patrick was very funny. And even the tease of dissention between Eaton & Lane after the comedic bit was pure gold. Add Jim Ross and Terry Funk on commentary & you have an unforgettable encounter. A must see match."

[9.0] "This was a fantastic tag bout - simple psychology with The Midnight's working the heat on The Rock N' Roll Express, fantastic selling by them & Eaton + Lane were great heels as usual here. ****1/4"

[10.0] "a good fight, but it was delicious and selling the run. Fight enjoyable to watch, dynamic and gentlemen, I really got a lot of time to show their skills. For those times that is the beginning of the 90s that the fight was very cool. Me **** 3/4, which is better than Mr. Meltzer. Good, good and one more time good."

[8.0] "This is an amazing tag team match, fast action, a '90s approach more than a classic one. Many jumps and spots, something still unconventional for 1990. Action all the way to the end. ****"