Midnights v Rock n Rolls (on the Superstation!)

Midnight Express v Rock n Roll Express (JCP Superstars on the Superstation, 2/7/86)

I had never heard of this show before. Didn't know it was a thing. Was it Crockett's pre-Clash answer to Saturday Night's Main Event? Was it a one time deal? Did they have several Superstars on the Superstations? The card actually looks really good, with this, Flair/Garvin for the belt, Dusty v Tully and a Road Warriors v Russians match that probably would've been a cool spectacle if nothing else. But even if everything else sucked, this match might've been worth the price of admission. The Midnights get the jump early, and you know the RnRs will go on a run but it's how they manage to get to it that's always fun. For as often as these teams have matched up, the thing that's always super impressive is how inventive they are. We have footage of them wrestling each other on consecutive nights in different arenas in different states, with no TV cameras rolling, having every opportunity to basically wrestle the same match and still send the folks home happy. And yet I don't think I've ever seen them do it. They always have something new every time out. Here the MX slingshot Gibson from the apron into the ring while he's kitted out in his pre-match gear. They try the same with Morton, but Morton flips it and slingshots both Eaton and Condrey out to the floor, which sets up the babyface shine. They end up working over Condrey's knee for a bit and it was really good stuff, lots of quick tags, elbows across the knee from varying heights, a double wishbone here and spinning toe hold there. Cool bit where Condrey hits a big knee to Morton's gut, but just as you think he might be able to scoot over and make the tag he collapses in a heap clutching the leg. It's sort of trite to make note of Robert Gibson not being the face in peril Ricky Morton is, but he's more than competent and the MX can take someone even half that good to a strong heat segment. So obviously the heat segment was good. Condrey's kneedrops are so badass, right into the throat or sternum or clavicle. Eaton also threw an absolute corker of a left hand and so there we have two of my favorite things. I don't have a clue where this sits in the pantheon of Express v Express matches, but it's probably up towards the top somewhere. So yeah, it was pretty great.