Reimagined: What If The Midnight Express Had Gone To WWF?
Jim Cornette has said that The Midnight Express flirted with going to the WWF in the late 80s. They even went so far as to attend a meeting with Vince McMahon but ultimately decided not to sign. In this reimagining, we will create a scenario in which what many consider one of the great teams of all time wrestled for the premiere company after signing a three-year deal. This will begin in January of 1988, after The Midnight has finished that chapter of their story with The Rock And Roll Express, culminating with the Starrcade scaffold match.
Debut
During an early 1988 episode of Prime Time Wrestling, Bobby Heenan tells Gorilla Monsoon that he has a HUGE surprise, later in the show. At the top of the hour, Heenan finally reveals his coo. With the same type of alacrity that he would introduce Ric Flair with years later, Heenan says, “Monsoon, it is a glorious day in the World Wrestling Federation.” The greatest tag team in this great sport has officially signed with this company.” “Even better, they are managed by the only man who is fit to have his name mentioned in the same sentence as my own.” “Get ready, Monsoon, because we are all about to have the privilege to board the Midnight Express!”
Jim Cornette leads “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton, and “Sweet” Stan Lane into the studio. He says, “Thank you Mr. Heenan for an introduction that could only come from a man as distinguished and brilliant as yourself.” “As for you, Monsoon, now that I’m close enough to see you and especially smell you, I can see why they call you, Gorilla.” “But myself and The Midnight Express are here strictly for business.” “You see, these two men, “Beautiful” Bobby and “Sweet” Stan, have merged two of the most incredible individual entities in our sport into an unsolvable unit.” “The Midnight Express is here to put every tag team in the World Wrestling Federation on notice.”
“The Midnight Express has been the top team and won titles everywhere they’ve been.” “But now, we’re here, and it’s just a matter of time until The Midnight Express becomes the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions.” Heenan continues to put over Midnight throughout the program, while Monsoon points out how cringey Cornette is. The Midnight Express begins working the house show circuit. Their television debut is set for the inaugural Royal Rumble.
Royal Rumble 1988
For those that don’t recall, the first Rumble event did not feature the battle royal in the main event slot. That honor surprisingly went to The Islanders and The Young Stallions. With all due respect to the former, this is a perfect opportunity to showcase The Midnight Express in a big way for their television debut. Therefore it will be Eaton and Lane against The Young Stallions in the main event, 2 out of 3 falls.
As expected, the match is a classic. The Midnight do what they do best; shine the babyfaces, put together different variations of heat sequences, and ultimately get the win. Just to add a touch of prestige, The Midnight takes both of the first two falls. The first fall is won by count out when Jim Powers is distracted by Cornette, and Bobby Eaton wins the second after hitting the Alabama Jam.
WrestleMania 4
The win at Royal Rumble and maintaining a streak afterwards earns The Midnight Express a shot at the WWF tag titles at WrestleMania 4. This nullifies Demolition’s record-breaking reign, but it was eventually broken by The New Day anyhow. Therefore, Demolition works with Powers Of Pain a year earlier and The Midnight face Strike Force. It’s another classic, essentially being the best match on a card that desperately needed one. The Midnight Express capture the Tag Team Championships on the grandest stage of them of them all, after just around 90 days with the company.
At the April 22 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, The Midnight Express defend the Tag Titles against The British Bulldogs. There are shenanigans before the match, of course, with Matilda and Cornette. Jim retreats to the back and won’t return until Matilda is taken away from ringside. Once the match gets going, it’s another banger. The match goes to a time-limit draw of 20 minutes, leaving an eventual rematch on the table. But it seems that a stipulation may be to insure a decisive winner.
SummerSlam 1988
It’s announced that at the inaugural SummerSlam, The Midnight will once again defend the titles against The British Bulldogs. This time, however, it will be inside of a steel cage! Also, if The Bulldogs win, Matilda will get 5 minutes alone inside the cage with Cornette. While the cage might seem a superfluous element for two teams comprised of 4 great workers, it’s actually a way to protect Dynamite Kid. Dynamite had been in rough shape, and another 20-minute clinic probably wouldn’t have aided his condition.
To win the match, both team members must escape the cage. Dynamite is out first, limiting his physicality. This, of course, makes it a handicap situation, though, as Bobby and Stan double-team Davey Boy. Stan finally escapes, and we are down to two. Both Eaton and Davey scale the cage on different sides of the ring and look neck in neck. Cornette begins striking Davey Boy in the back with the tennis racket until Dynamite snatches him by the collar. Stan Lane super kicks Dynamite Kid and holds the legs of Davey, just long enough to allow Eaton to land on the ground. The Midnight Express retain, much to the crowd’s chagrin.
This is 1980s WWF, though, and most finishes allow the babyfaces to get the last word, even in defeat. The Bulldogs recover and lay both Eaton and Lane out. They then corner Cornette on each side of the ring, but Cornette gets inside the cage, thinking he’s outsmarted the Brits. Referee Earl Hebner then surfaces with the key, but instead of getting in the ring themselves, Dynamite and Davey allow Matilda inside the cage! Jim is apoplectic and hysterical as he desperately tries to scale the cage. He sells it like only he can until Matilda gets ahold of his trousers and rips them apart. Corny’s infamous heart-adorned boxer shorts are exposed as The Midnight finally gets him out of the cage and scurry to the back.
Survivor Series 1988
Jim Cornette rants about the SummerSlam match aftermath for several weeks. He threatens to call animal control on Matilda and have her sent to the pound or deported back to England. This helps build to the epic and memorable match at The Survivor Series, which would see two teams of ten face off. The Bulldogs and The Midnight Express will be on opposite sides. The angle between Demolition and The Powers Of Pain still plays out, allowing for the well-executed double turn. Over the next few weeks, though, Demolition defeats The Rougeau Brothers to earn a title shot. They will get their match at the upcoming PPV.
Royal Rumble 1989/WrestleMania 5
It’s a clash of styles at The Royal Rumble in ’89, but still an entertaining match. The Midnight bump around for Demolition before getting a little heat on Ax. They pull out all the stops and try every cheap trick in their arsenal, but Demolition has their number. Ax and Smash dethrone Eaton and Lane in a little over 8 minutes. This sends them to WrestleMania to do business as they initially did with Powers Of Pain and Mr. Fuji. As for The Midnight Express, they will face a different kind of team at WrestleMania 5.
At WrestleMania 5, The Midnight Express works with none other than The Bushwhackers. It’s certainly not the technical classic that The Midnight is otherwise known for, but it’s entertaining. There are a lot of shenanigans with The Bushwhackers and Cornette, and Jim is typically animated with his selling. The Midnight get a decisive victory, putting them back on course to regaining the titles. That opportunity will come in the Summer.
SummerSlam/Survivor Series 1989
By the Summer of ’89, The Midnight Express has again gotten back in the title picture. They will face Demolition in a rematch from The Royal Rumble. This still allows for The Brain Busters and Hart Foundation classic, but not for the championship since the match was inexplicably non-title. The Midnight and Demolition have a 5-minute bout that sees Eaton and Lane isolate Ax, bending the rules at every opportunity. After utilizing the tennis racket, The Midnight Express recapture the WWF Tag Titles, becoming two-time champions.
This leads to what can only be described as a dream match, albeit an unlikely one. At The Survivor Series in 1989, it will be The Midnight Express and The Brain Busters against The Hart Foundation and the up-and-coming tandem known as The Rockers. It pits the best of Crockett teams against the best of the WWF and allows a rare opportunity for Hernan and Cornette to work together. The match is everything you would expect it to be; fast-paced, well-constructed and fundamentally sound. It comes down to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels on one side and Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton on the other.
After getting some heat on Michaels, Arn sneaks a tag to Eaton. Shawn doesn’t realize it, and while he has Eaton in an O’Connor roll-up position, Anderson sneaks in and quickly snags the Rocker in a brainbuster. He eliminates Michaels, leaving Bret Hart in a handicap situation. The two put the heat on Hart for a few minutes. After Anderson hits the spine buster on Hart, he makes the mistake of gloating to the crowd; Bret takes the opportunity to cradle Double-A quickly. The Hitman scores the 1-2-3, leaving two of the best pure workers in all wrestling to go one on one.
Bret Hart and Bobby Eaton give us 5 minutes of pure wrestling Bliss until Eaton goes up for the Alabama Jam. On a rare occasion, Hart moves at the last moment. After Eaton gets back to his feet, Bret connects with a flying body press, scoring the victory for his team. Cornette is beside himself as Bret celebrates in the ring. This sets up The Hart Foundation for a shot at the titles at Royal Rumble in January.
Royal Rumble 1990
The 1990 Royal Rumble is mostly remembered for the brief physical interaction between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. Adding The Hart Foundation and The Midnight Express strengthens a dense card. The tag titles go on right before the Rumble match. This match is more cerebral and wrestled at a deliberate pace. The match goes just shy of 30 minutes and features several dramatic sequences.
The finish comes when Hart Foundation sets Lane up for the Hart Attack. Jim Cornette grabs Bret’s foot as he hits the ropes, and Eaton promptly throttles him. In a call back to Survivor Series, Lane then rolls up Neidhart with a cradle for the victory. The Midnight Express signed a 3-year deal in 1988, and they now have one year left.
WrestleMania 6
Fans fondly remember WrestleMania 6 in Toronto, but it was primarily a one match show. The Midnight Express vs The Rockers adds depth to a desperately needed card. It's also a much different type of match than the character-driven epic that was Hogan and Warrior. We will still acknowledge the exciting Demolition/Colossal Connection bout, but it will be non-title. The Rockers deserved a run with the belts, and no one could make them quite like The Midnight.
The match goes on the 6th and is action-packed from the bell. Several double-team maneuvers leave Eaton and Lane reeling and shine the babyfaces. The crafty heels eventually cut The Rockers off and get major heat on Shawn. Several tags are teased, but The Midnight always seems to cut Shawn off just in time. Finally, Marty gets the Tag and is a proverbial house of fire. He handles both Eaton and Lane until Cornette attempts to distract him. Janeatty takes his tennis racket and ends up striking him on the backside. Shawn then gives him an atomic drop, nullifying his presence for the remainder of the match. The fans eat it all up and relish seeing Cornette get him after months of giving his team an unfair advantage.
Eaton and Lane briefly get back on offense, and Eaton has Janeatty in place for a kick from Lane. In a rare miss, Marty ducks, and Lane hits Bobby! This, of course, plants a seed of contention between The Midnight. The finish comes when Lane turns into a double superkick from The Rockers upon his mistake. They then hit their finish and capture the titles at around the 21-minute mark. The Rockers have captured the Tag Team Championships, and at WrestleMania.
The Final Months
After WrestleMania, The Midnight Express exercise their rematch clause but again come up short. They then get involved in the Randy Savage/Dusty Rhodes feud. This causes Rhodes to solicit the aid of Jim Duggan and none other than Big Bossman, who got his start with The Midnight Express in Crockett. This culminates in a six-man tag at SummerSlam that sees Savage and The Midnight go over when Savage pins Dusty. This is also a tip of the hat to The Midnight, who the company is pleased with after a strong run of great bouts and rivalries.
The WWF offers the team a new deal, but Creative proposes a scenario in which the team splits and feuds with one another. They see Stan Lane as a potential babyface and Eaton as a mechanic heel. Cornette balks at the offer and feels it would make it difficult for them to ever work anywhere as a team again if they are seen feuding on national television. The Midnight Express decline and look to go back to WCW when their deals expire. They work the house show circuit until quietly exiting in January of 1991. The Midnight Express takes time away from television to allow the Jim Herd Era in WCW to blow over. They return to WCW in the fall and prepare for a fresh run in a familiar land.
