Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 24: Midnight Express/Ernie Ladd vs Rock N Roll Express/Jim Duggan 7/2/84

First of all, they clipped ten seconds “down” points here and there, so the flow is messed up. It’s small, but it really makes you feel like you are watching a home movie with jump cuts. Pulls you out of the moment at times.

Midnights and Ladd come down to legit old timer heat, unlike most old territory stories of heat and sell outs, these are visually for real.

They tease Ladd and Hacksaw from the onset, including a stare down, and this time the crowd (Tulsa?) really buys in. Again, the Midnights talk him out of it.

The match is very similar, but not a full copy, of the match a month back. The ideas and segments are in the same order, but the moves and spots are mostly new ideas.

For instance, Morton gets in early and gives both Eaton and Condrey fits, but the heels hitting each other spot is new. Also, Gibson makes an early appearance, taking some of Morton’s early faces prevail against the odds stuff for his own. The Midnights are still all over, selling like crazy, as always.

Ladd gets in to beat on Gibson and he’s a lot more agile tonight. We’ll get several double leg drops throughout the match.

Same Duggan vs Ladd showdown is built up. Some Duggan is superman stuff here. Ladd’s bitch tits are really distracting. I swear at times the heels aren’t tagging, expecting the ref to kick them out, but he doesn’t Maybe I’m crazy.

Same Duggan kills both Midnights segment, including each man trying to pin him And getting pressed multiple times.

Morton gets tagged in to play the face in peril. Condrey and Morton fly around the ring hard until Condrey holds the rope and Morton misses a drop kick. The Midnights and Ladd begin the three man beat down portion of our show.

Just like last time the heels taunt the faces and cut off the ring. Lots of hope spots for Morton and near tags. Ladd is specifically great in this stretch.

This match is from a one-shot ringside camera, and though the camera work at times is weak, you get an amazing idea of how hard and physical these men were. The portions of the tag teams in there are unbelievable, but I know from sitting ringside at modern ROH shows that this DVD doesn’t do justice to the crowd heat, aura, and effort you’d see and hear live. Great stuff.

Finish comes, like last time, with Morton making a hot tag and the match breaking down. All four men in. Robert Gibson with the roll up on Eaton. Ladd pulls out the knux he used in the first match to KO Gibson. Ladd pins him.

I can’t put this match above or below the match from a month back. Same match with similar work. A different finish, but the crowd reaction was similar, and in this case I don’t know if people hated the finish. Nowadays we have matches like HBK vs HHH from Royal Rumble years back where everyone hates it because it was a great match and a bad finish. That doesn’t apply here. Same score, as I liked parts of each match differently. 3 ½ and 7/10.