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{{short description|Professional wrestling tag team}}
{{Infobox Wrestling team
|article_name= Rock 'n' Roll Express
|type=T
|image=Rock 'n' Roll Express, 1985.jpg
|caption=The Rock 'n' Roll Express, {{circa}} 1985; Morton (left) and Gibson (right).
|members=[[Robert Gibson (wrestler)|Robert Gibson]]<br />[[Ricky Morton]]
|names=
|former_members=
|debut=1980
|disbanded=
|billed=[[Memphis, Tennessee]]<br />[[Nashville, Tennessee|Music City, USA]]
}}
The '''Rock 'n' Roll Express''' is a [[professional wrestling]] [[tag team]] consisting of professional wrestlers [[Robert Gibson (wrestler)|Robert Gibson]] and [[Ricky Morton]]. The duo began teaming together in Memphis in the early 1980s, followed by [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)|Mid-South Wrestling]] (later to be known as the Universal Wrestling Federation), followed by  [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] (JCP). They held the [[NWA World Tag Team Championship]] nine times, with the first four times in JCP. They also [[feud (professional wrestling)|feuded]] with [[The Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)|The Four Horsemen]]. In the late 1980s, they were contenders for the [[American Wrestling Association]]'s [[AWA World Tag Team Championship]]. By 1991, the team was losing momentum, and Morton turned [[heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] on his partner to join [[The York Foundation]] in [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW). In 1992, the team reformed in both the [[United States Wrestling Association]] and [[Smoky Mountain Wrestling]], where they held the [[SMW Tag Team Championship]] ten times. The duo also worked in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]. On March 31, 2017, the Rock 'n' Roll Express was inducted into the [[WWE Hall of Fame]] by [[Jim Cornette]].{{Professional wrestling sidebar}}

==History==

===Formation===
Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson both teamed with each other in 1980 with Robert's brother Ricky in Memphis without the Rock N' Roll Express name.<ref name=cagematch>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=28&nr=78&page=2&year=1980&promotion=111}}</ref>

The Rock 'n' Roll Express was formed with [[Ricky Morton]] and [[Robert Gibson (wrestler)|Robert Gibson]] in 1983 in Memphis by head booker [[Jerry Lawler]]. They were originally paired together as an alternative to the popular team of [[The Fabulous Ones]] ([[Steve Keirn]] and [[Stan Lane]]) when they could not wrestle in certain towns. The [[List of professional wrestling terms#G|gimmick]] of The Rock 'n' Roll Express was a couple of high flying wrestlers who loved [[glam metal]] music, as it was a popular genre of music at the time. In 1983 and 1984, the team participated in a series of matches against [[The Nightmares (professional wrestling)|The Galaxians]], the Bruise Brothers ([[Porkchop Cash]] and [[Troy Graham]]), and the team of [[Lanny Poffo]] and [[Randy Savage]].<ref>{{cite video|title=Classic Memphis Wrestling:Rock n Roll Memphis|publisher=HighSpots|medium=DVD}}</ref>

They soon made their way to Mid-South Wrestling where they started a feud with the [[The Midnight Express (professional wrestling)|Midnight Express]] ([[Bobby Eaton]], [[Dennis Condrey]], and manager Jim Cornette). The feud began when Cornette threw a celebration for the Midnight Express after they won the [[Mid-South Tag Team Championship]].<ref name=torch>{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Guest_Editorials_16/article_31124.shtml|title=Historical perspective on Houston's top-drawing card featuring Bill Watts in April 1984|author=Hess, Jason|date=April 2, 2009|access-date=2009-04-06|publisher=PW Torch}}</ref> During the celebration, The Rock 'n' Roll Express shoved Cornette's face into the celebratory cake.<ref name=torch/> The rivalry between the two teams carried on into the Mid-Atlantic area.

===Jim Crockett Promotions (1985–1988)===
[[File:Rock 'n' Roll Express 1987.jpeg|thumb|The Rock 'n' Roll Express, circa 1987]]
The Rock N' Roll Express went to the [[National Wrestling Alliance]] (NWA)'s [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] (JCP) in 1985 and won four [[NWA World Tag Team Championship]]s over the next couple of years. On July 9, 1985, the team debuted in JCP against the team of [[Ivan Koloff]] and [[Barry Darsow|Krusher Khrushchev]], whom they defeated to begin their first reign as champions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shelbystar.com/news/park_38182___article.html/city_shelby.html|title=Mat Memories: Shelby City Park action once aired from Boston to LA|author=Cawthon, Graham|work=The Star|date=April 2, 2009|access-date=2009-04-06|archive-date=2009-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404062605/http://www.shelbystar.com/news/park_38182___article.html/city_shelby.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The reign lasted until October 13 of that same year. At [[Starrcade (1985)|Starrcade]] in 1985, they recaptured the title,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/video_reviews/64604/|title=Going Old School: Starrcade '85|first=Matt|last=Adamson|date=2008-01-28|publisher=411mania|access-date=2008-05-15}}</ref><ref name=starr/> only to lose them on a prime time WTBS special to the Midnight Express, ''[[Superstars on the Superstation]]'', on February 7, 1986. This title change is significant because televised matches between major contenders were rarely shown in those days. They won the title back in Philadelphia on August 16, 1986, and held them until a Saturday night prime time match on WTBS' ''[[WCW Saturday Night|World Championship Wrestling]]'' against [[Rick Rude]] and the Raging Bull [[Manny Fernandez (wrestler)|Manny Fernandez]]. The Rock 'n' Roll Express won the belts back when Rude, still a champion, simply left the NWA to go work for [[Vince McMahon]] in the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF). Needing to save face, promoter Jim Crockett had [[Ivan Koloff]] substitute for an 'injured' Rude, and the Express won the belts for what proved to be the final time.

[[File:Rock'N'Roll Express NWA World Tag Champions 1987 colored.png|thumb|The Rock 'n' Roll Express as NWA World Tag Team Champions, circa 1987]]
During their time in JCP, the Rock 'n' Roll Express achieved enormous popularity. At times the company would run two shows in one night, with the Rock 'n' Roll Express often headlining the "B" team cards. They would often outdraw the concurrent "A" team shows with bigger-named talent. On one occasion, this led them to receive a jealous reprimand from booker Dusty Rhodes after they sold out Charlotte, while the A team card with Rhodes did less than half the gate in Baltimore. Morton and Gibson were so popular during this time period that they were actually asked to leave Carowinds Amusement Park because they were creating a mob and it was shutting down the park. It was a common occurrence for the fans to swarm them as they did their ring entrance which drew a huge crowd reaction when their music ([[Electric Light Orchestra]]'s [[Rock 'n' Roll Is King]] and later Ricky Morton's Boogie Woogie Dance Hall) began.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Garvin|first1=Ron|title=Ronnie Garvin Full Shoot Interview 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phnf6oGVA7c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/Phnf6oGVA7c |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|website=www.thehanibaltv.com|date=20 July 2016 |publisher=Nicholson Productions, Inc.|access-date=18 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Fans would also hang out at their houses, and at the height of their popularity, the Charlotte police would station an officer at their homes to keep fans away. Robert Gibson says they went nine months without a day off during this period, and when they repeatedly requested time off, Jim Crockett told them that it would cost them too much money in lost ticket sales. They eventually would fake injuries to get days off.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Steve Austin Show – Robert Gibson of the Rock 'n' Roll Express|url=http://earpeeler.com/2017/02/07/the-steve-austin-show-robert-gibson-of-the-rock-n-roll-express/|publisher=Podcastone|access-date=July 2, 2017|archive-date=September 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908121003/http://earpeeler.com/2017/02/07/the-steve-austin-show-robert-gibson-of-the-rock-n-roll-express/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 1986 at [[Starrcade 1986|Starrcade]], The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated [[Ole Anderson]] and [[Arn Anderson]] in a [[Steel Cage match]] to retain the NWA World Tag Team Championship.<ref name=starr>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/dec17_starrcade.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721035024/http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/dec17_starrcade.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 21, 2012|title=Starrcade, the original "super card"|author=Molinaro, John|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|date=December 17, 1999|access-date=2009-04-06}}</ref>  After a series of matches running from late August through early October, they lost their title for a fourth and final time (They would win four more in later years, but only the first four were also recognized by [[World Championship Wrestling]] later) in the fall of 1987 to Arn Anderson and [[Tully Blanchard]] thanks to a pre-match attack by their longtime rivals, The Midnight Express. Morton suffered an injured arm in the attack which led to Gibson beginning the match alone. Eventually Morton would join the match in a sling, but the match ended when Gibson told the referee to stop the match due to Morton's injury. They feuded heavily with [[The Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)|The Four Horsemen]] members [[Ric Flair]], Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, who constantly mocked them and attacked them outside of the ring.

During late 1987, the Rock 'n' Roll Express feud with the Midnight Express heated up again which led to an historic scaffold match on November 26, 1987, at Starrcade 87 in Chicago. Morton and Gibson defeated Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane eight minutes into the match. As 1988 began, they entered into a brief feud with the Sheepherders. On January 23, 1988, in Cincinnati, Ivan Koloff & the Warlord defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express in twelve seconds, with Morton and Gibson leaving the company after the match. After a several month absence, Ricky and Robert did an interview with [[Bob Caudle]] at [[Clash of the Champions II]] where they discussed returning to the NWA. On June 26 at the start of [[The Great American Bash (1988)|The Great American Bash]] Tour, Ricky and Robert defeated the Sheepherders in their return match. They won several more matches against the Sheepherders, as well as a few others until a pay dispute led to Robert Gibson departing JCP again in late July. Ricky Morton stayed on and wrestled singles matches, as well as tag team and six man matches with a variety of partners such as Nikita Koloff, Brad Armstrong, and Steve Williams. Morton had his last match on September 23, 1988, before leaving JCP again.<ref>{{cite web|title=JCP 1987|url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/jcp87.htm|website=History of the WWE|access-date=1 July 2017}}</ref>

===AWA and return to the NWA/WCW (1988–1992)===
In 1988, The Rock 'n' Roll Express went to Memphis and AWA. They had a brief feud with [[The Rockers|The Midnight Rockers]] in the [[Continental Wrestling Association]] (CWA), over the [[AWA World Tag Team Championship]]. Their first match on February 15, 1988, ended in controversy, causing the AWA World Tag Team title to be held up. A week later, on February 22, a rematch for the held-up titles was held and The Midnight Rockers won them back. In all, the Rock 'n' Roll Express spent April to May, and October to December 1988 in the AWA having short runs with Verne Gagne. Robert Gibson stated that they went to the AWA out of respect to Wahoo McDaniel who was wrestling there at the time. On February 2, 1989, in Kansas City they had a match with [[The British Bulldogs]], and they also did a brief tour in Japan for [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] during 1988.

On January 3, 1990, Morton and Gibson made their return to the NWA. During the early part of the return they had TV matches with the Midnight Express, the Horsemen, and [[The Fabulous Freebirds]]. On July 7, 1990, they challenged [[Doom (professional wrestling)|Doom]] for the NWA World Tag Team Championship at [[The Great American Bash (1990)|The Great American Bash]] in the semi-main event, but lost. On September 22, 1990, in a match against Doom at a house show in Jacksonville, Florida, Robert Gibson suffered a torn ACL when [[Butch Reed]] came off the top rope on his extended knee while [[Ron Simmons]] was holding it. Morton would state years later on a podcast with Ric Flair that the injury actually occurred the day before the match when Robert's wife hit him with a car. Ricky says that he told Robert to just get to the ring and go down right after the start of the match so that he could be paid while injured. Gibson was forced to miss a considerable amount of time throughout the rest of 1990 and the first half of 1991 while recovering from [[surgery]] which was performed by [[James Andrews (physician)|Dr. James Andrews]].<ref>{{cite web|title=WCW 1990|url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw90.htm|website=History of the WWE|access-date=1 July 2017}}</ref> On June 12, 1991, at ''[[Clash of the Champions XV]]'' in Knoxville, Tennessee, Morton turned on a returning Gibson to join the York Foundation, which led to a match between Morton and Gibson at [[The Great American Bash (1991)|The Great American Bash]] on July 14, 1991. Richard Morton (managed by [[Alexandra York]]) pinned Robert Gibson at 17:23 after Morton came off the top and hit Gibson in the back with a computer as York distracted referee [[Bill Alfonso]] on the apron. The former partners had more matches over the next several weeks, mostly won by Morton. Morton and Gibson continued their singles careers until Robert was released by WCW in November 1991. Morton stayed on in WCW as a heel until the summer of 1992.

===SMW, USWA, WCW, and WWF (1992–1996)===
In late July 1992, Ricky Morton briefly feuded with [[Eddie Gilbert (wrestler)|Eddie Gilbert]] in the [[United States Wrestling Association]] (USWA), and before his brief USWA run ended, Gibson joined him for a few tag team matches.<ref>{{cite web|title=USWA 1992|url=https://wwfoldschool.com/uswa-united-states-wrestling-association-1992/|website=WWF Old School|access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref> They reunited on August 8, 1992, in [[Smoky Mountain Wrestling]] (SMW) and feuded with [[The Heavenly Bodies (1990s tag team)|The Heavenly Bodies]], winning the tag team title ten times. The feud with the Heavenly Bodies, which had been ongoing for approximately a year,<ref>{{cite web|title=Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Titles History|url=http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/ttsmw.html|work=Solie's Title Histories|access-date=2008-07-14}}</ref> included a [[Steel cage match|barbed wire cage match]] and a [[Professional Wrestling Death match|Texas death match]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tag Team Profiles: Rock 'n' Roll Express|work=Online World of Wrestling|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/r/rocknrollexpress.html|access-date=2008-07-14}}</ref> The rivalry carried over to both [[World Championship Wrestling]] and the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF) in 1993, splitting pay per view matches for the two promotions. The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated the Heavenly Bodies ([[Stan Lane]] and [[Tom Prichard|Dr. Tom Prichard]]) at WCW's [[SuperBrawl III]] event and the Bodies (this time Prichard and [[Jimmy Del Ray]]) defeating the Express for the [[SMW Tag Team Championship]] at the [[Survivor Series (1993)|Survivor Series]]. Defending the SMW tag title at the event was part of an agreement between the WWF's [[Vince McMahon]] and SMW's Jim Cornette.<ref>{{cite web|title=Smoky Mountain Wrestling: Death Of A Promotion (Part One)|work=The Wrestling Gospel|last=Mooneyham|first=Mike|url=http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=8DDC5EEB-4D3E-4D74-BF82C78EA66E9288|date=1995-12-10|access-date=2008-07-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080108072046/http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=8DDC5EEB-4D3E-4D74-BF82C78EA66E9288|archive-date=2008-01-08}}</ref>

Back in SMW in May 1994, The Rock 'n' Roll Express lost their title to the team of [[Chris Candido]] and [[Brian Lee (wrestler)|Brian Lee]], who were managed by [[Tammy Lynn Sytch|Tammy Fytch]].<ref name=sytch/> The duo, however, won the title back in August.<ref name=sytch>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBiosS/sytch-can.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714113014/http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBiosS/sytch-can.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 14, 2012|title=Sunny days, wintry nights The thrills and spills of Tammy Lynn Sytch|author=Altamura, Mike|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|access-date=2009-04-06|date=December 13, 2001}}</ref> After that feud ended, they feuded with [[The Gangstas]] over the titles. During that feud, they had Jim Cornette as their manager. Soon after the Gangstas feuded, Cornette betrayed Morton and Gibson, as they feuded with [[The Dynamic Duo (professional wrestling)|The Dynamic Duo]], whom they lost the titles to in April 1995.

In April 1995, they defeated [[Dick Murdoch]] and Randy Rhodes to win the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship. In June 1995, they were stripped of the titles, as their USWA match with [[PG-13 (professional wrestling)|PG-13]] ended in controversy. A week later, they defeated PG-13 to win back the NWA World Tag Team titles and win the [[USWA World Tag Team Championship]], making them double champions, but it didn't last, as they lost the USWA titles back to PG-13 a week later. In July 1995, they scheduled to feud with [[The Thugs]] over the SMW Tag Team Championship, and set to turn heel, but in August 1995, Morton was suspended after an altercation between his girlfriend Andrea Callaway and [[Tracy Smothers]]' girlfriend Angela Lambert, leaving Gibson on his own. As a result of Morton's suspension, they vacated the NWA World Tag Team titles. When Morton returned to SMW, Gibson had turned heel and joined Jim Cornette's Militia, but the proposed feud between the two didn't materialize as the promotion folded shortly after his return.

After SMW's closure, they reunited in the USWA and resumed their feud with PG-13.

===Return to WCW (1996–1997)===
On June 3, 1996, Morton and Gibson made their return to World Championship Wrestling on [[Monday Nitro]], facing and losing to Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, and preliminarily reigniting an old WCW rivalry. They made their second appearance on ''[[Monday Nitro]]'', August 5, 1996, losing to WCW World Tag-Team Champions [[Harlem Heat]]. Their third appearance came three weeks later, where they faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson again on ''Nitro'' in Lakeland, Florida. They lost to Flair and Anderson, but three days later in Orlando, Florida at a [[WCW Worldwide]] taping, the Rock 'n' Roll Express gained their first victory in their comeback, defeating [[High Voltage (professional wrestling)|High Voltage]]. Their next appearance came on ''WCW Saturday Night'' on September 30, where they fell to [[The Faces of Fear]] ([[Tonga Fifita|Meng]] and [[The Barbarian (wrestler)|The Barbarian]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw96.htm |title=WCW 1996 |publisher=Thehistoryofwwe.com |date= |accessdate=2022-05-13}}</ref> Morton and Gibson appeared sparingly going forward on Saturday Night and ''[[WCW Pro]]''. They left in 1997 to participate in independent federations.

===World Wrestling Federation (1998)===
A year later, they were in the WWF for a brief stint as part of the [[NWA (wrestling stable)|NWA angle]] (managed by former rival [[James E. Cornette]]). They then used [[The Rockers]]' old theme music. Their first appearance came on ''Monday Night RAW'' when they faced [[Skull]] and [[8-Ball]] on January 12, 1998, in State College, Pennsylvania, and lost via disqualification.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/98.htm |title=1998 |website=thehistoryofwwe.com|date=16 January 2023 }}</ref> During their time in the company, they appeared at [[WrestleMania XIV]] in March 1998 in a tag team [[battle royal (professional wrestling)|battle royal]], which was won by the [[The Road Warriors|Legion of Doom 2000]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=37553&p=1|title=This Day In History: WWWF Becomes WWE, WrestleManias III And XIV, Benjamin Defeats The Game And More|last=Martinez|first=Ryan|publisher=PW Insider|date=2009-03-29|access-date=2009-04-06}}</ref> They also had feuds with L.O.D. 2000 and [[The New Midnight Express]] having an NWA Tag Team Title match at the WWF Pay Per View Unforgiven against them.

===Independent Circuit  (1998-present)===
After WWF in May 1998 they worked for the [[independent circuit]]. They went to work for [[Ohio Valley Wrestling]] and [[Power Pro Wrestling]] until 1999.

As of 2023, they still team together.

===Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003, 2016)===
In early 2003, Morton and Gibson appeared in [[Total Nonstop Action Wrestling|TNA]] as part of [[Vince Russo]]'s [[Sports Entertainment Xtreme]] (SEX) faction. The duo feuded with [[America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling)|America's Most Wanted]], [[Chris Harris (wrestler)|Chris Harris]] and [[James Storm]]. In late 2003 and early 2004, they worked for the All World Wrestling League, owned by Eddie and Thomas Farhat, the sons of the "Original Sheik" [[Ed Farhat]]. The duo returned to TNA for the special [[Total Nonstop Deletion]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Rock N Roll Express to appear at Total Nonstop Deletion|url=http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/rock-n-roll-express-tna-apocalypto/#.WC-z0KIrJE4|website=Pro Wrestling Sheet|date=19 November 2016 }}</ref> participating in the Tag Team Apocalypto open invitational for [[The Hardy Boyz|The Broken Hardys]]' [[TNA World Tag Team Championship]].

===AWWL (2005)===
Starting in 2005, they would team up again, often wrestling against the Midnight Express in the Mid-Atlantic area. On June 7, 2008, they defeated The Midnight Express ([[Dennis Condrey]] and [[Bobby Eaton]]) at the [[NWA Anniversary Show#2008|NWA 60th Anniversary Show]] in [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]].

===PWA (2009)===
In 2009, the Rock 'n' Roll Express joined Booker T's Pro Wrestling Alliance in Houston, Texas and became PWA Tag Team Champions.

=== WWE Hall of Fame (2017) ===
On February 6, 2017, the WWE announced it would be honoring the Rock 'n' Roll Express by inducting the team into the [[WWE Hall of Fame]] at the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 31, 2017. On March 20, WWE officially announced that the team will be inducted by Jim Cornette.<ref>{{cite web |last=Melok |first=Bobby |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-hall-fame/wwe-hall-of-fame-2017/article/jim-cornette-rock-n-roll-express-wwe-hall-of-fame |title=Jim Cornette to induct The Rock 'n' Roll Express into the WWE Hall of Fame |publisher=[[WWE]] |date=March 20, 2017|access-date=March 20, 2017}}</ref> They recently captured the Viral Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championships at VPW's Holiday Havoc on December 9, 2017.

===National Wrestling Alliance (2019–present)===
On April 5, 2019, the NWA announced that the Rock 'n' Roll Express would compete in the [[Crockett Cup (2019)]] on April 27, 2019, in Concord, North Carolina. They were defeated by [[The Briscoe Brothers]] ([[Jay Briscoe]] and [[Mark Briscoe]]) in the first round. On October 1, 2019, during the second day of [[NWA Power]] television tapings, The Rock 'n' Roll Express defeated The Wildcards ([[Bram (wrestler)|Thomas Latimer]] & [[Royce Isaacs]]) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship for the fifth time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=130066 |title=Title Changes At Nwa Taping (Spoiler) |publisher=PWInsider.com |date=2019-10-01 |accessdate=2022-05-13}}</ref>

===New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2019–2020)===
On September 28, 2019, the Rock 'n' Roll Express made their [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] (NJPW) debut at [[Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2019)]] in [[New York City, New York]]. They teamed with [[Hiroshi Tanahashi]] and defeated ''[[Los Ingobernables de Japón]]'' ([[Tetsuya Bushi|Bushi]], [[Shingo Takagi]], and [[Tetsuya Naito]]), it was also referee [[Tiger Hattori]]'s final match in the United States. On September 29, at Fighting Spirit Unleashed in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], they teamed with Tanahashi and [[Chaos (professional wrestling)|Chaos]] ([[Hirooki Goto]], [[Tomohiro Ishii]], and [[Yoshi-Hashi]]) in a [[Elimination tag team match|twelve-man tag team elimination match]] versus [[Bullet Club]] ([[Jay White]], [[Kenta Kobayashi|Kenta]], [[Tama Tonga]], [[Tanga Loa]], [[Chase Owens]], and [[Gedo (wrestler)|Gedo]]).

===All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)===
The Rock 'n' Roll Express made their [[All Elite Wrestling]] (AEW) appearance on the October 30, 2019 episode of ''[[All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite|Dynamite]]'' to crown the inaugural [[AEW World Tag Team Championship|AEW World Tag Team Champions]], but were ambushed by [[Proud n Powerful]] (Santana and Ortiz). At [[AEW Full Gear]], the two participated in the aftermath of the opening tag team match between [[The Young Bucks]] and [[Proud n Powerful]], where Morton executed a Canadian Destroyer on Santana followed up by a suicide dive onto [[Sammy Guevara]] and Ortiz.

On the August 12 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express were involved in a segment with [[FTR (professional wrestling)|FTR]] and [[Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard]] to celebrate Tag Team Appreciation Night. However, after a scuffle between Tully Blanchard and Ricky Morton, FTR would attack The Rock 'n' Roll Express.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/results/aew-dynamite-81220-results-live-coverage-discussion-8pm-est|title=AEW Dynamite 8/12/20 Results: Jericho vs. Cassidy II, 2 Title Matches & Tag Team Appreciation Night|website=Fightful}}</ref>

On the January 4, 2025 episode of ''[[AEW Collision]]'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express made an appearance where they were ultimately kidnapped by [[Jon Moxley]] and the Death Riders.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/aew-collision-results-for-january-4-2025|title=AEW Collision Results for January 4, 2025|publisher=AEW.com|date=January 4, 2025|accessdate=April 23, 2025}}</ref> On the January 22, 2025 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express would again be kidnapped and attacked by Moxley and the [[Death Riders]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/death-riders-attack-rock-n-roll-express-aew-dynamite/|title=Death Riders Attack Rock N' Roll Express On AEW Dynamite|first=Jeremy|last=Thomas|publisher=411 Mania|date=January 22, 2025|accessdate=April 23, 2025}}</ref>

On the April 23, 2025 episode of ''Dynamite'', the Rock 'n' Roll Express would be involved in a new angle which saw them getting attacked by FTR.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/ftr-aligns-stokely-hathaway-attacks-rock-n-roll-express-aew-dynamite/|title=FTR aligns with Stokely Hathaway, attacks Rock 'n' Roll Express on AEW Dynamite|first=Josh|last=Nation|publisher=Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online|date=April 23, 2025|accessdate=April 23, 2025}}</ref>

==The New Rock 'n' Roll Express==
Over the years, when Morton and Gibson were not teaming with each other, they each had different tag team partners, calling themselves "The New Rock 'n' Roll Express." Ricky Morton teamed with [[Ricky Fuji]] while in Japan for FMW, and with [[Brad Armstrong (wrestler)|Brad Armstrong]], [[Kid Kash]], or his cousin Todd in the independent circuit in the U.S., while Robert Gibson teamed with [[Marty Jannetty]] in [[International Wrestling Association of Japan|IWA Japan]] as "The Rock 'n' Rockers," which played off both the Rock 'n' Roll Express and Jannetty's famous tag team with [[Shawn Michaels]], [[The Rockers]]. Ricky Morton also teamed on occasion with Jack Ward ("JT Walker"), a professional wrestler billed from Paintsville, Kentucky.

'''Brawl in the Fall and The Pastor of Pain '''
On November 1, 2014, The Rock n Roll Express were contracted for a match at "The Brawl in the Fall" at a church in rural [[North Carolina]]. Approximately 30 minutes before match time, Gibson approached the promoter (George South) to ask for $500 above the previously agreed compensation. South refused, sending Gibson into a fit of rage. Gibson then kicked a toilet in the church restroom, breaking the seat, and departed the venue. The Student Pastor at the church joined Morton's corner under the ring name "The Pastor of Pain"(PoP). This version of The New Rock n Roll express was victorious over "The Dawsons" with a roll up by Morton for the pinfall. The Dawsons immediately attacked Morton from behind. When The Pastor of Pain came to the aid of Morton the Dawsons attempted a clothesline, but PoP ducked under and delivered a devastating double clothesline of his own.

==Championships and accomplishments==
[[File:Rock 'n' Roll Express NWA World Tag Championships 1988.png|thumb|The Rock 'n' Roll Express held the [[WCW World Tag Team Championship|NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'']] four times]]
*'''Appalachian Mountain Wrestling'''
**AMW Tag Team Championship (1 time)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gerweck.net/2018/09/16/rock-n-roll-express-continue-to-win-tag-team-titles/|title=Gerweck.net - Rock N Roll Express Continue to Win Tag Team Titles|website=www.gerweck.net|date=16 September 2018}}</ref>
*'''[[Cauliflower Alley Club]]'''
**Tag Team Award (2022)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org/news/2022/04/09/ricky-morton-and-robert-gibson-the-rock-and-roll-express-named-cacs-2022-tag-team-award-winners | title=RIcky Morton and Robert Gibson, "The Rock and Roll Express", named CAC's 2022 Tag Team Award Winners! - News - Cauliflower Alley Club | date=9 April 2022 | access-date=17 May 2022 | archive-date=17 May 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517210022/https://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org/news/2022/04/09/ricky-morton-and-robert-gibson-the-rock-and-roll-express-named-cacs-2022-tag-team-award-winners | url-status=dead }}</ref>
*'''[[Continental Wrestling Association|Continental Wrestling Association / Championship Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[AWA Southern Tag Team Championship]] ([[AWA Southern Tag Team Championship#Title history|2 times]])<ref name=SouthernTag>{{cite book | first1=Royal |last1=Duncan |first2=Gary |last2=Will | title=Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present |location=Waterloo, Ontario |orig-year=2000.|chapter= (Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977] | pages= 185–189| publisher=Archeus Communications |year=2006 | isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}</ref><ref name=SouthernTagWeb>{{cite web | url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tn/cwa/awa-s-t.html | title=Southern Tag Team Title | work=Wrestling-Titles | access-date=January 19, 2020}}</ref>
**[[CWA Tag Team Championship]] ([[CWA Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]])
**[[CWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[CWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]])
*'''[[Jim Crockett Promotions]]'''
**[[WCW World Tag Team Championship|NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'']] ([[List of WCW World Tag Team Champions|4 times]])
*'''Korean Pro-Wrestling Association'''
**[[NWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of NWA World Tag Team Champions|1 time]])
*'''[[Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)|Mid-South Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[UWF Tag Team Championship|Mid-South Tag Team Championship]] ([[UWF Tag Team Championship#Title history|3 times]])
*'''[[National Wrestling Alliance]]'''
**[[NWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of NWA World Tag Team Champions|2 times]])
**[[NWA Hall of Fame]] ([[NWA Hall of Fame#2006|Class of 2006]])
*'''NWA Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling'''
**[[NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship|MACW Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship#title history|3 times]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=146275|title=MACW « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|website=www.cagematch.net}}</ref>
*'''[[National Wrestling Alliance|NWA Southwest]]'''
**[[NWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of NWA World Tag Team Champions|1 time]])
*'''[[NWA Wildside]]'''
**[[NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship|NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]])
*'''[[Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame]]'''
**Class of 2024
*'''Mid-South Wrestling Association'''
**MSWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time)<ref name="Titles">{{cite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2000|edition=4th | isbn=0-9698161-5-4 }}</ref>
*'''[[Reality of Wrestling|Pro Wrestling Alliance]]'''
**[[PWA Tag Team Championship]] ([[PWA Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]])
*'''Pro Wrestling Elite'''
**PWE Tag Team Championship<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wrestlingnewscenter.blogspot.com/2014/03/pwe-elite-rankings.html|title=Wrestling News Center: PWE: ELITE RANKINGS|first=Marcus|last=Solomon|date=12 March 2014}}</ref>
*'''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''
**[[PWI Tag Team of the Year]] award in 1986
**PWI ranked them # '''4''' of the best 100 tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
*'''[[Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum]]'''
**Class of 2021
*'''Rocket City Championship Wrestling'''
**Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time)
*'''[[Smoky Mountain Wrestling]]'''
**[[SMW Tag Team Championship]] ([[SMW Tag Team Championship#Title history|10 times]])
*'''Traditional Championship Wrestling'''
**TCW Tag Team Championship (1 time)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ar/tcw/tcw-t.html|title=Traditional Championship Wrestling Tag Team Title|access-date=2014-04-24|publisher=Wrestling-Titles.com}}</ref>
*'''Ultimate Championship Wrestling'''
**UCW Tag Team Championship (1 time)<ref name="Titles"/>
*'''[[United States Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[NWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of NWA World Tag Team Champions|1 time]])
**[[USWA World Tag Team Championship]] ([[USWA World Tag Team Championship#Title history|2 times]])
*'''	UPW Pro Wrestling'''
**UPW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current)<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2024 |title=UPW Steel Cage Challenge |url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=1&nr=345408 |access-date=17 April 2024 |website=Cagematch}}</ref>
*'''Viral Pro Wrestling'''
**VPW Tag Team Championship (1 time)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=5&nr=3434|title=VPW Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|last=Kreikenbohm|first=Philip|website=www.cagematch.net|access-date=2018-06-27}}</ref>
*'''World Organization of Wrestling'''
**WOW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
*'''[[Dave Meltzer#Wrestling Observer Newsletter|Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''
**[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame]] (Class of 2014)<ref>{{cite journal| last = Meltzer | first = Dave | author-link = Dave Meltzer | date = November 24, 2014 | title = Nov. 24, 2014 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Annual Hall of Fame issue! Plus tons of news from all over the world including MMA triple-header Saturday | journal = [[Dave Meltzer#Wrestling Observer Newsletter|Wrestling Observer Newsletter]] | location = [[Campbell, California]] | issn = 1083-9593 | url=http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/39986-nov-24-2014-wrestling-observer-newsletter-annual-hall-of-fame-issue-plus-tons-of-news-from-all-over-the-world-including-mma-triple-header-saturday | page=1}}</ref>
*'''[[WWE]]'''
**[[WWE Hall of Fame]] (Class of 2017)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-hall-of-fame/wwe-hall-of-fame-2017/article/rock-n-roll-express-wwe-hall-of-fame-class-2017|title=Rock 'n' Roll Express to enter WWE Hall of Fame|website=WWE}}</ref>

<small><sup>1</sup>During this win, the title was awarded to them and the records are unclear as to where this occurred and which promotion they wrestled for at the time.</small>

==''Luchas de Apuestas'' record==
{{See also|Lucha libre#Luchas de Apuestas|l1=Luchas de Apuestas}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
!  style="width:20%;"|Winner (wager)
!  style="width:20%;"|Loser (wager)
!  style="width:20%;"|Location
!  style="width:20%;"|Event
!  style="width:15%;"|Date
!  style="width:5%;"|Notes
|-
|The Rock 'n' Roll Express (hairs) || [[The Harris Brothers|The Bruise Brothers]] (titles) || [[Morristown, Tennessee]] || SMW House Show || {{dts|1993|09|11}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=34064|title=SMW House Show Results (September 11, 1993)|publisher=Cagematch}}</ref>
|-
|[[Chris Candido]] and [[Brian Lee (wrestler)|Brian Lee]] ([[Tammy Lynn Sytch|Tammy Sytch]]'s hair) || The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton's hair) || [[Johnson City, Tennessee]] || SMW Fire On The Mountain 1994 || {{dts|1994|08|06}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=1365|title=SMW Fire On The Mountain 1994 Results (August 6, 1994)|publisher=Cagematch}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book|author=Oliver, Greg and Steve Johnson|title=The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams|publisher=ECW Press|year=2005|chapter=Top 20: #9 The Rock 'n' Roll Express|isbn=978-1-55022-683-6}}

==External links==
*[http://newsandviewsusa.com/interview-robert-gibson-rock-n-roll-express/ 2017 interview with Robert Gibson: Robert did an interview with a local magazine about his career in September 2017]
*[http://www.memphiswrestlinghistory.com/ Memphis Wrestling History]
*[http://therocknrollexpress.tripod.com/ The Official Rock-n-Roll Express fan website]
*{{wwe superstar|rock-n-roll-express|The Rock 'n' Roll Express}}
* {{professional wrestling profiles}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock 'N' Roll Express, The}}
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