On October 1, 2019 the NWA held television tapings in Atlanta, Georgia and an interesting moment occurred.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express (yes, that Rock ‘N’ Roll Express) defeated Thomas Lattimer and Royce Isaac to win the NWA tag team titles.
The news fell below the radar since the NWA isn’t as mainstream as it used to be, but Ricky Morton shared the news on his Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3GZ0-vgBn1/
This marks the 9th time the Rock ‘N’ Roll Express has won a tag team championship. After debuting in 1983 in the Memphis region, the duo quickly carved out a hall of fame career, topped by being inducted by Jim Cornette in 2017.
What’s the most intriguing about this is their age. Ricky Morton is 63 years old, and Robert Gibson is 61.
Most will question why they’re still wrestling and why Billy Corgan, owner of NWA, would give them the promotion’s tag team championship.
Well, there could be any number of reasons, it’s most likely out of respect from Billy Corgan and the rest of the NWA. Morton and Gibson have been through their fair share of battles and championship runs, so what could one more hurt?
Is it a gimmick?
There’s always the possibility this was done simply to get headlines. Professional wrestling is, after all, an entertainment business that needs to get people’s attention to help sell tickets and land television contracts.
It wouldn’t be the first time a promotion brought back old, venerated stars to help their franchise (Bruno Sammartino in the 1980s, Undertaker, Austin, and others coming back currently as perfect examples). It happens, and as long as they put on a good show and people show up to watch and be entertained, that’s all that matters, right?
They should be retired
This is an argument many will voice when they hear this, and they may be right. Despite being scripted, wrestling is very physical and everyone is one missed move away from injury or worse, so is expecting an older body to last too much to ask?
Sure, but if they’re capable and willing to continue on, why stop them?
At some point, the promotion, their families, or friends and peers may have to step in to keep them from hurting themselves, but given they’ve been wrestling fairly regularly over the years, should they interfere.
It’s a difficult situation to be in. In sports, the older athletes are pushed aside by younger ones that are stronger and faster. In professional wrestling (sports entertainment) they perform until people stop showing up.
Kinda makes us wonder what we can all continue doing if we put our minds to it, doesn’t it?
