PWR Spotlight - Rivaliries: The Fantastics vs. The Midnight Express

·1 hr 16 min·5 clips

A wrestling contract is signed as irrevocable, setting the stage for a brutal steel chair attack on the Fantastics.

This episode of the PWR podcast is a dedicated 'Rivalries' edition examining the tag team feud between The Fantastics and The Midnight Express. The hosts, Professor Chabelo Veracruz and Tommy Wonder, structure the discussion around five specific matches they selected for the episode. They begin by referencing a dramatic contract signing and subsequent violent attack from Mid-South television to set the stage for the rivalry's intensity. The conversation then shifts to broader themes, including a critique of modern wrestling audiences compared to the unified, rabid crowds of the 1980s territories. A significant portion is dedicated to analyzing why this particular rivalry was special, emphasizing that the teams consistently produced different match finishes across different territories like Oklahoma City, Texas's Sportatorium, and NWA events, which showed they didn't 'phone it in.' The hosts compare the different lineups of The Midnight Express, with Tommy Wonder strongly favoring the 'Sweet' Stan Lane and 'Beautiful' Bobby Eaton version for their matching gear, smooth teamwork, and Lane's charisma. They also discuss The Fantastics' origins as a take on The Fabulous Ones and debate the teams' appeal and in-ring styles. Personal anecdotes are woven throughout, including a story about meeting Bobby Fulton and a heartfelt segment where Tommy Wonder asks for prayers for his friend Jeff Cavanaugh, who is battling stage four cancer. The match analysis covers specific finishes like a chain spot in Oklahoma, a tennis racket-assisted win in World Class, and the rocket launcher finish in a 1988 NWA match. The episode concludes with the hosts advocating for Ringside Collectibles to produce action figures of these classic tag teams and previewing a future episode on TNA's Bully Ray heel turn.

As heard by us

A contract signing turns into a chair-shot history lesson in tag-team grudges.

The episode follows the Fantastics and the Midnight Express through a contract signing that quickly turns into mayhem. Once the match is made official, Bobby Eaton brings in the steel chair and the Fantastics are left with crimson masks and a mess in the ring.

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Why you'd press play

You get a Fantastics vs. Midnight Express contract signing that turns into chair-swinging wreckage.

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