- Dennis Condrey
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Dennis Condrey 
Ring name(s) Dennis Condrey Billed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Billed weight 260 lb (120 kg) Born February 1, 1952
Florence, AlabamaResides Jay, Vermont Debut 1973 Dennis Condrey (born February 1, 1952 in Florence, Alabama) is an American professional wrestler, best known as being one half of the tag team Midnight Express.[1] He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment as a trainer for Florida Championship Wrestling.
Contents
Career
Dennis Condrey started wrestling in 1973 in the Tennessee area. He moved on to Alabama's Southeast Championship Wrestling and formed the Midnight Express in 1981 with Randy Rose and Norvell Austin.[1] They dominated the tag team scene there until Condrey left for Mid-South wrestling in 1984. Once there, he formed a new version of the Midnight Express with Bobby Eaton with Jim Cornette as their manager.[1] They also started a legendary feud with the Rock 'n' Roll Express that carried over into the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985.
In early 1986, Condrey and Eaton won the NWA World Tag Team Titles from the Rock 'n' Roll Express and feuded with them until Condrey left the promotion in early 1987. He literally left overnight, giving no notice to Cornette, Eaton, or the NWA.[2]
Condrey would reunite with former partner Randy Rose in the AWA under manager Paul E. Dangerously. "Loverboy" Dennis and "Ravishing" Randy called themselves "The Original Midnight Express", and claimed the right to the name, which had since been used by Condrey and Eaton (and later by "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton and "Sweet" Stan Lane) in the NWA.[1]
They would defeat Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee for the AWA World Tag Team titles on October 26, 1987, in Memphis, TN. They would have a two month title reign, losing the titles to the returning Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) on December 27, 1987 in Las Vegas, Nevada.[3]
At the request of Cornette, because his team of Eaton and Lane didn't have a program after their feud with the Road Warriors ended, convinced head booker Dusty Rhodes to give Condrey a second chance with Randy Rose and Dangerously in a "Midnight vs. Midnight" feud. Condrey and Rose resurfaced in the NWA (with Dangerously) in November 1988. During the November 5 episode of World Championship Wrestling, Jim Cornette received an anonymous phone call. The caller ridiculed Cornette over Eaton and Lane's loss of the NWA World Tag Team titles to the Road Warriors on October 29. Cornette recognized the caller and basically asked him to come say it to his face. At that point, Dangerously and the Original Midnight Express hit the ring and proceeded to pummel Cornette and Stan Lane, who was wrestling in a singles match. By the time Bobby Eaton showed up, it was three on one. Cornette showed up the next week on TBS carrying his blood stained suit jacket and the feud was on.
The teams wrestled at Starrcade '88, but nothing was solved.[4] The Midnights vs. Midnights would be the hottest feud in the NWA for months, building up to a 6-man tag match involving the managers on pay-per-view in February 1989. The one who got pinned would have to leave the promotion. However, due to changes in ownership, the NWA was going through booking upheaval with Dusty Rhodes being replaced as head booker by George Scott. Jim Crockett already had a problem with Condrey due to his previous overnight disappearance and Scott had previous animosity with Rose, so Scott's appearance as top booker made for the catalyst to bury the team and the feud. The feud was cooled off and the "loser leaves town" match was going to be used to kick one of them out of the territory once and for all and continue to bury the other. At the last minute, Dennis Condrey once again decided to leave the NWA, rather than take his PPV payoff and give Crockett and Scott the satisfaction. Jack Victory was brought in as his replacement and the match went forward.
Condrey returned to Alabama (now known as Continental) in the Spring of 1989 and would become the CWF Heavyweight Champion. He would also form a short-lived tag team called the "Lethal Weapons" with Doug Gilbert before retiring from full-time action in the early 1990s.
Condrey came back to team with Eaton in 2004 and,[5] along with Stan Lane, they have been wrestling as the Midnight Express in the independents and feuding with the Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Fantastics.
Condrey signed to World Wrestling Entertainment in March 2010 as a developmental trainer.[6] He was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling and works with the rookies on the NXT roster.
In wrestling
- Finishing maneuvers
- Signature moves
- Nicknames
- "Loverboy"
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Randy Rose
- Continental Wrestling Federation
- CWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
-
- ICW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Doug Gilbert
- International Wrestling Cartel
- IWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Eaton [9]
- Mid-South Wrestling Association
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bobby Eaton
- NWA Bluegrass
- NWA Bluegrass Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Bobby Eaton
- NWA Mid-America / Continental Wrestling Association
- AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (9 times) – with Phil Hickerson (5), Don Carson (1), David Shultz (1), and Randy Rose (2)
- NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Phil Hickerson
- NWA Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Al Greene & Phil Hickerson (1), and Tojo Yamamoto & Chris Colt (1)
- NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship (Alabama version) (1 time)
- NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship (Alabama version) (1 time) – with Joe Turner
- NWA World Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- NWA Wrestle Birmingham
- NWA Wrestle Birmingham Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Wrestle Birmingham Television Championship (1 time)
- Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time)
- NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (15 times) – with Randy Rose (10), David Shultz (1), Don Carson (1), and Phil Hickerson (3)
- Windy City Wrestling
- WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Randy Rose[10]
- World Class Championship Wrestling
- NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Eaton
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 219 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- PWI ranked him # 21 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Bobby Eaton in 2003.
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Tag Team of the Year (1986) with Bobby Eaton
- Hall of Fame (Class of 2009) with Bobby Eaton as the Midnight Express
References
- ^ a b c d "Midnight Express FAQ". http://www.wrestleview.com/info/faq/midnightexpress.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ "Midnight Express Profile". http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/m/midnight-express.html. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ "American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title". http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-t.html. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ "Starrcade". http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wcw/starrcad.html#88. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ "Ring of Honor - The Midnight Express Reunion". http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/roh/041002.html. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^ "WWE signs Dennis Condrey". http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/12609/. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
- ^ a b "Jim Cornette". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/columns/managerscorner/01.html. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ "Jimmy Hart profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/j/jimmy-hart.html. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ "Independent Wrestling Results – December 2004". onlineworldofwrestling.com. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/other/2004-12.html. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (4th Edition 2000). Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
External links
Categories:- 1952 births
- American professional wrestlers
- Living people
- People from Florence, Alabama
- Sportspeople from Alabama
- The First Family (professional wrestling) members
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