Bobby Eaton

At 66 years old, Bobby Eaton has this physical status:

Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton (born August 14, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler who made his debut in 1976.

He is best known for his time in tag teams, especially as the one-half of The Midnight Express.

He began working with Dennis Condy and Stan Lane later in life under Jim Cornette's leadership.

He has worked with a variety of other tag team members, including Koko B. Ware, Steve Keirn, and "Lord" Steven Regal. Eaton competed for lengthy stretches of time in various wrestling franchises: Mid-America Wrestling Association, Mid-South Wrestling Association, Mid-South Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

He has also appeared in Extreme Championship Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and a handful of other independent wrestling promotions over the years.

Early life

Eaton grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where he attended Chapman Middle School and Lee High School. He was a fan of professional wrestling, especially the NWA Mid-America promotion as a youth. Nick Gulas, who staged wrestling shows in the Alabama and Tennessee area, was behind this promotion. Eaton's first participation in the sport came at the age of 13. He helped set up wrestling rings in his hometown at the age of 13. He later trained under Tojo Yamamoto to become a professional wrestler.

Personal life

Donna (born October 2, 1963), Eaton was married to Bill Dundee's daughter Donna (born October 2, 1963). When they first started dating, they had to hide their intimate information from her father, since her father had forbidden her from seeing the wrestlers they were booking. When Dundee learned she was dating Eaton, he relented because Eaton was such a nice guy. Eaton and Donna had four children: Jason (born 1982), Dustin (born 1984), and Dylan (born 1988); Dylan is also a professional wrestler.

Donna died of breast cancer at the age of 57 in June 20, 2021.

Eaton was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack in September 2006. Eaton said in a tweet that he did not have a heart attack but was instead diagnosed with elevated blood pressure with "a hint of" diabetes. He suffered with multiple health problems, including heart disease, which required him to be hospitalized on several occasions. Eaton underwent fruitful surgery in June 2013 to introduce a pacemaker. Eaton died at his Nashville home on July 24, 2021, breaking several fingers and injuring his hip.

Eaton died in his sleep at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 4, 2021, just over a month after his wife's funeral. Taryn, his son's daughter who had just arrived in with him to monitor his health, was discovered dead.

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Professional wrestling career

Eaton made his debut in NWA Mid-America in May 1976 at the age of 17. As a last-minute replacement for Wright's ostensible opponent, he was in his first match, a loss to Bearcat Wright. He became a regular in Mid-America and began to train with the more advanced wrestlers. Fans, as well as promoter Nick Gulas, noticed Eaton's athleticism and showmanship before long. Gulas has voted to "promote" Eaton up the NWA Mid-America ranks, bringing him closer to the main event later this year. After the introduction of the tag team The Hollywood Blonds (Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts), the angle that helped lift Eaton's name up the card in the promotion was used. Eaton battled the Blonds with a combination of people, including his old trainer Yamamoto and "Pistol" Pez Whatley. Eaton was credited with the Blonds' departure from NWA Mid-America when they decided to change to a different wrestling promotion, according to the storyline.

Eaton worked with Leapin's Lanny Poffo in 1978, and the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championships from Gypsy Joe and Leroy Rochester were won together. It was Eaton's first title victory, and Poffo and Poffo kept it for just over a month. Eaton, as Nick Gulas' uncle, formed The Jet Set, a team. Eaton and Gulas won the tag team championship three times together. The two were involved in a plotline feud with Terry Gordy and Michael Hayes before Gordy and Hayes became well-known under the name The Fabulous Freebirds.

Eaton formed a feud with Chris Colt in the spring of 1979, aiming to make Eaton stand out as more than just a good tag team rival. Colt was banned from piledriving Eaton on the concrete floor, making it seem that Eaton had been seriously wounded, as the rivalry between the two teams was so tense. However, Eaton sustained no injuries. The piledriver was outlawed in most federations and viewed as a tactic that might have to paraphrase a wrestler. This was done in order to make the transfer more "shock value." Eaton triumphantly defeated Colt, earning a spot as one of the best faces (good guys) in NWA Mid-America. Eaton competed in a series of singles matches against Dennis Condy, a man he'd later team up with to gain worldwide renown.

Eaton became heel (poor guy) for the first time in his career by joining Tojo Yamamoto's team of wrestlers, who the fans feared. Although Eaton is now thought of mainly as a heel, his followers were taken aback at the time. Eaton's heeling journey didn't last long before he rescued his former Jet Set partner George Gulas (Larry Latham and Wayne Ferris) from a two-on-one assault by the Blond Bombers (Larry Latham and Wayne Ferris) from a two-on-one attack to return to his fandom once more. Eaton and Gulas had one last run with tag team champions and fought an ardent rivalry with Latham and Ferris after reuniting the team.

Eaton briefly competed for Georgia Championship Wrestling, losing the National Television Championship, as Nick Gulas' wrestling career ended due to declining ticket sales. Eaton returned closer to home after serving with promoter Jerry Jarrett's Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), which was headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Eaton appeared in tag team competitions several times during his early days in the promotion. Sweet Brown Sugar, nicknamed "the New Wave" in Eaton's most fruitful CWA, was the most fruitful collaboration in terms of title wins. The two wrestlers formed a winning team by combining their athleticism and high flying abilities. The New Wave won the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship three times (twice with new wave manager Jimmy Hart in their corner).

After achieving success as a tag team, Eaton and Sugar decided to split up and feud with each other. Due to this taleline, Eaton "forcing" Sugar out of the promotion by a Loser Leaves Town match. Sugar's disappearance was quickly followed by the discovery of a masked man named Stagger Lee, who was practically identical to Sugar. Stagger Lee was slashed in vain by Eaton and the rest of Jimmy Hart's "the First Family."

When Lee saved him from a moondog assault, he returned to the team, but Sugar continued to use the Stagger Lee gimmick. The team regained the tag team title before losing it to the Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane and Steve Keirn). Eaton then joined the Moondogs (Rex and Spot) to face Jerry Lawler and the Fabulous Ones. One of the Moondogs mistakenly hit Eaton with their trademark bone during the game, costing their team the match. The Moondogs, as well as Jimmy Hart, cracked on Eaton, bringing him down until Stagger Lee was saved.

Eaton joined Mid-South Wrestling under promoter Bill Watts, and he soon became a member of the Midnight Express. Eaton formed a new version of the tag team with former rival Dennis Condette's under Jim Cornette's leadership. The Express had previously been a group of wrestlers ranging from Condy, Randy Rose, and Norvell Austin, but the Midnight Express became exclusively a two-man unit prior to Eaton's arrival. Dennis' nicknamed "Beautiful" Bobby (a nod to the phrase "Alabama the Beautiful) to complement his name "Lover Boy" Dennis. The Express was first booked in an angle with the Mid-South Tag Team Champions Magnum T. A. and Mr. Wrestling II. Magnum T. A. tarring and feathering in the middle of the ring was the highlight of the picture. Mr. Wrestling II turned on Magnum T. A. during the championship match, allowing Eaton and Condy to win the title with no resistance.

The Midnight Express needed a new team to defend their newly won title against Mr. Wrestling II and Magnum T. A.'s split up. They began a long line of matches against The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson), which lasted well into the 1990s and spanned many wrestling competitions. Before the Midnight Express left the promotion, the two teams feuded in Mid-South Wrestling in 1984. The Midnight Express versus Rock 'n' Roll Express series of matches were so well received by the fans that independent promoters continued to book them over a three-decade span, with Eaton defeating Ricky Morton in the final match of the feud. Morton was the king of the game.

The Midnight Express endured in Texas for a brief period of time, competing mainly with the Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers).

Eaton, Condy, and Cornette were in 1985 when Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) was given national exposure on JCP's televised SuperStation TBS programs. The Midnight Express revived their rivalry with the Rock 'n' Roll Express shortly after joining JCP and captured the NWA World Tag team title from them in February 1986, just shy of their debut on the Superstation. Eaton and Condy re-lost the title to the Rock 'n' Roll Express six months later during their tense journey. The Condy, Kell Champion and Sean Royal), as well as The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk), argued for long battles with The New Breed (Chris Champion and Sean Royal). A Scaffold match at Starrcade 1986, which the Midnight Express lost, was part of the feud with the Road Warriors.

Condy left JCP early in 1987 for unethical reasons, and "Sweet" Stan Lane assumed his position as part of the Midnight Express. Eaton and Lane became champions in May 1987 after only being together for a few months, winning the NWA United States Tag team title for the first time, a tournament they would win three times during their time together. Despite being heels, the Midnight Express won the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard on September 10, 1988. This feud was cut short when Anderson & Blanchard joined the WWF over money issues. The Midnight Express's tenure in the sport lasted just over a month and a half before the Road Warriors took the gold from them in a brutal match up that saw the heel Road Warriors brutalize the now-popular Midnight Express. The Midnight Express, one of the fan favorites, was forced to contend with the Original Midnight Express, which was to be disbanded for good: the original Midnight Express, which was made up of Condy and Randy Rose, who joined JCP after a brief stint in the AWA. In a taleline in which they were attempting to show that the originals were superior to the new version, the pair was led by long-time Jim Cornette nemesis Paul E. Dangerously. The surprise appearance of the Original Midnight Express gave Dangerously's team the initial spark in the feud, but Condy left the business just as soon as. Condy's abduction cut the promising feud short, so the bookers were forced to bring in Jack Victory as a replacement.

The Midnight Express then turned their attention to Paul E.'s new team, The Samoan S.W.A.T. The Fabulous Freebirds team as well as a a new version. The Freebirds defeated Eaton and Lane in the finals of a tournament for the vacated World Tag Team Championships. Following this setback, the Midnight Express partnered with their longtime rivals, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, to defeat the SST and the Freebirds in a WarGames match at The Great American Bash. Lane and Eaton began having problems with a youth new team in the Northwest Area dubbed "the Dynamic Dudes" (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace). The Dudes announced that the Midnight Express was one of their favorite franchises and that Cornette would be their manager as well. Cornette, to the displeasure of the Midnight Express, has promised to head the young team. After arguing with the Express, Jim Cornette stopped accompanying Eaton and Lane to the Ring, opting to only properly handle the Dudes. The two teams were pushed to choose between the two teams at Clash of Champions IX, with Jim Cornette appearing in a neutral corner and being forced to choose between the teams. The Express started out very offensively, particularly for a team that was supposed to be fan favorites, and after the night, the Midnight Express had a back-and-forth with Jim Cornette in their corner; Cornette had never stopped supporting the Express.

The Midnight Express began a storyline with Flyin's up-and-coming team and "Z-Man" Tom Zenk's over the United States Tag team title after returning to their cheating ways. The Express captured the trophy from the youth team in early 1990, but they lost the belt to the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) three months later. The Midnight Express split up after Jim Cornette and Stan Lane left the team, while Eaton decided to remain in WCW after losing to WCW pay-per-view Halloween Havoc in 1990. There was no Midnight Express for the first time in nearly a decade.

Eaton was a singles competitor for the first time since 1979, and he had to fight for his first time since 1979. Brad Armstrong (whom he beat in WrestleWar '91), Ricky Morton and "Z-Man" Tom Zenk (whom he lost at Starrcade '90, but not at Clash of the Champions XIV), but not before he turned face during the early stages of 1991 that he began to rise in the rankings. Eaton first signed a two-year deal worth $170,000 a year in January 1991, according to a Wrestling Observer Newsletter article. Eaton defeated Arn Anderson to win the World Television Championship at SuperBrawl I. In a two-out-of-three falls match, Eaton's highest profile as a singles wrestler came when he took on World Heavyweight Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair at Clash of the Champions XV. In the first fall, Eaton pinned Flair to a single, but Flair was defeated to Flair two falls to one. Steve Austin, a newcomer on the World Television Championships, was short lived, losing the title to newcomer "Stunning" Steve Austin, who used his boss and Eaton's tights to win the pinfall victory. On June 29, 1991, the match was broadcast on tape delay, but Eaton was only named champion during the Top 10 rankings segment at that time.

Paul E. Dangerously established the Dangerous Alliance in 1991, a late 1990s phenomenon. Eaton joined the group after assisting Rick Rude in defeating Sting for the United States Championship, despite the fact that Dangerously had brought Rude to WCW. Eaton became allies with Rude, Larry Zbyszko, and his two former opponents for the World Television Championship in Arn Anderson and Steve Austin in joining the alliance. Anderson and Eaton became the company's tag team specialists shortly after the group was founded; Anderson was also a two-time world champion teaming with Tully Blanchard in the Four Horsemen, and also won the championships with Zbyszko earlier this year. Eaton and Anderson dominated the WCW World Tag Team Championship by defeating Ricky Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes, the team to whom Anderson and Zbyszko lost the championship, they battled off for five months before losing them to the Steiner Brothers. The Dangerous Alliance captured every major championship except the WCW World Championship, which was held by their main competitor and arch enemy Sting during 1992. In a double-ring War Games match in WrestleWar 1992, the Dangerous Alliance and Sting and friends escalated until it was decided to end it. When Sting compelled Eaton to give up after Larry Zbyszko mistakenly struck Eaton in the arm with a metal rod, the Sting's team prevailed. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gives this match a 5-star rating.

Zbyszko was kicked out of the Alliance after causing the Alliance's loss in the aftermath of the War Games match. Paul E. Dangerously left WCW shortly after the Alliance disintegrated. Since the Alliance fell apart, Eaton and Anderson joined the team, now headed by Michael Hayes, it was continued to function. Before Bill Watts, the current WCW booker, and a number of other WCW regulars were dismissed in a cost-cutting measure, Eaton and Anderson were employed in the tag team division.

When Eaton found himself without a job, he contacted former boss Jim Cornette. Cornette had started his own wrestling family, Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), and had welcomed Eaton with open arms. Eaton joined the Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard), and the three were booked as the top heels of the union for a while. Eaton also won the SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship, which was the federation's spin on the TV competition.

Eaton first toured Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in May 1993, playing with Tony Halme, Nagya Hashimoto and Masa Saito, Shinya Hashimoto, and Michiyoshi Ohara, Takayuki Iizuka, and even the Hellraisers, with the latter team, the Hellraisers, playing teams such as the Eaton and Halme, losing to the IWGP Tag Team Championships on June 14, in which Eaton and Halme, Eaton returned to Japan in January 1994, only in tag team matches against Black Cat and another against Power Warrior). Eaton, now under the name "Earl Robert Eaton," appeared in only two tag team matches in two days against Kensuke Sasaki and Osamu Nishimura, defeating the Ookami Gundan (Masahiro and Hiroyo) and another losing effort against Kensuke Sasaki and Osamu Nishimura in November 1995.

Eaton was reinstated after Bill Watts was kicked from his position in WCW in favour of Eric Bischoff in 1993. Eaton joined Benoit's first stint with WCW after being back on the roster. They were mainly used to help create new teams or give established teams grief. After Benoit left to Japan in Eaton's new venture in tag teaming under the name "Bad Attitude," he team up with Steve Keirn, formerly of the Fabulous Ones. Bad Attitude's single memorable moment together was when they were reunited as Arn Anderson turned on tag team partner Dustin Rhodes. Otherwise, the team was not well known. During this period, Eaton made a few appearances in ECW due to a talent swap deal between WCW and ECW. On May 14, 1994, he partnered with Sabu to defeat Arn Anderson and Terry Funk at the When World Collide show.

Eaton was placed with British snob Lord Steven Regal after Bad Attitude quietly ended. A series of vignettes followed, in which Regal instructed Eaton on how to be a man of distinction and sophistication. Earl Robert Eaton became Earl Robert Eaton, and the two families formed The Blue Bloods, alongside Regal. The team was initially squabbled with the Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs and Jerry Sags), who were complete opposites in terms of "sophistication" and presentation. They also feuded with Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) over the World Tag Team Championship, but not many of them took the field. During May's Slamboree, the team members made only one pay-per-view (PPV) appearance as individuals in the "Lethal Lottery." Regal took the World Television Championship later this year. Eaton was pushed out of the team, relying on his allies, wrestling Regal for the television championship on two occasions.

The WCW's booking team's last serious challenge to Eaton was represented in the Blue Bloods storyline. Eaton was simply Bobby Eaton and wrestled mainly on WCW WorldWide and at home shows, occasionally winning against wrestlers lower on the card and losing to wrestlers above him after his time with Regal and Taylor ended, while others were still struggling against wrestlers higher on the card and losing to wrestlers above him. At the WCW Power Plant, Eaton helped train wrestlers. Eaton produced motion capture for the video game WCW Mayhem in early-1999. Eaton was released from WCW in March 2000, bringing an end to the company's 15-year tenure under Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo.

Eaton began working in the independent circuit after being released from WCW. He made a brief return to ECW in July 2000. He mostly wrestled for NWA Mid-Atlantic, where he sparred with Ricky Morton until November 2000. Eaton first joined the World Wrestling Federation as a trainer for their developmental territories in January 2001. He moved to Power Pro Wrestling, which tied him with Brandon Baxter and Victoria against Bill Dundeee, Jerry Lawler, and The Kat in February 2001. However, the ferocious rivalry was cut short a month later when WWF broke away from Power Pro due to Lawler's censured promotion for the Kat's firing in late February. Power Pro will disbanded, and Eaton took on Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville. He'll also visit Heartland Wrestling Association in Cincinnati, most notable on the 2001 Brian Pillman Memorial Exhibition. He was greeted by Cornette in a Legends match against Terry Taylor as the special guest referee. Eaton would be back in 2002 when he was first announced.

Eaton returned to the independents after his WWF service, battling for IWA Mid-South and also fought for IWA Mid-South. On August 13, 2003, Eaton appeared for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) for the first time as part of a Kid Kash storyline, where Kash faced off against a line of 1980s wrestling stars like Larry Zbyszko and Ricky Morton. In his first TNA appearance, Eaton lost to Kid Kash. Eaton played in a 15-man brawl at RWC Seek 2 Destroy Cancer in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on March 19, 2016.

Eaton created Rikki Nelson, who he previously worked with in 2000, in 2003. This Midnight Express version was very short lived, and Eaton took the Midnight Express in 2004 to tour Dennis Condy (and occasionally Stan Lane). When Condy appeared in the United States for the last time until 2011, this version of the Midnight Express performed in select independent wrestling cards in the United States until 2011. Eaton lost his last match of his nearly 40-year career on October 23, 2015, losing to Ricky Morton and The Midnight Express, which brought an end to a 30-plus year feud between The Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Midnight Express. Eaton played in his last match of his nearly 40-year career on March 19, 2016, at RWC Seek 2 Destroy Cancer in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

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