Friend Encounters: Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson and John

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

With the goal of keeping St. Louis wrestling memories alive, Herb Simmons is the promoter of Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling. One of the highlights of the year is the SICW FanFest.

My schedule finally alowed me to attend the FanFest earlier this year. It started with a Bill Apter Q&A on Friday night. Saturday morning and afternoon had a meet and greet with about 25 wrestling legends. A full wrestling card on Saturday night fnished the event with a bang.

My pal JD is a regular attendee at the FanFest. JD is another of my convention pals. Although our connection is usually limited to conventions, it is always fun seeing him. We catch up and compare notes about whatever convention we're attending and future ones.

At SICW, JD met the Rock and Roll Express. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were one of the best tagteams ever. Although they didn't wrestle much in the biggest companies, they were still one of the most well-known and popular teams. 

Go to sicw.org for more info on the company and FenFest. I hope to see you there next year.

Ricky Morton, John and Robert Gibson in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Friend Encounters: The Rock N Roll Express and Troy

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

Some would say it isn't rock and roll unless Troy is there. I cannot disagree. Neither can Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton. Clearly Troy would fit right in with the legendary Rock 'N' Roll Express tag team. 

Troy got to hang with Morton and Gibson, but he didn't actually get in the ring with them at Squared Circle Expo earlier this year. Actually, Troy got to hang with a lot of great wrestlers there, when he wasn't working there, of course. Troy is one of several diligent folks who make SCX the best wrestling convention. With four SCX events completed, there have been a couple hundred wrestling legends and stars in their lineup. That's in addition to full wrestling cards each night, quality vendors, panels, Q&As and much more. Plus, you get to meet Troy.

Meanwhile the Rock 'N' Roll express seems to be winding down their Hall of Fame careers, but never say retire. Though older and slower, these guys can still go in the ring and entertain all. They were very popular with the SCX attendees.

For more info, go to SquaredCircleX.com. I'll be there as always. When you see Troy, ask for a selfie.

Ricky Morton, Troy and Robert Gibson in Chillicothe, OH-March 2024.

Rock N Roll Express at Days of the Dead Chicago 2017

With Days of the Dead Indianapolis 2018 starting tomorrow and running through Sunday, I am featuring some of the great memories I have from the many years I have attended DotD in several cities. I am certain I will make more fantastic memories this year.

The Rock 'n' Roll Express is one of the most successful and popular tag teams in wrestling history. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson comprise this Hall of Fame duo.

They have been together since 1983, when Jerry Lawler put them together to wrestle when the Fantastic Ones (a popular team at the time) couldn't make a show. The Rock 'n' Roll Express soon became hugely popular. A great rivalry was born when the Rock 'n' Roll Express battled the Midnight Express.

I have met Morton and Gibson several times, but none was as fun as when I met them at DotD last year. DotD is a little less "tightly structured" than other similar conventions. This allows for more and better fan interaction and the RnR Express was definitely up for fan interaction. These guys were great.

We talked about the Hall of Fame and their career in general. They seemed genuinely happy to be at DotD and extremely proud of what they have accomplished together.

This is just another example of the quality and variety of guests the folks at DotD has on their celebrity roster. I have often written about the small backlash about wrestlers from hardcore horror fans, but the long lines and hundreds of satisfied fans prove the demand is there. Kudos to Adolfo and his crew for pushing forward and going with what they know.

For more information on all of the DotD events, check out DaysoftheDead.com. I'll be "On the Beat" as usual and I hope to see many of my friends there!

Ricky Morton, me and Robert Gibson in Schaumburg, IL-November 2017.