The Fabulous Ones
Encyclopedia
The Fabulous Ones was a professional wrestling
Tag team
consisting of Stan Lane
and Steve Keirn
that was active between 1982 and 1987 with brief reunions during the 1990s. The Fabulous Ones competed primarily in North America
n territories such as the Continental Wrestling Association
, Florida Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling
and later on the United States Wrestling Association
. The team is considered one of the first teams to adopt the “Funloving Pretty Boy” gimmick later used by teams such as The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Fantastics and the Rockers
.
in 1981 as a face
and held both singles and tag-team gold. Stan Lane made his professional debut in 1974 and like Keirn had worked mainly in the Southern regions. Lane had come into CWA as a heel
in late 1981 but turned face in early 1982 feuding with his former manager Jimmy Hart
and his stable of wrestlers.
’s Sharp Dressed Man
and Billy Squier
’s "Everybody Wants You
" while wearing top hats, sequin tuxedos and the likes. This was one of the first times where music videos were used to get a wrestler ”over” (popular) in pro wrestling, a practice more common today. The CWA bookers also persuaded local hero The "Fabulous" Jackie Fargo
to lend his endorsement to The Fabulous Ones (earning them the nickname ”Fargo’s Fabulous Ones”), which gave the team instant credibility in the South. The original plan for the Fabulous Ones was for them to dispatch the New York Dolls, then turn heel on Lawler and Dundee and be managed by Jim Cornette
, but because of the overwhelming popularity of Lane and Keirn those plans were quickly changed.
and Rick McGraw. Hart countered the promotional push of the Fabulous Ones by producing similar videos for Graham and McGraw – dubbing them the “New York Dolls” and dressing them up in tuxedos and top hats like Lane and Keirn. The Fabulous Ones and the Dolls fought week in and week out in the Mid South Coliseum until the Fabulous Ones were able to beat the Dolls decisively. In the early days the Fabulous Ones also feuded with the original version of The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey
, Randy Rose
and Norvell Austin
) including a series of unsuccessful challenges for the Express’ Southern Tag Team Championship
. Once the Midnight Express lost their titles the Fabulous Ones started to gain victories over the trio both in regular tag and in 8 man tag team matches
On October 25, 1982 Lane and Keirn defeated Bobby Eaton
and Sweet Brown Sugar to win the Southern Tag Team Championship, the first titles that the Fabulous Ones held as a team. By this time the Fabulous Ones were a major draw in the CWA and with the Fabulous Ones holding the main tag team title in the promotion they only got more over. The Fabulous Ones’ popularity came not just from their wrestling skills but also from their charisma and sex appeal that made them especially popular with the female fans. Lane and Keirn’s first run with the titles lasted just under a month as they lost the titles to Bobby Eaton and the Dream Machine on November 22 but would regain them from the makeshift team only a week later on November 29.
and Jonathan Boyd
(The Sheepherders
) had entered the CWA in the fall of 1982 and soon came head to head with the Fabulous Ones. The Fabulous Ones / Sheepherder feud stands as one of the most memorable and bloody feuds. A feud that would rage on in several promotions between 1982 and 1987. The “pretty boy”, well polished Fabulous Ones and the ugly, brawling savage Sheepherders made for the perfect opponents and repeatedly drew big gates all over the country. The matches started out pretty evenly with the Fabulous Ones and the Sheepherders splitting the decisions but soon turned brutal and often without a definite winner. In December, 1982 the Sheepherders won the Southern Tag Team Championship from Lane and Keirn which only turned the intensity of the matches up a notch. Between late December and Mid February the two teams traded the belts back and forth 4 times with the Fabulous Ones ending up with possession of them in the end. On March 28 the Sheepherders wrestled their last match in the Mid-South Coliseum before leaving the CWA giving the Fabulous Ones (Kayfabe
) credit for running them out of Memphis.
After the feud with the Sheepherders ended the CWA sought to copy the success of that feud by having the Fabulous Ones face another team in the same mold as the Sheepherders: the Moondogs
, in this case Rex
and Spot
. On April 4 the Moondogs won the Southern tag-team title in their usual brutal fashion but were unable to keep the titles for long as the Fabulous Ones regained the titles in an equally brutal match only 3 weeks later. After disposing of the Moondogs the Fabulous Ones began to feud with a team they had faced early on in their career, Bobby Eaton and Duke Myers. Jimmy Hart’s team won the Southern Tag-Team Title but did not hold them for long before they ended up around the waist of Lane and Keirn once more. After the Fabulous Ones dropped the Southern Titles to The Grapplers (Tony Anthony
and Len Denton
) the team did not immediately regain the gold; instead, the Fabulous Ones would spend the rest of the year in the mid card until finally winning their seventh from the Bruise Brothers (Troy Graham and Porkchop Cash, not Ron and Don Harris) on November 29.
from San Antonio, Texas
. The Fabulous Ones supposedly won a tournament in Australia to become the first ever SWCW World Tag Team Champions. In reality, there was no tournament; it was just a way to reignite the feud between the Fabulous Ones and the Sheepherders who had been with the SWCW for a while. On March 4, 1984, the Sheepherders defeated the Fabulous Ones for the SWCW gold ending Keirn and Lane’s brief stay in Texas.
The Fabulous Ones wrestled in the AWA in 1984 until early 1985. Keirn and Lane had great success in the AWA feuding with wrestlers such as Jesse Ventura, Bockwinkel, Saito, Heenan, and the Road Warriors but left the promotion after the Road Warriors went against Verne Gagne's orders and did not drop the AWA world tag team titles to the Fabs when they were told to.
and King Kong Bundy
in a one night tournament to crown new Southern Tag Team Champions. Keirn and Lane soon got their revenge by winning their 8th Southern Tag Team title from Bundy and Rude on October 22. The team held on to the gold for a little over 6 weeks before losing it to the team of Don Bass and Roger Smith, also known as the Interns. On February 17, 1985 the Fabulous Ones regained the Southern Tag-Team championship from the Interns before launching into a feud with the PYT Express (Koko Ware and Norvell Austin), a team that like the Fabulous Ones played on the “Pretty Boy” gimmick. On April 15 the PYT Express won the gold through underhanded means and continued to fend off the Fabulous Ones through various “shady” tactics until they were stripped of the gold in June. After the PYT Express left the area Keirn and Lane easily won the Southern Tag Team Title once more defeating Ron Sexton and Billy Travis in a tournament final.
Next for the Fabulous Ones was the return of an old Nemesis, the Sheepherders – in this case Rip Morgan
and Jonathan Boyd teaming up as the “Kiwi Sheepherders”. Boyd and Morgan quickly made a mark on Memphis by beating the Fabulous Ones for Southern Tag Team Championship on June 17, 1985. The team was soon stripped of the titles due to excessive cheating but had the titles returned to them when Boyd and Morgan threatened to sue CWA management over the incident. Instead of taking the titles from the Sheepherders by stripping them the Fabulous Ones took the Southern tag team titles from them the old fashioned way – 4 times in a row between September 5 and October 12. The Fabulous Ones won what would turn out to be their last Southern Tag Team Championship on October 12, their 15th Southern Title all together. Few realized that an era in Memphis wrestling was ending when Bill Dundee
and Dutch Mantel
beat the Fabulous Ones for the titles on November 11.
but lost in the first round to the Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton
and Tommy Rogers
), a team that oddly enough was a carbon copy ripoff of them!. On April 20 the Fabulous Ones was part of “WrestleRock”, A stadium show held at the MetroDome in Minneapolis, MN. Keirn and Lane lost to the team of Mike Rotunda
and Barry Windham
(who previously worked as the US Express in the WWF
)
They then started working for Championship Wrestling from Florida, the territory where both men had made their debut. In a turn of events that mirrored their time with SWCW the Fabulous Ones “won” the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
in a fictitious tournament that supposedly took place in Portland, OR. Just like in the SWCW the team supposedly beat the Sheepherders in the tournament final and just like in the SWCW the Fabulous Ones immediately started feuding with the Sheepherders over the gold. On October 7 the Sheepherders ended the Fabulous Ones’ first reign with the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
and would keep them away from the Fabs until Lane and Keirn finally got the better of them on November 30 where they regained the belts. After losing the Florida US Tag Team title to Kareem Muhammad
and Hacksaw Higgins
, abandoning the Midnight Express when they were scheduled to appear at an event in Los Angeles
as he changed his plane ticket to go elsewhere in order to drop out of sight. Manager Jim Cornette
brought in a man that Bobby Eaton
was familiar with, having feuded with him extensively in Memphis – Stan Lane. When Lane joined Eaton to form the new Midnight Express it put the final nail in the coffin of the Fabulous Ones, ending their 5 year run. Keirn, meanwhile, would run a wrestling school in Florida, which he trained future superstars like Mike Awesome
, Dennis Knight
, Diamond Dallas Page
, and Dustin Rhodes, to name a few.
When Lane left World Championship Wrestling
in late 1990, he reunited with Steve Keirn, working as the Fabulous Ones in their old stomping grounds in Memphis, which was now known as the United States Wrestling Association
, where they won the tag-team titles from Tony Anthony
and Doug Gilbert
on January 7, 1991. The Fabs held on to the titles for approximately three weeks before a match against Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett
got out of control and the titles were held up. After leaving the USWA later that year, the Fabs only teamed sporadically, most notably in 1995 where the duo competed in the “Best of Memphis” Tag-Team tournament which they won by beating Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert
in the finals. Since then the Fabulous Ones only reunite on special occasions. Keirn retired from active competition in 2001, after a tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling
, while Lane retired four years later.
, a team that started out in Memphis as the "Midnight Rockers" but soon rose to national stardom first in the AWA and then in the WWF. The 1997 Extreme Championship Wrestling
comedy act team of "Dancin'" Stevie Richards
and the Blue Meanie
used numerous names, going by "the Fabulous Ones" most extensively before adding members and becoming the Blue World Order
.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
consisting of Stan Lane
Stan Lane
Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane is an American professional wrestler, trained by Ric Flair, who started wrestling in 1974 in Championship Wrestling from Florida. For a brief time in Florida, he was nicknamed Nature Boy...
and Steve Keirn
Steve Keirn
Stephen "Steve" Paul Keirn is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for being part of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, with Stan Lane, and later for a run in the World Wrestling Federation as Skinner, a gimmick that portrayed him as a tobacco spitting alligator hunter from...
that was active between 1982 and 1987 with brief reunions during the 1990s. The Fabulous Ones competed primarily in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n territories such as the Continental Wrestling Association
Continental Wrestling Association
The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
, Florida Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling
Southwest Championship Wrestling
Southwest Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joseph Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company.-Venues:...
and later on the United States Wrestling Association
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
. The team is considered one of the first teams to adopt the “Funloving Pretty Boy” gimmick later used by teams such as The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Fantastics and the Rockers
The Rockers
The Rockers were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty that teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Federation, Continental Wrestling Association and the World...
.
History
Steve Keirn made his professional wrestling debut in 1972, working mostly in the Southern territories of the United States. Keirn often found himself working as a tag-team, most notably alongside Mike Graham in Championship Wrestling from Florida. Keirn had joined the Continental Wrestling AssociationContinental Wrestling Association
The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
in 1981 as a face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and held both singles and tag-team gold. Stan Lane made his professional debut in 1974 and like Keirn had worked mainly in the Southern regions. Lane had come into CWA as a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
in late 1981 but turned face in early 1982 feuding with his former manager Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Hart
James "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
and his stable of wrestlers.
Coming Together
Steve Keirn and Stan Lane were first brought together in early 1982. Lawler and Jarrett decided to give the two ”Pretty boys” a big push right off the bat, shooting a couple of music videos starring Lane and Keirn set to ZZ TopZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
’s Sharp Dressed Man
Sharp Dressed Man
"Sharp Dressed Man" is a song performed by ZZ Top from their album Eliminator released in 1983. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning....
and Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
’s "Everybody Wants You
Everybody Wants You
"Everybody Wants You" is a song written and performed by American rock singer and guitarist Billy Squier. It appeared as the first track of his 1982 album Emotions in Motion, and was released as the first single from that album, reaching number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
" while wearing top hats, sequin tuxedos and the likes. This was one of the first times where music videos were used to get a wrestler ”over” (popular) in pro wrestling, a practice more common today. The CWA bookers also persuaded local hero The "Fabulous" Jackie Fargo
Jackie Fargo
Henry Faggart, known by his ringname Jackie Fargo, is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
to lend his endorsement to The Fabulous Ones (earning them the nickname ”Fargo’s Fabulous Ones”), which gave the team instant credibility in the South. The original plan for the Fabulous Ones was for them to dispatch the New York Dolls, then turn heel on Lawler and Dundee and be managed by Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
, but because of the overwhelming popularity of Lane and Keirn those plans were quickly changed.
Rising to the top
Their first feud was against Jimmy Hart’s team of “Dream Machine” Troy GrahamTroy Graham
Troy Rolland Thompson , was an American professional wrestler known as Dream Machine and Troy Graham.-Career:...
and Rick McGraw. Hart countered the promotional push of the Fabulous Ones by producing similar videos for Graham and McGraw – dubbing them the “New York Dolls” and dressing them up in tuxedos and top hats like Lane and Keirn. The Fabulous Ones and the Dolls fought week in and week out in the Mid South Coliseum until the Fabulous Ones were able to beat the Dolls decisively. In the early days the Fabulous Ones also feuded with the original version of The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey is an American professional wrestler, best known as being one half of the tag team Midnight Express....
, Randy Rose
Randy Rose
"Ravishing" Randy Rose is a professional wrestler.-Career:Randy Rose competed in 1981 in Alabama's Southeast Championship Wrestling and formed The Midnight Express with Dennis Condrey and Norvell Austin. They dominated the tag team scene there until Condrey signed with Mid-South Wrestling in 1984...
and Norvell Austin
Norvell Austin
Norvell Austin is a retired American professional wrestler who made his debut in the late 1960s. Austin worked for most of his career in the Southern United States, most often in tag team competition. Norvell Austin is most famous for teaming with Sputnik Monroe in one of the first "mixed races"...
) including a series of unsuccessful challenges for the Express’ Southern Tag Team Championship
AWA Southern Tag Team Championship
The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
. Once the Midnight Express lost their titles the Fabulous Ones started to gain victories over the trio both in regular tag and in 8 man tag team matches
On October 25, 1982 Lane and Keirn defeated Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
and Sweet Brown Sugar to win the Southern Tag Team Championship, the first titles that the Fabulous Ones held as a team. By this time the Fabulous Ones were a major draw in the CWA and with the Fabulous Ones holding the main tag team title in the promotion they only got more over. The Fabulous Ones’ popularity came not just from their wrestling skills but also from their charisma and sex appeal that made them especially popular with the female fans. Lane and Keirn’s first run with the titles lasted just under a month as they lost the titles to Bobby Eaton and the Dream Machine on November 22 but would regain them from the makeshift team only a week later on November 29.
Legendary Rivalry
After dealing with Jimmy Hart’s stable the Fabulous Ones suddenly got a whole different team challenging them for the gold. Luke WilliamsBrian Wickens
Brian Wickens is a professional wrestler best known as Luke Williams, one half of the tag team known as "The Sheepherders" on the independent scene and in the National Wrestling Alliance and as The Bushwhackers in the WWF.-Career:Luke Williams started wrestling for NWA New Zealand in 1964...
and Jonathan Boyd
Jonathan Boyd
Jonathan Barry Boyle was an Australian professional wrestler who is known worldwide under the name "Lord" Jonathan Boyd. Initially Boyd competed both in North American and international promotions as part of the Royal Kangaroos with his cousin Norman Frederick Charles III...
(The Sheepherders
The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers were a professional wrestling tag team that also competed as The Sheepherders during their long career. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions as well as a nearly 40 year run on the independent wrestling circuit...
) had entered the CWA in the fall of 1982 and soon came head to head with the Fabulous Ones. The Fabulous Ones / Sheepherder feud stands as one of the most memorable and bloody feuds. A feud that would rage on in several promotions between 1982 and 1987. The “pretty boy”, well polished Fabulous Ones and the ugly, brawling savage Sheepherders made for the perfect opponents and repeatedly drew big gates all over the country. The matches started out pretty evenly with the Fabulous Ones and the Sheepherders splitting the decisions but soon turned brutal and often without a definite winner. In December, 1982 the Sheepherders won the Southern Tag Team Championship from Lane and Keirn which only turned the intensity of the matches up a notch. Between late December and Mid February the two teams traded the belts back and forth 4 times with the Fabulous Ones ending up with possession of them in the end. On March 28 the Sheepherders wrestled their last match in the Mid-South Coliseum before leaving the CWA giving the Fabulous Ones (Kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
) credit for running them out of Memphis.
After the feud with the Sheepherders ended the CWA sought to copy the success of that feud by having the Fabulous Ones face another team in the same mold as the Sheepherders: the Moondogs
Moondogs
The Moondogs were a professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation and in two Memphis promotions: the Continental Wrestling Association and the United States Wrestling Association...
, in this case Rex
Randy Colley
Randy Colley is a retired professional wrestler better known as Moondog Rex.-Professional wrestlling career:Colley competed in the World Wrestling Federation, where in 1981 he won the WWF Tag Team Championship with Moondog King as the Moondogs...
and Spot
Larry Latham (wrestler)
Larry Booker was a professional wrestler best known as Larry Latham, Iss Spot and Moondog Spot.-Career:...
. On April 4 the Moondogs won the Southern tag-team title in their usual brutal fashion but were unable to keep the titles for long as the Fabulous Ones regained the titles in an equally brutal match only 3 weeks later. After disposing of the Moondogs the Fabulous Ones began to feud with a team they had faced early on in their career, Bobby Eaton and Duke Myers. Jimmy Hart’s team won the Southern Tag-Team Title but did not hold them for long before they ended up around the waist of Lane and Keirn once more. After the Fabulous Ones dropped the Southern Titles to The Grapplers (Tony Anthony
Tony Anthony
Darrell W. "Tony" Anthony is a semi-retired American professional wrestler best known as Dirty White Boy, who wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States...
and Len Denton
Len Denton
Len Denton is a semi-retired professional wrestler, best known by his ring name The Grappler.While wrestling as The Grappler in Pacific Northwest Wrestling , his gimmick was a loaded boot, and later a loaded mask, which he had started wearing earlier in his career after losing a hair match and...
) the team did not immediately regain the gold; instead, the Fabulous Ones would spend the rest of the year in the mid card until finally winning their seventh from the Bruise Brothers (Troy Graham and Porkchop Cash, not Ron and Don Harris) on November 29.
Going to Texas
Around the turn of the year the Fabulous Ones and the CWA parted ways with the duo looking to cash in their success in other territories. The first place the Fabulous Ones show up after leaving Memphis is in Southwest Championship WrestlingSouthwest Championship Wrestling
Southwest Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joseph Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company.-Venues:...
from San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. The Fabulous Ones supposedly won a tournament in Australia to become the first ever SWCW World Tag Team Champions. In reality, there was no tournament; it was just a way to reignite the feud between the Fabulous Ones and the Sheepherders who had been with the SWCW for a while. On March 4, 1984, the Sheepherders defeated the Fabulous Ones for the SWCW gold ending Keirn and Lane’s brief stay in Texas.
The Fabulous Ones wrestled in the AWA in 1984 until early 1985. Keirn and Lane had great success in the AWA feuding with wrestlers such as Jesse Ventura, Bockwinkel, Saito, Heenan, and the Road Warriors but left the promotion after the Road Warriors went against Verne Gagne's orders and did not drop the AWA world tag team titles to the Fabs when they were told to.
Welcome Home
After failing to catch on in Texas and leaving the AWA, the Fabulous Ones returned ”home” to Memphis and were immediately thrust into the tag team title chase. On October 8 the Fabs defeated first the Nightmares then the Dirty White Boys before losing to Rick RudeRichard Rood
Richard Erwin Rood , better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation , in the 1980s and 1990s.Among other accolades, Rude was a four-time world...
and King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
in a one night tournament to crown new Southern Tag Team Champions. Keirn and Lane soon got their revenge by winning their 8th Southern Tag Team title from Bundy and Rude on October 22. The team held on to the gold for a little over 6 weeks before losing it to the team of Don Bass and Roger Smith, also known as the Interns. On February 17, 1985 the Fabulous Ones regained the Southern Tag-Team championship from the Interns before launching into a feud with the PYT Express (Koko Ware and Norvell Austin), a team that like the Fabulous Ones played on the “Pretty Boy” gimmick. On April 15 the PYT Express won the gold through underhanded means and continued to fend off the Fabulous Ones through various “shady” tactics until they were stripped of the gold in June. After the PYT Express left the area Keirn and Lane easily won the Southern Tag Team Title once more defeating Ron Sexton and Billy Travis in a tournament final.
Next for the Fabulous Ones was the return of an old Nemesis, the Sheepherders – in this case Rip Morgan
Rip Morgan
Mike Morgan is a former professional wrestler from New Zealand who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling best known as Rip Morgan. Best known as one half of the New Zealand Militia in WCW with Jack Victory...
and Jonathan Boyd teaming up as the “Kiwi Sheepherders”. Boyd and Morgan quickly made a mark on Memphis by beating the Fabulous Ones for Southern Tag Team Championship on June 17, 1985. The team was soon stripped of the titles due to excessive cheating but had the titles returned to them when Boyd and Morgan threatened to sue CWA management over the incident. Instead of taking the titles from the Sheepherders by stripping them the Fabulous Ones took the Southern tag team titles from them the old fashioned way – 4 times in a row between September 5 and October 12. The Fabulous Ones won what would turn out to be their last Southern Tag Team Championship on October 12, their 15th Southern Title all together. Few realized that an era in Memphis wrestling was ending when Bill Dundee
Bill Dundee
William "Bill" Cruickshanks is a Scottish born-Australian professional wrestler better known by his stage name Bill Dundee. Cruickshanks is the father of Jamie Dundee and the father-in-law of wrestler Bobby Eaton....
and Dutch Mantel
Dutch Mantel
Wayne Keown is an American professional wrestler, and author better known by his ring name, Dutch Mantel or Dutch Mantell. He currently is semi-retired but still makes occasional wrestling appearances. He was previously with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a writer behind the scenes...
beat the Fabulous Ones for the titles on November 11.
Life after Memphis
On April 19, 1986 the Fabulous Ones participated in the first ever Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup held in the New Orleans, LA SuperdomeLouisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
but lost in the first round to the Fantastics
Fantastics
The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise...
(Bobby Fulton
James Hines
James Hines is a professional wrestler better known as Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics.-Career:James Hines started wrestling as a 16 year old in 1977 as Jimmy Hines....
and Tommy Rogers
Thomas Couch
Thomas R. Couch is a professional wrestler better known as Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics.-Career:Couch started wrestling in 1980 as Tommy Rogers in North Carolina...
), a team that oddly enough was a carbon copy ripoff of them!. On April 20 the Fabulous Ones was part of “WrestleRock”, A stadium show held at the MetroDome in Minneapolis, MN. Keirn and Lane lost to the team of Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
and Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
(who previously worked as the US Express in the WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
)
They then started working for Championship Wrestling from Florida, the territory where both men had made their debut. In a turn of events that mirrored their time with SWCW the Fabulous Ones “won” the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
The Florida version of the United States Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team championship. The title was defended sporadically in the National Wrestling Alliance affiliated Championship Wrestling from Florida from 1961 to 1962, 1978 to 1980, and then 1983 until 1986...
in a fictitious tournament that supposedly took place in Portland, OR. Just like in the SWCW the team supposedly beat the Sheepherders in the tournament final and just like in the SWCW the Fabulous Ones immediately started feuding with the Sheepherders over the gold. On October 7 the Sheepherders ended the Fabulous Ones’ first reign with the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
The Florida version of the United States Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team championship. The title was defended sporadically in the National Wrestling Alliance affiliated Championship Wrestling from Florida from 1961 to 1962, 1978 to 1980, and then 1983 until 1986...
and would keep them away from the Fabs until Lane and Keirn finally got the better of them on November 30 where they regained the belts. After losing the Florida US Tag Team title to Kareem Muhammad
Ray Candy
Ray Canty , known by the ring name Ray Candy, was an American professional wrestler for the Jim Crockett Promotions and various other regional wrestling territories...
and Hacksaw Higgins
One last trip to Memphis
After dropping the Florida titles and the promotion folding briefly Keirn and Lane returned to the territory that they were most successful in, Memphis. In Memphis they once again became entangled in a feud with the Sheeperhders in a rivalry that up until this point seemed like it would never end. In what would turn out to the last series of matches between the Sheepherders and the Fabulous Ones the Fabs dominated the matches and once again “Ran off” the Sheepherders. The feud with the Sheepherders turned out to be the last moment of glory for the Fabulous Ones as their 5 year run together was about to come to an end.Break up and beyond
Early in 1987 Dennis Condrey left Jim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
, abandoning the Midnight Express when they were scheduled to appear at an event in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
as he changed his plane ticket to go elsewhere in order to drop out of sight. Manager Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
brought in a man that Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
was familiar with, having feuded with him extensively in Memphis – Stan Lane. When Lane joined Eaton to form the new Midnight Express it put the final nail in the coffin of the Fabulous Ones, ending their 5 year run. Keirn, meanwhile, would run a wrestling school in Florida, which he trained future superstars like Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso , better known by his ring name Mike Awesome, was an American professional wrestler best known in America for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and in World Wrestling Federation and also in Japan for his work with Frontier Martial-Arts...
, Dennis Knight
Dennis Knight
Dennis Knight is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment as Phineas I. Godwinn and Mideon.-Career:...
, Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
, and Dustin Rhodes, to name a few.
When Lane left World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
in late 1990, he reunited with Steve Keirn, working as the Fabulous Ones in their old stomping grounds in Memphis, which was now known as the United States Wrestling Association
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
, where they won the tag-team titles from Tony Anthony
Tony Anthony
Darrell W. "Tony" Anthony is a semi-retired American professional wrestler best known as Dirty White Boy, who wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States...
and Doug Gilbert
Doug Gilbert
Doug Gilbert is a professional wrestler from Memphis, Tennessee who wrestles on the independent circuit. He is the brother of "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and the son of wrestler/referee/promoter Tommy Gilbert....
on January 7, 1991. The Fabs held on to the titles for approximately three weeks before a match against Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
got out of control and the titles were held up. After leaving the USWA later that year, the Fabs only teamed sporadically, most notably in 1995 where the duo competed in the “Best of Memphis” Tag-Team tournament which they won by beating Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert
Doug Gilbert
Doug Gilbert is a professional wrestler from Memphis, Tennessee who wrestles on the independent circuit. He is the brother of "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and the son of wrestler/referee/promoter Tommy Gilbert....
in the finals. Since then the Fabulous Ones only reunite on special occasions. Keirn retired from active competition in 2001, after a tour with New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
, while Lane retired four years later.
Innovators and imitators
The Fabulous Ones have often been credited with being the innovators of the "Pretty Boy" gimmick for tag teams and one of the first teams to popularize the use of music videos to help make them popular. With the success of the Fabulous Ones it wasn't long before promoters all over the country started to imitate their formula; even the Memphis promoters used the formula again and again with success. The first team to really use the Fabulous Ones' formula was The Rock 'n' Roll Express, a fact admitted to by Jerry Lawler, and later on The Fantastics (who were originally billed as "The Fantastic Ones). Other teams have used the "fun loving pretty boy" gimmick but none more successfully than The RockersThe Rockers
The Rockers were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty that teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Federation, Continental Wrestling Association and the World...
, a team that started out in Memphis as the "Midnight Rockers" but soon rose to national stardom first in the AWA and then in the WWF. The 1997 Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
comedy act team of "Dancin'" Stevie Richards
Stevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
and the Blue Meanie
Brian Heffron
Brian Heffron is a professional wrestler and actor better known as The Blue Meanie or Da Blue Guy.-Early career:...
used numerous names, going by "the Fabulous Ones" most extensively before adding members and becoming the Blue World Order
Blue World Order
The Blue World Order was a stable of professional wrestlers formed at Extreme Championship Wrestling's November to Remember 1996 event at the ECW Arena...
.
In wrestling
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Jackie FargoJackie FargoHenry Faggart, known by his ringname Jackie Fargo, is a retired American professional wrestler who competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
- Jim CornetteJim CornetteJames Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
- Jackie Fargo
Championships and accomplishments
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (2 times)
- Continental Wrestling AssociationContinental Wrestling AssociationThe Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
- AWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipAWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
(15 times) - CWA World Tag Team ChampionshipCWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe CWA World Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association. It lasted from 1980 through 1983.-Title history:-References:*...
(2 times)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked the Fabulous Ones # 28 of the best tag teams during the "PWI Years".
- Southwest Championship WrestlingSouthwest Championship WrestlingSouthwest Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Joseph Blanchard and based in San Antonio, Texas, from 1978 to 1985, when it was purchased by Texas All-Star Wrestling and absorbed into that company.-Venues:...
- SWCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- United States Wrestling AssociationUnited States Wrestling AssociationThe United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
- USWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- 1995 “Best of Memphis” Tag-Team tournament winners