Dennis Condrey, a legendary tag team wrestler and member of the Midnight Express, has died, AEW star Dax Harwood announced early Saturday morning.
He was 74.
Condrey, who began wrestling in 1973, founded the Midnight Express with Randy Rose and Norvell Austin and, years later, reformed the team in its iconic form in Mid-South with Bobby Eaton and manager Jim Cornette.
He and Rose were put back together in the AWA and managed by WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman. The team would go on to feud with Eaton and Stan Lane in WCW.
Condrey, who had more than four dozen reigns as a tag team champion in his career, wrestled for numerous promotions, including World Class Championship Wrestling, the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions during his career.
“When I think of this business as a craft, Dennis Condrey is as good as any craftsmen professional wrestling ever had,” WWE’s Nick Aldis wrote on X. “For me, pro wrestling is at it’s best when it’s a combination of technical skill, perfect timing and rugged, believable aggression; Dennis Condrey embodied that combination flawlessly.
“I can [and do] watch classic Midnight Express matches over and over again, and appreciate something I didn’t notice before every time I watch it. Nuances, details, absolute commitment to making the opponent with selling. A PHD in Pro Wrestling is available for free by watching this man work.”
Condrey had his final match in 2011 to end a long run on the independent circuit that included clashes against the legendary Rock n’ Roll Express of Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson. Condrey last appeared on television during a segment in AEW, where Harwood, tag partner Cash Wheeler and CM Punk paid tribute to him.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his wife, Theresa, and Condrey’s family with funeral costs
“Dennis Condrey is one half of the greatest tag team of all time, The Midnight Express,” Harwood wrote on the GoFundMe page. “For years, they brought excitement and entertainment to millions of people. However, as great as he was in the ring, it doesn’t hold a candle to the human being he was.”
