The first half of Kevin Sullivan’s in ring career was solid, but fairly non-descript. He was lean and muscular and was often in the mid card or in tag teams of which ever promotion he worked. In his mid thirties, Sullivan’s career did an about face with the advent of a devil worshiper gimmick that had never been done before.
With the discussion of the late Brian Pillman it is as if you remember two different wrestlers. The first was the aerial specialist who was one of the first American wrestlers to successfully adopt a high flying style that could match any Japanese performer or Luchadore spot for spot. The second was the psychotic heel character who blurred the lines between reality and fantasy.
Wrestling fans that were not exposed to promotions outside the WWE may only remember the Rock and Roll Express as a lower card tag team in brief runs in the late 90’s. Those however who saw Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson in the NWA during the 80’s saw their version of the Rock and Wrestling connection and one of the most copied tag teams of all time.