Stan Lane

In early 1987, Lane debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the new member of The Midnight Express alongside Bobby Eaton and manager Jim Cornette, after Dennis Condrey left the promotion.

In May 1987, the combination of Eaton and Lane proved to be a golden one as they won the WCW United States Tag Team Titles (a title they would win three times during their time together). A year later, the team was cheered on to victory as the Midnight Express won the WCW World Tag Team Titles from Four Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard on September 10, 1988. This feat meant that they were the first tag-team to ever hold both the WCW World Tag Team and WCW United States Tag Team Titles, a feat only the Steiner Brothers would go on to duplicate in 1991. The Express' run with the belts was a short one; they were defeated by The Road Warriors in a match that marked Hawk and Animal's first title reign.

Frustrated by their inability to win the tag belts in previous years, the Warriors and manager Paul Ellering had decided to return to their roots as violent thugs who would do anything to win. This new attitude soon paid off with a title victory over Lane and Eaton. On October 29, 1988, the Midnights' reign came to a quick and violent end in New Orleans. At the beginning of the match, Ellering brutally attacked Express manager Jim Cornette outside the ring. When Lane jumped in, the Warriors battered and bloodied Eaton, leaving Lane to fight both Hawk and Animal essentially on his own. Eaton was eventually able to tag in, but was quickly overwhelmed by Animal and pinned after a vicious clothesline.

Now fan favorites, the Midnight Express soon had to contend with a blast from the past, The Original Midnight Express as it consisted of Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose, who had teamed up before Condrey and Eaton became a team. During the November 5 episode of *WCW Saturday Night*, Jim Cornette received an anonymous phone call, as the caller ridiculed Cornette over Eaton and Lane's loss of the WCW World Tag Team Championship to The Road Warriors on October 29. Cornette recognized the caller and basically asked him to come say it to his face. At that point, Paul E. Dangerously and the Original Midnight Express hit the ring and proceeded to pummel Cornette and Stan Lane, who was wrestling in a singles match. By the time Bobby Eaton showed up, it was three on one. Cornette showed up the next week carrying his blood stained suit jacket and the feud was on.

The teams wrestled at Starrcade '88, but nothing was resolved. The Midnights versus Midnights would be the hottest feud in WCW for months, building up to a six-man tag match involving the managers on pay-per-view in February 1989. The one who got pinned would have to leave the promotion. However, at the last minute, Condrey decided to leave WCW. Jack Victory was brought in as his replacement and the match went forward, but at this point no one really cared.

Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express then left the promotion for a short while. Once Cornette and the Midnight Express returned, they began an angle with The Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace), who admitted that the Midnight Express was one of their favorite teams and asked if Cornette would be their manager as well. Cornette agreed but the Midnight Express were not happy about it at all. After arguing, Jim Cornette stopped accompanying the Express to the ring, choosing to only manage the Dudes. At the *Clash of the Champions IX*, the two teams met with Jim Cornette in a neutral corner, forced to choose between the teams. The Express started out very aggressively, especially for a team that was supposed to be fan favorites and when the night was over, the Midnight Express had once again established themselves as heels with Jim Cornette in their corner; Cornette had never stopped siding with the Express.

After their heel turn, the Midnight Express started feuding with Flyin' Brian and "Z-Man" Tom Zenk over the recently re-activated United States Tag Team Titles, winning the gold from the young team in early 1990. The Midnight Express would lose the titles to The Steiner Brothers three months later.

After appearing at Halloween Havoc 1990, the Midnight Express split up when Cornette and Lane left the promotion.

Lane debuted for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993, as a member of the WWF's broadcast team. He began as a color commentator alongside Vince McMahon on *WWF Superstars*. He then went on to become the host of *WWF Wrestling Challenge* in 1994, where he worked with Ted DiBiase and Gorilla Monsoon. Lane also did voiceover work of matches that were taped exclusively for Coliseum Video. He worked with DiBiase and Monsoon for those also, until leaving the WWF in 1995.