The Rock 'n' Roll Express to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- WWE has announced that '80s tag team The Rock 'n' Roll Express consisting of Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Known for their flashy, double-team in-ring style, The Rock 'n' Roll Express were one of the most popular acts in the National Wrestling Alliance throughout the 1980s. winning the NWA World Tag Team Championships eight times.

Throughout their career, Morton and Gibson competed all over the world starting in fellow Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler's Memphis-based territory and then onto multiple NWA-affiliated territories, the AWA, Smoky Mountain Wrestling and then in a series of appearances with the WWE in the 1990s.

The Rock 'n' Roll Express famously feuded with rivals The Midnight Express consisting of "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton and "Loverboy" Dennis Condrey, along with loudmouth manager Jim Cornette. Other notable opponents included The Four Horsemen, The Russian Team and wrestling icon "Macho Man" Randy Savage and his brother Lanny Poffo.

"With long, flowing hair and bandanas adorning their flashy ring gear, The Rock 'n' Roll Express were true rock stars stepping into battle inside the squared circle," WWE said of the tag team in a statement.

"The Rock 'N' Roll Express are one of the greatest, most charismatic tag teams in our industry. Welcome to the #WWEHOF! #TellEmHoot," WWE COO and and part-time competitor Triple H wrote on Twitter Monday congratulating the pair alongside a photo of Morton and Gibson working together inside the ring.

Morton and Gibson said they were surprised to get the call about being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"When they called, it was just like a suckerpunch. It just knocked us off our feet," Morton told CBS Sports. "It's an honor for Ricky and me to go into the hall of fame," Gibson added.

The Rock 'n' Roll Express are the second inductees announced for WWE's Hall of Fame class of 2017 following Olympic gold medalist and former World Champion Kurt Angle. They will be honored March 31 at the Amway Center in Orlando during WrestleMania week.