Professional wrestling star Ricky Morton has been a part of some of the nation’s top wrestling events in his career. He says Saturday night’s “Halifax County Brawl” Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling event at Halifax County High School is a must-see event for area wrestling fans. Morton, who for many years has teamed up with Robert Gibson as the iconic tag team Rock-N-Roll Express, will team up with former WWE star Matt Hardy in a tag team bout that will headline Saturday night’s event, which starts at 8 p.m.

“This is not just a wrestling show,” Morton said, “this is a special wrestling show. It’s a great honor to know that I will have Matt Hardy as my tag team partner. I’m looking so forward to getting to South Boston Saturday night and being a part of this and seeing the reaction of the fans. I hope we have a huge crowd like we had up there last year.”

Morton has a lot of respect for Hardy, who will be making his Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling debut in Saturday night’s bout, which will pit Morton and Hardy against “Mr. Mid-Atlantic” Rikki Nelson and The Barbarian.

“Matt Hardy at one time tag-teamed with his brother Jeff,” Morton pointed out.

“They did real well. I think they kind of followed the footsteps of Robert and I. What they got, they earned on their own. Those boys have worked hard for what they got.”

Proceeds from the MACW pro wrestling event at the Halifax County High School gym will help benefit the Halifax County Sheriff’s Department Crimestoppers program.

Doors will open at 7 p.m. with bell time set for 8 p.m.

Ringside seats are priced at $20 each, with general admission tickets priced at $10 each. Advance tickets are on sale at Bo’s Hydraulics in Riverdale and at the Scissor Shack on Halifax Road. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the event.

If advance tickets sell out at Bo’s Hydraulics and the Scissor Shack, plenty of tickets will be available at the door Saturday night.

The Rock-N-Roll Express tandem of Morton and Gibson have been together longer than any other professional wrestling tag team. Morton said not only are they tag-team partners, they are also great friends.

“Robert and I still wrestle together four or five nights a week,” Morton pointed out.

“I will be wrestling with him before I come to South Boston. Robert and I have been tag team partners for 30 years, longer than any tag team has been together. It’s great.”

Morton has won 79 championships in his storied career and has been a four-time NWA World Tag Team Champion as one half of the Rock-N-Roll Express tag team. The Rock-N-Roll Express also held the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, later known as the WCW World Tag Team Championship, on four occasions.

Morton calls the first championship he and Gibson won in 1985 as being the biggest accomplishment of his career. At that time, they were wrestling with promoter Jim Crockett’s NWA circuit, which became well-known as a result of its national television exposure on TBS.

The Rock-N-Roll Express had a feud going on with “The Russians” Ivan Koloff and Nakita Koloff, and took the championship away from “The Russians” in a match in Shelby, N.C.

“Robert and I started out in Memphis Tenn. as a tag team that a lot of people said would never make it,” Morton explained.

“We grew and worked hard and went into a lot of different areas and then went into the NWA. At that time, the NWA championship was the real World Tag Team Championship. It wasn’t just the tag team championship of this area. Robert and I came in and beat The Russians in 1985 in Shelby, N.C. We, at that time, were the real World Tag Team Champions. That was one of the greatest accomplishments any tag team could achieve in this business. That’s what really made us.”

At age 55, the Nashville, Tenn. native says he enjoys wrestling today as much as he ever did.

“What keeps me going is the opportunity I have now to do what I do,” Morton said.

“I thank God I’m in good enough shape to do it and that I feel good. In fact, I’m in better shape now than I was 20 years ago.

“I just love what I do,” he added.

“For as long as I can, I’m going to give it 100 percent of what I’ve got. As long as my body can take it and as long as the people ask for me, I’ll keep coming.”

Morton said he is looking forward to being in South Boston Saturday night and meeting the area’s wrestling fans.

“I enjoy it because one thing I have always done is this business is get out and talk to people,” Morton pointed out.

“At the bigger shows you’re not allowed to do that. The fans are the ones that pay to see us. I thank all of the fans out there that still remember us. Without these wrestling fans there would be no us. I try to give back to them what they have given to me. I love talking to the fans. I like shooting the breeze with them. That’s what they want to see and want to do.”