In early 1986, both Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels were signed by the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as they needed young talent to replace the wrestlers that had switched to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as it was expanding towards becoming a national company. The two were paired up by the AWA bookers, Greg Gagne (son of the owner and one of the bookers) suggested the name ”The Country Rockers”, but the two of them came up with the name The Midnight Rockers inspired by Judas Priest’s ”Living after Midnight”.