Smoky Mountain Wrestling

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling
AcronymSMW
FoundedOctober 30, 1991
DefunctDecember 1, 1995
StyleRasslin'
HeadquartersKnoxville, Tennessee
Morristown, Tennessee
Founder(s)Jim Cornette
Sandy Scott
Owner(s)Jim Cornette
ParentWWE
(WWE Libraries)
SuccessorNWA Smoky Mountain (unofficial)

Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a

professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee
.

History and overview

Formation

Cornette formed the promotion in October 1991 upon leaving

The Fantastics; the match would air on May 9, 1992.[3]

Territorial reach

Cornette had initially envisioned a territory reaching from Kentucky into as far as South Carolina and Georgia. Though they did eventually run events over that large of a region, including a few shows at the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia, the promotion's biggest towns included Knoxville, Tennessee, and Johnson City, Tennessee. SMW event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.[4][5][6][7]

In 1993, Smoky Mountain Wrestling signed deals with

The Steiner Brothers for the WWF Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam 1993,[10][11] and then defeating The Rock 'n' Roll Express at Survivor Series 1993 for the SMW Tag Team Championship.[12][13]

Notable talent

The promotion featured a number of wrestlers who were regulars in the Southeastern wrestling scene including

Bob Holly,[15] New Jack, Al Snow,[16] Balls Mahoney, Chris Jericho,[17] Glenn Jacobs (then known as Unabomb, later better known under the ring name Kane),[18] Lance Storm,[17] Chris Candido,[19] Tammy Lynn Sytch,[19] Brian Girard James (B.G. James / Road Dogg) and D'Lo Brown, but ultimately, like most independents, was not financially successful. Cornette eventually signed a working agreement with the World Wrestling Federation
to trade talent, manage and serve as an on-air talent for that company.

Brian Hildebrand was a Smoky Mountain mainstay, occupying such myriad roles as Head of Merchandise, referee (under his alter ego Mark Curtis) and sound director.

Style and controversy

Cornette, a traditionalist, catered to fans that

promos about activist Medgar Evers, while also using fried chicken and watermelon as props. The gimmick, among other things, led to the end of the friendship between Cornette and Mark Madden and their ongoing feud to this day, as Madden--who at the time was coming off the heels of getting Bill Watts fired from WCW after informing Hank Aaron of Watts' employment within the Turner Broadcasting System following publications of controversial comments made by Watts--had called the Gangstas gimmick racist.[20][21]
The promotion also caused controversy when they gave Chris Powers "The StormTrooper" gimmick, whose uniform, including mask were emblazoned with Swastikas, and upon entering the ring, would raise their arm to the crowd.

National Wrestling Alliance

The promotion had a brief association with the

The Rock 'n' Roll Express won the NWA World Tag Team Championship
for the fifth time, giving SMW a handful of World Tag Team championship matches.

Demise

Though the promotion was highly thought of, it struggled to get a profitable television deal, and operated throughout a wrestling recession that would not end until the second half of 1996. After years of operating in red ink, and the loss of financial backing from Rubin, Cornette shut the promotion down in December 1995 to work full-time with the WWF. The last SMW show was held on November 26, 1995 in

The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. WWE now owns the SMW video library
.

Both Curtis Comes Home and the 2005 sequel show, held in memory of SMW head referee Mark Curtis are considered "unofficial" reunion shows.[24][25]

Former personnel

Main article: List of former Smoky Mountain Wrestling personnel

Major events

1992

Date Event Venue Location Main event
May 22 Volunteer Slam Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee Brian Lee vs. Paul Orndorff in a tournament final for the inaugural SMW Heavyweight Championship[4]
July 17 Summer Blast Brian Lee & Ron Garvin vs. Paul Orndorff & The Dirty White Boy[4]
August 8 Fire on the Mountain Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
Barbed Wire Steel Cage match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[4]
November 26 Thanksgiving Thunder Memorial Gym Hazard, Kentucky
Falls Count Anywhere match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[4]
November 27 National Guard Armory Welch, West Virginia
Texas Deathmatch for the SMW Tag Team Championship[4]
November 28 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
street fight for the SMW Tag Team Championship[4]
November 29 Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
Steel Cage match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[4]
December 25 Christmas Chaos
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. The Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard) and Jim Cornette[4]
December 26 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
December 27 Raleigh County Armory Beckley, West Virginia

1993

Date Event Venue Location Main event
April 2 Bluegrass Brawl Pikeville College Gymnasium Pikeville, Kentucky
The Stud Stable (Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden)[5]
May 9 Volunteer Slam II: Rage in a Cage Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
Rage in a Cage match[5]
May 15 The Last Tango in Tennessee Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
Loser Leaves SMW match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[5]
July 8 Summer Blast Memorial Gymnasium Hazard, Kentucky The Armstrong Family (Bob Armstrong, Scott Armstrong and Steve Armstrong) vs. Jim Cornette and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray)[5]
July 9 Fleming-Neon High School Fleming-Neon, Kentucky
July 10 Raleigh County Armory Beckley, West Virginia
July 15 Evarts High School Evarts, Kentucky
July 16 Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
July 17 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
August 13 Hot August Night in Mo-Town East High School Gymnasium Morristown, Tennessee
August 14 Fire on the Mountain Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee The Armstrong Family (
special guest referee[5]
August 20 K-Town Showdown Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
special guest referee[5]
October 1 Big Apple Grapple Paintsville High School Gymnasium Paintsville, Kentucky 13-man Battle Royal
October 7 Parade of Champions Memorial Gymnasium Hazard, Kentucky
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner)[5]
October 8 Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
October 9 Knox County High School Barbourville, Kentucky
October 10 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
November 25 Thanksgiving Thunder Memorial Gymnasium Hazard, Kentucky
street fight[5]
November 26 Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
November 27 Knox Central High School Gymnasium Barbourville, Kentucky
November 28 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
December 25 Christmas Chaos Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee Brian Lee (c) vs. Tracy Smothers vs. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship[5]
December 26 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
December 27 Knox Central High School Gymnasium Barbourville, Kentucky

1994

Date Event Venue Location Main event
February 13 Sunday Bloody Sunday Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
Steel Cage match[6]
March 10 Golden Week Cobb County Civic Center Marietta, Georgia
Steel Cage match[6]
March 11 Johnson Central High School Paintsville, Kentucky The Dirty White Boy and The Dirty White Girl vs. Brian Lee and Tammy Fytch[6]
March 12 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) in a 60-minute iron man match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
March 13 Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
March 15 Clinton County High School Albany, Kentucky
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
March 17 Nixon Center Hyden, Kentucky
March 18 Knox County High School Barbourville, Kentucky The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) (c) vs. Tim Horner and Robert Gibson in a 60-minute iron man match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
March 19 Cawood High School Gymnasium Harlan, Kentucky The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) (c) vs. Tracy Smothers and Robert Gibson for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
April 1 Bluegrass Brawl II: The Famous Final Scene Pikeville College Gymnasium Pikeville, Kentucky
Steel Cage match for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
May 20 Volunteer Slam III Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee Jake Roberts (c) vs. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship[6]
July 1 Summer Blast Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
Steel Cage match[6]
July 2 Knox County High School Barbourville, Kentucky
Steel Cage match[6]
July 3 Cobb County Civic Center Marietta, Georgia
steel cage[6]
July 4 Paintsville High School Gymnasium Paintsville, Kentucky
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Tammy Fytch, Chris Candido and Brian Lee[6]
July 7 Cawood High School Harlan, Kentucky
street fight[6]
July 8 Raleigh County Armory Beckley, West Virginia
July 9 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
Steel Cage match for the SMW Heavyweight Championship[6]
August 5 The Night of the Legends Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee Bob Armstrong, Tracy Smothers and Road Warrior Hawk vs. Bruiser Bedlam and The Funk Brothers (Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk) in a "Coward Waves the Flag" match[6]
August 6 Fire on the Mountain Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
Texas Deathmatch
September 30 Big Apple Grapple Paintsville High School Gymnasium Paintsville, Kentucky
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Boo Bradley, Bruiser Bedlam and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa)[6]
November 17 SMW/NWA Championship Wrestling America (
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
tournament)		 Stanton Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship
November 18 Pleasantville High School Pleasantville, New Jersey
November 19 National Guard Armory Cherry Hill, New Jersey
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
November 24 Thanksgiving Thunder Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
Ghetto Street Fight for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
November 25 Paintsville High School Gymnasium Paintsville, Kentucky
November 26 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
November 27 Cobb County Civic Center Marietta, Georgia
December 25 Christmas Chaos Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
December 26 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (c) vs. The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa) for the SMW Tag Team Championship[6]
December 27 Mulberry Street Recreation Center Lenoir, North Carolina
December 29 Peel's Palace Erlanger, Kentucky Battle Royal[6]
December 30 National Guard Armory Ashland, Kentucky
D-Lo Brown and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa)[6]

1995

Date Event Venue Location Main event
January 28 Super Saturday Night Fever Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee 16-man K-Town Rumble match[7]
February 25 Brawl in the Hall Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
street fight
February 26 Sunday Bloody Sunday II Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
special guest referee[7]
March 18 March Madness Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
Steel Cage match[7]
March 19 Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
April 7 Bluegrass Brawl III Pikeville College Gymnasium Pikeville, Kentucky
Loser Salutes the Flag match[7]
April 8 Fright Night Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
D-Lo Brown and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa) in an "I quit" match[7]
May 19 Volunteer Slam IV Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
scaffold match[7]
May 20 Charlotte Memories Grady Cole Center Charlotte, North Carolina The Dynamic Duo (
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) [7]
July 15 Summer Blast Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee The Dynamic Duo (
street fight[7]
August 4 Super Bowl of Wrestling Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Buddy Landel for the WWF Intercontinental Championship[7]
August 12 Fire on the Mountain: Night of the Dream Matches Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) (c) vs. The Thugs (The Dirty White Boy and Tracy Smothers) for the SMW Tag Team Championship[7]
August 13 Carolina Cup Grady Cole Center Charlotte, North Carolina The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. The Thugs (The Dirty White Boy and Tracy Smothers) in the Carolina Cup Tag Team Tournament Finals
October 20 Halloween Scream Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee
chain match[7]
October 21 East High School Gymnasium Morristown, Tennessee
Falls Count Anywhere match[7]
October 27 Cookeville Community Center Cookeville, Tennessee
First Blood match[7]
October 28 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
barbed wire match[7]
November 23 Thanksgiving Thunder Civic Coliseum Knoxville, Tennessee Robert Gibson and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. The Thugs (The Dirty White Boy and Tracy Smothers) and a mystery partner[7]
November 24 Knox Central High School Gymnasium Barbourville, Kentucky Robert Gibson and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Ricky Morton and The Thugs (The Dirty White Boy and Tracy Smothers)[7]
November 25 Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, Tennessee
November 26 Cookeville Community Center Cookeville, Tennessee Jim Cornette vs. Mark Curtis[7]

Tournaments

Smoky Mountain Wrestling held a variety of professional wrestling tournaments between 1992 and 1995 that were competed for by wrestlers that were a part of their

roster
.

SMW Tag Team Championship Tournament

The SMW Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the first-ever

The Heavenly Bodies, decided to have the tournament final on the April 23, 1992 TV taping, which aired on May 9.[26]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
The Heavenly Bodies
(Stan Lane and Tom Prichard
) 		Pin
The Batten Twins

(Bart Batten and Brad Batten) 		06:15
The Heavenly Bodies Pin
Joey Maggs and Danny Davis 08:37
Joey Maggs and Danny Davis Pin
The Koloffs
(Ivan Koloff
and Vladimir Koloff) 		07:21
The Heavenly Bodies Pin
The Fantastics 09:55
The Maulers
(Rip Morgan and Jack Victory) 		Pin
Johnny Rich and Davey Rich 10:31
The Maulers Pin
The Fantastics 08:37
The Wild Bunch
(Joel Deaton and Billy Black) 		Pin
The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Jackie Fulton
) 		11:52

SMW Heavyweight Championship Tournament

Main article:
Volunteer Slam I § Tournament bracket

King of Kentucky Tournament

The King of Kentucky Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in Hazard, Kentucky on June 24, 1993.[27]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Bobby Blaze DQ
Killer Kyle
Bobby Blaze
Brian Lee
Brian Lee
Jimmy Golden
Brian Lee Pin
Tracy Smothers
The Dirty White Boy
Tim Horner
The Dirty White Boy
Tracy Smothers
Chris Candido Pin
Tracy Smothers

NWA World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1994)

The NWA World Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in

NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The previous champion Shane Douglas had infamously "threw down" the NWA title in favor of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship after defeating 2 Cold Scorpio at the NWA World Title Tournament three months earlier.[28]

Qualifiers Quarterfinals Semi-finals Finals
        
Tracy Smothers Pin
Devon Storm
Tracy Smothers Pin
Eddie Gilbert
Eddie Gilbert Pin
Johnny Gunn
BYE
BYE
Chris Candido Pin
Al Snow
Chris Candido Pin
The Dirty White Boy
The Dirty White Boy DQ
Jerry Lawler
Tracy Smothers Pin
Chris Candido
Osamu Nishimura Draw
Lou Perez
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE
BYE

Carolina Cup Tag Team Tournament

The Carolina Cup Tag Team Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held at the Grady Cole Center on August 13, 1995.[29]

QuarterfinalsTaped March 12 Semifinals Final
         
The Heavenly Bodies
(Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray
) 		Pin
Boo Bradley
The Heavenly Bodies
BYE
BYE
BYE
The Heavenly Bodies Pin
The Thugs
The Thugs
(The Dirty White Boy and Tracy Smothers) 		Pin
Tommy Rich and The Punisher
The Headbangers Pin
The Thugs
The Headbangers
(Mosh and Thrasher) 		Pin
Robert Gibson and Curtis Thompson

Final champions

Championship Last Recognized Champion From Until Notes
SMW Heavyweight Championship Jerry Lawler May 22, 1992 December 30, 1995 [2][30]
SMW "Beat The Champ" Television Championship Bobby Blaze December 12, 1992 1995 [30][31]
SMW Tag Team Championship
The Heavenly Bodies
(Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray
)		 April 23, 1992 November 26, 1995 [3][30]
SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship Bobby Blaze September 13, 1993 July 29, 1994 [30][32]

† After SMW closed, Brad Armstrong declared himself SMW champion and defended the SMW Heavyweight Championship in the United States Wrestling Association. He eventually lost the belt to Jerry Lawler on December 30, 1995.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Meltzer, Dave (December 22, 2007). "WWE". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. p. 11.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cawthorn, Graham. "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1991-92". The History of WWE. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cawthorn, Graham. "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1993". The History of WWE. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Cawthorn, Graham. "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1994". The History of WWE. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Cawthorn, Graham. "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1995". The History of WWE. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "A Look Back at Smoky Mountain Wrestling". Wrestling Observer. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  9. ^ Hoops, Brian (2008-02-18). "Nostalgia Review: WCW SuperBrawl III; Sting vs. Vader Strap Match, Hollywood Blondes, Barry Windham vs. The Great Muta, Cactus Jack vs. Paul Orndorff". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  10. ^ "About". The Doctor's Note with Tom Prichard. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  11. ^ "Full Event Results". WWE. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  12. ^ Earl, Dennis (2015-11-23). "Survivor Series Trivia". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  13. ^ "Full Event Results". WWE. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  14. ^ a b "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 100 Tag Teams of the PWI Years: 17 The Heavenly Bodies". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC. October 18, 2003. p. 20. November 2003.
  15. Québecor Média. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved 2009-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link
    )
  16. ISBN 1-4165-1058-3
    .
  17. ^
    Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2009-07-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link
    )
  18. ^ Smith, Jason. "Weekend show pays tribute to Midwest stars". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved 2007-10-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ a b Murphy, Ryan (January 12, 2011). "Where Are They Now? Sunny". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  20. ^ "411MANIA". Mark Madden: Jim Cornette is Like a ‘Two-Dollar Hooker’.
  21. ^ "Hank Aaron Sparked Pro Wrestling's First Major Racism Story 25 Years Ago". Deadspin. 16 February 2018.
  22. ^
    ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  23. ^ "Remember when... Smokey Mountain Wrestling was still around?". Power Slam Magazine. Lancaster, Lancashire, England: SW Publishing LTD. August 2003. p. 12. 109.
  24. ^ Cornette, Jim (August 2014). "REMEMBERING BRIAN & BUBBA". Fighting Spirit Magazine. 1 (109). Uncooked Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  25. ^ Johnson, Mike (May 8, 2012). "THIS DAY TO HISTORY: TNA IS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED, WWE HOLDS SLAMMY AWARDS PRIVATELY FOR BUSINESS PARTNERS, NIKITA AND MUTA TEAM, FUNK INDUCTED INTO PRO WRESTLING HALL OF FAME, MARK CURTIS MEMORIAL, WRESTLEMANIA 24 BUYRATE BREAKS ONE MILLION, DGUSA TAPES FIRST PPV IN CANADA AND MUCH MORE". PWInsider.com.
  26. ^ "SMW Tag Team Title Tournament". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  27. ^ "King of Kentucky Tournament". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  28. ^ "NWA World Title Tournament 1994". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  29. ^ "Carolina Cup Tag Team". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  30. ^ a b c d "SMW Title Histories". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
  31. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  32. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .

External links
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