(c) refers to the champion (s) heading into the match. 8/5 He faced off against Bruiser Bedlam, someone with multiple title reigns in multiple promotions, though he never made it big in WWE. Jericho was working in Mexico and Japan at the time and he thought Smoky Mountain would get his foot in the door in the States. Smokies things to do in spring include Dollywood and Bigfoot festivals Add to history Add to collection Add to watchlist Recommend this 6/24 The early 1990s saw Jim Cornette launch his own wrestling promotion, Smoky Mountain Wrestling. With this upheaval also came the near-overnight disappearance of the territorial era when local stars and fanbases migrated to the increasingly global organizations of WCW and WWE. Rick Rubin on loving pro wrestling, learning from Ric Flair and how "Rowdy" Roddy Piper turned the Beastie Boys Bad. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship. WWE now owns the SMW video library. Watch Smothers battle Chris Candido in an early Ladder Match. It was an invaluable experience. Its a camaraderie thats not relevant exclusively to Smoky Mountain. However, in April 1995, 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. He had so much heart and loved wrestling more than anybody Ive ever met. Christmas Chaos - Day 3, 1/8 Weight Class . 4/9 7/15 They voted for ours, but WWE stayed on the air anyway. 2/26 MANTEL: The wrestling business was in transition at the time. 126: Damon Landreth, West Henderson, Matthew Mehaffey, Pisgah. Cornette took all he learned growing up on Memphis TV and brought his own southern-style to the masses of the region. 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. My dad moved and Terry just ate the chairs. That was the genesis. CORNETTE: Kanemura came in from Japan to work a show for us in 1993. 170: Marcus McCarson, East Henderson. First Team: 106: Aydan Mull, Tuscola. CHRIS JERICHO: Jimmy was a great wrestling mind for that area. ARMSTRONG: One time, we were out back and we saw, over the hill, came an old mule. 7/8 James / Road Dogg) and D'Lo Brown, but ultimately, like most independents, was not financially successful. I was trying to think about wrestling in a positive way, and I had noticed that every time we ran the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, the crowd would really like it. 2/13 $159. 7/24 (c) refers to the champion (s) heading into the match. CORNETTE: We got Knoxville straight off the bat on the Fox station on Sunday mornings, and we also got WCYB, which was the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City. Smokey Mountain Wrestling was a wrestling promotion founded by Jim Cornette, Rick Rubin and others. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 2 He was a retired wrestling legend and talked better than anyone on the roster. 6/5 It lasted almost five years and Ill never forget it. Smoky Mountain was, however, the birthplace of the controversial "Gangstas" gimmick, where black wrestlers New Jack and Mustafa would cut promos about activist Medgar Evers, use fried chicken and watermelons as props and win matches as a result of a two count (rather than the conventional three count), which the Gangstas (kayfabe) insisted on due to Affirmative Action. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Tom Horner and Robert Gibson for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Tracy Smothers and Robert Gibson for the SMW Tag Team Championship, Jake Roberts vs. When we finally had a wrestling match together, it sold out Knoxville Civic Center. 6/19 Era, SMW did exactly what it needed to do. 3/6 3/15 8/12 In addition to making occasional appearances on the independent circuit in Georgia and Alabama, Armstrong acted as the commissioner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling and worked backstage with Southeast Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Federation. Thats Jim in a nutshell. 3/19 In 1993, Smoky Mountain Wrestling signed deals with the World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation to showcase their wrestlers on the larger companies' shows. Sunday Bloody Sunday II 5/6 There were zero shades of gray. 120: Gunnar Marshall, East Henderson, Cooper Williamson, Tuscola. Youre in those Appalachian Mountains. Smoky Mountain Wrestling was an organization staging professional wrestling in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. Its simple as that. Under Cornette, it was fresh and exciting. STORM: We were always trying to push a little further in the ring and Jim was trying to pull us back. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 3 1/21 They had been bugging me to come down to Smoky Mountain, so I said, Youve gotta wear dresses. You couldve heard a pin drop. 4/29 SMOTHERS: It was originally going to be Steve [Armstrong] and I together to work a program with The Heavenly Bodies, but Steve got a job with WWE. 9/17 Watch Dirty White Boy sneak up on Dutch Mantel in a scrapyard. 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 first Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Champion, "Primetime" Brian Lee, won the championship in a tournament held at Volunteer Slam on May 22, 1992, in Knoxville, Tennessee. 5/8 10/1 3/11 CORNETTE: The last one to come was young Brian [aka Road Dogg]. 5/5 In Kentucky, you get the same reaction with a hiptoss or a slap to the face. 8/28 Dad knew what Jim wanted and Jim knew how Dad was going to act out there. ROAD DOGG: I wrestled the late, great Chris Candido in a Baby Bonnet Match where he had lost and had to wear a baby bonnet until he won another match. STORM: It was the time where I realized that its more about the people in the seats than it is about the people in the ring. Summer Blast Fire On The Mountain 6/10 CORNETTE: Until April 1995, we were doing fairly well. Smoky Mountain Wrestling 1991-1995 - Facebook Being around veterans who had been there, done that, they were willing to share what they had learned. 7/31 4/1 Especially when the company was being run by promoters like Jim Herd driving him and everyone else batty due to either their ineptitude, out-of-touch booking style or complete cluelessness. 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. One time, before I took the hood off, I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja. 7/14 7/18 Buddy Landell, The Punisher, Tommy Rich, Terry Gordy, Sgt. 4/3 4/18 1 and No. Prince Kharis - Online World of Wrestling 2/12 Results ; Team Name . ARMSTRONG: He worked himself to death. It didnt mean anything for the average Smoky Mountain Wrestling fan, but it was the tape traders that were the ones watching this stuff because they knew who Kanemura was. Christmas Chaos - Day 2 6.7K views 3 years ago 2 Smokey Mountain Wrestling Episode 2 Back in Time Wrestling 1.1K. 11/5 8/27 (2) Later, Mark Curtis came running up to me saying, Jericho went to the hospital. A 10-man tournament was held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in November, featuring many SMW wrestlers; the participants were Tracy Smothers, Devon Storm, Eddie Gilbert, Johnny Gunn, Chris Candido, Al Snow, Dirty White Boy, Jerry Lawler, Lou Perez, and Osamu Nishimura. Show me what you got. I guess he liked what he saw because I started working for the company two weeks later. During the late eighties, as wrestling got more cartoonish, Rubin did what any fan with money would do - he forked over some money to Cornette to start a traditional territory like the ones they both had grown up with. I didnt want to eat very much, because hed push you to your limits. He was such a class act. 2/25 CORNETTE: I met [Chris] Candido and his girlfriend, who were teenagers, in New Jersey. SMOTHERS: Some of the best matches Ive ever had were with Chris. 113: Kane Bryson, Pisgah, Davey McCoy, Smoky Mountain. He could talk like crazy. This led to The Rock 'n' Roll Express wrestling The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Stan Lane) at SuperBrawl III in February. How did it gain national attention? STORM: We were brought in for the Sunday Bloody Sunday show, which was Terry Funk vs. Bob Armstrong. He knew those people so well, what they wanted and when they needed it. The good guy wore the white hat, the bad guy wore the black hat. 4/9 AWA TV. 5/5 IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship, SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He has even stated on several podcasts that he to his day watches eight hours of wrestling a week (Dont hold that against him, the man has a job and cant sit on the couch ALL day to watch). It probably never should have happened, considering Chris broke his arm earlier that afternoon and needed surgery. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee . They rode their mule to the wrestling matches. Smoky Mountain Wrestling - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia 11/20 Smoky Mountain Wrestling Results - The Official Wrestling Museum 3/26 3/26 Here are a few things fans should know about Jim Cornette's promotion. Cornette had initially envisioned a territory reaching from Kentucky into as far as South Carolina and Georgia. Bob Armstrong | Pro Wrestling | Fandom SMW (Wrestling) - TV Tropes It presented a great product for a particular region in the world and gave a place for many to work and hone their craft when there was only a few big promotions to earn a living in. Bluegrass Brawl II I had never seen a cut that deep. 7/22 Christmas Chaos - Day 3 5/14 He unmasked himself when I called him out for being ashamed of his father. Im a country boy, but that was too much. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) was Jim Cornette 's own Professional Wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, TN, running from October 1991 through December 1995. Cable was not that widespread, a lot of people used antennas in the hills. SMOTHERS: I was there the night Kevin [Sullivan] cut up [W*ING] Kanemura. He wined and dined us to impress us with the biggest show they had and we were just super excited about it. Marietta Debut STORM: I got married literally the day before I moved to Smoky Mountain and my wife ended up renting an apartment in the same apartment complex as Chris and Tammy. I hit him with a pair of brass knux and he had to leave town. If Cornette gave up some of the reigns to Sandy Scott or Mark Curtis, they probably could have taken care of some stuff. JERICHO: The thing I really learned a lot about there was interviews. 3/6 11/14 Watch The Thrillseekers' amazing video package including riding bumper cars and at a petting zoo. Cornette, a traditionalist, catered to fans that Mick Foley described as "old-time fanswho still believed in good guys and bad guys, and to whom cheating was still reason to get upset." 4/24 3/5 CORNETTE: Buddy [Landel] shouldve been a top level performer in one of the big companies, but never got a shot because Buddy was his own worst enemy. 1/22 And that created a lot of controversy. CORNETTE: Rubin was working with Mick Jagger, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Crowes and Johnny Cash and he got behind on watching the TV shows. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 4 If youre thinking Rubin produced a Fozzy album at some point, youd be wrong. 11/9 11/26 12/2 6/7 Smokey Mountain was the exact opposite of that, so even at the time, as a teenager, it felt like watching wrestling that my parents might have liked. 4/3 Related: 5 Things Jim Cornette Gets Right About Modern Wrestling (And 5 He's Wrong About). After SMW folded, The Louisville Slugger, Jim Cornette went to work for WWE. 7/2 I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja.. They were heartthrobs. Tracey worked so darn hard. Smoky Mountain Wrestling | Pro Wrestling | Fandom Christmas Chaos - Day 2 Cornette, Lane, and Scott had five years to try and earn the music maven some money. Those Appalachian people are a little bit different than everybody else. Sign up for Peacock to watch. Its an art. 9/23 October 1991 Christmas Chaos - Day 2 Al Snow was working in Ohio and northern Kentucky, so I called him up and Al jumped at the chance. 6/24 Contents 1 History and overview 1.1 Formation 1.2 Territorial reach 9/25 7/10 10/2 MANTEL: The style was what they now call old school. Telling a story doesnt have an era. Theres a difference between country people and hillbillies and they were bona fide hillbillies. 10/14 He was tailor-made for the region. He was just intimidating. What happened to Smoky Mountain Wrestling? - The Pro Wrestler He broke in under Jerry Jarrett, who, at one time, was one of the most creative guys I knew. CORNETTE: Rob Mazzie was 6-foot-8 and 300-something pounds. 7/4 I bought a whole package of Peanut Butter crackers and thats all I ate all day. The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. 160: Xander Hill, Pisgah, Jaime Vega, North Henderson. The promotion featured a number of wrestlers who were regulars in the south eastern wrestling scene and was the birthplace of the Heavenly Bodies, Stan Lane and Tom Prichard and later Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray. 7/31 6/4 I said, Now theres a gimmick. These two guys with tattoos had been The Masked Spiders in New Jersey. The Rock n Roll Express and Tracy Smothers could give you an education you cant get in the ring. 8/5 I used to say on commentary, A lot of these people have never left this town. Bob Caudle would say, What do you mean? Id say, Because they dont have a Rand McNally road map to know how to get out of this place.. Watch "The King" in Smoky Mountain against Dirty White Boy. I was just by myself and The Rock n Roll Express came in to go against The Bodies, but Jim needed a good guy to go against Dirty White Boy. Brad has his old Badstreet costume from WCW, which we turned inside out, put on Brian and called him The Dark Secret. 9/27 9/3 1/14 Pisgah @ Smoky Mountain on Jan 17, 2023 in , NC. He was paying. 4/22 Smoky Mountain Wrestling Current abbreviation: SMW Status: Inactive Location: Morristown, Tennessee, USA Active Time: 1991 - 1995 Details Names: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1991 - 1995) Abbreviations: SMW Owners: Jim Cornette & Sandy Scott (1994 - 1995) Jim Cornette, Sandy Scott & Tim Horner (1991 - 1994) Popular events: 5/1 9/1 9/3 I live 500 miles away from Knoxville, but wed go up and stay until the matches were over and then drive home. We take a look back on this short-lived territory. 5/21 10/8 She was still in school, and stayed in school at UT while she was working for me. The result was a unique Appalachian institution that attracted fans who traveled over the hills on the backs of mules to watch performers like Chris Jericho, Road Dogg, Sunny and a guy called Dirty White Boy. 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. And the stories were good in Smoky Mountain. Watch a young Al Snow take on Brad Armstrong for the Smoky Mountain Title. Smoky Mountain was, however, the birthplace of the controversial "Gangstas" gimmick, where black wrestlers New Jack and Mustafa would cut promos about activist Medgar Evers, while also using fried chicken and watermelon as props. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1991-1995) A firm believer in "old-school" territorial wrestling, Cornette began the Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion in 1991. CORNETTE: Tracy Smothers was the epitome of the perfect Smoky Mountain hero. Smoky Mountain Wrestling was an organization staging professional wrestling in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 3 Pisgah @ Smoky Mountain . SuperBowl of Wrestling Smokey Mountain Wrestling was a wrestling promotion founded by Jim Cornette, Rick Rubin and others. The way he spoke, it was just like, Wow. Fire On The Mountain 1994 6/18 The promotion was backed financially by music producer Rick Rubin. The palace sits on an island in the middle of the lake and requires a ferry for access. They were close to 60-years-old at the time and he was doing moonsaults off the top into those chairs. 5/27 How to Explore Bavaria in One Week: 4 Complete Itineraries 5/28 We trained together, sat by the pool, went to dinner, went to the movies. It was exciting to be just getting out of the military and getting my start in wrestling. We take a look back on this short-lived territory. 12/11 11/4 STORM: It was one of the most amazing matches Ive ever been involved in, in that it never should have been that good. Big Apple Grapple You can take five minutes for the villain to pull the hair and the crowd would get really upset about it. And the kid Chris Jericho he was with wasnt too bad either. 12/10 182: Landon Pope, Pisgah. [23] Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. Hotels near Gasthof Alte Schreinerei, Steinsfeld on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews, 386 candid photos, and prices for 842 hotels near Gasthof Alte Schreinerei in Steinsfeld, Germany. 106 113 120 126 132 138 145 152 160 170 182 195 220 285 . We were running 15 towns a month from three strong TV tapings, but we couldnt get into the Asheville or Lexington markets or get a better timeslot in Chattanooga. Rick Rubin on Wrestling, How Roddy Piper Turned the Beasties Bad 8/7 CORNETTE: I met Rick Rubin through Cat Collins, a DJ friend of mine that had worked for Rubin at American Recordings. 4/24 SMW event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. I had a police officer keep an eye on them while I took care of White Boy in the ring. [26], The King of Kentucky Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in Hazard, Kentucky on June 24, 1993. She was a huge cornfed farmwoman and Brian Lee was trying to save Tammy without hurting her. The next spring, I beat him in a cage with a tennis racquet and sent him to the hospital and Scott came back with Steve, his other son, and then we did this big Lumberjack Match. 6/6 9/23 * Note: The was the first ever Smoky Mountain Wrestling show. 4/16 3/6 3/4 I thought it would be great if we paired Eddie, this cocky little guy who could talk, with this big enforcer guy that we called Unabomb. Volunteer Slam III 9/4 Christmas Chaos - Day 1 Legends like the Rock And Roll Express extended their runs as well as perennial Journeyman like Tony Anthony, one of the regions hottest heels - The Dirty White Boy (WWE fans would know him as the Plumber, TL Hopper). 3/25 Rick Rubin's Wrestling: A Look At Smoky Mountain Wrestling - TheSportster 2/12 SMW event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. Now picture a company trying to keep him in their employ. 2/6 Christmas Chaos - Day 1 Smoky Mountain Wrestling was based . Thats why it was cutting-edge and ahead of its time. The Mummy was cool. I said, I loved The Mummy, too.
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