Smoky Mountain Wrestling
| Smoky Mountain Wrestling logo | |
| Acronym | SMW |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 1991 |
| Defunct | December 1995 |
| Style | Rasslin' |
| Headquarters | Knoxville/Morristown, Tennessee |
| Founder(s) | Jim Cornette Tim Horner Stan Lane Sandy Scott |
| Owner(s) | Jim Cornette |
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.
Contents
History and overview
Formation
Cornette formed the promotion in October 1991 upon leaving World Championship Wrestling with Stan Lane, Tim Horner and Sandy Scott. The promotion was backed financially by music producer Rick Rubin.[1] The first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. Matches from these shows were first shown in February 1992. 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.[2] The first Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions were crowned in a tournament final on April 23, 1992, in Harrogate, Tennessee, when The Heavenly Bodies defeated The Fantastics.[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 World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation to showcase their wrestlers on the larger companies' shows.[8] This led to The Rock 'n' Roll Express wrestling The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Stan Lane) at SuperBrawl III in February.[9] The Heavenly Bodies (Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) then faced 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 south eastern wrestling scene and was the birthplace of the Heavenly Bodies, Stan Lane and Tom Prichard and later Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray.[14] The Heavenly Bodies, managed by Jim Cornette, were featured heavily through out the years as they worked storyline feuds with The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Fantastics and The Armstrong Family (especially Bob Armstrong)[14] SMW also featured a number of younger wrestlers who had not yet made their mark on a national stage, 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 / The 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 Mick Foley described as "old-time fans...who still believed in good guys and bad guys, and to whom cheating was still reason to get upset." Bob Caudle, who was the play-by-play announcer on the TV program, would also proclaim at the beginning of each show that Smoky Mountain Wrestling was "professional wrestling the way it used to be, and the way you like it." This was in sharp contrast to ECW, in which edgy angles, "tweeners" and anti-heroes increasingly took precedence over clearcut heroes and villains. 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.
National Wrestling Alliance
The promotion had a brief association with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), whose flagship promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling had split away in August 1994, leaving the NWA with no World Heavyweight Champion. 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. The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events.[6][7][20] In February 1995, however, Candido lost the belt to Ultimate Fighting Championship winner Dan Severn,[20] who as a freelancer decided to become a traveling World Champion, depriving SMW of a basis for World 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 1997. After years of operating in red ink, 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 Cookeville, Tennessee, and featured the entire SMW roster attacking Jim Cornette, who was then pinned by referee Mark Curtis.[21] Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, 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 both considered "unofficial" reunion shows.[22][23]
Alumni
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Major events
1992
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Slam | May 22, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[4] |
| Summer Blast | July 17, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[4] |
| Fire on the Mountain | August 8, 1992 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[4] |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 27, 1992 | National Guard Armory | Welch, West Virginia[4] |
| November 28, 1992 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[4] | |
| November 29, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[4] | |
| Christmas Chaos | December 25, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[4] |
| December 26, 1992 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[4] | |
| December 27, 1992 | Raleigh County Armory | Beckley, West Virginia[4] |
1993
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass Brawl | April 2, 1993 | Pikeville College Gymnasium | Pikeville, Kentucky[5] |
| Volunteer Slam II: Rage in a Cage | May 9, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[5] |
| The Last Tango in Tennessee | May 15, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[5] |
| Summer Blast | July 8, 1993 | Memorial Gymnasium | Hazard, Kentucky[5] |
| July 9, 1993 | Fleming-Neon High School | Fleming-Neon, Kentucky[5] | |
| July 10, 1993 | Raleigh County Armory | Beckley, West Virginia[5] | |
| July 15, 1993 | Evarts High School | Evarts, Kentucky[5] | |
| July 16, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[5] | |
| July 17, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[5] | |
| Hot August Night in Mo-Town | August 13, 1993 | East High School Gymnasium | Morristown, Tennessee[5] |
| Fire on the Mountain | August 14, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[5] |
| K-Town Showdown | August 20, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[5] |
| Big Apple Grapple | October 1, 1993 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky[5] |
| Parade Of Champions | October 7, 1993 | Memorial Gymnasium | Hazard, Kentucky[5] |
| October 8, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[5] | |
| October 9, 1993 | Knox County High School | Barbourville, Kentucky[5] | |
| October 10, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[5] | |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 25, 1993 | Memorial Gymnasium | Hazard, Kentucky[5] |
| November 26, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[5] | |
| November 27, 1993 | Knox Central High School Gymnasium | Barbourville, Kentucky[5] | |
| November 28, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[5] | |
| Christmas Chaos | December 25, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[5] |
| December 26, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[5] | |
| December 27, 1993 | Knox Central High School Gymnasium | Barbourville, Kentucky[5] |
1994
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Bloody Sunday | February 13, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] |
| Golden Week | March 10, 1994 | Cobb County Civic Center | Marietta, Georgia[6] |
| March 11, 1994 | Johnson Central High School | Paintsville, Kentucky[6] | |
| March 12, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[6] | |
| March 13, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] | |
| March 15, 1994 | Clinton County High School | Albany, Kentucky[6] | |
| March 17, 1994 | Nixon Center | Hyden, Kentucky[6] | |
| March 18, 1994 | Knox County High School | Barbourville, Kentucky[6] | |
| March 19, 1994 | Cawood High School Gymnasium | Harlan, Kentucky[6] | |
| Bluegrass Brawl II: The Famous Final Scene | April 1, 1994 | Pikeville College Gymnasium | Pikeville, Kentucky[6] |
| Volunteer Slam III | May 20, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] |
| Summer Blast | July 1, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] |
| July 2, 1994 | Knox County High School | Barbourville, Kentucky[6] | |
| July 3, 1994 | Cobb County Civic Center | Marietta, Georgia[6] | |
| July 4, 1994 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky[6] | |
| July 7, 1994 | Cawood High School | Harlan, Kentucky[6] | |
| July 8, 1994 | Raleigh County Armory | Beckley, West Virginia[6] | |
| July 9, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[6] | |
| The Night of the Legends | August 5, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] |
| Fire on the Mountain | August 6, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[6] |
| Big Apple Grapple | September 30, 1994 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky[6] |
| SMW/NWA Championship Wrestling America (NWA World Heavyweight Championship tournament) | November 17, 1994 | Stanton Hall | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[6] |
| November 18, 1994 | Pleasantville High School | Pleasantville, New Jersey[6] | |
| November 19, 1994 | National Guard Armory | Cherry Hill, New Jersey[6] | |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 24, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] |
| November 25, 1994 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky[6] | |
| November 26, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[6] | |
| November 27, 1994 | Cobb County Civic Center | Marietta, Georgia[6] | |
| Christmas Chaos | December 25, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[6] |
| December 26, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[6] | |
| December 27, 1994 | Mulberry Street Recreation Center | Lenoir, North Carolina[6] | |
| December 29, 1994 | Peel's Palace | Erlanger, Kentucky[6] | |
| December 30, 1994 | National Guard Armory | Ashland, Kentucky[6] |
1995
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Saturday Night Fever | January 28, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| Brawl in the Hall | February 25, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[7] |
| Sunday Bloody Sunday II | February 26, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| March Madness | March 18, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[7] |
| March 19, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] | |
| Bluegrass Brawl III | April 7, 1995 | Pikeville College Gymnasium | Pikeville, Kentucky[7] |
| Fright Night | April 8, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[7] |
| Volunteer Slam IV | May 19, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| Charlotte Memories | May 20, 1995 | Grady Cole Center | Charlotte, North Carolina[7] |
| Summer Blast | July 15, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| Super Bowl of Wrestling | August 4, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| Fire on the Mountain: Night of the Dream Matches | August 12, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[7] |
| Halloween Scream | October 20, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| October 21, 1995 | East High School Gymnasium | Morristown, Tennessee[7] | |
| October 27, 1995 | Cookeville Community Center | Cookeville, Tennessee[7] | |
| October 28, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[7] | |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 23, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee[7] |
| November 24, 1995 | Knox Central High School Gymnasium | Barbourville, Kentucky[7] | |
| November 25, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee[7] | |
| November 26, 1995 | Cookeville Community Center | Cookeville, Tennessee[7] |
Final champions
| Championship | Last Recognized Champion | From | Until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMW Heavyweight Championship | Tommy Rich | May 22, 1992 | 1996 | [2][24] |
| SMW "Beat The Champ" Television Championship | Bobby Blaze | December 12, 1992 | 1995 | [24][25] |
| SMW Tag Team Championship | The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) |
April 23, 1992 | November 26, 1995 | [24][3] |
| SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship | Bobby Blaze | September 13, 1993 | July 29, 1994 | [24][26] |
† 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.[2]
References
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- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 6.29 6.30 6.31 6.32 6.33 6.34 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
