Fire On The Mountain The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, Bobby Blaze and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. D-Lo Brown and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Watch a young Al Snow take on Brad Armstrong for the Smoky Mountain Title. 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. Ever since WWE became a national promotion in the 1980s, wrestling promotions have risen to present themselves as alternatives to Vince McMahon's pro wrestling empire, if not direct competition. Four years later, it was gone. 9/18 The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. MANTEL: Jimmy has a short fuse. 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. 5/6 She was a huge cornfed farmwoman and Brian Lee was trying to save Tammy without hurting her. The basketball teams are voted on by league coaches. 3/11 The company honored the traditional wrestling sensibilities Cornette came up with, and continued to espouse long after, with a focus on realistic action featuring legitimate tough guys. 1/14 Pisgah Smoky Mountain. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson), Shawn Michaels vs. SMOTHERS: Some of the best matches Ive ever had were with Chris. 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. 7/1 The two companies were very diverse and gave a lot of opportunities to some people that have gone on to be cult heroes and legendary icons. Thanksgiving Thunder. Smoky Mountain Wrestling was based . 4/9 They wanted an edgier, alternative product. 8/27 7/15 10/23 CORNETTE: Until April 1995, we were doing fairly well. Thats not something southern America in 1994 was probably ready for. 7/8 7/7 People knew my friend Cat Collins and were asking, Whos that bum hanging around with Cat? I drove him to Nashville to produce the Johnny Cash album and I got to eat lunch with Johnny Cash. [14] The Heavenly Bodies, managed by Jim Cornette, were featured heavily throughout 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. They take their rasslin very seriously. The Thugs (Tony Anthony and Tracy Smothers) and a, Robert Gibson and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Ricky Morton and The Thugs (Tony Anthony and Tracy Smothers), This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 01:59. 4/8 8/5 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. 2/12 It lasted almost five years and Ill never forget it. 1/28 WCW was struggling with management issues, WWE was moving away from Hulkamania's golden age and the glory days of ECW were still years away. 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. The Thanksgiving Thunder 1995 was a Professional wrestling event of Smoky Mountain Wrestling which was taped on November 23, 1995. We were working so fast and doing all these high spots. It was a personality-driven territory. 11/13 Its an art. He had all the rebel gear on, and the son had it on, too. 2/26 12/18 7/29 9/6 The Thugs (Tony Anthony and Tracy Smothers) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, Robert Gibson and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. 8.8/10 Excellent! He asked, What are you doing May 26? And he showed me a paper for a Klan rally. 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. 6/18 Thats when Smoky Mountain started to become less important. 4/7 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. 2/11 [1] The first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. Fans didnt know how to take them. There, he functioned as both a singles competitor and a tag team specialist, capturing pretty much every title one could win in the company save for the Heavyweight Championship. 5/19 10/2 Recently, music producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin was a guest on his former employee, Chris Jerichos podcast. 2/19 7/4 Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 637 items that match the search parameters. SMOTHERS: He never came back to the dressing room. 12/10 1/21 Jimmy has a temper. And the stories were good in Smoky Mountain. It wasnt by accident that he became next in line. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 8/6 9/12 In February 1995, however, Candido lost the belt to Ultimate Fighting Championship winner Dan Severn, who as a freelancer decided to become a traveling World Champion, depriving SMW of a basis for World Heavyweight championship matches. He talked like one of the people because he was one a plumber from east Tennessee. 4/21 SMW event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. 5/21 Sunny, New Jack, D-Lo Brown, Lance Storm, Chris Jericho, and more were able to first get noticed due to their time with Cornette. One of the Largest collections of Wrestling footage. I bought a whole package of Peanut Butter crackers and thats all I ate all day. 4/3 The Official Wrestling Museum Non Profit Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) Results Promoting the Areas of: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, The Carolinas Promoter: Jim Cornette 7/91 in ??? Tennessee, Kentucky and all those places that we used to go to, he really knew what people wanted to see there and he was really smart with it. They were close to 60-years-old at the time and he was doing moonsaults off the top into those chairs. It would get scary. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 They rode their mule to the wrestling matches. Where else could a good ole country boy from Springfield, Tenn., like Tracy Smothers have people cheer for him? May 1 - May 2. Just give it a try, he said. Here are the Mountain 7 conference teams from winter sports in 2022-23 10/21 JERICHO: Our style was completely insane. I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja.. They think its broken, but hell be back.. 10/15 Related: 5 AEW Stars That Jim Cornette Hates (& 5 He Actually Likes). Folded Enjoy free breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking. Find the all-conference team for each sport below. Kevin opened that guy to the bone. 3/6 5/5 It was a really big deal and Jericho did more than he should have. CORNETTE: I couldnt believe the sight of it. History and overview [ edit] Formation [ edit] I dont think America in 1994 was ready for it. From 1992 until the promotion's end in 1995, Chris Candido wrestled for Jim Cornette 's Tennessee-based outfit Smoky Mountain Wrestling. 11/4 CORNETTE: I had made a deal for Eddie Gilbert to come in January 1995 and Dutch had said he had this big guy in Puerto Rico. I knew we could get him back in the ring after someone pushed him too hard, which likely would be me. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. It was eye-opening to see that other side of him. 8/27 (1) 4/17 11/3 Bob Armstrong, The Armstrong Brothers (Scott Armstrong and Steve Armstrong) and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Jim Cornette, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. We wanted to get away from sports-entertainment.. Smoky Mountain Wrestling - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia 1/15 But if there was ever anything wrong with the paychecks, hed make it good. 9/12 You can take five minutes for the villain to pull the hair and the crowd would get really upset about it. Anything you wanted Dirty White Boy to do, he was there to do. 285: Eli Frizzell, Pisgah. 7/17 Rick Rubin was a big wrestling fan and he had just made like $100 million from CBS Records. 10/2 CORNETTE: I met Rick Rubin through Cat Collins, a DJ friend of mine that had worked for Rubin at American Recordings. CORNETTE: The following day, he needed surgery on his arm. It was real life, We hate you, go away, dont be here heat. 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]. 7/31 This was in sharp contrast to ECW, in which edgy angles, "tweeners" and anti-heroes increasingly took precedence over clearcut heroes and villains. 6/12 The good guy wore the white hat, the bad guy wore the black hat. 2/13 7/2 I didnt want to eat very much, because hed push you to your limits. Style And its an art that can be lost. Buddy Landell, The Punisher, Tommy Rich, Terry Gordy, Sgt. [6][7][22] In February 1995, however, Candido lost the belt to Ultimate Fighting Championship winner Dan Severn,[22] who as a freelancer decided to become a traveling World Champion, depriving SMW of a basis for World Heavyweight championship matches. The Rock n Roll Express and Tracy Smothers could give you an education you cant get in the ring. JERRY LAWLER: Jim Cornette grew up in Louisville watching our Memphis wrestling company. 3/6 I took the nickname of a high school friend. Fire on the mountain: The oral history of Smoky Mountain Wrestling facebook twitter During the early 1990s, wrestling was in a state of transition. 7/11 Fire On The Mountain He broke in under Jerry Jarrett, who, at one time, was one of the most creative guys I knew. 11/7 Christmas Chaos - Day 2 [2] The first Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions were crowned in a tournament final at a TV taping on April 23, 1992, in Harrogate, Tennessee, when The Heavenly Bodies defeated The Fantastics; the match would air on May 9, 1992. 1/22 Watch the infamous and controversial Prince Kharis in action. 3/5 LAWLER: There were some backwoods fans, rednecks and coal miners that would come over from Virginia. In hindsight, considering where we were, Jim was right. 3/19 BROWN: [Smoky Mountain] was like my first year in college. 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." 6/16 The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Dynamic Duo (Al Snow and Unabomb) vs. It wasnt big enough to take that next step. CORNETTE: I had to get Lance paperwork to work in America. [29], After SMW closed, Brad Armstrong declared himself SMW champion and defended the SMW Heavyweight Championship in the United States Wrestling Association. Like many territories in a post Vince McMahon Jr. But we knew they were going to be stars. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship. 6/4 6/26 His talent was great, but the fans didnt know exactly how to take him. When I went to Smoky Mountain, it was totally different than what I remembered Knoxville wrestling being like. The basketball teams are voted on by league coaches. Tracey worked so darn hard. 8/21 It probably never should have happened, considering Chris broke his arm earlier that afternoon and needed surgery. MANTEL: Up there in eastern Kentucky and northern Virginia, youre back in the hills, buddy. 4/23 3/18 CORNETTE: [Dirty White Boy] was the perfect villain for the territory from the start. 10/12 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 3 STORM: Chris worked every single night like it was WrestleMania. 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. Rubin was technically one of Jerichos bosses in wrestling; the producer was a financial backer for the short-lived regional promotion - Smokey Mountain Wrestling. Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. 1/23 Here are a few things fans should know about Jim Cornette's promotion. 9/30 SMW Thanksgiving Thunder 1995 | Pro Wrestling | Fandom 2/20 4/1 Thanks to SMW, an eclectic mix of superstars were able to get their start. He has a bad temper and sometimes he lets it get the best of him. CORNETTE: We led up to a World Tag Team Title Match against The Steiner Brothers at SummerSlam. He was legitimate. [28], The Carolina Cup Tag Team Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held at the Grady Cole Center on August 13, 1995. The deer was strapped up and he was cutting it open at the gut. He was a retired wrestling legend and talked better than anyone on the roster. Sullivan got at him with this spike, and we had to censor it because it was so gross. 3/18 7/3 ARMSTRONG: Tracy actually pinned a bear and the guy who owned the bear came to me the next day and said, Please tell Tracy to take it easy on my bear. He was a fantastic wrestler. 126: Damon Landreth, West Henderson, Matthew Mehaffey, Pisgah. 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. CWA MEMPHIS. The hero is going to be very much Clark Kent, straight and honest. 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. Charlotte Memories [26], The King of Kentucky Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in Hazard, Kentucky on June 24, 1993. My wife and I became really great friends with them. He always sat in the crowd. 10 Wrestlers We Can't Believe Defeated Randy Savage In A - TheSportster Weight Class . Its hard to compete with Vince McMahon and the machine. Fans had rallies for us not to come to town and paid to see us lose. How to Explore Bavaria in One Week: 4 Complete Itineraries Raw results, April 24, 2023: Bad Bunny challenged Damian Priest to a Street Fight at WWE Backlash in Puerto Rico! 12/3 The promotion featured a number of wrestlers who were regulars in the Southeastern wrestling scene the Heavenly Bodies, Stan Lane and Tom Prichard and later Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray. ROAD DOGG: We worked high school gyms in small towns, but they were always packed and they were always the best fans. 12/11 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 2 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. ROAD DOGG: I got to travel with my family, do what I love to do and be with the people I love. 4/15 Jim Cornette | Pro Wrestling | Fandom 5/28 BROWN: I was scared out of my wits of New Jack. 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. We passed this guy who had killed a deer. 2/5 5/8 When we finally had a wrestling match together, it sold out Knoxville Civic Center. 9/5 What happened to Smoky Mountain Wrestling? - The Pro Wrestler 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. He had about 20 guys there sitting ringside. We needed buildings and production companies and TV stations so this eccentric music genius could somehow own a wrestling company in Tennessee. ARMSTRONG: Great, great wrestler. It was me, New Jack, Mustafa, Unabomb, Chris Jericho lived there at one point, Balls Mahoney and another kid who was Little Snot Dudley in ECW. Former employees in SMW consisted of professional wrestlers, managers, play-by-play and color commentators, announcers, interviewers and referees . Watch a Tammy Sytch manage Brian Lee in a Coal Miner's Glove Match. After a while, he became a great fan favorite. JERICHO: He flew us to Knoxville from Calgary. 7/27 I offered Chris and his girlfriend Tammy to come to Knoxville. CORNETTE: We ran shows in Marietta, Ga., wed use some of the local promoters guys and there was New Jack. From 1920 to last week. Rick Rubin on loving pro wrestling, learning from Ric Flair and how "Rowdy" Roddy Piper turned the Beastie Boys Bad. People had never seen it before. 3/12 He wasnt able to sit and enjoy his wrestling company. Christmas Chaos - Day 3, 1/15 2/20 6/25 8/5 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. 9,102 likes. Either the story is good or the story is not good. Now picture a company trying to keep him in their employ. Events Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) - CAGEMATCH 4/10 CORNETTE: Kanemura came in from Japan to work a show for us in 1993. 12/25, 1/8 He wined and dined us to impress us with the biggest show they had and we were just super excited about it. 9/24 5/8 I didnt want it to get to a point where I owed talent money. [4][5][6][7], In 1993, Smoky Mountain Wrestling signed deals with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation to showcase their wrestlers on the larger companies' shows. DUTCH MANTEL: Sometimes the best baseball managers are not the greatest players, but they spend their playing days in the dugout watching the manager manage the game. 138: Jacob Ed, West Henderson, William McCoy, Smoky Mountain. And, for a while, they were successful in doing that. BROWN: Straight heat. At Bluegrass Brawl in Pikeville, Ky., Dirty White Boy and I had a Chain Match and a member of the Ku Klux Klan showed up at my merch table. Theyre very vocal about who they like and who they dislike. CORNETTE: DLo Brown was a CPA, had a good job, but he quit and moved to Knoxville to be in the wrestling business. James / Road Dogg) and D'Lo Brown, but ultimately, like most independents, was not financially successful. Overview; News and Rumors; History; Events; Event Statistics; Results; Titles; All-Time Roster; Matchguide; Win/Loss Records; Feuds; Promos; Tournaments; Rivalries; Ratings; Comments; Events. 7/8 Smokies things to do in spring include Dollywood and Bigfoot festivals Results ; Team Name . 11/14 12/2 He was so knowledgeable, dedicated and determined. 7/9 Former employees in SMW consisted of professional wrestlers, managers, play-by-play and color commentators, announcers, interviewers and referees. SMOTHERS: I was there the night Kevin [Sullivan] cut up [W*ING] Kanemura. He rolled out of the ring and had a weird look on his face. Smokey Mountain Wrestling was a wrestling promotion founded by Jim Cornette, Rick Rubin and others. SuperBowl of Wrestling He became a serious student of the business. STORM: Like ECW, Smoky Mountain was too big to be small and too small to be big. Related: 5 Things Jim Cornette Gets Right About Modern Wrestling (And 5 He's Wrong About). 6/8 How did it gain national attention? 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. The day-long Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6 at the Townsend Visitors Center, 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, after the Bigfoot 5K race at 9 a.m. It was more about the moral high ground than the action. 1986 1988 . Hes a creative genius bordering on insanity, which is the best kind of genius. WWE now owns the SMW video library. 7/2 LANCE STORM: It was clean-cut. 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]. What Smoky Mountain was trying to do was to find that market. 11/19 And I dont know where the kids came from, there were no houses. Cornette established the promotion after having cut ties with WCW, with initial financial backing from Record Producer Rick Rubin. To some of them, it wasnt just entertainment. SMOTHERS: In 1993, Dirty White Boy burned the rebel flag in a trash can while I was handcuffed. ARMSTRONG: One time, we were out back and we saw, over the hill, came an old mule. Flash Flanagan defeated Thrasher Sgt. 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.. 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. 5/20 Not meant to be an exact copy, but this is basically the Palace of Versailles of Bavaria. It was obvious that he was saying as long as we broke even, we could do whatever we wanted. BROWN: My first night, I worked a match with Tracy Smothers in the opener as AC Conner and then in the main event I dressed as one of The Gangstas. CORNETTE: Tracy Smothers was the epitome of the perfect Smoky Mountain hero. 1/28 Other names that helped in the founding of this promotion were: The money bag behind the whole thing was Rick Rubin, who is a well-known wrestling fan and music producer. 6/25 Volunteer Slam III 7/23 That really raised my opinion of him right there, when he did that. 6/21 3/15 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. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 2 ROAD DOGG: I wanted nothing more than to go there and wrestle because my family was there. 9/1 Youre not going to see that in Madison Square Garden, I can assure you. 9/25 11/6 1 and No. ARMSTRONG: He worked himself to death. Its very obvious and straight-forward. 1/22 JIM CORNETTE: In WCW in 1990, The Midnight Express Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane and myself were still there. ARMSTRONG: The guy has more guts than I ever thought. Wrestling was not popular in America. Watch The Thrillseekers' amazing video package including riding bumper cars and at a petting zoo. Find the all-conference team for each sport below. The palace sits on an island in the middle of the lake and requires a ferry for access.
Cox Memorial Funeral Home,
Can Highland Cattle Live In California,
Butte, Montana Obituaries,
Articles S
smoky mountain wrestling