Former employees in SMW consisted of professional wrestlers, managers, play-by-play and color commentators, announcers, interviewers and referees. 6/12 106 113 120 126 132 138 145 152 160 170 182 195 220 285 . Its an art. 3/6 9/17 Matches from these shows were first shown in February 1992. 3/3 1/17 Add to history Add to collection Add to watchlist Recommend this 5/21 12/24 10/14 9/24 He started with us and was there when we closed. ROAD DOGG: Terry Funk stacked about 40 chairs in the middle of the ring. 1980 - 36 Disks. 10/29 He and The Rock n Roll Express together showed how much fun a locker room can be if you dont take yourselves too seriously. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, Chris Candido vs. Tracy Smothers for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. 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. There was an opening act where a guy came out in a skirt, combat boots, piercings and was spitting on the fans. . 4/30 CORNETTE: Rob Mazzie was 6-foot-8 and 300-something pounds. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson), Shawn Michaels vs. Having my sons with me, it was a great family experience and one of the greatest experiences of my life. Six Pisgah wrestlers ( Kane Bryson, Cameron King, Xander Hill, Landon Pope, Tytus Bridges and Eli . Christmas Chaos - Day 2 2/25 Watch "The King" in Smoky Mountain against Dirty White Boy. 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]. 9/27 Watch Smoky Mountains biggest moments| Watch Smoky Mountains biggest stars in action, We needed buildings and production companies and TV stations so this eccentric music genius could somehow own a wrestling company in Tennessee.. WWE for the first time ever acknowledged another wrestling promotion. STORM: Jericho was still going back and forth to Mexico and Japan, so he was going 100 miles an hour in one territory and 10 in the other. CORNETTE: We led up to a World Tag Team Title Match against The Steiner Brothers at SummerSlam. 5/7 7/7 2/6 6/5 SMOTHERS: Sometimes the pressure would get to him and hed just snap. [Rubin] would call me at three in the morning, Id hear the latest main event playing the background and wed talk about cool wrestling. [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. 4/24 11/10 3/21 6/4 Bluegrass Brawl III 11/18 Who is after two or three years in the business? 3/19 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. For a guy who sometimes feels some on his roster are too southern, at various points Vince McMahon employed an awful lot of guys who had plenty of experience wrestling along the Appalachian Trail. 10/7 He was tailor-made for the region. 4/10 2. I had never seen a cut that deep. In hindsight, considering where we were, Jim was right. 2/4 285: Eli Frizzell, Pisgah. This is somebody you have to worry about., Watch The Gangstas address The Undertaker from a southern graveyard. 3/26 The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee . In 1974, The Mummy was fantastic, but I was 12 and times have changed. But Rick wanted a mummy. 5/7 BROWN: We had what was called the Smoky Mountain Flophouse in Morristown, Tenn., close to Cornettes house. Tales From The Territories - Smoky Mountain Wrestling - Full Episode 12/30 Original Wrestling Documentaries 62.6K subscribers Subscribe 4K 429K views 5 years ago #TalesFromTheTerritories Follow. 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. 12/10 Rick Rubin was a big wrestling fan and he had just made like $100 million from CBS Records. But we knew they were going to be stars. 5/21 7/1 CORNETTE: DLo Brown was a CPA, had a good job, but he quit and moved to Knoxville to be in the wrestling business. 12/9 Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Its very obvious and straight-forward. They had such heat. 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. SMW promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. 10/10 Then he studied under Bill Watts, who had a great wrestling mind. People were scared of them. 9/4 Rasslin' Contents 1 History and overview 1.1 Formation 1.2 Territorial reach 10/13 10/17 I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja.. 7/23 12/11 9/19 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. 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. In Kentucky, you get the same reaction with a hiptoss or a slap to the face. MANTEL: The business had morphed. 9/30 STORM: Chris worked every single night like it was WrestleMania. It didnt matter if we had 112 people in Pikeville, Ky. CORNETTE: I had visited my friend Cat, who was touring with Danzig. 1/28 I live 500 miles away from Knoxville, but wed go up and stay until the matches were over and then drive home. 10/22 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 Stay at this 3-star spa hotel in Oberstdorf. 1/14 5/14 Non-Televised Smoky Mountain House Shows . 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. BROWN: The thing I really think about is when Jimmy went to WWE, he split his time and focus, and obviously hes putting most of his thought and input into WWE. Later on, he turned into Jim Cornette the manager. 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. 2/19 9/16 9/4 10/21 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 I took the nickname of a high school friend. Eddie left without telling me, so I needed a cocky guy to be Unabombs partner. I didnt want it to get to a point where I owed talent money.. 7/8 He wrote an article called Bobs Brigade, and thats when I first became aware of him. These were people that would get involved. 6/16 Established We were working so fast and doing all these high spots. 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). Thanksgiving and Christmas had been a big time of year for us, but when Thanksgiving weekend in 1995 earned us less than it had the previous year, I knew it was inevitable to halt things. 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. And the stories were good in Smoky Mountain. 9/5 One of the Largest collections of Wrestling footage. 5/27 I couldnt believe it. Tracey worked so darn hard. Owned by the trio of Sweet Stan Lane, Sandy Scott, and Jim Cornette, SMW was very much an analogue to ECW the same way that its promoter is and was an analogue to Paul Heyman. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 4 9/3 I liked Lee with Candido a lot more than I liked Lee as a hero. 7/4 2/6 2/13 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. [1] The first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. 6/10 MANTEL: Cornette started at about 14 or 15-years-old taking pictures. JERICHO: When youre in front of 200 people, theres no need to do a dive over the top rope to the floor. Watch the infamous and controversial Prince Kharis in action. 6/21 They rode their mule to the wrestling matches. They had been bugging me to come down to Smoky Mountain, so I said, Youve gotta wear dresses. You couldve heard a pin drop. Watch the big Steiner Brothers vs. Heavenly Bodies match at SummerSlam 1993. I pitched him the idea of starting a wrestling company, because I had an idea of where we could do it. Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. 2/12 I got this tape from a guy called Lance Storm who I saw leaping from the top rope and cutting these great dropkicks. 9/3 5/6 He was such a class act. STORM: We were brought in for the Sunday Bloody Sunday show, which was Terry Funk vs. Bob Armstrong. Thats how full the place is. 6/19 6/20 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. 4/22 Its a camaraderie thats not relevant exclusively to Smoky Mountain. Parent It was Marilyn Manson before he got famous. 9/23 We got to the point where we were too small to be big, but too big to be small. He broke in under Jerry Jarrett, who, at one time, was one of the most creative guys I knew. The Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard) and Jim Cornette for the SMW Tag Team Championship, Bobby Eaton and The Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard) vs. Arn Anderson and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Dutch Mantell and The Stud Stable (Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden), Brian Lee, The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) and The Stud Stable (Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden) vs. Kevin Sullivan, The Tazmaniac, Killer Kyle and The Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard), Tracy Smothers vs. Smoky Mountain Wrestling was based . He really did. 9/5 We also got WYMT in Hazard, Ky., so we had eastern Kentucky covered, too, with those three stations. Style Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1991-1995) A firm believer in "old-school" territorial wrestling, Cornette began the Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion in 1991. 11/20 Later, Mark Curtis came running up to me saying, Jericho went to the hospital. 8/13 I started listening to my audience and trying to engage them rather than trying to entertain the fan that I was. I offered Chris and his girlfriend Tammy to come to Knoxville. 113: Kane Bryson, Pisgah, Davey McCoy, Smoky Mountain. 8/21 7/18 12/30, 1/14 7/29 The Heavenly Bodies (Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) then faced The Steiner Brothers for the WWF Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam 1993, and then defeating The Rock 'n' Roll Express at Survivor Series 1993 for the SMW Tag Team Championship. 1/18 I wasnt very good at them at the time. K-Town Showdown Christmas Chaos - Day 3 ARMSTRONG: They were completely different. You can take five minutes for the villain to pull the hair and the crowd would get really upset about it. 1/23 Pisgah @ Smoky Mountain . [26], The King of Kentucky Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in Hazard, Kentucky on June 24, 1993. 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. 6/2 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. 10/24 ARMSTRONG: I was commissioner, so Jimmy and I were always at each others throats. Weight Class . 4/29 We got lost in the mountains, came back and he was giving the meat to kids. 2/27 Brawl In The Hall 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. Even though those guys were very white meat and clich, I learned from Bob Armstrong, Dirty White Boy, Tracy Smothers and The Rock n Roll Express. I pay those lessons forward now. Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee from 1991 to 1995. 9/1 CORNETTE: We had a deal with the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va. (c) refers to the champion (s) heading into the match. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship, The Dirty White Boy vs. Bruiser Bedlam and Jim Cornette, Bambi and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Tammy Fytch, Chris Candido and Brian Lee, The Dirty White Boy vs. Chris Candido for the SMW Heavyweight Championship, Bob Armstrong, Tracy Smothers and Road Warrior Hawk vs. Bruiser Bedlam and The Funk Brothers (Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk), The Dirty White Boy, Tracy Smothers and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Boo Bradley, Bruiser Bedlam and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa), The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa) vs. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 9/1 Show me what you got. I guess he liked what he saw because I started working for the company two weeks later. Theyre very vocal about who they like and who they dislike. He became a serious student of the business. SMW - Pro Wrestling The Smoky Mountain Wrestling 1991-1995 [23] Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. 12/3 8/28 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. 6/6 But when Jimmys on his game, hes very intense and wants it done right. 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. 5/1 To some of them, it wasnt just entertainment. But if there was ever anything wrong with the paychecks, hed make it good. 7/22 Two kids were on the mule, they rode up, got off, slapped him on the ass, and he went back over the hill and the kids came to the wrestling match. LANCE STORM: It was clean-cut. He liked southern territory wrestling, wild stuff, big heat, that type of thing. 2/19 Cornette was really . After a while, he became a great fan favorite. STORM: Like ECW, Smoky Mountain was too big to be small and too small to be big. BROWN: Balls Mahoney had just gotten hired to be Boo Bradley in Smoky Mountain, but he didnt have a drivers license, so he was asking around for someone to drive him from New Jersey to Knoxville, Tenn. We drove all night and he said in exchange for driving him down he would talk to Cornette about giving me a match. From 1920 to last week. Volunteer Slam IV 5/14 It was a great time for me. 10/23 2/12 Jericho asked me if he could go in the ring to practice some stuff. Watch a Tammy Sytch manage Brian Lee in a Coal Miner's Glove Match. In the same night, I went from being me to being DLo. 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. 8/5 I wanted Brad Armstrong in that spot from the start, but hes one of the only ones I couldnt get from WCW. The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. He talked like one of the people because he was one a plumber from east Tennessee. King Of The Mountain Tournament Results Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match. 9/11 Ive seen him destroy rings. 2/21 And, for a while, they were successful in doing that. Watch Dirty White Boy sneak up on Dutch Mantel in a scrapyard. 5/20 5/6 6/7 It was eye-opening to see that other side of him. It was a really big deal and Jericho did more than he should have. 2/27 10/14 Jim Cornette had to fight his way out of more than one of those towns. I asked him if he wanted to be a mummy and he drove to South Carolina so we could make the suit out of giant rolls of gauze and tape. People knew him, he could talk and knew how to work the style. 5/19 Theres a difference between country people and hillbillies and they were bona fide hillbillies. When Kanemura came backstage from the ring, I couldnt believe what I saw. 5/3 4/9 They were either already established stars or were guys that went on to become stars. Youre not going to see that in Madison Square Garden, I can assure you. 1/22 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. 3/11 CORNETTE: Rick Rubin only came to Smoky Mountain shows once. Night Of Legends Christmas Chaos - Day 3, 1/15 1 and No. The reason ECW was so successful is because Paul Heyman had his pulse on what the youth of America felt at the time. I knew something was wrong. 7/23 We passed this guy who had killed a deer. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship. 5 Things Jim Cornette Gets Right About Modern Wrestling (And 5 He's Wrong About), Jim Cornette, SMW was very much an analogue to ECW the same way that its promoter is and was an analogue to Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette over the past decade or two then you already know how bombastic the guy is, 9 Wrestlers We Forgot Were Managed By Jim Cornette, 5 AEW Stars That Jim Cornette Hates (& 5 He Actually Likes), a guy who sometimes feels some on his roster are too southern,.
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