Matches from these shows were first shown in February 1992. Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. We passed this guy who had killed a deer. 3/4 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 2 I had never seen a cut that deep. 4/22 May 1 - May 2. 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]. I wanted Brad Armstrong in that spot from the start, but hes one of the only ones I couldnt get from WCW. 7/30 5/17 Cornette formed the promotion in October 1991 upon leaving World Championship Wrestling, with Sandy Scott and backed financially by music producer Rick Rubin. 6/8 4/17 12/30, 1/14 The Moondogs, The Dirty White Boy and The Dirty White Girl vs. Brian Lee and Tammy Fytch, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. After a while, he became a great fan favorite. We wanted to get away from sports-entertainment.. STORM: Chris was trying to do a Shooting Star Press, bailed on it and landed as if he was trying to do a dropkick off the top rope. [3], Cornette had initially envisioned a territory reaching from Kentucky into as far as South Carolina and Georgia. 2/12 Its very obvious and straight-forward. 4/23 3/21 4/7 Thats how full the place is. 2/18 Event history Either the story is good or the story is not good. Cable was not that widespread, a lot of people used antennas in the hills. 1986 - 30 Disks . BROWN: I was scared out of my wits of New Jack. 8/5 He was the best performer of the three of them, so I made him their posse member. 5/14 9/1 10/8 7/22 Watch Cornette go too far in his verbal attacks on the Armstrong family. 4/8 He started with us and was there when we closed. Smoky Mountain Wrestling 1991-1995. Volunteer Slam II 2/27 The gardens and a portion of the palace were completed before Ludwig II's mysterious death. 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. 11/4 6/5 So that was the idea behind Smoky Mountain Wrestling. 9/23 5/21 ARMSTRONG: I got to wrestle with all four of my sons at one time or another while Smoky Mountain was going on. 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. 5/6 We trained together, sat by the pool, went to dinner, went to the movies. He had so much heart and loved wrestling more than anybody Ive ever met. I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja.. 170: Marcus McCarson, East Henderson. Sign up for Peacock to watch. I wasnt very good at them at the time. Not wrestling heat. Bankrolled by an LA-based music genius who produced Eminems latest album, the fiery Louisville Slugger founded Smoky Mountain Wrestling as a throwback to what he believed to be the lost art of southern-style rasslin. He talked like one of the people because he was one a plumber from east Tennessee. Established MANTEL: I used to tell some of the guys in the locker room, The crowd is aggressive towards you because you might be the biggest stars theyll ever meet. Rock stars dont play concerts back in those hills. 3/21 These were people that would get involved. I couldnt believe it. 9/24 12/10 WCW was struggling with management issues, WWE was moving away from Hulkamanias golden age and the glory days of ECW were still years away. 3/18 There was one caveat - he wasnt going to continuously invest in the product (and lose money). 6/18 4/9 10/7 Watch the infamous and controversial Prince Kharis in action. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) was Jim Cornette 's own Professional Wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, TN, running from October 1991 through December 1995. CORNETTE: We had a deal with the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va. When Kanemura came backstage from the ring, I couldnt believe what I saw. Its hard to compete with Vince McMahon and the machine. [29], After SMW closed, Brad Armstrong declared himself SMW champion and defended the SMW Heavyweight Championship in the United States Wrestling Association. 3/20 Similar to the promotion in Philadelphia that has now earned mythic status, Cornette and SMW were able to do many of the same things that Happy Heyman was able to pull off in ECW. MANTEL: The wrestling business was in transition at the time. Volunteer Slam III 7/19 8/6 Cornette, Lane, and Scott had five years to try and earn the music maven some money. 6/4 Sullivan got at him with this spike, and we had to censor it because it was so gross. But the southern style that Cornette grew up with and pushed forward with his promotion still lives on to this day. 285: Eli Frizzell, Pisgah. BROWN: We had what was called the Smoky Mountain Flophouse in Morristown, Tenn., close to Cornettes house. You can take five minutes for the villain to pull the hair and the crowd would get really upset about it. 9/10 $159. American professional wrestling promotion, NWA World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1994), List of former Smoky Mountain Wrestling personnel, SMW "Beat The Champ" Television Championship, SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship, List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States, "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1991-92", "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1993", "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1994", "Smokey Mountain Wrestling > Ring Results > 1995", "A Look Back at Smoky Mountain Wrestling", "Nostalgia Review: WCW SuperBrawl III; Sting vs. Vader Strap Match, Hollywood Blondes, Barry Windham vs. People can watch it on Monday night for nothing, so its hard to get people to come out and pay to see you, especially in the towns and smaller venues we were running. 2/11 ARMSTRONG: He worked himself to death. 9/11 7/16 JERICHO: When youre in front of 200 people, theres no need to do a dive over the top rope to the floor. World Wrestling Entertainment There were zero shades of gray. Wrestling was not popular in America. The basketball teams are voted on by league coaches. Having my sons with me, it was a great family experience and one of the greatest experiences of my life. They voted for ours, but WWE stayed on the air anyway. 7/23 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. They take their rasslin very seriously. 8/12 When we finally had a wrestling match together, it sold out Knoxville Civic Center. Then we got The Steiners to come have rematches in Smoky Mountain. [1] The first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. ALL-WNC BOYS BASKETBALL: Here are the 2022-23 All-WNC boys basketball teams, player of the year and coach of the year, ALL-WNC GIRLS BASKETBALL Here are the 2022-23 All-WNC girls basketball teams, player of the year and coach of the year, ALL-WNC WRESTLING: All-WNC wrestling 2023: Kage Williams' perfect season highlights another strong year, Player of the Year: Jackson Lyda, West Henderson, Coach of the Year: Brandon Brooks, West Henderson, First Team: Lukas Kachilo (West Henderson), Truitt Manuel (West Henderson), Grant Putnam (West Henderson), Cal Drake (Franklin), Max McClure (Franklin), Parker Cabe (Franklin), Kehler Lamb (Franklin), Bryson Rowe (North Henderson), Noah Pierce (North Henderson), Micah Pierce (North Henderson), Josh Heiny (North Henderson), Caiden Brewer (East Henderson), Reece Alverson (East Henderson), Caiden Robinson (Pisgah), Sawyer Belue (Pisgah), Jett Benson (Tuscola), Co-Player of the Year: Chloe Burch and Dot Mills, Pisgah, Coach of the Year: Brandon Holloway, Pisgah, First Team: Cayce Lovelace (Pisgah), Whitney Boone (Pisgah), Maddie Rhea (Pisgah), Tori Ensley (Franklin), Cali Queen (Franklin), Avery Moffit (Franklin), Roselyn McCollum (Franklin), Jaza Wilson (West Henderson), Jania Wilson (West Henderson), Ava Heffner (West Henderson), Kayden Lyda (West Henderson), Greenlee Flynn (Smoky Mountain), Xalia Spencer (Smoky Mountain), Lexi Gunter (North Henderson), Amy Rhymer (North Henderson), Karsen Cherry (Tuscola), Kaylee Foushee (East Henderson), Wrestler of the Year: Kane Bryson, Pisgah, Coach of the Year: Erik Wilson, Smoky Mountain. 2/25 From 1992 until the promotion's end in 1995, Chris Candido wrestled for Jim Cornette 's Tennessee-based outfit Smoky Mountain Wrestling. 7/15 The Great Muta, Cactus Jack vs. Paul Orndorff", "Weekend show pays tribute to Midwest stars", "Hank Aaron Sparked Pro Wrestling's First Major Racism Story 25 Years Ago", "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", Professional wrestling in the United States, Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams), Heart of America Sports Attractions/Central States Wrestling, Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance, International World Class Championship Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling, Southern Championship Wrestling (Georgia), Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)/Mid-South Wrestling, Wrestling Association of Championship Krushers, Ladies Professional Wrestling Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smoky_Mountain_Wrestling&oldid=1136583174, Independent professional wrestling promotions based in Tennessee, Entertainment companies established in 1991, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Brian Lee & Ron Garvin vs. Paul Orndorff & The Dirty White Boy, Brian Lee vs. ROAD DOGG: We worked high school gyms in small towns, but they were always packed and they were always the best fans. Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. 6/19 The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. Rock, and The Dynamic Duo, This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 01:50. 8/9 Cornette was able to broker deals with both WCW and WWE, bringing talent like the highly understood Heavenly Bodies to both promotions to get a big look. 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. 9/5 7/31 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. Results ; Team Name . 120: Gunnar Marshall, East Henderson, Cooper Williamson, Tuscola. 1986 1988 . 7/29 1/21 This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Here are the Mountain 7 conference teams from winter sports in 2022-23, Here are the 2022-23 All-WNC boys basketball teams, player of the year and coach of the year, Here are the 2022-23 All-WNC girls basketball teams, player of the year and coach of the year, All-WNC wrestling 2023: Kage Williams' perfect season highlights another strong year, Here are the Mountain 7 conference teams from winter sports in 2022-23. 6/10 10/7 . Fire On The Mountain 1/22 2/19 4/1 4/29 10/30 12/5 Brian had worked in Memphis and had a lot of potential. The Last Tango In Tennessee 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. 8/5 3/6 11/12 There was an opening act where a guy came out in a skirt, combat boots, piercings and was spitting on the fans. Theyre very vocal about who they like and who they dislike. 7/8 If you're thinking Rubin produced a Fozzy album at some point, you'd be wrong. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. SMOTHERS: In 1993, Dirty White Boy burned the rebel flag in a trash can while I was handcuffed. I didnt want to eat very much, because hed push you to your limits. For everyone who has paid a lick of attention to Jim Cornette over the past decade or two then you already know how bombastic the guy is. Volunteer Slam I When I went to Smoky Mountain, it was totally different than what I remembered Knoxville wrestling being like. 4/30 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." 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. Volunteer Slam IV Rick Rubin on loving pro wrestling, learning from Ric Flair and how "Rowdy" Roddy Piper turned the Beastie Boys Bad. CORNETTE: Brian Lee was playing the part of Brad Armstrong. 7/10 3/25 Where else could a good ole country boy from Springfield, Tenn., like Tracy Smothers have people cheer for him? 6/24 Thats why it was cutting-edge and ahead of its time. 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. Era, SMW did exactly what it needed to do. One of the Largest collections of Wrestling footage. He was used as a star of yesteryear that still had it in him and had the crowd on the edge of their seats the whole time. 1994 saw Randy Savage head to Smoky Mountain Wrestling to compete at their Volunteer Slam 3 PPV. 10/1 Then he studied under Bill Watts, who had a great wrestling mind. Rasslin' Rick Rubin was a big wrestling fan and he had just made like $100 million from CBS Records. 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. 10/7 Alongside his on-screen managerial duties, being the US spokesman for Yokozuna, Corny would start helping with the booking and he was able to help Vince McMahon usher in The Attitude Era before some other Vince came along to drive Cornette insane. 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. 11/18 CORNETTE: The last one to come was young Brian [aka Road Dogg]. Just give it a try, he said. 8/11 2/4 6/12 CORNETTE: We ran shows in Marietta, Ga., wed use some of the local promoters guys and there was New Jack. I live 500 miles away from Knoxville, but wed go up and stay until the matches were over and then drive home. SMOTHERS: Sometimes the pressure would get to him and hed just snap. (24 reviews) "Room and hotel were not as described. 3/26 2/25 Cornette said, Kid, you got eight minutes. 9/7 Cornette took all he learned growing up on Memphis TV and brought his own southern-style to the masses of the region. STORM: I absolutely love Bob Armstrong. The Rock n Roll Express and Tracy Smothers could give you an education you cant get in the ring. Hes a creative genius bordering on insanity, which is the best kind of genius. Knoxville/MorristownTennessee 3/25 I bought a whole package of Peanut Butter crackers and thats all I ate all day. 6/11 ROAD DOGG: My dad was already getting up there in years and there were a lot of young guys, so he became the commissioner. CORNETTE: DLo Brown was a CPA, had a good job, but he quit and moved to Knoxville to be in the wrestling business. Jericho asked me if he could go in the ring to practice some stuff. 9/3 Acronym 6/6 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. CHRIS JERICHO: Jimmy was a great wrestling mind for that area. 4/14 The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. Mustafa couldnt say sooey if the hogs had him, but looked like he could break you in half. And, for a while, they were successful in doing that. From what I understand, Jim paid really well. We were trying to be a little more serious than the colorful world of WWE. They were heartthrobs.. Fans had rallies for us not to come to town and paid to see us lose. [27], The NWA World Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on November 19, 1994, to decide a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. 9/27 ROAD DOGG: Once my skills were improving and could carry the Armstrong name, I started wrestling as Brian Armstrong and tagging with my brothers. 1/14 It was a really big deal and Jericho did more than he should have. 10/9 Eddie left without telling me, so I needed a cocky guy to be Unabombs partner. 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. They built a lot of heat. 220: Reese Meadows, North Henderson. Parent It was sold out with like 5,000 people. Jimmy did it all. 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.. Related: 5 Things Jim Cornette Gets Right About Modern Wrestling (And 5 He's Wrong About). Wrestling and swimming are determined based on votes from coaches and conference championship results. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 6/12 6/12 4/8 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 2 9/5 [23] Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley.
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