Smoky Mountain Wrestling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Smoky Mountain Wrestling | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Acronym | SMW |
| Established | 1991 |
| Folded | 1995 |
| Style | Rasslin' |
| Location | Knoxville/Morristown, Tennessee |
| Founder(s) | Jim Cornette, Tim Horner, Stan Lane and 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 |
[edit] Formation
Cornette formed the promotion in 1991 upon leaving World Championship Wrestling with Stan Lane, one half of the legendary Midnight Express, 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 March 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, TN. The first Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions were crowned in a tournament final on April 23, 1992, in Harrogate, TN, when The Heavenly Bodies defeated The Fantastics.
[edit] Territorial reach
Cornette had initially envisioned a territory reaching from Kentucky into as far as South Carolina and Georgia. Those plans, however, never materialized. With the promotion's biggest towns being Knoxville, TN, and Johnson City, TN, most of the stops on SMW tours included high school gyms and fairs in cities such as Pikeville, KY; East Ridge, TN; Lenoir, NC; Saltville, VA; and Bluefield, WV.
[edit] Notable talent
The promotion featured some of the most popular wrestlers in wrestling entertainment and served as a platform for young talent, including Bob Holly, New Jack, Al Snow, Balls Mahoney, Chris Jericho, Glen Jacobs (aka Kane), Lance Storm, Chris Candido, Tammy Lynn Sytch, Brian 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 WWF 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.
[edit] 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." This was in sharp contrast to Extreme Championship Wrestling and the WWF, 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 claimed was due to Affirmative Action.[citation needed] In addition, an alleged race riot broke out at an SMW event in Wise, VA, in 1993, allegedly instigated by remarks Cornette made to black fans at ringside. .
[edit] 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 autumn 1994, leaving the NWA with no World Heavyweight Champion. A 10-man tournament was held in Cherry Hill, New Jersey 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.
[edit] 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 on November 26, 1995 in Cookeville, Tennessee, and featured the entire SMW roster attacking Jim Cornette, who was then pinned by referee Mark Curtis.
Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley.
World Wrestling Entertainment now owns the SMW tape library.
[edit] Major events
[edit] 1992
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Slam | May 22, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Summer Blast | July 17, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Fire on the Mountain | August 8, 1992 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 27, 1992 | National Guard Armory | Welch, West Virginia |
| November 28, 1992 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| November 29, 1992 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
[edit] 1993
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass Brawl | April 2, 1993 | Pikeville College Gymnasium | Pikeville, Kentucky |
| Volunteer Slam II: Rage in a Cage | May 9, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| The Last Tango in Tennessee | May 15, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Hot August Night in Mo-Town | August 13, 1993 | East High School Gymnasium | Morristown, Tennessee |
| Fire on the Mountain | August 14, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| K-Town Showdown | August 20, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Big Apple Grapple | October 1, 1993 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 25, 1993 | Memorial Gymnasium | Hazard, Kentucky |
| November 26, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee | |
| November 27, 1993 | Knox County High School Gymnasium | Barbourville, Kentucky | |
| November 28, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| Christmas Chaos | December 25, 1993 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| December 26, 1993 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| December 27, 1993 | Knox County High School Gymnasium | Barbourville, Kentucky |
[edit] 1994
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Bloody Sunday | February 13, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Bluegrass Brawl II: The Famous Final Scene | April 1, 1994 | Pikeville College Gymnasium | Pikeville, Kentucky |
| Volunteer Slam III | May 20, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| The Night of the Legends | August 5, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Fire on the Mountain | August 6, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Big Apple Grapple | September 30, 1994 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky |
| SMW/NWA Championship Wrestling America (NWA World Heavyweight title tournament) | November 17, 1994 | Stanton Hall | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| November 18, 1994 | Pleasantville, New Jersey | ||
| November 19, 1994 | National Guard Armory | Cherry Hill, New Jersey | |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 24, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| November 25, 1994 | Paintsville High School Gymnasium | Paintsville, Kentucky | |
| November 26, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| November 27, 1994 | Cobb County Civic Center | Marietta, Georgia | |
| Christmas Chaos | December 25, 1994 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| December 26, 1994 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| December 27, 1994 | Mulberry Street Recreation Center | Lenoir, North Carolina |
[edit] 1995
| Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Saturday Night Fever | January 28, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Brawl in the Hall | February 25, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Sunday Bloody Sunday II | February 26, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Bluegrass Brawl III | April 7, 1995 | Pikeville College Gymnasium | Pikeville, Kentucky |
| Fright Night | April 8, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Volunteer Slam IV | May 19, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Charlotte Memories | May 20, 1995 | Grady Cole Center | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Summer Blast | July 15, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Superbowl of Wrestling | August 4, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Fire on the Mountain: Night of the Dream Matches | August 12, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee |
| Halloween Scream | October 20, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| October 21, 1995 | East High School Gymnasium | Morristown, Tennessee | |
| October 26, 1995 | Collett Street Recreation Center | Morganton, North Carolina | |
| October 27, 1995 | Cookeville Community Center | Cookeville, Tennessee | |
| October 28, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| Thanksgiving Thunder | November 23, 1995 | Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| November 24, 1995 | Knox County High School Gymnasium | Barbourville, Kentucky | |
| November 25, 1995 | Freedom Hall Civic Center | Johnson City, Tennessee | |
| November 26, 1995 | Cookeville Community Center | Cookeville, Tennessee |
[edit] Final champions
| Championship | Final champion(s) |
|---|---|
| SMW Heavyweight Championship | Jerry Lawler† |
| SMW "Beat The Champ" Television Championship | Bobby Blaze |
| SMW Tag Team Championship | The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) |
| SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship | Bobby Blaze |
† Lawler won the belt on a USWA show after SMW closed. The final champion as recognized by the promotion was Tommy Rich.
[edit] References
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (12-22), “WWE”, Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 11
[edit] External links
Θ
