1/15 6/11 4/21 I learned how to perform a basic, good guy interview and get some personality and charisma involved as well. 5/22 He talked like one of the people because he was one a plumber from east Tennessee. He liked southern territory wrestling, wild stuff, big heat, that type of thing. 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) SMW also featured a number of younger wrestlers who had not yet made their mark on a national stage, including Bob Holly, New Jack, Al Snow, Balls Mahoney, Chris Jericho, Glenn Jacobs (then known as Unabomb, later better known under the ring name Kane), Lance Storm, Chris Candido, Tammy Lynn Sytch, Brian Girard James (B.G. STORM: I told Jericho that I was talking to Jim Cornette about going to Smoky Mountain. Brawl In The Hall ROAD DOGG: Money has definitely got to be one of the big factors. ARMSTRONG: One time, we were out back and we saw, over the hill, came an old mule. The promotion was backed financially by music producer Rick Rubin. He beat up my dad and put him down on the chairs and went to do a moonsault off the top. JERICHO: He flew us to Knoxville from Calgary. Cornette established the promotion after having cut ties with WCW, with initial financial backing from Record Producer Rick Rubin. It was exciting to be just getting out of the military and getting my start in wrestling. And that ended up as our territory. SMOTHERS: I was there the night Kevin [Sullivan] cut up [W*ING] Kanemura. It was held between March 12 and April 23, 1992; the finals of the tournament was originally scheduled for Volunteer Slam on May 22 in Knoxville, but the teams that made the finals, The Fantastics and The Heavenly Bodies, decided to have the tournament final on the April 23, 1992 TV taping, which aired on May 9. 4/17 10/7 7/9 1/22 Hotels near Residenzschloss Oettingen Hotels near Der Marktplatz - Oettingen in Bayern Hotels near Stadtmauer und Holzgraben Hotels near Knigsturm Hotels near Heimatmuseum Oettingen in Bayern Hotels near Evangelische Pfarrkirche St. Jakob Hotels near Das Rathaus - Oettingen in Bayern Hotels near Katholische Pfarrkirche St. Sebastian Hotels near Vlkerkundemuseum im Residenzschloss Hotels . He was the best performer of the three of them, so I made him their posse member. Sunny, New Jack, D-Lo Brown, Lance Storm, Chris Jericho, and more were able to first get noticed due to their time with Cornette. 12/29 120: Gunnar Marshall, East Henderson, Cooper Williamson, Tuscola. 3/17 CORNETTE: Brian Lee was playing the part of Brad Armstrong. Warren went 22-3 at 185 pounds with a win at the Smoky . 4/30 220: Reese Meadows, North Henderson. 3/18 I didnt like the masks, but I liked their work. 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. 9/4 He rolled out of the ring and had a weird look on his face. 160: Xander Hill, Pisgah, Jaime Vega, North Henderson. 5/8 If youre thinking Rubin produced a Fozzy album at some point, youd be wrong. During the late eighties, as wrestling got more cartoonish, Rubin did what any fan with money would do - he forked over some money to Cornette to start a traditional territory like the ones they both had grown up with. 10/1 1/16/23 - HI!, WE'RE STILL IN BUSINESS! 7/2 Results Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match. 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. Thats how they got there in Smoky Mountain. 1/9 11/13 From what I understand, Jim paid really well. SMOTHERS: Some of the best matches Ive ever had were with Chris. DLO BROWN: [Cornette] was a good character and a good entertainer, but he also knew TV stations, syndication, how to book venues and how to promote. WWE for the first time ever acknowledged another wrestling promotion. CORNETTE: Tracy Smothers was the epitome of the perfect Smoky Mountain hero. Watch Cornette go too far in his verbal attacks on the Armstrong family. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) Play all Shuffle 1 SMW Episode 1 2/1/1992 Old School Rasslin! 6/12 It was a really big deal and Jericho did more than he should have. BROWN: We had what was called the Smoky Mountain Flophouse in Morristown, Tenn., close to Cornettes house. 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. 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. 12/18 He had all the rebel gear on, and the son had it on, too. 11/3 6/16 1/23 10/29 2/26 After SMW folded, The Louisville Slugger, Jim Cornette went to work for WWE. Watch the big Steiner Brothers vs. Heavenly Bodies match at SummerSlam 1993. But we knew they were going to be stars. 9/5 10/17 We passed this guy who had killed a deer. If you're thinking Rubin produced a Fozzy album at some point, you'd be wrong. Al Snow was working in Ohio and northern Kentucky, so I called him up and Al jumped at the chance. 4/23 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. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship, The Armstrong Family (Bob Armstrong, Scott Armstrong and Steve Armstrong) vs. Jim Cornette and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Rey), Tracy Smothers vs. Brian Lee for the SMW Heavyweight Championship, The Armstrong Family (Bob Armstrong, Scott Armstrong and Steve Armstrong) vs. Jim Cornette and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray). 8/7 6/10 3/19 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]. 9/30 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 3 ARMSTRONG: They were completely different. 12/25, 1/8 12/31, 1/7 Cornette formed the promotion in October 1991 upon leaving World Championship Wrestling with Stan Lane, Tim Horner and Sandy Scott. 8/7 We wanted to get away from sports-entertainment.. Fright Night 7/9 4/8 SMW event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. Charlotte Memories 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. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 4 Eddie left without telling me, so I needed a cocky guy to be Unabombs partner. 3/3 1986 1988 . 8/12 They built a lot of heat. During the early 1990s, wrestling was in a state of transition. 7/4 MANTEL: When you take the demographics into consideration, Tracy fit it perfectly. They rode their mule to the wrestling matches. 4/29 Bluegrass Brawl II SMOTHERS: It was originally going to be Steve [Armstrong] and I together to work a program with The Heavenly Bodies, but Steve got a job with WWE. 2/12 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. MANTEL: Jimmy has a short fuse. 4/15 10/30 All the mom and pop promotions were dropping like flies. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. CORNETTE: DLo Brown was a CPA, had a good job, but he quit and moved to Knoxville to be in the wrestling business. 3/26 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. 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. 9/3 3/27 2/18 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. Results Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match. 3/21 The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Tom Horner and Robert Gibson for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. Tracy Smothers and Robert Gibson for the SMW Tag Team Championship, Jake Roberts vs. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1991-1995) A firm believer in "old-school" territorial wrestling, Cornette began the Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) promotion in 1991. 5/7 The reason ECW was so successful is because Paul Heyman had his pulse on what the youth of America felt at the time. 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 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. [28], The Carolina Cup Tag Team Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held at the Grady Cole Center on August 13, 1995. [23] Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. My wife and I became really great friends with them. 12/2 4/18 10/7 ROAD DOGG: Brian Lee was a great wrestler, a big good-looking guy and had a lot of talent. 126: Damon Landreth, West Henderson, Matthew Mehaffey, Pisgah. When Kanemura came backstage from the ring, I couldnt believe what I saw. We put baby powder on him so if he was dropkicked, dust would fly out. 10/22 CORNETTE: We had a deal with the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va. 1981 - 39 Disks. 6/5 Smokey Mountain Wrestling was a wrestling promotion founded by Jim Cornette, Rick Rubin and others. But Cornette wanted to have a hand in everything. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship, The Bruise Brothers (Don Bruise and Ron Bruise) vs. He has even stated on several podcasts that he to his day watches eight hours of wrestling a week (Dont hold that against him, the man has a job and cant sit on the couch ALL day to watch). 7/27 4/10 7/15 5/19 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. 9/25 5/20 Under Cornette, it was fresh and exciting. 8/26 10/8 The hero is going to be very much Clark Kent, straight and honest. Brad has his old Badstreet costume from WCW, which we turned inside out, put on Brian and called him The Dark Secret. TV Taping 10/30/91 in Greeneville, SC @ the Memorial Auditorium That was the genesis. 7/4 I spent all of 1991 going back and forth to California to talk with Rick. Find the all-conference team for each sport below. 8/25 285: Eli Frizzell, Pisgah. ROAD DOGG: My dad was already getting up there in years and there were a lot of young guys, so he became the commissioner. 1/22 The whole time I was there, traveling with my dad and brothers and getting my foot in the door of the industry, it was all a really memorable experience for me. Watch The Thrillseekers' amazing video package including riding bumper cars and at a petting zoo. 7/8 CORNETTE: Kanemura came in from Japan to work a show for us in 1993. 8/11 6/1 Recently, music producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin was a guest on his former employee, Chris Jericho's podcast. How did it gain national attention? Christmas Chaos - Day 1 Volunteer Slam I 3/11 Sullivan got at him with this spike, and we had to censor it because it was so gross. 6/13 Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. 6/12 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. 2/19 7/21 9/17 Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) was Jim Cornette 's own Professional Wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, TN, running from October 1991 through December 1995. [26], The King of Kentucky Tournament was a one-night single elimination tournament held in Hazard, Kentucky on June 24, 1993. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. Volunteer Slam IV WWE now owns the SMW video library. 8/5 11/6 9/17 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. He never went out to any bars on the road. SMOTHERS: He carried a pistol on him at that time. 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.. Show me what you got. I guess he liked what he saw because I started working for the company two weeks later. Sign up for BINGE to watch. They used to call us the flying squirrels and mean it. It doesnt matter what kind of match I prefer, I have to deliver the kind of match that the people who bought the tickets want. 8/18 Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. It was eye-opening to see that other side of him. 4/17 Marietta Debut . LAWLER: There were some backwoods fans, rednecks and coal miners that would come over from Virginia. These were people that would get involved. They can all wrestle. I offered Chris and his girlfriend Tammy to come to Knoxville. I live 500 miles away from Knoxville, but wed go up and stay until the matches were over and then drive home. ARMSTRONG: The guy has more guts than I ever thought. The last SMW show was held on November 26, 1995 in Cookeville, Tennessee (though it had been announced on SMW TV's November 25, 1995 episode that upcoming shows were to be held at the Collett Street Rec Center in Morganton, North Carolina on December 1, 1995, and at Cloudland High School in Roan Mountain, Tennessee the following night), and featured the entire SMW roster attacking Jim Cornette, who was then pinned by referee Mark Curtis. The Rock n Roll Express and Tracy Smothers could give you an education you cant get in the ring. Anything you wanted Dirty White Boy to do, he was there to do. 6/24 (24 reviews) "Room and hotel were not as described. 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. 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. 7/31 Summer Blast 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. Fire On The Mountain 9/24 The way he spoke, it was just like, Wow. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee . 132: Kavan Wilson, Smoky Mountain, Mason Maybin, East Henderson. Smoky Mountain Wrestling Current abbreviation: SMW Status: Inactive Location: Morristown, Tennessee, USA Active Time: 1991 - 1995 Details Names: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1991 - 1995) Abbreviations: SMW Owners: Jim Cornette & Sandy Scott (1994 - 1995) Jim Cornette, Sandy Scott & Tim Horner (1991 - 1994) Popular events: 6/25 I had a police officer keep an eye on them while I took care of White Boy in the ring. SMOTHERS: He never came back to the dressing room. 10/28 Thanks to SMW, an eclectic mix of superstars were able to get their start. Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 637 items that match the search parameters. 8/7 He had people screaming during a Chain Match in Pikeville, Ky., population: 6500. 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. 6/5 2/25 He broke in under Jerry Jarrett, who, at one time, was one of the most creative guys I knew. LAWLER: I went to Knoxville and beat Dirty White Boy for the Smoky Mountain Title as a part of a crossover with the USWA in Memphis. They were either already established stars or were guys that went on to become stars. [29], After SMW closed, Brad Armstrong declared himself SMW champion and defended the SMW Heavyweight Championship in the United States Wrestling Association. 6/11 The palace sits on an island in the middle of the lake and requires a ferry for access. He and The Rock n Roll Express together showed how much fun a locker room can be if you dont take yourselves too seriously. This led to The Rock 'n' Roll Express wrestling The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Stan Lane) at SuperBrawl III in February. ROAD DOGG: Terry Funk stacked about 40 chairs in the middle of the ring. 9/10 1/23 Watch a young Al Snow take on Brad Armstrong for the Smoky Mountain Title. Then he studied under Bill Watts, who had a great wrestling mind. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. Those Appalachian people are a little bit different than everybody else. 8/14 Theres a difference between country people and hillbillies and they were bona fide hillbillies. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship, SMW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. SMW - Pro Wrestling The Smoky Mountain Wrestling 1991-1995 ROAD DOGG: We worked high school gyms in small towns, but they were always packed and they were always the best fans. Results ; Team Name . 6/6 4/22 People knew him, he could talk and knew how to work the style. 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. 12/5 per night. 4/16 Recently, music producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin was a guest on his former employee, Chris Jerichos podcast. 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. We also got WYMT in Hazard, Ky., so we had eastern Kentucky covered, too, with those three stations. 4/2 $159. One time, before I took the hood off, I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja. K-Town Showdown 8/21 Location 3/20 Then we got The Steiners to come have rematches in Smoky Mountain. 6/10 The most important thing about wrestling is know your audience and Cornette really knew that southern area. He worked hard, was smart, but hes just pretty much a control freak. SMOTHERS: Sometimes the pressure would get to him and hed just snap. 9/4 The outdoor festival . 11/5 Watch a Tammy Sytch manage Brian Lee in a Coal Miner's Glove Match. SMOTHERS: That was different. Fire On The Mountain 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. 3/15 [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. 8/9 He asked, What are you doing May 26? And he showed me a paper for a Klan rally. He had a good match, was a great kid, came to eat ribs with us and I liked the way he carried himself. Smoky Mountain Wrestling was very much southern rasslin. 12/3 7/17 7/3 7/2 11/12 Being commissioner, they knocked me out and painted an X on my back. Thats Jim in a nutshell. 4/9 Pisgah @ Smoky Mountain on Jan 17, 2023 in , NC. 11/4 Sign up for Peacock to watch. Find the all-conference team for each sport below. 3/5 Popular attractions Heimatmuseum Oberstdorf and Neue Skischule . 6/25 It was a great time for me. 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. 5/21 Folded After years of operating in red ink, Cornette shut the promotion down in December 1995 to work full-time with the WWF. 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. I pay those lessons forward now. 106 113 120 126 132 138 145 152 160 170 182 195 220 285 . 11/10 JIM CORNETTE: In WCW in 1990, The Midnight Express Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane and myself were still there. 9/3 [Rubin] would call me at three in the morning, Id hear the latest main event playing the background and wed talk about cool wrestling. 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." He became a serious student of the business. His talent was great, but the fans didnt know exactly how to take him. 7/29 Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley.

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