Enter Jim Cornette. Jimmy has a temper. 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. STORM: Jericho made the show and just had a plastic splint on his arm. 9/7 We cut all the expenses that we could cut, but I had pride. BOB ARMSTRONG: Cornette was a fan club president of mine when I was in Memphis. They were either already established stars or were guys that went on to become stars. 7/12 Its a camaraderie thats not relevant exclusively to Smoky Mountain. His talent was great, but the fans didnt know exactly how to take him. It was a really big deal and Jericho did more than he should have. 11/26 3/11 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. Fans didnt know how to take them. Reddit - Dive into anything 9/5 Smoky Mountain Wrestling - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia 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. Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) Inactive promotion in the Americas region. 4/17 He wrote an article called Bobs Brigade, and thats when I first became aware of him. 3/26 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. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) for the SMW Tag Team Championship, The Dynamic Duo (Al Snow and Unabomb) vs. 10/13 4/29 6/1 SMOTHERS: He never came back to the dressing room. It was special. 9/16 9/3 7/16 The Mummy was cool. I said, I loved The Mummy, too. 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. 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. 9/23 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. 5/6 1/21 CORNETTE: In one of my late night phone calls with Rubin, he said, I think we ought to have a mummy. Parent 6/4 Add to history Add to collection Add to watchlist Recommend this 7/30 10/1 The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. 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. These were people that would get involved. Not wrestling heat. The Mountain 7 has released its all-conference teams for the 2022-23 winter sports seasons. 8/19 8/7 11/13 6/12 Theres a difference between country people and hillbillies and they were bona fide hillbillies. 10/17 4/21 10/23 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). I dont know how they got home. ARMSTRONG: The guy has more guts than I ever thought. Brad has his old Badstreet costume from WCW, which we turned inside out, put on Brian and called him The Dark Secret. 5/29 5/7 [9] The Heavenly Bodies (Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) then faced The Steiner Brothers for the WWF Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam 1993,[10][11] and then defeating The Rock 'n' Roll Express at Survivor Series 1993 for the SMW Tag Team Championship.[12][13]. 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. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 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,. 9/1 9/24 Rick Rubin on loving pro wrestling, learning from Ric Flair and how "Rowdy" Roddy Piper turned the Beastie Boys Bad. He wasnt able to sit and enjoy his wrestling company. 11/12 9/10 2/11 I knew something was wrong. 3/12 Jimmy did it all. Contents Formation Territorial reach Notable talent 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. MANTEL: Jimmy has a short fuse. 3/26 Stay at this 3-star spa hotel in Oberstdorf. 10/7 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]. When you see guys later in a WWE locker room, theres an instant connection that you did time in the territory together. Sunday Bloody Sunday II 11/12 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 3 During the bout, Bruiser got off to a slow start, as would be expected considering Savage's stature. CORNETTE: Bruce Prichard from WWE called me and asked if The Heavenly Bodies and I wanted to come for a few shows. I took the nickname of a high school friend. 9/4 3/25 WNC high school sports: Wrestling, swimming 2023 conference championships The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship. Fright Night JERICHO: He flew us to Knoxville from Calgary. 7/24 They were heartthrobs. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. 1986 - 30 Disks . The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. I bought a whole package of Peanut Butter crackers and thats all I ate all day. 11/20 Chris had dual-citizenship. Theyre very vocal about who they like and who they dislike. Here are the Mountain 7 conference teams from winter sports in 2022-23 5/14 JERICHO: Our style was completely insane. I hit him with a pair of brass knux and he had to leave town. Watch Smothers battle Chris Candido in an early Ladder Match. 12/3 Thats why it was cutting-edge and ahead of its time. [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. He was such a class act. SMW (Wrestling) - TV Tropes Four years later, it was gone. I, as The Dark Secret, lost to him so he could take the baby bonnet off. 10/29 I wasnt very good at them at the time. 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. 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. The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa), Jim Cornette and The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs. D-Lo Brown and The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa), Tracy Smothers and The Undertaker vs. D-Lo Brown and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa), Bob Armstrong, Tracy Smothers and The Undertaker vs. D-Lo Brown and The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa), The Dynamic Duo (Al Snow and Unabomb) vs. 1/9 He always sat in the crowd. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 3 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. Of course, 90% of the shows were in small little towns and rec centers and community clubs. 8/27 (1) This page is not available in other languages. CWA MEMPHIS. 5/10 I thought it would be great if we paired Eddie, this cocky little guy who could talk, with this big enforcer guy that we called Unabomb. We needed buildings and production companies and TV stations so this eccentric music genius could somehow own a wrestling company in Tennessee. Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 4 10/15 8/20 12/11 Wrestling was not popular in America. CORNETTE: At The Night of Legends show in 94, The Heavenly Bodies were coming back from WWE to wrestle [Jericho and Storm]. Folded 5/17 10/10 2/6 We knew they were going to be stars. CHRIS JERICHO: Jimmy was a great wrestling mind for that area. (24 reviews) "Room and hotel were not as described. There was an opening act where a guy came out in a skirt, combat boots, piercings and was spitting on the fans. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. That really raised my opinion of him right there, when he did that. 6/12 6/11 1981 - 39 Disks. ARMSTRONG: I got to wrestle with all four of my sons at one time or another while Smoky Mountain was going on. Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including Tracy Smothers, The Dirty White Boy, and Boo Bradley. 8/25 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. CORNETTE: We would get VHS tapes from wrestlers who wanted to come to Smoky Mountain. 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. 2/26 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. Fire on the mountain: The oral history of Smoky Mountain Wrestling facebook twitter During the early 1990s, wrestling was in a state of transition. He had all the rebel gear on, and the son had it on, too. The Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane and Tom Prichard) vs. To some of them, it wasnt just entertainment. Knoxville was their biggest market, but its not a big enough market to sustain a wrestling company. CORNETTE: The following day, he needed surgery on his arm. 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 ??? The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Bob Armstrong | Pro Wrestling | Fandom 9/11 Hes a die-hard wrestling mark. First Team: 106: Aydan Mull, Tuscola. Marietta Debut 3/28 We trained together, sat by the pool, went to dinner, went to the movies. [1] The first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. 3/6 JERICHO: He would micro-manage it. 8/18 10/15 AWA TV. Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 637 items that match the search parameters. 6/13 Thats not something southern America in 1994 was probably ready for. 7/16 They think its broken, but hell be back.. 3/21 8/14 I had wrestled in Knoxville many times before, but it had been a while since Id been back. Cornette had initially envisioned a territory reaching from Kentucky into as far as South Carolina and Georgia. Eventually, he was walking around in a full body cast. Recently, music producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin was a guest on his former employee, Chris Jerichos podcast. It wasnt big enough to take that next step. We got to the point where we were too small to be big, but too big to be small. The promotion was backed financially by music producer Rick Rubin. The Dirty White Boy for the SMW Heavyweight Championship, The Bruise Brothers (Don Bruise and Ron Bruise) vs. 5/13 8/21 Prince Kharis - Online World of Wrestling Big Apple Grapple Last updated by Sean Sweeny on April 28, 2014 Title History Career Highlights 1993: Rob Mayze wrestled as "Prince Kharis" in Jim Cornette 's Smokey Mountain Wrestling managed by Daryl Van Horn .. November 26, 1993 - Thanksgiving Thunder: Pince Kharis (debut) defeated Tim Horner with the sleeperhold.. 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. 10 Things Fans Need To Know About Smoky Mountain Wrestling - TheSportster They were close to 60-years-old at the time and he was doing moonsaults off the top into those chairs. 9/24 3/17 I got this tape from a guy called Lance Storm who I saw leaping from the top rope and cutting these great dropkicks. 8/27 (2) Fire on the mountain: The oral history of Smoky Mountain Wrestling - WWE If you're thinking Rubin produced a Fozzy album at some point, you'd be wrong. 12/4 Watch The Rock 'n' Roll Express battle The Heavenly Bodies in a Loser Leaves Town Steel Cage Match. This led to The Rock 'n' Roll Express wrestling The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Stan Lane) at SuperBrawl III in February. Christmas Chaos - Day 1 SMOTHERS: He carried a pistol on him at that time. It was a good chance to get promoted on national television, but I was afraid that if I showed up, people would think I was leaving Knoxville and it would hurt shows, so Bruce got Vince to agree that we could mention Smoky Mountain on WWE TV. 8/6 Summer Blast JERICHO: The thing I really learned a lot about there was interviews. 6/20 3/27 4/29 I was trying to think about wrestling in a positive way, and I had noticed that every time we ran the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, the crowd would really like it. The SMW Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the first-ever SMW Tag Team Champions. 6/4 Thanksgiving Thunder - Day 1 I couldnt believe it. Where else could a good ole country boy from Springfield, Tenn., like Tracy Smothers have people cheer for him? I think he was the longest tenured roster member. 11/20 And why did it close so quickly? If he was seven-foot and 300 pounds, hed kill 20 people. He was the best performer of the three of them, so I made him their posse member. 9/12 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). CORNETTE: All the talent in Smoky Mountain either got their big opportunity later, like Al Snow, Candido or Unabomb, or already had their opportunity, such as The Rock n Roll Express and Bob Armstrong. 5/8 [29], After SMW closed, Brad Armstrong declared himself SMW champion and defended the SMW Heavyweight Championship in the United States Wrestling Association. Bluegrass Brawl II Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. I didnt want to eat very much, because hed push you to your limits. 7/8 1/18 It was the night Terry Funk did his first-ever top rope moonsault and I think he was 50 at the time. 3/19 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. 7/31 6/18 We take a look back on this short-lived territory. CORNETTE: We had a deal with the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va. He has a bad temper and sometimes he lets it get the best of him. 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. 11/20 4/2 JERRY LAWLER: Jim Cornette grew up in Louisville watching our Memphis wrestling company. 2/6 2/19 The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The Black Bears have won 13 of the past 16 conference championships, according to The Mountaineer. When Kanemura came backstage from the ring, I couldnt believe what I saw. 6/12 Watch the infamous and controversial Prince Kharis in action. 8/5 7/10 Now picture a company trying to keep him in their employ. Visit Heini-Klopfer Ski Jump Chairlift in Oberstdorf | Expedia The basketball teams are voted on by league coaches. Find the all-conference team for each sport below. The good guy wore the white hat, the bad guy wore the black hat. Youre in those Appalachian Mountains. He could talk like crazy. 2/19 The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, with offices in Morristown, Tennessee. We also got WYMT in Hazard, Ky., so we had eastern Kentucky covered, too, with those three stations. It didnt matter if we had 112 people in Pikeville, Ky. CORNETTE: I had visited my friend Cat, who was touring with Danzig. 10/28 It was sold out with like 5,000 people. ARMSTRONG: I was commissioner, so Jimmy and I were always at each others throats. 10/7 How did it gain national attention? 7/19 Smokey Mountain Wrestling was a wrestling promotion founded by Jim Cornette, Rick Rubin and others. 10/29 8/28 Here are a few things fans should know about Jim Cornette's promotion. 4/24 Im a country boy, but that was too much. Era, SMW did exactly what it needed to do. 5/15 113: Kane Bryson, Pisgah, Davey McCoy, Smoky Mountain. 6/18 1/22 ROAD DOGG: I wrestled the late, great Chris Candido in a Baby Bonnet Match where he had lost and had to wear a baby bonnet until he won another match. He talked like one of the people because he was one a plumber from east Tennessee. ARMSTRONG: He worked himself to death. CORNETTE: Nobody knew what the hell we were doing because we werent talking with any wrestlers. Former employees in SMW consisted of professional wrestlers, managers, play-by-play and color commentators, announcers, interviewers and referees. 12/10 But we knew they were going to be stars. But Cornette wanted to have a hand in everything. CORNETTE: Hes an Armstrong. Christmas Chaos - Day 1 After a while, he became a great fan favorite. Those Appalachian people are a little bit different than everybody else. JIM CORNETTE: In WCW in 1990, The Midnight Express Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane and myself were still there. One time, before I took the hood off, I worked with my dad in a Loser Leaves Town Match dressed up as a ninja. . After SMW folded, The Louisville Slugger, Jim Cornette went to work for WWE. 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. 4/30 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. 4/17 In Kentucky, you get the same reaction with a hiptoss or a slap to the face. Al Snow was working in Ohio and northern Kentucky, so I called him up and Al jumped at the chance. Mustafa is 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6, he was impressive as well, but New Jack just had this look about him. 4/16 6/8 9/12 7/18 7/17 7/3 132: Kavan Wilson, Smoky Mountain, Mason Maybin, East Henderson. It took a while to get ingratiated into the style of being slowed down. 6/25 Who is after two or three years in the business? 4/21 2/20 3/29 I learned how to perform a basic, good guy interview and get some personality and charisma involved as well. 4/22 9/25 In 1993, Smoky Mountain Wrestling signed deals with the World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation to showcase their wrestlers on the larger companies' shows. 1/28 CORNETTE: We ran shows in Marietta, Ga., wed use some of the local promoters guys and there was New Jack. 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. 3/20 Jericho asked me if he could go in the ring to practice some stuff. People had never seen it before. Six Pisgah wrestlers ( Kane Bryson, Cameron King, Xander Hill, Landon Pope, Tytus Bridges and Eli . Eddie left without telling me, so I needed a cocky guy to be Unabombs partner. 3/11 12/29 ROAD DOGG: Terry Funk stacked about 40 chairs in the middle of the ring. December 1995 Smokies things to do in spring include Dollywood and Bigfoot festivals 8/7 182: Landon Pope, Pisgah. James / The Road Dogg) and D'Lo Brown, but ultimately, like most independents, was not financially successful. And, for a while, they were successful in doing that. 6/11 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. STORM: Tracy Smothers was so much fun to be around. Night Of Legends SMOTHERS: That was different. People didnt just want to see them get their @$$es kicked, they didnt want to see them period. What Smoky Mountain was trying to do was to find that market. The Mountain 7 has released its all-conference teams for the 2022-23 winter sports seasons. SMW Night Of Legends | Pro Wrestling | Fandom It was my proving grounds and learning period. From what I understand, Jim paid really well. He had so much heart and loved wrestling more than anybody Ive ever met. Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. And the stories were good in Smoky Mountain. 7/23 9/6 7/4 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. 12/1 9/4 4/3 The palace sits on an island in the middle of the lake and requires a ferry for access. 8/22 2/27 We were running 15 towns a month from three strong TV tapings, but we couldnt get into the Asheville or Lexington markets or get a better timeslot in Chattanooga. 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. 3/6 2/12 7/1 CORNETTE: Rick Rubin only came to Smoky Mountain shows once. 8/12 7/24 Former employees in SMW consisted of professional wrestlers, managers, play-by-play and color commentators, announcers, interviewers and referees . Contents 1 History and overview 1.1 Formation 1.2 Territorial reach