Smoky Mountain Wrestling
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Smoky Mountain Wrestling was an organization staging professional wrestling in the Appalachian area of the United States from 1992 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette (now working for the World Wrestling Entertainment developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling). The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee with offices in Morristown, Tennessee.
Cornette formed the promotion in 1992 upon leaving World Championship Wrestling with Stan Lane, one half of the legendary Midnight Express. 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. The promotion featured some of the most popular wrestlers in wrestling entertainment and served as a platform for young talent, including Brian James (B.G. James / The Road Dogg) and D'Lo Brown, but was not financially successful. Cornette finally sold the promotion to the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), run by Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler.
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 become to get upset." This was in sharp contrast to Extreme Championship Wrestling and the WWE, in which edgy angles, "tweeners" and anti-heroes increasingly took precedence over clearcut heroes and villians. Smoky Mountain was, however, the birthplace of the controversial "Gangstas" gimmick, where African American 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), puportedly due to Affirmative Action.
The late 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.
Alumni
- Bryant Anderson
- Tony Anthony ("Dirty White Boy")
- Kimberly Anthony ("Dirty White Girl")
- Bob Armstrong
- Brad Armstrong
- Scott Armstrong
- Steve Armstrong
- Bobby Blaze
- Boo Bradley
- Chris Candido
- Jim Cornette
- Jimmy Del Ray
- Bobby Eaton
- Dory Funk, Jr.
- Terry Funk
- Tamara Fytch
- Robert Gibson
- Terry Gordy
- Brian Hildebrand
- Cactus Jack
- New Jack
- Chris Jericho
- Killer Kyle
- Buddy Landel
- Stan Lane
- Jerry Lawler
- Brian Lee
- Dutch Mantell
- Mustafa
- Ricky Morton
- Tom Pritchard
- Tommy Rich
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts
- Tracy Smothers
- Al Snow
- Kevin Sullivan
- Unibomb (Kane)
Final champions
| Championship | Final Champion(s) |
| Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Champion | Jerry Lawler |
| Smoky Mountain "Beat The Champ" Television Champion | Bobby Blaze |
| Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions | Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray |
| Smoky Mountain U.S. Junior Heavyweight Champion | Bobby Blaze |
External Links
- Kayfabe Memories (http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/smw/smw.htm)
- The History of Smoky Mountain Wrestling (http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/smw/)