Smoky Mountain Wrestling 

I always wanted to know the history of Smoky Moutain Wrestling thanks Dave!

Speaking of SMW: They were on German TV for a while because here in Germany the early 90s were the boom period of wrestling and every TV station wanted to have wrestling even if they showed it in the late night.

The best SMW moment by far was New Jack giving a shout out to OJ Simpson. "2 less we have to worry about" 🤣

New Jack talking crazy were my favorite SMW moments. Today the censors would have a stroke.

My favourite SMW stuff was the feud between Al Snow & Unabomb and the Rock n Roll Express. The promos during that were pure gold.

This kind of content is why Dave is the goat of wrestling focused RU-vidrs.

Love this channel. It makes the workday so much easier. Protect Dave at all costs

Dave Knows Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and now we all do too

Dave certainly knows wrestling. Thanks for another video Dave keep up the good work and great commentary as always

I got to meet the undertaker when I was 9 in 1994 in pikeville ky. He teamed with Tracy smothers and Tim Horner against new jack and his gang. As a kid it was awkward to see his entrance with no theatrics. Also weirdly taker hit the tombstone but smothers got the pin. Also I met unabomb and have an autographed picture of a young Chris Jericho and Lance storm in Canada with their horses. I have another picture of Tracy smothers with me holding the smw title. Most special was my mom and grandma were there. Grandma sadly passed in 2000 and she is largely the reason I'm still a fan. At times she was into the action more than me.

I'm not going to lie that old school wrestling hasn't always been something that I've been too interested in and I'm not the biggest fan of Cornette (due to more what he is now as opposed to what he was back then), but I have to genuinely give Cornette credit for trying to make something work even if it was a Mountain to climb...a Smoky Mountain if you will. Also, any place that recognises the talent of the supremely underrated Chris Candido can't be all bad. Even if seeing a lot of the babyfaces and fans wave the Confederate Flag really, really doesn't age well. Great video, Dave.

great to see some love for Corny and SMW

I loved going and watching them when they came to Cookeville Tennessee as a child

SMW and NWA/WCW what are the two wrestling promotions, that I really love the most growing up. I mean I did like WWF eventually, but that wasn’t until about the same time Smoky Mountain wrestling was getting started. I don’t think Smoky Mountain gets enough credit for just how good they were. If you want to talk about what promoter in the first half of the 90s did the best with what they had it was easily Jim Cornette. No they didn’t have big stars like Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan or Rick Steamboat or Sting etc. But with the roster he had he did much better booking that roster than WWF, or WCW did booking their rosters. There’s a lot of wrestlers. I think that had their best run there, I think Chris Candido , Tracy Smothers and Al Snow all had their best runs there. Dirty White Boy too, and the Heavenly Bodies. All those guys worked almost everywhere but when you watch them in Smokey Mountain where they really just had a chance to be themselves and not trying to be a ridiculous gimmick, they just succeeded so well. Not to mention, it was the start of a lot of wrestlers first time on weekly television. A few of them would sometimes get a tryout or go be enhancement talent somewhere but as far as like their first time being on TV every week this is when they did that. Guys like Tha Gangstas ( NeW Jack , Mustafa and D-Lo Brown) Chris Jericho and Lance Storm ad the Thrillseekers, Al Snow and Kane, Bobby Blaze, Boo Bradley ( Balls Mahoney), Heavenly Bodies, Chris Candido and Tammy aka Sunny, even Bob Holiday was on TV there before he was on WWF. The only gimmick there that you really didn’t like and you thought was silly was the wrestling mummy that was Rick Rubin Jim was kind of forced to go with it.

Makes me wonder what Jim's reaction would be if he saw this.

Thanks i need this video.

Wish they could have stayed open. But Corny said he didn't want to go out flat broke and in debt.

Dave delivering, yet again

Dude I love these videos. I grew up during this time and I was, or thought I was, a huge fan. I love hearing all the backstories and especially the history of all the different territories!

Wish I knew you were doing this, I got all the weekly shows on DVD lol

I Had No Clue that Kane was in Smokey Mountain Wrestling

F**kin AWESOME, Dave! And you knew I was going to mark out to this video! Smoky Mountain Wrestling was the last GREAT Wrestling promotion. I have a lot of favorite moments. Tracy Smothers defeating Dirty White Boy in a chain match for the SMW Title. Paul Orndorff. Terry Gordy was there. But my favorite TWO are linked together. #1 Beautiful Bobby joins Stan & Jim. #2 - Arn Anderson waa the surprise under the sheet!!!!

Please Do an Episode on the Global Wrestling Federation

do the history of super world of sports a short lived promotion that was the result of ajpw first mass exodus it is also in that promotion where the infamous vader vs koji katao match took place

Cornette is Wrestling genius. If they could have just got that TV deal who knows what could have happened. I remember when AEW was supposed to be the serious sports based wrestling program to counter WWE's goofy entertainment and just became more of the same.

Wonder how Jim would feel about SMW if it was still around, that'd be an interesting take I'd definitely want to hear from Cornette

Awesome stuff Dave 💯 ... I loved watching SMW as a kid back in the 90's they had alot of great matches and talent would love to see you do a video on the SMW vs USWA feud 💪

Dave is the king. Always wondered where he stands on the jim Cornette Vince Russo debate

Love some SMW

Thanks Dave, I appreciate the SMW recap. Wish they had gotten more of a chance, but timing was not in their favor.

SMW the 3rd promotion that could go before ECW.

People usually forget that SMW existed briefly in the 90s so the USWA wasn't the only territory left in that decade.

How did you know I wanted an ep on this ?

Dave for sure knows wrestling

You mentioned the Beat The Champ Television Title briefly as a belt, but I'm not sure if there ever was a physical belt. I think it was just for money, which I kind of dig as a concept.

I really enjoyed The Thrill Seekers Chris candido his matches against Cactus Jack and Tracy Smothers learning about a lot of the talent before they went to WWE or ECW

one of the Armstrong Brothers versus Terry Bam Bam Gordy?, Shawn Michaels vs buddy landell and the Unabomber versus undertaker. Ohhhh and maybe the thugs attacking the heavenly bodies after the super bowl of wrestling

I respect Cornette, racism aside. But when he says SMW was better than ECW, he's either ribbing, or delusional: The Rise & Fall of ECW DVD is the best selling DVD in WWE history. Meanwhile, SMW reels are collecting dust in Stamford.

Smokey Mountain was definitely not outlaw mud show bullshit.

Huh... If someone told me that ECW and SMW were linked, I would have called them a liar, and thought they were on drugs.

Do you think SMW would be successful in the territory days of wrestling?

Holy shit, i never new the legendry Rick Ruben was involved.

Its not as fast pace as todays stuff . But it had really good psychology . They knew how to work the fans up. At least in the South . I like a more modern style mixed with the basics and fundamentals which are tried and true . I think Jims right about a bunch if you follow his podcasts . However , times have changed and you got to evolve . I agree , i hate the silly obviously phony bullshit . But you can STILL have great highflying spots done sparingly , or at least executed right . In the right context . I am a HUGE fan of the Kings Road style as well as 80s NWA and Memphis . I even like PWG without the fake hand grenades etc... Mix what i said with early serious ROH and a touch of ECW wildness and passion , that would be incredible . Maybe thats just me .

I grew up on USWA wrestling but SMW always seemed like the minor league version of uswa. They had a ladder match that both guys coulda reached the belt on rung 2 lol

As good as SMW was, wrestling was always going to change and move forward and I don't think Cornette has ever really gotten that. He has a good mind for how the business was, but there's a reason why he isn't apart of any modern day promotion. I think there are elements from the past that you can take and apply to the product today, but you have to be flexible and now when the dial and times have changed.

How/Why was Dan Severn able to win the title, but not be present often to defend it?

Dave Knows Wrestling. Big fan of yours. And I just subscribe to you.

Someone send it to cornette, see if he can add anything.

"They were never able to secure a tv deal that was profitable enough to keep things going." I mean... That hasn't stopped TNA/Impact/Global Force Wrestling/Anthem Sports and Entertainment

Probably one of the more notable and controversial acts in SMW was the Gangstas. New Jack was an absolute force of nature on the microphone and cutting some insane promos. I'm not a fan of angles that use race baiting to get heat and even Cornette has admitted that it drew the wrong kind of heat. But there's no doubt that New Jack was excellent on the microphone.

If my departed Great Grandmother knew that I listen to the Cornette podcasts she would disown me.

Great content

I liked SMW, it was old fashion and I think WWF should've helped them financially to keep it going

SMW did have some good talent, like Chris Candido

This historical timeless underrated well planned creative of past and future old fashioned thinking business like passionate wishfully thinking could be successful and unsuccessful product wrestler video

The only wrestling Jim Cornette knows

👍🏻Good Job DAVE, I find iT interesting aT this Time and wonder iF CORNETTE would oF started running a schedule like ECW STILL was in 95/96, wouLd they have survived & Experienced the BOOM! ECW would have a show aT The ECW Arena abouT Every 3 weeks & would ediT in Music Vids, Promos, Ints, Backstage Angles, Fan Cam Clips, and geT 3 weeks oF TV out oF 1 ECW ARENA Show. IF SMW would oF moved to its Best City, I think it was JOHNSON CITY & another CITY were always on fire for wrestling, just keep their BEST towns oR run that one town every 3 weeks... WouLd SMW STILL Be n Business? The Reason I wonder is BC w/ouT a doubt, whether you were a fan of so.style oF wrestling: Guys NEED places to work. Wrestlers need repetition it’s the ONLY way possible that they get Better. Some oF smartest & more educated in the actual psychology of how to control an audience ‘rooTs’ comes from southern wrestling. Also whether YOU Love oR HATE JC one cannoT deny the success He had in OVW helping develop the LAST 2 STARS WWE has made in the Last 15 years: ▪️CENA & ▪️BATISTA. Along with PPL STILL on the Roster Today Like: ▪️ORTON▪️LESNAR ▪️BENJAMIN to name a Few. It wiLL NEVER 🛑 shocking ME that WWE, VINCE MCMAHON, & ESPECIALLY JOHN LAURENITIS thinks that GREAT Trainers/Mentors grow on trees. I don’t care what kind oF ‘eccentric’ or hard to work with problems JOHNNY has with some of these trainers. You find a way foR It to work BC This is a Business. Problems aside, YOU DONT NoT Take advantage of having JC, JIM ROSS, AL SNOW, LANCE STORM, & DR.TOM to name a Few...So You can trade them for jackasses Like DEMOTT. IDIOTIC.

Hey Dave can you do a video on Ohio Valley Wrestling?

Great video Dave! Jim Cornette :The Only Heat Magnet In Wrestling.

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Smokey Mountain Wrestling created talent such as New Jack, Mustafa Saed and Kane.

I see Dave; I give a like.

SMW > AEW

Honestly smw biggest down fall was from lack of abishion

banger

Cornette Master of Cross Promotion had SMW westlers on the Big 3 shows in the US,,,what Dirt did he have on the owners to do this 👀

Frankly would be interesting to see Jim start a promotion again. He could reopen Smokey Mountain. People love nostalgia. I want to see if he would actually run a good promotion, because he has old school ideas, and I want to see if it’ll hold up/Gain an audience.

Jim says he hates outlaw mudshow but seeing SMW, it was the original outlaw mudshow.

I love hearing Jim Cornette talk about Rick Ruben. He was the real life Mr Krabs,that cartoon cheapskate. It was like pulling teeth to get money out of him. He wanted to offer Ric Flair 100,000 to go there instead of The WWF when he left WCW and acted like that was a lot of money. lol

Smoky Mountain is Jim Cornette's ultimate fanboy thing, he thinks it was the gold standard best promotion (which it is)

I guess Cornette wasn't the promoter he thinks he is.

Good Video Dave, I'm really critical of Corny, for several reasons, and ultimately, for all his experience, he didnt do any better than any other promotion in the end. To me, that justifies my opinion that 1, Corny isnt looking very hard at modern wrestling to see what he wants there be. 2) 3/4ths of every word Corny says is a work, and 3) Corny is too old and out of touch to really have his finger on the pulse of today's wrestling fan.

Dave really knows his wrestling