Autistic Dragon

I'm gonna let those hillbilly cracks slide this time because Bert kinda shot his mouth off about Onita at rebirth. Moolah is probably the last person I would've pictured showing up at W*NG but she proves she belongs by smacking Kong with a brick! Homicide wastes no time making an impact. Onita brings in a heavy hitter in Bam Bam Bigelow for Hayabusa's first challenger. Let's see if the champ can survive the Beast the East. Luna and Raven showing some ECW solidarity? He's done stranger things.

A colorful guy like Ware should do well in the WWF. Taylor starts showing a darker side. With the Slickster back in their corner, I think the Twin Towers just became my pick for the US tag title tournament. Heenan just shamelessly calling dibs on all title shots for his guys. Macho Man calling out Hogan just feels natural.

September 3rd, 1996. Civic Coliseum in Knoxville Tennessee. Smokey Mountain Wrestling presents Rebirth! *The VHS starts with a sweeping shot of the mostly sold out venue before cutting to Bob Caudle standing in the ring alongside SMW's new owner Bert Prentice* Caudle: Hello, wrestling fans I'm Bob Caudle welcoming you to the new and improved Smokey Mountain Wrestling, still bringing you pro wrestling the way it used to be, and the way you like it. I'm Bob Caudle and it is my pleasure to introduce to you the man responsible for the return of Smokey Mountain Wrestling Mr Bert Prentice. Bert before we get started I wanted to give you an opportunity to explain what made you bring back Smokey Mountain Wrestling Prentice: First of all Bob Caudle, I want to say it's an absolute privilege to stand in this ring with a legend of the wrestling business such as yourself and I'm so glad you agreed to come back and once again be the Voice of Smokey Mountain Wrestling. *This starts a round of applause for Caudle who accepts it with a humble smile. Prentice waits for it to die down before continuing* Now to answer your question, like a lot of these people I grew up on classic NWA style wrestling, the kind of wrestling you used to call for Jim Crockett Promotions. But I look around the pro wrestling scene nowadays and I barely recognize the sport I grew up loving. If it's not the folks up in New York sending out guys who look like they came out of your kids Saturday morning cartoons then it's guys like Paul Heyman and this Onita fella who think you can just have guys take turns hitting each other with a chair and call that a wrestling match. I brought back Smokey Mountain Wrestling because the business needs, perhaps more than ever, a promotion that respects the history, the legacy, the tradition of professional wrestling and that's what we're here to do tonight! *Prentice's firey speech gets a big pop from the Knoxville faithful.* Caudle: Well you'll certainly get no argument from on that. Speaking of why we're here tonight, you've promised over your various media appearances that tonight we're going to crown a brand new Smokey Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Care to explain to the folks here and at home exactly how that's going to happen. Prentice: Certainly Bob. Ladies and gentlemen tonight ten of the toughest professional wrestlers walking God's green earth are going head-to-head in five singles matches. The winners of those matches will meet in a over the top rope battle royal in the main event and the winner of the battle royal will be your brand new Smokey Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Now I think you and I have taken up enough of these peoples time, let's get things started! The Dirty White Boy vs "No Gimmicks Needed" Chris Candido A 3 time SMW Heavyweight Champion vs a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion who'd held every title in SMW but the heavyweight strap. We get a fun contrast in styles with Candido's clinical heel work clashing with DWB's straight forward brawling. DWB is setting up for the "Bucksnort Blaster" (chokeslam from a back suplex position) but Candido slips out and performs an O'Connor roll with both hands full of tights for the win. "Primetime" Brian Lee vs The Punisher A competitive, hard-hitting match between two big men who can both move pretty well for their size. The end sees the first ever SMW Heavyweight Champion claim victory with the "Prime Time Slam" (Lee gets him up in a Canadian backbreaker before dropping to his knees) The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Rey) vs George South and Hardbody Harrison It wouldn't be a SMW show without the Heavenly Bodies. As you might expect, this was just a showcase for the 3 time tag champs which ends with "Giggelo" Jimmy pinning South with a splash from the top rope. "Superstar" Bill Dundee vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts The two crafty veterans put on an engaging battle of wits. Roberts plays the heel but Dundee isn't afraid to fight fire with fire. Dundee goes for his "Bomb's Away" sit-down splash but Jake gets his knees up and they catch Dundee where the sun don't shine, ref makes a judgment call that this doesn't count as a low blow. Dundee staggers up and Roberts pulls him into the DDT for the win. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs Bruiser Bedlam A huge pop greets Duggan as he makes his SMW debut. Caudle hypes up that Bedlam once beat "Macho Man" Randy Savage in this very building. The two best seven shades of hell out of each other with Duggan scoring the k.o with his three point stance clothesline. "Wild Eyes Southern Boy" Tracy Smothers vs "Dirty" Dutch Mantell These two put on a classic southern style upper card match with plenty of brawling but some solid chain wrestling thrown in for flavor. The end sees "Dirty" Dutch live up to his nickname when a backslide with his feet on the ropes advances him to the main event. The Rock n Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs The Black Sheep (Wolfie D & Flash Flannigan) Wolfie D is relatively well known in Tennessee thanks to a stint in the USWA while Flanagan had some appearances in SMW in 95. Wolfie D raps as they head to the ring with the lyrics insulting the fans and the city of Knoxville in general. The Rock n Roll Express come out to a great reaction from their home state. To their credit Wolfie and Flanagan show promise as a team but the experience of the RnR proves too much and Flanagan eats the double dropkick to give the 10 time SMW tag champs the win. 5 man battle royal. Winner becomes Smokey Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. "No Gimmicks Needed" Chris Champion vs "Primetime" Brian Lee vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs "Dirty" Dutch Mantell Lee and Candido head for each other as soon as the bell rings with Caudle putting over the shared history between them. Roberts and Duggan square off with Dutch discretely slides out of the ring. Lee is able to get Candido over the top rope but Candido grabs him in a front facelock and pulls Lee over as well with the momentum carrying them both to the floor. The two keep fighting on the floor and security has to separate them. Back in the ring, after a back-and-forth struggle Duggan is able to land a clothesline that send Roberts over the top. Duggan and the crowd start celebrating but Mantell (who's been under the ring this whole time) re-enters the ring, comes up behind Duggan and nails him with a uppercut to the uprights. He uses the leverage that gives him to hoist Hacksaw over the ropes and to the floor. The video ends with Dutch Mantell holding the SMW Heavyweight Title, celebrating like he just won the Super Bowl single handedly, all the while boos rain down on him.

King Kong Bundy in a shoot style promotion is kind of a strange thought to me but let's see how it goes. I don't know much about 80s and 90s Japanese wrestling but even I know Hashimoto is a great pick for company Ace.

You really do a great job breaking down this more MMA inspired matches. Really appreciate it as someone who's never watched a lot of MMA.

Dave Meltzer is so out of place on commentary but he's trying so dang hard. Dynamite Kid's last stand was handled really well. That's the kind of moment the fans will remember for years. Love the WCW parody. The crowd seems to be getting a kick out of it too. Never actually seen Hayabusa in action but I've heard great things. Look forward to seeing what he does as champ.

Pretty good idea putting singles stars against tag wrestlers. They can take a loss and it can be excused by them being out of their element.

The IC title tournament is shaping up nicely. Savio over Owen was a surprise to me as was the Smoking Gunns helping Farooq beat down Sid.

Too Cold Scorpio is a great choice for TV champion. His skill set guarantees an exciting match every week. Rhodes makes the Perfect choice for the US title match but Heyman counters with a Loose Canon. The Macho Man is in the house and has to be a favorite to hold the ten pounds of gold. The 1-2-3 kid stuns everyone by laying out the boss on his first day!

(From the August edition of the Wrestling Observer.) Smokey Mountain Wrestling is Back! After bursting onto the scene in early 1992, Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling would spend the next three years entertaining fans across the Southeast, gaining a cult following for it's classic old-school feel and Southern "wrasslin" style before closing its doors in November of 95. With Mr Cornette since signing with the World Wrestling Federation it seemed SMW was well and truly resigned to the history books. However things took a surprising turn this past July when it was announced that Mr Cornette had sold the rights to Smokey Mountain Wrestling, not to his current employer Mr McMahon but to a business consortium lead by a Mr Bert Prentice. Mr Prentice has experience running a wrestling promotion, starting Ozark Mountain Wrestling in 1994 before rebranding it as North American All-Star Wrestling late last year. He also has experience as a manager in Jerry Jarrett's USWA promotion in Memphis, even stepping into the ring on a few occasions. Mr Prentice has secured deals for the revived company to air on TV stations throughout the company's traditional touring areas Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, the Carolinas and the Virginia's. Rumors abound that Mr Prentice is looking for a cable TV station to be the promotions permanent home but he has refused to comment on the matter at this time. Through a series of appearances on local news and radio shows that the first show of the new era of Smokey mountain Wrestling will take place on Sunday, September third at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville Tennessee. Reports say that while the event,which will be called "Rebirth", will not be televised, cameras will be present for an eventual VHS release. The event will be structured around a one night tournament to crown a new Smokey Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. No matches have been announced but star confirmed for the event include SMW regulars like "Dirty" Dutch Mantell, "Primetime" Brian Lee, Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson The Rock n Roll Express and Jake "The Snake" Roberts and many more. Bell time for the event is 7:PM

Thank you, happy to be here.

Cool. Thanks man.

Studio wrestling was fun but it looks like Bert has to pack up and move... again.

Bass seems to have found a good home here. Bruno brings home a win in a fun six man tag. Like the touch of Tojo and the Headhunter holding back due to there being a lot of kids in the crowd. Seems like the kinda call that would be made around this time. Michaels proves to Memphis why he deserved to hold onto that title. Ya know it occurs to me that depending on when your show ended and the CWA's show started, some lucky fans could've attended both of them.

Another solid card as the UWF looks to see if they can draw a crowd without frontman Maeda.

Portland. Finlay is back with a vengeance. Adams shows he's not to be overlooked. Another indecisive clash between Lee and Cactus. Bigelow continues his rise to the top. The Demon gets a big win but Cornette doesn't look happy. Portland night 2. Scotty gives Tina something to smile about after Starr's loss last night. Snow spikes Spicoli. BT vs CK should make quite the catfight. The Elder Steamboat wins what was sure to be a mat classic. Rhodes and Windham both hold on to their gold. Eugene. Armstrong buries the Gravedigger. The Force with a major win over former tag champs. Azul and King tear the house down again. Lynn gives a game effort against Hennig. The Diamond Exchange gets another win over the Hart Family. Pillman had better stock up on Garlic because there's a Vampire after him and his title.

I could've sworn John and Mark Laurentius were on my roster but they aren't listed and I can't find the post where I dropped them. What am I forgetting?

So excited to see the WARGAMES return to the AWA. Just had a thought, I know Jumbo already has a manager but maybe Sawyer could find a home in the Asylum.

Taped before Main Event at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh NC. Originally airing on 9/3/88 on the USA Network. On Commentary: Bob Caudle & David Crockett. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas defeats The Brooklyn Brawler with the "Pittsburgh Plunge". Brad Anderson w/Ole Anderson defeats The Pearl with a Fujiwara armbar. Junkyard Dog defeats The Mongolian Mauler with the "Thump". Main event. The Stud Stable (Rod Price & Tommy Cairo) w/"The Mastermind Ron Fuller defeats The Lawmen (Billy Joe Travis & Doug Gilbert) with a double spinebuster on Gilbert. In other news.... After recapping last night's Block A matches and the standings for the Starrcade Series, we learn Block B will continue next week with... "The Doctor of Desire" Tom Prichard vs "The Gatekeeper" Jimmy Golden. The Super Destroyer vs "The Ace" Bob Orton. "Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez vs "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin.

From the Dorton Arena in Raleigh NC. Previously recorded airing on 8/2/88 on the USA Network. On Commentary: Gordon Solie. Ring announcer/Interviews: Sean Moony Match 1. Starrcade Series Block A match. "Chief Joe Lightfoot vs Tennessee Stud" Robert Fuller w/"The Mastermind" Ron Fuller. The fans really didn't have a dog in this fight and you get the feeling they'd be happy if a way was found for both men to lose. Ron's presence proved the difference maker, snatching the "War club" away when Lightfoot went to retrieve it. Lightfoot demanded his property back, getting so caught up arguing with Ron he didn't notice Robert coming up behind for a schoolboy with both hands full of tights for 2 more points for the Tennessee native. Match 2. "World's Strongest Man" Bill Kazmaier defeats The Minotaur with a running powerslam. We see a video package showing highlights of Tully Blanchard's European tour. We see him defending the Ten Pounds of Gold in England, France and Germany! Match 3. Brett "Hack" Sawyer defeats The American Ninja with a bridging German suplex. After his win, Sawyer was heard boasting he had the "best German suplex in the business." Match 4. Starrcade Series Block A match. "Rugged" Ron Garvin vs "Wildcat" Wendell Cooley. The two fan favorites shake hands before embarking on a respectful yet competitive match. While Garvin certainly had his supporters, a large section of the crowd was rooting for Cooley to pull off what would have to be considered an upset. While the Wildcat was able to score a number of nearfalls, he wasn't able to seal the deal before Garvin caught him with a top rope sunsetflip for the win. The two shared another handshake to the delight of the fans. Match 5. The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) w/"Number One" Paul Jones defeats The Carolina Bobcats with a double gutbuster on Bobcat #2. Paul Jones tells Sean Moony that he's done playing around with Indians and Japs and it's time for the Army to start collecting gold. Either Kamala or Super Destroyer is going to bring him the World Heavyweight Title and the Sheepherders are going to bring the United States Tag Team Titles! Match 6. Non title NWA Heritage Champion "Pitbull" Kerry Brown defeats "Psycho" Sid Miller with a Powerbomb. Main event. Starrcade Series Block A match. "Chief" Wahoo McDaniel vs "The Ugandan Giant" Kamala w/"Number One" Paul Jones & Friday. Unlike the previous two block A matches this one had a clear favorite as the fans rallied behind Wahoo as he took the fight to Jones's African headhunter. But no matter how much McDaniel dished out, Kamala just kept coming back for more. Eventually the popular Chief was overwhelmed and fell victim to "Air Africa".

Good job explaining the move from Arkansas to Memphis. I like that the champs are retaining their belts. What an ending as Tojo goes berserk and takes out the Headhunter with the Kendo stick.

Cool pic.

Rock n Roll has their eyes on tag gold. Abby kills a guy and Hart promises no more holding his monsters back. Bart/Funk vs Rhodes/Simmons at Fall Brawl. Bring it! Three way intergender tag match? WCW is taking a big step forward. Sting and Luger spoil Spivey's welcoming party. But to make it up to the Horsemen they brought one hell of a plus one in Gordy. Reed seems to be questioning his position in the Nation. Solid showing for Murdoch. Brad steps in for an AWOL Keirn and we get a fun brawl between the Latin Connection and Lightning Express to close the show.

DJ and the Bruisers warm up the crowd with a win in a wild n crazy opener. Sawyer wins a bloody battle. After 20 minutes, nothing is settled in the AWA's resident family feud. Loved the Rich's demanding 5 more minutes only to immediately bail. Unsettling moment as the Asylum lay a beating on Kerry. A truly Wonderful debut by Orndorff. I don't think Crusher is gonna let this one lay though. Venomous gets the win but no answers from the Bees. Fujinami and Jumbo's fight gets outta hand and both men need help walking away. Nikita gets past Boris but doesn't get to celebrate long because Tony Atlas makes it known that at the Brawl in St Paul the Man of Steel is coming for the gold.

Brandi is really getting over here. The Glamour Boys see how much they have in common with The Fantastics and they don't like it. The Gunslingers may have Kerry's back but he and Abbuda both will be on their own in Winnipeg. Gagne offers some serious cash to take out Canek. Blackwell thought he'd have the night off but Gerry didn't have the heart to keep his friend off the card in Winnipeg. I can't tell if the Olympians are just playing dumb or are so delusional they actually don't know they cheated. Mr Olympia is back and he's coming for the Dream Machine babay!