The Name on the Marquee: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1.15.1994)

-Originally aired January 15, 1994.

-We’re in Chilhowie, VA.

-Your hosts are Bob Caudle & Dutch Mantell. Ricky Morton gets pulled for Beat the Champ.

-Ricky steps in and says he can’t wait for Beat the Champ because he could sure use an extra thousand dollars, which sounds sadder than I think he intended. Robert Gibson slips Bob Caudle a note as the Express walks off. Once they’re gone, Bob reads the note. Ricky doesn’t know that his father Paul is here tonight. Paul’s been having health problems lately and Ricky didn’t have a chance to visit him during the holidays.

-Brian Matthews is outside the SMW Conference Room. GM Sandy Scott emerges from the meeting, looking discouraged about something. Jim Cornette comes out laughing and smiling and says he’s got a match signed against The Bullet. If The Bullet wins, Bob Armstrong gets his job as commissioner back, but Bullet agreed to any opponent and any stipulations dictated by Cornette. Cornette went hunting for opponents in the WWF, as well as WCW (“What little they have”), and he has an opponent for Bob Armstrong: Terry Funk. And the stipulation: The Bullet must show his face (Jim Cornette, having learned from the “take his mask off” phrasing, has made it very clear this time), Bob Armstrong must leave the Smoky Mountain region altogether, AND he has to kiss Cornette’s feet on his way out.

“Wild Eyed Southern Boy” TRACY SMOTHERS vs JEFF VICTORY
-Rapid fire chops and an enziguiri by Smothers. Dropkick…kinda connects, I suppose. More chops by Smothers, as this match was apparently taped on Wahoo McDaniels’ birthday. Jawjack finishes.

-We go to Chris Candido, who says that he and WWA President Dennis Corraluzzo are going to produce evidence next week that Tracy Smothers is some Italian guy from Pennsylvania. Candido celebrates having a new US Jr. Heavyweight Title belt made (the old one had Bobby Blaze’s greasy prints all over it).

-Dirty White Boy is coming to Barbourville to face Brian Lee, and if he wins, Dirty White Girl gets five minutes to “do whatever she wants” to Tammy Fytch. If it was me, I’d be looking for things to do during the other four minutes.

DOWN AND DIRTY WITH DUTCH
-We go back to Christmas Chaos to see Brian Lee retain the belt and Smothers & DWB rescuing each other in the aftermath. In the arena, Dirty White Boy begs Brian Lee for ONE FINAL MATCH, promising that for sure, he’ll get his belt back if Lee agrees to it. But DWB won’t say what type of match it is.

-Bob Caudle asks Darryl Van Horne why Prince Kharis hasn’t wrestled on the SMW TV show yet. Van Horne promises that it’ll happen next week. He veers into pretty dangerous territory by busting on the fans for “thumbing through a fairy tale book every Sunday” and even Bob Caudle’s permanent Mr. Anderson on Beavis & Butthead face cracks a little bit and you see a “HOLY SHIT” grimace on him.

BEAT THE CHAMP TV TITLE: “Suicide Blonde” CHRIS CANDIDO (Champion) vs RICKY MORTON
-Lock-up leads to a flying headscissors by Ricky Morton for the early advantage. Armdrag, but Bobby Blaze and Robert Gibson run into the ring and say something to Morton. Morton, looking terrified, runs back to the locker room, which gives Candido the win by count-out.

-Bruise Brothers are counting down the days until their suspension ends, and they warn Jim Cornette that there’s no controlling them when they get back.

-Back in the locker room, everybody is surrounding a body in the locker room. Somebody runs in and lets them know that an ambulance is on the way, and Ricky Morton tells the cameraman to leave right now because “this isn’t wrestling.”

-Bob Caudle is trying to get details from Dirty White Boy and Robert Gibson. Gibson takes the blame for what just happened and DWB tries to calm him down. DWB’s explanation: Paul Morton was hiding in the locker room waiting to surprise his son, he crossed paths with Jim Cornette and the Heavenly Bodies. Paul slapped Cornette across the face. Paul Morton can’t see now; there’s bathroom cleaner all over the floor, so they think Cornette threw it in his face. I’m really digging this angle because this is what “real life” looks like. A camera isn’t conveniently there for the interesting stuff. It’s all second-hand reports and gossip at this point, which is exactly how you’d be getting this news if it happened to a friend of yours.

HEAVENLY BODIES (SMW Tag Team Champions with Jim Cornette) vs JASON HERD & JASON WEST
-Bodies run in and assault their opponents while Cornette runs out, complaining about being assaulted by Morton in the locker room. He admits that Drain-o got into Paul Morton’s eyes but swears up and down that it was an accident and that he feels like his life is being threatened, and he wants police brought to the building.

-Robert Gibson runs out to kick the ass of anything that moves, and the babyface locker room empties out and drags him away before he can do anything. Bodies finish soon after with the moonsault.

-Furnas Brothers are upset, not so much about losing their match at Christmas Chaos, because hey, sometimes you lose a match…but more because their own Tennessee Titans football helmet was used as a weapon to decide the match. So now we have a Helmet-on-a-Pole rematch signed, and if the Furnas Brothers lose, they have to wear Alabama football jerseys.

SMW HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: “Prime Time” BRIAN LEE (Champion, with Tammy Fytch) vs BOBBY BLAZE
-Lee gets an early advantage on Blaze while Tammy Fytch drops by commentary and says she’s a little irked that Dirty White Boy won’t reveal his stipulation for the rematch he’s demanding. Lee keeps pounding away on Blaze, but Blaze comes back with kicks and a corner charge. Blaze goes for another corner charge but Pateras it and falls victim to a back suplex for three.

-Tracy Smothers promises that Chris Candido’s fake WWA title belt is going betwixt his buttocks in a sideways fashion shortly.

7.2

The final score: review Good

The 411

I cannot say enough about the main angle on this show. It was done so differently, so believably...Ah...good show!