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The Name on the Marquee: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (5.14.1994)

March 9, 2017 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
7.1
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The Name on the Marquee: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (5.14.1994)  

-Originally aired May 14, 1994.

-We’re in Harriman, TN.

-Your hosts are Bob Caudle & Les Thatcher. Anthony Michaels gets drawn for Beat the Champ, so Bruiser’s gonna retain.

DIRTY WHITE BOY (SMW Champion) vs. JAMES ATKINS
-Ring is lit like a high school football field and the ring announcer forgets to introduce the jobber. Things can only get better from here.

-Slam and a legdrop by DWB. Jake Roberts strolls to the ring with a bottle of Gatorade and offers DWB a sip. DWB tries to ignore him, but Jake is critiquing his performance like some kind of internet loser and DWB is unnerved by it. Bucksnort blaster gets the three-count and Jake strolls away to talk to Bob Caudle.

-DWB demands to know what Jake is doing in SMW and Jake says it’s touching to see a wrestling promotion that will let a handicapped person compete. Jake says he doesn’t want to wait for his scheduled match at Volunteer Slam, he wants it now, and DWB is so full of piss and vinegar that Bob Armstrong has to hold him back. Jake leaves, and DWB surprises everyone by accepting the challenge and agreeing to defend the SMW Title later in the hour.

-We look back at the Thrillseekers/Well Dunn bout from last week and the post-match shenanigans.

BEAT THE CHAMP TV TITLE: BRUISER BEDLAM (Champion, with Jim Cornette) vs ANTHONY MICHAELS
-Bedlam gives so few shits that he’s smoking as he heads to the ring. He mauls Michaels as Tracy Smothers does guest commentary, putting over Bedlam for being bad enough to kick out of the jawjacker. Bedlam actually does his old Johnny K-9 “X” sign with his arms before applying the stomach claw to get the submission.

-Randy Savage promises wall-to-wall fire in the coliseum. His arrival in SMW is a career high point for him because he and Bob Armstrong go years back, and he’s thrilled that he gets to help an old friend after all these years.

-Cornette is all smiles and Bedlam is screaming and incoherent about Savage’s arrival in SMW next week.

-We recap the events that caused Chris Candido & Brian Lee to win the tag belts. Ricky Morton is pissed off and he has Chris Candido in a singles match next week.

PERSONALITY PROFILE
-Les Thatcher welcomes your new tag team champions and okay SERIOUSLY, the lighting on this episode. It looks like a home movie of an outdoor house show. Champs have an argument over which one of them deserves credit for the title win and Tammy gets agitated and shuts them up before going into her promo.

SMW HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: DIRTY WHITE BOY (Champion) vs JAKE “The Snake” ROBERTS
-Jake has ballooned since his WCW run and has strenuously avoided sunlight as much as possible to prepare for this bout.

-Lock-up and holy crap, Les Thatcher actually uses the abbreviation “DWB” on commentary. They trade arm wringers and Jake yanks the hair to take him down to the mat. Jake keeps covering one eye with his hand to taunt the still-injured DWB, and it’s working, as DWB is completely frustrated. DWB gives him a HARD blatant yank of the hair of his very own, and then tells the referee it was an accident because he couldn’t tell what he had a hold of with his bad eye. Jake hilariously gives him a small round of applause for that explanation.

-DWB gives Jake a big right hand and Jake staggers out to the floor. Another great bit as DWB stares down Jake. Referee goes over to start the count, and DWB pulls him away so that Jake’s view of his evil eye isn’t blocked. Back in, DWB works the arm, but Jake dazes him and knocks him out to the floor.

-The Samurai comes to the ring and snatches the eyepatch off DWB, and DWB is sensitive to light right now, so he ‘s more or less wrestling blind now. Jake removes some wrist tape and just sticks it right in DWB’s eye. Inverted atomic drop by Jake. DWB tries to mount a comeback with shots to the gut, but “Jake has a tough midsection” according to Bob Caudle so it has no effect.

-DWB gets tossed out to the floor again. Jake chokes him over the barricade. Back in, DWB throws right hands at Jake and connects with a big boot to the jaw. Punch sends Jake out to the apron. BRILLIANT finish to this one, as a photographer snaps a picture of Jake writhing on the apron, and you can actually see the wheels turn in Jake’s brain as the flashbulb goes off. He attacks the photographer and takes the camera from him. He takes a picture of DWB, which totally blinds him, and Jake immediately hits the DDT and gets the SMW Championship.

7.1
The final score: review Good
The 411
Really well-booked hour of TV, with Jake coming in with a purpose and visibly accomplishing everything he set out to do, distracting Dirty White Boy, then embarassing him, then taking his belt, and making it look almost easy. Great show.
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