The Name on the Marquee: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (7.11.1992)

-Originally aired July 11, 1992.

-Your hosts are Bob Caudle & Dutch Mantell. Come to think of it, we forgot about that Barry Horowitz guy awfully quickly.

-We’re still in Cumberland.

“Nitro” DANNY DAVIS vs. KILLER KYLE
-Kyle just shoves Davis to the mat a few times on lock-ups, so Davis dropkicks him out to the floor, and then uses evasive maneuvers to make Kyle ram himself into the corners a few times. Davis targets the legs with rapid fire kicks, and Kyle goes out for a retreat.

-Back in, Kyle takes control with a side suplex and a backbreaker. Davis fights back with a flurry of punches, so Kyle rams him face-first into the sinister violin case to knock him out and get the three-count.

-After the belt, Dixie Dy-no-mite shows up and appeals to the fans to tell the referee what happened. The fans tell on Kyle, so the referee reverses the decision and gives the win to Davis, and Kyle retaliates by laying out Dixie with the violin case.

-Commissioner Armstrong is on the scene immediately and fines Kyle $500.

-Bob Caudle talks to Tim Horner. Horner has a certain charm to him that only Corny recognizes. He’s bland, but you believe everything he says and he’s a good wrestler. He’s like a better-spoken version of Bob Backlund. Horner is ready for a strap match with Buddy Landell, and he’s gonna be all over Buddy like a wet shirt. We finally establish that SummerBlast is coming up next weekend.

-We get a replay of the hallway brawl between the Fantastics and the Heavenly Bodies. The Fantastics are excited about getting a nice, legal opportunity to do whatever they want to the Heavenly Bodies. Jim Cornette shows up in the ring and gives “the mental cripple and the physical cripple” a chance to back out of the street fight, no questions asked. Fantastics take the bait and head to the ring, and the Heavenly Bodies pounce. Corny takes some shots with the tennis racquet, while Stan Lane attacks with the…uh…the tray for a paint roller.

-It’s the weekly promo asking civic groups and schools to have Smoky Mountain Wrestling events for fundraising purposes, and they very wisely have replaced all of the footage with clips from this Cumberland High School TV taping.

-Ron Garvin says he’s 41 (actually 46) and he’s just like George Foreman, except he doesn’t like hot dogs. He’s ready to crack some heads.

-We go wayyyyyyyy back into Jim Cornette’s attic for some vintage footage of Garvin matches from the ‘70s, including Garvin against Cowboy Bob Orton, Joe LeDuc, and two different bouts against Andre the Giant.

DOWN AND DIRTY WITH DUTCH
-Dutch talks to Mr. Ron Wright, Dirty White Boy, and Paul Orndorff. Wright is so stressed out by that footage that it affects his bad heart. Dirty White Boy says he’s not as big as Andre the Giant, but he’s twice as mean, and Paul Orndorff is a giant-killer.

-The WCW Great American Bash tour is coming to Charlotte, NC this weekend! Ricky Steamboat faces Cactus Jack! The US Title is on the line as Rick Rude battles Nikita Koloff! And Sting defends the WCW Title against Big Van Vader! Brought to you by Schlitz Malt Liquor: The drink your bartender serves when you say “I don’t care.”

BATTEN TWINS vs. “Mister Wonderful” PAUL ORNDORFF & DIRTY WHITE BOY (with Mr. Ron Wright)
-After all these weeks, I still can’t tell a difference between the Batten Twins and I don’t think the commentators can tell either. Twins clear the ring with dropkicks for a hot start. DWB gets back in the ring and gets taken down with a waistlock and a hammerlock. DWB elbows free, but gets hiptossed out to the floor.

-Dutch finally identifies the twin in the ring as Brad and I’ll go along with that. Bart tags in and shoulderblocks Orndorff. Bodypress gets two and DWB breaks up the pin. Orndorff gets aggressive and Bart gets double-teamed. Right hands by DWB, but Bart slugs back. DWB throws him out to the floor and then distracts the referee while Orndorff piledrives Bart on the floor. Brad tries to tell the referee, but DWB attacks before he can say anything, and Brad is pretty much stuck in a handicap match now.

-Orndorff puts the boots to Brad and suplexes him, and DWB adds a powerslam. Awesome bit as Orndorff goes to the Battens’ corner and sticks his arm out for a tag, and Brad is so beaten he actually crawls toward him and then laughs when Brad realizes who he is.

-And then Brian Lee shows up, goes to the corner, and sticks his arm out for the tag, and the referee is all, “Sure, I’ll allow it.” Orndorff and DWB keep beating on Batten but they’re so cocky that they don’t even TRY to pin him. DWB finally misses a splash off the ropes, but Orndorff cuts off the tag and targets the midsection. Orndorff dazes himself on a shoulderblock and Brad takes the opening and finally tags in Brian Lee.

-Brian Lee takes on both opponents, but it turns into a pier sixer and in the midst of it, DWB throws Brad Batten over the top, getting the team DQed. DWB and Orndorff gang up on Lee until Danny Davis & Robert Gibson chase them off.

-Bob Caudle talks to Robert Gibson about SuperBash, which I’m guessing is SummerBlast. Gibson is going to knock out Jimmy Golden!

HEAVENLY BODIES (SMW Tag Team Champions with Jim Cornette) vs. RICK CANNON & GARY SCOTT
-Jim finally explains Stan Lane’s ridiculous helmet, saying the Fantastics injured his eardrum and the fans need to keep the noise down during the match. Fans ignore that, much to Jim’s chagrin.

-Suplex/clothesline combo by the Bodies…uh…finishes immediately, actually.

-After the bell, the Fantastics show up, and we close the show with yet another crazy brawl.

7.3

The final score: review Good

The 411

The tag teams continue to deliver the goods in SMW. The SummerBlast hype continues to be weird (they've never mentioned a venue or pinned it down to a specific date!) but it's apparently next weekend so I can't complain about that too much.