The Name on the Marquee: Smoky Mountain Wrestling (3.6.1993)

-Originally aired March 6, 1993.

-We’re in Jellico, TN.

-Your hosts are Bob Caudle & Dr. Dutch Mantell. One of them is actually on the card this week. Bob draws the Beat the Champ name for this week, and it’s Tim Horner.

-We get comments from Tracy Smothers and Dirty White Boy leading up to this week’s OTHER title match.

-We go to Kevin Sullivan, who’s enjoying the tranquility of the beach. He feeds the seagulls, who he addresses by the names of SMW babyfaces, then pulls out the Singapore spike and tells them to come closer. As Kevin Sullivan skits go, this one was the least stupid.

BEAT THE CHAMP TV TITLE: NIGHT STALKER (Champion) vs “White Lightning” TIM HORNER
-So I guess Horner will be officially chucking it in with his unlimited SMW Heavyweight Title matches, after three months of opportunities and zero wins. It’s kind of amazing that a guy who had an ownership stake in the company would allow himself to be on the receiving end of such Lugerian booking, but there you go.

-Stalker misses a right hand, Horner doesn’t. They trade arm wringers and Stalker tries for a press slam, but Horner lands on his feet and legtrips him. Stalker tries for a top wristlock, but Horner counters it and gets him down to the mat for a front facelock. Commentators discuss the Russian Revolver match coming up in a few weeks and admit that neither one has ever heard of that match, but neither one of them thinks it sounds good.

-Stalker chokes Horner and targets the back with forearms and a backdrop. Side suplex that sounds devastating thanks to the ring mic. Everything Stalker does has a deafening BANG to it that sounds just lethal. Dutch reminds us that he’s going to wrestle later today.

-Horner throws some jabs at Stalker to daze him and connects with a missile dropkick for two. He goes for a crucifix, but Stalker turns it into a Samoan drop. He tries another backdrop, staying focused on the back, but Horner counters with a sunset flip for the sudden three-count, and Horner is YOUR new TV Champion. Good match with a nice little story: Stalker tries to win with sheer brawn, but Horner overcomes everything with straight wrestling.

-Sullivan storms the ring after the match and they gang up on Horner, but Brian Lee runs in, and after four months of looking like Kevin Sullivan’s bitch, Lee clears the ring all by himself and looks like a badass. Crowd pops big for the unexpectedly successful rescue mission, and Sullivan & Stalker walk away, completely defeated for this week.

-Tracy Smothers is gonna jack Dirty White Boy’s jaw in Barberville, KY! The Rock & Roll Express will be there and says Jim Cornette should bring ALL his boys to the building, because they have a fun surprise for Jim Cornette.

-Bob Caudle talks to Brian Lee and Tim Horner. Horner thanks Brian Lee for coming to his aid. Lee, for his part, is so stoked about finally getting the upper hand on Sullivan that he challenges Sullivan to a match RIGHT NOW!

“Prime Time” BRIAN LEE (with Tim Horner) vs KEVIN SULLIVAN (with Night Stalker)
-Sullivan sprints to the ring and Lee beats the crap out of him on the floor. In the ring, Sullivan blocks a charge with a boot and begins carefully targeting a bandaged spot on Lee’s forehead, and before long, Lee is bleeding. Dutch reminds us that he’s going to wrestle later today, and that oughta mean something because SMW has the toughest wrestling in the world. He tells us we should ignore all the hype we hear about New Japan, All Japan, FMW, WWF, or WCW, because the REAL action is in SMW.

-Lee hulks up and throws a flurry of punches that sends Sullivan out to the floor. The brawl spills out into the parking lot, which is helpfully unlit, and the match ends in a double-count-out. They try to follow the crazy brawl in the parking lot, but there is absolutely no light ANYWHERE. They actually try keeping a door propped open so they can use THAT light to follow it, but once everyone realizes how stupid that is, they all give up and go back into the adequately-lit basketball court to wrap up the segment.

-Bob Caudle talks to Commissioner Armstrong, who is so stressed out that he has REMOVED HIS TIE. He keeps getting angry phone calls from somebody named Tommy Starr who wants a piece of Kevin Sullivan. He also says that we have some video footage of an incident involving “Gentlemen” Chris Adams next week.

-He announces a match for the upcoming Bluegrass Brawl card, a Smoky Mountain Street Fight, pitting the three Heavenly Bodies, the three Stud Stable, um, guys, and the Rock & Roll Express plus whoever their “big surprise” is. Armstrong hints that he knows who the mystery man is, and the Heavenly Bodies and the Stud Stable are all going to be very, very unhappy.

-Bob Caudle is with Jim Cornette and the Heavenly Bodies. The fact that SMW keeps actively seeking out ways to screw them is just testament to how unbeatable they are.

STUD STABLE vs RENO RIGGINS, LEN FIELDS, & LARRY SANTO
-Mantell actually starts the match with a short clothesline and a series of boots to Fields. Fuller & Golden double team him, and a boot to the face sends Fields to the corner to tag out.

-Riggins enters to screams from the ladies. Fuller provides the distraction while his partners gang up on Riggins. Dutch tags back in and chokeslams(!) Santo, then tosses him to the floor. Fuller beats on him and throws him back in. He tags in proper and finishes with the Fuller leglock.

DOWN AND DIRTY WITH DUTCH
-Dutch starts the segment with the jobber still writhing and injured on the mat, which is a great visual. They beg the Bodies and the Express, BEG them to show up for the Smoky Mountain Street fight, because they know that secretly, both teams are frightened.

SMW HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: DIRTY WHITE BOY (Champion, with Mr. Ron Wright) vs “Wild Eyed Southern Boy” TRACY SMOTHERS
-Smothers is aggressive from the opening bell, with punches and turnbuckle shots. Jawjacker by Smothers, but he doesn’t go airborne for it, so it only gets two. More punches by Smothers, and DWB isn’t even putting up a fight, he’s just OUT of it. Mr. Ron Wright grabs a foot and tries to pull DWB out for a breather, but Smothers scares him off and then does one better, punching DWB out to the floor.

-DWB is rammed into the post as Mr. Ron Wright is completely freaking out. Back in the ring, DWB is bleeding and Smothers just keeps laying into him with punches. Mr. Wright is begging the referee for a two-minute time-out.

-Smothers tries to finish him off with a top rope bodypress, but DWB ducks down and Smothers crashes. DWB tosses Smothers over the top behind the referee’s back. He rams the title belt into Smothers’ face, which the referee sees and I don’t think he was supposed to.

-So now Smothers is bleeding, too, and DWB throws rapid-fire punches, and it’s officially a fight and not really a match at this point. DWB strangles him while Dutch tells us, perhaps prophetically, that SMW isn’t for queasy stomachs. If you watch SMW wrestling, you gotta be able to tolerate some blood.

-20 straight punches by Smothers. DWB backs him off with a single ball shot. DWBDDT gets 2. Smothers gets knocked out to the floor, but when DWB tries to capitalize, Smothers meets him with punches to the stomach. Back in, they trade more blows, and Smothers gets the upper hand with a single HARD blow. Double axehandle off the top by Smothers gets two.

-Smothers whips DWB back and forth and connects with a superkick, of all moves. He goes to the top rope and connects with the jawjacker off the top rope, but he’s too hurt to roll over and go for the pin. Referee checks on the heavily-bleeding DWB, and RON WRIGHT GETS OUT OF HIS WHEELCHAIR. You knew it was going to happen eventually.

-Wright gives Smothers a hard right with brass knuckles to KO him, and then goes back over to the wheelchair and sits down. DWB pins Smothers to retain the belt.

-DWB says Smothers won’t get lucky in Barberville, and kissing the sweathogs in the front row won’t win him any belts. Jim Cornette brings some general admission tickets for Barberville, because it’s the only way the Rock & Roll Express will even make it into the ring.

-Smothers is so disoriented that he can’t remember who hit him, but he knows he got robbed. He promises DWB that there’s a new sheriff in town.

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Title matches were great fun, and the fact that Brian Lee actually looks like an equal to Kevin Sullivan gives that feud a sense of life that it didn't have before. Good show!