Written by: Bob Colling
Smoky Mountain Wrestling presents Fire On The Mountain
Date: 8/6/1994
From: Johnson City, TN
There was one match that wasn’t recorded and it saw The Gangstas defeat the team of Anthony Michaels and Skyfire.
The previous night Chris Jericho broke his arm prior to wrestling the Heavenly Bodies, but still wrestled the match and wasn’t cleared to compete on this show. It would be his last appearance for the company.
Jim Cornette and Lance Storm start off the show, or at least the recording, with Cornette talking about what happened to Jericho last night. Cornette calls Lance Storm an idiot for wanting to get in the ring with either one of the Heavenly Bodies. Cornette says that Storm isn’t a man and nobody in the arena is a man. Cornette tells Storm he’ll have to wrestle both the Bodies, or the Bodies will leave and never be seen again. Mark Curtis, the referee, tells Cornette it’s not fair to have two against one. Cornette says that Storm isn’t a man, but a Canadian. Storm promises that he’ll take on both the Bodies tonight to get a match on the show. Curtis tells Storm that if he wants to break the rules tonight then he’ll turn his back to it!
Opening Contest: Bob Orton Jr. vs. Doug Furnas: Orton backs Furnas against the ropes and cleanly breaks away. Orton gets taken down to the ma and complains of a hair pull. Furnas doesn’t budge on a shoulder block and Orton staggers to the floor. Orton stalls outside the ring for a bit. They trade some mat wrestling with Furnas getting the advantage. Furnas has a full nelson on Orton until Orton reaches the ropes. Furnas controls Orton with a headlock. Orton tries to break free, but fails to do so. Orton goes to the apron, and is dragged back into the ring. We get a cut as the camera is now closer to the ring as Orton is working over Furnas with strikes and an elbow drop. Orton drives Furnas down to the mat with a bulldog. Orton drops Furnas with a closed fist, but the referee didn’t see it. Furnas nearly wins with an inside cradle. Furnas powers out of a pin and gets the crowd behind him. Furnas hammers away on Orton with right hands to drop Orton to the mat. Furnas chops Orton in the corner followed by a knee strike, but runs into a boot by Orton in the corner. Orton crotches Furnas on the top rope and delivers a headbutt. Furnas slams Orton from the middle rope and wins the match with a top rope sunset flip! That lasted nineteen minutes. (*. I wasn’t expecting the middle rope slam spot, which was cool to see. However, there was no reason for this to go as long as it did.)
Second Contest: SMW Heavyweight Champion Dirty White Boy vs. Dick Slater: White Boy works over Slater with several strikes to knock Slater down to the mat. White Boy delivers more right hands in the corner, but Slater nearly steals the match with a rollup and foot on the ropes. White Boy nearly wins with a right hand strike. Slater drops White Boy with a headbutt for a two count. Slater decks White Boy with a chain and proceeds to pin White Boy to win the title. The match went seventeen minutes, but the camera did not catch nearly all of that. After the match, Chris Walker sends a guy into the post and White Boy decks Slater with brass knuckles to pin Slater. Apparently, the referee saw the weapon and made the match restart. Walker slides into the ring and beats on White Boy with Slater.
Third Contest: The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray & Tom Prichard) vs. Lance Storm in a handicap match: Storm goes after Cornette on the floor and hops onto the apron to taunt the Bodies. The crowd is pretty vocal in support for Storm in this match, too. Prichard avoids a standing spin kick from Storm. Prichard works over Storm with right hands in the corner. Storm hop tosses and dropkicks both Prichard and Del Ray. Storm sidesteps Del Ray, but Del Ray beats on Storm with a few elbow strikes. Storm superkicks Del Ray to the floor. Prichard gets knocked to the floor, too. Storm fights out of the corner with right hands on both men and clotheslines both men to the floor. Prichard misses a knee drop, but the Bodies double team Storm until Storm low blows both men a the referee turned his back to allow it. Del Ray crotches Storm on the top rope on an attempted moonsault. Prichard drives Storm down to the mat with a back suplex. Del Ray takes Storm down with a swinging neckbreaker and drops Storm throat first over the top rope. Del Ray continues to beat on Storm with right hands for a two count.
Outside the ring, Cornette jabs Storm with his tennis racket. Cornette is quite happy with himself as Storm gets rolled into the ring by Prichard and looks lifeless. Storm nearly pins Del Ray with a sunset flip, and is met with a clothesline. Prichard tags in and keeps Storm on the mat. Prichard hits a vertical suplex and a elbow drop for a two count. Del Ray leaps off the top to axe handle Storm over the back. Del Ray slams Storm and Prichard hits a gut wrench sit down powerbomb. Del Ray misses a top rope splash, but still nearly pins Storm anyway. Wait a minute….
Tracy Smothers has appeared on the apron and is in Storm’s corner as Del Ray drops Storm with strikes. Prichard gets kicked by Storm and Storm looks to make the tag, but is dragged across the ring to prevent the tag from taking place. Storm and Del Ray collide in the middle fo the ring and Prichard prevents the tag. Storm takes Prichard over with a snap suplex. Del Ray punches Smothers and slams Storm but misses a top rope moonsault! Prichard tags in and Smothers gets the hot tag. Smothers cleans house with right hands and a dropkick on Prichard Smothers uppercuts Del Ray and sends the Bodies into each other. Cornette grabs Smothers foot on the middle rope, but Storm hits a top rope crossbody onto the Bodies! All four men are brawling when Cornette decks Prichard with the tennis racket on accident and Storm manages to pin Prichard despite not being the legal man! (***1/2. For a house show match or segment, the crowd exploded for everything they did here. You’d think that Lance Storm was a made man after this match. The addition of Smothers, at the time they did, was terrific and it was a fun match.)
Fourth Contest: SMW Tag Team Champions Rock n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. Brian Lee & Chris Candido in a hair vs. hair match: Ricky’s hair is on the line while Tammy’s hair is on the line. Gibson and Candido kick off the title match. Candido goes to the ropes to prevent Gibson from taking him down to the mat. Candido gets dropkicked off the top to the floor and Gibson continues with a backdrop. Candido punches Gibson in the corner a few times, but Gibson avoids a leapfrog and dropkick managing to knock Lee off the apron and catapults Candido over the top onto Lee! Lee enters the match and Morton beats on Lee followed by a low blow. Morton atomic drops Candido to the apron where Candido is upside down and Candido falls to the floor. Gibson knee drops Lee from the apron and Candido gets decked off the apron. Gibson knocks Lee down to the mat and Lee bails to the floor as ten minutes has elapsed in the match.
Lee wants to shake hands, but Morton isn’t interested in that. Morton takes Lee to the mat and Gibson hits a slingshot stomp followed by a double clothesline. Morton decks Candido off the apron. Lee sends Morton over the top to the floor. Tammy slaps Morton on the floor and Ricky gets rolled into the ring. Candido sends Morton into the ropes and Lee decks Candido to the mat. Lee beats on Morton with a right hand. Lee drives Morton face first down into the mat for a near fall. Candido comes off the top to axe handle Morton. Tammy choked Morton over the middle rope and Candido decks Gibson off the apron. Morton gets sent through the ropes to the floor. Fifteen minutes has gone by in the match at this point as Candido continues to beat on Morton with strikes.
Candido sends Morton into the corner and hits a snap powerslam for a near fall. Lee enters the match and scoop slams Morton. Candido misses a top rope splash, but tags in Lee. Gibson gets the hot tag and cleans house with kicks and rams them into each other. Lee is met with a double backdrop. Express backdrop Candido for a two count as Lee breaks up the cover. Morton has a rollup on Candido, but the Gangastas come out. Mustafa gets in the ring and sends Morton into New Jack on the apron! Candido covers Morton and gets a three count! Morton’s hair is going to be shaved off! (***1/4. I thought that was a solid tag match despite not having a whole lot of action. It was kind of smoke and mirrors a little bit with the amount of brawling, but Candido and Morton really stood out with their interactions. It was the right decision to focus on them.)
Brian Lee and Chris Candido demand that Ricky Morton get in the chair to get his hair shaved off. Morton says he never goes back on his word. Morton decks Candido and Lee gets clotheslined. Candido is met with a double dropkick. Lee pulls Tammy out of the ring and Morton points at Candido. Morton proceeds to shave Candido’s hair. That’s what we call a bait and switch, folks. Lee returns to the ring and is able to prevent a complete shaving of the hair. They actually return to the ring where Gibson nails Lee with a chair and Candido gets more hair shaved off.
Main Event: Bruiser Bedlam, Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr. vs. Bob Armstrong, Road Warrior Hawk & Tracy Smothers in a Texas Death Match: All six men are brawling with Hawk working over Dory, Smothers with Bedlam and Bob with Terry. Hawk decks Cornette on the floor and gets in the ring with Dory. Hawk clotheslines Dory to the floor. Terry spikes Smothers with a piledriver on the floor! Terry and Dory beats on Smothers with strikes. Terry takes Smothers over with a vertical suplex. Dory hits a top rope headbutt on Smothers for a near fall. Dory hits a double under hook suplex on Smothers to get a three count. There is a thirty second rest period. Smothers then has ten seconds to get up, and he does. Dory drives Smothers down with a back suplex. Terry and Smothers brawl into the crowd. Hawk grabbed a broken table to hit Funk. Smothers got beat up on the floor and answers the ten count. Terry sends Smothers to the floor. Smothers gets a pin on Funk with an inside cradle. Funk wastes no time getting up, and then falls down.
Dory prevents Smothers from tagging out by hitting a vertical suplex. Hawk gets the hot tag and cleans house with clotheslines. Hawk press slams Bedlam. Hawk goes to the top and nails Dory with a clothesline and gets a three count. Dory gets up and is knocked back down with a strike. Hawk hits a leaping shoulder block and a few stomps. Armstrong decks Dory with a right hand. Smothers splashes Dory and gets another three count. Dory gets up and a kick to the back of his head. Hawk press slams Smothers onto Dory for a near fall. Armstrong has a sleeper on Dory, until Funk whacks Armstrong on the knee with a club. Bedlam focuses his attack on the injured right knee. Terry beats on Armstrong’s leg with several strikes. Dory pins Armstrong with a spinning toe hold. Cornette jabs Armstrong with his tennis racket and gets decked by Ron Wright at ringside. Terry and Armstrong are both counted out by the referee. Smothers and Hawk deck the heels to the floor. The referee begins to count and Armstrong gets up first to give his team the win. (*. The constant thirty-second rest periods really hurt the match and there wasn’t nearly enough brawling or violence to keep my interest. I was expecting more of that and this wasn’t fun.)
Final Thoughts:
A couple of fun tag matches saved this show from being a bummer to watch. The bait and switch on the hair vs. hair match didn’t seem to kill the crowd by any means. Because of the two tag matches I was left entertained by what I watched here for SMW.
Thanks for reading.