Formation Cornette formed the promotion in October 1991 upon leaving
World Championship Wrestling, with
Sandy Scott and backed financially by music producer
Rick Rubin. The first events and TV tapings were held in October and November 1991. Matches from these shows were first shown in February 1992. The first
Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Champion, "Primetime"
Brian Lee, won the championship in a tournament held at
Volunteer Slam on May 22, 1992, in
Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1993, Smoky Mountain Wrestling signed deals with
World Championship Wrestling and the
World Wrestling Federation to showcase their wrestlers on the larger companies' shows. This led to
The Rock 'n' Roll Express wrestling
The Heavenly Bodies (
Tom Prichard and
Stan Lane) at
SuperBrawl III in February 1993. The Heavenly Bodies (Prichard and
Jimmy Del Ray) then faced
The Steiner Brothers for the
WWF Tag Team Championship at
SummerSlam 1993, and then defeating The Rock 'n' Roll Express at
Survivor Series 1993 for the
SMW Tag Team Championship.
Notable talent The promotion featured a number of wrestlers who were regulars in the Southeastern wrestling scene including
the Heavenly Bodies,
Stan Lane and
Tom Prichard and later, Prichard and
Jimmy Del Ray. The Heavenly Bodies, managed by Jim Cornette, were featured heavily throughout the years as they worked storyline feuds with
The Rock 'n' Roll Express,
The Fantastics and The Armstrong Family (especially
Bob Armstrong).
New Jack,
Al Snow,
Balls Mahoney,
Chris Jericho,
Glenn Jacobs (then known as Unabomb, later better known under the
ring name Kane),
Lance Storm,
Tammy Lynn Sytch, The promotion also caused controversy when they gave Chris Powers "The StormTrooper" gimmick, whose uniform, including mask were emblazoned with Swastikas, and upon entering the ring, would raise their arm to the crowd.
National Wrestling Alliance The promotion had a brief association with the
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), whose flagship promotion
Eastern Championship Wrestling had split away in August 1994, leaving the NWA with no
World Heavyweight Champion. A 10-man tournament was held in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey in November, featuring many SMW wrestlers; the participants were
Tracy Smothers,
Devon Storm,
Eddie Gilbert,
Johnny Gunn,
Chris Candido,
Al Snow,
Dirty White Boy,
Jerry Lawler,
Lou Perez, and
Osamu Nishimura. The winner was Chris Candido, who defended his title mostly at SMW events. In February 1995, however, Candido lost the belt to
Ultimate Fighting Championship winner
Dan Severn, Several SMW wrestlers would soon obtain work in the WWF, including
Tracy Smothers,
The Dirty White Boy, and
Boo Bradley.
WWE now owns the
SMW video library. Both
Curtis Comes Home and the
2005 sequel show, held in memory of SMW head referee
Mark Curtis are considered "unofficial" reunion shows. ==Former personnel==