The Single File #8
Posted: 03/22/01
A few items before we delve in:
Anyway…
Jim Cornette’s recent appearance on Dave Meltzer’s Observer Live show got me a little nostalgic for Smoky Mountain Wrestling. If you didn’t know, SMW was an indy fed that was owned and booked by Cornette (1). SMW prided itself on its old school matches and angles during its four-year existence. No, it wasn’t revolutionary like ECW, but it was often far more entertaining than WCW or the WWF was in those days. And the talent roster was pretty impressive, boasting at one time or another Chris Candido, Tammy Lynn Sytch, Terry Funk, Lance Storm and Chris Jericho (teaming as the Thrillseekers), Tracy Smothers, Al Snow, Glen “Kane” Jacobs, the Gangstas, Jason Jett, the Rock n’ Roll Express, the Heavenly Bodies and a lot more. SMW was pretty popular back in the day, so much so that they had co-promotional deals with WCW and the WWF (2). Sadly, it was a tough time for wrestling back then, and Smoky Mountain closed it doors in 1995. Still, SMW had a lot of great angles and matches, and we’ll look at one today:
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. The Heavenly Bodies [c] (w/Jim Cornette): Steel Cage Smoky Mountain Tag Title Match—Loser must leave SMW)
When: 4/1/94
Where: Pikesville, KY
Backstory: Well, Jim Cornette had been feuding with the Rock
‘n’ Roll Express for years and years, first with the Midnight Express (first
Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton, then Eaton and Stan Lane) in the NWA, later
with the Heavenly Bodies (first Stan Lane and Dr. Tom Prichard, then Prichard
and “Gigolo” Jimmy Del Ray) in SMW.
This particular portion of the feud began when Robert Gibson flew Ricky Morton’s dad to an SMW event as a surprise. Ricky was having a title match against TV Champ Chris Candido when Morton and Bobby Blaze came to tell him something was wrong. Turns out Ricky’s dad got punked out in the back and had some Drano thrown in his eyes. It seems Ricky’s dad bumped into Jim Cornette backstage, and got beat up by the Bodie. The next week Cornette wanted to conduct an interview with Ricky’s dad, who turned out to be Jimmy Del Ray doing a Stevie Wonder impersonation. The Bodies then had a match scheduled against 2 wrestlers named Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller, who turned out to be the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. After that match ended in a DQ, a loser leaves town match was signed for Bluegrass Brawl II (much to the chagrin of Cornette and co.) to end the feud once and for all. What was cool is that we saw interviews with Eddie Marlin (USWA promoter) and Vince McMahon, saying that they’d gladly sign whoever had to leave Smoky Mountain. Yes, Vince McMahon, clad in powder blue suit with WWF logo and in full babyface announcer mode, said he would gladly take either team. Of course, the Bodies had already been there in ’93, and when the Express showed up in ’98 it was a fiasco.
The Match: This cage has a wooden frame, and really doesn’t look too sturdy. The Express is, of course, way over with the crowd. I don’t mean they get a big pop, I mean the crowd chants “Rock and Roll!” for nearly the entire match. Cornette’s outside the ring and is wearing wrestling gear for some reason. Robert Gibson and Dr. Tom start off. Gibson makes a “kiss my ass” motion to Jimmy Del Ray on the apron, which nearly triggers a four man brawl. Everything finally calms down and we start over as Prichard and Gibson tie up. Dr. Tom backs Gibson into the neutral corner and rakes the eyes, followed by some hard punches. Prichard tries to ram Gibson’s head into the steel, but Gibson blocks it, and Dr. Tom backs off before he gets his head rammed into the cage. They tie up again and Prichard rakes the eyes again. He tries to whip Gibson into the ropes, but Gibson reverses and hits a back bodydrop. Gibson then tries to ram Dr. Tom’s head into the steel, but Prichard manages to block it (barely).
They tie up a third time and Prichard applies a wristlock that is instantly reversed by Gibson. Gibson tags in Morton, who lays a kick to the gut of Prichard. Dr. Tom retreats to a neutral corner to take a breather. They finally tie up and Prichard lays in some punches and whips Morton to the ropes. But Morton slides through his legs and tries a rollup, but Dr. Tom grabs the ropes. Prichard tries a clothesline, but Morton ducks and hits one of his own. Prichard manages to retreat to his corner and tag in the Gigolo. Jimmy stares down Morton for a minute before they tie up. Morton manages to back Del Ray into the ropes and tag Gibson in one fluid motion. Morton then whips Del Ray into the ropes and nails him with a shot to the stomach, and Gibson immediately follows up with a kneelift. Gibson and Del Ray then tie up and Del Ray backs the rock and roller into the corner and lays in some punches. He tries a corner whip, but Gibson reverses and hits a back bodydrop on the rebound. Del Ray stumbles into the wrong corner and gets a punch from Morton. Gibson rams Del Ray’s head into the steel and gets a quick rollup for 2.
Del Ray backs off and confers with his partner. He and Gibson finally tie up again, and Gibson makes a blind tag Del Ray gets whipped to the ropes. Gibson ducks down and Morton nails a dropkick on Del Ray as he jumps over Gibson. Gibson then nails Prichard on the apron. See, it’s simple but really flawlessly executed moves like these that made the Express so great. Now Morton and Del Ray tie up, and the Gigolo forces Morton into the corner and lays into him with some punches. But Ricky manages to fight back with some shots of his own, and then whips Del Ray into the corner, following up with a hiptoss and an armdrag. Morton tosses Del Ray into the Rock and Roll corner for some clubberin’. Prichard comes into the ring and walks into a Morton punch. He tries again…and walks into another punch. Prichard tries again but puts on the brakes at the last second…but Morton nails him again. Morton snapmares Del Ray and applies a chinlock. Pritchard tries to break it up, but while the ref’s escorting him out, the Express pull the old illegal switch (3).
Anyway, Del Ray manages to rake Gibson’s eyes to break the chinlock. Del Ray tries a whip to the ropes, but Gibson reverses it. Gibson goes for a kick to the gut and Del Ray catches the foot, but Gibson manages to hit an enziguiri. Gibson goes for a cover but Prichard breaks it up. Del Ray is fortunately close enough to his own corner to make the needed tag.
Dr. Tom and Gibson now tie up. Gibson clamps on a headlock, so Prichard fires him into the ropes. Gibson hits a shoulderblock and bounces off the ropes again. Prichard drops down, leapfrogs, and then tries to ram Gibson’s head into the cage, but Gibson blocks it and Dr. Tom meets the steel. Gibson nails Jimmy Del Ray on the apron for good measure and rams Prichard’s head into the turnbuckle for good measure. Gibson picks up Prichard and holds him, and Ricky Morton comes off the top with a fist. Morton tosses Prichard to the apron and goads Del Ray into coming in, allowing Gibson to grind Pritchard’s face into the steel. Morton lays in some more shots to Dr. Tom, who’s busted open now. Morton tries a corner whip, but Prichard reverses and tries a charge, but is met with an elbow from Morton. Ricky covers but Prichard kicks out at 2.
Morton makes the tag to Gibson, who comes in and slams Dr. Tom, followed by a jumping boot. Gibson then nails Del Ray on the apron for kicks. Del Ray tries to come into the ring, but gets headed off by referee Mark Curtis. Morton then rams Dr. Tom’s head into the cage twice and goes for a cover, only to have it broken up by Del Ray. While the ref is escorting Del Ray out of the ring, Ricky Morton comes in and chokes Prichard with his foot. Gibson follows up with some punches, then tags his partner. Both Rock and Rollers lay their shots into Prichard. Morton whips Dr. Tom into the corner and tries a back bodydrop, but Prichard counters into a swinging neckbreaker. Prichard finally makes the almost hot tag to Del Ray.
The Gigolo comes in and lays some kicks into the downed Morton, followed by 2 superkicks. Gibson tries to come in, and the distraction allows Cornette the opportunity to gouge Morton’s eyes with his tennis racket through the cage. Del Ray pounds on Morton some more and tosses him into the cage. Gibson tries to come in again, allowing Prichard to make the illegal switch and toss Ricky into the cage again. Prichard pounds on Morton, who tries to fight back to no avail. Morton’s busted open now as well. Prichard rams Morton’s head into Del Ray’s outstretched boot, then taunts Robert Gibson so Del Ray can come off the top with a double axehandle. Del Ray pounds on Ricky some more, ramming him into the cage twice more. Gibson again tries to interfere, allowing the Bodies to make the illegal switch. Prichard comes in and bites Morton on the forehead. Prichard grinds Morton’s face into the cage. Morton tries to fight back again, but it’s no go. Prichard slams Morton and covers for 2. Prichard follows up with a DDT and another slam, then makes the tag to Del Ray. The Gigolo heads up top and hits a top rope splash. He goes for a cover, but Gibson comes off the top rope as well, dropping a foot to break up the count.
Del Ray shakes the cobwebs and tries a back bodydrop, but Morton counters with a sunset flip. Prichard breaks up the pin at 2. The Gigolo hits a DDT and goes for another pin, but Gibson breaks it up. Morton tries to fight back again but gets tossed into the heels corner for some clubberin’. Gibson has enough and comes in and gives the heels a double noggin knocker. Then Gibson hiptosses his own partner towards their corner, goes back to the apron, and makes the hot tag! Well, that’s different.
Gibson comes in all afire and knocks Del Ray and Prichard around. He hooks the Gibson Leglock (4) on Prichard, but Del Ray stops the count and tosses Mark Curtis into the cage. The Bodies try a double clothesline on Gibson, but he ducks and the Express hit Del Ray with their finisher, the Double Dropkick. Morton covers but the ref is still down. Another ref, Brian Keats, comes into the cage and tries to revive Curtis. Dr. Tom uses the opportunity to tie Gibson to the top rope with some rope he smuggled in. The Bodies hit their finisher (Dr. Tom holds Morton and Del Ray hits a top rope moonsault press), but Morton kicks out at 2! Prichard distracts the ref, allowing Jim Cornette to throw the tennis racket into the ring. Del Ray grabs the racket and nails Gibson. He goes for a cover and Keats counts 2, but a newly revived Curtis stops the count. While Prichard is arguing with Curtis, Del Ray goes for a powerbomb, but Gibson reverses into a pinning ‘rana! Gibson manages to untie himself and cuts off Prichard as both refs count three (24:09)! New champs, and the Bodies are done with Smoky Mountain. Great match—just tons of drama and excitement. This was a grand way to finally blow off to the Bodies-Express feud. Prichard and Del Ray are seriously one of the most underrated teams in wrestling history. Afterwards, Commissioner Bob Armstrong has an interview with the new champs. Ricky Morton thanks their friends, the fans, and the commissioner for believing in them. Standard stuff. However, a week later on SMW TV, we get a rebuttal from Jim Cornette and the Bodies as they try to appeal the decision. This is one of my favorite promos ever, and I consider it one of the best ever done. Fortunately, I found a transcript of it on the net (5), so here it is:
[Set: High school hallway, Brain Mathews stands next to a closed door. Mark Curtis exits from the door, and says something like "Cornette's not happy."]
BM: Hi fans, I'm Brian Mathews on assignment for Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Today is Monday, April 4th and inside this door the Smoky Mountain Board of Directors has had an emergency meeting called. Jim Cornette and the Heavenly Bodies are in the room with the Board of Directors pleading their case in the outcome of the Loser Leaves Smoky Mountain Wrestling match that took place on April 1st, just a few days ago at the Bluegrass Brawl II in Pikeville, Kentucky. Now we should be finding out shortly, if the meeting is breaking up, we should be finding out shortly about the outcome and see what's happened with the Heavenly Bodies input in their case.
[Jim Cornette, Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray enter throught the door, Del Ray slams the door behind him.]
Mr. Cornette is here.
JC: Do I gotta look at you everywhere I go?
BM: Apparently you're not very please with this outcome.
JDR: God, I can't believe this. Bob Armstrong is like a thorn in our side. Oh God, him and the Board of Directors. Tom, I... God almighty.
TP: Listen, it's just like the old saying goes: when you're the leaders of the pack and you think you've got the rat race licked, they just do out and find bigger and faster rats. and if you wanna talk about the biggest rats in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, let's talk about the Rock n Roll Express and Bob Armstrong. I have been ripped off, Jimmy Del Rey has been ripped off and Jim Cornette has been ripped off. The Heavenly Bodies can no longer stay in Smoky Mountain Wrestling and this is not right. It's a conspiracy of the first degree.
BM: Mr. Cornette, your thoughts on the outcome.
JC: Just like I thought it would be. It's a waste of time to come over here because I know what Bob Armstrong's got on his mind. I know what the Board of Directors. They've waited a long time and now they've got it. The decision will stand. The match will stand. The stipulation will stand. The Bodies are out. Everybody's always come up asked me, "How come you hate the Rock n’ Roll, how come you're so obsessed with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express?" Well, it's pretty easy. Put yourself in my place. For ten long years all across the country, in every high school gym, every major sports arena, every wrestling promotion. I've done everything I could do to send my team after them to get them out of professional wrestling because I hate their stinking guts. Why? [Cornette takes off his glasses.] Why do I hate their guts? Because I've devoted my life to professional wrestling. I wanted to be the best, I wanted to manage the best. And every team that I managed has been the best. Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton. Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane. Stan Lane and Tom Prichard. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray. They've been the best, they've been without parallel. Nobody could touch em, nobody could stop em. Nobody except the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. Every time that I got a team that was ready to take the top, the Rock ‘n’ Roll was there to take the title, to take the glory, to take the attention, to make sure that all the fans would come up to me and say, "Ya know, your guys are pretty good, but the Rock n Roll are better." And I've done the most horrible things that I could think of to do to another human being, to Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson to try and run them out of wrestling. It didn't work. Course, by the same token, they’ve had to endure those horrible things and they never got that last measure of revenge until now. The decision stands. The Bodies are finished in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. But I want you to know this ain't the only place that they can wrestle, this ain't the only place they do wrestle. But this is the place that they wanted to wrestle, because they dominated Smoky Mountain Wrestling. They established Smoky Mountain Wrestling and if it wasn't for the Heavenly Bodies there wouldn't be a Smoky Mountain Wrestling today.
TP: That's right!
JC: And Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, you've ruined all that and you've got you're final revenge. And I'll give it to you, you did what you said you were gonna do. After ten years man, the thing between me and you is over and you got what you wanted. But I'm gonna say this to you, I swear, I raise my right hand to God, Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, there will be another day, somehow, sometime, somewhere, I don't know when but there will be another day between me and you, and between you and the Heavenly Bodies. But for now, you've seen the last of Tom Prichard, and you've seen the last of Jimmy Del Ray, and I'm thinking seriously about going with them.
[Cornette, Del Ray and Prichard walk off to the left, camera turns for a view down the hallway. Cue Bob Segar's "Famous Final Scene" All three stop by a pile of bags. Del Ray and Prichard put jackets on. Prichard and Cornette hug. Prichard picks up his bags. Cornette picks up bags and hands them to Del Ray and hugs him. Cornette exits camera left. Del Ray and Prichard walk down the hall, pause, look back into the camera, and them continue walking.]
Fallout: The Bodies did leave SMW and went to wrestle for other indy feds, I imagine. The Express went on to feud with Chris Candido and Brian Lee and dropped the belts to that team a mere 2 weeks later. The Bodies did eventually return to SMW (6), but I don’t think they feuded with the Express again.
Today, Gibson, Morton, and Del Ray are all on the indy circuit, I guess. Dr. Tom thrives today as the co-host of Metal (hey, being Bruce Prichard’s brother can’t hurt). As for Cornette, he’s back booking and running a fed with Ohio Valley Wrestling, and will hopefully do so for years to come.
Anyway, the Ohio Valley Wrestling webpage recently announced that they would be re-releasing old Smoky Mountain Videos, so if you want to check it out, now’s the time.
Be back next week with a Wrestlemania X-7 preview.
Joe Gagne
Bwo@telegram.infi.net
Endnotes:
(1) It’s curious that Cornette and Paul Heyman, two men who openly dislike each other, have followed similar career paths. Both men broke away from WCW to form their own federations, both had working agreements with the WWF, and now both find themselves in the employ of the WWF. Of course, ECW lasted a bit longer than SMW, but the parallels are interesting.
(2) In fact, the match described in this column was also featured on both a WCW and WWF PPV (Superbrawl III and Survivor Series ’93, respectively)
(3) Interesting that the Express is using deceitful tactics like this—I guess it’s to show (a) how big the stakes really are, and (b) how much the Express hate the Bodies.
(4) Kinda like a Southern version of the Delfin Clutch.
(5) Done by Dominic Macika at Ollie’s Wrestling Page (http://www.magma.ca/~op/wrestling/)
(6) Thanks to the Thrillseekers. Remind me to do that angle someday.