Chip Kessler and Les Thatcher are in the booth and they are broadcasting from a new set of television tapings from Jellico High School in Jellico, Tennessee. According to prowrestlinghistory.com, the tapings took place on July 6, but no attendance figures were reported.
Opening Non-Title Contest: PG-13 (USWA Tag Team Champions) (1-0) defeat the Hardy Boys when J.C. Ice pins Jeff Hardy after a double bulldog at 2:09:
Although the Hardy Boys would achieve greater success by the end of the decade, most wrestling fans knew them best as WWF jobbers during the mid-1990s. The Hardys are not treated like jobbers in this opener, causing PG-13 to regroup less than a minute in after they dropkick the champions out of the ring. However, Jeff misses a dropkick near the corner and PG-13 bounce with a double bulldog to put him away. With SMW lacking talent, Cornette should have tried to sign the Hardys as a full-time act to freshen up the tag team scene.
Thatcher chats with PG-13, who dismiss the chances that the THUGS have against them in a future match. Ice rants about how SMW fans are not treating Randy Hales with respect.
After recapping the controversy over the SMW Championship between Brad Armstrong and Buddy Landel, Thatcher interviews Commissioner Bob Armstrong and Brad. Bob says that at The Super Bowl of Wrestling, Landel is getting to face the WWF’s Intercontinental Champion because he was the last recognized titleholder. However, Brad is going to face USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Billy Jack Haynes for that title on the card. He also warns Jim Cornette that Unabom will have a tough challenge when he faces the Undertaker.
The Undertaker and Paul Bearer. The Undertaker makes the erroneous claim that Unabom is undefeated, saying that the realm of darkness does not care about wins and losses. The Undertaker promises to leave Knoxville with Unabom’s soul.
Thatcher interviews Brad Armstrong about his match with Billy Jack Haynes at The Super Bowl of Wrestling. Brad says that he is on a mission to take Haynes’ title and then take the SMW Championship from Landel.
Buddy Landel (w/Jim Cornette & the Punisher) (12-10-1) beats the Wolfman via submission to a figure-four leg lock at 1:08:
The Wolfman catches Landel off guard with a sunset flip for a near-fall, but it is all Landel after that, with the corkscrew elbow drop and figure-four forcing the Wolfman to submit in less than ninety seconds.
WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett says he is going to beat Shawn Michaels at In Your House 2 and will come into The Super Bowl of Wrestling and beat Landel in a clash of the figure-four leglocks.
Shawn Michaels rebuts Jarrett’s promo, saying that he is confident that he will win the Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 2. He says Jim Cornette’s mama cannot dance like the Heartbreak Kid can. And he ends by saying that Buddy Landel did something to him ten years ago that he is going to avenge at The Super Bowl of Wrestling.
Thatcher talks with Jim Cornette, Landel, and the Punisher. Cornette says that Landel is going to fulfill his dream by winning the Intercontinental Championship at The Super Bowl of Wrestling. Landel says he does not care if he wrestles Jeff Jarrett or Shawn Michaels because he has beaten both of them in the past and Knoxville is his home.
Footage of Billy Jack Haynes wrestling Scott Studd on an episode of USWA Championship Wrestling airs to hype his match at The Super Bowl of Wrestling against Brad Armstrong.
Kessler announces that the Steiner Brothers will appear at The Super Bowl of Wrestling and the old video package that highlights their match against the Heavenly Bodies at SummerSlam ’93 is shown. Some ridiculous techno music airs over the footage.
Thatcher interviews Boo Bradley. Bradley tells fans that he called the Mongolian Stomper to come in and help him get revenge against Cornette’s Militia at The Super Bowl of Wrestling.
New matches announced for The Super Bowl of Wrestling include Boo Bradley and the Mongolian Stomper against Terry Gordy and Tommy Rich, the Steiner Brothers against the Headbangers, Marty Jannetty defending the MTW Midwest title against Al Snow, and PG-13 defending the USWA Tag Team Championship against Steve Armstrong and Jackie Fulton. Ringside seats are going for $25, which also includes a “meet the stars” autograph signing and waitress service from Hooters!
Tommy Rich (w/Jim Cornette & the Punisher) defeats Jason Arndt after a DDT at 3:01:
Rich was a staple of Southern wrestling by 1995, coming up through the Tennessee independent circuit in the 1970s and becoming a star for Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW). He was most famous for winning the NWA World Championship from Harley Race in 1981 and holding it for four days, as well as for his long feud with Buzz Sawyer that culminated in the Last Battle of Atlanta cage match in 1983. After that, his career was never the same as he bounced between Memphis, the AWA, and WCW. Interestingly, Rich was playing a babyface in the USWA while he was playing a heel at SMW and when the two promotions were clashing in Memphis, he was defending the USWA from an SMW invasion. Arndt was also a notable WWF jobber during the 1990s, getting a small push in the Attitude Era as Joey Abs of the Mean Street Posse. Cornette does guest commentary during the bout, putting over the Militia’s recent talent acquisitions. Arndt tries a moonsault early, eating canvas on the attempt, and Rich slowly works him over before using a DDT to go over.
Cornette, Terry Gordy, Rich, and the Punisher talk with Thatcher. Cornette says that Boo Bradley and the Mongolian Stomper have no chance against Gordy and Rich at The Super Bowl of Wrestling. Rich incites the crowd by disavowing the South and dismissing Bradley and the Stomper’s team as “the blind leading the blind.”
Thatcher’s roll of interviews continues as he talks with SMW Tag Team Champions the Dynamic Duo, Cornette, and the Punisher. Cornette gloats about how the Rock N’ Roll Express are not at the venue so the Duo will get a forfeit win. Commissioner Bob Armstrong runs out and disagrees, saying that the fans were promised a tag team title match and they will get one. He puts the Duo in a title match against a team he is going to get out of the locker room.
SMW Tag Team Championship Match: The THUGS (5-1) defeat the Dynamic Duo (Champions w/Jim Cornette & the Punisher) (6-5-1) after Tracy Smothers pins Al Snow with a schoolboy roll up at 5:19:
The Duo are not prepared to face the THUGS, so it takes them a while to regroup, helped by Unabom pulling down the top rope when Smothers is Irish whipped. He then holds Smothers in place so that Snow can springboard onto him. A standard television tag match develops, with the Dirty White Boy getting the hot tag, and heel miscommunication undoes the Duo as Snow accidentally superkicks Unabom and a big boot from the White Boy, along with a Smothers schoolboy brings an end to their title reign. Rating: **¼
Kessler and Thatcher catch up with the new tag team champions, who are celebrating with Brad Armstrong. Commissioner Bob Armstrong congratulates “the Dirty White Dude,” who mocks Jim Cornette. The Rock N’ Roll Express walk in and have no idea what is going on, upset when they find out that the THUGS captured the titles.
Tune in next week to see the Rock N’ Roll Express face Killer Kyle & D’Lo Brown!
The Last Word: A new, hot crowd added a lot to this episode, helped by the tag team title change in the main event. The show was also helped by some new jobber talent since seeing SMW stars beat the Wolfman, Mike Mason, and Larry Santo all the time was getting old. The Super Bowl of Wrestling is shaping up as a great card, although the promotion is heavily leaning on outside talent to draw a big crowd.
SMW’s “Summer Blast” tour wrapped up in Knoxville on July 15. The card at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum drew a crowd of 750 fans. Results are provided courtesy of prowrestlinghistory.com:
-SMW Tag Team Champions the THUGS (6-1) beat the Headbangers (2-0)
-Tommy Rich (1-0) pinned Boo Bradley (16-5) after hitting him with a chain. After the match, Terry Gordy joined Rich in beating up Bradley with a spiked dog collar, leaving Bradley a bloody mess.
-The Punisher (1-0) beat Steve Armstrong (3-2)
-Mark Curtis beat Randy Hales
-Brad Armstrong (3-0) beat Buddy Landel (13-10-1) via disqualification in a match for the held-up SMW Championship. As a result of the match, the title remained vacant.
-The Rock N’ Roll Express (5-3) defeated the Dynamic Duo (6-6-1) in a street fight when Ricky Morton pinned Al Snow. If the Express had lost this match, they would have had to leave Smoky Mountain Wrestling.
Up Next: Smoky Mountain TV for July 22!