What The World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – March 18, 1995

Reviews, Shows, Top Story, TV Shows

Jim Ross and Les Thatcher are tasked with commentary and they are kicking off a new set of tapings in Council, Virginia. According to prowrestlinghistory.com, the shows in this new round of tapings were held on March 6 and drew 425 fans.

Opening Contest: Buddy Landel (6-2) defeats the Wolfman via submission to the figure-four leg lock at 1:58:

Landel chokes the Wolfman, drops a corkscrew elbow, and the figure-four leg lock gives him yet another squash win on SMW television.

Ross interviews Tracy Smothers and Jim Cornette. Smothers is still reluctant about the idea of Cornette giving them a partner against the Gangstas and D’Lo Brown and then managing he and Bob Armstrong. Cornette says that is too bad because he has already signed Smothers, Armstrong, and his mystery man up for a six-man tag match for the Bluegrass Brawl. The stipulation for the match is that the loser must salute the other side’s flag. Smothers is incensed until Cornette tells him that the mystery man is going to be the Undertaker.

A taped promo sees the Undertaker and Paul Bearer promise that the Gangstas will come to fear them. The Undertaker also vows to bury the Gangstas under the ground instead of under a flag.

Non-Title Match: Bobby Blayze (SMW Champion) (3-0) pins Mike Sampson after a Northern lights suplex at 2:12:

Sampson was a former jobber with the WWF and WCW who also had a small run in Memphis in 1989. Blayze hits a few crisp moves like a superkick to set up his Northern lights suplex finisher to earn his first televised win of 1995. A vocal part of the fan base is not buying into Blayze’s title reign as he gets some boos when leaving the ring.

Footage of how Blayze won the SMW Championship and then defended it against Buddy Landel at Sunday Bloody Sunday II is shown.

Ross interviews Blayze, who says hello to his new baby boy Drake. Buddy Landel interrupts the segment and makes fun of Blayze’s accent. Landel offers Blayze $500 for the title but Blayze refuses. Blayze offers to wrestle Landel immediately and when Blayze prepares to head to the ring, Landel attacks him and whips him with the SMW title belt until the Dirty White Boy makes the save.

Thatcher interviews the Gangstas and D’Lo Brown. New Jack says that his insurance policy is not high enough to wrestle the Undertaker at Bluegrass Brawl. He promises that the Undertaker is not going to touch him and the Gangstas will find some way to make Tracy Smothers and Bob Armstrong salute their flag. New Jack promises that the Gangstas have a mystery man of their own to even the odds against the Undertaker: Killer Kyle. Kyle comes to the ring, warning Jim Cornette that he has unfinished business with him. When New Jack promised backup, it seemed plausible he might get someone from the WWF too so Kyle’s appearance was a disappointment.

Boo Bradley walks out to the announce table, who says he traded Brian Logan some cake, baseball cards, and a can of peas to take his place in the upcoming Beat the Champ Television Championship match against Billy Black. When Ross does not believe that story, Bradley confesses that he had to smash Logan’s face into the wall a few times to get the spot.

The Dynamic Duo (2-2) defeat Larry Santo & Kenny Arden when Al Snow pins Arden after the Simply Sensational Dive at 2:34:

Santo was a journeyman enhancement talent during the late 1980s and early 1990s, working for Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), the USWA, WCW, and the WWF. Arden was a Tennessee-based talent who wrestled for the Georgia-based Tri-Star Wrestling Alliance (TWA) in the 1990s. Unlike their previous squashes, Snow wrestles this time and does a few high spots in between Unabom’s power moves. The finish is impressive as Unabom gives the heavier Arden a unabomb and then Snow hits the Simply Sensational Dive right after.

The next match is scheduled to be Billy Black defending the Beat the Champ Television Championship against Boo Bradley, but New Jack gets on the microphone after Bradley’s entrance and says that when Black was getting out of the locker room shower he slipped and fell in his own tobacco spit. As a result, Killer Kyle is going to take his place.

Beat the Champ Television Championship Match: Boo Bradley (8-1) defeats Killer Kyle (w/the Gangstas & D’Lo Brown) via disqualification when the Gangstas and Brown interfere at 5:32:

After working as an enhancement talent for Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the 1980s, Kyle came to SMW in 1992 as Jim Cornette’s bodyguard. He was a former television champion, winning the belt from the Hornet in 1994. This match marks his return to the company since going to WCW in late 1994 to be a jobber. Bradley’s attire keeps changing as he now wrestles with a black top and traditional, long wrestling tights. In some ways, that hurts the character because Bradley just looks more like others on the roster. The bout is not very good as Kyle slowly beats on Bradley and the Gangstas do some token interference to keep him in control. Kyle makes the mistake of headbutting Bradley and that allows Bradley to make a comeback. However, when Bradley goes to the top rope, New Jack pushes him off in full view of the referee. According to Ross, the resulting disqualification means there is no titleholder for the time being. Rating: ½*

After the bell, the Gangstas hit their 187 finisher on Bradley (a rocket launcher where New Jack is tossed into a flying headbutt) and New Jack hangs him over the top rope until the Rock N’ Roll Express and Tracy Smothers make the save.

Ross interviews SMW Tag Team Champions the Rock N’ Roll Express. Ricky Morton says that the double dropkick will put Unabom down at this weekend’s March Madness show.

Tune in next week to see SMW Champion Bobby Blayze defend his title against Buddy Landel!

The Last Word: Killer Kyle’s return gives the heel side of the roster a boost and it looks like he will be placed into a feud with Boo Bradley that would have been given to Billy Black if he stayed with the promotion. Bobby Blayze seems like a nice guy and is a proficient wrestler, but he is out of his depth as the major titleholder of the promotion. Landel outclassing him in their confrontation was a sign that Blayze is best suited for the midcard until his promo skills improve. Also, it will be interesting to see if the Undertaker can boost business for the Bluegrass Brawl in Pikeville but the stipulation for the six-man tag is repulsive in terms of making the Gangstas and D’Lo Brown salute the Confederate flag.

SMW held its March Madness cards over the weekend in Johnson City, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee. Both cards had identical results. The Johnson City show drew 550 fans on March 18, while the Knoxville card drew 400 fans on March 19. The Knoxville draw was a big drop off from Super Saturday Night Fever in January, which drew 2,000 fans, and Sunday Bloody Sunday II, which drew 1,100 fans. Here was the result of the March Madness event, courtesy of prowrestlinghistory.com:

-Killer Kyle (0-1) defeated Boo Bradley (9-1)

-SMW Tag Team Champions the Rock N’ Roll Express (3-1) defeated the Dynamic Duo (3-2) in a tag team elimination match. Ricky Morton pinned Unabom to be the sole survivor.

-SMW Champion Bobby Blayze (4-0) defeated Buddy Landel (7-2) via disqualification when the Dirty White Boy interfered. As a result, Landel lost his Mercedes.

-The Gangstas (3-1-1) defeated Tracy Smothers & Bob Armstrong when New Jack pinned Armstrong.

-The Dirty White Boy (3-2) pinned Buddy Landel (7-3) in a steel cage match. Ron Wright was used as the keeper of the key in the cage match. This role was played by police officer Kim Birchfield in Johnson City.

Up Next: Smoky Mountain TV for March 25!

Logan Scisco has been writing wrestling reviews for Inside Pulse since 2005. He considers himself a pro wrestling traditionalist and reviews content from the 1980s-early 2000s. Most of his recaps center on wrestling television shows prior to 2001. His work is featured on his website (www.wrestlewatch.com) and he has written three books, available on Amazon.com.