SMOKY MOUNTAIN WRESTLING FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN 8/14/93

Running Time: 2 hours

SMW returned to the Freedom Hall in Johnson City, TN for its second annual Fire on the Mountain card, its biggest show of the summer. Despite the departures of regulars such as Stan Lane and the Stud Stable, SMW had really hit its stride over the previous six months, based around a hot feud between commish Bob Armstrong and Jim Cornette. This feud had dated back to the early days of the promotion, but really picked up steam when Cornette and his wrestlers delivered a brutal beating to the elder Armstrong at the end of Volunteer Slam II in May. Also, the undercard was thriving, with Tracy Smothers hitting his stride as a regional star, the arrival of one of the rising stars work-wise in Chris Candido, the new and legitimately improved Heavenly Bodies due to the arrival of Jimmy Del Ray, and the continued dependability of its mainstays such as Brian Lee, Dirty White Boy, Tim Horner, and the Rock N Roll Express. This was one of the best overall tapes for SMW, displaying many of its strengths both in the ring and booking-wise. Besides the card at Johnson City, a bonus match was also included: Bob Armstrong vs Jim Cornette from a show 8 days later, a match which included an old stipulation with a new twist. Definitely a recommended tape for anyone looking to check out SMW.

1. Status Match: Jimmy Del Ray (w/Jim Cornette) vs Steve Armstrong

This was an important match in that it the winning side would ultimately represent the team which would hold the advantage throughout the Rage in the Cage main event, SMW's answer to war games. Jimmy grabbed a headlock and they did a criss cross. Armstrong dropkicked Jimmy twice and Jimmy bailed out of the ring. Jimmy landed some punches but missed a clothesline and Armstrong gave him a rock bottom. Jimmy stalled a bit but Armstrong went after him. Jimmy countered a punch on a criss cross with a nice float-over DDT. Jimmy kneedropped Armstrong and raked his back. He headlocked and punched Armstrong, then superkicked him for a delayed near fall. Jimmy gave Armstrong a sitout powerbomb but missed a top rope headbutt. Armstrong landed a bunch of kicks to Jimmy's body, almost like Kawada does with his opponents but of course not as sharp. Armstrong chopped Jimmy, whipped him into the corner and backdropped him. Armstrong hit a top rope clothesline for a near fall. Cornette appeared to trip the ref. Cornette then hit Armstrong during a criss cross with his tennis racquet, and the ref didn't see it. Jimmy then pinned Armstrong with his feet on the ropes at 4:48 (announced at 7:22, didn't look like there was any editing, if so it was insignificant. Fun opener, good action from both men. **1/2

2. Dirty White Boy vs Mongolian Stomper

DWB attacked Stomper as he entered the ring. Stomper fought back with his usual kicks and punches. Stomper whipped DWB into the corner and choked him. Stomper teased kicking DWB low but relented and DWB bailed out of the ring. DWB tried to fight back but Stomper raked his eyes. Stomper landed some forearms across DWB's chest and a chop to his neck. Stomper stomped (what else!) DWB from the apron and choked him at ringside. Stomper rammed DWB into the barricade and kicked him. DWB finally fought back with a kick, punch and axhandle. He choked Stomper in the ropes and rammed his head into the corner. DWB landed several punches and choked him. DWB elbowed Stomper, punched and bit him. He kicked Stomper and landed more punches. Stomper whipped DWB into the corner and gave him a bunch of chops. DWB responded with punches of his own and both men pushed the ref out of their way. They traded punches as the bell rang at 5:10 signalling a double DQ. Stomper and DWB continued to fight to the back. Kinda lackluster match, mainly kick and punch offense but without the freshness and intensity of Stomper vs Sullivan from Thanksgiving Thunder '92. 3/4*

3. Baby Bottle Match: Tim Horner vs Chris Candido

Candido slammed Horner but Horner caught him on the top rope and slammed him to the mat. Horner clotheslined Candido out of the ring and hit an axhandle from the top rope to the floor (not quite an actual plancha), and Candido took a cool bump landing upside down against the barricade. Candido caught Horner reentering the ring with an elbow. Candido telegraphed a backdrop and Horner kicked him. Horner gave Candido an Angle slam (!) (kinda) for a near fall. Horner snapmared Candido and boot-scraped his face. Horner gave Candido an armringer but Candido punched him. Horner countered an atomic drop and went for a rollup but Candido sent him out of the ring by lunging down towards the ropes. Candido hit a tope on Horner at ringside. He punched Horner on the apron and suplexed him back into the ring. Candido applied a chinlock as footage clipped forward. Horner elbowed Candido and escaped but ran into a sleeper, with which Candido nearly gained the victory. Horner ran towards the corner and in the process rammed Candido jaw first into the turnbuckle. They traded punches and Candido raked Horner's eyes. Horner applied a sleeper on Candido and nearly gained a victory. Candido escaped by lunging towards the corner but Horner simply pushed him into the corner and on the rebound caught him in another sleeper. Candido backed Horner into the corner and elbowed him. Candido punched Horner, whipped him into the opposite corner and powerslammed him. Candido whipped Horner into the corner and tried it again but Horner floated over him. Horner went for a rollup but Candido held onto the corner. Candido catapulted Horner into the corner and rammed him into the turnbuckle repeatedly. Horner absorbed these blows and whipped Candido into a corner but ran into an elbow. Candido placed Horner on the top rope and landed a couple elbows. Candido went for a top rope huracanrana but Horner headbutted him and gave him a second rope spinebuster in a nice counter I haven't seen often. Horner landed a series of punches and elbowed Candido. Horner snapmared and kneedropped Candido. He whipped Candido into the corner and hit a nice handspring elbow. Horner ran to the corner and gave Candido a Vader bomb (reverse splash off the rope) for a near fall. Horner went for a rollup but rammed Candido into the ref, knocking him to the apron and out of commission. Horner rolled up Candido but there was no ref to count. Candido ran towards Horner but Horner moved and Candido flew over the top rope to the floor. The ref then DQed Horner for supposedly throwing Candido over the top rope (the ref was on the floor, and didn't have a perfect view). Candido hit Horner with his WWA title belt and tried to tie him up in the ropes. Candido then forced Horner to drink from the baby bottle (although it didn't look like much). Pretty cheap finish and stipulation, but the match itself was really cool. I was expecting Candido to carry things down the stretch, but Horner kept up with him very nicely, including the spinebuster off the second rope and a rare (from what I've seen) handspring elbow. Horner seemed fired up work-wise. While Candido didn't work to his potential in this match, he showed flashes of his brilliance and some offense unique within the SMW rings. The match didn't seem structured too well and was a bit slow in the middle, but overall very enjoyable. 10:41 aired, and I think the match was about 17:00 in total. **3/4

4. SMW Title/Coal Miner's Glove Match: Brian Lee (c) w/Tammy Fytch vs Tracy Smothers

Smothers went for the glove (on a pole) immediately, Lee went after him but Smothers hit an inverted flying bodypress for a one count. Smothers won an exchange of punches and rammed Lee into the turnbuckle. Smothers whipped Lee into the corner but ran into his boots. Lee went for the glove but Smothers cut him off with a punch. Smothers threw Lee out of the ring on a criss cross and gave him a baseball slide kick. Smothers gave Lee an axhandle off the apron and some punches at ringside. He rammed Lee into the apron and a chair at ringside. Smothers tossed a coke into Lee's face and punched him. Smothers stalked Fytch but mule kicked Lee when lee approached from behind. Smothers hit a top rope axhandle in the ring on Lee and climbed towards the pole but Lee grabbed him and punched him. Lee stomped and punched Smothers. Lee missed a punch and Smothers gave him a series of punches in the corner. Both men missed clotheslines but Smothers hit one. Smothers punched Lee and rammed him into the corner repeatedly. Smothers grabbed the house mic and called Lee a "faggot" (now that's hardcore!) before punching him. Smothers began to climb the pole but Lee pulled him down to the mat and stomped him. Lee landed a couple punches and kicked Smothers. He clotheslined Smothers over the top rope. Smothers rammed Lee into the ringpost and hit him with a couple lame chairshots. Lee fought back by ramming Smothers into the apron. Back in the ring Smothers landed some punches but missed a corner splash. Lee climbed the pole but Smothers grabbed his leg. Lee punched Smothers and powerslammed him. Lee choked Smothers and applied a chinlock. Smothers elbowed Lee to escape but Lee caught him in another powerslam. Lee climbed the pole but Smothers punched him twice. Smothers kicked and snapmared Lee but crashed onto his knees attempting a big splash. Lee applied another chinlock, using the ropes for leverage repeatedly, for a lengthy period of time. Smothers fought back but missed a dropkick. Lee missed an elbowsmash. Smothers punched Lee and gave him a flying elbow. Smothers telegraphed a backdrop and Lee shoved him head first to the mat. Lee missed a top rope kneedrop. Smothers climbed towards the pole, Lee went after him, Smothers went for the inverted flying bodypress but this time Lee moved and Smothers crashed to the mat. Lee choked Smothers in the ropes and pounced on him in the ropes. Fytch slapped Smothers and Lee continued to attack him in the ropes. Lee went to pounce on Smothers but crashed into the ropes when he moved. Smothers backdropped Lee and 10-punched him in the corner. Smothers gave Lee an enzuguiri. They did a criss cross from one corner to another, Smothers went to climb the pole but Lee gave him a low blow. Lee almost grabbed the glove but Smothers shook the rope and crotched Lee on the top rope. They did a criss cross and Fytch tripped Smothers. Lee elbowed Smothers and grabbed the glove but Smothers met him with a dropkick. Smothers grabbed the glove and punched Lee. Fytch distracted the ref and Dirty White Boy came in and hit Smothers with a chair. DWB placed Lee on top of Smothers and Lee scored the pin when the ref turned around at 20:02 (15:19 aired) to retain the title. Pretty good match when they were moving, nothing spectacular but solid back and forth action with Smothers looking good as usual. The restholds took this down a bit as did the finish- again. The fourth tainted finish out of 4 matches, otherwise this show would be really good so far. **1/2

5. Rage in the Cage: Armstrong's Army (Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Scott, Steve & Bob Armstrong) vs Cornette's Criminals (Jim Cornette, Tom Prichard, Jimmy Del Ray, Ron & Don Harris)

SMW's to War Games, with a twist. You could win via submission, or by handcuffing all opposing team members to the cage itself. Morton and Prichard started the match. Prichard dominated Morton early with punches. They had a criss cross and Morton gave Prichard a Russian legsweep. Prichard fought back and powerbombed Morton. Prichard stomped Morton and went for another powerbomb but Morton countered with a huracanrana Morton backdropped Prichard and they tried to ram each other into the cage. Morton landed some punches but Prichard whipped him into the corner and powerslammed him. Morton reversed a whip into the corner on Prichard and atomic dropped him. Morton rammed Prichard into the corner, snapmared him and gave him a fistdrop. Morton and Prichard had another criss cross and Morton backdropped Prichard. Prichard punched Morton and grinded his face into the cage but Morton countered with a low mule kick. Morton choked Prichard and unsuccessfully tried to handcuff him to the cage. One of the Bruise Brothers came in at 5:00 and went after Morton but Morton held his own with punches. Harris kneelifted Morton and both heeld pounded him. Harris twice speared Morton into one of the cage beams. Both heels punched Morton, who began to bleed from the head. Both heels attacked Morton in the ropes and Harris added a punch in the middle of the ring. Harris and Prichard attacked Morton's head wound with punches. As Harris pounded Morton, Steve Armstrong came in and attacked both heels with punches. Steve rammed Harris' and Prichard's heads together and rammed Prichard into the cage, with Prichard taking a flip bump in response. Steve rammed Harris into the cage and Harris tumbled over the top rope. Steve attacked Prichard and then Harris with punches but eventually the heels fought back. Steve rammed Prichard into the cage as Morton punched Harris. Harris got the better of a bloody Morton as Steve pounded on a bleeding Prichard. Steve gave Harris several punches in the corner and Morton rammed Prichard into the cage again. Del Ray was next in the match, and he went after Morton with a series of punches as the heels regained momentum. Prichard and Del Ray dominated Morton, whose blood loss began to take on a Muta-scale level. Harris slammed and elbowsmashed Steve. Morton and Del Ray exchanged punches until Prichard hit Morton from behind. The heels continued to dominate and Prichard tried to handcuff Morton to the cage. Morton fought back with a headbutt on Prichard. Gibson entered the cage next, and attacked all three heels. Gibson rammed Prichard's and Del Ray's heads together and rammed Prichard into the cage. Steve backdropped Del Ray and went after Harris with punches. Armstrong rammed Harris into the cage. Prichard raked Gibson's eyes and Del Ray punched him. Gibson recovered and rammed Prichard into the cage again. Gibson rammed Del Ray into the cage as the heels continued to be dominated, although Morton was slumped in the corner selling his blood loss. The other Harris twin entered the cage and attacked all three opponents with good intensity. The Harrises went after Steve and successfully handcuffed him to the cage. Prichard went after Morton, the Bruises continued to attack Steve, and Del Ray went after Gibson with punches in the corner. Gibson fought back with an atomic drop on Del Ray and went after the other heels with punches. The Harrises got the better of Gibson. Scott Armstrong entered the cage and low blowed all four heels. Scott threw punches at everyone. Morton handcuffed one of the Harrises to the cage for a pop. Morton and Scott pounded the other Harris. Prichard and Del Ray got the better of Morton and Gibson. Morton fought back with punches on Del Ray and the free Harris twin. Security had to force Cornette into the cage for his turn, and Cornette was hilarious here. Gibson was handcuffed to the cage. Harris and Cornette punched Morton and Cornette choked him in the ropes. Prichard attacked Scott with punches. Del Ray accidentally superkicked Prichard when Scott moved. Scott gave Del Ray two superkicks but Harris attacked him. Harris rammed Scott into the corner as Cornette pounded and taunted Morton. Bob Armstrong entered the cage, and all the heels took turn playing ping-pong ball for Bob's punches and chops. Bob wasted no time handcuffing Del Ray to the cage and then went after Cornette. Bob slammed Cornette off the top rope to the mat and rammed him into the cage. Bob punched Cornette and grinded his face into the cage. Morton handcuffed the other Harris to the cage. Prichard attacked Bob from behind and held him. Bob moved and Cornette ended up giving Prichard a clotheslineBob gave Cornette a low mule kick as the other Armstrongs held Prichard back. Cornette ran into a chop from Bob. Bob then applied a spinning toehold and made Cornette submit at 21:30 to win the match. Wild post-match action. Chris Candido came down with a key and freed some of the heels from the cage, and they attacked the faces. Big Bossman, the guest ref for this match, then made the save attacking the heels and then he freed some of the faces from the handcuffs. As the heels bailed out Armstrong and co. tried to trap Cornette but Cornette escaped just in time. This was a very good match, especially within an old-school atmosphere, with some drawbacks that prevented it from reaching its full potential. The handcuff stipulation was a neat twist, but did limit what some of the wrestlers could do. Also, with one ring it became difficult to have athletic action sequences once there were more than 5 men in the ring, much less 10. I saw enough flashes of brilliance, though, that convinced me this could have measured up well to the better War Games matches had there been two rings to work with instead of one. Smartly booked, not in a way that might appeal to a mass audience (like Bob Armstrong playing ping-pong on the heels), but in a way that catered beautifully to its audience. Lots of intensity and blood, especially a memorable juice job from Morton. While the action content was somewhat limited, the match itself never dragged at all because of the interesting aspect of the handcuff stipulation coming into play. Well-plotted, with two of the best workers (Morton and Prichard) starting out. Sending in a Harris twin next made sense so as to set a tone, and that happened as Morton's juice job took place. Of course sending in the captains last made sense, since Bob couldn't do much athletically and Cornette was a heel manager. Both of them, though, were entertaining with Bob showing good intensity and Cornette being his usual entertaining self taking some pretty decent bumps. Could've been a full star better with two rings. ***

Lumberjacks with Tennis Racquets: Bob Armstrong vs Jim Cornette

This match took place at the K-Town showdown on 8/20/93 in Knoxville, TN. Big Bossman was the guest ref for this match as well. The lumberjacks were mostly the participants of the Rage in the Cage match. Cornette came out wearing a sling doing that routine but it didn't work. Cornette offered to shake Bossman's hand, and Bossman accepted, but then whipped Cornette into a punch from Armstrong as the match began. Cornette tried to flee the ring but the faces went after him. Armstrong headlocked and punched Cornette. He whipped Cornette into the corner and punched him. Cornette left the ring but the faces hit him with their racquets and chased him back into the ring. Del Ray hit Armstrong with a racquet, but Bossman saw it and punched Del Ray. Cornette gave Armstrong a couple axhandles and choked him. Armstrong absorbed several blows and punched Cornette. Armstrong choked Cornette in the ropes but Prichard threw powder in Armstrong's eyes. Cornette missed an elbowsmash but recovered and gave Armstrong a fistdrop. Cornette stomped Armstrong and gave him a series of punches. He choked Armstrong in the ropes. Armstrong caught Cornette on the top rope with a punch and slammed him to the mat. Cornette hit Armstrong from behind with a racquet but Armstrong absorbed the blow. Armstrong punched and chopped Cornette. Cornette left the ring but Armstrong went after him and rammed him into the ringpost. A brawl broke out between the lumberjacks at ringside. Cornette was thrown back into the ring by Morton as he began to bleed from the forehead. Armstrong gave Cornette several punches and chops. He piledrove Cornette twice and pinned him at 6:02. Cornette sold the piledrivers like he was shot and was carried out on a stretcher. Entertaining for what it was. Armstrong showed good intensity, but not much else and didn't take any bumps. Cornette completely carried the match action wise taking his share of bumps and bleeding I think for the second time in his career. *

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