Survivor Series & 30 Years of the Undertaker

This Sunday, November 22, 2020, not only marks the 34th annual Survivor Series but the 30th Anniversary of The Undertaker.  Mark Calaway began his wrestling career in 1987 after training with "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer.  Debuting under a mask as Texas Red and wrestled his first match against Bruiser Brody for World Class Championship Wrestling.  Ironically Percy Pringle III, who would go on to be Paul Bearer, managed Texas Red that night in his debut match.

Calaway would travel to CWA, which later became the USWA, wrestling under several names including the Punisher and The Master of Pain.  In 1989 he would sign World Championship Wrestling as "Mean" Mark Callous and was paired with Dan Spivey as the Skyscrapers.  The team didn't last and Taker found himself with Paul E. Dangerously as his manager.  While in WCW he would wrestle in New Japan as "Punisher" Dice Morgan.   

He would leave WCW in September 1990 wrestling a couple matches in the USWA before making his debut in the WWE at the Survivor Series, November 22, 1990 the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. 

Over the next 30 years The Undertaker would dominate the WWE winning a version of the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship seven times.  He would also amass the greatest WrestleMania winning streak of all time winning 21 consecutive matches before losing to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX.  Two of this 21 victories were against "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, a man that Undertaker states is the greatest of all time. 

In the end his Mania record stands at 25-2 with his final match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania XXXIV being a cinematic Boneyard Match.  In the Last Ride Taker stated that his match with Styles is his last and he his retired from the ring.  But is he really?

According to Sports Betting Dime, In a recent interview with Yahoo!, Undertaker used the phrase "never say never" when asked about his recent retirement.  Already 55 years old, it's possible he really has stepped in the ring for the last time.  But former greats like Ric Flair and Sting were active even later in life.  At least one more in-ring appearance seems more likely than not at this point.

Dubbed as The Undertaker's Final Farewell the 2020 Survivor Series will emanate from the WWE Thunderdome  at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida currently featuring six advertised matches with two of them being traditional five on five Survivor Series matches.  The remaining four matches being Raw Champions vs. Smackdown Champions. 

I really wish the WWE would return the Survivor Series to an entire card of traditional Survivor Series matches.  That's what made the event unique and original when it debuted with the catchphrase Teams of Five Strive to Survive!  They should make Clash of Champions a card of Raw Champions vs. Smackdown Champions.

Here is the card:

Team Raw: AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Matt Riddle vs. Team Smackdown: Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, and another member to be determined
Opening odds Team Raw -140 vs.Team Smackdown +100

Team Raw: Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Lacey Evans, & Peyton Royce vs. Team Smackdown: Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Live Morgan and two other members to be determined
Opening odds Team Raw -225 vs.Team Smackdown +175

Intercontinental Champion: Sami Zayn vs. United States Champion: Bobby Lashley
Opening odds Zayn +225 vs. Lashley -300

Raw Tag Team Champions: The New Day vs. Smackdown Tag Team Champions: The Street Profits
Opening odds The New Day -120 vs. The Street Profits -120

Raw Women's Champion: Asuka vs. Smackdown Women's Champion: Sasha Banks
Opening odds: Asuka -120 vs. Banks -120

WWE Champion: Drew McIntyre vs. Universal Champion: Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman

Here is who I want to see win, Zayn, New Day, Asuka, McIntyre, who do I think is most likely going to win, Lashley, Banks, New Day, Reigns.  I'm indifferent about both Survivor Series Matches, I'd like to see AJ go over in the men's but would be happy with Kevin Owens.  On the Women's side I need to know who the final two competitors on Team Smackdown is to make my decision. Either way I will be tuning in the Sunday!

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page, check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network and while your at it pick up my book over at Amazon in Kindle or Paperback.

Until next time!!

Smoky Mountain Wrestling in WCW & the WWE

 

Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a wrestling territory based out of Knoxville, TN that operated from October 1991 to December 1995 and it was run by one of the best talkers in the business James E. Cornette. 

Smoky Mountain was a traditional southern style wrestling territory that ran with the simply black and white formula of the good guys vs. the bad guys at a time when wrestling was beginning to shift to shades of gray. 

The top stars of the promotion were Brian Lee, The Dirty White Boy, Tracy Smothers, The Rock N Roll Express, The Heavenly Bodies and more.  The Heavenly Bodies has two incarnations, the first of Stan Lane & Dr. Tom Pritchard and the second Jimmy Del Ray taking over to Stan Lane.  Smoky Mountain was also the major American debut for Chris Jericho & Lance Storm as The Thrillseekers. 

For me one of the most unique things that Smoky Mountain managed to pull off was in 1993 when Jim Cornette used his connections to get SMW wrestlers and matches on major WCW & WWE Pay Per View events just a few months apart.

SMW Tag Team Champions: The Heavenly Bodies: Stan Lane & Dr. Tom Prichard lost two matches to Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton the Rock N Roll Express the first by disqualification on the February 6^th edition of WCW Saturday Night.  The second was a non-title match at the Superbrawl III pay-per-view on February 21^st.

Starting with at television taping in Alexandria Bay, New York on July 25, 1993 Smoky Mountain Wrestling started a working relationship with the WWE with Cornette appearing on WWE programing issuing a challenge to The WWE Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers on behalf of the Heavenly Bodies, now comprised of Dr. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray.  On this card The Heavenly Bodies defeated Bobby Who & Mike Bucci, this matched aired on the 8/9/1993 episode of RAW.

July 26, 1993 in Utica, NY Superstars television taping:

Dark Match: Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers defeated the Heavenly Bodies by disqualification when Jim Cornette interfered.

Aired 8/14/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Bert Centeno & Rich Meyers

Aired 8/28/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Tony Roy & Jason Headings

July 27, 1993 Plattsburg, NY Wrestling Challenge & All American Wrestling television taping:

Aired 8/15/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Virgil & Glen Ruth

Aired 8/22/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Darren Trujillo & Curt Sloan

Summer Slam, August 30, 1993 Auburn Hills, MI

Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers defeated The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette

August 31, 1993 Grand Rapids, MI Superstars television taping:

Aired 9/19/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated the Smoking Gunns after Cornette hit Bart with his tennis racquet.

Aired 10/2/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Reno Riggins & John Paul

So Far the Heavenly Bodies were representing the Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the WWE built them as contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship, something that would never happen today.  It would be like if REDragon: Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly from ROH were brought in and given a push to contend for the belts.

At the next set of tapings the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Champions: The Rock n’ Roll Express: Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson were brought in to build towards a match against the Bodies on a WWE PPV.  That’s right WWE let another company build a program to between two tag teams that lead to a championship match on a WWE PPV something that would never happen today.

September 27, 1993 New Haven, CT Monday Night Raw taping:

Aired 10/4/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Mark Taylor & Scott Thomas

Aired 10/11/93: SMW Tag Team Champions: The Rock n’ Roll Express defeated Duane Gill & Barry Hardy

September 28, 1993 Worcester, MA Superstars taping:

Aired 10/30/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated PJ Walker & Mark Thomas, during the match in an insert promo the SMW Tag Team Champions: The Rock n’ Roll Express cut a promo about facing the Bodies a the Survivor Series.

Aired 10/23/93 SMW Tag Team Champions: The Rock n’ Roll Express defeated Flex Armstrong & Richie Rich

September 29, 1993 Portland, ME Wrestling Challenge & All American Wrestling taping:

Aired 10/17/93: The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated Tom McNeany & Ray Roy

Aired 10/10/93: Well Dunn w/ Harvey Wippleman defeated the SMW Tag Team Champions: The Rock n’ Roll Express via count-out The Heavenly Bodies attacked Gibson in the aisle.

For some reason the WWE had the Rock n’ Roll Express do a house show tour leading up to the Survivor Series, and yet they had them lose every night.

November 18, 1993 Niagara Falls, NY House Show

November 19, 1993 Syracuse, NY House Show

November 20, 1993 Philadelphia, PA

November 21, 1993 Hartford, CT

The Headshrinkers defeated the SMW Tag Team Champions: The Rock n’ Roll Express in a non-title match

Survivor Series, November 24, 1993 Boston, MA Boston Garden

The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette defeated SMW Tag Team Champions: Rock n’ Roll Express to win the championships.  Jim Ross noted in commentary the Cornette had been feuding with the Rock n’ Roll Express for 10 years starting with the Midnight Express.  Also because the match was under WWE rules there was no disqualification when Ricky Morton was thrown over the top rope to the floor, which was against the rules in Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

This essentially ended the run of Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the WWE.  In Early 1994 the Bodies were the SMW Tag Team Champions and made a couple defenses on WWE Television against jobbers.  Through-out 1994 The Heavenly Bodies competed in the WWE, the mostly defeated jobbers at television tapings and lost on the house show tours to either the Bushwackers or Smoking Gunns.   They also continued to appear through the Summer of 1995 and appeared on a couple In Your House PPV’s.   The Heavenly Bodies were the last Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Champions defeating The Dirty White Boy & Tracy Smothers on August 4, 1995 and reigning until the promotion folded on November 26, 1995.  

After the loss at Survivor Series The Rock n’ Roll Express didn’t work for the WWE again until they went on a tour of Eastern European countries in July of 1994 where they jobbed to the Smoking Gunns each night.  That seems pretty odd to me.   The Rock n’ Roll Express would return to the WWE in 1998 this time as heels with Jim Cornette as their manager as they represented the National Wrestling Alliance as the NWA World Tag Team Champions. 

I would like to thank and credit www.thehistoryofwwe.com

for the match results.