Smoky Mountain Wrestling: Buddy Landell vs Shawn Michaels (1995)

[xraycat30]

Is that interviewer a young Mahmoud Amidinijad before he became the Iranian dictator?

[KittColby]

Unreal. "General" Jim Cornette? Shawn Michaels, as a WWF star, wrestling and defending the Intercontinental title in a match for Smoky Mountain Wrestling? What an awesome find.

It was cool to see Shawn Michaels and Al Snow go at it there at the end too.

[InternationalObjects]

@KittColby Additional trivia: The Punisher later would join WWF as "Bull Buchanan."

Thanks for watching! For more wrestling videos, check out my other account, Rudoreelsdotcom.

[KittColby]

@InternationalObjects That's cool. I thought that looked like him, but I also thought it was just a coincidence. Thanks for posting. It was a rare treat.

[TombstoneInc]

Also Brad Armstrong was a heavyweight champ? WOW now i know it was SMW, but i mean they had a relationship with the WWF. Brad was a world champ, wow amazing. I think he was ripped off in wcw, he should have had a better career, he was one of the most underated actually guys who could wrestle, hell he had a classic with Ric Flair. Brad should have held the united states title. AT LEAST the TV title.

[TombstoneInc]

Thats mark curtis, RIP. From WCW?? Wow he looks different with that long hair. I didnt have any idea he was in SMW.

[TombstoneInc]

WTF, HBK wrestled in SMW??? No freakin way, he is too big of a star to be there. I know they had a relationship with SMW and USWA, but i didnt know the big time guys went there. THIS WHAT WHAT WRESTLING IS MISSING, why cant Vince McMahon but aside his feeling, to better help the business and maybe approach ROH and have a working relationship with some of the best young independent guys in the world. HBK dont look right in that ring either, too small.

[tytheeman20]

Shawn is so sexy

[patrickthadude]

This looks like HBK was sent in a time machine back to 1983.

[Frizz90]

HBK carried the match

[popo1322]

micheals droped the belt

[spewintothis]

Every SMW match I watch on youtube has a ref bump.

[newlytrollin]

Landell is a jabroni.

[Rayla840]

HBK shoulda put Landel over? Hilarious!!!!! Looks like it was a very good match though, and that in itself it putting Landel over enough!!!!

[pazios2002]

Talk about traffic accidents, he was subbing wild fire for buddy landell? lol

[scottiboi05]

@InternationalObjects it was a WWF IC Title match there was no way Landell was gonna go over in anyway, DQ, No Contest non of that cuz it wouldve hurt HBKs stock within WWF.

[kingdomoftheworm]

Tommy Rich says he never drank alcohol, but at the end of that video, you can see his shirt has a Budweiser logo on it.

[pazios2002]

@kingdomoftheworm LOL That is what I miss about promos of old , the higher level of humor.  Too much dummy down of humor these days in wrestling. Fan don't need or shouldn't need to have gags explained to them.

[litehouse6]

That was a mighty clumsy ref bump on Mark Curtis.

[bigdaddyreynolds]

he should have worn a D.A.R.E shirt during this promo lol.. ohh how i miss the glory days of wrestling.. how do we go from promos like this to crap like the anonymous RAW general manager?? thank god for youtube or kids growing up today would never know what good wrestling was all about!!

[fmthebaron]

Jerry Lawler's Memphis USWA was still around at this time.

[fmthebaron]

Buddy Landell is just a jabroni compared to HBK. HBK made that chump look good in this match.

[eslubin]

this is the true last territory. ecw was a modern product. this is directly related to the nwa

[BJCKeie]

@InternationalObjects That's exactly what it was. Jimmy was loosing money big time at this point and went to WWF and cut a deal. It was around this time that some of the guys that worked for SMW were going up (to WWE) and getting their shot as well. I know for a fact that the guy that became AdamBomb was already in talks and so was the guy that became Kane (Glen).

[BJCKeie]

I remember this. I was seeing one of the guys in SMW at the time. This night ruined my adoration of Shawn for a very long time afterward. :(

[theShowStopper321]

It would have made NO sense for Shawn to put Landell over right here. Michaels was a super-over face in the WWF at this time, was the WWF IC champ, was on the verge of being the number one guy in the WWF, and this guy wrestles for some small territory company that gets NO national coverage. All MIchaels here.

[45Yankeeclipper]

was this HBK's only appearance in Smokey Mountain or did he appear in other shows?

[RSXemperor]

@45Yankeeclipper Several WWF stars made appearances for SMW. HBK, Undertaker and Randy Savage. Bret Hart actually defended his title on a couple shows against several guys from Cornette's stable back in 94.

[ThunderwingMatrix]

If HBK was being a prima donna here, I'm sure, as a Christian, he regrets it now.

[goodbyeshawn]

James E Cornette is a true soldier, an american hero

[nick11085]

This is great! Thank you for uploading this.

[alburd1]

"So he assures me!"

[hairbandfan]

Too bad Micheals was an ass hole at this time he should have put over Landell.

[JonathanVonErich]

@hairbandfan Sorry but Buddy Landell never deserved to beat a top star like HBK. Landell was great, he was very talented, however he blew everything up because of alcohol and drugs abuse. Landell would have been one of the top stars of the 80s, sadly HE destroyed his career and he never recovered from it. It would have been stupid for the WWF to let Landell win when HBK was one of the Top face of the company. Landell is not in HBK's class, not even close.

[slimmsayton]

@JonathanVonErich HBK was a drug addict the whole time he was the top guy in the mid-90's. Shawn was a protected, hand-picked, prima dona. Buddy's problem was that he wasn't up Vince's ass. And if I hear one more person suggest Shawn Michaels was the best 'big match' wrestler of all time, I'll vomit. Ric Flair made masterpieces without jumping off of ladders.

[JonathanVonErich]

@slimmsayton I agree, Ric Flair was the Greatest....only between 1982 and 1989, after his "I Quit" match with Terry Funk his career went downhill rapidly and never recovered. I am a huge, huge Flair fan, have over 100 matches of Flair on DVD but the problem I have with his matches is that 95% it was always the same match !! You can look at his match with Barry, Sting, Luger, Nikita and even Dusty...All the same match, same highspot. But his matches with Steamboat were Amazing.

[slimmsayton]

@JonathanVonErich I think his last great match was when he beat Vader. However, I disagree wholeheartedly about the 'same match' thing. And, I'd like to restate that he did it without props. Also, rewatch the vaunted 'Iron Man Match' with Bret from WM12. The first fifteen minutes were headlocks. What you had were two talented wrestlers who didn't know how to work for an hour. The 'rest holds' should have been spread throughout the match. But, that's WWF/E wrestling for ya--all sizzle, no steak.

[JonathanVonErich]

@slimmsayton I think his last great match was against Funk in 1989. The match against Vader is good, very emotional, but in my opinion something is missing. And I never said HBK was the greatest of all-time, I just said that back then HBK was a Top star and that Landell didn't deserved to beat him. I respect HBK but he's not Ric Flair, Lou Thesz, Funk or Harley Race. In my opinion the greatest ever is Harley Race. And I agree about WWF/E; my favorite matches are matches from the NWA 80-89.

[slimmsayton]

@JonathanVonErich I understand your reasoning. But, being a drunk and a drug addict can't be a real reason why Buddy shouldn't have beaten HBK. By that logic, most wrestlers wouldn't have won anything. The WWE's so-called wellness policy is pretty damn selective. And I can't really call anyone the greatest. I can safely say that Flair is the best I've ever seen. I just missed Race. I think my favorite was Barry. Or was it Arn. Who knows.

[LordEli]

@JonathanVonErich Wrong you wanna talk about screw jobs> Shawn Michaels sorry ass screwed many peeps over of their rightful Push. it was Shawn Michaels sorry awss whom never deserved a Win over Vader. you nothing but a WWE Nut Hugger.

[JonathanVonErich]

@LordEli Why are you insulting me ?! Me, a WWF fan !? Not at all, In fact I am a NWA fan, not a WWE fan. I just told the truth: Landell was really talented but sadly his drug and alcohol problems ruined his career and at that point, in 1995, he didn't deserved to have a shot at the Intercontinental Championship, sad but true. Landell was great but I'm sure he would be the first to admit that he wasn't in HBK's class.

[LordEli]

@JonathanVonErich That's where you are wrong son, because there are countless other peesp that would say Shawn Michaels isn't in Buddy Landell's class, he is infact in a much lower class. that is as if Shawn Michaels has a class at all, as a low life peice of shit that he is

[JonathanVonErich]

@LordEli I respect your opinion. I think HBK was a better athlete and better entertainer than Landell but hey, we all have our favorites. I agree that back then HBK was an asshole; he was full of himself, arrogant and a crybaby. He had a bad attitude and used politics to get what he wanted, I agree with you. However we can't deny the impact Shawn had on the industry and even you have to admit that HBK was a better ring general than Landell. But I understand your point...

[LordEli]

@JonathanVonErich Nah Michaels doesn't have a better anything on Landell. Landell Peace OUT!

[NWAfan]

@JonathanVonErich I clealry understand landell is a bum compared to Micheals. But being a fan smoky at the time and going to live shows it makes you feel like the stars in your promotion are nothing compared to the WWF guys of the time. Micheals should have done the job but no belt on the line everybody goes home happy.

How regional type wrestling have you watched live ?

[JonathanVonErich]

@NWAfan I agree about Landell beating HBK via interference in a non-title match, it would have been a good idea.

Since 2000 I have probably seen at least 100 regional events live. Here in the province of Quebec we have a lot of independant promotions so I have seen a lot of regional matches, sometimes involving "stars" who came here to Quebec ( Christopher Daniels, Kevin Nash etc. ) and I agree that these "stars" should try to push the local wrestlers and get them over. :)

[PystolPete103]

@hairbandfan why would wwf intercomtinental champion put buddy landell over? He's just there to draw tickets not make landell look like a world beater.

[NWAfan]

@PystolPete103 I just think this hurt SMW they shoyuld at least gone to a double count out or something. It hurts a smal promotion like SMW when their stars do jobs to outside guys. Micheals doing a job hurts his career none at all. But his doing a job or a countout would have helped the entire promotion.

[RSXemperor]

@NWAfan That's one of the things that hurt the territory system besides Vince's takeover. Promoters would refuse to let their guys do jobs in other territories. HBK I thought did a good job of making Landell look good but a Double DQ would have been better because SMW was on its last legs and having their stars look inferior doesn't help them draw.

[PystolPete103]

@NWAfan ya i understand what u are saying definatly could of done it different but i still think he got over even though he lost.

[daystilljersey]

@hairbandfan For the Intercontinental title?! He at least took a visual pinfall!

[DUBtheTIGER]

@hairbandfan what a warped perception you have. SMW had a developmental deal with WWF but you are fucking CRAZY if you think Vince is gonna let his belt go to someone who isn't a recognized star on WWE TV. This had ZERO to do with Michaels if anything he was doing them a favor. He's the best worker of all time and he could make anyone look good. That's what he did.

[NWAfan]

@DUBtheTIGER Listen it should have been no belt on the line and Micheals do a job. It would have helped SMW and not hurt Micheals career at all. How much regional wrestling from the 70's to ealry 90's have you watche dlive? 

[patrickthadude]

@hairbandfan why the hell would he ever put over the guy that couldn't fill out the arms in one of Flair's robes?