Tracey Smothers
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tracy Stanton Smothers (September 2, 1962 – October 28, 2020) was an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
, best known for his appearances with
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
,
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
, the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
, and
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
.


Early life

Smothers was born in
Springfield, Tennessee Springfield is a city in and the county seat of Robertson County, Tennessee, Robertson County, which is located in Middle Tennessee on the northern border of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was 18, ...
on September 2, 1962, and graduated from Springfield High School, where he played football, golf, and wrestled. Smothers was the first person in Springfield High School history to go to the state championship in wrestling.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1982–1984)

Smothers started his career in 1982 after being trained by
Steve Keirn Stephen Paul Keirn (born September 10, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories as Steve Keirn as one-half of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, as we ...
and
Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champi ...
. He later appeared in the combined promotional effort
Pro Wrestling USA Pro Wrestling USA was a professional wrestling promotion in the United States of America in the mid-1980s. It was an attempt to unify various federations, including the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and other m ...
, making his televised debut at a taping on September 18, 1984 that was held in Memphis.


Continental Wrestling Association (1984–1986)

A month later, Smothers traveled to the
Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ref ...
, spending 1985 as an
enhancement talent In professional wrestling slang, a job is a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect information related to kayfabe from being revealed. The term can be used a numbe ...
appearing on Saturday morning television. For the first time in his nascent career, Smothers, a natural babyface, began to receive a noticeable push, gaining wins over the likes of Danny Davis,
Gypsy Joe Gilberto Meléndez (December 2, 1933 – June 15, 2016) was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known under the ring name Gypsy Joe. While attaining much of his United States success in the Tennessee area, Meléndez also gained a following ...
, Ron Sexton, and David Haskins. Smothers would become a two-time NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Champion during his time with the company. While in Continental, Smothers wrestled an unmuzzled bear that was announced as 550 lbs; Tracy took the bear to the mat several times. The bear, incapable of understanding the situation, thought they were playing.


Championship Wrestling from Florida and other promotions (1987–1989)

Smothers joined
Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...
in February 1987 and immediately formed a tag team with
Steve Armstrong Steven James (born March 16, 1965), better known by his ring name Steve Armstrong, is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of fellow wrestler "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and has three brothers who also wrestled: Scott, Brad, and Brian. ...
as "The Wild-Eyed Southern Boys". On February 21, The Southern Boys defeated The New Breed to gain their first ever championship, the
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...
. Smothers and Armstrong held the belts until March 15, when they were defeated by
The MOD Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as ...
. In June, they unsuccessfully challenged for the
NWA United States Tag Team Championship The NWA United States Tag Team Championship is a name used for several secondary tag team championship used by various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) members since 1958. There are eleven different versions of the NWA United States Tag Team Champ ...
, losing to The Midnight Express (
Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champi ...
&
Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managemen ...
). The Southern Boys (originally without Armstrong) also spent time in Japan to work for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
(NJPW). Afterwards, he returned to CWA, which was now the renamed
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling ...
. Smothers teamed with John Paul to win the vacated
CWA Tag Team Championship The CWA Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association. It lasted from 1988 through 1990, when it was abandoned and replaced with the United States Wrestling Association ...
from Action Jackson and Robert Fuller. Armstrong eventually joined up with Smothers and reformed the Southern Boys, and they became embroiled in a feud with
The Stud Stable The Stud Stable was a professional wrestling heel stable in World Championship Wrestling, Southeast Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association. History Southeastern Championship Wrestling (1982–1986) The Stud Stable was f ...
.


World Championship Wrestling (1990–1992)

Smothers reunited with Steve Armstrong and made their debuts for
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
on April 23, 1990 in a dark match at a ''
Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
''/''
WCW WorldWide ''WCW WorldWide'' was an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, uni ...
'' taping in
Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...
. Wrestling as "
The Wild-Eyed Southern Boys The Southern Boys - also known as The Wild-Eyed Southern Boys and The Young Pistols - were a professional wrestling tag team active between 1987 and 1991 in Championship Wrestling from Florida, Southeastern Championship Wrestling, and World Champ ...
", their first television appearance came on May 12 at a ''World Championship Wrestling'' taping, where they defeated Kevin Sullivan and Cactus Jack via disqualification. The Southern Boys defeated
The Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...
(
Jimmy Garvin James Williams (born September 25, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Gorgeous Jimmy" Garvin and Jimmy "Jam" Garvin. A member of The Fabulous Freebirds, Garvin is best known for his appearances wit ...
and Michael Hayes) on June 13 at
Clash of the Champions XI ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
. They gained revenge by defeating the Pistols on the June 16, 1990 episode of ''
WCW Worldwide ''WCW WorldWide'' was an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, uni ...
''. Smothers and Armstrong started a feud with The Midnight Express, culminating in a match between the two teams on July 13 at the
Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National ...
, which the Midnight Express won. It was considered the best match in the U.S. of that year and one of the all-time classic tag team matches of the era; it was also high in virtually every match of the year poll. On September 5, they defeated Hayes and Garvin at
Clash of the Champions XII ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...
. On February 24, 1991 at WrestleWar, they defeated The Royal Family (
Jack Victory Kenneth Rinehurst (born July 3, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, Jack Victory. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the Universal Wrestling Federation and the World Class Wrestli ...
and
Rip Morgan Michael Morgan (born August 20, 1957) is a former professional wrestler from New Zealand who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling best known as Rip Morgan. Best known as ...
). A few days earlier, they were renamed
The Young Pistols The Southern Boys - also known as The Wild-Eyed Southern Boys and The Young Pistols - were a professional wrestling tag team active between 1987 and 1991 in Championship Wrestling from Florida, Southeastern Championship Wrestling, and World Champ ...
. On May 19, they lost to The Freebirds at
SuperBrawl I SuperBrawl was the inaugural SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The show took place on May 19, 1991 and was held at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. The ma ...
in a match for the vacated United States Tag Team Championship after "Badstreet" (a masked Brad Armstrong) interfered. On June 12, The Young Pistols and
Tom Zenk Thomas Erwin Zenk (November 30, 1958 – December 9, 2017) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1986 to 1987, American Wrestling Association (AWA) 198 ...
defeated Hayes, Garvin, and Badstreet at Clash of the Champions XV. The Young Pistols soon turned heel, and on the December 15 episode of ''
WCW Main Event ''WCW Main Event'' is an American televised wrestling program of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from April 3, 1988 to January 3, 1998. For most of its run, it was the promotion's secondary show and aired on Sunday evenings on TBS. ...
'', they defeated The Patriots (
Todd Champion Todd Bradford (born September 2, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Todd Champion. He competed in the Southeastern United States, winning titles in several promotions, including World Championship ...
and
Firebreaker Chip Curtis Thompson (born January 20, 1963) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling from 1991 to 1992 under the ring name Firebreaker Chip. Professional wrestling career Ea ...
) to win the
WCW United States Tag Team Championship The NWA United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for previously in the United States-based Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotions, with the title now i ...
. On December 29 at
Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1 ...
, Smothers and Hayes lost to
Marcus Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was a fi ...
and Garvin in a Lethal Lottery tag team match. On the February 16, 1992 episode of ''
WCW Pro ''WCW Pro'' is an American televised wrestling show that was presented by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Along with ''WCW WorldWide'', it was part of the WCW Disney tapings. The rights to ''WCW Pro'' now belong to WWE and 161 episodes of M ...
'', they lost the titles to
Ron Simmons Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...
and Big Josh. In April, Armstrong left WCW, leaving Tracy to soldier on as a singles competitor. He remained as a heel, and on May 17 at WrestleWar, he lost to Johnny B. Badd. At Beach Blast on June 20, he,
Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Wi ...
, and
Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...
lost to
Junkyard Dog Sylvester Ritter (December 13, 1952 – June 1, 1998) was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as the Junkyard Dog (or JYD), a nickname h ...
, Big Josh, and Tom Zenk in a
six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
before leaving the company in August.


Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1992–1995)

Three months after departing World Championship Wrestling and following a very brief period in the
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling ...
, Tracy Smothers resurfaced in
Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...
's
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
promotion which was based out of
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...
. It would be here that Smothers achieved his greatest singles success. Now billed as "The Wild Eyed Southern Boy" Tracy Smothers, he made his debut on the October 31, 1992 episode of SMW television, defeating Paul Lee. Competing as a top
babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
, he remained undefeated for the remainder of the year, defeating Robbie Eagle,
Dutch Mantell Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestling manager (professional wrestling), manager, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Book, booker and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better ...
,
Jimmy Golden James "Jimmy" Golden (born August 1, 1950) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bunkhouse Buck. He also appeared in WWE as Jack Swagger Sr. A member of ...
,
Killer Kyle Mark Kyle is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, known by his ring name, Killer Kyle. Kyle is best known for his successful stint in Smoky Mountain Wrestling as well as being a regular on the independent circuit in the southeaster ...
, and The Nightstalker. In December, he won a tournament to be crowned the inaugural SMW Beat the Champ Television Champion. In 1993, he began a feud with
SMW Heavyweight Champion The SMW Heavyweight Championship was the top heavyweight championship in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. It existed from 1992 until 1995 when SMW folded. "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony and Brad Armstrong were tied at the most reigns at three. The Unit ...
"Dirty White Boy"
Tony Anthony Darrell W. Anthony (born April 12, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Dirty White Boy. He wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States. He was most active throughout ...
. He lost the Beat the Champ Championship to The Nightstalker on February 8. At Bluegrass Brawl on April 2, Smothers defeated DWB in a chain match to win the SMW Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title on July 17 to "Prime Time" Brian Lee. Smothers won his second (vacant) Beat the Champ Championship for the second time on December 11, after he defeated Jim Cornette's henchman
Jimmy Del Ray David Everett Ferrier (November 30, 1962 – December 6, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Gigolo" Jimmy Del Ray. Del Ray was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as one ...
. Smothers lost the Beat the Champ Championship to
Chris Candido Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro-W ...
on the January 8, 1994 episode of SMW television. On the June 18 episode of SMW, he defeated Kendo the Samurai to win the Beat the Champ Championship for the third time. He would vacate the championship in July and transitioned into a feud with Jim Cornette's charge
Bruiser Bedlam Ion William Croitoru (December 7, 1963 – February 21, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. To wrestling fans, he is better known by his ring names, Johnny K-9, Taras Bulba, and Bruise ...
. At Night of the Legends on August 4, Smothers,
Road Warrior Hawk Michael Hegstrand (January 26, 1957 – October 19, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as The Road Warriors (The Legion of Doom in WWF), with Road Warrior Animal. ...
, and
Bob Armstrong Joseph Melton James (October 3, 1939 – August 27, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. In the course of his career, which spanned five decades, Armstrong held numerous championship ...
defeated Bruiser Bedlam,
Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...
, and
Dory Funk Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter ...
That month, he began to frequently team with the veteran Bob Armstrong and defeated Bruiser Bedlam, Killer Kyle, and Jim Cornette in numerous handicap matches. After winning his feud with Anderson in early 1995, he formed a team with Scott Armstrong, beginning a feud with the newly arrived Gangstas in which they were winless. Smothers then formed a team with the Dirty White Boy as
the Thugs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. The Thugs feuded with The Gangstas during the spring, but did not get a win until April 13. The war between them continued until June, when the Gangstas departed for
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
. That summer. an interpromotional war broke out between SMW and the USWA; on June 16, the Thugs defeated USWA Tag Team Champions
PG-13 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...
in a non-title match. On July 6, the duo upended
Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
and Unabomb to win the
SMW Tag Team Championship The SMW Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, w ...
. They successfully retained the titles against Snow and Unabomb, as well as
The Headbangers The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal related T-sh ...
. before losing the titles at SuperBowl of Wrestling on August 4 to
The Heavenly Bodies The Heavenly Bodies is a professional wrestling tag team famous for having worked in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and various independent promotions. Over the years, there have been multiple variations of the team, ...
. Eight days later, the Thugs defeated Snow and Unabomb in a loser leaves town match.


United States Wrestling Association (1995–1997)

After SMW folded, Smothers continued to work for the USWA. Now teaming with Steve's youngest brother Jesse James Armstrong, the new duo defeated PG-13 to win the USWA Tag Team Championship on December 11, 1995 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee. Smothers and Armstrong would hold the belts until January 3, 1996, when they would lose them to
Doug Gilbert Douglas Gilbert (born February 5, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with regional professional wrestling promotions throughout the Southern United States, as well as for Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
and
Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling ...
. In January 1997, he joined the USWA branch of the
Nation of Domination The Nation of Domination (NOD) was a professional wrestling heel faction who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from November 17, 1996 to November 28, 1998. The group was formed by newcomer Faarooq in 1996 and remained an influenc ...
, changing his name to Shaquille Ali (a take off of
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
star
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
and legendary
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
). After becoming the #1 contender to the USWA World Heavyweight Championship by winning a tournament, he would face the champion Jerry Lawler for the title, but lost.


World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)

Faced with an expanding WCW and their own limited talent pool, Jim Cornette suggested that a number of unsigned wrestlers be brought in to flesh out the WWF roster. This ultimately led to the signing of Smothers, Tony Anthony,
Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a n ...
,
Tom Brandi Thomas Brandi (born July 9, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation from 1996 to 1998 under the ring name Salvatore Sincere. Brandi is also known for his appearances with ...
, and Alex Porteau. All but Porteau were given new names, and Smothers was given the monicker "Freddie Joe Floyd". The name was a rib on WWF agents
Jack Brisco Freddie Joe "Jack" Brisco (September 21, 1941 – February 1, 2010) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As an amateur for Oklahoma State, Brisco was two-time All-American and won the Natio ...
, whose birth name was “Freddie Joe”, and his brother Jerry, whose actual first name is “Floyd”. Both Briscos came from
Bowlegs, Oklahoma Bowlegs is a town in Seminole County, Oklahoma, Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Etymology According to tradition, the community has the name of Billy Bowlegs, a leade ...
, the same home town Freddie Joe Floyd was billed as being from. He made his debut on the June 29, 1996 episode of ''
WWF Superstars is a List of wrestling video games, wrestling video game manufactured by Technōs Japan and released for arcade game, arcades in 1989. It is the first WWE, WWF arcade game to be released. A series of unrelated games with the WWF Superstars (Game ...
'', defeating
Justin Hawk Bradshaw John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (abbreviated to JBL), is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Gridiron football, football player. He is curre ...
, but lost in a rematch on the July 13 episode of ''Superstars''. His first ''
Monday Night RAW ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...
'' appearance came on July 22, when he was defeated by
Mankind Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...
. Initially used primarily for television tapings, Floyd rebounded to defeat Uncle Zebekiah on the August 3 episode of ''WWF Superstars''. Smothers made his first
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
appearance when he faced
Hunter Hearst Helmsley Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
on September 29, winning by countout due to Mr. Perfect distracting Helmsley (and inadvertently becoming the first person to kick out of the Pedigree). He challenged Helmsley for the Intercontinental Championship on the January 5, 1997 episode of ''Superstars'', but lost. His final WWF match came on June 2, where he defeated T.L. Hopper.


Extreme Championship Wrestling (1997–1999)

While still a part of the WWF, Floyd joined
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
on February 22, 1997 as "The Main Man" Tracy Smothers. On March 15 at
Hostile City Showdown Hostile City Showdown was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company ...
he teamed with "The Rookie"
Chris Chetti Christopher Chetti (born July 16, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1996 and 2001. Professional wrestling career Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
against
The Full Blooded Italians The Full Blooded Italians (or F.B.I.) are an American professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from the mid-1990s to early-2000s and for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) during the mid-20 ...
(FBI),
Little Guido James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school footb ...
and former SMW rival "The Big Don" Tommy Rich. During the match, Smothers turned on Chetti and joined The FBI (despite not being Italian). Smothers, long associated with being a
stereotypical In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
southern wrestler, was billed as being from "Nashville,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
" or "Southern Italy" during this time. He began doing a goofy dance, that ECW announcer
Joey Styles Joseph Carmine Bonsignore (born July 14, 1971) better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling commentator. He is best known for his time with ECW and WWE. Before working for WWE, Styles was a full-time p ...
often commented on by saying "what the hell is with that awful dance." Smothers was often mocked by the crowd with chants of "Freddy Joe!" regarding his WWF stint. Smothers became an ECW regular, frequently teaming with Little Guido that spring in matches against
The Pitbulls The Pitbulls (sometimes written as The Pit Bulls) were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where ...
. On June 7, they lost to the Pitbulls at
Wrestlepalooza Wrestlepalooza was a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000. The 1998 iteration aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast ...
. Smothers and Guido faced numerous opponents that summer, including
Balls Mahoney Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the late 199 ...
&
Axl Rotten Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with Worl ...
. On October 17, they defeated Mahoney and Rotten on ECW television. A day later, Smothers and Guido upset
John Kronus George B. Caiazzo (January 13, 1969 – July 18, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, John Kronus, and later simply Kronus. Caiazzo worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Asso ...
and
New Jack Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingnes ...
to win the ECW Tag Team Championship. As the year wound down, they successfully defended their titles against Mahoney & Rotten, as well as New Jack and Kronus. Their reign however came to an end on December 5, 1997, when they were beaten for the titles by
Doug Furnas Dwight Douglas Furnas (December 11, 1959 – March 2, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and powerlifter. He was an APF National and World Powerlifting Champion, who set multiple world records in the 275 pound weight class. As a wrestler, ...
and
Phil Lafon Philippe Lafon (born September 16, 1961) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Phil Lafon and with All Japan Pro Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ri ...
. On February 21, 1998, he wrestled former SMW opponent
Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
at CyberSlam in a losing effort. On March 1 at
Living Dangerously In professional wrestling, Living Dangerously was a pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and me ...
, he and Guido lost to
Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...
& Chris Chetti. At
Wrestlepalooza Wrestlepalooza was a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000. The 1998 iteration aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast ...
on May 3, Guido and Smothers lost to
Super Nova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last stellar evolution, evolutionary stages of a mass ...
and
The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...
. On May 16 the F.B.I. attacked Nova and Meanie, coming to the ring to the strains of
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
's "New York, New York" (Sinatra had died two days earlier). At Guilty as Charged on January 10, 1999. the F.B.I. (Guido and Smothers) faced Rotten & Mahoney and Roadkill and Doring in an elimination match but were defeated. Smothers wrestled at both of the ECW reunion shows, defeating
The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...
at
Hardcore Homecoming Hardcore Homecoming was a series of professional wrestling events which were advertised as a reunion of talent from the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion. The tour was booked and promoted by Cody Michaels, Shane Douglas (a former ...
on June 10 with the help of J.T. Smith, and accompanying
Little Guido James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school footb ...
to ringside for his match with
Yoshihiro Tajiri is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter primarily known under the ring name Tajiri (sometimes stylized as "TAJIRI"), he has also competed under his real name as well as under the names Aquarius and Kikkoman and briefly worked as the ...
and
Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...
two days later at ECW One Night Stand 2005.


IWA Mid-South (1996–2010, 2016–2019)

Smothers would spend most of his career in IWA Mid-South starting in 1996. His appearances remained sporadic over the next few years, but he wrestled and defeated such opponents as
Flash Flanagan Christopher Kindred (born April 6, 1974) is an American professional wrestler who has appeared in numerous independent wrestling leagues, such as Xtreme Championship Wrestling, as well as the global phenomenon companies, World Wrestling Entertainm ...
,
J. C. Ice James Dundee (born James Cruickshanks) (born July 5, 1971) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Extre ...
, and
Bull Pain Frank Vizi (born June 9, 1961) is a German born American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Bull Pain, Rick Gantner and Psycho. He is best known for his appearances with promotion such as the American Wrestling Association, Worl ...
. On September 11, 1997 he defeated Pain to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title, but would lose it the following day to fellow WWF roster member
Salvatore Sincere Thomas Brandi (born July 9, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation from 1996 to 1998 under the ring name Salvatore Sincere. Brandi is also known for his appearances with t ...
. After wrestling a handful of shows in 1998 and 1999 for IWA Mid-South, Smothers became a full-time regular, and on August 18, 2001, he unsuccessfully challenged Trent Baker for the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title at Night The Lights Went Out In Charlestown. Smothers then reunited with a former tag team partner, Chris Hambrick, as Southern Comfort, defeating The Second City Saints (CM Punk & Colt Cabana) in the finals of a tournament to win the IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship, but their reign only lasted a day. He participated at the Ted Petty Invitational in September 2008, where he lost to Dave Taylor in the first round. On October 19, during the Double Death Tag Team Tournament, Smothers and
Corporal Robinson Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat ...
faced Cult Fiction's Vulgar Display of Power,
Brain Damage Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...
and Deranged, managed by Halfbreed Billy Gram. Smothers turned on his partner and joined Cult Fiction. Smothers' appearances became infrequent, but he continued to wrestle for IWA until 2010. In 2016, Smothers returned to IWA Mid-South after a six-year hiatus. On October 6 at IWA Mid-South's Mid-South 20th Anniversary Show, Smother defeated JJ Garrett to win the IWA Mid-South Championship but lost it to Mitch Page on December 22 at the IWA Mid-South Winter Tryout Show. On February 28, 2019, he attempted to regain the IWA Mid-South Championship but was defeated by Aaron Williams at The Heartbreak Ends event.


Independent circuit (2005–2010)

Now more than twenty years a veteran of the industry, Smothers had become a universally well-regarded figure to the crop of young wrestlers growing up around him, passing on wisdom in car trips and finding places for them to stay. In late 2005 and early 2006, Smothers worked a full-time schedule at various independent promotions in
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and around the midwest and eastern United States, including the IWC (
International Wrestling Cartel International Wrestling Cartel is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is currently owned and operated by Justin Plummer. Norm Connors ran the promotion for 19 years until he handed the reigns to t ...
), SSW (
Southern States Wrestling Southern States Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Kingsport, Tennessee. Founded by wrestler Beau James in early 1991, SSW (along with NWA Bluegrass) succeeded Smoky Mountain Wrestling as the top promo ...
), WOW (Wrestlers of West Virginia), VCW (Vanguard Championship Wrestling), NWA Wrestle Birmingham and
NWA Midwest The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a g ...
. On August 25, 2005, Southern Comfort won the IWC Tag Team Championship in a ladder match at IWC Summer Sizzler 2; they would hold the belts until November 25 when they lost them to The Gambino Brothers Moving Company (Marshall Gambino & Mickey Gambino). Smothers journeyed to CCW (Coliseum Championship Wrestling), where on January 11, 2006, he defeated Chuck Taylor in the main event to win the CCW Heavyweight Championship. On February 26, Smothers was declared the inaugural OPW (Omni Wrestling Promotions) Heavyweight Champion; he lost the title the same night to Taylor. Smothers traveled to CAPW (Cleveland All Pro Wrestling), where at CAPW Seasons Beatings on December 3, he defeated champion
Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Ho ...
and Jason Bane to win the CAPW Heavyweight Championship. He remained the champion until he was defeated for the title by
The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...
on June 3, 2007. Smothers competed in various independent promotions in 2008 in the United States, but returned once more to Japan to appear at an XWF event, teaming with
Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
and Super Leather in a match against Kintaro Kanemura, Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda. After returning from Japan, Smothers reformed his FBI partnership with Little Guido and appearing in JAPW (
Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...
), where they won the
JAPW Tag Team Championship The JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when The Blood Angels (Diablos Macabre and Lucifer Grimm) defeated Don Montoya and Homicide in a tournament fi ...
on November 15. The FBI would hold the titles for a month, losing them on December 13 to Azrieal & Dixie. Tracy Smothers began to wind down his schedule in 2009. He would not wrestle again until April 17, 2010, where he and Chris Hamrick challenged PWF Tag Team Champions Jay Shaft & JD Hogg for the titles in a losing effort. He wrestled frequently for the remainder of the year, appearing in NWA Main Event, IWA Mid-South, BWF, and MECW (
Main Event Championship Wrestling Main Event Championship Wrestling (MECW) is a privately owned professional wrestling promotion founded by Jason Daniel. The company is active in the integrated-media industry, broadcasting its events on television and the Internet. MECW also gains ...
).


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010)

On August 8, 2010, Smothers took part in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
's ECW reunion show,
Hardcore Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 20 ...
, where he, Little Guido and
Tony Luke Tony Luke Kocherry (born 10 November 1985) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films. He began his career as a fashion model and later forayed into cinema, debuting with '' Oozham'' (2016) in a supporting role. In 2019, To ...
defeated
Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969) better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (T ...
,
Simon Diamond Patrick Kenney (born May 26, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and baseball player, better known by his ring name, Simon Diamond. He is currently working for the National Wrestling Alliance as Director of Talent Relations. Diamo ...
and
Johnny Swinger Joseph Dorgan (born July 3, 1975) is an American professional wrestler currently under contract to Impact Wrestling, using the ring name Johnny Swinger. Dorgan is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Champ ...
in a six-man tag team match. On the following edition of ''Impact!'', the ECW alumni, known collectively as Extreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted by
A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, Kazarian,
Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
,
James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling. He started his career in 1997 and after working on several independent pr ...
, Douglas Williams and
Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician, actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is a current City Commissioner in Longwood, Florida. He is known for his time in Total Nonstop Actio ...
of
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
's stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA. The following week TNA president Dixie Carter gave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with .


Juggalo Championship Wrestling (2007–2011)

Tracy Smothers debuted in
Juggalo Championship Wrestling Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
by cutting a series of promos in which he insulted the company, the owners ( Insane Clown Posse), and the Juggalo fanbase. Tracy quickly became the company's main
villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
by defeating much of their roster and ending most of his matches by choking out his opponents. He attacked
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
2 Tuff Tony in the sixth episode of the
internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
wrestling show
SlamTV! SlamTV! is an internet Professional wrestling, wrestling show, broadcast by the Insane Clown Posse's wrestling promotion Juggalo Championship Wrestling. It features color commentary by "Handsome Harley 'Gweedo' Guestella" (Shaggy 2 Dope) and "Diamo ...
, causing Tony to be knocked out of action for several weeks. Per storyline, Smothers was arrested just days before Tony's return on the eighth episode, leaving Tony with no way to seek revenge. At Bloodymania on August 12, 2007, Smothers lost to
Ron Killings Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now ...
. Tracy and 2 Tuff Tony continued their rivalry into season two. In the first episode, both men faced off in a match which saw Tracy win after a fast count by the referee, who was later revealed as Tracy's
illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
daughter,
Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...
. Two weeks later, Tracy caught Isabella listening to
Boondox David Hutto (born September 4, 1975) is an American rapper from Covington, Georgia. A representative of the hip hop subgenres rap rock, horrorcore and country rap, Hutto is most commonly known as Boondox, whose stage persona is a killer scar ...
, the rapper who sings 2 Tuff Tony's entrance music. The following week, 2 Tuff Tony attacked Tracy after his match. Tracy later caught Isabella engaging in sexual actions with Boondox, through storyline, and assaulted him. Tracy and Isabella Smothers were then scheduled to face Boondox and 2 Tuff Tony on August 10, 2008 at
Bloodymania II Bloodymania II was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 10, 2008 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in ...
. However, Isabella was replaced by
Bull Pain Frank Vizi (born June 9, 1961) is a German born American professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Bull Pain, Rick Gantner and Psycho. He is best known for his appearances with promotion such as the American Wrestling Association, Worl ...
after she injured her leg, and Smothers and Pain lost to Tony and Boondox. At
Bloodymania IV Bloodymania IV was a professional wrestling event produced by Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW), which took place at midnight on August 15, 2010 at Hog Rock in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment i ...
on August 15, 2010, he lost to
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...
, who was accompanied by Boondox. In the summer of 2011 he lost to former ECW star
Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his secon ...
on July 28 and former F.B.I. teammate
Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling ...
on August 16, 2011.


Return to the independent circuit (2011–2019)

Tracy Smothers continued to wrestle on the independent circuit after finishing his work with JCW in 2011. He jumped to
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. O ...
on August 31, where he and his daughter
Jessie Belle Smothers Jessie Belle McCoy (born July 2, 1985), better known by her ring name Jessie Belle Smothers or simply Jessie Belle, is an American model, professional wrestling valet, and professional wrestler. She is signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). Prof ...
won a mixed tag team match against CJ Lane & Mysterie. On June 16, 2013 at the Brad Armstrong Memorial Event, Smothers teamed with old partner Steve Armstrong for the first time in over twenty one years. The reunited Southern Boys teamed with Doug Gilbert to defeat Paul Lee, The Storm Trooper &
Vordell Walker Edward Walker (born 1982) is an American professional wrestler, currently wrestling under the ring name Vordell Walker. He is perhaps best known for his work in Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Extreme (PWX). Pro ...
. Smothers soon captured the D1W Heavyweight Championship, but lost it to Mad Man Pondo while splitting his time with D1W and IWA Mid South. In March 2016, Smothers appeared in HLW (Heroes And Legends Wrestling), where he teamed with
Bobby Fulton James Hines (born October 4, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bobby Fulton. He was one half of the tag team The Fantastics with Tommy Rogers. Professional wrestling career James Hines started wr ...
and defeated Jake Omen & Scotty Young to with the HLW Tag Team Championship. Smothers continued to wrestle frequently in 2017, making appearances in the PWA (Pure Wrestling Association) in Canada, as well as RCCW (Rocket City Championship Wrestling), ZERO-1 USA, and IWA Mid-South. He began to wind down appearances on the independent circuit in 2018, and continued to wrestle shows the following year despite health issues; he had a quick temper due to concussions, and believed he had suffered more than two dozen concussions during his career and suffered greatly from the effects. His final match came at HLW Heroes And Legends XIII on October 5, 2019, dropping the HLW Legends title to Dru Skillz.


Personal life

In July 2016, Smothers was named part of a
class action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...
lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. US District Judge
Vanessa Lynne Bryant Vanessa Lynne Bryant (born January 27, 1954) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Early life Bryant was born in Queens, New York, and graduated from Howard University wit ...
dismissed the case in September 2018.


Death

Smothers announced on his Facebook page in December 2019 that he was diagnosed with
lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...
after he visited a doctor the month prior and had suffered a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
without realizing. Despite this, he died from the illness at 4:30 AM on October 28, 2020 at the age of 58. A day before his death, he posted that he was back in the hospital after hernia surgery aggravated his condition. Smothers was survived by his three sons, Tony Shook, Kyle Smothers, and Austin Elliot, and his daughter Jessie Belle McCoy, who wrestles as Jessie Belle. Many wrestlers paid tribute to Smothers following his death, including
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
,
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
,
Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also pe ...
,
Taz Taz or TAZ may refer to: Geography *Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia *Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia People * Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia ** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...
,
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development. Beginning his career in his father J ...
,
Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Wi ...
,
Bobby Fulton James Hines (born October 4, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bobby Fulton. He was one half of the tag team The Fantastics with Tommy Rogers. Professional wrestling career James Hines started wr ...
and
Tom Prichard Thomas Prichard (born August 18, 1959) is a retired American professional wrestler and author. He is the older brother of Bruce Prichard. Professional wrestling career Early career (1979–1986) Tom Prichard began his career in Los Angeles ...
.


Championships and accomplishments

*All-Star Wrestling **ASW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **ASW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *All-State Wrestling **ASW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Bad 2 The Bone Wrestling **BBW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *British Real Attitude Wrestling League **BRAWL Tag Team Championship (1 time) *Bruiser Wrestling Federation **BWF Championship (1 time) *Celtic Wrestling **CW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Central Wrestling Federation **CWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Paul Diamond Thomas Boric (born May 11, 1961) is a Croatian retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Paul Diamond. He is best known for being one half of the tag team Badd Company with Pat Tanaka and for his time in the World Wrestling F ...
*
Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...
**
NWA Florida Tag Team Championship The NWA Florida Tag Team Championship is the primary tag team title in NWA Florida Underground Wrestling. It started out in 1968 as the main tag team title in Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was ...
( 1 time) – with
Steve Armstrong Steven James (born March 16, 1965), better known by his ring name Steve Armstrong, is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of fellow wrestler "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and has three brothers who also wrestled: Scott, Brad, and Brian. ...
*Coliseum Championship Wrestling **CCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling **CAPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Cloverleaf Radio Hall of Fame **Class of 2008 * Continental Wrestling Association / Championship Wrestling Association **
CWA Tag Team Championship The CWA Tag Team Championship was a major professional wrestling tag team title defended in the Continental Wrestling Association. It lasted from 1988 through 1990, when it was abandoned and replaced with the United States Wrestling Association ...
( 1 time) – with John Paul **
NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship The NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title defended in the US states of Tennessee and Alabama. The title began in 1957 and lasted first until 1980 when it was first abandoned when Jerry Jarrett took over the Mi ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) *Destination One Wrestling **D1W Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
**
ECW World Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Extreme Championship Wrestlin ...
( 1 time) – with
Little Guido James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school footb ...
*Georgia Wrestling Federation **GWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Heroes And Legends Wrestling **HLW Legend Championship (1 time) **HLW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Bobby Fulton James Hines (born October 4, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Bobby Fulton. He was one half of the tag team The Fantastics with Tommy Rogers. Professional wrestling career James Hines started wr ...
*
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 1996 ...
**
IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Championship is the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title debuted at the "Crowning of a Champion" event on April 3, 1997, when Tower of Doom won a twelve man tournamen ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) **
IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship The IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship is a tag team title in the IWA Mid-South promotion. The title debuted in 1997, but was abandoned before the year was out, and had a brief revival in 2002. The title was brought back from 2004 to 2008 and the ...
( 1 time) – with
Chris Hamrick Christopher Hamrick (born October 21, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in ECW, though he is also known for his appearances in WWE, TNA and throughout the independent circuit. Professional wrestling car ...
*Indie Hall of Fame **Class of 2022 *
International Wrestling Association of Japan The International Wrestling Association of Japan, more commonly known as IWA Japan, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion operating from 1994 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2014. It was formed by Víctor Quiñones as a successor to the W ...
**IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Cactus Jack *International Wrestling Cartel **IWC Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Chris Hamrick *
Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...
**
JAPW Tag Team Championship The JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when The Blood Angels (Diablos Macabre and Lucifer Grimm) defeated Don Montoya and Homicide in a tournament fi ...
( 1 time) – with Little Guido *
Main Event Championship Wrestling Main Event Championship Wrestling (MECW) is a privately owned professional wrestling promotion founded by Jason Daniel. The company is active in the integrated-media industry, broadcasting its events on television and the Internet. MECW also gains ...
**MECW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Midwest Wrestling United **MWU Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *Mountain Wrestling Association **MWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
National Wrestling Federation The original National Wrestling Federation (NWF) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martínez. It ran from 1970 to 1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin. The revive ...
**NWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Golfer *New Focus Wrestling **NFW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Marvelous" Mitch Ryder *New South Championship Wrestling **NSCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *NWA Mid-South **NWA Mid-South Unified Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. O ...
**
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
( 1 time) – with Steve Armstrong *Omni Wrestling Productions **OWP Mid-South Championship (1 time) *Premier Destination Wrestling **PDW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
**PWI ranked him #371 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 *Pro Wrestling Unplugged **PWU Hardcore Championship (1 time) *
Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, when it was run by Jim Cornette. The promotion was based in Knoxville, Tennessee, wit ...
**
SMW Beat the Champ Television Championship The SMW "Beat the Champ" Television Championship was the secondary singles championship for the Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) professional wrestling promotion. The title was created in 1992 and was active until SMW closed on November 26, 1995. Th ...
( 3 times) **
SMW Heavyweight Championship The SMW Heavyweight Championship was the top heavyweight championship in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. It existed from 1992 until 1995 when SMW folded. "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony and Brad Armstrong were tied at the most reigns at three. The Unit ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) **
SMW Tag Team Championship The SMW Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Smoky Mountain Wrestling Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Appalachian area of the United States from October 1991 to December 1995, w ...
( 1 time) – with Dirty White Boy **SMW Carolina Cup Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dirty White Boy * Southeastern Championship Wrestling / Continental Wrestling Federation **
CWF Tag Team Championship The NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's Alabama territory known as Southeastern Championship Wrestling. It existed from 1974 until November 1986, when it became the NWA Continent ...
( 1 time) – with
Steve Armstrong Steven James (born March 16, 1965), better known by his ring name Steve Armstrong, is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of fellow wrestler "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and has three brothers who also wrestled: Scott, Brad, and Brian. ...
** NWA Southeastern Continental Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Steve Armstrong *Southern Wrestling Alliance **SWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Steel Domain Wrestling **SDW Television Championship (1 time) *
Southern States Wrestling Southern States Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Kingsport, Tennessee. Founded by wrestler Beau James in early 1991, SSW (along with NWA Bluegrass) succeeded Smoky Mountain Wrestling as the top promo ...
**
SSW Heavyweight Championship The Southern States Wrestling (SSW) Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling championship in Southern States Wrestling. It was first won by The Tennessee Equalizer when he defeated George Hiatt in Elizabethton, Tennessee on ...
( 1 time) *Supreme Wrestling **AWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling ...
**
USWA World Tag Team Championship The USWA World Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Memphis, Tennessee-based United States Wrestling Association (USWA). The Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Wrestling ...
(
2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with Jesse James Armstrong *
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
**
WCW United States Tag Team Championship The NWA United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for previously in the United States-based Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotions, with the title now i ...
( 1 time) – with Steve Armstrong *Wrestle Zone Wrestling **wZw British Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Wrestlers Of West Virginia **West Virginia Championship (1 time) **WOW Appalachian Championship (1 time) *''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...
'' ** Most Improved Wrestler (1993) ** Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award (2020)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smothers, Tracy 1962 births 2020 deaths American male professional wrestlers Deaths from cancer in Indiana Deaths from lymphoma ECW World Tag Team Champions People from Springfield, Tennessee Professional wrestlers from Tennessee Professional wrestling trainers Sportspeople from Atlanta The Full Blooded Italians members The Nation of Domination members USWA World Tag Team Champions NWA Florida Tag Team Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers SMW Beat the Champ Television Champions SMW Heavyweight Champions SMW Tag Team Champions NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Champions