Episode Details

Before New Jack became one of the most controversial figures in ECW, he and Mustafa Saed spent nearly a year turning Smoky Mountain Wrestling upside down.

In this deep dive, Gene Jackson goes back through the entire Gangstas run in SMW from their explosive debut and instantly controversial promos to their war with the Rock ’n’ Roll Express, their run with the Tag Team Titles, and the unlikely chain of events that eventually had Jim Cornette standing alongside Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson.

Along the way, we look at how real world racial tension was deliberately worked into the presentation, why the Gangstas generated heat that went far beyond normal wrestling boos, how New Jack developed as a promo and performer, and where some of the stories told about this run over the years have been exaggerated, misunderstood, or flat out wrong.

We’ll also follow the story through the Armstrong Coalition, the return of the Heavenly Bodies, major cards involving Terry Funk and The Undertaker, and the point where the Gangstas’ Smoky Mountain run came to an end.

It’s one of the most controversial, dangerous, and fascinating angles of the 1990s and the chapter that helped create the New Jack the wrestling world would never forget.