Tracy Stanton Smothers (September 2, 1962 – October 28, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Early life Smothers was born in Springfield, Tennessee, 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 and Stan Lane. He later appeared in the combined promotional effort Pro Wrestling USA, 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, spending 1985 as an enhancement talent 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, 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 in February 1987 and immediately formed a tag team with Steve Armstrong 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. Smothers and Armstrong held the belts until March 15, when they were defeated by The MOD Squad. In June, they unsuccessfully challenged for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship, losing to The Midnight Express (Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton).
The Southern Boys (originally without Armstrong) also spent time in Japan to work for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Afterwards, he returned to CWA, which was now the renamed United States Wrestling Association. Smothers teamed with John Paul to win the vacated CWA Tag Team Championship 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.
World Championship Wrestling (1990–1992) Smothers reunited with Steve Armstrong and made their debuts for World Championship Wrestling on April 23, 1990, in a dark match at a Main Event/WCW WorldWide taping in Marietta. Wrestling as "The Wild-Eyed Southern Boys", 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 (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) on June 13 at Clash of the Champions XI. They gained revenge by defeating the Pistols on the June 16, 1990, episode of WCW Worldwide. 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, 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. On February 24, 1991, at WrestleWar, they defeated The Royal Family (Jack Victory and Rip Morgan). A few days earlier, they were renamed The Young Pistols.
On May 19, they lost to The Freebirds at SuperBrawl I 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 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, they defeated The Patriots (Todd Champion and Firebreaker Chip) to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship. On December 29 at Starrcade '91: Battlebowl – The Lethal Lottery, Smothers and Hayes lost to Marcus Bagwell and Garvin in a Lethal Lottery tag team match. On the February 16, 1992, episode of WCW Pro, they lost the titles to Ron Simmons 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, and Diamond Dallas Page lost to Junkyard Dog, Big Josh, and Tom Zenk in a six-man tag team match 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, Tracy Smothers resurfaced in Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion which was based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. 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, he remained undefeated for the remainder of the year, defeating Robbie Eagle, Dutch Mantell, Jimmy Golden, Killer Kyle, 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 "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony. 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.
Smothers lost the Beat the Champ Championship to Chris Candido 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. At Night of the Legends on August 4, Smothers, Road Warrior Hawk, and Bob Armstrong defeated Bruiser Bedlam, Terry Funk, and Dory Funk Jr. 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 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.
That summer. an interpromotional war broke out between SMW and the USWA; on June 16, the Thugs defeated USWA Tag Team Champions PG-13 in a non-title match. On July 6, the duo upended Al Snow and Unabomb to win the SMW Tag Team Championship. They successfully retained the titles against Snow and Unabomb, as well as The Headbangers. before losing the titles at SuperBowl of Wrestling on August 4 to The Heavenly Bodies. 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 and Tommy Rich. In January 1997, he joined the USWA branch of the Nation of Domination, changing his name to Shaquille Ali (a take off of NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali). 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, Tom Brandi, and Alex Porteau. All but Porteau were given new names, and Smothers was given the moniker "Freddie Joe Floyd". The name was a rib on WWF agents Jack Brisco, whose birth name was “Freddie Joe”, and his brother Jerry, whose actual first name is “Floyd”.Kaye, Griffin (2024) "10 Wrestlers Whose Names Were Ribs in WWE & WCW", Pro Wrestling Stories (retrieved: 8 June 2025) Both Briscos came from Bowlegs, Oklahoma, 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, defeating Justin Hawk Bradshaw, but lost in a rematch on the July 13 episode of Superstars. His first Monday Night RAW appearance came on July 22, when he was defeated by Mankind.
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 appearance when he faced Hunter Hearst Helmsley 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 last match as Freddy Joe Floyd 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 on February 22, 1997, as "The Main Man" Tracy Smothers. On March 15 at Hostile City Showdown he teamed with "The Rookie" Chris Chetti against The Full Blooded Italians (FBI), Little Guido 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 southern wrestler, was billed as being from "Nashville, Italy" or "Southern Italy" during this time. He began doing a goofy dance, that ECW announcer Joey Styles 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. On June 7, they lost to the Pitbulls at Wrestlepalooza. Smothers and Guido faced numerous opponents that summer, including Balls Mahoney & Axl Rotten. On October 17, they defeated Mahoney and Rotten on ECW television. A day later, Smothers and Guido upset John Kronus and New Jack 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 and Phil Lafon.