Innovate Wrestling
Innovate Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Kingsport, Tennessee. The company was established in 2004 and until 2017 it was associated with the National Wrestling Alliance. During its time in the NWA, NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling was considered the flagship promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance
History
The promotion was founded by wrestler Tony Givens in 2004, as the Championship Wrestling Alliance, after breaking away from Southern States Wrestling. That same year, Championship Wrestling TV began airing locally on WCYB-DT2 and was later syndicated nationally on AMG-TV. It held weekly television tapings at the National Guard Armory in Morristown, Tennessee as well as house shows throughout East Tennessee. The promotion joined the National Wrestling Alliance as NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling in early-2011. The announcement was made by CWA Commissioner Robbie Cassidy on the March 13th TV taping of Championship Wrestling TV in Gray, Tennessee. On July 7, 2012, an unidentified fan attacked Cassidy and Tony Givens at an interpromotional show co-hosted by the Pro Wrestling Federation. The fan was subdued by Cassidy and police escorted him out of the building.On April 6, 2013, NWA Smoky Mountain drew its biggest crowd to date with 2,017 fans attending a NWA Smoky Mountain TV television taping at Elizabethton High School. In October 2013, Givens attempted to raise $15,000 on Kickstarter.com to improve the production values for NWA Smoky Mountain TV. The appeal raised only $1,485 before the 60-day deadline. The show became available on YouTube the following year.
NWA Smoky Mountain is advertised as a "spiritual successor" of the original Smoky Mountain Wrestling and has used a mix of SMW alumni and younger Southern independent wrestlers since its inception. Among the SMW talent to appear for the promotion include, most notably, Bunkhouse Buck, Eddie Golden, Tom Prichard, Tracy Smothers and Ricky Morton. On January 6, 2014, Morton defeated Chase Owens at an NWA Smoky Mountain show to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
A number of top NWA stars have also visited the promotion. In February 2015, Jason Kincaid was interviewed on Pipebomb Radio. He was billed as the longest-reigning NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship in the company's history. On April 17, 2015, Jax Dane won the Smoky Mountain Cup and earned a title shot for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated then champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan for the title four months later. NWA Smoky Mountain's "Collision Course 10", held on May 9, 2015, nearly sold out the Civic Auditorium in Kingsport, Tennessee. Bobby Eaton also made a special appearance managing Eddie Golden against Jeff Tankersley on the undercard. Larry Goodman of GeorgiaWrestlingHistory.com claimed that the show, headlined by an A.J. Styles versus Chase Owens bout, " the company's attendance and gate records". NWA President R. Bruce Tharpe visited Kingsport for the first time at this event.
On October 17, 2015, NWA Smoky Mountain held a special tribute show, "Enter the Dragon", for Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat served as Ricky Morton's cornerman in a "student vs. teacher" grudge match against Kid Kash as part of Kash's retirement tour. This turned a no-holds-barred grudge match after a falling out between the two during a tag team bout.
At ReGenesis on August 19, 2017; promoter Tony Givens announced that NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling was leaving the NWA, and thus the promotion was changing their name to Innovate Wrestling.
Championships and accomplishments
Current championships and accomplishments
| Championship | Champion | Previous | Date won | Days held | Location |
| Innovate United States Heavyweight Championship | Axton Ray | Elliot Russell | May 25, 2019 | + | Morristown, Tennessee |
| Innovate United States Tag Team Championship | The Cross Brothers | Jordan Kage and Austin Tyler Morris | December 29, 2018 | + | Kingsport, Tennessee |
| Innovate Television Championship | Tracer X | Sigmon | December 29, 2018 | + | Kingsport, Tennessee |
| Smoky Mountain Cup | Axton Ray | Elliot Russell | March 30, 2019 | Kingsport, Tennessee |
Past championships
Retired championships
Other championships
Roster
Current roster
Managers
Other personnel
| Ring name | Notes |
| Tony Givens | Owner |
| Matt Rhoades | Commentator |
The Finale
The Finale is an annual professional wrestling event held by NWA Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the month of December.| Event | Date | City | Venue | Ref. | Main Event | |
| The Finale | September 7, 2013 | Rogersville, Tennessee | National Guard Armory | Josh Crawford vs. Vince Brent in a Steel Cage match for the NWA Mountain Empire Championship | ||
| The Finale | December 27, 2014 | Kingsport, Tennessee | Civic Auditorium | Rob Conway vs. Jason Kincaid in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | ||
| The Finale | December 19, 2015 | Kingsport, Tennessee | Civic Auditorium | Jason Kincaid w/ Sara Dox vs. Nick Hammonds in a Cabal Christmas Steel Cage match for the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship |
The Finale (2013)
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
| 1. | Sigmon defeated Elliot Russell | Singles match |
| 2. | Winner: Mike Blade | 10 Man Battle Royal |
| 3. | Nick Hammonds defeated Mike Blades | Singles match |
| 4. | Air America vs. The Illuminati ended in a Time Limit Draw | Tag Team match for the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championships |
| 5. | Jason Kincaid defeated Daniel Mulligan | Singles match for the NWA Smoky Mountain Heavyweight Championship |
| 6. | Vince Brent defeated Josh Crawford | Steel Cage match for the NWA Mountain Empire Championship |
The Finale (2014)
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
| 1. | Jason Kincaid defeated Chase Owens | Singles match for the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship |
| 2. | Ali Shabazz defeated Daniel Mulligan | Singles match |
| 3. | Nick Hammonds defeated Jeff Connelly | Singles match for the NWA Smoky Mountain Television Championship |
| 4. | Vince Brent defeated Jordan Kage | Street Fight |
| 5. | Ricky Morton and Wayne Adkins defeated Michael Starr and O-Dog | Tag team match |
| 6. | Chris Richards defeated The Giant Arawn | Singles match |
| 7. | The Heatseekers defeated Air America | Tag Team match for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship |
| 8. | Rob Conway defeated Jason Kincaid | Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
The Finale (2015)
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
| 1. | Wild Bill defeated Octavius Black w/ Dylan Wayne Sizemore | Singles match |
| 2. | Vince Brent vs. Toby Farley w/ Dylan Wayne Sizemore | Singles match; Match ended in a draw |
| 3. | Ali Shabazz and Referee Austin West defeated Jordan Kage and Dylan Wayne Sizemore | Tag Team match |
| 4. | The Giants of Gehenna defeated Skylar Kruze and Axton Ray | Tag Team match for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship |
| 5. | The Heatseekers defeated Jeff Connelly and Bryan Montgomery | Tag team match |
| 6. | Jax Dane defeated Rob Conway | Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
| 7. | Chase Owens w/ Ricky Morton defeated Kid Kash | Career vs. Career match Kash's Career and Morton's Career were on the line |
| 8. | Jason Kincaid w/ Sara Dox defeated Nick Hammonds | Cabal Christmas Steel Cage match for the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship |