Another SUP Sunday at The Basement East is in the books, but this one was different – we had some big debuts, and three major headlines. First, SUP is getting a showcase match in Jersey City on WrestleMania weekend. Second, TAG TITLES ARE COMING TO SUP! Finally, we’re getting Brett Ison vs. Nick Gage on 1/20. Read that again. Process it. Let it sink in. Cannot state how proud I am of this group for putting together a product that Nashville can be proud of. Even happier to see this thing succeed. Bravo, SUP!
Okay – now, let’s hit the who’s who of the Southern Underground Pro ranks.
Honorable Mentions
We had a couple of SUP debuts on this show in highly touted recruit Daniel Makabe and Zach Thomas. Both competed in losing efforts, but looked great in the process. I know that SUP team was ecstatic to get Makabe into the South, and for good reason. The guy looks like a blue chipper. Also, have to mention The Jocks here – though Teddy King and JV Newman lost to Brick Kat, they looked like a well-oiled machine. It’ll be interesting to see if they get a shot in the SUP Tag Team Championship Tournament.
THE Varsity Athlete @VarsityTK and #JVNewman work pretty damn well together.. wouldn’t you agree?! @sup_graps pic.twitter.com/JJX0imahiq
— Jaden Newman (@Jaden4Real) November 6, 2018
As an update, STAB is still at large. He/she showed up to threaten Craig Mitchell. I don’t know why no one had the wherewithal to jump on stage and apprehend this fiend. Perhaps it was the paralyzing fear that overcomes us all in the presence of this demon, but the audience was frozen.
Finally, what is going on with The Carnies? One minute, they’re looking great…like everything is back on track…against Sadkampf. Next thing you know, the group dynamic is in complete disarray.
For the first time in months @kerryawful & @IggyNJ210 seemed to be on the same page at @sup_graps even in defeat.
There is something under the surface though. @TrippCassidy doesn’t feel like a family…
What does this mean for @SCITournament trios?
Is this the end?
— The Carnies (@TheCarniesTN) November 5, 2018
SUP Power Rankings
10. Gary Jay – It was a losing effort for the Stiff Robo Ginger, but man – how do you value the grit Jay displayed in that match? Some have called it ‘Match of the Night’ and I’d be hard pressed to disagree. Jay has become a mainstay at SUP and this loss doesn’t negate his overall body of work this year.
9. Cabana Man Dan – Finally! Our guy Dan breaks through and gets that big singles win in a showcase performance. Excellent contest, excellent win over Thomas – hopefully, this will lead to more opportunities for the master of the Flip Flop Chop.
8. Stokely Hathaway – Stokely Hathaway in SUP? 2018 is wild, man. Not only is he here, but he’s winning. The inaugural Stokely Hathaway Open Challenge in SUP went his way, as he outlasted Big Perc, Eddy Only, Slade Porter, Chase Oliver, and Rockin Rivera. Eager to see what Stoke’s next move is, but no doubt – the SUP landscape is evolving.
7. Marko Stunt – One bad loss isn’t going to completely mar the year that Stunt has had so far.
6. Craig Mitchell – Gotta give Mitchell credit. He walked into a bad situation against uber talented Danhausen and Tripp Cassidy in a triple threat, and managed to eek out a win. He’s become one of the staples of SUP and is starting to come into his own, getting one of the more impressive wins on the card. And, as an update, Poppa Bear still won’t stop asking him to go to Waffle House.
5. Brick Kat – I’ll be curious to see whether or not Brick Kat enters the Tag Team Championship Tournament, but regardless, for their first time teaming together, they looked electric. No doubt this is two of the most popular stars in SUP today.
4. Warhorse Jake Parnell – Parnell got an impressive win over Makabe and has suddenly put together quite the SUP resume. The landscape at the top of the show is crowded right now, but Parnell is proving he belongs in the conversation.
.@JPWarHorse and @danielmakabe beat the absolute hell out of each other at @sup_graps! pic.twitter.com/uMj1TA3PX0
— PREDETERMINED: A Pro Wrestling Hangout (@WrestleHangout) November 5, 2018
3. O’Shay Edwards – Edwards continues his rise through the SUP singles ranks after winning what some have called the ‘Match of the Night’ at All Eyez On Me. His progression throughout 2018 has made him a legitimate championship contender, and he may be the only man in SUP who can stand toe to toe with the new champ from a physical standpoint.
It was at this moment, that @StiffRoboGinger knew, he fucked up. @AllDamnDayOShay carried this man, did squats with his ass, then proceeded to whoop his lips right off his face and F-5d him better than Brock would ever dream of @sup_graps pic.twitter.com/WImGkXM3HX
— 2KBeezy (@OfficialKBunton) November 6, 2018
2. Sadkampf – Big news in a night loaded with big news, but SUP is bringing a Tag Team Championship of their own to Nashville! In an opening round tournament match, Sadkampf (Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku) defeated The Carnies in a hotly contested bout. Garrini and Ku have had excellent years in their own right. Together, they could be unstoppable.
1. Brett Ison – If you’ve been paying attention to Ison’s year so far at all, this probably seemed inevitable to you. It did to us. The man was undefeated in SUP, but it wasn’t just the record that impressed. It was the nature in which he was winning matches against the likes of The Carnies and A.J. Gray that showed how legitimate of a contender he was for the Bonestorm Championship. It looked like Stunt tried to utilize his speed and agility, but the bottom line is that he quite simply could not hit Ison hard enough.
Ison could have won with his first Street Justice, but instead elected to send a message and punish “#TheGuy.” A second Street Justice later, and Ison was the new Bonestorm Champion. As if dominating Stunt wasn’t enough, he struck a man who was seemingly his only ally in Edwards, and called out Nick Gage for the 1/20 show. Big, big night for a guy who, it feels, has all of the momentum in the world.
For John Mosley’s recap of All Eyez On Me, click here.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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