What a year it’s been for Southern Underground Pro. 2019 kicked off with a Bonestorm Championship main event between Brett Ison and Nick Gage, the brand was featured as apart of The Collective in a fun six-man sprint, and we saw Ison’s epic title reign end in dramatic fashion. Full circle, folks. Full circle. But, there has been a roller coaster of highlights in between. I’m here to count down my top 10 SUP matches for 2019 today.
I know….I know…there’s another SUP show on deck before we officially flip the calendar to 2020. Nice Night for a Neck Injury takes place on December 21st at 7PM inside the friendly confines of The Basement East (buy tickets here – let’s rage). My official last day of work for the year is December 20th. So, as far as writing articles go, I’m going to miss that show anyway. The year might as well be done for me.
So, why wait? Let’s dive right in.
Honorable Mentions
- Violence Is Forever vs. The Jollyville Fuck-Its (I AM KING)
- Faye Jackson vs. Mr. Brickster (What Could Possibly Go Right?)
- SUP Tag Team Championship: Violence Is Forever vs. They Might Be Giants (Those Who Fear Tomorrow)
- Cabana Man Dan vs. Matthew Justice (Hold Your Ground)
- YEETFest: IFHY vs. The Lost Boys vs. The Philly Marino Experience vs. The Smokin’ Budz (You’re Next)
The Top 10 SUP Matches of 2019
10. Allie Kat vs. Kevin Ku (What Could Possibly Go Right?) – An excellent match that established Allie Kat as a legitimate contender for the Bonestorm Championship. The Basement East damn near came unglued when she beat Ku.
9. Cabana Man Dan vs. Dominic Garrini (What Could Possibly Go Right?) – Who saw this one coming?!?! Dom and Dan just putting on a battle of attrition. If I’m not mistaken, this was ultimately the birth of the “Bloodsport Dan” campaign.
8. Bonestorm Championship: J.D. Drake vs. O’Shay Edwards vs. Anthony Henry vs. Brett Ison (All Hell Breaks Loose) – What a frenzied, chaotic main event for SUP’s SCI weekend show. Four bona fide bruisers going at it with Nashville’s ultimate prize on the line. I still say we need the Ison vs. Edwards one-on-one rematch, though.
7. Cabana Man Dan vs. Marko Stunt (All Hell Breaks Loose) – You want to talk about emotion? There might not be a more emotional match on the SUP resumé this year. Former tag team partners that went to war with Violence Is Forever duking it out for the pure sport of it, Marko saying his goodbye to SUP…it was a tear jerker.
6. 1 Called Manders vs. Joshua Bishop (Hold Your Ground) – What a damn bull fight this one turned out to be. Both cats had a breakout 2019, but I go back to this one as one of the most fun, hard-hitting contests of the entire year.
5. B-Boy vs. Kevin Ku (All Hell Breaks Loose) – It was absolutely surreal to see B-Boy in a Basement East ring, but when he stepped in between those ropes against one of the most consistent wrestlers in the area, the two created some magic.
4. Bonestorm Championship: Brett Ison vs. Nick Gage (I AM KING) – Looking back, I think this is the match that really set the tone for what SUP would produce in 2019. It was an outright brawl, but it was also a statement that this was going to be a big year for the SUP brand. Ison established himself as the guy to beat in Nashville with this one.
3. Craig Mitchell vs. Alex Zayne (All Hell Breaks Loose) – “The Midwest Bully” had long been one of the more underrated contenders to SUP’s Bonestorm Championship when this match took place. When he beat Zayne, it solidified him as a threat. This match had it all, including a sick trash can spot and a piledriver from the second rope. Plus, it was great to finally see “The Sauce” make his SUP debut.
2. Independent Wrestling Championship: Warhorse vs. Matthew Justice (You’re Next) – This one caught The Basement East by complete surprise, as these two lightning rods went to battle and pulled out all the stops. Matthew Justice dropped from the damn ceiling. They were swingin’ chairs, swingin’ trash cans, and bustin’ doors. This match was an explosion.
1. Bonestorm Championship: Brett Ison vs. Allie Kat (Those Who Fear Tomorrow) – Some have called this the biggest “homegrown” Bonestorm Championship match in SUP’s history. It definitely exacted a high emotional toll on those of us who have been invested in this brand for over two years now.
Everyone expected this to be a quick contest. No one seemed to be giving Allie much of a chance to take the Bonestorm Championship, but she showed a lot of heart in this match. She just kept getting up, and she pushed Ison to the limit. It was dramatic. It was emotional. But, man – it was a classic. The visual of the two hugging after the match is one the highlights of this promotion’s year.
If you care to, take a look at my top 10 SUP matches from 2018 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, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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