We’re gearing up for a veritable pro wrestling holiday here in the south, as the Scenic City Invitational returns to the Chattanooga area after a year off (thanks, covid), on August 6th and 7th from the TWE Arena in Red Bank, Tennessee. As is the hallmark of SCI, this year’s field is loaded with talent. It’s been called the ‘WrestleMania of the South’ by many, and for good reason. The folks in the SCI braintrust do a masterful job of assembling talent; up-and-comers in the region and established superstars on the indies alike. But, aside from that, they’ve done a stellar job in creating unique and interesting matches while telling tremendous stories. The run Daniel Makabe went on during the 2019 tournament is one of my favorite wrestling stories of the last several years, period. Full stop.
But, it’s also much more than that, particularly for the fans of indie wrestling. It’s like one big weekend-long celebration of pro wrestling. Fans have traveled from all over the world to converge upon SCI, spending the entire weekend drinking and eating City Cafe cake. Personally, it’s one of my favorite events of the year – it happens to fall on the calendar near the end of summer, and right before football season starts. So, it has served as a weird benchmark point on my calendar, and the last of “something different” for me to cover before the Tennessee Titans consume my life. Being there live is a ton of fun – I missed the 2015 tournament….mainly because I didn’t even hear about SCI until 2016. That’ll do it, y’know? Listening to the Kick Out At Two podcast reignited my love of indie wrestling, and I planned on making that trip after reading about SCI through wrestling Twitter. But, a couple of days prior to the tournament, I got into a bad bout of poison ivy that had me bandaged and sleeping on an air mattress for two weeks. We’re talkin’ ping pong ball sized blisters on both arms, all down both legs, even in some places I probably shouldn’t mention because this is still an article about pro wrestling and I shouldn’t get off on a tangent after all. Fuck – it was bad.
So, I ended up making my first trip in 2017 with the SoBros gang in tow. We were fucked up the whole weekend, and even missed the transcendental Matt Riddle vs. Gunner Miller match that everyone was raving about because we were moving at a snail’s pace that day (this is also the reason that match isn’t in my top 10 – I’m only listing matches that I was there for in person). We were back in 2018 and 2019 – at that point, it had become a can’t-miss event. So, hey – if you have a match from 2015 or 2016 I should check out, send it my way. Also, feel free to chime in with your own lists in the comments. But, I’m reserving my list for stuff that I experienced live.
My Top 10 Scenic City Invitational Matches
10. Gary Jay vs. Warhorse – from 2018: “I understand these dudes have been battling it out all over the place, but this was the first time I got to see it, in its entirety, live and in person. I was blown away by how physical it was – just absolute brutal strikes, brutal chops, full-on grit and physicality. One of my favorite matches of the weekend, with Jay getting a bit of a surprising win.”
9. Joey Lynch vs. Curt Stallion – from 2018: “This one was one of the most anticipated matches of the first round, and it delivered in just about every way you could imagine. Lynch and Stallion looked fluid, crisp, and clean in the ring, and the crowd was hot for it – dueling “Lone Star” and “Joey” chants throughout. Several near falls in this one, with Stallion hitting a brutal diving headbutt with Lynch kicking out. Likewise, Lynch hits a moonsault, but Stallion kicks out. Stallion hits a C4 off the top rope, pins Lynch, but Lynch reverses the pin and hits the 1-2-3 for the win.”
8. Kevin Ku vs. Nick Iggy, from 2019: I think this one caught the crowd by surprise. I loved how violent, and dare I say, intimate it was – I’m not sure what that says about me, but hey – that’s what we’re all here for, right? Ku gets the win by ref’s decision, and I’m left with my jaw hanging open, thinking, “where the hell did that match come from?”
7. AJ Gray vs. 2 Cold Scorpio – from 2018: “This one started with a handshake, and was built upon mutual respect between the two. Scorpio had moves like it was 1997 again, hitting a beautiful moonsault that Gray ultimately kicked out of. Gray eventually hops up top and connects with a massive frog splash. The gentlemen shake hands, Scorpio takes a bow, and Gray is on to the next round.”
6. Kerry Awful vs. Nick Gage – from 2018: “Main event time, and it sure feels like it. Awful gets the full intro with the circus, the intro from Nick Iggy, the whole nine. Out comes Nick fucking Gage and we have dueling “MDK” and “six” chants. The action goes outside early as the two brawl in the crowd. Awful takes a back drop into the bleachers, lots of chair shots, just an overall brutal slugfest. At one point, Awful hits a senton on Gage’s fucking arm. Definitely a big fight feel to this one that the crowd was hot for the entire time. Gage gets the win.”
5. Joey Janela vs. Darby Allin – from 2017: “This was my first look at both of these guys live, and I immediately saw “it” from the moment they walked through the curtain. This match was insane, with both guys turning up the punishment on one another. When Allin dove off the bleachers, I thought the roof was about to come off the gym. Then, Janela gets slammed onto the chairs and I thought he was dead. Brutal.”
4. Matt Riddle def. Anthony Henry, Joey Lynch, and Curt Stallion – from 2017: “The SCI Finals made for a thrilling main event on Night 2, and capped the festivities off in perfect fashion. That said, multi-man matches can create some unnecessary chaos. For instance, why would anyone break up a pin fall in an elimination match? That’s the only reason I’m docking points here. But, that said, each of these guys showed exactly why they belonged in the main event. The showdown between Riddle and Stallion was awesome, Henry continued his enthralling tournament performance, and I could watch Joey Lynch moonsaults all day long. The show concluding with Tank handing Riddle the trophy was a nice touch as well.”
3. Joey Lynch vs. Jason Kincaid – from 2017: “Granted, I missed the match that everyone seems to be talking about, but I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about this one. Kincaid and Lynch put on a flawless display of athleticism. They made it look easy, and when you make it look easy, that’s the mark of a classic performance. Hats off to both of these guys – that match was one all four of the SoBros agreed upon as a show-stealer.”
2. Joey Lynch vs. PCO – from 2018: “It was the match of the weekend in my book. PCO may be the hottest name in independent wrestling right now, and it’s obvious that the fire is still there. Dude hasn’t cooled off one bit all year. These guys started on the outside with some nasty bumps involving the gym floor and steel chairs. Both of ’em were throwing their bodies all over the place. I don’t know if we ever got an official count, but it took somewhere between 7-10 moonsaults for Lynch to put away PCO. It was ridiculous, and the crowd popped harder and harder for each moonsault. Great moment.”
1. Tony Deppen vs. Daniel Makabe, from 2019: I’ve sat on it for several days, and I just keep coming back to it. These guys put on a match that was damn near perfect. We know both of ’em can do just about anything in the ring, but this was as pure and smooth a contest as you’ll ever see in any ring anywhere. When you have guys that make this thing feel like a shoot sport, you know you have something special. It was one of the most talked about matches of the weekend, and for good reason. In my opinion, it was the best.
For info on this year’s Scenic City Invitational, follow on Twitter.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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