10/9 SOUTHERN UNDERGROUND PRO 'SWING OF THE AXE' REPORT

S.U.P “Swing of the Axe”

The Collective 2020: Part 2

10/9/20 - Indianapolis, IN

This is Southern Underground Pro’s first show since their regular home in Nashville was destroyed by a tornado back in March. The card today looks like one hard-hitting banger after another. Righteous Jesse is your announcer.

Match 1: To Infinity & Beyond (Colin Delaney & Cheech) vs Violence is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku)

Righteous Jesse pulls out a pair of championship belts. This is a title match for the inaugural champions!!! Garrini puts Cheech in a quick armbar and Cheech is forced to quickly powder. Cheech gets a takedown and quick pin attempt on Dom. Ku and Colin club the hell out of each other. Both double kicks from ViF to collapse Colin’s chest. Great back and forth from both teams. TI&B pull Ku off the apron and nearly pin Dom on a German suplex. Ku back to eat an elbow and be part of a double wheelbarrow face buster for a near double pin. Ku with a kick to Colin’s face and Dom with a piledriver follow up but Delaney kicks out. Dual air raid crash on Garrini. Jesus. Ku makes the save and fights them both. Ku clears Cheech and Delaney gets hit with a Total Elimination and a Chasing the Dragon for the win.

Winners (and first champions): Violence is Forever

YES YES YES. This match absolutely f***ed. Hard-hitting and innovative. These two teams knew each other very well and exploited that chemistry in a master class. Hell of a good opener and a great way to kick off SUP’s return show.

Match 2: Nolan Edward vs AJ Gray

Nolan Edward has been on a tear of good matches lately. Unfortunately, he is across the ring from AJ Gray, who is very pissed off at him after a promo earlier this week. Gray attacks before the bell and is pummeling the hell out of the kid. Gray with a chop and big suplex, punches and kicks to the spine. Gray absorbs a few chops to wake up more and whips Nolan into a kick. Nolan slips a powerbomb and drop kicks AJ out the ring. Superman dive! Missile drop kick! Nolan with a slam and pin attempt. Gray looks bewildered that Nolan is getting shots in. Headbutts and a trio of LOUD CRACKING LARIATS and Nolan Edwards stays down for a definitive three count

Winner: AJ Gray

So remember how I said Gray’s match on the last show was more of a warmup? Here’s what he was warming up for...an absolute ass-whipping of the brash Nolan Edwards. This was significantly less back and forth than any match today and Gray was ALL EMOTION here. A real good watch.

Match 3: Allie Kat vs Davienne

A rematch from Beyond Wrestling’s Uncharted Territory series. Davienne is looking to get a receipt for her previous loss. Davienne right out of the gate, throwing punches as Allie is taking her coat off. Allie recovered with a cartwheel drop kick for a one count. Davienne with a hangman’s neckbreaker for a two. Davienne puts Allie face first into the second buckle and hits a huge back suplex for another near fall. Allie dodges a ripcord, tries a roll up and hits a pop up double knees, hip attack and corner cannonball. Two count! Kat going for the piledriver, Davienne squirms out. Trading running forearms. Kat fakes out Davienne, trips her and hit a senton for two. Kat can’t hit the piledriver. Hits the lari-Kat. Allie to the top but Davienne intercepts with a Samoan drop. Kat dodges a baseball slide to the post and Davienne is limping. Kat catches her coming back into the ring with a hangman’s piledriver. 1, 2, 3.

Winner: Allie Kat

This was real good! I’ve seen a lot of Davienne matches and she’s been growing as a wrestler for years. This was a great showcase to see her take it to Allie here, a perennial crowd favorite, even in a losing effort....but I know she made some new fans today.

Match 4: Lee Moriarty vs Daniel Makabe

Oh my goodness. Moriarty is another person with a crazy good weekend ahead of them and Makabe is a heck of a first test. Crowd is hot for this technical chess match. They wrestle over a wrist lock, transitioning with head scissors and creative climbing. Test of strength turns into an octopus lock by Lee, with a punt kick to the arm and drop kick to follow up. Makabe works to escape a hammerlock and put on a headlock but Moriarty keeps ahead of the Wrestling Genius. Makabe finally makes the rope for a break. The genius COULDN’T break it on pure skill! Hitting the ropes, Lee might have a trap pin but Makabe rolls it into a STF. Lee to the ropes. Makabe has an octopus but gets reversed into a Fujiwara armbar. A deeeeeeeep half crab from Makabe. Lee goes for an armbar but Makabe flips into a pin attempt. Butterfly back breaker and a suplex for a near fall. Moriarty breaks a hold and hits a discus Lariat in the corner. Makabe with a drop kick and back suplex for a two count. Makabe with an armlock and Moriarty rolls up into a pin attempt. Moriarty throwing punches and kicks, trading pin attempts, trading quick subs, both guys are exhausted. Moriarty with a double stomp to the arm of Makabe into a tilt-a-whirl armbar. Makabe is wiped at the ropes but makes it out. Makabe playing possum and decks Lee in the face on the top. Makabe wants a super Plex.....Lee fights...top rope rana from Daniel Makabe!!!! Makabe works the Makabe lock (kind of bridging headbutt bow and arrow) but Lee gets the rope with his foot. Trading punches and slaps as they get to their feet. Dragon screw and a cloverleaf back suplex for a near fall. Whaaaaat. Makabe goes for a drop kick and wipes out on the top rope. Lee puts him in the Makabe lock but Daniel escapes. Makabe gets the Makabe lock on.....Moriarty is trapped....Lee Moriarty taps!!!

Winner: Daniel Makabe

WOWWWWW. I expected this to be a clinic but I did not expect that result. That was a technical masterpiece. I found myself invested start to finish here, especially as both tried their damndest to put the other away. I do not say this lightly: This might be my favorite technical match since the series Jonathan Gresham had with Zack Sabre Jr. a few years back. Please someone run this back....maybe several times....in several places. Like that year we saw Dijak/Lee everywhere? Let’s do that again and marinate in this good-ass chemistry.

Match 5: Jake Something vs O’Shay Edwards

We go from a technical classic to a big damn bull fight. It’s two big beefy boys smashing the crap out of each other. Somethign with a big back drop. O’Shay with a pop-up spinebuster. Trading forearms. Something gets Edwards up for sit out powerbomb. Spin out uranage from Edwards. Something dodges a corner spear and hits one of his out. Edwards with a spinning backfist. Olympic style slam but Edwards it slow to cover. One count! Edwards with a sit out tombstone and Something stays down.Winner: O’Shay EdwardsThe Big Bad Kaiju just dragged Jake Something into the Pacific Rim. Great, energetic hard-hitting big man fight here. Huge crowd response for these two monsters slugging it out.

Match 6: Jaden Newman vs Anthony Henry

Anthony Henry is looking confident and Newman is staring a hole through him. Henry is chopping and kicking Jaden to death at the start. These hits are....SO LOUD. Jaden is just gutting out this storm and his chest is showing plenty of damage. Jaden tries a boot from the ropes but gets caught, Henry hits a double dragon screw. Jaden with his legs hooked, dropping bombs and getting tortured in a knee lock. Jaden says “F*** him!” And refuses to quit. “Show me something” says Henry as he kicks Newman in the face. Henry puts his hands behind his back and lets Jaden take his best shot. He takes it and proceeds to kick Newman’s legs out from underneath him over and over. Jaden with defiant slaps and hits a cravat rolling cutter. Henry bounces back and Newman with a TKO and a Meteora for a two count! Henry with a head kick, tornado DDT & brainbuster. He works several submissions until he locks in a deep dragon sleeper and Jaden Newman was forced to tap.

Winner: Anthony Henry

Jaden Newman was absolutely outgunned here and everyone knew it from the start...But he refused to quit and ate everything that Henry dished out. They had bad blood walking into this but Jaden clearly earned Henry’s respect by the end. That said, this might have been a bigger ass-whipping than the one AJ Gray dealt Nolan Edwards earlier.

Match 7: Erick Stevens vs Brett Ison

This is going to be a war. Ison is the previous and most dominant SUP Bonestorm Champion. Erick Stevens is opening strong, controlling the arm and keeping the bigger Ison trapped and grounded. Erick throws a forearm and that was a mistake. Ison with a huge DVD for a two count. Trading discus forearms. Ison with a saito suplex and a butterfly spike piledriver for a close two. Ripcord spinning backfist. Erick Stevens is starched and down for the three.

Winner: Brett Ison

Wow. That was significantly quicker and much more definitive than I expected. Was that even 5 minutes? Erick Stevens was dominating to start but the moment Ison got momentum, he steamrolled his opponent. This was all about re-establishing Brett Ison as a force to be feared in Southern Underground Pro. ?

Main Event: A.C. Mack vs 1 Called Manders (for the SUP Bonestorm Championship)

The brash A.C. Mack forces the ref to hold his TWO belts on high while he introduces himself. Manders has been hunting championships everywhere this year. Let’s see if he can get it done tonight. Mack powders after the first engagement, surprised at how aggressive the cowboy was. Manders catches Mack in a leapfrog and back drops him across the ring. Manders wants to go to the top but Mack knocks him down and hits a flying kick to the head. Manders back up and whipping Mack post to post, hitting charges and slams for a very close two. Manders wants the big lariat but Mack goes high and springboards into his own one. Mack goes for a meteora but Manders catches it into a turnbuckle crash and powerslam. Mack is draped over Manders shoulder for another powerslam from the second buckle. Mack flips out. Manders back to the top, Mack with a Liger bomb! Mack with a head kick and a two count. Mack wants the Mack-10 finish but Manders powers out and hits a huge lariat. Mack smartly rolls to the floor. Mack almost gets counter out but Manders drags him back to the corner and hits a powerslam from the second buckle....Mack kicks out! Manders with a desperation moonsault and misses. Mack with a yakuza kick, slight ref bump, Manders gets kicked in the junk and rolled up with feet on the ropes. Ref makes the three count.Winner (and still champion): A.C. Mack

The story here was “How far would Manders have to push A.C. Mack before he inevitably cheated to win?” Of course Mack cheated. That’s what he does! The match getting there was great, several moments where I thought Manders might actually pull it off but....no....junk kicks are powerful stuff. Mack on the mic and the crowd is shouting at him to STFU. As he gloats, AJ Gray’s music hits and it would appear A.C. Mack has a new challenger for his title. A.C. Mack accepts AJ Gray’s challenge....right now! Then he unaccepts it. It’s a big joke! Then Mack kicks Gray in the junk. Uh oh! Then he reaccepts the challenge and the ref rings the bell. We have a match???

Bonus Main Event: A.C. Mack vs AJ Gray (for the Bonestorm Championship)

Mack goes for the cover. Gray kicks out, pops up and hits a giant lariat on A.C. Mack. Mack is DONE. Three count. Winner (and new champion): AJ Gray!Gray immediately calls out Brett Ison. They have a bit of a staredown but Brett shows respect to the new champ. They WILL do this...just down the road. ??And that’s it for SUP “Swing of the Axe”. DAMN. This was a really good show. Every match delivered. Lots of great action and unexpected story beats.....and a few serious beat downs. Makabe & Moriarty put on an absolute clinic. Match of the show by far but the storytelling done throughout the show between Gray/Ison/Mack tonight was *chef kiss*. I am looking forward to that Gray/Ison match sometime soon.

Next up is AIW’s “Thunder in Indianapolis” at 8pm. Until then!

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