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SOUTHERN UNDERGROUND PRO 'INCARNATION GAUNTLET' ON INDEPENDENTWRESTLING.TV REPORT

Southern Underground Pro “Incarnation Gauntlet”

Taped 3/14/21
Now available on IWTV.live VOD

Back in March, SUP taped a few pieces of content. The first “Are These Our Lives” was an absolutely wild affair. You can check out my coverage on that here:
 

The second these shows hit IWTV recently. “This is the most covolouted bulls*** we’ve ever done!” Screams the ever-micless Righteous Jesse as we kick this show off. It’s a one-match show: THE INCARNATION GAUNTLET. Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini are on commentary. 

Every elimination of the gauntlet match kicks off a new stage.
Every stage has a new stipulation. 

The winner gets “Whatever Match They Want”
“Let’s Get This S*** Started!”

Stage 1: Arthur McArthur vs Kent Havoc ($20 BODY SLAM CHALLENGE)

Arthur is coming off a loss to Jaden Newman earlier in the day. This stip seems to play into his old timey strongman gimmick. We get a “TWENTY DOLLARS’ chant as the bell rings. Havoc tries to pick up Arthur’s vintage dumb ball but can’t get it up. Arthur helps him lift it up high but lets go and Havoc crashes to the mat. Kent back up to hit a stunner out of nowhere. Arthur is staggered, Kent goes for the body slam. He can’t do it. Arthur with a clubbing blow to the back and scoop slams Havoc for the victory.

Kent Havoc has been eliminated.

This was adorable and about 60-seconds long.

Stage 2: Arthur McArthur vs Cole Radrick (MUST BE WON WITH A MOVE OFF OF THE TOP ROPE) 

Arthur is not a top rope guy so he’s not looking forward to THIS. Trading chops right at the bell. Arthur with a slam! That doesn’t win the match this time! Cole dodges a charge into the corner with a back elbow. Radrick to the top and hits a cross body for the 1, 2, 3!

Arthur McArthur has been eliminated.

LOL.

Stage 3: Cole Radrick vs Billie Starkz (TRADITIONAL RULES WITH STRICT ENFORCEMENT)

Starkz wants a handshake, she gets whipped and hits a big headlock. Cole powders out and Billie dives out after. Cole scoops her into a slam on the apron. Big suplex back in the ring. Two count and Starkz is out! Billie throwing shots to the gut and head but gets caught running with a dropkick. Cole stomps out the arm of Starkz which he then has to apologize for. Billie throwing open hand slaps, Cole tries a back pack slam but Billie with a near fall on a rollup. Billie with a big spinning hook kick, big german with a bridge for two. Starkz caught running into a Gory bomb to the top turnbuckle. YEOW. Cole with a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin!

Billie Starkz has been eliminated.

Big high energy offense here in a quick 5-min match. 

Stage 4: Cole Radrick vs Mike Montgomery (NO ROPE BREAKS)

Montgomery is half of the Bitcoin Boiz, who got destroyed by Violence is Forever on the previous show. Mikey with a good high energy sequence at the bell, locks up Cole’s arms and legs and hits a PK to the rear. Cole catches him running with a single-leg dropkick for a near flash win. Cole with a series of kicks sends Mikey to the outside and forces him to beat the count. Radrick with a fallaway gut buster for two. Mikey with a middle finger and Cole stomps the offending hand out. Cole is fired up, returns that finger and tries a springboard senton but eats the knees. Mikey with a seated larait in the corner for two. Mikey with a Suplex neckbreaker for two. Mikey tries to wrap up the legs again but Cole reverses it and wraps up the ankle. Mikey get the ropes, THAT DOESN’T WORK HERE KID. Cole drags him back and Mikey taps. 

Mikey Montgomery has been eliminated.

Good disrespect energy here as Montgomery hit some flashy moves and Cole just ground him down.

Stage 5: Cole Radrick vs One Called Manders (5 MINUTE CHALLENGE)

Righteous Jesse clarifies that if no one wins within the five minutes, both men will be eliminated. OH MY. Cole shoots in quick and picks the leg. Manders to the outside and Cole dives right after. Chase him with chops and a top rope crossbody for two. Manders tries a springboard stunner but hit with a belly to belly. Big cowboy chops as we hit four minutes left. Body slam and an elbow drop from Manders for two. Cole fires back with forearms, Cole whips Manders, he comes back with a laraitbut blasts the ref! Cole hits the springboard stunner and a sliding lariat to the back of Manders’ head! New ref counts two! Cole with a springboard moonsault on Manders, who eats the knee on that. Two count but Manders is staggered. Manders catches a clothelines from Cole and hits an Oklahoma stampede that flattens Radrick for the count. 

Cole Radrick has been eliminated.

Big high-impact moves. Radrick opened this with almost the exact same playbook he used on McArthur but Manders was too tough. Kind of the last five minutes of a 20-min war in hyperdrive here. 

Stage 6: One Called Manders vs Carson Dillbeck (LUMBERJACK MATCH)

Luckily, the ringside is surrounded by the gauntlet participants. Carson slaps the taste out of Manders mouth. Every laughs at the painfully stupid opening move. Carson tries to run from the return slap but he gets thrown back immediately to eat a series of fast loud corner chops and a decapitating lariat from Manders. REKT.

Carson Dillbeck has been eliminated.

“Get the F*** back in there” we hear from ringside as Carson is thrown to the wolves. This was 30 brutal seconds in that young man’s life. Manders is still fired up from this.

Stage 7: One Called Manders vs Erron Wade (FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE)

This seems bad for the Baby Dragon. Wade throwing kicks, shotgun dropkick and ropes out to a retreating Manders. He goes again. And Manders catches the third one, posts him and unloads chops and clubbing blows. They fight to the stage, trading blows. Manders drags him to the bathroom wall, picks him up in a bully choke and transitions to pressed Wade’s shoulders to the wall. The ref counts the pin! 

Erron Wade has been eliminated.

That counts as a pin? Fall’s Count Anywhere certainly applied!

Stage 8: One Called Manders vs Kody Manhorn (OVER THE TOP ELIMINATION)

Kody has a Coach Alfonso-style gimmick going on here, complete with a whistle. TWEEEEEET. Manders is still mad from that slap two stages ago so this should not last long. Kody wants Manders to do squats. They do five squats. Manhorn gets MManders up in a fireman’s carry! Manders slips it and clubs a lariat to the back of the head. Manders cuts him down with a chop. Coach is upset and Manders lets him hit a series of chops before he press slams him into Arthur McArthur and the Bitcoin Boiz at ringside

Kody Manhorn has been eliminated.

I’m so glad he didn’t use that whistle more. Manders was good to play along and kill the twerp when the time was right. Catch your wrestlers, though. Manhorn had not great landing on that elimination. O_O

Stage 9: One Called Manders vs Jaden Newman (PINFALLS ONLY)

And we get a rematch of SUP’s final pre-pandemic main event? Yes please! Newman is ready to trade strikes with the cowboy. They come out swinging but Newman with a schoolboy rollup and a series of creative pin attempts keeps forcing Manders to kick out. Manders gets about two steps of space and crushes Jaden with a body block. Newman kicked to the outside and the big cowboy comes to deal more damage. Newman gets a big uppercut out there and rolls Manders back for more pin attempts. Manders up to stomp a mudhole but Newman can’t quit. Big chops make Jaden scream. Newman trapped in a straight jacket strangle but he can’t quit. Manders hits a lariat that spins out Newman but he kicks out. “I’m not the same man, motherf*****” say Newman. Manders drags him out for the Oklahoma stampede. Derek Neal appears on the stage to tell Manders this town isn’t big enough for the both of them. Manders, still upset at Neal’s interference in his title shot at the previous show is distracted and Newman rolls him up for three. 

One Called Manders has been eliminated.

WHOOPS. Manders is going to beat Neal into paste before this taping it out, I’m sure. Newman survived a giant lariat but it was those fast pins that won him this stage and got him his first victory over Manders ever. Manders is in shock. Newman stares him down. Manders says Newman can take that W but they aren’t done....Manders just has to deal with Derek Neal first. 

Stage 10: Jaden Newman vs BSTRD Cassidy (KNOCKOUT OR TAPOUT ONLY)

Newman with a pair of slaps to start. He tries a crossbody but Cassidy catches him. Newman twists into an octopus hold and screams for the BSTRD to tap out and he gets smashed with a Kryptonite Krunch and Newman is instantly KO’d

Jaden Newman has been eliminated. 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I mean, sure Newman had Manders before this but Cassidy gave ZERO emotion or f***s when he smashed this tiny man. 

Stage 11: BSTRD Cassidy vs Alex Kane (FIRST TO FALL)

Cassidy comes in fast and they trade suplex attempts. Jockying for position, Kane slaps on a full Nelson. Casssidy fights off at the ropes. They trade shoulder blocks and clothesline attempts. Kane with a big boot. Cassidy with the staggering forearm. Cassidy hits the rope and Kane hits a rebound german off that. BSTRD is down!

BSTRD Cassidy has been eliminated.

A fun 3-ish minute hoss opening. Cassidy got some good shots in but Kane is the Suplex Assassin. 

Stage 12: Alex Kane vs Eric Taylor (1992 WATTS WCW RULES)

Taylor is the other half of the Bitcoin Boiz. What exactly are these rules again? No top rope moves, no over the top rope and you can’t leave the ring, says Jesse. Kane is like, COOL, IMMA GERMAN SUPLEX THIS GUY. Kane gets overconfident after a couple and eats a running kick to the mouth for two. Taylor with a Mizline and a DDT out of the corner. He misses a curb stomp and Kane smashes a forearm. Kane wants another suplex but gets the jaw jacked. Snapmare into a slide lariat. Taylor wants to come off the top but he gets warned off of there. “Were you even alive in 1992?” He tries a slingshot but flies right into a X-plex from Kane for the pin. 

Eric Taylor has been eliminated.

This was a lot of fun! I’d love to see a full contest here as Taylor showed he could stay ahead of Kane’s power, until the rule set meant he had to change up his playbook. Righteous Jess says we are at the final entrant in the Incarnation Gauntlet.

Stage 13: Alex Kane vs Damyan Tangra (NO STRIKES ALLOWED)

Pure wrestling! These friend shake hands before going right into the graps. Kane working an arm triangle into a gator roll. Tangra tries to remove the offending arm of Kane but he gets tossed into a neck hold. Tangra reverses to a front face lock and goes back to the arm. Kane stuffs him, grabs the rope and tries a pin for one. Tangra invites Kane into the guard. Kane comes in and takes the back but Tangra gets the leg and wraps up a STF. Kane rolls it back into a pinfall attempt. Tangra hits the suplex assassin with a pair of vertical suplexes but that just annoys Kane, who pops up to hit a trio of germans. Two count! Kane pulls down the straps! Tangra gets the arm and drags him down for a STF. It’s the center of the ring! Kane inches over. He’s reaching but Tangra uses the arm to strangle him further. Kane rolls the STF into a pin and Tangra lets it go. Kane back up to hit a X-plex but Tangra’s out. Kane hypes up and hits a Southern Lights Suplex (kinda like a fisherman’s Saito suplex). Tangra is down for the three!

Damyan Tangra has been eliminated

INCARNATION GAUNTLET WINNER: ALEX KANE

Righteous Jesse is up to let Alex Kane know his prize: his choice of any match. Kane calls Damyan Tangra back to say they aren’t fighting. He wants him as a partner to team against Violence is Forever for the SUP Tag Team Championships! “I’ve beat both of you so let’s do it” says Garrini. 

And that’s it for the WILD concept that is the Incarnation Gauntlet. I loved this concept, a combo of hard hits, goofy spots, technical work and just wall-to-wall action. If I thought SUP’s last show was frantically paced, I was clearly not ready for this epic madness. 13 “stages” over a 43 minute runtime. No commercials, no real breaks, all go, never slow. This ruled. And the fallout here of the tag title match? The third show of this taping “The Beat Goes On” hit IWTV this week and I’ll be writing that up tomorrow. Until then! 

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