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7/14 SCENIC CITY INVITATIONAL NIGHT ONE REPORT FROM CHATANOOGA, TN

Scenic City Invitational Night 1

7/14/23 - Chattanooga, TN

The opening round of the SCI is tonight. This is going to be a slew of dream level matches for the Southeast scene (and beyond).

We open with a parade of the tournament participants: Rico Gonzalez, Bobby Flaco, Noah Hossman, Tank, John Wayne Murdoch, Shazza McKenzie, Eli Knight, Action Mike Jackson, BK Westbrook, Landon Hale, Timothy Thatcher, 1 Called Manders, Sawyer Wreck, Adam Priest, Suge D, and Jaden Newman. Suge walks off in disgust before the customary tournament picture is taken. We have a tribute and chant for SPO, the referee who passed away a few months back. It’s an emotional moment when you lose anyone, nevermind one of your own that is so close. This is an outpouring.

Match 1: Bobby Flaco vs Rico Gonzalez (1st Round Match) 

Flaco got to handpick his opponent after Alan Angels was forced to bow out of the tournament. This is a hell of an opportunity for both of these guys, having competed in Action Futures last year. Bobby is firing up but Rico just gives him a hard spank to bring him to earth. Bobby is a master at firing the crowd up but Rico has something to prove and just punks Flaco out. Huge dropkick, high angle armdrag. Flaco starting to unloads some heavy chops and blasts Rico into the corner. More shots from Bobby, Rico tries a bulldog and Flaco just launches him. Flaco says picking Rico was a mistake and he’s going to make a statement on him. Rico coming back? NO. Flaco cracks a chop but Rico b****slaps him after a great fake out. Trading pin attempts…Rico reverses a suplex, meteroa! Bobby with a stunner reversal and baseball slide into the first row. Rico fights back with a double stomp to the apron! Crowd popping hard for Rico…Bobby comes off the top, Rico looks to intercept it but Bobby is quicker and hits an Ayo cutter for the win! 

Winner: Bobby Flaco

Flaco and Rico looking at each other. Bobby says he earned every bit of the opportunity he got tonight…and the crowd agrees with a huge chant for him. 

Match 2: John Wayne Murdoch vs Sawyer Wreck

Scott Hensley says this match is being contested under ICW NHB rules. Oh f***. The ring is LOADED with plunder. Sawyer grabs the Duke’s throat and immediately runs him through a door. We got gusset in him. Sawyer gussets herself lets gooooo. Bad move as JWM sabu’s her. Right to the skewers, stabby stab stab. We are two minutes in and they are both gushing. We have a cactus covered in tacks….she puts in on his crotch and blasts a chair into it. High velocity chair to the dome but the Duke kicks out. JWM swinging the cactus, suplex through a door, Sawyer kicks out! JWM looks to please the crowd but throws a bundle of light tubes away to much booing. Sawyer catches him with a spinebuster through a pair of chairs for the three count! This was a good sprint of violence. Wreck advances!!!!

Winner: Sawyer Wreck

Match 3: BK Westbrook vs Action Mike Jackson

Action Mike Jackson is in his SIXTH decade OF wrestling. BK is offended that he’s in here with a “senior citizen”. BK trying to shut the crowd up, regardless of who they are chanting for. BK with a huge chop but Jackson just no Sells it. Mike with a double chop and arm drags take BK over and over again. BK aggressive as hell but Jackson keeps taking him down. This is a LOUD and SPLIT crowd for this match. Mike with a head scissor takedown! BK is sick of this and hot shots Mike into the top rope. Hard disrespectful slaps to Action. Backbreaker for two. Running shooting star. BK goes old school? Mike seats him and BK gets crotched on the top rope. Jackson sends him flying over the top and takes it to the crowd. This is great. Jackson getting a ten punch going…BK trying to electric chair him..Mike tries to roll it up but BK squashed down, grabs the rope and gets the pin in a match that was WAY HARDER on him than he clearly expected. Super fun match.

Winner: BK Westbrook

 Match 4: Adam Priest vs Shazza McKenzie

Here’s another match where one person is thinking that they are going to have an easy night. Adam Priest is just way too confident right now and Shazza is taking great advantage of that lack of focus. Hard kicks as Adam is trapped in the ropes. The crowd deriding Priest for his small hands and that he looks like a character from Breaking Bad. Adam finally coming back into it and paying Shazza back for the pain she unloaded. He looks like he’s pie facing her but Shazza cracks a wicked chop into him. Priest tries a spear into the ropes…Shazza dodges and Priest flies to the concrete. Shazza is right behind him to get as much damage in as possible. High cross body! Priest kicks out! Priest rips off the refs belt to provide a distraction…it backfires and Shazza hits a ddt! This should be it but Priest gets the rope! Suicide dive, split legged stunner! Priest rolls back to the floor, it’s his only refuge. Shazza throws him back him but he pops up and catches her with a hangman’s ddt and she’s laid out for the three! Crowd was very into this, especially the last couple of minutes.

Winner: Adam Priest

Scott Hensley goes over just how personal this next match is going to be, before they get it in the ring. There’s clearly an interview between them being shown on the IWTV stream on the monitor.  Suge is out here with MLW World Champion Alex Kane in his corner. The father of the Good Hand is hedging his bets clearly. Jaden is out here with his 2022 SCI Tournament trophy, looking to get revenge on Suge and take one step closer to being the first two-time SCI winner. Suge has some friends in the crowd but this is a VERY pro-Jaden crowd. Suge says he needs to do this himself..and sends Kane to the back. 

Match 5: Suge D vs Jaden Newman

Suge dares Jaden to make the first move…and he is quick to counter and chases Newman down with strike after strike. He reminds Suge that Jaden wanted this and Newman fires right back, stomping Suge out in the corner. Suge with a German reversal! Suge trying to dislocate Jaden’s shoulder on the support post. This is hard shots back and forth, Suge eating the ring post but still landing hard to the chest and throat. They collide and drop to the floor….slowly back up and Suge slams Newman to the concrete! Newman gets seated and Suge comes running…right into a boot! Suge eats a running dropkick off the apron. Suge catches Newman with an arm triangle off the apron! Suge dumps Jaden on his head and goes for an armbar…Newman will NOT let it sink in. Suge driving his shoulder into the ribs of Newman….Jaden will not give in. This crowd suddenly got very split and some are starting to vocalize their support for Suge D. Suge with a body scissor and tries a front choke. Suge throwing hands and Jaden is staggered, barely standing….he clocks Suge good! D drops for a two count at the ten minute mark. they grab the wrists and trade high velocity chops back and forth, neither willing to give the other a chance. Jaden with a backfist and Suge hits a Judas Effect! Both guys are dropped again as the crowd has gone full “this is awesome” mode. They come back to and just trade shots again. Fireman’s carry slam into the top buckle and a blu-ray can’t put Newman down. Newman fighting off a piledriver….Newman grabs a STF but he doesnt have enough in the tank..Suge grabs the arm and stomps it hard. What is Suge doing?!?He….has a knife. Is he ripping up the canvas and exposing the board??? We have five minutes left! We have exposed wood and Jaden is starting to come back to life. I’m listening to a pissed off ring crew back here lol. Jaden with a backdrop and Suge tastes the boards! Jaden to the top…Suge decks him….Jaden crotched on the top…superplex into the boards! Suge is screaming in pain and can’t make the cover. The ref is making the count…Jaden and Suge are both struggling but collapse to the ground and the ten count expires. Ref Kim (a former student of Jaden’s) is upset that she had to count her mentor out and immediately runs to the back. Excellent contest, great story, what does this mean for the tournament?!? 

Winner: No Contest

Scott Hensley announces that the winner of the SCI Scramble tomorrow night will take this spot in the second round. Siiiiiick match but Suge doesn’t sound too sad. He may not be advancing to night two…but neither is Jaden. 

 It seems like we should be going to intermission but the Skulk’s music hits. They don’t have a match tonight! What are they doing here? Are they just going to antagonize the crowd for ten minutes and spoil the intermission? Matt Griffin is out here to cut their music. Scott Hensley explains they weren’t invited. The Skulk swears they DO. They got an invite! Matt Griffin refuses to pay them. They say to ring the bell and they can win the “match” by forfeit.

Match 6: The Skulk (Liam Gray & Adrian Alanis) vs (SOMEONE?)

This happens. I heard a bell ring. That makes it official, right? 

Winners: The Skulk (by forfeit)

A very confused Scott Hensley announces them as the winners….and they get their music played again and Matt sends them away so we can actually have that intermission.  

 

Match 7: Landon Hale vs Eli Knight

The feud continues. Knight is right in Landon’s face and shoves him off. Hale shoves right back. Eli with the fake out and pie faces Hale. This is a battle for RESPECT and Hale lands a wicked chop that brings Eli right into this contest. Hale with a great somersault but runs right into a dropkick. Hale goes for a dive but ends up the catcher…and goes head first into a chair. OH NO….Hale is busted wide open on the back of his head. This is shades of Daniel Makabe’s performance a couple years ago. Landon is hitting this fight out as He spills buckets down his back and Eli doesn’t let up. Hale is trying to stay in it…he catches Eli to a backbreaker for two! Hard chop to Eli. Crowd is very split on this one too. Eli with an enziguri to the back of the head. Owwww. Hale with a superkick!high knee! He tries a springboard but Eli catches it into a German. Destroyer! Spanish fly! The crowd is standing and applauding for this one! Pounding the apron! Landon and Knight trying to muscle each other down with strikes….Hale with a huge lariat! Eli coming back…Landon will not quit. He tries a top rope Spanish fly but Eli flips him down and shotguns him from the top. Eli fakes out Hale…Landon catches him off the apron and powerbombs him on the wooden ramp. Jeeeeesus. Landon is okay with taking this W by count out if Eli doesn’t have enough fight to make it back in….back in at nine! Landon with a double knee spike rana and hits a electric chair driver for the win. This is a standing ovation that is well deserved. Holy f***. 

Winner: Landon Hale

 Hale demands the respect from Eli that he has EARNED. Eli smacks the hand away….cause a very emotional Landon is getting a hug. This ruled.

Match 8: Noah Hossman vs 1 Called Manders

This is gonna be some yeehaw s***. The crowd is already calling for big meaty men slapping meat. Lariats. Shoulders. Hard chops. These two are looking to hurt each other…and not give an inch. They switch to back chops. Hossman finally stops playing and takes the back! Hossman with the corner splash…spear…flying shoulder block! Hossman winds up…and gently applies a headlock. Perfect. Someone find a bridge for this troll to live under. Hossman dropping bombs but Manders is firing up, asking for more. Fighting over a gutwrench…Manders finally gets a boot up …Manders landing punches and chops…body splash on the ropes…Oklahoma stampede! Hossman kicks out! Manders takes him up too for a powerslam…Hossman rakes the eyes! Top rope splash for two! Hard slaps back and forth! Manders thuds a huge lariat but Hossman doesn’t drop! Manders goes for another but Noah meets him with one back and they both drop! Slowly Back to the feet, Hossman traps the arms…flurry of headbutts! Gutwrench powerbomb for two! Noah getting to his feet, Manders hits an atomic drop and blasts one more lariat for the win! This was exactly what it promised to be. My chest hurts FOR them. Someone bring me a steak. 

Winner: Manders

 

Main Event: Tank (w/ The Rev) vs Timothy Thatcher

This is not QUITE the type of match that Timmy Murderface typically involves in…but he’s ready to unleash some pain on the Bloodbath Behemoth. The crowd is VERY MUCH here for Tank. Tim goes for the lockup and Tank boots him. Hard shots from Tank…but That gee is more than happy to trade hard shots early in the contest. Tank drops Thatcher again and applies a single leg…Thatcher says no and shoves Tank to the buckles. More uppercuts…Tank is biting his forehead! He fishhooks Thatcher in the ropes. Right into the crowd this fight goes. Tim with a dodge and Tank eats support post. He gets the arms of the Behemoth and rams him into the post again. Thatcher mocks Tank for almost being counted out. Tank rolls in for the two count but he’s bleeding from the forehead. Thatcher starting to take apart the big man’s limb, to the dismay of the crowd. Thatcher grinding into that forehead cut with a headlock. Tank screaming for more. Thatcher goes for a headbutt….bad idea. Thatcher drops and Tank applies an anaconda Vice?!? Thatcher escapes, both are wobbly and trying to land that home run shot. Tank catches Thatcher flush! He hits the saito! Thatcher kicks out of his kill shot! Thatcher reverses a chokeslam to an armbar…Tanks gonna power out…Tim takes and cranks the other arm in a modified standing crucifix. Tank passes out from the pain and the ref is forced to call this one over. Thatcher advances!

Winner: Timothy Thatcher

 

 

They announce the second round matches for tomorrow. The winner of all of these matches will compete in a 4-way elimination match as the tournament final!

We have:

Let’s goooooooooooo. This was top to bottom a near perfect show. The first half was great right through the epic between Suge and Jaden. The Skulk bit brought it back down to earth and then EVERY MATCH in the second half was just a banger…ESPECIALLY Landon/Eli. Tomorrow is the Action Futures tournament at 2pm and Night 2 of the SCI at 8pm. Until then!

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