From Rob Brodhecker: This year's SCI looks to have a wide-open field where anyone has a chance to win the trophy. Joey Lynch and...
This year's SCI looks to have a wide-open field where anyone has a chance to win the trophy. Joey Lynch and Fred Yehi are still my personal favorites to make the finals on night 2, but Joey has drawn the toughest route with a first round match with Curt Stallion. Other matchups will be:
2 Cold Scorpio v AJ Gray. I'm picking AJ
Ike Cross v Corey Hollis. Corey
Gary Jay v Cain Justice. Gary Jay
Cyrus the Destroyer v PCO. I could see this as a double count out/disqualification. Could see the Night 2 Scramble winner be inserted.
Darius Lockart v Jake Parnell. Jake Parnell
Mance Warner v Fred Yehi. Yehi
Joey Lynch v Curt Stallion. Joey Lynch
Kerry Awful v Nick Cage, Kerry wins
All matches 20-minute time limit.
First match: Curt Stallion v Joey Lynch
Starting the night off with IMO the best match on paper. Stallion has a sizable cheering section but Joey popped the whole crowd. Dueling armbars to start off with, followed by a tease of a test of strength followed by dueling chest chops. Early advantage to Lynch. Nice double stomp by Stallion brings out Stallion's vicious streak. Crazy lariat by Stallion flips Lynch 360. Dueling chants by the crowd. Snap suplex by Stallion leads to a knee drop for a 2 count. Lynch comeback. Tilt a whirl DDT followed by a slam almost got Lynch the win. Stallion's striking Lynch with running knees and dropkicks for a near fall. A furious comeback by Lynch for a near fall. Headbutt from nowhere by Stallion for a 2-7/8 count. Stallion slaps Lynch with his elbow pads followed by several chops to the chest. Lynch comebacks and nails a moonsalt for a near fall. The crowd thought the match was over. Another set of dueling chops, Lynch goes up for another moonie but Curt catches him and hit a phenomenal move, goes for the cover but Lynch rolls him back for the 3 count. The crowd went wild. A brief stare off leads to a shaking of hands between the two men. Time: 13:30. it's going to be hard to top this one.
Second match: Warhorse Jake Parnelll v Darius Lockhart
The crowd is behind Jake for this match. Ground-based feeling out process for the beginning of the match, the crowd is appreciative. Darius ties up Jake, literally, dropkicks him to the outside. Darius stomps away on Jake in the corner. Jake counter attacks, tosses Darius outside and does a double stomp on Darius. 3 quick splashes followed by a senton leads to a 2 count on Darius. Jake firmly in control. A bridging suplex almost gives Jake the win. Dueling chest chops. Darius gets the better of the exchange. Darius in control. 2 count. Back and forth, Darius with a cover but Jake gets a foot on the rope. Jake comes back, gives a double stomp from the top rope for the 3 count. Time: 10:13. A good match between similarly styled opponents.
Third Match: Corey Hollis v Ike Cross
Papa Hales is really behind Ike. Interesting contrast between a wily veteran Hollis and a relative newcomer in Cross. Hollis takes a powder as soon as the bell rings, wanders outside for a minute, comes in, teases a hook-up and slides back out. Tries a sneak attack but Cross catches him. Slides back out. Comes in and Cross attacks. High impact moves by cross send Hollis outside and Cross promptly dives on him. Tosses Hollis back in and hits a flying elbow for a two count. Sneaky move by Hollis leads to Hollis throwing Cross in-between turnbuckles and Cross hits awkwardly on the ring post. An ouch moment. Hollis grabs a mic and starts spouting off. Cross tries for a comeback but gets cut off. The crowd is cheering on Cross. Cross hits a draping DDT for a 2 count. Cross going up and misses a flying splash. Cross hits a spear and regains the momentum. Tries for another spear but Hollis pulls the Ref in the way, Cross stops, Hollis spins the Ref out of the way and delivers a kick below the belt, while the Ref's back was turned. Hollis pins Cross. Time: 8:02. The crowd gives Cross a cheer for his efforts.
Fourth Match: Cyrus the Destroyer v PCO
PCO gets a chant even before he comes out. Looks like he was stumbling a bit on his way out. This should be a good slobbernocker. Dueling shoulder blocks eventually leads both men outside. The count is on. PCO in charge. Cyrus hits an amazing kick out of the corner. Neck twist on PCO. Cyrus starts choking PCO with some athletic tape. Headbutts follow. PCO hits a chokeslam and goes up to the top rope and hits Swanton for a near fall. Cyrus catches him and tosses him backward into the turnbuckle. Parades around the ring. Hits a swinging sidewalk slam for a near fall. PCO trips him and Cyrus falls outside, PCO hits a dive. Action on the outside. Cyrus hits a flip over the rope. Slapfest. PCO hits a belly to back for a crowd pop. Cyrus hits a fall-away slam. Both men down. Cyrus is back up and goes for a Vader bomb and gets a 2 count. Cyrus misses a diving headbutt from the second rope. PCO comeback. PCO goes for and hits a moonsalt for the 3 count. The crowd is standing and chanting for PCO. Time: 9:13. Very good superheavyweight match. Cyrus gets applauded.
Intermission
Fifth match: AJ Gray v 2 Cold Scorpio
Both men shake to start. Some shuckin and divin by both men to start off. Several back and forths leads to another shake of the hands. Nice dropkick by 2 Cold knocks AJ out of the ring. 2 Cold teases a dive but AJ moves. Back in the ring, AJ takes over and 2 Cold is knocked out of the ring. Very even match up so far. AJ takes control. 2 Cold on the comeback. Very deliberate pace by both men. Dueling elbows followed by dueling kicks. Power slam by AJ leads to a 2 count. 2 Cold slips out of a powerbomb attempt and strikes down AJ. 2 Cold up top and hits a 360 leg drop. Calls for the moonsalt and hits it for a 2 count. AJ hits a lariat for a 2 count. AJ goes up and hits a frog splash for the 3 count. Time: 11:49. The two men hug. A lot of respect shown to 2 Cold.
Sixth match: Cain Justice v Gary Jay
Huge pop for Gary coming out of the curtains. Ringside crowd is pounding the ring apron in support. Some very weak attempts of throwing streamers at the ring(sigh). Cain attacks right at the bell. Cain has a section of support, his mom. The action goes outside, Gary hits a dive over the second rope, Gary hits one chest chop but misses and hits the ring pole with a dull thud. Ouch! Cain on the attack. Both men down, Crowd is drowning out Cain's mom. Dueling strikes. Gary is favoring the left hand. Cain goes up top and meets Gary's right fist on the way down and is knocked out. Winner Gary Jay. Time: 3:55. The support staff tries to help Cain out.
Seventh Match: Mance Waner v Fred Yehi
The crowd on their feet for Waner with people holding up Ol' Mancer Section signs. Yehi gets a good pop as well. Collar and elbow tie up and walk around the ring. The ref tries to break it up. Assert your authoritaaaaay. Both men start striking. Fred tosses Mance out of the ring but misses on the follow-up. Mance hits a running knee. Back in the ring, both men are hitting some hard strikes. Mance sets up some chairs on the outside. Tries to suplex Yehi from the ring onto the chairs, Fred blocks and shoves Mance's arm down into the ring post and just starts wailing away on the elbow. Mance is in big trouble. The ref gets Mance's arm out of the post and Fred tosses him into the chairs. Absolutely brutal. Fred is all over Mance. Mance tries to chop his way to a comeback but Fred stomps him back down. Knees to the head by Fred. Another comeback attempt by Mance and he hits a Dusty Elbow. Hits a DDT for a 2 count. Fred hangs him up over his back and drives him into the corner and then powerbombs him down for the 3 count. Time: 12:05. Standing "O" for both men.
Eighth match: Gentleman's agreement stips. Kerry Awful v Nick Cage
6 guys come out in red shirts and clown masks to bring out Nick Iggy who introduces Kerry. The crowd is on their feet. Streamers are flying, Much better throws this time. Kerry has on a Mankind style of mask. The crowd is still standing for Cage when he comes out. Action starts at the bell and immediately heads out of the ring and out into the crowd. Cage backflips Kerry onto the bleachers. Both men are sitting in chairs trading punches. A brutal situation. Loads of action makes it hard to describe. A vicious chair shot by Cage. Kerry wraps a chair around the head of Cage and slams the chair into the ring post. Cage is tossed back into the ring. Kerry hits a Pedigree for a 2 count. Kerry is pumping up but Cage counters. 2 count. Kerry spits at Cage. Chokeslam across the knee by Cage for a 2 count. Kerry with a Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Grabs Cage's fingers and gives them a twist for a good measure. Cage fights out and hits a DDT. Cage Piledrives Kerry for the 3 count. Time: 8 minutes. This was a bracket buster and brutal match.
Second-night matchups are AJ v Fred, Joey v PCO, Gary v Jake, and Corey v Nick.