From Larry Goodman: Scenic City Showdown was a tale of two shows. The first half wasn’t bad, so much as it was just there, lacking an...
Scenic City Showdown was a tale of two shows. The first half wasn’t bad, so much as it was just there, lacking anything compelling enough to engage the casual fans that are a sizeable portion of the SCI crowd.
The authenticity of the opening minutes of O’Shay Edwards vs. Vordell Walker engaged the crowd in an entirely different way and it was a great show the rest of the way. This was Edwards’ farewell to the southern wrestling scene as he’s moved to Baltimore to become part of the ROH dojo and did he ever go out on a high note, defeating Walker in a major league level match.
The semi-main told a great story. Chattanooga's Jaden Newman was taking a wicked beating from 2018 SCI entrant Jake Parnell. Newman, however, persevered and came back to win via a tremendous display of heart and guts.
Newman was named as the eighth entrant into the 2019 SCI tournament after the match. Newman had no clue this was coming and in fact, had been led to believe he would not be in the tournament. Newman was in tears when SCI officials informed him of their decision.
2019 SCI Rumble winner AC Mack took offense to Newman’s inclusion and said he wanted Newman in the opening round of the SCI. This segued into great main event – Mack vs. 2018 SCI Tournament winner Joey Lynch. Finding himself unable to defeat Lynch with his best stuff, Mack decided to escape his predicament by getting himself DQed. Newman returned to block Mack’s exit, causing Mack to go down to defeat.
Newman joined Lynch, Mack, PWX Champion Slim J, Daniel Makabe, B Boy, Matt Tremont and Anthony Henry in the tournament field, as the company now goes into the tournament (on August 2 and 3) with a degree of storyline appeal for local fans.
Attendance at East Ridge High School was around 200 with a higher percentage of local, casual fans than recent SCI shows. Hundred kids paid $5 for the hype pep rally on Friday and could have attended the show for free. Few did. Fortunately, the East Ridge gym is on the small side so it didn’t dwarf the crowd. The show raised $3000 for the school’s football program.
Postmatch - Carter accepted Scott Hensley’s offer to become the first entrant in the SCI Future tournament (held during the afternoon of SCI tournament at Soddy Daisy High School).
(2) Bret Ison defeated James Bandy and Mr. Brickster and Kerry Awful in 7:38. Match was OK. It just felt random without any clear reason to care about anybody in particular. Brickster broke up Ison’s finisher attempt on Awful and decked him to get the crowd going to some extent. Ison killed Brickster dead with a forearm and pinned him with a J Driller.
Ison attacked Brickster’s knee after the match. Bandy returns to make the save. The crowd chanted for Brickster as he was helped to the back.
(3) “Superstar” Bill Dundee & Cabana Man Dan defeated Alan Angels & Nick Traimer in 7:35. Dundee looked pretty great for 75 years old and still throws that classic right hand punch. CMD was in almost all the way, showing skill and quickness on offense and taking the heat. Finish saw CMD and Dundee administer flip flop chops in stereo. A flip flop punch from Dundee followed by CMD’s sliced bread spelled doom for Angels.
(4) Fan Participation Strap Match: Jay Sparkz defeated Aiden Wright in 3:47. The worst strap match I’ve ever seen bar none. Rules were strapping below the knees only which looked totally lame. Sparkz whiffed completely on an enzuirgiri or some such and Wright sold it like he was concussed. Thank God Joey Lynch’s brother Bane was one of the strappers because the whipping he gave Sparkz was the singular redeeming thing about the match. Wright took the belt away from East Ridge football coach Tim James. A tug of war ensued between Wright and James and Sparkz rolled Wright up.
(5) Nick Iggy defeated Bobby Flaco in 9:41. Flaco is small but all muscle now. He dominated with his flying until Iggy caught him and deposited him over the top rope to the floor. Iggy did a sweet handstand on the apron into a DDT on the floor. Iggy administered his “circus smile”. The crowd got behind Flaco. He made a strong comeback and looked shocked when Iggy kicked out his wheelbarrow face plant. Not sure why because the move did not look that devastating. Iggy curbstomped Flaco for a near fall. Flaco took a bump from the top the floor after Iggy clocked him but roared back with a huracanrana and a Code Red for near falls. Iggy won it with a choke bomb. Nothing wrong here except matches 1, 2 and 5 were so similar in style.
Afterward, the crowd cheered Flaco, who looked fresh as a daisy moments after taking Iggy’s finisher.
(6) O’Shay Edwards defeated Vordell Walker in 13:22. The crowd was psyched for O'Shay. The opening lock up and shoulder block stand off looked so different from anything to this point of the show. Edwards popped the crowd with a shadow shoulder block. Walker got heat with stalling. Walker gave Edwards hard, loud back chops and went after his eyes. Edwards answered with stiff chops. Walker bailed again. Edwards pursued ad returned the favor on the back chops. Edwards ran Walker into the bleachers and suplexed him on the hardwood floor. Back inside, Edwards tried for a torture rack. Walker raked the eyes and drove Edwards to the floor with a running knee. Walker suplexed Edwards on the floor. Did that ever get a reaction out of the crowd. Walker tried to go up top. Edwards met him with a superplex sold huge by Walker. Edwards crawled to make the cover but could not secure the pin. Edwards took Walker to suplex city. Edwards climbed the ropes and Walker brought him down with a running powerbomb for a near fall. Walker dropped Edwards on his head with a reverse rana and followed with a tiger bomb for a near fall. In the end, Edward turned Walker inside out with clothesline then planted him on his face out of the torture rack.
Great match. The intensity of the lock up that started it out had the
feeling of a real contest and suspension of disbelief was in place for the duration. Size isn't everything, especially in
2019 but it still matters to casual fans and these were big men.
Postmatch - The crowd showed their appreciation for Edwards. Hensley announced that Edwards was moving to Baltimore.
(7) Jaden Newman defeated “Warhorse” Jake Parnell in 12:47. The body of the match saw Parnell beat the bejeezus out of Newman while remaining largely unfazed by Newman's offense. Parnell's chops were brutal. He tossed Newman onto the bleachers and fired him face first into a set of rolled up bleachers. Newman's chest looked like hamburger meat. He was bleeding and had bruises all over his back. Newman literally crawled back to the ring to beat the 10 count. Parnell went back on the attack. Newman took a superplex and walked right into a missile dropkick. Newman finally made a comeback with some mustard on it. Parnell was taking damage. Parnell powerbombed Newman but Newman kicked out. The crowd got behind Newman. They started beating the tar out each other. Parnell hit a half and half suplex and Newman kicked out again. Parnell kicked out of Newman's rabbit forearm at one and a top rope splash at two. Newman then slapped Parnell silly and pinned him with a neckbreaker suplex thingy.
The sleeper match of the night -- it started like a mismatch and developed into a captivating battle of wills. It was clear this wasn't the Jaden Newman of a year ago, or even 6 months ago. This was a different wrestler. Parnell sure packs a wallop for relatively small guy.
The SCI management team of Hensley, Hales and Matt Griffin entered the ring. Hales said Newman was an arrogant jerk but he was their jerk and while he had garnered little respect from the wrestling world at large, the Chattanooga and Nashville fans had grown to respect Newman despite his attitude. Hales swerved Newman in the direction of a spot in the SCI scramble match before asking him to open the envelope that contained his SCI official entrant announcement. Newman was in tears as was his family as the fans chanted "number one" and "you deserve it".
Mack came out and did some awesome mic work. Said he was there to tell Newman what TWE and his mom hadn't told him -- he did not belong in the SCI. Mack said SCI management was using him. They needed an underdog and were just using Newman to make money. Mack said as the Rumble winner, he got to pick his first round opponent in the SCI and picked Newman. Mack then claimed to be the real Mr. Scenic City. Cue up Joey Lynch's music...
(8) 2018 SCI Tournament Winner Joey Lynch defeated ACTION Champion AC Mack in 10:46. Mack bailed and ate a tope. Lynch slung Mack through three rows of chair. sat Mack in a chair and circled the ring for a flying knee that caused carnage. I could have lived without three matches in a row going into the crowd. Back inside, it was all Lynch until a Mack got untracked with a Meteora. Mack did his spinaroonie into the climbing enzuigiri and powerbombed Lynch. Mack was pissed that Lynch would not stay down. Lynch did a torture rack dropped into a double knee chest cracker, then a hot combo ending with a standing moonsault but missed his vaunted top rope moonsault. Mack hit the Mack 10 but Lynch got a foot on the ropes. Mack lost it and shoved referee Doug Markham. Markham shoved Mack back. Mack laid Markham out with the Mack 10 and headed for the exit. Newman appeared and forced Mack to backtrack. Second ref Tyler Thomas hit the ring. Mack argued with Thomas. Lynch capitalized with a pair of superkicks and pinned Mack with a moonsault that actually missed, but everyone was too busy enjoying the outcome to care.
NOTES: Pat Rose, Andrew Alexander, the aforementioned Bane Lynch, Corey Coxx, Clint Stephens and Steve Daves were in the house…Papa Hales was on hand selling tickets for the Making Towns Classic on May 3 at the TWE Arena in Chattanooga. The Classic is an 8 woman single elimination tournament...Sparkz subbed for Matt Lynch in the strap match.
