Ever since becoming its own entity as Scenic City, after it’s Scenic City Invitational Tournament began in Georgia’s Empire Wrestling Entertainment (EWE) in 2015, Scenic City has moved to Tennessee, where it continues to champion and showcase many of the Southern styles of wrestling. It’s Scenic City Invitational Tournament held it’s fourth annual tourney this year, with Joey Lynch winning it all, and this Saturday sees the second annual Scenic City Trios tournament taking place in Hixson, Tennessee. An eclectic bunch of trio teams this year, with several representing other indie promotions around the area and territory. Here’s a look at what teams are entered into this year’s Trios tournament.
Team ACTION (Cam Carter, Fred Yehi and Slim J)
Representing Georgia’s ACTION Wrestling, this trio has a solid anchor in indie standout Fred Yehi, who had a 562-day reign as Full Impact Pro World Champion as well as holding the EVOLVE Tag Team titles with “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams when he was part of the Catch Point stable alongside WWE Superstars Drew Gulak, TJP and Matt Riddle, as well as Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson & Jaka). He’s joined by Cam Carter, another ACTION regular whose also tearing it up with Carolina Wrestling Federation (CWF) Mid Atlantic, where he currently holds the Ultra J Championship, and Slim J, a veteran of Georgia’s Anarchy Wrestling (he previously held the Anarchy Tag Team titles with Yehi).
Team SUP (AJ Gray, Kevin Ku, & Marko Stunt)
Southern Underground Pro (SUP) has become the ECW of the South, a total DIY promotion that has been showcasing some of the best of the best emerging stars from the Southern regions. Lead by SUP co-owner and rising indie star Kevin Ku (who has also appeared for Dojo Wars, Beyond Wrestling, Black Label Pro and more), Team SUP also includes one of the biggest breakout stories of 2018 in Marko Stunt and another emerging star in AJ Gray. Gray has only been wrestling since 2015, but the young man from Tennessee is already making a name for himself in places like Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), Glory Pro and IWA Mid South.
Team TAG (Billy Buck, Chris Spectra & Kevin Blue)
Although they compete primarily as a unit in Georgia’s Anarchy Wrestling, Team TAG is in the Scenic City Trios to represent themselves. The three men cause havoc all over Georgia, also competing in ACTION and Alternative Pro Wrestling (APW). Billy Buck is more of the singles wrestler of the trio, being a former 3x Anarchy Heavyweight Champion, while Chris Spectra and Kevin Blue are the tag specialists, being former 2x Anarchy Tag Team champions, plus one run in APW.
Team Futures (David Ali, Alan Angels & Ike Cross)
The Futures team features three emerging indie stars looking to break out with a big performance at the Scenic City Trios. David Ali is a student of Mr. Hughes at the WWA4 Wrestling School, debuting in 2016. He’s since become a solid young star with the likes of Georgia’s Southern Fried Championship Wrestling (SFCW) and Peachstate Wrestling Alliance (PWA), Alabama’s Southern Legacy Wrestling (SLW), as well as ACTION. 20-year old Alan Angels is another WWA4 grad, who works SFCW, CWF Mid Atlantic, ACTION and many more Southern indies. Ike Cross is another star from SFCW, Anarchy and ACTION, who competed in this year’s Scenic City Invitational Tournament. Three young and hungry wrestlers looking for a break out moment.
The Carnies (Kerry Awful, Nick Iggy & Tripp Cassidy)
Much like Team TAG, The Carnies aren’t here to represent any particular promotion, but instead, they come to preach the maniacal cult of the Carnies instead. For the past three years, The Carnies have consisted of Kerry Awful, Nick Iggy and Tripp Cassidy, and they’ve run amok throughout the North American indies. While usually it’s Awful and Iggy doing the bulk of the tag team work, Cassidy is no stranger to the fold. Mainstays with Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE), where they’ve previously held tag team gold, The Carnies have also worked with CHIKARA, Ring of Honor, Beyond Wrestling, AIW, NOVA Pro, and Indiana’s Pro Wrestling Freedom (PWF) to name a few.
Team NOVA (Logan Easton Laroux, Wheeler YUTA & Isaiah Frazier)
Representing Virginia’s NOVA Pro Wrestling is a three-man unit lead by another of 2018’s break out indie stars, Wheeler YUTA. Apart from NOVA Pro, YUTA is also a regular with Major League Wrestling (MLW), CHIKARA (as Sylverhawk) and Beyond Wrestling, and won this year’s Men’s Commonwealth Cup in NOVA Pro. His NOVA team also features Logan Easton LaRoux, who for years was better known as Race Jaxon of NRG (with Hype Rockwell). Following the breakup of NRG, Jaxon went solo, but now still competes as BLANK in the team The Nouveau Aesthetic (with Still Life With Apricots And Pears). But he’s really broken out under his Logan Easton LaRoux character the past two years, primarily with NOVA Pro. The final member of the trio is a relative newcomer, Isaiah Frazier, who works with Maryland’s CRAB Wrestling as well as NOVA Pro. This past June, Frazier had a huge opportunity, when he fought Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Team Iron Elbows (Brett Ison, Curt Stallion & O’Shay Edwards)
Team Iron Elbows showcases three more emerging stars from the South, lead by Curt Stallion, the current reigning Glory Pro Crown of Glory Champion. Considered one of the Southern indies bonafide stars, Stallion is finally breaking out of his territory with runs in AAW, Wrestling Revolver, Rockstar Pro, CZW and Ring of Honor. Brett Ison is one of the South’s best-kept secrets and the current reigning SUP Bonestorm Champion, having defeated Marko Stunt for the belt last week at SUP All Eyez on Me. O’Shay Edwards has only been in the business since 2015, but he’s making a huge name for himself in SFCW and SUP, amongst others.
Team WWA4 (Lee Johnson, James Bandy & Ashton Starr)
The World Wrestling Alliance 4 (WWA4) already has a few students in this tournament through Team Futures, but they’re sending a full trio as well, featuring three of their best students. Georgia’s Ashton Starr has been wrestling since 2014, working with WWA4’s promotion, as well as breaking out with PWA and SFCW, and he’s joined by two young recruits in Lee Johnson and James Bandy. A big opportunity for team WWA4 to show the world that they belong.
