After The Pandemic put last year’s Scenic City Invitational on hold, the tournament is back and stronger than ever. This year’s SCI is a proverbial “who’s who” of talent; featuring the up and coming and established alike. Amid this field of contenders is Daniel Makabe, 2019’s winner and one of the best technical wrestlers in North America. With mounting momentum behind him, one could most certainly make a case for Daniel being the favorite to win it. At the same time, you could see that entering this year’s tournament as the previous winner paints a strong target on him.
I’m right there. Right dead in the center of the poster with the trophy visible over my shoulder. A photo that was literally taken within moments of me winning SCI in 2019 – so it seems silly to say that there won’t be some focus on Me. However, on the flip side, being so far removed from the South East and the whole IWTV universe in general over the course of the last 16 months…has allowed me to mostly lay pretty low. I think in some respects, I’m as big of an unknown or an underdog as I was going in to the tournament for the first time, 2 years ago.
Daniel entered the Scenic City Invitational for the first time in 2019 and went on to win the whole tournament. He defeated Tony Deppen and Slim J en route to a packed finals featuring AC Mack, O’Shay Edwards and former IWTV Champion, WARHORSE. With that tournament victory under his belt came experience that will surely suit him well going into his second SCI. Daniel relayed onto us some of the things he learned in his first SCI outing.
To not allow the promoters to book your incoming flight with a layover in Charlotte, NC. That’s a joke, and I’m not sure how well known of a story it is…In all seriousness, as much as I’m going to take this weekend really seriously and will put entirely too much pressure on myself to have some of my best in-ring performances (ever?), I’m going to do my best to remember to try and have fun. SCI weekend…has one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever experienced; especially when it comes to the intermingling of Fans & Wrestlers. The hospitality that I’ve been shown by the fans in the South East (as well as those travelling from abroad) is not something that’s lost on me and so I’m going to take whatever chance I get to soak it all in.
As mentioned at the start, there is a lot of talent entering this tournament. Its to the point where you could throw a dart at the poster and where it lands is as possible of a winner as the last. In such a tightly contested field, everyone surely has their eyes on a certain competitor as “the one to beat.” The one that has the strongest chances of winning the whole tournament.
I think it has to be Daniel Garcia, right? SCI does an amazing job of cultivating a talent pool of independent wrestlers; It’s certainly rooted in the South East but also manages to showcase some of the current “it” guys going today. If 2020 was Lee Moriarty’s year, then for my money 2021 is Daniel Garcia’s and I believe that he’s proven to be as close to “sure thing” on the Indies as anyone out there this year. He’s got such a bright future that will literally take him wherever he wants to go and I definitely want to mix it up with while I’m still afforded the opportunity to do so.
Before he can even think of locking up with Daniel Garcia, Makabe has to face roadblock in Round 1 in the form of Adam Priest. Priest has been setting the south ablaze over the past year in ACTION Wrestling and New South Pro Wrestling; as well as working in All Elite Wrestling. It was in New South where Adam won this year’s Heart of the Southern Sixteen (HOSS) tournament. With both men on a roll in tournament action, surely neither man will give an inch.
Adam is absurdly talented and someone who’s finally starting to get the opportunities and recognition that he deserves, despite his outwardly negative demeanor. He reminds me of a young Dynamite Kid (not in a bad way), if he was dropped off in the Deep South during the heart of the territory days and knew how to get heat, just by looking at someone the right way. I think there is definitely some notable differences in our styles but there’s a fair amount of common ground that we share and I can’t way to show the fans in attendance as well as everyone watching live on IWTV what we can do. That is of course, until I submit him in the middle of the ring that night.
While there is a diversity of styles and builds in this tournament, theres two things for certain. They want to win it all and to do so, they’ll have to go through multiple men for that trophy. Having taken the journey once before, its nothing new to Daniel. What will be is the potential competitors he’ll have to fight at once if he should reach the finals.
I was actually looking at the poster earlier today…I love this lineup and would be really happy and grateful to share a ring with anyone in the tournament…I really think whatever mix you end up with in the finals, it’s going to make for something interesting. There are some people that I’d love to wrestle because I think our styles will gel really well and I just respect the hell out of their work; the aforementioned Daniel Garcia, Jeremy Wyatt, Cabana Man Dan to name a few. But the two names that I think it would be criminal if I don’t get a chance to face off with at some point are the two that I have the most history with: Arik Royal, whom I of course had the match that was 3 Wrestlemania Weekends in the making this past April in Tampa and AC Mack, who I tapped out in the middle of that ring at Soddy-Daisy High School in 2019. Technicalities aside, the guy can’t seem to get over the fact that he lost 2 years ago and I think it’s time we finally answer whatever questions loom over the situation. I hope I get the chance to do so by submitting him once more and shutting him up, even if it’s only for a moment.
Only time and the competition will tell what the finals look like but we wish Daniel Makabe the best of luck in this tournament. You can follow Daniel Makabe on Twitter and Instagram @danielmakabe. You can also watch all the SCI action unfold on August 6th & 7th at 7:30 PM EST on IWTV. If you aren’t already subscribed to IWTV, you can sign up using promo code PWP.
