In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Jamesen Shook (@jshook_75) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell) to discuss his upcoming show, Night Zero, including giving in-depth analysis for every match, as well as opening up about his rivalry with Hunter Drake, Anakin Murphy’s growth, and his post-match attack on Shean Christopher. Watch it in its entirety down below.
Let’s jump right into it. On Thursday night, July 17th, in Red Bank, TN, you will be hosting your next show, “Night Zero.” What can fans expect heading into this one?
“Well, 7:30 pm, you’re going to get a lot of variety of wrestling, and I mean that so literally. It’s not just going to be one of those things where they’re like ‘Oh, you’ll get a tag match, you’ll get some Lucha, you’ll get some high-flying, you’ll get a technical prowess.” No. You’re getting a No Rope, Barbed Wire match, Knockout or Submission, Coffin, an eight-person ladder match, like you’re getting a variety of so many different types of wrestling and so many different types of wrestlers in different types of wrestling matches. That’s something I always appreciate about my own shows. I’m lucky enough to do so many different kinds of wrestlers that when you put two different styles in a match, it’s normally awesome. So, that’s what you can look forward to. All the different styles, playing to the different stipulations, and it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun.”
Was there anything different for you when it came to booking this show and putting it together than in previous shows we’ve seen?
“For sure. Again, this is SCI. This is the biggest weekend, not just in the south, but in some cases, all of independent wrestling. This is the biggest weekend. So, opening that weekend, you have to open it strong. For the first time, I’m going to open it. I feel like I put a good enough card together. I feel like everyone who’s on this show could easily open SCI weekend and have a banger. That’s how I feel. There’s a lot more pressure on this one, but I love pressure, so I’m okay with this.”
I want to run down the card and get your thoughts on some of these matches. Starting with the main event, the Hellevation Deathmatch. You will be battling one of the hottest up-and-comers in the deathmatch scene, Nino Extremo. What’s your mindset heading into this one?
“Just do the dumbest sh*t possible. Do the dumbest stuff possible. It’s a match that has been booked since December of last year. This match has been on my paper for a long time. I have this list on my notes, and I remember seeing it last ended with a December date, with the most recent one I had, Nino & I. But, no, I’m excited. It’s going to be cool to do my match on my show, and add a little bit more element to it than I normally would, and just go hard. When it’s my shows, I go hard because this is WrestleMania for me. So, I have to go hard on my shows. So, I’m really looking forward to that.”
We will also see Sean Campbell battle Lil Sicko in a Deathmatch. What can fans expect here, and why did you choose these two to go at it?
“That was the second match I booked for this show. The first was Nino & I, the second was Sean & Sicko… Well, these are two guys who can do more than just deathmatch. Some people will hear this about Sicko and just go, “What?” They’re both extremely high-risk when it comes to wrestling. Both of them. They can do the running shooters, they can do the shooters, they can do the spinal taps, and they can add the element of the deathmatch in there. Seeing them go at it and maybe doing some really dumb things, that’s what I love, the really dumb things, that shit gets people excited. What stupid stuff are we about to see between Sean Campbell and Lil Sicko?”
Next up, a Boards of Death Bullrope match between Big Dave Weaver and John Wayne Murdoch. What can we expect from this one?
“This is one of those lowkey ones, where it’s like, Dave has never done a deathmatch. This is probably the closest you’ll ever see him to doing a deathmatch. But, to go into an SCI weekend where there are people who think Dave is going to win the tournament, but you have to open the weekend with someone like John Wayne Murdoch, who now, on Night 1, has an IWTV title match with Mance Warner. So, John’s going to be way more motivated than ever. Now, it’s like, Dave, you got this whole weekend where you want to wrestle in this tournament, but after Night Zero, are you even going to be able to survive Night 1? Are you even going to be able to survive Night Zero? You know what I mean? So, this one is interesting to me. This is one that I’m looking forward to maybe the most, second most for sure.”
In a Fans Bring The Weapons match, Tank will battle Dimitri Alexandrov. This is going to be an absolute HOSS fight. What do you think fans can be on the lookout for in this one?
“So, it’s a match that’s never happened, and I always like to pride myself on matches that never happened. It’s the same thing with John & Dave, Sicko & Sean, Nino & I, and now we have Dimitri & Tank. I always love doing the first-time ever matches. But, I already have people messaging me asking what they can and can’t bring for Fans Bring The Weapons? My biggest thing is just don’t bring a firearm, anything else is fine. I don’t care what people bring. We’ll obviously have people look it over and see if it’s severely unsafe or not. But, anything but firearms or an explosive, and that’s fine.”
We will also see a “Chairs, Chairs, and More Chairs” match, as Anakin Murphy & Gary Jay take on Talladega Knights in what’s going to be a super fun tag match. What are your thoughts on this one?
“So, I guess people are assuming it’s just going to be a bunch of steel chairs. No, no, no, no. It’s going to be anything you can sit on that is eligible. Anything you can sit on and call a chair is eligible. We’re going to have some lawn chairs, steel chairs, and some of those famous media center chairs. I’m working to get a park bench right now; hopefully, I can get one. That’s what to expect from this one.”
Obviously, we’ve seen Anakin Murphy crushing it in deathmatch wrestling on the likes of promotions like GCW. What have been your thoughts on seeing all he’s done in the early part of his career?
“It makes me really happy knowing that that’s one of my best friends in wrestling, and just seeing his rise, to me, has been so cool. It’s legitimately one of the most badass ones I’ve ever seen. It’s how Anakin Murphy’s rise is happening right now. I love that dude, and he’s killing it. I’m so happy for him.”
In what may be one of the most violent matches of the night, we will see a No Ropes, Barbed Wire match between Saul Wright and Izzy Byrum. What can we expect here?
“This is the one I was talking about earlier when I said Dave & Murdoch is the second most one I’m excited for. This is the one I’m the most excited for. These two have had a feud for over a year now, involving TWE, New South, and basically all over the southeast. This is the final culmination of it. They are the first match of the entire weekend, so they are the tone setter for the entire weekend. That’s why I’m looking forward to this match, and I think it will be awesome. There’s that too, but them being the tone setter, I’m excited for that.”
You’ve been in a Barbed Wire Baptism most recently with Hunter Drake for the TWE Undisputed Championship. What was this match like for you?
“I love when people can just bring out that animalistic side of themselves in a barbed wire match or a deathmatch in general. Like, I love watching people have their first deathmatches. I, in no means, was Hunter’s first deathmatch, but I love seeing the other side of people when they get into a deathmatch realm that they’re never really used to. That was pretty cool for me.”
Seeing him grow, what has your story been like with Hunter? What has it been like to work with him?
“I mean, although he’s a little bit of an asshole, he’s probably one of my favorite wrestlers to wrestle with on the indies. He might be my best rival. Other than Erron Wade, he might be my best rival. Probably. So, that’s always cool when you can find someone in wrestling and be like, ‘yeah, that’s my best rival, that’s the guy I love to wrestle the most.’ That’s the guy who brings the best out of me. He brings the best out of me. I’d like to think that I can bring the best out of him, too. That’s what I enjoy about wrestling, Hunter.”
Women will also be taking center spotlight as Ravenna Vein will battle Davina Thorne in a Coffin match. What went into planning this one?
“Well, it was one of those things that fell perfectly into my lap. Ravenna is somebody that I wanted to have on the show for the longest time. Ravenna is extremely good. Why wouldn’t you book a good wrestler? That seems pretty sane to me, booking a good wrestler. Then, I needed to find an opponent. Discovering who Davina Thorne is and the kind of wrestler she is, she’s the perfect opponent. There are also two people who are the future of this for SCI. That’s going to be pretty cool, and that’s going to be interesting to me.”
Ravenna Vein is a mainstay of the southeast scene and someone who’s on the rise. What are your thoughts on seeing her do all that she is and grow tremendously?
“Ravenna, so I had her debut, technically, at TWE, at Crash Course. Seeing the wrestler she has become since then is mind-boggling, and it’s awesome. It’s incredible to see where she started and where she is now. She’s been in wrestling for a long time, but she hasn’t been wrestling for a long time. Seeing how she’s grown has been pretty cool to me. That’s pretty cool. That’s someone to me who, in like two years, hitch your wagon to Ravenna Vein right now. In two years, everyone will know, yeah, you’re just on the bandwagon, buddy. Join right now, because Ravenna Vein is so good… She’s way more than just a manager.”
Davina Thorne, in her own right, is incredibly talented. What made you reach out to her to be the perfect opponent for Ravenna in this coffin match?
“It’s cool because it’s new blood for the TWE arena. It’s also cool because she’s been establishing her own identity. She hasn’t been in wrestling long at all, Davina Thorne. I believe she’s been wrestling for maybe a little over a year, a little under two years, something like that. It’s always cool to get that fresh blood for the TWE, and it’s always cool to be like, “Here’s your TWE debut, here’s your Red Bank debut.” Now, you’re like, debuting on the opening show this weekend that you’re also involved in. It feels cool to see her show out.”
We will also see a King of the Mountain match between King Lee, Shean Christopher, Erron Wade, Eddie Hindrixx, El Jefe Rolando, and three others to be announced. What can we expect from this chaotic one, and what can you tell us about the three names that aren’t announced yet?
“It’s going to be one of the most insane matches I’ve ever booked, that’s for sure. It’s by far one of the most insane matches I’ve ever booked. I love stupid stipulations in wrestling. King of the Mountain is by far one of the worst stipulations in wrestling, maybe ever. That’s why I booked it. It’s so stupid, but I think it’s fun. That’s why I’m going to have some fun… Nobody is going to expect them, so I’ll say that. There are definitely three names where it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t think I’d see you here.’ Maybe one of them you’ll be like, ‘Oh, well that makes sense.’ But the other two, okay, that’s cool. I’m excited for the mysteries.”
Last but not least, we will see a Knockout or Tapout match between Kasey Owens and Damon Stryker. What went into this one?
“For me, Kasey Owens is just one of the best wrestlers in the southeast, that’s just a fact. But Damon Styrker is always that guy who has a sleeper match on every single show, and sneakily has the best match on every single show. Even on the shows that I’ve had, he and MM3 had a sleeper that was awesome. He and Brett Isom, that was awesome. So, he and Kasey, knockout or tapout, now for the Gig City Championship because Styrker is the Gig City Champion, it should be interesting. I think it will be fun. I think it will be very fun.”
Looking at all the matches we just spoke about, not including yours, which three would you say steal the show?
“Sicko & Campbell can steal the show, 100%. The second one, John and Dave. Come on. Third would be no-rope barbed wire.”
Are there any underrated ones that come to your mind that people may not be talking about yet, but will when the show is over?
“Ravenna and Davina. I don’t think anyone has honed in on that one, but that one will be really good.”
At the end of the last TWE show, you attacked Shean Christopher. What went into this, and do you have an explanation for that?
“I really don’t. Just stay out of my business, Shean, that’s my only advice. Stay out of my business, and you won’t get a brick thrown at your head. I’m sorry, you know? I mean, come on now.”
Do you have any future goals?
“I do have some cool deathmatch stuff lined up for the rest of the year. I’m excited for the match with Mr. Danger at ACTION, and I’m excited for the match at Blood & Honey with Sean Campbell. This was announced literally yesterday, I’m excited for Tim Bosby & I against Lil Sicko & Nick Gage. I’m excited for that. Everything is on the up right now, and hopefully we can keep it on the up. Right now, I’m on a roll I haven’t been on in a while, but right now, being back on it, it’s nice. I don’t want to lose this… Personally, I’d like to get back on GCW. That’d be fun. I’d like to do more deathmatches there. I just want to keep doing deathmatches. A lot of people get ashamed when they see the scars on their bodies. I’m more ashamed that I don’t have many. I just want more scars. It gives me memories to remember. I can’t remember much, but when I see my scars, I remember. It’s weird. But, more deathmatches, get back on GCW, and hopefully get more NHB. I love the chains. Have a deathmatch tournament at some point. Do one. Do another one.”
Anyone specific you’d like to share the ring with?
“I think mostly Reed Bentley. I’d like to do that one. Tank in a deathmatch would be cool. It’s tough because I’ve done them already. I just did Eric Ryan.”