It’s a simple fact at this point: no one has had a more dominant year in Southern Underground Pro than Brett Ison. He’s mean, he’s nasty, and he may use what is in my opinion excessive violence to get the job done. But, there’s no denying that the results are successful. He was the runner-up in our Wrestling MVP voting, but his march on The Carnies commanded so much respect that our readership voted it SUP’s ‘Feud of the Year’ in the 2018 SoBros Wrestling Awards.
The 2018 SoBros Network Awards were voted on in October of 2018. The polls were open to anyone with the link, and hundreds of people cast their ballot. Over the course of the next couple of days, we will be announcing the recipients of all of our wrestling awards, our Best of Nashville awards, and most importantly, SoBro of the Year. So, stay tuned!
It started back in April, when Ison defeated Kerry Awful. Awful had just wrestled a match against Mr. Brickster, when Ison hit the ring and dismantled him. Some would argue that the tactic was underhanded, but again, you can’t argue with the results. In June, Ison managed to defeat Nick Iggy in a match that was much more competitive. That left only Tripp Cassidy, who lost to Ison at August’s Not Problematic.
What followed, though, was something much more heinous. That wasn’t the end for Ison – he, O’Shay Edwards, and Curt Stallion hit the ring at the conclusion of Not Problematic and laid one of the worst beat downs I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring on The Carnies. That event was dubbed the ‘Music City Murders,’ and it led to the penultimate showdown between Ison and The Carnies: a six-man tag at Don’t Look in the Basement East that saw Ison (and Edwards) put away The Carnies for good.
I think there are three things that made this feud so special. First, this was the cream of the crop in Tennessee wrestling duking it out for state supremacy. On one side, you have Ison, the current Bonestorm Champion, who has left a path of destruction all across the mid-state. On the other side, you have The Carnies who have largely been considered the flag bearers for Tennessee wrestling for years now. Awful is even known as ‘the heart and soul of Tennessee wrestling’ for crying out loud. It’s been a while since we had such a strong blood feud between strong representatives of the Volunteer State, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in that – it’s something the SUP team should be very proud of for organizing, even if it did nearly get three men killed.
Second, it was just so personal. Because of the in-state rivalry, it meant that all of these guys had a rich history together. It finally boiled over. There were no championships involved. This wasn’t “the Tennessee guy” taking on the “big indie star.” No, this was home-grown hatred and drama the likes of which you won’t find on many shows.
Finally, Ison’s dominance was rare. I mean, how often do you get a feud where one guy wins all the matches? That’s exactly what Ison did, though, and it’s precisely what made it so eyebrow-raising – he went 4-0 against The Carnies. That’s historic – it’s one of those things we’ll eventually look back on as a launching pad for Ison’s career.
Here’s how the voting broke down:
- Brett Ison vs. The Carnies – 58.8%
- Mr. Brickster vs. Teddy King – 18.6%
- A.J. Gray vs. Curt Stallion – 16.9%
Like everything else Ison won this year, he did so in dominant fashion. The 58.8% of voting he earned here was the most lopsided victory of all the SoBros Awards this year, wrestling or otherwise. Our guy Mose told the story of Ison’s 2018 campaign, Carnie by Carnie:
I also reached out to Mose regarding this announcement, to which he replied:
The Circus is over and to think Brett Ison’s annihilation of the group didn’t play a part in that is laughable. Brett’s 2018 has been absolutely sensational but those victories over The Carnies felt like they meant just a little more to The Pitbull.
Read more about Ison’s killer year here, and buy a ‘Street Justice’ t-shirt while you’re at it.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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