PWX Is Also Doing a Late Summer Tournament in the South

Moose is making the tournament rounds this summer Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

The Scenic City Invitational will not be the only tournament being run in Southern states this summer. Pro Wrestling Xperience, one of North Carolina's two biggest-name independent promotions, will be trying its hand at a 16-man single elimination tournament about a month after the SCI runs. If you're in Winston-Salem for VapeMania XV, then you'll be able to attend the X16 Tournament, a two-day extravaganza, on September 5 and 6.

Five names have been announced for the fray so far. Two of them will also be appearing for the SCI, Moose and Gunner. Two more are North Carolina standouts-turned-national names thanks to appearances in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Combat Zone Wrestling. The first is Andrew Everett, whose aerial pyrotechnics make nearly everyone else's look pedestrian, and the second is Trevor Lee, who is on a short list of guys who could dethrone Roderick Strong for the PWG Championship. The fifth name is internationally known high flyer extraordinaire, Ricochet, who might be the biggest unsigned name in pro wrestling right now (seeing as AJ Styles and the Young Bucks appear regularly for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Ricochet has only appeared for NJPW in spot duty so far).

On one hand, the timing seems dubiously close to the organization and announcement of the SCI, but on the other, it's happening a month after the first tourney. Plus, it's not like tournaments are necessarily an innovative thing. They are, however, crowd-pleasing events, especially when they happen over the course of one weekend. While I expect more than a few local PWX/North Carolina locals to populate the field, I also expect more flash with the guest announcements. PWX has booked several name indie guys over the years including Kevin Steen, the Bucks, Adam Cole, the American Wolves, Roderick Strong, and Johnny Gargano to name a few. However, while this tournament is spaced from the SCI, it will run counter to King of Trios, which is happening the same weekend in Easton, PA.

Regardless, I expect the tournament to live up to the standards set by the wrestlers announced and PWX itself. The only thing that bugs me is that it's being held at a vaping convention. Yeah, vape culture creeps me out a bit, but then again, a lot of hardcore cultures creep me out, including some subcultures within wrestling. Either way, if you can stand being around people blowing water vapor with flavored oils all around, head up to Winston-Salem and check it out.