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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling About Time 2011 Review

December 17, 2011 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling About Time 2011 Review  

After running shows closed to fans since 2009, Beyond Wrestling finally opened their doors this past summer at their first “open” show, About Time.

For more info on Beyond Wrestling, check out their:
Website
Updated Wrestlers’ Win-Loss Standings
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube Page with Weekly Free Matches

My Interview with Leon St. Giovanni of Beyond Wrestling
My Reviews of Selected Free Beyond Matches
My review of Beyond Wrestling’s Tournament for Tomorrow that will soon be put on Youtube for free.

July 23, 2011
Danbury, CT

Your commentator is Denver Colorado

Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Player Dos) vs. Aeroform (Flip Kendrick & Louis Lyndon)
Both teams have been around for a while and have improved a lot since the first few times that I saw them a couple years back.

All the wrestlers are out and acting like this show is the biggest party ever. Kendrick hit a series of incredible arm drags on Dos, which allowed Aeroform to be in control early. Uno finally tagged in and hit a neckbreaker on Lyndon. SSB worked over Lyndon for a while, but Kendrick made a hot tag and ran wild on Dos. Aeroform followed that up with stereo Asai Moonsaults on the SSB. Aeroform hit an awesome double team sequence on Dos, but Dos somehow kicked out. Uno saved Dos from further damage, but he ate a kick from Lyndon and a standing shooting star from Kendrick: 1…2…NO! Aeroform then took some double team moves from SSB, but they survived that onslaught. Kendrick escaped a Gory Special and hit a Code Red: 1…2…NO! Kendrick hit an Inverted 450 Senton, but Dos made the save. Dos then gave Lyndon a DDT on the ring apron. Kendrick tried to hit a reverse hurricanranna on Dos, but Dos escaped. SSB then hit Kendrick with their double team finisher: Gory Special—Diving Somersault Cutter on Kendrick: 1…2…3!

Fantastic opener to get the crowd into the show. Everyone looked great here, and this has been one of my favorite matches that I have seen from both teams. No need to say anything else.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Cut to Jon Harder with Leon St. Giovanni berating Denver Colorado and all of Beyond Wrestling for being unprofessional. Denver then says that if he wants trouble then, Giovanni is getting an impromptu match with a standby wrestler…

Leon St. Giovanni w/ Jon Harder vs. “The Juice” JT Dunn
To learn more about the angle going on here, check out my 411 interview with Leon St. Giovanni himself! #Plug

Giovanni immediately took it to Dunn and overwhelmed him in the early part of the match. The crowd was alternately chanting “Fuck you Leon” and “Fuck you Harder.” Dunn finally avoided a Stinger Splash and hit a rolling kick, a la Johnny Gargano. The crowd loved Dunn’s comeback. Dunn hit a big Frog Splash, but Harder put Giovanni’s foot on the ropes to stop the count. That distracted Dunn, and Giovanni hit a flipping STO: 1…2…NO! They started some big strikes in the middle of the ring, much to the delight of the crowd. Dunn avoided a big kick from Giovanni and hit a swinging neckbreaker. Dunn went to the top rope, and Harder threw his jacket at him. Giovanni then back raked Dunn and hit an Awful Waffle out of the corner: 1…2…3!

Really strong, if short, match that had the crowd rocking. These two are surprisingly crisp in the ring, but their biggest assets is their ability to get the crowd into the action. Good stuff all around.
Match Rating: **3/4

Aaron Epic vs. Amber
The two immediately start striking the shit out of each other. They quickly ended up on the floor, trading some more strikes. Amber dodged a chop, and Epic chopped the ring post by mistake. They rolled back into the ring, and Amber hit a neckbreaker for a nearfall. They traded some more big strikes. Epic hit his Fastball punch, but Amber kicked out! Epic hit another punch and a 2K1 Bomb variation for the win.

Short and Sweet. These two had the crowd rowdy the entire time, and as a result, this match was a lot of fun to watch. Amber reminded me of Sara Del Rey in that she carries herself as someone who is capable of hanging with men. Epic looked good as usual. Good stuff.
Match Rating: **3/4

Academy of Anatomy (Nick Talent & Mark Angel) vs. Team TREMENDOUS (Dan Barry & Ken Scampi) vs. D.U.I. (Anthony Stone & William Thorne) vs. Connecticut Superstars (Dave Cole & J-Busta)
In this match, the winning team will get 3 points and the rest of teams will get nothing.

A lot of action to start the match as expected. The first real highlight was when Barry hip tossed everyone including his partner and the referee. After that, they did a fun everyone dive to the floor sequence. The sequence ended when Barry Super DVDed Cole to the floor on everyone. Team TREMENDOUS then hit the Doomsday Sliced Bread #2 on Angel but someone made the save. The teams started taking turns hitting big moves on each other after that one. Eventually, Talent and Angel hit a double team backbreaker on Anthony Stone to get the win.

The match kind of died when the Doomsday Sliced Bread #2 didn’t end the match. Everything before that was really fun, but there was little heat for the parade of finishers (none of which looked as cool as the Doomsday Sliced Bread #2). They all worked hard though.
Match Rating: **3/4

RD Evans vs. Jarek 1:20
Jarek comes out to Katy Perry’s “ET,” which makes him a winner in my book no matter what. He’s also a magician and an illusionist, which should obviously be to his advantage in physical combat. I love wrestling.

Evans attacks Jarek before the bell. Evans says that he is going to beat him in a minute and twenty seconds. Evans failed. They ended up on the floor and Jarek sent Evans into a ring post to get back into the match. Jarek disappeared underneath the ring, and then popped back up and sent playing cards into Evans’s face. Jarek followed that up with a flagpole press and a superkick. Evans came back with a running forearm and by repeatedly sending Jarek into the ring apron. They got back into the ring. Jarek tried to come back but he ran into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker from Evans. Jarek got some offense in, but Evans cut him off again, this time with an exploder suplex into the corner. Evans went for another backbeaker, but Jarek escaped and hit a half-nelson suplex. They started trading strikes in the middle of the ring, until Jarek got a nearfall with a tornado DDT. Jarek set up for a super hurricanranna, but Evans crotched him. Evans then hit a SUPER URANAGI BACKBREAKER: 1…2…NO! Jarek tried to comeback, but Evans hit a torture rack backbreaker: 1…2…NO! Jarek then hit a Butt Pedigree (exactly how it sounds), but Evans kicked out. Jarek went for another move but Evans hit an Arm Trap Tombstone Piledriver.

I love Evans and Jarek has looked good from I what I have seen of him in Beyond, but this was a case of wrestlers having a match planned out in the back and not adjusting to the crowd. If this match was one of the first two or three matches of the night, it may have been the best match on the show, but the crowd really brought down so that it was just good.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Throwbacks (Sugar Dunkerton & Dasher Hatfield) vs. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (Darius Carter & TJ Marconi)
The Throwbacks are known primarily for their work in Chikara, where they recently challenged for the tag titles.

Carter and Hatfield did a lot of mat work to start. Dasher got the advantage and Carter tagged out. Sugar hit a series of armdrags on Marconi. Carter was annoyed so he tagged in only to eat an armdrag himself. Sugar and Carter started dancing, which prompted a “That shit’s racist” chant from the crowd. Marconi and Hatfield tagged in and Marconi eventually got the advantage, which allowed LofRaF to get the heat on Hatfield for a little bit. Sugar and Carter tagged in and started trading strikes on the outside. Carter sent Sugar into a ring post and he and Marconi then got the heat on Sugar. Carter got distracted jawing with Hatfield, and Sugar came back with a huge lariat. Hatfield made a tag and ran wild on Marconi. The Throwbacks hit a big double team move on Carter, but Marconi made the save. Marconi then gave The Thowbacks a double chokeslam. Carter then hit a suicide dive on The Throwbacks. Marconi and Carter set up for a Doomsday Device move on Hatfield, but Hatfield rolled through to get the win!

This was a good match, but much like the previous match, it suffered from crowd exhaustion. Both teams worked their asses off though and the end product (also like the last match) was still worthwhile. Every time I see The Throwbacks, I become more and more impressed. They have gotten loads better and I am glad Beyond gave them a big spotlight.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Cockstrong Carnival Gauntlet
Johnny Cockstrong is a wrestler with an invincible, magic cock. He defeats opponents with it. He has the best record in Beyond. He arranged this Carnival to give other wrestlers who like fun a showcase.

Cecil Nyx and Tuck Hanson start us off. Cecil got a nearfall early with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Tuck avoided a Vader Bomb, and then hit an arm trap Olympic Slam to get the win.

Glaad Badd entered next. The wrestlers said he was from “Butt Fuck” city I believe. Tuck dropkicked Badd into the crowd early, but Badd came back with a Shining Cock. Tuck hit an Everest German for a nearfall, but Badd came back with a rollup to get the win.

Veda Scott was out next. She is a product of the ROH training school. Badd decided to not compete. I think he is doing a gimmick where he is someone who only wrestles so that he can touch guys. I say this because as soon as Stan Styles came out next, Badd wanted to rejoin the match. Badd wasn’t allowed to, so Veda and Styles went at it. Veda got some offense in, but Styles quickly won with a running palm strike to the face.

Addy Star was in next and she immediately grabbed Styles by the balls, and gave him a crotch slam. Addy got disqualified for that. She started kicking Styles more and then shoved a banana in his mouth. Finally, she gave him a brutal sliding D. Everyone approved of that.

Steve “The Turtle” Weiner was next, but he literally SLIPPED ON THE BANANA PEAL! Weiner fell on his shell, and couldn’t get up, as turtles are wont to do. Styles got the win!

Josh Thor is next. He punches The Turtle in the head to the delight of everyone. Styles got all the early offense, but Thor blocked Styles’s palmstrike and then forearmed him in the head to get the win. That forearm looks sick.

Fredo Majors (of the CZW training school) was out next. Thor and Fredo screamed at each other and then traded some big moves. Fredo gave him a Mark Henry style splash, but Thor kicked out at 2. Thor gave Fredo the knockout forearm, but Fredo kicked out! The reaction to that kickout was huge. Thor gave him another forearm and that gives him the win. Thor wins the Carnival.

This was silly but quite fun. Most importantly, this match was exactly what the crowd needed at this point to get back into the show.
Match Rating: Fun

The Pitboss attacked Thor after the match, which lead into the next match…

Mat Fitchett vs. Jonny Mangue (w/ The Pitboss)
Mangue and Pitboss used to be a part of the Doom Patrol with Chris Dickinson, but Dickinson has been out with an injury for a few months. Fitchett is a really athletic high flyer.

Mangue controlled the match early on. Fitchett got some offense in, and went for a headscissors takedown, but Mangue reversed it into a backbreaker. Mangue locked in his triangle choke, but Fitchett escaped and locked in a Boston crab. Mangue escaped and took Fitchett down again. Fitchett came back with a headscissors and a nice dropkick. Mangue cut him off with a Baldo Bomb though. Mangue hit a neckbreaker, but FItchett avoided the rolling headbutt, and hit a standing shooting star press. Mangue came right back with a Finlay roll. Fitchett came back and set up for a top rope shooting star press, but The Pitboss distracted him. Fitchett went for the shooting star again, but Mangue got his knees up – Mangue transitioned that into a small package for the win.

In a lot of ways, these two come across as two of the more polished guys on the roster, but the lack of story made this feel like more of an exhibition. I would like to see them have a longer match though as they seemed to have good chemistry.
Match Rating: **3/4

After the match, The Pitboss goes after Fitchett, but Mangue pulls him off, saying that he has already won. I’m really enjoying the Jonny Mangue gradual face turn story (despite the fact that I have watched it happen out of order).

Team Cockstrong (Johnny Cockstrong, Corvis Fear, Chase Burnett, Zane Silver) vs. Team Vega (Davey Vega, Gary Jay, Pierre Abernathy, Evan Gelistico)
This is a Captain’s match. The match can only end when either Cockstrong or Vega is pinned. For everyone else in the match, they can earn points by pinning someone else during the match, but that won’t end the match. Davey Vega doesn’t like that Cockstrong doesn’t take wrestling super serious, which is the main issue between these two men. Unofficially, this is a fight for the “spirit” of Beyond Wrestling.

Burnett seemed to get a 3 count with a backslide on Gelistico early, but the referee didn’t count “3.” Denver Colorado questions whether it was possible that Vega paid off the ref. Silver caught Gary Jay in a Triangle Choke early, and Jay immediately tapped out, so that is a point for Silver. Pierre Abernathy tagged in but he ran away and got counted out instead of facing Corvis Fear. That’s a win for Corvis Fear. Cockstrong then hit a dive on all of Team Vega. Silver and Burnett then hit some double team moves on Vega. Fear tagged back in and forearmed Vega down. Cockstrong tagged in and he and Fear double teamed Vega. Team Vega then quadrupled teamed Cockstrong to get the advantage and they started working him over for a while. Cockstrong finally came back with a flying Crotch Butt. Fear tagged in and ran wild on Team Vega. Cockstrong hit a Shining Cock, but Abernathy saved Vega. Silver hit a big sequence of moves on Jay, but he still managed to kick out. Cockstrong shoved Vega’s head in his tights and gave him a Cock Piledriver, but Gelistico made the save. Fear took Vega to the top rope, but Vega threw him on everyone on the floor. Vega and Cockstrong went to the top rope, and Cockstrong gave him a Schweign on the top turnbuckle! THAT WAS SICK! The ref was not there though, and R.D. Evans ran in and gave Cockstrong an arm-trap tombstone piledriver: 1…2…3! TEAM VEGA WINS!

I really enjoyed this match and it made perfect sense as the first main event for a Beyond show with live fans. Cockstrong is the epitome of what Beyond is supposed to be about, and Vega’s team is a perfect enemy for that value system. Entering R.D. Evans into the mix makes it all the better.
Match Rating: ***1/2

You can buy this show and other Beyond shows at Smart Mark Video for $15

or

You can buy this show and other Beyond shows (w/o disc art or cover art) at the Beyond store for $10

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to Twitter or at my email address: [email protected]. If you are a wrestling personality who would like to be interviewed by 411mania, you can also contact me in either of those ways.

PLUGS!

Be sure to check out some of my past 411 Interviews

Kevin Steen Part 1 & Part 2
Eddie Edwards
Johnny Gargano
Mike Quackenbush
Nigel McGuinness
Lance Hoyt/Vance Archer/Lance Archer
Adam Cole
Gran Akuma

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For all of my interviews (like TJ Perkins , Steve Corino , Davey Richards , Jimmy Rave , Joey Ryan , Kyle O’Reilly , AR Fox , etc.) before 411mania, check out my Road to Mania Blog (where I still do stuff like Wrestlemania Build coverage, Wrestling DVD reviews, movie/TV reviews and more).

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.

The 411: This was a really strong first "live" show for Beyond. The atmosphere of having wrestlers and fans in the crowd truly makes for an unique experience on DVD (and live too, I would presume). All the matches were varying degrees of good, and a lot of performers are either ready for more work in other promotions, or are ready to get a breakout opportunity in ROH, PWG, etc. If you have never seen Beyond before, this is the place to start. It's missing the special guest matches at their second live show, but the atmosphere is better here overall. I think if Beyond can combine the unique atmosphere of this show with the special guests of Back in Flesh, they would have the makings of a fantastic show.
 
Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]  legend

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TJ Hawke

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