wrestling / Video Reviews

Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling All Dude Review / High Five Academy 2009 Review

December 18, 2011 | Posted by TJ Hawke
7.3
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling All Dude Review / High Five Academy 2009 Review  

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

All Dude Review
Elyria, OH – 10.25.2009

Chris Dickinson vs. Hailey Hatred
Dickinson competed on the first four Evolve shows, but hasn’t been back there since. Hatred is a well-respected wrestler from the mid-west scene.

Hatred got an armbar early, but Dickinson was able to escape. Dickinson backed off chopping Hatred in the corner and the wrestlers chanted “Hit her like a dude!” Both Dickinson and Hatred were frustrated with Dickinson not hitting her. Dickinson finally snapped and started striking the shit out of Hatred, which made the wrestlers mark the fuck out. “CHOKE THAT BITCH” chants now. Hatred came back with kicks to the head, but Dickinson took her down with a kick to the head of his own. Dickinson hit a sliding clothesline: 1…2…NO! Dickinson went for a springboard elbow, but Hatred rolled out of the way and hit a big exploder suplex: 1…2…NO! This match is awesome. Hatred started slugging him, but Dickinson came back with a headbutt. BIG BOOT FROM HATRED: 1…2…NO! Hatred hit a Tiger Suplex: 1…2…NO! The wrestlers went nuts after that nearfall. Dickinson came back and hit a sweet Falcon Arrow: 1…2…NO! HATRED HIT A CUTTHROAT SUPLEX: 1…2…NO! THAT WAS SICK! More kicks from Hatred, but Dickinson eventually catches her and hits a big powerbomb: 1…2…NO! Dickinson backs off her and pounces with a HUGE LARIAT: 1…2…NO! Dickinson followed that up with a Fisherman Buster: 1…2…3! Apparently, that’s a move that Hatred regularly uses.

HOLY SHIT! This match ruled and every single show would be lucky to have a match like this open their show. This was like watching a PWG match where it’s all action and the crowd is going nuts the entire time. Once again, holy shit.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Dickinson attacked Hatred after the match, but Vincent Nothing ran in to save Hatred.

Faith In Nothing (Christian Faith & Vincent Nothing) vs. Island Kings (Jonny Mangue & Sean Maluta)
Mangue was making his Beyond debut here, but now he is one of their featured players. I’ve seen Faith in AAW, but this is my first time watching Nothing and Maluta.

Island Kings jumped Faith in Nothing before the match starts. Faith hits a sweet DVD on Maluta early, and F in N showed their sound double team work early. The Kings were able to isolate Nothing and work him over for a while. Mangue hit a standing shooting star headbutt and Maluta hit a frog splash, but Faith made the save. Nothing finally hit a German on Maluta, and then made the hot tag to Faith. F in N hit double DDTs, but the Kings came right back with stereo superkicks. The Kings then hit a Samoan Drop/BackStabber combo but Faith saved Nothing again. Faith then hit a discus forearm on Mangue: 1…2…3!

This was a well worked match. The Kings looked strong in their debut and had a lot of chemistry. A stronger comeback from Faith in Nothing after the heat segment would have made this match come off better though.
Match Rating: ***

Team Beyond (Chase Burnett & Zane Silver) vs. Young Studs (Eric Ryan and Bobby Beverly)
The Young Studs were the AIW Tag Champs at the time of this match.

Silver hit a leg lariat on Ryan, which made Ryan leave the ring. Burnett then hit a double knee press and a handspring back elbow on Beverly. Team Beyond followed that up with some tandem offense on the Studs. The Studs finally cut them off with stereo back body drops onto the turnbuckles. Ryan hit a pair of brainbusters on Silver: 1…2…no. The Studs started working over Silver after that. Silver had an awesome counter to a side slam into a rollup pin, but Ryan tapped out. The Studs were able to double team Silver though before he tagged out. Silver finally hit a big top rope dropkick and made a hot tag to Burnett. Burnett ran wild on the Studs and then hit a sommersault plancha. Silver followed that up with a twisting press to the floor. Back in the ring, Beverly hit a sick piledriver on Burnett, but Silver made the save. Burnett hit a double jump lionasault on Ryan, but Beverly made the save again. Beverly hit a sick swinging neckbreaker on Burnett. The Studs then hit the DOUBLE STOMP/GRINGO KILLER COMBO: 1…2…3. And so ended the life of Zane Silver (presumably).

Very fun match here. They may have had too many nearfalls, but they all worked their asses off here, and the end result definitely worked.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Chris Dickinson vs. Jonny Mangue
Yep, both men worked twice at this taping. It happens fairly frequently at Beyond from what I understand. Dickinson and Mangue are friends according to Denver Colorado and I know they would go on to be in a stable (Doom Patrol) together.

They started out on the mat, trading holds but neither man was able to get a clear advantage. Dickinson’s deranged personality adds so much to his matches. Eventually, they started striking the shit out of each other. Dickinson tried to choke out Mangue in the ropes, but Mangue came back and superkicked him out of the ring. They started brawling around the ring after that. Back in the ring, they went right back to trading strikes and big moves. Eventually, Mangue caught him with a Double A Spinebuster, and locked in Cloverleaf variation, but Dickinson made the ropes. Dickinson came back and hit a springboard elbow across the length of the ring. Dickinson injured his leg on the move though. Dickinson then immediately hit a Pump Handle Driver: 1…2…3!

The match was really good because they sold the idea that this match was a fight perfectly.
Match Rating: ***1/4

High Five Academy
Elyria, OH – 12.19.2009

This show was a single night, 8 person tournament. The competitors were: Louis Lyndon, Hailey Hatred, Corvis Fear, Flip Kendrick, Chris Dickinson, Eric Ryan, Joey “The Snake” & Luis Diamante.

Louis Lyndon vs. Hailey Hatred [Round One]
Hatred is still hated by all the wrestlers at ringside, much like at her match at the All Dude show.

They did a bunch of back and forth stuff early on. Not everything they did was smooth, but they still somehow managed to pull everything off. They started trading strikes until Lyndon got the advantage and started working over Hatred. Lyndon went for a Tornado DDT, but Hatred caught him with a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall. Hatred came back and hit a Yakuza kick, but Lyndon came back with a series of kicks. Hatred then caught him with a Cut Throat Suplex. They started trading forearms until Hatred got a rollup out of nowhere: 1…2…3!

Lyndon didn’t seem as willing to beat the shit out of Hatred as Dickinson was, so the wrestlers didn’t get behind him as much (check out the director commentary to understand why the wrestlers got behind Dickinson so much). What they did do was solid though, and they probably could have a much better match if they smoothed out the rough edges.
Match Rating: **1/2

Flip Kendrick vs. Corvis Fear [Round One]
They had a flip off before the match that Kendrick clearly won. Fear got the advantage early on and worked over Kendrick. Fear was ready for every single flip from Kendrick, which really put him over as intelligent. Kendrick finally took him down with a boot and then hit a series of a crazy …FLIPS on the Fear. Fear came back with a big German suplex and both men went down. Kendrick then hit an arm-trap DDT, but Fear hit a STO and a kip up Ace Crusher but Kendrick kicked out. Fear went for a lariat, but he walked into a package piledriver variation. Kendrick went for a 450, but Fear rolled out of the way. Fear then hit an inverted snapmare driver: 1…2…3

This was a good match because both guys played their roles well. Fear was overconfident (but not incapable) and Kendrick did…FLIPS!
Match Rating: **3/4

Chris Dickinson vs. Eric Ryan [Round One]
Ryan went for a triangle choke early, but Dickinson gave him a Rampage Powerbomb. Dickinson then started going for a Rings of Saturn submission, but Ryan escaped. They traded some rollup attempts in a sequence that looked pretty good. That ended when Dickinson gave him a Northern Lights release suplex. Dickinson got a cross arm-breaker, but Ryan made it to the ropes. Dickinson snapped and brought a chair into the ring. The referee threatened a disqualification if he used the chair, and Dickinson relented. Dickinson gave him some Kobashi Chops and then hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Dickinson then locked in a Tequilla Sunrise, and Ryan immediately tapped out.

The big take-home message of this match is that Dickinson was clearly tapping into something special around this time. It’s very disappointing that Evolve never found a way to best accentuate his talent.
Match Rating: **3/4

Luis Diamante vs. Joey “The Snake” [Round One]
Apparently these two are normally aligned together. I have never seen either of them before.

Diamante controlled the match early. Snake came back with a blockbuster and a legdrop. Snake missed a diving headbutt. Diamante took advantage and hit a running knee to win the match.

That was quick. Neither guy did anything to stand out to me. There was nothing inherently wrong with what they did, it just wasn’t that interesting.
Match Rating: ½*

Hailey Hatred vs. Corvis Fear [Round Two]
Fear tried to molest Hatred early, and she promptly gave him a backdrop driver. They started trading strikes after that until Hatred just threw him headfirst into the mat. Fear avoided one kick, but then ate a spin kick. Hatred then gave Fear a back senton on his face, which looked brutal (Hatred is how we say, bottom heavy). Fear came back with a snap Mic Check and a running Ace Crusher. Fear locked in a Dragon Sleeper, but Hatred made the ropes. Fear started working over Hatred after that. Hatred avoided another Ace Crusher and hit an Everest German Suplex. Hatred hit some strikes, but Fear caught her and gave her a Snapmare Driver: 1…2…NO! Hatred came back with a Tiger Suplex for a nearfall. Fear went for another Snapmare Driver, but Hatred hit a Fisherman Buster for a nearfall. Fear used the ref to shield himself, and then hit a headbutt and a springboard ace crusher: 1…2…3

This was a well worked match. Fear and Hatred both have a good presence and are sharp in their execution.
Match Rating: ***

Chris Dickinson vs. Luis Diamante [Round Two]
They immediately started to strike the shit out of each other. They wildly went back and forth with homerun strikes and big moves. Dickinson’s knee was still injured from the All Dude show, and that periodically affected him here. Diamante hit a big high angle backdrop driver, but Dickinson came back with a big lariat and falcon arrow. Dickinson kicked him in the head multiple times and that got the win. The referee somewhat screwed up the three count, and Dickinson attacked him.

This match was entertaining because they just went as hard as they could for the entire match. There was no real story, but I was entertained.
Match Rating: **3/4

Chris Dickinson vs. Corvis Fear [Final Round]
Some guy named The Duke is going to be the referee because Dickinson took out the ref at the last match.

These guys were jawing at each other to start the match. They did a strike sequence where they blocked everything the other person did. Fear got the first advantage and started working over Dickinson. Dickinson came back and got into the match again. They ended up on their knees trading strikes. Dickinson locked in a choke sleeper, but Fear escaped and hit a snapmare driver for a nearfall. Dickinson hurt his knee again, and The Duke put the match on hold. Fear checked on Dickinson, but Dickinson was playing opossum and hit a pumphandle driver: 1…2…3!

Good match that was made better by the continuing character development of Dickinson. His insane character seemed like it suited him perfectly. He would have fit in perfectly in ROH or Evolve but he never got a proper opportunity in Evolve to showcase his talent (and ROH has never taken a look at him from what I can tell). I hope Dickinson returns from injury soon and starts to work for Beyond again.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Chris Dickinson wins the High Five Academy Tournament and then leaves the building.

Bonus Features: Because this was one of the first weekends of tapings for Beyond, they did a retrospective “director’s commentary” (taped in late 2010-early 2011 I believe) as a special feature, just like you would find on a Movie DVD. The commentary was done by Beyond booker, Denver Colorado, and Chris Dickinson who are completely out of character and share very candid thoughts about the shows, the wrestlers on the show, and a host of other topics (like Dickinson’s run in Evolve). For a point of comparison, this would be like listening to a shoot commentary by Gabe Sapolsky and Bryan Danielson on one of the first Ring of Honor DVDs from 2002. This is an awesome feature that adds a lot to the viewing experience and the value of the DVD from perspective. If you buy the DVD, you should definitely watch it once with this bonus commentary on.

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

Be sure to follow 411mania on Twitter!
411mania
411 Wrestling
411 Movies/TV
411 MMA
411 Music
411 Games

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: Despite being one of the very first weekend of shows for Beyond, the promotion showed that they already found their "voice" and niche in the pro-wrestling world. This DVD delivers creative professional wrestling from artists given full freedom, and it was clearly highlighted by the rise of Chris Dickinson. The DVD feels even more special because of the exclusive Director's commentary that you don't see on many wrestling DVDs. I hope Beyond does more special features like that going forward because it makes the (already) unique promotion even more unique in a crowded professional wrestling world. If you are a fan of Beyond Wrestling, this is a must-own DVD for quality and historical purposes. If you have never bought a Beyond DVD, this is a good place to start. If you are looking to sample the Beyond product before you buy, I have organized a ton of free matches (and reviews) of their (and plenty of promotions') free matches at my blog here .
 
Final Score:  7.3   [ Good ]  legend

article topics

TJ Hawke

Comments are closed.