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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling Crises Precipitate Change 2011

April 17, 2012 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling Crises Precipitate Change 2011  

November 19-20, 2011.
North Andover, MA

Commentator: Denver Colorado

Johnny Cockstrong cuts a promo in the back. He says that he has more pull in Beyond now that he is the wins leader. He says he missed Beyond’s last show, Back in Flesh, so he has set up a four-way with a bunch of other guys who missed that show. He fails to mention the match that is opening the DVD.

AR Fox vs. Johnny Cockstrong
Before this match, Fox had previously wrestled two other matches in Beyond, one against ACH and one against RD Evans. Both are two of the best matches in Beyond’s history. As previously mentioned, Cockstrong is the wins leader of Beyond (greatest win-loss differential).

Cockstrong threatens Fox with his cock early, which forces Fox to seek safety in the ropes. Cockstrong tried to stuff Fox in his pants early, but Fox escaped and booted a seated Cockstrong in the face. Fox hit a slingshot dropkick, but Cockstrong came back with a pencil cock. They went to the floor where Cockstrong spinned Fox around in a desk chair. Cockstrong followed that up with a flying shining cock off the ring apron. Fox came right back with a suicide cross-body. Fox then went to the other ring in the room and hit a somersault plancha. Fox hurt himself on that one by the looks of it. Fox put Cockstrong back in the ring and went for a springboard frogsplash, but Cockstrong got his knees up. Cockstrong went for a top-rope Schweign, but Fox escaped and hit a super kick. Fox went for Lo Mein Pain, but Cockstrong blocked that. Fox was dead after that, which allowed Cockstrong to easily give him the In-The-Pants Piledriver: 1…2…3!

This was a great opener for this DVD. They didn’t go for all that long, but every move meant something for the match and for the crowd. Fox fits in at Beyond like a glove. He should be brought back as often as possible.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Nick Talent vs. Doug Summers
They started the match by trading holds. Summers got the first advantage by going after Talent’s left arm. Talent escaped more damage by going to the floor. Summers met him there and they started brawling around the ring. Talent drove Summers into the ring post and then hit a diving Pay Dirt off the ring apron. Back in the ring, Talent hit a DDT, and with Summers trapped in the corner, Talent hit running knees. Every time Summers was able to come back briefly, Talent immediately cut him off. Summers finally avoided a knee splash and hit a brutal shining wizard. Summers beat the shit out of Talent until Talent raked the eyes. Talent then hit a spin-out face buster: 1…2…3.

This match was OK, but it was quite sloppy in some points. The match was more about Talent’s personality change without Anthony Stone in his corner.
Match Rating: **1/2

Brian Fury vs. Julian Starr
Fury is the trainer of the school where this taping took place. Starr is someone who has a got a number of WWE tryouts, but I have never seen him before.

Starr used his speed to get the advantage several times early on. Starr looked incredibly crisp and athletic during the opening moments. Starr basically looks like someone ROH would want to sign right now. Fury finally cut him off with a superkick and then sent him to the floor to do further damage. Back in the ring, Fury started to work him over. Fury gave him a gord buster on the ropes that caused Starr to fall to the mat. Starr almost got counted out. Starr made it to the ring, only to be caught in a chinlock of doom. Starr escaped and hit a backstabber! Starr then made a really fun comeback. Starr hit a great missile dropkick: 1…2…NO! Fury went for a powerbomb, but Starr hit a hurricanrana. Fury came back with a black tornado slam: 1…2…NO! Furry avoided one tornado DDT from Starr, but Starr came right back hit the tornado DDT: 1…2…NO! Starr kicked Fury, but Fury bounced back with an enzugiri all in one motion. Starr hit a pair of kicks, but then Fury blocked the springboard moonsault. Fury then ran into a Blue Thunder Bomb: 1…2…3!

If it wasn’t for the lucha busted out in the early moments, this match would be something you see on Smackdown. I mean that as a compliment. Fury and Starr had great chemistry and looked as technically sound as possible. These guys should be doing their tryout matches together everywhere. The one nitpick is that the ending came a little bit out of nowhere.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Drew Gulak vs. Mark Angel
Gulak is one of the trainers at CZW, but his outside success has not translated to a winning record in Beyond Wrestling. Angel is incredibly athletic and is already starting to break out in other companies.

Gulak showed up with his Merman tights again, without knee pads. They started out on the mat, with neither man getting the advantage for very long. Angel had a hammerlock, until Gulak managed to send Angel to the floor. Angel got back in the ring, and they started trading holds again. The pace picked up and that allowed Angel to get the advantage. Gulak managed to cut Angel off with a big lariat. Gulak started to get the heat with some big chops and a variation on the Camel Clutch. Angel came back with a lariat and a dropkick for a nearfall. They both ended up on the outside. Angel was chopping Gulak, but Gulak avoided one and Angel chopped the ringpost. Gulak then killed Angel with a lariat that caused Angel to crash hard on the mat. Angel rolls into the ring to avoid the countout, and Gulak pounces on Angel with some brutal offense. Gulak locked in a complicated submission, which put pressure on Angel’s right knee and left ankle. Angel escaped and got several pinning combinations for nearfalls. Angel came back with a big T-Bone suplex: 1…2…NO! Gulak came back with a sweet diving lariat. They traded some big strikes until Gulak hit a brutal German suplex and then a more brutal back suplex: 1…2…NO! Gulak then ran into a pop-up Spinebuster: 1…2…3! Wow, that finish came out of nowhere. Mark Angel is still undefeated in Beyond Wrestling after this match.

This match delivered big time, and it showed why Gulak and Angel are promoted so heavily by Beyond. Gulak really turned up the intensity to the point where it shocked me that he didn’t pick up the win. I think this is the match where I really get Gulak. I really want to see much more of him after this match. I already loved Angel before this, and this match was another impressive performance.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Johnny Cockstrong vs. Steve “Turtle” Weiner vs. Anthony Stone vs. JT Dunn
None of these guys competed at Back in Flesh, so they are all meeting here. Other than that, it’s pretty random.

The match started with a lot of shenanigans. I was greatly amused. Turtle ran wild for a minute, but he ate a Codebreaker from Dunn and then a double team move from Stone and Cockstrong, which eliminated The Turtle. The three remaining members of the match traded some pinning combinations. Cockstrong drove his cock into Stone’s face, and he then drove Dunn’s face into Stone’s cock. Dunn took Cockstrong down with a dropkick: 1…2…NO! Dunn hit a series of kicks on Stone and Cockstrong. Dunn then did some Johnny Gargano spots on his opponents. Eventually, Cockstrong avoided a Lawn Dart and whipped Dunn into a Diving Knee Press from Stone: 1…2…3! Stone and Cockstrong battled it out to end the match. Stone blocked a Shining Cock and locked in a guillotine. Cockstrong escaped. Cockstrong hit the flying Shining Cock: 1…2…NO! Cockstrong set Stone up at the top rope, but Stone escape only to walk into a Go-2-Cock! RD Evans’s theme music played in the background. Evans is the lawyer for Davey Vega and the Submission squad. Cockstrong was distracted long enough that Stone was able to hit a running knee press: 1…2…3!

This was a fun match, but I did not like the finish. WWE and TNA killed the “stupid wrestler gets distracted by someone outside of the ring” finish to the point that I don’t like it when an independent group uses it, even if it’s only occasionally.
Match Rating: **3/4

Darius Carter cuts a promo in the back, burying his former tag team partner, TJ Marconi. Carter says he is the premiere athlete of Beyond, and that now, it’s his time to shine now that he is on his own.

#KOA (Sugar Dunkerton, Pinkie Sanchez, & Aaron Epic) vs. Academy Of Anatomy (Mark Angel, Nick Talent, & Anthony Stone)
The wrestlers in the crowd gets under Sugar’s skin with “NBA Lockout” chants. Pinkie and Angel faced off to start and neither man could get the advantage for his team. Stone and Epic then faced off, with the same result. Sugar and Talent came in, and Sugar messed with the “script.” Sugar went to shake his hand, so Talent pie-faced him. All six men got in the ring, and they all started talking trash. Talent said something that Sugar didn’t like, so a huge brawl broke out around the building with all six men. Epic and Stone got back into the ring first, and Epic was able to get the advantage. #KOA were in complete control, as they worked over Stone. This went on for a long time. Finally, Stone hit a tornado bulldog on Dunkerton. Angel tagged in and cleaned house of the #KOA. Epic cut off Angel and hit a Sliding D: 1…2…NO! Angel came back with a lariat, but he then ate a lariat from Sugar: 1…2…NO! Sugar went for another lariat, but Angel caught him with an exploder suplex. Pinkie took out Angel, and then he and Talent went at it. Talent was going for a top rope move on Pinkie, but Stone hit the ropes and took down Pinkie with a running knee press: 1…2…3. Finish came out of nowhere. Talent was pissed that Stone stole the pinfall.

I enjoyed this match, but it seemed more about getting to the finish where Talent was pissed that he didn’t get the win himself, as opposed to building to a satisfying conclusion for the match. Considering this DVD already had a match with a screwy ending to get Talent’s changing personality over, I would have preferred a better finish here. Still though, this match had lots of fun moments and action.
Match Rating: **3/4

Mikaze vs. Mark Shurman
Shurman recently appeared on WWE TV as a security guard. If you see his build, you would understand why WWE would be interested in him.

Mikaze sent him to the outside early. Mikaze tried to hit a plancha, but Shurman caught him and sent him into a pillar. Shurman sent him back in the ring and started to get the heat. Shurman was talking trash the entire match. Shurman sent Mikaze to the floor. Shurman met him there, but Mikaze used the refrigerator doors to do some damage. Mikaze then hit a jumping kick off the pillar. Back in the ring, Mikaze hit Trouble in Paradise. And then another: 1…2…NO! Mikaze caught him with a sleeper, but Shurman drove him into a corner, and hit an elevated Scorpion Deathdrop: 1…2…NO! Shurman went for a pumphandle move, but Mikaze hit a double press to the chest and then a diving, cannonball senton: 1…2…3!!!

This was a really fun undercard match. Shurman was a great cocky bastard, and Mikaze played the flippy/kicky undercarder perfectly. Shurman will be in the WWE (or at least FCW) one day. More of both of these guys please.
Match Rating: **3/4

Drew Gulak vs. Darius Carter
Carter came out in a suit as usual. Both of these guys are great technical wrestlers.

Gulak had the advantage early, as Carter had little success. Gulak out wrestled him for a while, so Carter thumbed Gulak in the eye to get the advantage. Carter worked over Gulak for a while. Carter was being a proper dick during this. Finally, Gulak reversed an Irish Whip and sent Carter into a pillar on the floor. Back in the ring, Gulak snapped and just started pounding Carter. Gulak then locked in a brutal single leg crab. Carter kicked out of it and struck back with some huge uppercuts. Carter then locked in a sleeper. Gulak almost passed out, but he got his hand up before the three count. Gulak got to his feet and hit a big lariat. Gulak with a powerbomb: 1…2…NO! Gulak then nailed Carter with chops. Carter came back with a Del Rio Kick and an urinagi backbreaker: 1…2…NO! Gulak hot shotted him and hit a discus lariat: 1…2…NO! They traded small packages, but both men stayed alive. Gulak went for a running forerarm , but Carter blocked it and hit a Codebreaker: 1…2…3!

Fuck this was really good. Gulak was on fire for this weekend of shows. These guys are both really talented, and they should be getting looks from more companies.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Pinkie Sanchez vs. Taka Suzuki
Suzuki came from Japan to train in New England. I am as confused as you, but apparently he is really good.

Taka almost knocked him out with a buzzsaw kick early. Taka was in control after that. Taka sent him into a trash can on the outside. Pinkie cut him off with a dragon screw legwhip into a chair. Pinkie then hit a thrust kick and a double stomp off the apron. Back in the ring, Pinkie hit a dropkick to the knee of Taka, which grounded the Japanese native. Pinkie went after the injured leg some more. Pinkie felt up his own crotch and then got the Muta Lock! Pinkie is disgusting. Taka came back with slaps to the head, but Pinkie gave the injured leg a senton to cut him off again. Take came back with a corner IED, a buckle powerslam, and dropkick to Pinkie’s face. Take hit a bridging backdrop driver: 1…2…NO! Pinkie came back by slamming Taka’s injured knee on the mat. Pinkie then got a figure four! Taka struck Pinkie in the head, and he then drove Pinkie’s head into Pinkie’s own knee! Cool Escape. They crawled to their feet and struck the shit out of each other. Pinkie hit a springboard DDT (kind of). Pinkie hit a butt stomp twice, but Taka kicked out. Pinkie then hit a moonsault! 1…2…3! Beautiful moonsault. Pinkie Sanchez and Aaron Epic then make Taka a new member of the #KOA.

Taka Suzuki is an incredibly impressive talent that should be getting looks from every major independent promotion on the East Coast. It is a coup for Beyond Wrestling to be able to use him. Pinkie was his usual great self, as he made sure Taka looked like a million bucks.
Match Rating: ***1/4

ACH vs. Jonny Mangue
ACH is a Midwest talent who debuted in Beyond Wrestling at this weekend of tapings. ACH made it to the finals of Beyond’s first Tournament for Tomorrow where he unfortunately lost to Aaron Epic. That tournament was ACH’s breakout weekend, and he has since been booked by many other promotions, including AAW, Resistance Pro, CZW and more.

ACH gives The Turtle a big hug on the way to the ring. Both men were cautious to start. They did a sequence where they blocked a bunch of strikes until they both booted each other in the chest. ACH sent Mangue to the floor, and then ACH hit an Arabian Press Moonsault. Back in the head, they traded some headbutts. They traded more strikes. Mangue hit a Rock Bottom and a Rolling Thunder Headbutt: 1…2…NO! They went to the floor and traded more strikes. Back in the ring, ACH hit a sole butt to the head. Mangue went for a Triangle Choke, but ACH did a Jacknife pin: 1…2…NO! Mangue blocked the Flash Kick and hit a Baldo Bomb: 1…2…NO! ACH came back with two running knees to the head: 1…2…NO! Mangue hit a thrust kick and more strikes. ACH trapped Mangue in the corner and hit a Mortal Combat kick. Draping Cross Rhodes: 1…2…NO! ACH brought Mangue to his feet, and Mangue caught him with a Finlay Roll, but ACH then caught him with a Flash Kick. Mangue avoided another draping Cross Rhodes and then locked in a Triangle Choke! ACH passed out!

Both of these guys are really talented, and they put on a good show to close out the DVD. The atmosphere wasn’t as wild as I expected, but if you can’t see the talent these two have, then I don’t know what to tell you. Mangue and ACH should hopefully be getting bigger opportunities in 2012.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Preview for Crises Precipitate Change

Bonus Reviews of the Free Matches from Crises Precipitate Change

AR Fox vs. ACH

Fox is a product of Mr. Hughes training school in Georgia and has been getting a lot of exposure in the last year through Evolve and Dragon Gate USA. ACH is independent wrestler based in Texas. Beyond Wrestling raised money online (similar to a KickStarter campaign) to fly ACH in for the show.

Surprisingly, these two high flyers start out on the mat trading holds. Things start getting testy early, as both men seem to immediately dislike each other. ACH gets the better of an early exchange and hits an axe kick on the ring apron, while shouting “BOOKER T!” ACH hits a running forearm elbow in the corner and an exploder suplex for a nearfall. Fox comes right back with his nifty kip up Ace Crusher. ACH cuts him off though with a running clothesline to the corner (where he dove through the ropes to the floor). ACH then proceeded to hump the wall outside the ring in celebration. Fantastic! Fox avoided a top rope dive and hit a Trouble in Paradise variation to get back in the match. Fox hit a Skin-The-Cat double boot in the corner (exactly like it sounds) and a split legged senton. ACH then came right back with a Pay Dirt variation for a two count. ACH got trapped in the middle rope (619 style) and Fox gave him a running crossbody. Fox then put him in a HEADLOCK on the ground. After all these cool athletic moves, a headlock being used made me chuckle. ACH came back with some slaps, and then they started trading some big forearms. Both men ran at each other and did the double crossbody spot, which caused the wrestlers in the crowd to mark the fuck out. One of them audibly complained about this match going on first, because that means they would have to follow it. Only in Beyond! ACH hit a cool series of moves for another nearfall. Fox lured ACH to the floor and HIT A SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH TO THE FLOOR! THAT WAS SICK! Fox set ACH up on the apron and went for his top rope legdrop, but ACH rolled out of the way and FOX WENT SPLAT! Ok, I will try to explain what happened next. Fox grabbed ACH on the floor with a headlock but ACH escaped by running up a pillar like he was in the fucking Matrix. I didn’t do that spot justice. Fox booted ACH in the face and then did his run up the turnbuckle moonsault to the floor. That is never not awesome. Back in the ring, ACH ends up on the turnbuckle and eats a Trouble in Paradise. FOX THEN HITS THE LO MEIN PAIN: 1…2…NO! ACH gets up and traps Fox in the ropes: RUNNING MORTAL KOMBAT KICK! DRAPING CROSS RHODES: 1…2…3!

Fox and ACH are natural rivals, and them trying to one-up each other made for a fun story. My one nitpick is that they showed a lot more personality early in the match, and I wish they kept that up towards the end. Everything was still fun at the end, but a little more intensity and visible tension between the two men would have definitely added to it.

Fox has gotten a good platform in DGUSA and Evolve to get over, but this has been his breakout match as far as I am concerned (without seeing any of his non-DGUSA/Evolve stuff before). If you are one of the people who donated to the cause of getting ACH to Beyond, I think you feel that you got your money’s worth on this match alone. It’s hard to believe that ACH has not already been booked by PWG or DGUSA yet as his athleticism and personality will instantly get him over there.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Sugar Dunkerton vs. Jonny Mangue

Mangue has gotten rid of his furry boots, which is a positive. Sugar did not come out to “We’re Playing Bas-ket-ball” which is the biggest fail ever. Sugar says that Mangue is going to have to earn this victory, because “he ain’t got no one backing him up.” As Excalibur would say: “This is SERIOUS!” Sugar took Mangue down early. Mangue was able to get back to his feet, but Sugar started mocking him a little, trying to get under his skin. They started shoving each other and both men got a nearfall on a rollup. Mangue hit a top rope crossbody for another nearfall. Sugar rolled to the outside. Sugar lured Mangue to the outside and took him down. Sugar started kicking a mudhole in him and banged Mangue’s leg against the ring apron. Back in the ring, Sugar started working over Mangue’s injured leg some more. Sugar gave him a shinbreaker and then a big lariat. Sugar left the ring and started jawing with The Pitboss. The Pitboss then punched Sugar. Aaron Epic and Pinkie ran the Pitboss off. That evened things up for Mangue. Sugar got back in the ring and the two men started slugging it out. Sugar then hit a running shoulder block on Mangue’s injured leg, which was cool. Sugar started berating Mangue again, but MANGUE LOCKED IN A TRIANGLE! Sugar escaped and got a leglock, as he berated Mangue some more. Mangue headbutted his way out of the submission. The two started trading strikes on their knees. Mangue locked in another triangle choke! Sugar was knocked out and the ref called for the bell!

I really enjoyed this match. This was a different side of Sugar than I have ever seen before. He was not comedic at any point, which was a really good call. Sugar’s intensity really carried the match as far as I am concerned. He made the result of the match matter to the viewers with his facials and attitude alone. Also, Mangue’s selling of his leg was top notch.

The deal with The Pitboss was that he and Mangue used to be associated with Chris Dickinson (who is out with a knee injury) in Beyond. With Dickinson gone, Mangue is questioning whether or not he should stay with The Pitboss who is staying heel. Sugar yelling at Mangue about “being your own man” was supposed to be about trying to make him realize that he doesn’t have to stay with The Pitboss.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Pinkie Sanchez vs. ACH

Both men were cautious out of the gate, trying not to make a mistake. After surviving a backslide nearfall, Pinkie rolled out of the ring, and went underneath the ring. Pinkie came out the opposite side of the ring, and tried to sneak up behind ACH, but ACH caught him. They held onto a Grecco Roman Knucklelock for a while (including rolling to the floor), until Pinkie broke free and slammed ACH’s head into the ring apron and a chair. ACH came back with some big chops and a lariat. Pinkie cut him off with a pair Dragon Screw Legwhips. Pinkie slammed him into a wall and brought back into the ring to work him over more. Pinkie went straight to work on ACH’s injured leg. ACH tried to block a running attack from Pinkie, but Pinkie caught his foot and gave him a REVERSE Dragon Screw Legwhip. Awesome. ACH was hobbled but came back with some big forearms; Pinkie quickly cut him off with a dropkick to the injured leg. ACH kicked Pinkie to the floor and wiped him (and Sugar) out with a slingshot plancha. ACH followed that up with a dropkick off the apron. ACH rolled Pinkie back to the ring and went for a top rope dropkick, but Pinkie avoided it. Pinkie went right back to work on the injured leg. ACH hung up Pinkie in the ropes and gave him a enzugiri and the running Mortal Kombat Kick. Mouse! ACH sold the leg after everything he did. ACH gave him a Sole Butt, but Pinkie hit a big cartwheel spinning heel kick to cut ACH off again. FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK FROM PINKIE! ACH was able to slap Pinkie until he let go of the submission. Pinkie missed a cartwheel splash in the corner. ACH hit some running strikes in the corner. ACH went for a HADOUKEN but PINKIE BLOCKED HIM WITH A HADOUKEN!

ACH kicked one of Pinkie’s hands and finished his Hadouken. ACH tried to pull out his throat, but Pinkie kicked out at 2. ACH followed that up with a sick enzugiri, but Pinkie kicked out at 2 again. ACH put Pinkie on the top rope. ACH went up too, but Pinkie crotched him and hit a top rope BUTT STOMP: 1…2…NO! Burning Snicklefritz: 1…2…ACH KICKED OUT! Pinkie missed a running knee, and ACH gave him a pair of brutal running knees: 1…2…3

Really strong match here. Pinkie’s work on the leg was a sound strategy, and ACH sold the leg fairly well throughout the match. My only nitpick is that the legwork did not play a part in the finish, and in fact, ACH was able to do back-to-back running knees for the finish. Small nitpick though. Once again, ACH impresses and shows why he has to be considered one of the great undiscovered talents in the business. Also, if you have only seen Pinkie in DGUSA or Chikara, than you haven’t seen the real Pinkie.
Match Rating: ***3/4

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

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!

I was just interviewed on The Hardway Podcast, where I discusses independent wrestling and much more! Check it out!

I am now the editor of a brand new wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com . What is this site, you ask? It’s a website that posts a free wrestling match every single weekday. All matches are legally provided by the promotions that originally put them on. Occasionally, we are lucky enough to have the wrestlers of the matches exclusively discuss the matches retrospectively. So far, we’ve been lucky to have thoughts from Eddie Kingston , Prince Devitt , Sugar Dunkerton , AR Fox , and more! If you like wrestling and you hate spending money, I think you will enjoy it!

The 411: This was the best weekend of tapings that Beyond Wrestling has had yet. AR Fox and ACH made for excellent guest stars and hopefully they are able to return to Beyond soon. This show is also significant for seeing Drew Gulak rise to become the ace of Beyond, while Mark Angel is clearly their brightest star. If you are a fan of Beyond Wrestling, this is a "Must Buy" DVD. If you are looking to jump into Beyond, this DVD is a good place as any to start. You can buy this show as an On Demand Video at Smart Mark Video for $9.99 or as a Youtube Video for $9 . If you are looking to sample Beyond Wrestling for free, check out the Beyond Wrestling page at FreeProWrestling.com.
 
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]  legend

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