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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling Swamp Sessions 2012

September 24, 2012 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling Swamp Sessions 2012  

July 27, 2012
Bridgewater, Ma

ACH [0] vs. Brian Fuy [+2]
Fury is a trainer in the local area. ACH is one of the best wrestlers not to be on national TV right now.

ACH was doing comedy (it was great) before the match started. Fury was not impressed. Things started slow. Fury got hung up in the ropes and ACH hit an axe kick. ACH followed that up with an Arabian Press Moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Fury cut off ACH with a superkick. He got a nearfall on that. Fury proceeded to get the heat. ACH eventually came back with some lariats and a dropkick. Fury came back with a pop-up powerbomb: 1…2…NO! Fury transitioned immediately into a Boston Crab! ACH made the ropes. ACH came back with various strikes. He then hit the Cram Before The Exam (a DDT out of a weird position that I am not qualified enough to describe): 1…2…3!

Really fun opener. Fury is one of the most sound guys on the Beyond roster, and he played his roll perfectly. ACH is flat out, one of the most entertaining wrestlers going today. I can’t imagine how many of his matches I would have to watch before I got sick of him.
Match Rating: ***

Jaka [+1] vs. Matt Taven [-1] (w/ Kasey Ray)
Jaka is the former Jonny Mangue who, in storyline, has taken a vow of silence and embraced his Samoan heritage. Taven should be heading to FCW soon, as reports indicate that he has been signed (or is about to be signed).

Taven didn’t seem to know what to make of Jaka. Jaka bit Taven’s beautiful hair early on, and Taven flipped out about it. Jaka then took him down with a headbutt, and Taven fell to the floor. Jaka wiped him out with a slingshot plancha. Taven tried to come back with a headbutt to the head, but YOU CAN’T HEADBUTT A SAMOAN! Back in the ring, Jaka hit a neckbreaker and a rolling headbutt for a nearfall. Kasey Ray jumped up on the apron to distract Jaka. Taven took advantage of the distraction and hit an enzuigiri to cut off Jaka. Taven then got the heat. Taven hit a nice double underhook backbreaker for a nearfall. Jaka eventually was able to come back with a series of headbutts. Kasey Ray tried to distract Jaka again, but Jaka didn’t fall for it again. Jaka hit a nice belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall. Ray then grabbed Jaka’s foot. That allowed Taven to hit a Tidal Wave: 1…2…NO! Taven then hung Jaka up on the ropes and hit a swinging neckbreaker: 1…2…NO! Taven went for a Lionsault, but Jaka caught him with his triangle choke! Taven managed to make the ropes. Taven managed to make the referee fall to the floor so that Kasey Ray could interfere again, but Jaka avoided her and nailed Taven with a superkick: 1…2…3!

This was a hell of a match. I haven’t seen much of Taven, but it’s clear why the WWE is interested in him. I have problems with the idea of Mangue “acting” Samoan by embracing all of the Samoan stereotypes in wrestling. However, I cannot deny that he is very effective at portraying the character, and this character will likely be his ticket to bigger opportunities.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Tag Team Gauntlet
The Professional Revolution (JT Dunn [+1] & Mark Shurman [+2] w/ Jon Harder) vs. Steve Weiner [-4] & Tim Hughes [-11]
I hate gauntlet matches, but I loooove Mark Shurman!

Dunn slapped Turtle, so Turtle chased him around the building. Hughes threw Dunn back in the ring, and TURTLE RAN WILD~! Hughes tagged in, but Dunn quickly cut him off. The Professional Revolution then got the heat on Hughes. Hughes came back with some big chops on Shurman. Harder attacked Hughes with a weapon. Dunn then hit a rolling elbow and Shurman hit a sloppy spinebuster: 1…2…3!

This was laid out to be entertaining and short. I was fine with it.
Match Rating: **

The Professional Revolution (JT Dunn [+2] & Mark Shurman [+3] w/ Jon Harder) vs. Julian Starr [+1] & Elia Markopoulos [-1]
The tecnicos came into the ring and immediately got the advantage. Elia killed Dunn with a spike Ace Crusher for a nearfall. Dunn then got hit with a TKO by Elia and missile dropkick by Starr. Shurman had to save the match. Shurman then killed Starr with a lariat. Starr came right back with an ezuigiri. Shurman fell to the floor and Starr wiped him out with an Asai back senton. The fuck was that? Harder distracted the referee, which allowed Dunn to hit Elia with a Gibson Driver and a suplex: 1…2…3!

Dunn and Shurman are both great at taking a beating, and that is all this match was until the very end. Thus, I greatly enjoyed myself. Starr has so much potential. I want to see him in more matches in Beyond.
Match Rating: **1/2

The Professional Revolution (JT Dunn [+3] & Mark Shurman [+4] w/ Jon Harder) vs. Anthony Stone [+1] & Kellan Thomas [0]
Not much of note happened until Dunn cut off Stone with a nice back suplex. Dunn and Shurman proceeded to work over Stone. This heat segment went on way too long. Dunn and Shurman hit backstabber/lariat combo that forced Thomas to break up the pinfall. Stone finally escaped and tagged out to Thomas. Thomas ran wild for a bit. Shurman took a ridiculous bump to the floor, as he is wont to do. Thomas and Stone killed Dunn with a Doomsday Knee Press. Shurman had to make the save on that one. Thomas hit Shurman with a Trouble in Paradise and a slingshot plancha. The Revolution’s managers jumped up on the opposite sides of the apron trying to give Dunn weapons. The referee told them to get the “fuck out of here,” which got a big pop from the crowd. Unfortunately, Dunn caught Stone with a Gibson Driver and then Shurman killed Stone with a Razor’s Edge, where Stone landed face-first: 1…2…3!

The closing sequence made up for the cold beginning. Shurman and Dunn are great bumpers and the majority of this gauntlet was them getting beat down, so I actually enjoyed the guantlet much more than I expected.
Match Rating: **1/2

Sugar Dunkerton, who was the “Live Event Host” for the show, was confronted by Eric Corvis. Corvis mentioned that he was once a “Live Event Host” for a Beyond show, and that he really just wanted to wrestle. Corvis challenged him to a match, and Sugar accepted.

Drew Gulak [-1] vs. Biff Busick [-1]
Busick was originally supposed to face the “Wins Leader,” Mark Angel. Mark Angel says he is no longer wrestling Busick and that AJ Evers is no longer wrestling Gulak, because Angel, Talent, and Ever will face The Batiri. The crowd wants Gulak vs. Biff, and both wrestlers agree. Gulak is annoyed at Angel, but he’s also just fine with this new match. This match will be awesome.

They started out trading holds. Gulak tried going after Busick’s left leg. Busick then went after Gulak’s left arm. Neither man got a decisive advantage. Busick nailed him with a lariat for a nearfall. Gulak came back with a headbutt to the chest, a bridging German suplex for a nearfall, and then a release Northern Lights for a nearfall. They traded some stiff chops. Ouch. My chest hurts just watching. Gulak got the upperhand on that exchange, but Busick came back with a leg lariat. Gulak then got the Gu-Lock and Busick had to tap out!

This was really good for the 10-12 minutes that we got, but these two have the potential for greatness. Gulak is the current “ace” of Beyond, but Busick is the future “ace” of Beyond. Beyond should be doing everything in their power to make Busick their star.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Mr. Touchdown came out after the match. Gulak asked “Mark” why he was dressed like a football player. Touchdown said he was “Mr. Touchdown.” Gulak told him that he looks like a maniac and that he doesn’t play football. Busick then got on the microphone to say that Mr. Touchdown’s pant make it seem like he is not especially well-hung. The crowd chanted “Little Dick!” Gulak told him that he looks like a “little boy toucher.” Mr. Touchdown went to the back. Ok, I believe this is the first time that Beyond Wrestling has acknowledged that Mark Angel and Mr. Touchdown are the same person. That will make Mr. Touchdown infinitely more interesting. Gulak put over Busick one last time.

RD Evans and The Submission Squad (Gary Jay, Evan Gelistico, & Pierre Abernathy) vs. Johnny Cockstrong and Team Tremendous (Dan Barry, Bill Carr & Ken Scampi) [Captain’s Match]
Cockstrong defeated Evans at the Beyond live show in June. The match can only end when Evans or Cockstrong is defeated.

There was a lot of bickering going on between all eight competitors. Cockstrong and Evans agreed to start the match against each other. Evans quickly backed him into his corner, so that the Squad could tag in. Cockstrong managed to tag out to Barry. The match started at a furious pace with constant tags and spots. The tecnicos destroyed Evans for a bit, and Cockstrong was able to hit the In-The-Pants Piledriver, but the Squad pulled the referee out of the match. The referee didn’t disqualify them for some reason. Team Tremendous and the Squad battled on the floor, as Evans cut off Cockstrong in the ring. The rudos then worked over Cockstrong. Evans eventually tried for a diving headbutt, but Cockstrong avoided it and tagged in Barry. Barry ran wild. There was an eight-man submission spot. This match has been fun. Cockstrong tried for the Kryptonite Krunch on Evans, but Evans avoided it and hit a spinning Razor’s Edge. Carr then killed Evans with a Black Hole Slam. Barry and Scampi then hit Jay with their Doomsday Sliced Bread #2, but Abernathy and Gelistico made the save. Barry and Scampi wiped out dudes with slingshot planchas. Evans took down Cockstrong with a leg lariat. Evans celebrated, but Cockstrong caught him with a small package: 1…2…3!

This match was very goofy, but much like the rest of the show, it was a lot of fun. I’m not really into these three members of the Submission Squad, but they played their roles well and they have good chemistry with Evans. All the tecnicos worked well as usual, and it’s only a shame that none of them had a more prominent role on the show (but it was a deep card for Beyond).
Match Rating: ***

Sugar Dunkerton [+2] vs. Eric Corvis [+10]
Corvis got a couple of holds early, but Sugar did some impressive escapes. Sugar then took him down and dribbled his head against the mat like a basketball. Corvis cut him off with some punches from the floor. Corvis then worked him over for a bit. Sugar came back by driving Corvis’s head with his ass into the mat. Sugar then hit a sliding dropkick for a nearfall. Corvis came back with a middle rope frogsplash. They traded some strikes. Corvis eventually hit some weird neckbreaker for a nearfall. Sugar then caught him with a snap back suplex and his big ass lariat aka The Shot Clock: 1…2…3!

This match was fine. They didn’t try to do too much, which there is nothing wrong with. They went for a lot of humor and one-liners. Sugar scored more than Corvis on those attempts.
Match Rating: **1/2

Darius Carter [-3] vs. TJ Marconi [-4]
This is a huge grudge match. They used to be tag partners, but Carter turned on Marconi after one too many losses. Marconi was out with an injury, but returned in May 2012.

Marconi came out to Backstreet Boys’s “Larger Than Life.” A man after my own heart. They brawl right away. Carter was in the corner, so the referee pulled Marconi off. Marconi tossed Carter to the floor. Carter caused Marconi to kick a ring post. Carter briefly had control, but Marconi then tossed him into some chairs and some fans. One of those fans almost injured his leg bad on that, but this isn’t the “most interactive wrestling experience” for nothing. They continued to brawl. When they returned to the ring, Carter got control after some dropkicks and various other strikes. Marconi came back with a sidewalk slam for a nearfall. Marconi called for a top rope elbow drop. Carter ran up the turnbuckle though and tossed Marconi back to the mat. Carter set up for a charge, but Marconi caught him with a big boot. Marconi went for a powerbomb, but Carter reversed it into an ass stomp: 1…2…3!

That finish was a little out of nowhere, but otherwise, this was a pretty fun brawl. They sold their grudge well, and I look forward to the inevitable rematch. This feud hasn’t been getting a lot of attention in the free matches that Beyond posts, so I haven’t been able to pay much attention to it much before now.
Match Rating: **1/2

The Batiri (Obariyon [0], Kodama [0], & Kobald [-1]) vs. The Academy of Anatomy (Mark Angel [+15], Nick Talent [+2], & AJ Evers [-5])
The crowd threw toilet paper at both teams. Angel then threw the toilet paper at The Batiri, so either Kodama or Obariyon just nailed Angel with a roll right in the dick. The crowd is amused, as am I.

Batiri were in control until Angel tagged into the match. Angel then military pressed all three of them (at separate times). Kodama and Obariyon wiped out Evers and Talent with stereo tope suicidas. Kobald set up for a dive onto Angel, but Angel ran into the ring and cut him off with a big spinebuster. The Academy then got the heat on Kobald. At one point, Talent and Evers thought Mark could have pinned him, but Angel instead decided to showboat (including Angel trying to put on Kobald’s ear ring). That gave Kobald a window to make a comeback. Obariyon tagged in and ran wild on Angel. Kodama and Obariyon then hit some double team moves, so Evers and Talent joined the fight. Kobald wiped out Talent with a diving plancha. Kodama then hit Evers with a spinebuster variation: 1…2…3! The Batiri then threw more toilet paper at The Academy.

This was another enjoyable match on this show. The Batiri are really coming together as a trio unit, and their tag matches cover for a lot of their individual weaknesses as performers. Angel’s character was the most important part of the match. His ego has gotten out of control, and it is now costing him matches. My guess is that he will lose a couple of more times, before he decides that he has to admit to being Mr. Touchdown, so that all of Touchdown’s wins are his own.
Match Rating: ***

Watch the great toilet paper shenanigans!

Aaron Epic [+9] (w/ Sugar Dunkerton) vs. Dave Cole [-4] [Three Out of Five Falls]
Epic defeated Cole in a 2/3 falls match at Beyond’s last show in this building.

Epic tried to hit the Fastball Punch right away, but Cole avoided it. Epic got an armlock and held Cole in it for a while to start the match. Cole escaped the hold, but Epic remained in control of the first fall. Out of nowhere, Cole got a pinning combination with his legs on the rope. Cole Leads 1 Fall to 0

Cole ran into the crowd and started celebrating. Epic wiped him out with a tope suicida and then a running knee off the apron. Epic beat him down around ringside. Epic was acting a little too confident during this beatdown considering he just lost a fall. He should have had more of a sense of urgency. Cole managed to get Epic hung up in the Tree of Joey Lawrence on the apron. Cole then killed him with a Ghetto Stomp to the apron. Cole tried to get a count out pinfall. Epic got back in at the nine count, but Cole immediately hit a Tiger Driver variation: 1…2…3!
Cole Leads 2 Falls to 0

Cole celebrated some more. Epic caught him with a small package, but Cole kicked out. They went to the floor, and Cole hit a suplex on the chairs. Epic went for the Fastball Punch, but Cole avoided it and Epic grazed the ringpost. Cole then went after that injured hand. Back in the ring, Cole locked in an abdominal stretch. Epic escaped, but Cole managed to hit a Kill Switch: 1…2…NO! Cole started berating Epic and started for a snot rocket, but Epic spat in his face and got a pinning combination: 1…2…3!
Cole Leads 2 Falls to 1

Cole was still in control of the match, despite the loss of the last fall. Cole hit a Yakuza variation. Epic came back with a hip toss into a knee to the face: 1…2…3!
Cole and Epic both have 2 Falls

Both men got to their feet and started striking each other. Epic won the exchange. Epic hit a running STO for a nearfall. Epic called for a Shining Wizard, but Cole avoided it and locked in a Crippler Crossface. Epic made the ropes. They went to the top rope, and Cole pulled off a Super Tiger Driver: 1…2…NO! That got the crowd pumped up. Cole hit a sliding kick: 1…2…NO! Epic came back with a buzzsaw kick, a kneeling superkick, and a Fastball Punch: 1…2…3!
Epic Wins 3 Falls to 2

Epic thanked the fans for coming, and he then helped Cole to the back.

This was a really good main event, and it was arguably the best main event in Beyond’s “live show” history. The story of the match was rather simple, but it was told well, and I was always entertained by the match. Epic has really become a very crisp in-ring performer. He’s just missing a certain “x-factor” right now in order for him to break out. Personally, I think Chikara would be wise to give him a cool gimmick and use him that way. He would also would fit in well with Evolve. Cole was also really good here, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of his work in Beyond. My only real complaint about this match is that Beyond wasn’t able to release the DVD with their first match before this DVD was released.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com.

For more info on Beyond, check out their:
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The 411: This is one of my favorite Beyond Wrestling shows ever. The show was very consistent, and the show really came together as an enjoyable experience. While shows like Double Trouble (Gargano vs. ACH) and Back in Flesh (Gargano vs. Davey), had individual matchups that were more attractive, they really didn’t feel like “great shows.” They felt choppy with inconsistent crowds. Swamp Sessions may lack a super special matchup, but it’s so much better of an overall experience. Buy this DVD for $12 at the Beyond Wrestling store. You can also go to Smart Mark Video and get the show as a $15 DVD, a $11.99 MP4, or as a $9.99 Video on Demand. Also, check out a full/organized list of all the wrestling show reviews I've done at 411mania.
 
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]  legend

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