Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling Burst the Bubble 2012

May 12, 2012
Bridgewater, MA

Commentator: Denver Colorado

Aaron Epic vs. Dave Cole [2/3 Falls]
Cole had defeated Epic’s stablemate, Pinkie Sanchez, after an officiating error. As such, he challenged another #KOA member to a match.

They did a bunch of cool exchanges early on in the first fall. Neither man could get a decisive advantage though. Cole fell to the floor, and Epic hit a running knee off the apron. Epic went for the Fastball Punch, but Cole blocked it by punching Epic right in the nuts. The referee disqualified Cole.
Aaron Epic wins the first fall.

Dave Cole immediately hits a Gibson Driver: 1…2…3
Dave Cole wins the second fall.

Cole sent Epic to the floor with a seated dropkick. Cole was going for the countout win. Epic got back in the ring, but Cole hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Cole then locked in a body scissors. He then transitioned into an abdominal stretch. Epic escaped, but Cole maintained control. The crowd was rallying behind Epic, but Cole put a stop to that with a couple of facewash kicks. Epic managed to come back with a Shining Wizard. Cole and Epic traded some strikes. Epic eventually got control and made a comeback. Epic got a nearfall with a STO. Cole came back with a short range lariat for a nearfall of his own. Cole went for a double stomp, but Epic blocked it. Epic was on the middle rope, but Cole hit a superkick to the leg. Epic was trapped in the Tree of Joey Lawrence. Cole hit the double stomp: 1…2…NO! Great nearfall. Epic came back with a saito suplex and a DVD: 1…2…NO! Cole hit the Gibson Driver: 1…2…NO! Cole then hit the Tiger Smash: 1…2…NO! Cole got the Rings of Saturn. Epic got to the ropes. Epic came back with a knee strike to the face and a Fastball Punch: 1…2…3!

Awesome opener. Epic and Cole have excellent chemistry together, and I think I could watch them wrestler a dozen times before I got bored. Their 3/5 falls match two months after this was even better, and I honestly wouldn’t mind if they got booked in a 4/7 falls match at some point in the future.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Darius Carter came out to issue a challenge to Drew Gulak. Gulak was at CZW that night, so Carter knew that match wasn’t possible. Carter asked the referee to count out Gulak. The referee did just that. Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor” started to play. TJ Marconi, Carter’s former tag team partner, came out. Carter and Marconi started to brawl in the ring. Marconi dumped him to the floor. They started to brawl around the ring. Carter came back with a kick to the nuts and some kicks. Marconi came back with a Brogue Kick and a sit-out chokeslam. Carter fell to the floor and hit under the merch tables. The wrestlers finally broke it up. This was a good brawl.

Julian Starr (w/ Mikey Webb) vs. Matt Taven (w/ Kasey Ray)
This should be a good match. Neither man could really get anything going early. Starr eventually dumped Taven to the floor and hit a Fosbury Flop. Starr was in control after that (for a few minutes). Starr took Taven to the floor again, but this time, he did it with a spinning heel kick. Taven finally cut off Starr with an elevated spinning neckbreaker. Taven got in Webb’s face. That distracted the referee, which allowed Ray to attack Starr. Taven got the heat after that. Taven got several nearfalls during the heat. Starr was sent into the corner, but he somehow reversed whatever Taven was about to do into a backstabber. Starr made a big comeback after that. Starr got a nearfall with a missile dropkick. Taven came back with a rolling spin kick: 1…2…NO! Starr then hit an awesome Blue Thunder Bomb. Starr got a phantom pinfall, because the Blue Thunder Bomb caused a ref bump. Kasey Ray then raked Starr’s back. Webb chewed out Ray. Ray still managed to give Starr a hurricanrana. Webb then gave Taven a 619. Taven landed on Starr’s body though: 1…2…NO! That was a fun sequence. Starr went for a moonsault, but Taven avoided it. Taven then hit a frog splash: 1…2…3!

This was another really enjoyable match. Taven and Starr are both really great athletes, and they were more than able to hold my attention for this extended match. Juliann Starr has WWE star potential.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Pinkie Sanchez (w/Aaron Epic) vs. Magic
I have never seen Magic before. He is a big fat guy. Apparently Magic was the trainer of Pinkie, Chris Dickinson, Jonny Mangue, Johnny Cockstrong, among others.

Magic cut a heel promo as he made his entrance. Pinkie’s did a fancier entrance than usual and it was fucking fantastic. Like, this was the greatest entrance I’ve seen in a while. Magic seemed disgusted with Pinkie’s antics. Magic overpowered Pinkie early. Pinkie got his knees up on Magic’s splash attempt. Pinkie made a comeback. Pinkie hit several kicks, but Magic came back with a powerbomb. Magic worked over Pinkie after that. Pinkie came back with a neckbreaker and several butt stomps. Pinkie then hit a moonsault: 1…2…3. Magic kicked out at 3.00000000001.

I love Pinkie, but this match was not all that interesting. I don’t need to see another Magic match for a while.
Match Rating: ¾*

Brian Fury vs. Elia Markopoulos
Markopoulos got a TNA Gutcheck Tryout in 2012. Fury is one of the big trainers in the New England area. Fury is definitely one of those guys who should be getting more opportunities in the independent scene.

Markopoulos attacked Fury before the bell and then called the crowd “faggots.” What an interesting heel he must be. Fury quickly came back, and they ended up brawling in the crowd. Fury got several fans to hit Markopoulos. Back in the ring, Markopoulos avoided a charge in the corner. Markopoulos then cut off Fury with a Gourd Buster. Markopoulos got the heat after that. Fury eventually hit a dropkick and then made a very professional comeback. Markopoulos hit a DDT for a nearfall. Markopoulos went to use a chair, but Fury avoided it. Fury then hit a superkick and a pop-up Liger Bomb: 1…2…3.

This was a solid match. I like Fury a lot, but Markopoulus didn’t make a huge impression on me here. Fury is someone you all need to watch. Youtube him.
Match Rating: **1/2

The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield & Mr. Touchdown) vs. Destruction Under Impact (Anthony Stone & Kellan Thomas)
The Throwbacks are awesome obviously. Stone is very talented. Thomas has some work to do.

Dasher and Thomas went back and forth for a bit. They had good chemistry. Dashed got the advantage. Touchdown tagged himself in, but he distracted himself. So, Stone tagged in. The Throwbacks were able to isolate Stone eventually, and they worked him over for a bit. At one point, Stone tried to hit Touchdown with a sunset flip, but Touchdown pulled him up and hit a powerbomb in one motion. Incredible. Stone was able escape after that, and he tagged out to Thomas. Thomas made a big comeback. Dasher hit Stone with a Jackhammer for a nearfall. Thomas got dumped to the floor, and he started selling a knee injury. Touchdown went to use Dasher’s baseball glove. Dasher tried to stop him, but Touchdown “accidentally” knocked him to the ground. Touchdown smacked Stone with the glove and then hit a pop-up spinebuster: 1…2…3. Touchdown’s pop-up spinebuster actually caused Stone’s head to bump into the ceiling.

This was a slightly disappointing match. I’m not sure what happened, but I expected something better from these four. The match never clicked with me.
Match Rating: **3/4

Dan Barry vs. JT Dunn (w/ Mark Shurman & Vernon Samoza)
This was a part of the Dan Barry vs. Professional Revolution feud.

Barry was mostly running through Dunn early on. Dunn regrouped on the floor. Dunn and Shurman decided to attack Barry together. Johnny Cockstrong ran in and made the save. The referee decided to book a tag match. Lol. Denver Colorado made the match official.

Team Talented Guys That Will Never Get A Break (Dan Barry & Johnny Cockstrong) vs. The Professional Revolution (Mark Shurman & JT Dunn)
Dunn and Shurman got sent to the floor. Cockstrong hit a tope con hello where he landed on his back HARD. Cockstrong assured us he was ok. I’m pretty sure that hurt like a bitch though. Barry hit the Revolution with a Fosbury Flop. The Revolution was able to isolate Cockstrong shortly after that though, and they got the heat on him for a while. The heat went on for an obscenely long time. Cockstrong was finally able to escape the beatdown after he hit Shurman with a pair of Shining Cocksuckers. Barry tagged in and made a big comeback. Things broke down and there was some miscommunication. Dunn then accidentally gave Shurman a Brogue Kick. Barry promptly hit Dunn with a DR Driver: 1…2…3.

Dunn knocked out Cockstrong after the match. Dunn and Shurman started to attack Barry. Tim Hughes, Steve Weiner, and Pinkie Sanchez made the save.

This match was very surprisingly disappointing. After the hot start, the heat segment went on way too long and then the finishing sequence was sloppy and uninspired. I like all four of these guys, and I really want to see a rematch to see them have another chance at it. Cockstrong and Barry should be a team in Beyond going forward.
Match Rating: **1/4

Usurper v. Johnny Miyagi
Miyagi asked for a handshake. Usurper gave him a backfist for his troubles. Usurper eventually gave him the Off With His Head: 1…2…3.

The crowd asked for a second. Usurper obliged.
Match Rating: Squash

The Washington Bullets (Jon & Trey Williams) vs. The Hate Junkies (dany only & Stryknyn)
The Bullets dominated the beginning portion of the match. The Junkies came back and isolated Jon. They got the heat on him for a while. After a while, Trey hit tagged in and hit only with a Rough Ryder. only came back with a spinebuster on Trey. Jon got dumped out of the ring. Stryknyn went for super powerbomb on Jon. Jon avoided it, and Trey attacked Stryknyn. Jon got dumped to the floor by only. Stryknyn and only then hit Trey with a lariat/spear combo: 1…2…3.

This was a flat match. Denver Colorado talked about these two teams traveling 20 hours that day to the show, and I think that showed in the match. The match felt sluggish, and the crowd didn’t respond to any of it. The Bullets had a much better match this weekend against the Throwbacks, which you can watch below.
Match Rating: **

Mark Angel vs. AJ Evers
Angel is the Wins Leader in Beyond. These two are in the same stable, but Angel challenged Evers to this match.

Angel wanted Evers to just lie down and take the loss. Evers didn’t like it. He punched out Talent and slapped Angel. Evers and Angel started to wrestle. Angel was eventually able to cut off Evers, and he then worked him over. Angel gave Evers a brutal buckle bomb, which the cameraman got a great angle for. Angle got a nearfall with his rolling moonsault. Talent helped out Angel. Evers eventually came back with a series of chops. Angle came back with a wheelbarrow Glam Slam. Angel went for his rolling moonsault again, but Evers caught him with a German suplex. Angel hit an elevated neckbreaker. Angel then rained down forearms to the back of Evers’s head. Angel then hit a chokeslam: 1…2…NO! Evers ended up on the middle rope. Angel then hit an implant DDT from the middle rope: 1…2…Angel pulled Evers up. Angel locked in a single-leg crab and then stomped on Evers’s head until the referee called for the bell. Angel won via referee stoppage.

Talent told Evers after the match that he still had to carry their bags.

This was a methodical beatdown. This match seemed mostly designed to get over how much of a dick Mark Angel is, and that he pretty much has no redeeming qualities anymore. I probably would have appreciated it more if the last five or six matches weren’t so underwhelming.
Match Rating: **1/2

Jonny Mangue & Corvis Fear vs. The Pitboss & Matt Justice (w/ Marti Belle)
Chris Dickinson was the special guest referee. There is so much goddamn back story for this match, and I’m going to spend a lot of time trying to get it all straight. Dickinson, Mangue, and Pitboss were a heel stable (The Doom Patrol) in Beyond since 2009. Dickinson got injured in 2011 and hadn’t been seen since. Mangue and Pitboss broke up shortly thereafter once Mangue wanted to be more honorable. Pitboss and Mangue then had an unsanctioned dog collar match in February 2012. Because Pitboss is so dangerous, Beyond couldn’t find a normal referee to work this match. Thus, Chris Dickinson finally made his return to Beyond Wrestling to referee this match. Also, Corvis Fear was one of the big rivals of the Doom Patrol, so it’s significant that he was willing to team up with Mangue for this match. Much like Dickinson, Fear had been injured in 2011, and this was his return Beyond show as well. It’s also worth noting that Dickinson was downright skinny here. Less than a year later, he put on a crazy amount of muscle mass. Jonny Mangue would later be known as JAKA in the Wrestling Is universe. Oh yea, and Matt Justice spent about a year in WWE Developmental. Show of hands: who read the last paragraph?

Pitboss teased that Marti Belle was going to be his partner, but then Justice attacked Mangue and Fear from behind. Dickinson allowed Belle to attack Mangue. The match started as a brawl on the floor. Justice cut off Mangue early. Mangue and Justice worked over Mangue for a while. Mangue was eventually able to catch Pitboss with a superkick. Fear tagged in and made a comeback like only Fear could, ie: lots of wacky moves that I’ve never seen before. Justice cut Fear off with a hotshot and a sick kick. Fear got worked over for a while. Fear eventually hit Justice with a backbreaker. Mangue tagged in and ran wild. Mangue wiped out Pitboss and Justice with a slingshot plancha. Fear then took out everyone with a tope con hello. Back in the ring, Mangue hit Justice with a belly-to-belly suplex and a Rolling Thunder headbutt. Pitboss came back with a shitty Stinger Splash and a lariat on Mangue. Pitboss and Mangue got tied up. Fear and Justice then hit stereo Superfly Splashes. That popped the crowd. Mangue avoided a DVD from Justice, and he then sent Justice to the floor. Pitboss hit Mangue with a spinebuster. Mangue caught Pitboss into the Jaws of the Jaguar. Pitboss escaped, but Fear hit Pitboss with an Ace Crusher. Mangue locked in the Jaws of the Jaguar again. Pitboss tapped out.

Marti Belle, dany only and Stryknyn attacked Mangue and Fear after the bell. The five heels stood tall after that. The camera lingered around too much after the post-match attack. It made me wonder why the 500 babyfaces surrounding the ring didn’t attack the heels.

This was a solid main event. It mostly just made me want to see Mangue and Justice have a singles match (which later happened and was good), because Pitboss pretty much drags down every match he is involved in. I run hot and cold on Fear. I definitely prefer him in tag team situations though.
Match Rating: **3/4

**BONUS** Burst the Bubble Match Reviews

Taka Suzuki vs. Biff Busick

I have never seen Busick before, and this is his debut in Beyond. They start striking each other a lot. Taka went for a springboard move, but Biff hit a lariat as Taka was coming down. Taka went for a middle rope dive, but Biff speared him. Taka came back by attacking Biff’s midsection. Biff came back with a back senton. Taka hit a double stomp to Biff who was stuck in the middle turnbuckle. Taka locked in a Boston crab. Biff escaped and hit a double jump springboard dropkick. Biff hit an out of control blockbuster: 1…2…NO! Biff spit in Taka’s face. Taka came back with a superkick and a saito suplex. Taka went for a Contra Code, but Biff managed to toss him to the floor. Pinkie Sanchez checked on Taka, but Biff wiped them both out with a somersault plancha. Biff went to the top rope, but Taka hit a palm strike and a turnbuckle gutbuster. Taka followed that up with a delayed corner dropkick: 1…2…NO! Taka hit a Cradle Brainbuster: 1…2…NO! Lariat from Busick: 1…2…NO! Biff hit a bridging German suplex: 1…2…NO! Biff hit a couple of kicks and another big lariat: 1…NO! Taka and Biff got to their knees and slapped the shit out of each other. They got to their feet and struck each other some more. Biff caught Taka with a lariat: 1…2…NO! Taka came back with a couple of big kicks, and he then locked in an abdominal stretch! Biff taps out!

I thought this was a really strong introduction for Biff Busick. I had honestly never heard of him before this match, but I left the match very interested in what he did in Beyond next. Being a trainee of Lance Storm, he probably has a strong pedigree, and he has a good look. Taka was his usual great self. Lack of reaction from the wrestlers around ringside was the only thing holding this match back.
Match Rating: ***

The Throwbacks vs, The Washing Bullets

Dasher Hatfield and Mr. Touchdown cut a promo before the match. The Throwbacks won a match the night before at the live Burst the Bubble show. This is Dasher’s second weekend in Beyond. He and Sugar Dunkerton defeated Darius Carter and T.J. Marconi back at Beyond’s first live show, About Time. Mr. Touchdown says he was introduced to Beyond by Mark Angel (who is actually Mr. Touchdown without the gimmick). Touchdown says he is going surpass Angel as the wins leader. Dasher says he wants some wins too, but Touchdown says no, it’s only about him.

The Bullets debuted in Beyond the night before in a losing effort to the Hate Junkies. Trey starts off with Dasher. They traded a couple of armdrags and hip tosses. Trey got a very close nearfall with an O’Connor Roll. Dasher then got a nearfall with an O’Connor Roll of his own. Touchdown blind tagged in, but the Bullets immediately got the advantage. Trey got a nearfall after a superkick. Touchdown gouged Trey’s eyes, and he then tagged out. Dasher reprimanded him for using an illegal tactic. Touchdown tagged back in and started working over Trey. Touchdown was still arguing with Dasher, but Touchdown hit an awesome POUNCE on Trey for a nearfall that Jon had to break up. Dasher didn’t like Touchdown’s attitude, so he SWITCHED TEAMS! Awesome. Touchdown continued to work over Trey. Touchdown even tagged himself at one point to rub it in. Trey elbowed his way free and tagged in Dasher who made a hot tag against his own partner. Dasher applied an abdominal stretch and made Touchdown swear to tag him back in. Touchdown agreed, and then the Bullets hit Touchdown with stereo dropkicks. Jon then made a big comeback on Touchdown. The Bullets hit a big double team FameAsser style move. Dasher made the save. Touchdown finally tagged out and the Throwbacks hit a High and Low. The Throwbacks then hit a double team neckbreaker: 1…2…JON MAKES THE SAVE! Jon superkicked Touchdown out of the ring. The Bullets then hit a big double team move on Dasher. Touchdown sent Jon to the outside. Dasher and Touchdown hit an assisted stunner on Trey: 1…2…3! Touchdown and Dasher Hatfield shook hands after the match.

This was a really good match that basically served as a way to continue a Chikara storyline in Beyond. The Touchdown/Dasher/Veronica/Archibald Peck stuff may be my favorite storyline in Chikara right now, so I may enjoy this more than some people. However, the match still had a lot of good action for those not invested in Chikara at the moment. The Bullets did very well for themselves here and hopefully they return to Beyond in 2012.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Mark Angel vs. Aaron Epic

Nick Talent and AJ Evers are in Angel’s corner. Angel (+13) is the Wins Leader of Beyond at this point. Epic is four wins behind him. Angel recently turned rudo as he became obsessed with staying the wins leader.

Angel berated Evers before the match. Epic got a couple of quick pinning combinations for nearfalls right away. Epic locked in a guillotine. Nick Talent jumped on the apron and distracted Epic and the referee. Epic broke the submission voluntarily like an idiot WWE babyface. Angel tossed Epic to the floor where Talent struck Epic a couple of times. Angel then took over the match. Angel got the heat for a bit. Angel locked in a sleeper at one point, but Epic hit a chinbreaker to break the hold. Epic made a comeback. Epic hit a Shining Wizard variation for a nearfall. Epic followed that up with a pair of lariats that got him another nearfall. Angel hit an Ace Crusher out of a back suplex for a nearfall of his own. Epic got a small package for a nearfall. Angel went to the top rope, but Epic met him and hit a super powerslam. Epic then hit an Air Raid Crash: 1…2…NO! Angel then hit a Proto-plex and pinned Epic with a handful of tights: 1…2…3!

These two just scratched the surface of what I think they could be capable of. While this match itself was definitely solid, it left me wanting a rematch more than anything else. Epic has stated that being the Wins Leader is his goal in Beyond so hopefully that means we will get a rematch at some point this year.
Match Rating: **3/4

#KOA (Aaron Epic, Pinkie Sanchez, & Taka Suzuki) vs. The Pitboss, dany only, & Stryknyn

Pitboss’s new stable cut a promo before the match. Pitboss and dany only were former enemies apparently. All six men brawl to start the match. #KOA got the early advantage and they worked over dany only. Stryknyn tagged in, but he met similar results as dany only. Pitboss went into the ring and killed Pinkie with a lariat. The rudos started to work over Pinkie after that. Pinkie came back with a nice shotgun dropkick to a seated Pitboss, but the Hate Junkies cut Pinkie off. Pinkie managed to escape and tag in Taka. That lead to a sequence where all six men hit big moves on each other. Taka killed Pitboss with a buzzsaw kick. Pinkie and Epic hit Pitboss with stereo kneeling superkicks. The Hate Junkies pulled Epic and Pinkie from the ring, and they then hit Taka with a spear/lariat combo: 1…2…3!

This was a solid match to introduce Pitboss’s new stable. The #KOA looked as good as ever, and they were a good choice to help the new stable get over.
Match Rating: **3/4

Mark Shurman vs. Tim Hughes

Mark Shurman is my favorite wrestler in the world. Tim Hughes is -11 in Beyond, but he was brought back to Beyond after looking good at the Beyond taping at the Chikara Wrestle Factory. Hughes showed a lot of fire early, and he sent Shurman to the outside, where JT Dunn comforted him. Back in the ring, Hughes went to the top rope, but Dunn caused Hughes to crotch himself. Shurman hit a gutwrench suplex for a nearfall. Hughes tired for a running cross-body, but Shurman caught him and hit a fallaway slam for another nearfall. Shurman sent Hughes to the floor, where Dunn kicked Hughes in the head. Back in the ring, Hughes caught Shurman with a crucifix pin for a nearfall. That made Shurman take the match a little more seriously. Hughes came back with a tornado DDT and both men were down. Hughes made a comeback with some chops and a delayed sidewalk slam: 1…2…No. Hughes went for a diving chop, and he hit it: 1…2…Dunn jumped on the apron and the idiot referee jumped on the apron. Shurman then kicked Hughes in the balls and hit a Buckle Bomb: 1…2…3. Shurman crawled to his knees after the match and said dead seriously, “I’m coming home Ma.” So many buys.

A fine undercard match that told a simple story effectively. This match won’t set the world on fire, but I truly enjoy Mark Shurman just being Mark Shurman. He will be signed by the WWE one day.
Match Rating: **1/4

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. Also, check out my Best of Chikara blog and an archive of all my 411 video reviews.

For more info on Beyond, check out their:
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The 411: This DVD perfectly exemplifies the potential of Beyond Wrestling, while also highlighting the things that frustrate me about the promotion. First off, this DVD took close to ten months to come out, which is beyond unacceptable for a promotion in 2013. The show showed a lot of the great talents on the roster, and Beyond’s willingness to bring in guest stars (The Throwbacks) for their live shows. However, most of that talent wasn’t put into a position to succeed (The exceptions obviously being Epic/Cole and Starr/Taven). Pitboss should never be in a main event match. It automatically puts too short of a ceiling on the quality of the main event. I would really like to see future Beyond live shows to be booked tighter. We don’t need ten matches on a live show (unless a show is going to be four-five hours long and no wrestling show not called Wrestlemania should be that long). If this show was six or seven matches, and they all had room to breathe, I think everything would have come across better. This is definitely a Thumbs in the Middle DVD from Beyond. You can purchase “Burst the Bubble” on DVD from either Beyond Wrestling’s store or Smart Mark Video. The show is also available as an mp4 download or streaming at Smart Mark Video.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]