Beyond Wrestling started out as a company closed to the public. Luckily enough for them, roughly 18 months after its inception, Beyond had such a cult following that it had no choice but to cave and finally do a live show (hence the name, About Time). Would their first event open to the public be a success, or would they find out that it's best to stick to their closed productions? Let's find out.
Danbury, CT – 7.23.2011
Aeroform (Flip Kendrick (-5) & Louis Lyndon (-4)) vs. The Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno (+4) & Player Dos (+4)
I’m sure just by looking at these two teams some expectations pop into your head. This was not what you would expect, but I say that positively. This was not just these two teams flipping around aimlessly, they had a very well-structured, fun, high energy contest. A lot of people (myself included) feel that these two teams are severely underrated; this match was a good indication as to why. All four men put in a tremendous effort, took some crazy moves, and even pulled out some innovative stuff that I had never seen. In the end, it was the Smash Bros. Gory Bomb/diving blockbuster combo that secured them the victory at 14:01. This is the kind of opening match every show would love to have. ***1/4
Leon St. Giovanni (-4) vs. JT Dunn (+2)
This was an impromptu match after a trading of words between Giovanni’s manager John Harder and Beyond Wrestling’s founder Denver Colorado. Giovanni controlled the first few minutes after attacking Dunn from behind. He aggressively kept on Dunn, until Dunn side stepped a corner attack and rolled Giovanni into a low head kick. A distraction from Harder allowed Giovanni to drop Dunn with a flipping STO for two. Dunn regains control and goes up top. Harder throws his jacket on Dunn to crotch him on the top rope. Giovanni drops him with an Omega Driver out of the corner for the pin at 5:39. Both guys showed a lot of promise in the time allotted, and to say Giovanni got the crowd to loathe him would be an understatement. I’d definitely like to see more from both guys in the future. **
Aaron Epic (+2) vs. Amber (-2)
This was a lot like the last match; very short, but both wrestlers looked great. Essentially this was to show how tough Amber is while also introducing Epic to a new audience. Amber is just like Sara Del Rey; she could hang in the ring with any guy and would destroy almost any woman. Epic really has a nice blend of styles and an aura that for some reason reminded me of Reckless Youth. Their charisma and styles had everyone going nuts for the entirety of the bout. Epic picked up the win with a 2k1 Bomb at 4:49, but Amber was the one getting the big reaction when all was said and done. Don’t let the rating fool you, as with more time, this would have been something truly special. **1/2
Academy of Anatomy (Nick Talent (-1) & Mark Angel (+6)) vs. Team TREMENDOUS (Dan Barry (-1) & Ken Scampi (0)) vs. D.U.I. (Anthony Stone (-2) & William Thorne) vs. Connecticut Superstars (Dave Cole (-4) & J-Busta (-2) )
All four teams in this match went nuts. This was like one of your CHIKARA four team matches were frequent tags are made and lots of guys are doing cool, agile stuff. To me, Team TREMENDOUS stuck out amongst the pack, especially Dan Berry who gave Cole a Death Valley Driver onto a group of guys on the floor and delivered a sweet Shiranui Doomsday Device. I know Barry is used by Beyond and ISW, but that guy has so much talent that other’s truly need to give him a chance. The realy meat and potatoes of the match came at the end when Mark Angle and Anthony Stone rekindled their rivalry. Angel ended up pinning Stone after a Canadian backbreaker/neckbreaker combo from Angel and Talent giving them the win at 9:54. The finish didn’t come off looking spectacular, but the hard work leading up to it absolutely can not be denied. This was the epitome of a showcase match and truly left me wanting to see more of just about everyone. ***
RD Evans (0) vs. Jarek 1:20 (-7)
Evans attacks Jarek from behind and claims he will beat him in one minute and twenty seconds. He doesn’t meet that goal, but definitely gets in a significant beating. Jarek is able to shove Evans into the ring post and slides under the ring to escape. Evans goes after him but gets a deck of cards thrown in his face, and then sent to the ground with double knees. Evans sweeps his legs when they’re about to back into the ring to regain control. Jarek and Evans end up trading strikes and becoming evidently more exhausted. Jarek wins the exchange and drops Evans with an elevated DDT for two. He looks to put away Evans by bringing him up top. Evans low blows Jarek and delivers a super uranage backbreaker. Evans is stunned when Jarek manages to kick out. Evans manages to hit a regular backbreaker but again only gets two. Jarek superkicks Evans to block a second rope attack. Jarek drives Evans’ face into the mat for two. Evans reverses Jarek’s move and drops him with a reverse Styles Clash for the pin at 15:13. This was just a brawl between two guys looking to prove themselves. As much as their characters may not lead you to believe that they would be good in the ring, both guys are truly great wrestlers when you get right to it. As much as I personally loved Evans winning, Jarek 1:20 had an equally impressive outing. ***1/4
The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield (0) & Sugar Dunkerton (+1)) vs. Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous (TJ Marconi (-2) & Darius Carter (-2))
This was an open challenge from The Throw
back”>how to get your ex backbacks that Marconi and Carter decided to answer. This started out with a little bit of comedy from both teams. We got a small bit of racial humor from Dunkerton and Carter as they’re both black, and then some typical wrestling humor from Marconi and Hatfield. Things got aggressive when Dunkerton and Carter threw some brutal chops at one another on the floor. Carter shoved Dunkerton back first into the ring post, allowing the Lifestyles to take advantage. Even with a small comeback by the Throwbacks, it looked as if the Lifestyles had the match in the bag. However, Marconi’s placement for a Doomsday Device was off and caused Carter. This allowed Hatfield to victory roll Carter for the pin at 19:40. Both teams left all they had in the ring, and I’ll be damned if this wasn’t just as good as the opener. They got a lot of time, made the most of it, and put on a really fun match. I’m curious to see just how the Lifestyles end up after their miscommunication at the end. ***1/4
Cockstrong Carnival – Participants Include: Cecil Nyx (0), Tuck Hanson (0), GLAAD Badd (0), Veda Scott (-2), Stan Styles (-3), Addy Starr (0), Steve “Turtle” Weiner (-2), Josh Thor (-4),
& Fredo Majors ()
Since Johnny Cockstrong is the most successful wrestler in Beyond Wrestling, he had the power to put this open invitational gauntlet match to bring wrestlers who value both fun and winning when it comes to professional wrestling. What is there to say about this match? This was a bunch of different characters competing in a very entertaining gauntlet. Highlights include: GLAAD Badd feeling up Tuck Hanson, purposefully eliminating himself when Veda Scott (a female) came to the ring, wanting to come back in when the very in-shape Stan Styles came out to comepete, Addy Starr shoving a banana in Styles’ mouth and BLASTING him with a Sliding D, Turtle slipping on the banana and being pinned right away, Thor’s tremendous “Off With Their Head” finisher where he nails an opponent in the temple with a forearm, and the reaction the crowd gave when Majors kicked out of that very move. Ultimately, Thor did end up winning with that move, hitting it on Majors once more for the pin at 18:39. There’s truly no way to rate this, but it was a very fun match.
Afterwards, Pitboss attacks Josh Thor. This brings out Pitboss’ partner in “Doom Patrol”, Jonny Mangue, who is facing high-flier Mat Fitchett in the semi-main event right now.
Mat Fitchett (-1) vs. Jonny Mangue (-2)
This was the classic strength vs. speed battle. It was pretty contentious the entire time, and while the action was good, it wasn’t as flashy or exciting as some of the other previous stuff. I’m not saying it should have been, but relative to what we saw earlier, it didn’t come off as anything truly special. The crowd reaction alone I think showed that. Pitboss’ interference in the end didn’t help matters much either. Mangue small packages Fitchett for the pin at 9:07. **1/4
Team Cockstrong (Johnny Cockstrong (+13), Corvis Fear (+9), Chase Burnett (-3) & Zane Silver (-3)) vs. Team Vega (Davey Vega (+9), Pierre Abernathy (0), Evan Gelestico (+1) & Gary Jay (-1))
The only way this match can end is whether Cockstrong or Vega are pinned. However, any wrestler can pin another teammate, which will in turn take the loser of the fall down one point and give the victor of the fall one point. A wrestler could collect a number of pinfalls before the match officially ends. Cockstrong’s team started out…well, strong. A submission and count-out were counted early on, giving a couple guys on his teams some extra points. Of course, the tide turned when Cockstrong of all people was caught by Vega’s team. Fear was able to make the save and it was obvious that he was the most feared member of the opposition. He even gave one of them a flipping snapmare driver off the top rope onto some guys on the floor. The referee ended up being knocked out when Fear was pitched to the floor. Cockstrong had the win after the “Yes Way” (a top rope Kryptonite Krunch) on Vega and had the win. RD Evans ran in and gave Cockstrong the inverted Styles Clash while the referee was still down. He then threw the referee back in the ring and put Vega on top of Cockstrong, allowing Team Vega to pick up the win at 18:37. I love that Beyond ended their first show with these eight guys; the embodiment of what Beyond is supposed to be (Team Cockstrong) and the antithesis of what it’s supposed to be (Team Vega and Evans). I also love how important the stipulations were and that this sets up the next major set of feuds for Beyond’s foreseeable future. I’d say this was the perfect main event for Beyond’s first show in front of a crowd of fans. ***1/2
Overall: When writing for a multitude of different wrestling websites, it's very rare that a lot of us get the chance to watch a certain show more than once. With that said, I had so much fun watching “About Time” that I plan to watch it again quite soon. From top to bottom, you get a card with hard working wrestlers who provide a different type of show than you'll see anywhere else. The excitement and interactive nature of the fans and wrestlers is palpable and adds to the overall enjoyment. It truly is a DVD that feels more like the live experience than most any other wrestling show I have watched. I feel like I have said “this is a great jumping off point for Beyond if you have yet to watch it” in the past few reviews. Forget I said that before, THIS IS THAT SHOW. FOR SURE. I PROMISE YOU. I had a really good time watching this DVD and I think you will too. Pick it up either at Beyond Wrestling's website, or at Smart Mark Video when they release it in the next couple of weeks.