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Beyond Wrestling “Ripped Off in the Prime of Life”
June 26, 2016
Arts at the Armory
Somerville, MA
MATCH ONE: Steel Cage Rounds Match – KO or Submission Only - Matt Riddle v. Chuck O’Neil
Tale of the Tape – This feud started back in November. Riddle guest refereed O’Neil’s debut against Eric Spicely. After being impressed with the two of them, he suggested they team up. The next night, the three of them faced The Gulaks & “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams. Due to their inexperience, when O’Neil & Spicely were in the ring, they were getting the worse of the exchanges. Riddle came in for the save and the submission win. After the match, Riddle ran down the two of them on the mic and said he wants nothing to do with either of them again.
The next month, Riddle & mystery partner Drew Gulak defeated O’Neil & Spicely despite the fact that O’Neil busted Riddle open. They went one-on-one in January with Riddle getting the win with a triangle choke, with O’Neil passing out in the hold. In April, Riddle defeated Suge D with O’Neil on commentary. Riddle called O’Neil out and they went face-to-face. Spicely got in between the two of them, but when he turned his back to face Chuck, Riddle laid him out with a head kick and Riddle bailed.
At the House of Glory-Beyond show in Queens last week, Riddle and O’Neil faced off again with Chuck looking a lot stronger. He had Riddle in an armbar when Riddle got a rope break. Enraged, Chuck refused to break the hold and it took the locker room to pull them apart.
Today, they settle it with a Cage Match contested with three 5-minute rounds.
The Match – The entire fight saw a lot of great mat work with both men going for submissions. At the end of Round 1, Riddle had a tight armbar in, but was unable to finish the fight before the bell. Much of the same in Round 2, with O’Neil gaining the advantage and coming a lot closer to a finish. Just as in the first, O’Neil had an armbar ready to go when Riddle was saved by the bell.
The Finish – Riddle looked gassed in Round 3 as he was also fighting a stomach bug on top of everything. O’Neil managed out of an attempted triangle choke by lifting Riddle up and slamming him against the cage and to the mat with a powerbomb. Riddle gave O’Neil no time to react and slickly transitioned into an armbar that O’Neil had no way to escape. He tapped out giving Riddle the win.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
AFTERTHOUGHTS: Although this was a pro wrestling crowd, they reacted really well to the worked shoot MMA style of the match, as well as the rounds. Both men did an excellent job. This match could have easily worked on any Pancrase or UWFi show in Japan back in the mid-90s.
MATCH TWO: David Cole v. Anthony Stone
Tale of the Tape – After teaming up against Da Hoodz a couple of months ago, a once burgeoning tag team quickly fell apart as they lost the match due to some miscommunication. After feuding a while before this all occurred, this match, titled “Rivalry Renewed,” is just that.
The Match – A very brief feeling out process between them was followed by a back and forth battle. Stone went for more fast-paced, athletic moves while Cole was attempting to wear Stone down and go for submissions. A huge spot toward the end saw Stone hit a suicide dive INTO a DDT on the floor.
The Finish – Stone’s best high flying wasn’t enough as Cole was able to get him to the mat and finish it by submission with a crossface.
After The Match – Da Hoodz hit the rung and jumped Cole. Stone sat in the corner and watched. Da Hoodz taunted Stone and told him to either join them or fight them. Stone chose to walk out with Da Hoodz.
WINNER: David Cole
AFTERTHOUGHTS: Stone is a wild man who has a great underdog/Spike Dudley way to him. It was an entertaining match, but I worry that Stone may hurt himself with the risks he takes.
MATCH THREE: Brian Fury v. Suge D
Tale of the Tape – Brian Fury has been a New England stalwart and a standard bearer for the wrestling scene here. Suge D has been on a lengthy losing streak and is looking to break that streak.
The Match – Fury, always the tactician, was looking to break down Suge with various holds and submissions. Suge was doing his best to work out of them and stay on par with his opponent. As he usually does, he threw in some comedy that the crowd really appreciated. Fury did not, however, and after every comedy spot would respond very aggressively. Suge was going for big body strikes to try and wear Fury out.
The Finish – Suge was doing his best to finish Fury off when Fury countered into a Boston Crab for the win. After the match, Fury shook Suge’s hand.
WINNER: Brian Fury
AFTERTHOUGHTS: Fury did a terrific job leading the match and bringing Suge D to a good technical encounter.
MATCH FOUR: The Crusade For Change (Darius Carter, Anthony Gangone, TJ Marconi, Devin Blaze & Tommy Trainwreck) v. Team House of Glory (Ken Broadway, Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen & Smiley)
Tale of the Tape - Darius Carter got on the mic and tried to quiet the crowd. He wasn’t that successful. He was upset at being left off the show and the House of Glory show the week before. So he called out Team House of Glory to have a match.
The Match – After pushing Sonya Strong to the corner, Gangone ate a 5-way superkick from Team HOG. From there, it was a lot of fast paced action that, unfortunately, should have been slowed down for the sake of believability and accuracy of strikes. After a flurry between everyone, the Crusade For Change cut the ring off on one of the members of Private Party. It didn’t last long, as the match went into another flurry highspots and double team moves that could have used some more breathing room to be effective.
The Finish – TJ Marconi hit a power bomb to a member of Private Party onto the other on the ground for the pin.
WINNERS: The Crusade For Change
AFTERTHOUGHTS: Everyone was working very hard and doing everything they could to make the match work. Unfortunately, they were doing too much, too quickly and there were a lot of parts of the match that were very clunky because of it. Despite that, the crowd reacted well, so in the end, that’s all that matters.
MATCH FIVE: Keith Lee v. John Silver
Tale of the Tape – After making an instant impact in a tremendous effort against Donovan Dijak last month for Beyond, Lee was welcomed back with a much different opponent. This is dubbed a “Hoss Fight” despite the fact that John Silver is probably about 5’7”, 155 pounds. Silver, despite the size difference, works a LOT larger than his physical stature.
The Match – The crowd chanted “Test of Strength” for them, to which Lee got the crowd to chant “Are You Sure?” One leg kick from Lee swept Silver’s legs out from under him. From there, Silver adopted the Mike Tyson’s Punch Out defense: he did everything possible to avoid being hit by Lee even once.
Silver took some REALLY spectacular bumps. I mean REALLY REALLY spectacular bumps. Lee was bringing his best to try and put Silver away, but Silver kept fighting back with some awesome, hard-hitting strikes. This is worth going out of your way to see to believe.
The Finish – Lee had Silver up for another Last Ride style powerbomb when Silver reversed into a Code Red for the amazing upset victory.
WINNER: John Silver
AFTERTHOUGHTS – Wow. Go to Beyond Demand to see this one. A classic big man-smaller man dynamic with a highly athletic twist.
MATCH SIX: David Starr v. Tommaso Ciampa
Tale of the Tape – Starr, despite great efforts, has come up on the losing end more times than not in Beyond in recent memory. Ciampa, win or lose, is always one of the biggest fan favorites and performers in Beyond. Both men are looking at taking a slow step toward the top of Beyond. Before the match, ring announcer Rich Palladino went back and forth with nicknames for both men, with a big “Christian v. Jewish” theme to it that the crowd went wild for.
The Match – Lots of comedy to start with both men taking turns doing Greco-Roman takedowns into constant spins while in control. Starr, being the Taunt King, was running his mouth all the while. Ciampa teased a thumb to the rear of Starr, but was unable to pull it off. You read that sentence correctly. The comedy went on for a little too long, though the crowd was very much into it. Starr does a move where he bumps the “front of his tights” against his opponents face as he’s sitting. He did the move, and then Ciampa went into Hulk Hogan Hulk-Up mode and made a comeback. He hit a big boot and a legdrop for a two count. Ciampa lowered his knee pad and told the ref to look up, which the ref did for a long time. He then hit a running knee into the groin of Starr. That was embarrassing.
The match eventually got more serious with Starr hitting two suicide dives and a tope to hurt Ciampa (and himself judging on the landings). They went back and forth, both going for big moves to finish the other off. Ciampa was able to hurt the left arm of Starr on the apron and worked it over. Starr made a comeback with a brutal elbow to the back of Ciampa’s head.
The Finish – Starr looked like he had things in hand when Ciampa hit the Project Ciampa for the win.
After The Match – A standing ovation for both men. Ciampa wanted to shake hands, and after a brief debate, Ciampa got on his knees and hugged Starr instead. After the match, Riddle, who was doing commentary in the balcony, started sarcastically yelling at Ciampa how awesome he is. Riddle basically called out Ciampa for doing comedy and not taking it seriously. Ciampa responded by saying he doesn’t have many independent shows left, so he’s going to enjoy himself. Ciampa said if Riddle wants, come down and they’ll have an MMA fight. Riddle obliged and hit the ring. Riddle feigned getting in the ring, then laughed at Ciampa and said tonight wasn’t the night.
WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa
AFTERTHOUGHTS: I felt that there was too much comedy before getting to the meat of the match. Once they got moving, it was good, but there wasn’t enough of a serious match. Despite all of this, the crowd VEHEMETLY disagreed with my assessment and really enjoyed everything. I guess you can be the judge if you choose to watch it.
MATCH SEVEN: Jordynne Grace v. Taeler Hendrix
Tale of the Tape – Both women wrestling for Beyond’s sister promotion Women’s Wrestling Revolution. This is being hailed as a showcase match for their next big show on July 31.
The Match – No real feeling out process to start, rather, both women went back and forth with offense. Grace hit a very good clothesline at the beginning, with Taeler responding a few minutes later with emphatic chops that echoed throughout the building. They again went back and forth with Grace hitting some great power moves and running offense to a downed Hendrix in the corner.
The Finish – Hendrix looked to be going for some sort of slam when Grace reversed with a backslide into a bridge for an incredibly impressive and athletic pinfall.
WINNER: Jordynne Grace
AFTERTHOUGHTS: This was a good display for the WWR promotion, with Hendrix being a great female presence and Grace continuing to make her mark as one of the best female wrestlers around.
MATCH EIGHT: Team Pazuzu (Jaka, Angel Ortiz & Mike Draztik) v. Scarlet & Graves (Dave Crist, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz)
Tale of the Tape – Team Pazuzu has been on a tear in Beyond. Show after show they always are in the discussion for best match, and EYFBO (Ortiz & Draztik) are one of the best tag teams out there. They are constantly challenged by visiting teams, and tonight is no different.
The Match – It was a slow build, which I mean in a positive way. The match started with one-on-one exchanges between each member of both teams against a member of the other, all of which featured a different flavor of wrestling. This match quickly did what the ten-man was not able to do earlier, in that there were plenty of high flying moves, but it didn’t come rapid fire, so the execution was a little crisper.
Scarlet & Graves cut the ring off on Angel Ortiz and worked him over the build the heat. The crowd got super into Angel trying to get the hot tag, which he eventually did to Jaka, Pazuzu with a furious comeback, including a triple tope/suicide dive to the floor on all three of their opponents. Scarlet & Graves came back, with Crist hitting an Old School into a Cutter which got a monster reaction.
The Finish – Jaka thought he had the win with a top rope splash when Crist was pulled out of the ring by their manager. Pinkie Sanchez, who has been trying to get back in with Pazuzu, came out to ringside and got in the way. As the melee ensued inside, Jaka was rolled up by Xavier with the upset win.
WINNERS: Scarlet & Graves
After The Match – Jaka was distraught at the loss. He got in Sanchez’s face in the ring and was screaming, saying they had the match won until he ruined it. It didn’t come to blows, however, as Pazuzu walked away.
AFTERTHOUGHTS: This match was a how-to on how to build into athletic, high-flying spots. They didn’t just throw everything out on the table at the beginning, they built to when it made sense and, other than a slip or two, did a tremendous job with the match.
MATCH NINE: Zack Sabre, Jr. v. Jonathan Gresham
Tale of the Tape – Gresham has made a tremendous name for himself in Beyond, constantly having high quality matches, and has been rolling toward main event status. Zack Sabre, who debuted here in January, is, well, Zack Sabre. They have wrestled many times overseas, but this is their first match in America.
The Match – I could attempt to call all the holds, the counters, the counters to the counters and all of the above. It wouldn’t be worth it. It would miss the point of the beauty of the match. It wasn’t about what holds were used, it was the storytelling of pure athletic competition between two men who are at the top of their games and who respect each other. It’s also about the technical innovation BOTH men employed throughout the match. You can’t have this style of match with a lack of conflict between the competitors in every match, but in this instance, in this setting, it worked on all levels.
The Finish – There was a whirlwind of counters on the mat when Gresham caught Sabre in a backslide where he brought his feet to keep Sabre’s legs down for the upset win. Sabre got on the mic after the match and called Gresham a “devious, cheeky bastard.” He then challenged him to a match in a few weeks in Melrose for Beyond’s double shot with EVOLVE. Gresham said that when he wins again, HE will be the “Technical Wizard.”
WINNER: Jonathan Gresham
AFTERTHOUGHTS: A must-watch if you love technical wrestling. Hopefully, this will help catapult Gresham toward the top of the Beyond pecking order.
MAIN EVENT: Donovan Dijak & Chris Dickinson v. Death By Elbow (JT Dunn & Chris Hero)
Tale of the Tape – Dijak, Dickinson and Dunn have been feuding over who is the Ace of Beyond. Dunn interrupted a match between Dickinson and Dijak a couple of months ago, and since then, has been causing a ruckus in the company. He has taken out many referees, so because of that, 350-plus pound Brian Milonas has been brought in as his personal referee to keep him in line. Now, Dickinson and Dijak are forced to team to try and get a measure of revenge against their mutual enemy in Dunn.
The Match – Well. Dickinson got on the mic and said he could be the (poop) out of the both of them alone. He then called Hero a fat piece of (poop) and Dunn a skinny-fat piece of (poop), and tonight, they are in his house (expletive for a female beginning with the letter b). The crowd was on FIRE for this.
Dickinson was incredibly aggressive verbally and with his moves tonight. He was hitting some incredibly hard kicks and tossing Dunn around hard. When Dickinson wasn’t looking on the apron after Dijak tagged in, Hero hit him with a hard running mafia kick that put him on the floor. After an exchange between Dijak and Hero, Dickinson was tagged in and he went HARD after Hero. Hero would hit elbows and kicks and Dickinson no-sold them and would respond with vicious slaps and kicks. He was taunting him like the worst school yard bully you’ve ever met, yelling “WHAT DO YOU GOT?” at him like a maniac. Dickinson held Dunn for Dijak, but Dunn moved and Dijak kicked Dickinson. That was the start of the tease for dissension.
Death By Elbow was able to get the heat on Dickinson eventually, and when he went for the hot tag, Dunn went to the outside and pulled Dijak to the floor. It turned into a melee inside the ring, with Dijak running wild for a while. After a bit, all four men were laid out on the mat.
Dunn had Dijak’s waist from behind. Dickinson threw him off and approached Dijak from behind. He thought it was Dunn and threw a back elbow at Dickinson. They turned on each other and started trading forearms while DBE stood let it happen. Eventually, they petered out and asked each other, “are you done?” They were, and they were back on the same page.
Dunn and Hero went after Dijak’s eyes, since his saying is “Feast Your Eyes.” So now he was fighting blind. He was fighting back against DBE with forearms as Dickinson got back in the fight. Dickinson backed into Dijak, who hit him with a Feast Your Eyes. DBE followed it up with dueling Roaring Elbows for a two count. They went for another one when Dijak moved and they elbowed each other. Dijak had Hero up top when Dickinson cut him off and dropped him as a receipt for earlier.
The Finish – Dickinson stood over Dijak and DBE hit the dueling Roaring Elbows for the win.
After The Match – DBE made Milonas raise their hands. Dunn feigned throwing a shot which caused Milonas to get in his face. While that happened, Hero hit Milonas with a roaring elbow to the back of the head to drop him.
WINNERS: Death By Elbow
AFTERTHOUGHTS: This was as heated of a match that I’ve seen in a very long time. There was an extra level on intensity that made this seem like a legitimate fight. Either they are all great actors, or there was actual hatred between some of the people involved in there. The lines were very much blurred, and top that with great storytelling, and you had a killer main event.
SHOW THOUGHTS: The long-term and in-ring storytelling of Beyond continues to be a cornerstone of the promotion. While not every match worked from an in-ring standpoint, the long term storylines remained on point. It will be interesting to see where a lot of the angles will go, and with the talent available to them, it should be a highly entertaining ride. If you have to opportunity to subscribe to Beyond Demand on YouTube or see a show in person, it’s definitely worth checking out.
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Follow me @HelloCrockett
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