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MILK CHOCOLATE, TONY DEPPEN & MORE: BEYOND WRESTLING SIGNATURE SERIES EPISODE 3 REPORT

Beyond Wrestling “Signature Series: Episode 3”

3/11/21 - Streaming on IWTV.LIVE

Last time on Beyond Wrestling’s “Signature Series” - 

This week continues both the Tag Tournament For Tomorrow and the Greatest Rivals Round Robin after Ephemera and Matt Makowski notched their first wins. Beyond owner Denver Colorado (the man, not the place) is your host. Rich Palladino is your announcer. Paul Crockett and the manager of champions, Sidney Bakabella, are on commentary. 

“The Silver-Toothed Satan” Atticus Cogar vs “The Wild Child” Jody Threat

Cogar is our first taste of 44OH! Tonight. Cogar comes in lax and Threat is all over him. After a crossbody two count, Cogar faceplants her into the second buckle. Cogar merciless with high angle stomps, strikes and suplexes. The ref keeps having to back Cogar off from attacking Threat on the ropes. Threat gets draped on the top rope, taking her wind for two. Jawbreaker stuns Cogar but he reverses her into a springboard hangman’s moonsault (this was coooooool). Cogar caught running into a Michanoku driver, double knees to the back and german suplex for a cloooooose two. Cougar bites his way out of trouble on the apron and hits a hangman’s ddt. Kick out! Side slam neckbreaker, kick out! Cogar grabs the skewers from under the ring. The ref takes the skewers, absolutely against the rules. Cogar eats a spear and a F5 while he’s arguing with the ref. Is that it?? No! Kick out! Cogar throws a superkick but Threat catches it. Powerbomb. Threat with a spinning torture rack blue thunder bomb and Cogar is out of the fight. 

Winner: Jody Threat

Cogar was trying to dismiss Threat here....but uh, that was a mistake. I liked how Cogar got too into getting his sh*t in (with the green MASADA skewers) that he ate some huge offense that led to the end here. Nice escalating fight here. Still thinking about that springboard draping moonsault. Threat has clearly grown as a performer since I last saw her at Uncharted Territory and last year’s Collective. Good energy opener.

Tournament For Tomorrow Quarterfinals Match: Milk Chocolate (Randy Summers & Brandon Watts) vs Faith in Nothing (Ricky Shane Page & Vincent Nothing)

RSP coming in confident and eats a smack in the back of the head from Watts. That just annoys him as he stomps Summers and gut shots Watts coming off the top. Nothing in and Milk Chocolate suffers a similar fate. MC powders and composes on the outside but they have a huge test against larger opponents here. MC working to annoy their opponents. Maybe that’s a bad strategy as RSP throws Summers corner to corner. Nothing in to club Summers into the corner. Tandem double arm drag and a double knee to the back for a two count. Watts finds his way in and goes right for the eyes of Nothing. Watts raining down blows but RSP rips the tag rope off and comes out to kick Watts off....that’s legal, right? RSP tags in proper and hits a delay vertical suplex and enziguri to Summers for two. Nothing in to hit a series of running face washes in the corner. Watts pops in to hit Nothing in the face with powder, blinding him. RSP dumped outside and Summers rolls up Nothing for the win!

Winners: Milk Chocolate

I was super impressed with “Faith in Nothing”, who Denver Colorado reminded us hadn’t been in a Beyond ring since 2009. This was mostly a one-sided beat down of the smaller guys but Milk Chocolate have long been the quality gatekeepers of Beyond’s tag division so it’s great to see them get the win here. Keep it up!

We get another video package from Joseph Montecillio, this time highlighting the history of the previous Tournament for Tomorrow tag team tournaments. This was a great recap. Also, I’m always glad to see Jaka and Max Smashmaster on my screen. 

Greatest Rivals Round Robin Match 3: “Weapon X” Matt Makowski vs Tony Deppen

Makowski and Deppen have history going back to the Discovery Gauntlet, where Deppen stole Matt’s spot and lost it about a month later when Makowski returned under a mask. This is their first true encounter since then. They shake hands and Makowski reminds Deppen he hasn’t forgot any of that. They go right to the ground but Deppen is controlling Makowski early. Makowski tries to flip out and get the ankle  but Deppen escapes into a rear naked choke. Makowski escapes into a press for two and works to take the arm....Deppen knows where he is and confidently grabs the rope with a smile. They feel each other out but Makowski kicks out the knees and wraps up the neck of Deppen in his legs. Back to the feet on a rope break, Deppen avoids a pop up and locks in an octopus hold. Makowski with a judo toss to escape. Deppen with a knee to the back of Makowski’s neck, drops some shots down and tries the pin for two. More forearms to the back of the head are staggering Makowski. Deppen getting resourceful with chokes and more shots to the back of the head. Makowski crumbles with a kick but still has the energy to fight out of a suplex....and eats a head butt. Deppen misses a double stomp and his knee looks like it went on him. Makowski has a moment to recovery and hits a belly to belly & a double underhook suplex for two. Makowski working the ankle with a deathlock but Deppen rolls it over to the rope again. Makowski drags him back for a sharpshooter but Deppen slaps his way out and tries a leg lock pin but the hold breaks on the pin attempt. Trading shots in the center, Deppen getting rocked. Deppen takes Makowski’s legs out, double stomp to the back of the head, suplex for two. Deppen immediately transitions to a guillotine. Makowski rages to his feet and hits an inside out suplex on that dead lift. WOW. Big spinning back kick to Deppen. Makowski puts Deppen up into a crucifix powerbomb and tosses him down right into a slick knee bar. Deppen screams and taps out frantically. 

Winner: Matt Makowski

And with that, Makowski picks up his 2nd win in the Round Robin. Only the Dirty Daddy can stop him now. I have been SUPER impressed with Matt Makowski’s growth over the last year. He put on a clinic with Yuta last week and just beat a madman in Deppen tonight. Deppen is no slouch, also having an incredible year of portfolio building matches. Deppen worked the hell out of the back of Makowski’s head but it was that knee he jacked up himself that spelt the end here. Back and forth action, a mix of technical graps and solid pro wrestling storytelling here. Loved it. 

And that’s it for Episode 3 of the Signature Series! All killer, no filler for just about an hour. That’s all I want. That’s all I need. Just watch it. I suspect this 6-episode series is going to be an easy package to recommend to anyone who wants to see how good the quality of indie wrestling in 2021 can be. Next week, we get Megabyte Ronnie vs Richard Holliday, The Bird & the Bee vs Rex Lawless & Mike Verna, and Chris Dickinson vs Wheeler Yuta. Until then!

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