wrestling / Video Reviews
Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Beyond Wrestling in 2015
Loading...Beyond Wrestling used to be a company that I watched quite a bit of, but I mostly stopped in 2013 as I was growing less and less interested in keeping up with independent wrestling. I did go to two of their shows in 2014 though and had fun at each of them Still, I was not making the effort to watch, let alone review, their shows. There are just not enough hours in the year, brothers and sisters. Anyway, I wanted to take a look at some of their biggest 2015 matches, and Beyond sent me them for the purposes of their review. Only seems fair to mention they have a show coming up. Learn about it here if you so desire.
Hit & Run
Providence, Rhode Island
January 31, 2015
Fire Ant vs. Shyron
Shynron does some of the most impressive spots in wrestling, and Fire Ant has been known to work the very exciting match from time to time. They did not put on the stunt show I was hoping for though, and it was really just a “slow burn” match with high-flying and spots getting progressively more and more impressive. They wisely saved the most impressive spots for the end: Shynron hit a corner-to-corner dropkick (diagonally across the ring) and a 630 to put Fire Ant away. He match was a bit underwhelming because they were clearly holding back quite a but. For a spot-heavy match to work, you basically need to never stop doing impressive spots. This was not that. (**1/2)
AR Fox and his then fiancee attacked Shynron after the match (after the referee thwarted Fox’s interference during the match). She gave Shynron a Canadian Destroyer. Fox stole his mask and spat on it. This was to set up their ladder match in March (that was originally supposed to happen on this show).
Silver Ant vs. Mike Bailey
Much like the first match, I was drawn to this match because of my fondness of the workers as opposed to hearing anything about the match. Also much like the first match, you cannot watch this match without recognizing that they are just capable of so much more. It’s a level above Shynron/Fire for sure, as these two are just such more well-rounded performers. There were some rough-looking moments though that took away from the overall presentation (a few awkward/forced spots and a couple of moments that just looked too phony, even for me). They also did not do a great job of building to the finish too, which made it feel anti-climatic. Bailey’s shooting-star knees finish is dynamite at least. (**3/4)
Death By Elbow (Chris Hero & JT Dunn) vs. The Keepers of the Lariat (Biff Busick & Drew Gulak)
There were a lot of parts of this match that I liked, but there was just no need for this go longer than twenty minutes. The first heat segment on Dunn was solid, and Hero’s hot tag was going down plenty smooth. Then Death By Elbow started to work over Gulak! What the heck! It made sense to build to a big Biff since he is possibly the biggest star in Fete, but they should have just done that right from the start. They started to really lose me during the back-and-forth sequence to end the match, as there was very little rhythm to it. They had a killer finish though, as Biff caught Hero in a rear-naked choke to make Hero tap out. Gulak was holding Dunn back from the floor with an ankle lock simultaneously which made for a great image. It was not enough to save the match, but it at least left you with positive feelings. (**1/2)
Buy the show here.
King of Arts
Providence, Rhode Island
March 1, 2015
Shynron(c) vs. AR Fox (w/ Roxie) [Ladder Match for the CLL International All Star Championship]
This was everything a singles ladder match in 2015 needs to be to make an impact. As you would expect from these two, they did a mix of ridiculous/dangerous spots and impressive acrobatics. We got stupid bumps, creativity with ladders, and MULTIPLE apron dives. The best part may still have been this heel character that AR Fox has been playing in Beyond for quite some. Much like his in-ring work, it basically feels like an updated version of Rob Van Dam’s heel work in ECW. Fox is cocky, arrogant, and his own biggest fan. Every facial expression and movement is full of swagger to the point where you are excited to watch him get beat up. It also helps to explain away the tendency Fox has to be a bit overly-choreographed in some of his movez. He is an ass who likes to show off! Shynron, while not being able to match Fox with the character work, was easily able to match him in terms of spots and craziness. This was like a mix of 2009-11 Beyond where a bunch of young dudes did stupid things but in front of a 2013-15 Beyond crowd. Shynron ended up jumping from the turnbuckle to grab the belt without even using a ladder. (****1/4)
Buy the show here.
Scorned
Providence, Rhode Island
April 26, 2015
AR Fox (w/ Roxie) vs. Mike Bailey
These two have tremendous chemistry together, and their in-ring styles compliment each other surprisingly well given that they both can sometimes veer too far into the direction of “excessive ridiculousness.” I think could have been great if Fox stepped up his heel game like had been doing in Beyond recently. He toned it down though, and the match was less interesting than it could have been. Fox ended up winning with a 450 to the back of Bailey. (***1/2)
Buy the show here.
When Satan Rules the World
Providence, Rhode Island
April 26, 2015
Nick Gage vs. Chris Dickinson [Anything Goes]
This was a quick and fun brawl that I enjoyed all the way through. I wouldn’t say I necessarily had high expectations for the match, but I was hoping they were going to work it a bit crazier. If this was the first chapter in a larger feud, I guess it’s okay if they held back here. If this match never happens again though, it will feel like a missed opportunity to do a wild match. After Gage got a phantom pinfall, Dickinson fought back and hit the Pazuzu Bomb for the win. (**3/4)
Ninjas With Altitude (Kitsune & Shynron) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
This was a PWG-style match in a Beyond Wrestling ring. Both teams just went all out for the entire time, delivering some ridiculous spots and sequences. Some of those were obviously a bit forced, but they are (mostly) fine within the context of the style worked. The Bucks did not phone this in at all despite being a relatively minor show for them. Kitsune and Shynron put in their usual great effort. The Bucks ended up winning with the Meltzer Driver. This is one of the better matches in Beyond Wrestling’s history. (***3/4)
Buy the show here.
The Real Thing
Providence, Rhode Island
May 31, 2015
Samoa Joe vs. Chris Dickinson
Folks, I have some bad news. Samoa Joe is mostly done when it comes to contributing in positive ways to professional wrestling. He just cannot move all that well anymore, has lost most (but definitely not all) of his presence, and he is not compensating for those deficiencies by changing up his game in any way. He’s just a slower and poorer version of his former self. I am not saying he is incapable of turning it up in a big-time situation, but the days when he can just have a good match easily are over. He gave Dickinson lots of offense at least so it was not a waste of time or anything. It wasn’t even bad. It was just deflating to watch a man who was once looking like one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever reduced to this so early in his life. Joe eventually won this average match with the Coquina Clutch. (**1/2)
Buy the show here.
Life Sucks & Then You Die
Providence, Rhode Island
June 28, 2015
Biff Busick vs. Donovan Dijak
Holy shit, this was one of the best matches in Beyond history. It seamlessly combined physicality, violence, blood, big spots, and nearfalls into a cohesive whole. The basic story was that Dijak got control after busting Biff open on a ringpost. Biff tried to fight back and was only *just* able to barely make it competitive again with some brutal lariats, running strikes, and a choke. Donovan managed to eventually catch Biff with his GTS variation to pick up the win. Dijak showed a TON of promise here as the ass-kicking heel, and Biff was his usual excellent self. He seemed to go above and beyond to make Dijak look like a potential star here. Between the work and hot crowd, Beyond got something special from these two. (****)
Paul London vs. AR Fox (Ms. Fox)
This was a really cool matchup and overall fun to watch. However, it no doubt did not live up to the high expectations of craziness that I had for this one. Instead, it was just a relatively ambitious match that could not live up to its own standards. London put over Fox huge in a post-match speech. (***)
Buy the show here.
Watch some Beyond Wrestling for free!
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