Beyond Wrestling – Uncharted Territory Episode 3 Review

Match Results

Wheeler Yuta defeated Chuck Taylor by pinfall @ 12:00
– Yuta got the chance to battle one of his idols, and the veteran Taylor was schooling him… until the surprise ending.
Beyond Discovery Gauntlet: Mick Moretti defeated Alex Taverez by pinfall @ 10:46 mins.
– The longest match in the Gauntlet series helped to establish the concept, value of the prize, and highlight the ability of Moretti.
Chris Dickinson defeated MJF by Disqualification @ 11:10 mins.
– MJF tried to grind the grudge out of this match with his recent rival, but eventually needed some help to avoid the loss.
Kris Statlander defeated Davienne by pinfall @ 9:08
– A tough battle for Davienne to try and break down the always resilient Statlander
Rory Gulak defeated Ophidian by submission @ 11:23
– Some patient and complex wrestling was utilized by two slippery and savvy CHIKARA vets.
IWTV Championship Match: Orange Cassidy defeated Kylie Rae by pinfall @ ~20 mins.
– Um… this is an Orange Cassidy match!

Episode Summary

We open instantly with the Uncharted Territory debut of indie wrestling legend Chuck Taylor taking on a wrestler, in Yuta, who had professed his love and respect for the career of the Kentucky Gentleman. This was a methodical contest that saw an almost subdued Taylor stuff a lot of the technical prowess of Yuta and seemed to have an answer for any of his big move attempts. In the end, following two devestating piledrivers, Yuta snuck in a crucifix for the flash pin (which felt like a bit of a stretch to be honest… those were deadly looking piledrivers).

Photos via Jon Washer – Freelance Photography

We get a backstage interview with newcomer Alex Taverez about his attempt to wrest the Beyond Discovery Gauntlet away from two-time winner Mick Moretti. Then we transition straight into the match, where if you’ve been following along for the past couple of weeks, Moretti’s passion and unpredictability should be growing on you.

During the match, Josh Briggs on commentary presented a theory that the Australian Moretti actually had a plane ticket home booked but cancelled it after winning last week, and is now just vagabond-ing around Worchester, Massachusetts waiting for his next match. These kinds of touches help create character, especially for newcomers on the scene, in a very Joey Styles / Chris Lovey kind of way you used to get from the great super-indies of the past.

BRUTAL!! @fullrapscallion #UnchartedTerritory@beyondwrestling @IndieWrestlinghttps://t.co/1yJefvZtiv (code: UNCHARTED on sign-up for 20 days FREE!) pic.twitter.com/Zi7cYcRXG0

— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) April 18, 2019

Following last week’s uninhibited verbal assassination of MJF by the always tongue-lashingly lethal Chris Dickinson, we next got the singles match between the two. There was a lot of ground work in the match, as the adept Dickinson does seem caught off guard throughout by the skills of MJF.

Shout out to Dickinson’s Jack Burton tribute shirt!

Richard Holliday, a silver spoon partner of MJF from MLW, ran in and attacked Dickinson right before a Pazuzu Bomb was about to finish things off. If only Dickinson had a slithery street-smart tag team partner to back him up against these snobby brats…

Unorthodox Treasure Hunt Tournament winner Kris Statlander came up against a tough challenge in a focused Davienne. A punishing and grinding match that pushed Statlander again to the physical limit, but as usual she endures the abuse and comes up with a miraculous second wind to secure the victory.

After the match, Statlander called out Kimber Lee following their break up on the first episode, only to have an upset Davienne attack her from behind. Helping break up the brawl is Anthony Green, who then plugs a number of products, such as a sex towel, that the Retro-Sexual will soon be selling.

Two of CHIKARA’s finest were up next, and off the bat you’re getting to see that twisty, hybrid-lucha Quack style on display from Ophidian and Rory Gulak. Although both have Beyond experience, without these two being on Uncharted so far the match felt a little dislocated from the narrative of the series. Would love to see more of these two on the show though, as they both can bring a unique, jazzy flavour to Beyond.

Huge powerbomb from @RoryGulak!! #UnchartedTerritory@beyondwrestling @IndieWrestlinghttps://t.co/1yJefvZtiv (code: UNCHARTED on sign-up for 20 days FREE!) pic.twitter.com/06oJcdxw17

— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) April 18, 2019

Chuck O’Neal showed up at the end and attacked Gulak following his victory. He then went off on that match and some of the other recent fare of Beyond, saying it was too soft and that he was coming back to “make Beyond Wrestling legit again”.

In the main event, the perky Kylie Rae challenged Orange Cassidy for his Independent Wrestling Television Championship, and there’s a lot more to say about this match below, because… Orange Cassidy, that’s why!

Shock of the Night
More traditional on the “shock” scale than actually that shocking, but the run-ins by two wrestlers at the end of matches, Richard Holliday and Chuck O’Neal, were the big surprises of the night.

Move of the Night
Orange Cassidy and Kylie Rae were locked in an early thumb war that is about as engaging as anything you’ll ever see in a professional wrestling ring. When Rae ended up pinning down her opponent’s thumb, Cassidy sold it like he was in a submission hold and desperately tried to get to the ropes to escape the pain.

Episode MVP
Orange Cassidy
When he got in the ring, Orange Cassidy lazily pulling the IWTV Championship belt from his backpack and then asked Kylie Rae in his trademark muffle, “Want to?” implying he was willing to make this match for the title. I mean, even if he didn’t wrestle a 20-minute match with that same (low) level of enthusiasm, he was already MVP just for being so damn adorable from second one!

Best Match
Orange Cassidy vs. Kylie Rae
Just a fantastic match in a 2019 when it seems Orange Cassidy can do no wrong. At the bell, Rae just hugged Cassidy while he stood there with his hands in his pockets, then upon release she tries a flash roll-up. In response to the mind games, Cassidy offers her his sunglasses, a rare sign of early respect from the always difficult to read Cassidy, and as soon as she puts them on, he then tries the flash roll-up on her. Brilliant sequence that kicked off a string of ridiculous antics and contrastingly great wrestling.

Crucifix from @orangecassidy! #UnchartedTerritory@beyondwrestling @IndieWrestlinghttps://t.co/1yJefvZtiv (code: UNCHARTED on sign-up for 20 days FREE!) pic.twitter.com/iUIJONH4Vo

— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) April 18, 2019

How Did It All End?
After a flurry of near-falls, Cassidy finally caught Rae with a cunning “mousetrap” pinfall combination for the 13th successful defense of his IWTV Title in just about 100 days as champion. Raising her hand to celebrate the well fought contest, Uncharted Territory Episode 3 went off the air for its 3rd episode with a respectful audience applauding the work they’d just seen.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

The high energy of the first two episodes drew back a bit, as there was a lot of singles matches with a similarly methodical formula this week. Of course, Orange Cassidy is the Wrestler of 2019 and if he's going to be in a 20-minute main event then you're absolutely in for a treat.