Beyond Wrestling – Uncharted Territory Episode 4 Review

Match Results

Jay Freddie defeated Brandon Thurston by submission @ 18:47
– A masterclass in move variety, compelling expressions, and competitive intensity.
Beyond Discovery Gauntlet: Mantis defeated Mick Moretti by pinfall @ 8:59 mins.
– Moretti had certainly grown on me, and solidly established the gimmick here, but I’m definitely ready to see more of Mantis.
Puf defeated Coach Mammone by pinfall @ 6:15 mins.
– A bit of a weird clash of styles, kind of like an old K1 openweight match.
The Beaver Boys defeated Butcher and The Blade by pinfall @ 18:15
– The Buffalo team were visiting behemoths, but couldn’t withstand the strong dam built by the Beaver Boys in their home promotion.
Solo Darling defeated Davienne by submission @ ~10 mins.
– An authentic grudge match where Darling impressed with the brutality to match the bigger and stronger opponent.
Team Pazuzu defeated The Dynasty by pinfall @ 15:08
– All the stalling, back-fighting and cheap shots in the world weren’t going to save these silver spoon-ers from a manhandling by some of New York’s finest bad asses.

Episode Summary

MJF started the show and introduced his Dynasty stablemates Richard Holliday and Alex Hammerstone to the Beyond crowd. Clearly this was meant to intimidate MJF’s opponent last week Chris Dickinson, but never one to come to battle unprepared, the Dirty Daddy revealed that he had some special guests to back him up: Team Pazuzu stablemates LAX!

Jay Freddie came to the ring next for the first bout of the night against Brandon Thurston. A very sharp match that scrolled through moves like you were watching Steven Regal vs. Dean Malenko on a mid-’90s episode of WCW Pro; snap suplex, Shining Wizard, Diamond Dust… and with the equal technical precision of those two masters of the craft.

.@brandonthurston with a pumphandle suplex!#Beyond #UnchartedTerritory @beyondwrestling @indiewrestling
▶️https://t.co/Yhtb18TFec pic.twitter.com/xseyVKKxE9

— Rob (@HeyyImRob) April 25, 2019

Their brutal chop battles became a reprise for the battle, as they constantly bubbled back up as the frustrations boiled whenever neither man secured any kind of sustained advantage. After an intense and exhausted sequence, Freddie got the momentary upperhand with one good arm locked in a modified leg crab hold for the submission win after almost 20 minutes of truly riveting action. Thurston appeared legit pissed to have to tap, and his reactions to the loss really sold the memorability and importance of this match.

Photos via Jon Washer – Freelance Photography

Beyond patriarch Denver Colorado came out to announce that Team Pazuzu would take on the Dynsaty tonight, while also plugging some of the upcoming big shows on the Beyond calendar, including the Lethal Lottery event reviving a much-missed old WCW gimmick PPV format.

The Beyond Gauntlet picked back up next, as 3-0 Mick Moretti from Australia steps up to the challenge of LT Mantis Montesanti. After a wild promo where he threatened ringside interviewer Cam Zigani, Moretti hit Mantis with the microphone and tried to end this one early. Mantis wasn’t put away by the cheap shot, and proceeded to withstand the tricks and athleticism of Moretti, eventually putting away the first ever holder of the Gauntlet and securing his spot on next week’s episode.

The 420-pound Puf danced to the ring to take on “greatest coach of all-time” Coach Mammone. In a match that filled in the blank left by the absence of Orange Cassidy this week, Coach Mammone played this one at first like he was out to train Puf, which quickly – and wackily – backfired. The extreme size difference meant the Coach really had to chop Puf down and keep him on the mat as much as possible, as just one move from Puf could equal the damage of 5 by his opponent. But in the end it was really Coach’s gym-teachery showboating that gave Puf the opportunity to flatten him with a victory splash.

MMA standout Chuck O’Neal returned after the end of this one to destroy the two competitors, and for the second week took to the mic to deride the goofiness of the previous match and promise to continue shutting things down until he makes Beyond “legit” again.

An interview from last week with Chuck Taylor announced that he didn’t want to go out on loss to Wheeler Yuta he would return to Uncharted Territory next week with his best friend, and Best Friends tag team partner, Trent Beretta.

More invaders from the Buffalo, New York area, Pepper Parks and Andy Williams went up against stand-out Beyond tag team aces The Beaver Boys in a sweetly satisfying tag team match, as is becoming a real staple of Uncharted Territory. This loyalty to presenting tag team matches that really honour the traditions of the form compared to what we see in some of the more Network-TV ready promotions, is really appreciated by the Beyond audience, and should be mandatory viewing for any old school wrestling fans out there.

Afterwards, it was announced that with the win, the Beaver Boys secured a match against the Slither team of Chris Dickinson and Joey Janela.

For the next match, Davienne ran into the ring and attacked Solo Darling before the bell rang for their grudge match. What followed was a sloppy slugfest that really demonstrated the emotion between the two following last week’s sneak attack by Davienne.

#UnchartedTerritory @BeyondWrestling @davienne__@indiewrestlinghttps://t.co/1yJefvZtiv use code: UNCHARTED on sign-up for 20 days free! pic.twitter.com/qdtrDoKBXE

— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) April 25, 2019

There was a great use of the brick wall of the Electric Haze venue here for some smashes and jumps that really heightened the brutality of the fight. Darling’s attacks on the thighs of Davienne sporadically throughout paid off as she got the submission victory following a sharpshooter.

For the main event, the Dynasty returned to the ring for their 6-man tag match against Team Pazuzu. The clash of personalities was clear, as the Dynasty play up the camaraderie of cheating and trickery while Pazuzu see that and raise them with some their gritty, brotherly street style.

Pazuzu Bomb!!! @DirtyDickinson #UnchartedTerritory @BeyondWrestling@indiewrestlinghttps://t.co/1yJefvZtiv use code: UNCHARTED on sign-up for 20 days free! pic.twitter.com/vfOefr8Dmj

— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) April 25, 2019

Move of the Night
Seeing Chuck O’Neal back-body drop the announced 400+ Puf was a stunning feat of strength.

HUUUUUUGE German suplex from @ChuckONeilMMA!! #UnchartedTerritory @BeyondWrestling@indiewrestlinghttps://t.co/1yJefvZtiv use code: UNCHARTED on sign-up for 20 days free! pic.twitter.com/TIT3ZS9EnH

— LARIATOOOO!! (@MrLARIATO) April 25, 2019

Shock of the Night
Unscheduled LAX showing up to rekindle their Team Pazuzu faction with Chris Dickinson, at least for this night, was a pleasant surprise. The (former) EYFBO are Beyond Hall-of-Famers and always good for a solid match with a few surprises thrown in.

Episode MVP
MJF
From his opening promo to displaying his leadership skills in the main event, MJF positioned himself as the smarmy big bad of Beyond, at least for the night.

Best Match
Jay Freddie vs. Brandon Thurston
Not just match of the night, but one of the best matches I’ve seen all year. Hey, don’t take my word for it, they’ve put the match up on YouTube for all to see!

How Did It All End?
While celebrating their victory with long-time friend Chris Dickinson, it is announced that next week, EYFBO will return in an inter-promotional battle against Taylor and Beretta. That’s right it’ll be IMPACT vs. AEW in the only place you can watch a match like this live: Beyond Wrestling!

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

Beyond Wrestling produces yet another piece of pro-wrestling television that laps all the "sports entertainment" nonsense that oftentimes clogs up our fandom. Look no further than Match of the Year candidate Jay Freddie vs. Brandon Thurston on this very episode to see what can be accomplished when two seasoned pros - who very few people might recognize if they walked by them on the street - are given 20 minutes to wrestler their hearts out. This is what Beyond can bring week after week, and all wrestling fans should be checking this out!