The preparations for Americanrana wrapped up as Beyond Wrestling brought their A-game for the penultimate episode of Uncharted Territory.
We’re back in the White Eagle in Worcester, Massachusetts – with Paul Crockett and Sidney Bakabella on commentary… and LAX are opening the show! Santana addresses Bear Country’s claim that they’re the tag team aces of Beyond… but they of course dispute it, instead offering the Bears a seat so “they could see how it’s done”.
LAX (Ortiz & Santana) vs. Milk Chocolate (Brandon Watts & Randy Summers)
Yeah, I don’t think Milk Chocolate will last here…
Watts and Summers jumped LAX at the bell, but Santana got back to his feet and lit them up with chops before some double-team flurries from Milk Chocolate had Santana down. Watt’s top rope legdrop flips Santana to the mat for a delayed two-count, but they don’t follow up quickly enough as LAX quickly came back in with double-teaming of their own. Summers interjected himself in it again as he proceeded to trade chops with Santana as the entire concept of tags was just thrown out of the window. A step-up cannonball and a hiptoss facebuster ends up putting Summers away, ending this chaotic squash in a hurry. **¾
So LAX win in short order… and they have some opponents for Bear Country too…
Bear Country (Bear Beefcake & Bear Bronson) vs. Da Hoodz (Davey Cash & Kris Pyro)
It’s a blast from the past as Da Hoodz haven’t been around Beyond in over a year…
Bear Country get low bridged to the outside from the off as Da Hoodz set up for duelling topes, before a flying cutter and frog splash combo nearly led to the upset. Bear Beefcake had better luck, booting away Cash before catching the pair of them for a powerbomb/slam combo. A moonsault from Beefcake misses, as Bronson ended up charging into the corner, as Cash’s kicks just had the wannabe aces on the back foot. A forearm from Bronson and an Exploder dumps Cash awkwardly, before Pyro tried to chop his way through Bronson. It doesn’t work as Beefcake returned to press slam him onto his partner on the floor, before the Elevator Drop put them away. By-the-numbers stuff, but at least this didn’t feel as chaotic as the opener. **¾
After the match, LAX came to the ring with the chairs they had earlier, as the crowd were on fire for the final teases for their match on Sunday. That’s going to be a stormer of a match…
Leyla Hirsch vs. Alex Reynolds
The last month has seen Hirsch really break through in Beyond, while Alex Reynolds’ ridiculous entrance music this time was a Bon Jovi cover of Frank Sinatra, which drew some bemused looks from David Starr and his pornstache in the background.
Reynolds circles Hirsch to start us off… so she just double-legs him. A simple solution, eh? Reynolds returned the favour, only for Leyla to roll him to the mat with a cross armbar that had him scurrying for the ropes. Hirsch unwisely went for a Fireman’s carry, but had better luck with a Samoan drop as Reynolds had to kick out… and roll outside for brief respite. Respite that quickly ended with a tope, which Reynolds caught and turned into a slam on the outside.
Back in the ring, Reynolds looked to keep up the pressure, but he’s caught with a crossface, then a cross armbreaker as Hirsch was again going back to the submissions. Reynolds manages to wriggle free and stomp his way out, as he then tried to pull out Hirsch’s hair. Leyla fought back with forearms and a knee strike, as she built up to a German suplex and a lariat to flip Reynolds inside out for a delayed near-fall. Hirsch goes up top, but she has to readjust before crashing into Reynolds as he went outside… but Reynolds is back first with a superkick and a folding powerbomb… before he looked for an Edgucator. It’s not fully locked in, as Leyla’s able to use her middle finger to get to the rope. John Silver appears as Reynolds went for the hold again, but a roll-up doesn’t get the win, as instead Hirsch hits a German suplex into the corner, before some running knees and a moonsault puts away the other half of the Beaver Boys. An enjoyable outing, even if this felt like it was just window dressing on the Beaver Boys feud that’s arced over the entire season. ***
After the match, John Silver hits the ring and dumped Reynolds with a German suplex of his own, before Reynolds scarpered to the outside… but not before he challenged Reynolds to a match at Americanrana in the opener. That’s now making this a ten match card…
Cam Zagami & Christian Casanova vs. Nerder Death Kill (Nick Gage & Thomas Santell)
Despite losing his spot in the Discovery Gauntlet last week, Christian Casanova’s still with Cam Zagami… who really is going to wrestle in those ridiculous leather trousers.
Unsurprisingly, Zagami’s not too keen on starting against Santell… nor against Gage, so he dives out to tag in Casanova to get us going. Casanova hits first with a superkick, but Gage’s powerslam got him right back in it ahead of elbows and boots in the corner. A standing spinebuster drops Casanova in a hurry, but Santell couldn’t get a tag as Casanova’s right back with a Codebreaker and a scissors kick… just as Zagami wanted in. Zagami’s howling at his good fortune… but he turned his back as Gage rolled through and tagged in Santell… but before they could even touch, Kenn Doane ran in to attack Santell. Not much of a match, but they were super smart in delaying the Zagami/Santell pay-off here. **
Post-match, Zagami gets the mic and introduces Doane as a part of “Club Cam”. They’ll be at Americanrana too, with Doane being in that ladder match for the Feast championship, as there’s a promise of more names… just as Puf, Cheeseburger and Solo Darling came out for a stand-off to build up that ladder match some more.
Discovery Gauntlet: Daniel Garcia vs. Kevin Blackwood
Garcia blew past Christian Casanova last week, but this week he’s got a very familiar face as commentary tells us these two were in a serious car accident a year or so ago, but recovered “together”.
Blackwood attacks Garcia mid-death stare from behind, but Garcia’s quickly in with a shotgun dropkick, a German suplex and a Sharpshooter… but Blackwood’s able to push free and counter into a STF! When that’s escaped, Garcia’s met with a German suplex and a running European uppercut, before the pair fought over a suplex… only for Blackwood to instead come in with a tombstone gutbuster for a near-fall. Kicks from Blackwood just served to anger Garcia, as he ended up catching a kick and countering with a Dragon screw as “Red Death” Garcia was renewing his focus. The pair trade forearms on the apron, only for Garcia to get caught with a stomp after his attempts at a piledriver went sour.
Garcia throws Blackwood back inside, but he’s quickly met with a dropkick… but he returned fire with a superplex, only to get rolled into a brainbuster as the pair were giving as good as they got. Back-and-forth forearms resume… but the striking game only served to fire up Garcia… except he’s caught with a diving punch as Blackwood almost ended things. Still, Blackwood looked to finish it off, but Garcia caught him and countered with a piledriver that came within a hair’s breadth of ending the match. From there, Garcia looks for another Sharpshooter, but Blackwood resists and responds with some knees before we go back to strikes… which Garcia caught as he countered with a buckle bomb. A leaping stomp was Blackwood’s retort, ahead of a Busaiku knee to the back of the head, as the STF was reapplied… but Garcia gets free and puts the Sharpshooter back in, with Blackwood having nowhere to go as Garcia leans back… forcing the submission. This was a goddamn war, as the Discovery Gauntlet continues to dig up some real hidden gems on the indie scene. ****
It’s not just because of the “Red Death” nickname, but I can see some real comparisons between Ilja Dragunov and Garcia. The sheer intensity from both men is comparable, and if Garcia’s given a chance to connect on a wider scale, there’s a hell of a lot of potential there.
The Butcher And The Blade (Andy Williams & Pepper Parks) vs. Anthony Greene & Josh Briggs
Greene and Briggs wanted to team up after their main event last week… so it’s just their luck they’re facing a team who’s got the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express on Sunday!
The Platinum Hunnies come out to try and psych-out the Butcher and the Blade, but of course it’s a ruse as there’s more swapsies going on, with Josh Briggs coming out in Zubaz. That look could be a grower…
We’ve a jump start as the Butcher and the Blade jumped Greene as he was disrobing – and they made a point of going after Briggs early on, only for that to backfire. Briggs and Williams have a staredown as they proceeded to wallop each other with clotheslines, ending with a Calaway Clothesline from Briggs. Hell, there’s even a cheeky forearm for Parks on the apron too, as Briggs keeps up the momentum… only to jump onto Williams’ knees as we had a quick turnaround.
Parks comes into help with a boot-assisted gutwrench on Briggs, who found himself caught in the corner… before he rebounds with a big boot as a tag’s made to Greene. Greene tried his luck with a jawbreaker and a neckbreaker on Parks, before a surprise tope took out Williams on the floor. Greene pulls a Martina with a Jägerbomb, before a single-leg crab got broken up with a boot from the returning Williams. Parks slips out from a Doomsday Device attempt as the Butcher and the Blade continued to decimate Greene, finishing him off quickly with Full Death – a suplex onto Parks’ knees – for the win. This was a little more truncated than I’d have liked to have seen, but this was a fun slice of violence while it lasted. ***¼
Wheeler Yuta vs. David Starr
The pornstache is real! Yuta’s having a big deal made of his time in wXw – a promotion that Starr’s exiled himself from… and the story here is that Yuta’s perhaps been tempting fate against Chuck O’Neil a little too much. Chuck’s suspended indefinitely because of his attack last week so I guess he’s not here? After getting some heat for his “BLM” trunks, Starr’s chosen a rather less controversial set of gear – one repping his cats.
Starr opened by working over Yuta’s left arm, then the leg as Starr was looking to show his dominance early on. Yuta rolled free and tried to return the favour, as the pair continued to scramble for a hold. Magnum, DS was forced to look for a plan B, which involved picking the leg and going for another toe hold, wrenching back on the leg into an ankle lock… only for Yuta to escape as he had Steven Starr-gal on the hop. I’ll stop.
A dropkick stops Starr, as Yuta ended up getting clocked from behind as Starr used the ref as a human shield. Undeterred, Yuta begins to chop back, only to get caught with a Pretty Pumped for a near-fall, before Starr worked up into a sliding splash in the corner. The pace quickens as the pair switch around in waistlocks, before a leaping kick from Yuta sent Starr rolling outside for cover, but a tope to the outside ensured that didn’t last long.
Back inside, Starr looked to roll Yuta into a crossface, but it backfires as Yuta came back with an Angle Slam for a near-fall. A Yutagatame followed, but Starr’s way too close to the ropes, which opened up the match once more. Starr catches Yuta with a belly-to-belly superplex, only for another series to end with a German suplex as Yuta goes back to the Yutagatame submission… but Starr tweaks the fingers to get free, following up with a Blackheart Buster to stop Yuta in his tracks. Forearms follow between both men, until Starr managed to knock down Yuta for a superkick… only to get caught in a Euro clutch for a near-fall. More pinning predicaments had Starr in trouble, before he walloped Yuta with a Han Stansen… and that’s all folks. A lovely slice of wrestling here, with Yuta more than matching Starr… until that damned lariat at the end. ***¾
Oh hey, Chuck O’Neil is here! He whacks Yuta with a knee through a chair, as security made the save… and got wiped out too. Yuta’s busted up, before Bear Country wandered out a little too late for the save. They were still in their gear almost 90 minutes after their match… Yuta gets the mic to demand that O’Neil’s suspension is lifted… so they can fight at Americanrana. That’ll be match number 11.
They run through some more of the Americanrana card – we’ll list it all at the end for you…
Chris Dickinson vs. Timothy Thatcher
This was the culmination of Dickinson’s Parade of Hosses as he’s facing Daisuke Sekimoto on Sunday… and oh man, Timothy Thatcher, it’s been way too long.
In a weird way, Thatcher’s “new” music sounds a lot like the song they play at Beyond…
Dickinson tries to lock up with Thatcher early on, but it ends in the ropes before Dickinson took it to the mat, working over Thatcher’s left arm. That played right into Thatcher’s wheelhouse though, as he got free and tried to hook the leg, rolling Dickinson into a standing single leg crab… something Dickinson tried to counter, only for Thatcher to slap his way back into the lead. Staying on the mat, Dickinson traps Thatcher in headscissors before the counter bow-and-arrow lock kept the stretching going. A Greco-Roman knuckle lock took Thatcher down, but he bridges up to avoid being pinned, then switched into a Fujiwara armbar as the pair continued to look for submission attempts.
When those didn’t work, they just traded stiff-sounding shots, with Dickinson’s kicks decking Thatcher with ease. A RINGKAMPF belly-to-belly gets Thatcher back in it, as he proceeded to boot Dickinson in the back, with a leg lock then keeping the pair trapped in the middle of the ring. Kicks from Dickinson eventually got him free as the pair rolled into the ropes, only for Thatcher to go back with an ankle lock as Dickinson was in real trouble. Chops and crossface punches keep him there, as commentary suggested that Dickinson had perhaps worn himself down too much with these self-imposed trials. Dickinson does manage to get free, but things descend into back-and-forth chops as Dickinson began to build up steam, catching Thatcher with a running death valley driver for a near-fall.
Thatcher responds with some clubbering forearms ahead of another Fujiwara armbar attempt, only for Dickinson to get free, snapping Thatcher with a piledriver and Pazuzu bomb for the win. One of my favourite types of wrestling, this was, with all the clubbering ensuring that Dickinson was able to keep his momentum up going into Americanrana on Sunday. ***¾
Our main event segment saw Joey Janela getting a live mic, but first, your card for Sunday:
Iron Man Match: David Starr vs. Joey Janela
Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Chris Dickinson
Josh Briggs vs. Johnny Foxwoods/Nitro/Impact/whateverelsehe’sbeencalled
Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. The Butcher & The Blade
Independent Wrestling Television Championship: RD Evans vs. Orange Cassidy (c) – if RD loses, he retires
Chop ‘n’ Roll Express (Tom Lawlor & Bryan Alvarez) vs. Nerder Death Kill (Nick Gage & Thomas Santell)
Ladder Match for the Feast Wrestling Championship featuring Cheeseburger, Kenn Doane, Solo Darling, PUF, Anthony Greene, Johnny Cockstrong, Marko Stunt & Swoggle
LAX vs. Bear Country
Steel Cage: Kris Statlander vs. Kimber Lee
Chuck O’Neil vs. Wheeler Yuta
John Silver vs. Alex Reynolds
Janela’s out to close up the show, talking about the history he and Starr has, including attempted vehicular homicide, their no holds barred outing… their New Years’ Eve clash… then their barbed wire match from last year’s Americanrana. This Sunday’s (relatively tame) iron man match brings the whole feud to a close though, so Janela teases death… and asks David Starr to come out and shake his hand… because they’ll be in no condition to do it after their match on Sunday.
Oh yeah, that iron man match isn’t going to be tame: it’s no DQ, no holds barred. At least, that what Joey wanted, as David Starr came out to take shots at Janela for being injury prone before saying he’ll only shake Janela’s hand if he survives… and we go off the air with the uneasiest of staredowns.
Uncharted Territory this week succeeded in getting my interest through the roof as just about every match on the card had something tied to it here. The relatively throw-away ladder match? Check. Starr/Janela? Check. The tag team matches? Check. This ticked off everything for Americanrana without ever feeling like an extended commercial for the show – exactly what “go home” shows ought to be. Sadly, next week is going to be a season finale for Uncharted Territory, with still no news on a second season. Don’t make me go all Alan Partridge with cheese wheels, lads…
By the way, if you’re having to cherry pick because of G1 season, make sure you carve out time for Garcia/Blackwood and Thatcher/Dickinson at the very least. You won’t be disappointed!
- Catch Uncharted Territory as part of a subscription to IWTV.live – sign up today and get a 20-day free trial with the code UNCHARTED – that code’ll get you Americanrana too for free if you sign up today!