Mercedes Martinez was back in Beyond – and she’s got another dream main event, against a news-making Kris Statlander.
We’re back to the White Eagle in Worcester, MA as Rich Palladino’s getting everyone to “oh” along to the Bro Hymn. Commentary, as usual, comes from Paul “don’t swear” Crockett and Sidney “I’ll swear if I want to” Bakabella.
Daniel Garcia vs. John Silver
Garcia’s here after needing to use the match graphic to get out of classes (true story – check his Twitter). It’s his first match back after losing in the Discovery Gauntlet in the season opener… but this may be a tough test for him.
We instantly start out in the mat as Garcia looked to keep Silver at close quarters, but the former Discovery Gauntlet winner’s temper perhaps got the better of him as Silver was able to bait him in with a cross armbreaker early. Garcia manages to roll out, but Silver grabs the ropes to save from a Deathshooter. Not to worry, Garcia just butterfly suplexes Silver into the corner, but it gets him just a one-count as “Red Death” began to wear down Silver.
Elbows and kicks barely got him a two-count, so Garcia charges in with knees to the ribs before some Danielson elbows seemed to wake up Silver, who lawn darts him into the corner with a press slam. Silver follows up with gunshot-like kicks to leave Garcia stunned, before a head kick, a German suplex and a superkick left Garcia prone for a back cracker… that somehow didn’t put him away. Garcia was instantly in the ropes to avoid a crossface, but he’s just kicked through once more. Second time’s the charm as he caught Silver up top, taking him down with a superplex, but Garcia rolled through and got caught with a brainbuster to equalise things. They’re back up, trading chops and kicks, going tit-for-tat until a backslide from Garcia was rolled through… more kicks batter him until he hit a release German suplex… then ran into a lariat as another breathless exchange ended.
Silver traps Garcia in the ropes for some more kicks, pulling him onto the apron as a powerbomb was teased… but Garcia clings on before he was knocked to the floor, where he sweeps a leg to give Silver a bad landing. They trade submissions on the floor, which was pointless.
Garcia taps, and gets thrown back in as he rebounds with a Deathshooter, ending in the ropes as Silver tapped. The Deathshooter’s tried again, but Silver pushes away, only to eat a running knee and a piledriver as Garcia edged closer… before he stopped a Deathshooter and went for a slingshot. Silver’s back with a trip into the ropes before a spinning rack bomb out of nowhere got a near-fall, with a modified crossface also ending in the ropes. Undeterred, Silver reapplies the hold in the middle of the ring, then threw some knees to the head as Garcia hung on, only for Silver to let go and punt “Red Death” for the win. My GOD, that was a hell of an opener – it didn’t hold the pace they started with, but Garcia more than hung with Silver, and got his plaudits, if not the win. ***½
Pinkie Sanchez vs. Chuck O’Neil
Last week on Uncharted Territory, Chuck O’Neil stole the Pazuzu kneepad from Danhausen – which led to this…
Sanchez didn’t back down, but he’s placed into the corner as O’Neil was taking a more measured approach. A kick’s checked by Pinkie, who proceeds to pratfall O’Neil before he went outside for a wild tope into the MMA practitioner. Back inside. Sanchez’s crossbody was caught, as O’Neil proceeded to just throw him into the corners, following up with a back suplex that took Sanchez outside.
It gets worse for Pinkie in the crowd as he got posted, before a fan got in Chuck’s face. Hey, it bought Pinkie a second or two, but O’Neil stayed on top of him with shots to the arm. Sanchez tries for a European uppercut, but it misses as O’Neil just hurled him across the ring again, before Pinkie’s reverse hook kick just annoyed Chuck some more. One head kick later, and Pinkie’s back in the corner… but he’s able to avoid a running knee and hits a stomp off the top for a near-fall. Pinkie tries to follow up with some rope-walking, but he backflips away from O’Neil and ends up eating a Michinoku driver with an armbar after the impact as the submission was forced. Solid work from Sanchez, but O’Neil dominated throughout and left with a deserved win… but not a second Pazuzu kneepad, as Chris Dickinson chased him away. ***
The Bird And The Bee (Solo Darling & Willow Nightingale) vs. Club Cam (Christian Casanova & Richard Holliday)
There’s no doggos this week, as the new CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas took on Club Cam in a follow-up to last week’s outing for Solo Darling. Is the “Air Pod God” the modern day equivalent of the York Foundation?
There’s still some dissension within Club Cam, as the eponymous owner was a little hesitant to clap for Casanova. We start with Solo taking down Casanova with a Dragon screw, clearly looking to weaken him for a Sharp Stinger later on… but she ends up getting caught in the ropes for an enziguiri before the match spilled onto the apron, where Solo tried for a death valley driver… right by Richard Holliday, who just watched on.
Solo looks for an arm wrestle on the apron, and gets baited into it… only for Holliday to stomp it apart. Willow Nightingale comes in for the save, battering Holliday with headbutts ahead of a back senton that earned a one-count. A big boot from Holliday stops Willow after a cartwheel, before a slap looked to bloody Willow up. Holliday backs off as Casanova tried to tag in, and of course, Nightingale looked to turn it back around before she got shoved into the corner. Tags bring Solo and Casanova back in, but Casanova’s taken down with a pair of Honey Steamer tornado suplexes. Nightingale’s back with a uranage for a near-fall, which led to Holliday tagging himself back in. It’s a bad call though, as he’s quickly tripped for a dual Sharp Stinger/armbar combo on Richard Holliday to force the stoppage as Casanova refused to help.
Except it was a botch as Holliday never gave up, so the match restarts as it fell apart. Christian Casanova argues with Cam at ringside, and misses Holliday being rolled up for the pin. Ah man, that was going well until the arse fell out of the match in the final minute – it got the story across, but that was awkward. **½
Post-match, Holliday and Casanova got into it with each other over their refusal to tag each other… and we fade out to an interview with Gary Jay, who’s entering the Discovery Gauntlet this week.
Discovery Gauntlet: Matt Makowski vs. Gary Jay
Makowski’s looked good in his Discovery Gauntlet run, but he seemingly hasn’t caught on with the Beyond faithful like other entrants have… and I don’t mean Thomas Santell, either.
Gary Jay’s introduced on commentary as a bit of a journeyman, and he slaps away Makowski at the bell. A forearm brought Makowski back in, but he runs into a ‘rana as Jay took him outside for a tope or three, which took Makowski towards the commentary desk. Back inside, a back kick from Makowski finds its mark, before he took Jay onto the apron for an arm snapper in the ropes.
A knee drop to the arm follows on Jay, who then got rolled into a rear naked choke. Makowski lets go and tosses him down for a cross armbar next, but Jay escapes and lands a leaping stomp to the back of Makowski’s head, following up with another one on the apron as both men crashed to the floor. Back in the ring, they trade forearms and chops, but Makowski’s back kick just led to a pop-up knee and a spinning lariat out of Jay for a near-fall.
Makowski pushes on as they resume trading forearms, before Makowski again rolled Jay into a cross armbreaker… but the bell rings as Tony Deppen’s out to be a nuisance. That’s two matches in a row we get a screwy finish, as of course we continue, with Jay KO’ing Makowski with a forearm… and there’s your winner. At least this one felt more natural with the Deppen shenanigans, and it’s nice to see he’s still sticking around to needle Makowski after what happened in the season opener. ***
Deppen interrupts Jay in his post-match promo, as he tried to talk up his title shot at WARHORSE this coming Saturday. Gary Jay just stood there holding his shoulder as Chris Dickinson comes out, and we’ve got the Heyman special… I’m not thrilled at how Gary Jay was just a background player at the end, but let’s see where this goes.
Tony Deppen vs. Chris Dickinson
The bell sounds as Deppen’s ragdolled into the turnbuckles, then waylaid with chops…
Deppen lifts Dickinson onto the apron as he tried to follow outside with a powerbomb, instead finding luck with a 619-like leg sweep and a springboard trust fall to the floor. Ooft. Back inside, a missile dropkick finds its mark for a near-fall on Dickinson, before Deppen just flipped off Dickinson amid a barrage of forearms in the corner. Running knees are next for a near-fall, before Deppen flung himself over Dickinson… only to get elbowed away. Another leg sweep trips Dickinson into the corner for a cannonball, following up with a lungblower for a near-fall, before a series of mid-kicks looked to irritate Dickinson. Retaliatory chops sting Deppen, who tried to get free, only to springboard into a death valley driver.
Dickinson builds up momentum with clotheslines and a superplex, but a knee from Deppen got him another shot… only for Dickinson to wipe him out with another clothesline for a near-fall. An Exploder from Deppen’s no-sold as Dickinson hit back in kind… but they just trade those suplexes back-and-forth until a knee from Deppen and a Saito suplex led to another two-count. Another superplex attempt’s avoided as Deppen slipped out and hit a powerbomb, then went up for a double stomp that was obscured by the ref’s legs (thanks camera guy!), but it’s still not enough to put away Dickinson.
A second wind from Dickinson allowed him to catch Deppen with an enziguiri, only to get met with a headbutt as he rebounded with a Pazuzu Bomb out of nowhere, bouncing Deppen for the win. A cracker of an impromptu match – with Deppen pushing Dickinson all the way, only to fall short. ***½
After the match, Dickinson called out Chuck O’Neil, and challenged him to a match “to get the knee pad back”. I mean, it’s symbolic, but to an outsider that’s a wacky reason for a fight.
Nerder Death Kill (Nick Gage & Thomas Santell) vs. Alex Reynolds & VSK
Last week, Mark Sterling was goaded into taking this match for his team… so this week, he tries to get it called off. Only for Nick Gage to kill him with a chokebreaker.
Alrighty then, we keep going as Reynolds ate a face-washing boot in the corner, before he got clotheslined to the outside. Of course Gage joins the fray outside, with VSK also being taken out into a merch table by Santell, but back inside Santell’s double-teamed as an ushigoroshi from VSK nearly ended things. Reynolds returns with some stomps, as they did their damndest to keep Nick Gage away. VSK eats some uppercuts, but Santell’s taken back into the corner where he sidestepped a running boot before eventually rolling through to Gage, who cleared house. A snap DDT drops Reynolds, while VSK took a spinebuster in the middle of the ring.
Santell’s back, but the spike piledriver’s stopped by VSK, who ran back in with a Spanish fly to Santell… then a tope to Gage on the outside. Reynolds is still legal, but couldn’t get the pin, and ends up getting caught in a Stretch Muffler. VSK tries to make a save, but leapt into a Chokebreaker as Santell held on to force the submission. A little on the brief side, but this was as clean a sweep as you’ll get here. **¾
Next week: Nerder Death Kill (Nick Gage & Thomas Santell) vs. Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Bill Carr)… Chris Dickinson vs. Chuck O’Neil… Gary Jay faces Facade in the Discovery Gauntlet… Team Sea Stars (Delmi Exo & Ashley Vox) take on The Bird & The Bee (Solo Darling & Willow Nightingale)… Christian Casanova vs. Orange Cassidy…
Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Martinez
Just days removed after making it to the finals of EVE’s SHE-1 last weekend, Mercedes Martinez is back in the main event of Beyond… against a Krist Statlander who was just 24 hours removed from appearing on AEW’s Dark tapings.
Martinez tried to dictate the pace from the off as she looked to ground Statlander, but instead the pair worked each other’s arms. A modified hammerlock from Mercedes led to her pulling back on Statlander in an Arabian clutch, before a knee strike knocked Kris loopy. We’ve a tree slam next for a near-fall, as Mercedes continued to add pressure, chopping Statlander in the ropes before a legsweep and a cartwheel legdrop helped Kris back into it.
Statlander connects with some forearms, but Martinez ragdolls her with a German suplex and a folding spinebuster for a two-count. That sent Statlander into the ropes, as she looked for some respite, before she fought back with some forearms… only to get dropped with a clothesline for a quick two-count. A guillotine choke from Martinez had to be fought out of by Statlander… but that just left her in Mercedes’ guard as some ground and pound left her on the mat. Statlander Matrix’s away from a clothesline and hits a shotgun dropkick as we got a sudden turnaround, with a running knee almost sending Martinez sailing outside.
Statlander borrows from a cleaner with a Finlay roll and a springboard moonsault, proving that while you may not be able to escape, you can still kick out… before she headed back up top for the Area 451… but she aborts it in mid-air. Martinez caught her in the buckles again, dragging her out with a hanging DDT before a Boston crab in the middle of the ring almost forced a stoppage… but Martinez slips out and turns into almost a Regal Stretch in the middle of the ring.
After Statlander got to the ropes, stomps waited for her, as did the Three Amigas, but Kris escapes a third one and lands a Falcon Arrow instead for a near-fall. Mercedes quickly hits back with a half-nelson driver, but despite becoming part of the canvas briefly, Statlander was able to kick out. The tit-for-tat continues as Martinez clotheslines Statlander, sending her onto the apron, where Kris pulled ahead only to get caught on the top rope as an avalanche Falcon arrow dropped Kriss off the top. It’s still not enough though, so Martinez went back in with the Three Amigas… rolling in for a German suplex, then a half-nelson suplex that almost won the match. Martinez looked to pull Statlander into the Dragon sleeper, but Kris fought free and hit a spinning enziguiri before rolling Martinez into an Octopus, throwing some extra kicks to force Martinez to submit. Chalk another one up on the list of Beyond Bangers – a hell of a main event to close out Uncharted Territory, and perhaps a match that you could see as a passing of the torch of sorts? ***¾
Post-match, Statlander took the mic and put over Mercedes, before revealing she’ll be on the Thanksgiving episode of Uncharted Territory in two weeks: leading Team Beyond in, erm, a ten match elimination tag. Can I say “teams of five strive to survive” without getting Beyond in trouble? Well, without getting them in as much trouble as Sidney Bakabella got in for threatening to leap onto Kris’ double-entendre…
So, another solid week of Uncharted Territory helps keep Beyond strong – and as ever, this is more than just a show full of matches. Exceptional outings from Kris Statlander, Chris Dickinson, Tony Deppen, Daniel Garcia and Mercedes Martinez were the highlights in the ring… while the teases of Thomas Santell perhaps switching sides seem to have been dropped. For now, it seems, the full focus is on the imminent implosion of Club Cam, as Christian Casanova is about to get taken off the guest list.
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