We’ve got a familiar face in Beyond as Charli Evans makes her debut around these parts – and put on a masterpiece against Masha Slamovich.
Quick Results
Love, Doug pinned Nolo Kitano in 6:01 (**¼)
Alec Price pinned Matt Taven in 14:09 (***¼)
Jay Lyon & Midas Black pinned Bryce Donovan & Bobby Orlando in 12:48 (***)
Matt Makowski defeated Slade via referee stoppage in 7:13 (***¼)
Trish Adora pinned Suge D in 23:24 to retain the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Championship (***¾)
Max Caster pinned Teddy Goodz in 10:01 (***¼)
Discovery Gauntlet – JCruz & Victor Chase pinned Jaylen Brandyn & Traevon Jordan in 7:37 (**¾)
Masha Slamovich pinned Charli Evans in 16:17 (****)
Ryan Galeone pinned Mike Bennett in 14:45 (***½)
We’re back at the White Eagle in Worcester for some wrestling after everyone’s had their Thanksgiving Turkey (or suitable, non-meat alternatives.) Paul Crockett’s back again with Sidney Bakabella on commentary.
Nolo Kitano vs. Love, Doug
We start with side headlocks, shove offs and chants of “Doug is gonna love you,” which can sound creepy…
A dropkick knocks Kitano down, before he face planted on a monkey flip, while Doug eventually springs off the bottom rope for a back elbow. He lands a Michinoku driver for a near-fall, before Kitano took Doug into the bottom rope for a Quebrada for a near-fall. Kicks to the back sting Doug, as did a backbreaker as a ripcord spinning heel kick drops Doug again.
Doug retaliates with an overhead belly-to-belly, then hit a bulldog off the top rope to spike Kitano for another two-count. A knee stuns Kitano ahead of a big boot, but Kitano fights back as he teases a Tiger Driver, only for Doug to roll him up for the win. **¼
Matt Taven vs. Alec Price
This was Taven’s first outing in Beyond since 2015… as he’s one of many guys associated to ROH who’ll be stepping into a new world soon. Price was out on his own here, with no Becca in sight…
We’ve a lot of jaw jacking to start, before Taven took Price to school with armdrags and roll-ups early. They trade right hands as Price dragged this down into a slugfest, before a dropkick took Price into the corner. A stun gun drops Price on the apron, while a springboard enziguiri takes Price to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes, before a switcheroo led to Price hitting a wild pescado to Taven on the floor.
Back inside, Price chop blocks Taven’s knee and began to work over it, using a Dragon screw to lead to a roll-up, before Taven’s tripped up by a log roll. Taven tries to fight back, but jarred the knee on a floatover as Price regained that upper hand, amid chants of “garbage.” An enziguiri from Taven gets him free ahead of a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near-fall, before Price’s leaping leg lariat out of the corner earns a near-fall.
Price tries a follow-up kick, but gets pulled into a uranage facebuster, before Price rolled out of a crossface… Taven pulls him back into it, but the ropes save Price in the end. A low dropkick from Price gets him back in it, as does a screaming knee drop, but Taven WALLOPS Price with a leg lariat, then another one to the back of the head, before he chains together a backbreaker and a DDT.
A Quebrada’s next for Taven for a near-fall, before Price hits a half-and-half suplex… then teased a Gotch piledriver, turning it into a powerbomb that almost won it. Price takes Taven into the corner, as his springboard stomp eventually lands for a near-fall, only for Taven to again remain stubborn, taking Price into the corner for some chops.
Flying headscissors from Price are easily turned into a powerbomb, before two Casanova knee strikes laid Alec out, as a headlock driver spiked Price. Taven doesn’t go for the pin, as he opted to head up top, taking too long as he misses a frog splash, before the Drive By scorpion kick from Price snatched the win. An unpopular result, but Taven took too long after his powerbomb, as Price remains annoyingly successful around these parts. ***¼
Shook Crew (Bobby Orlando & Bryce Donovan) vs. The Mane Event (Jay Lyon & Midas Black)
There’s no Cam Zagami out with the Shook Crew here, as Club Cam’s apparently taking Thanksgiving off.
We start with Lyon wrestling Bobby Jr. – the goat – and keeps a side headlock on it as Lyon and Orlando wrestle around the stuffed animal. Midas Black tags in, but so does Bryce Donovan, who punches Black’s hat before getting taken down. They keep up the quick tag as a springboard splash-assisted facebuster gets Lyon a two-count, before Donovan dropkicks away Lyon’s handspring.
Lyon’s double-teamed in the corner but manages to roll through as Black returned with corner-to-corner clotheslines, before the dive-through-the hoop was stopped as Lyon lost his steak. That’s not a euphemism. Black manages to restore order as Lyon hits his dive anyway, before the Shook Crew took over once more, throwing Black into the corner as Donovan eventually set up for something off the top.
He’s thrown down, but Orlando just knocks Black into a Tree of Woe as a dropkick gets a near-fall. Black eventually gets his way back in with a diving enziguiri to Orlando, ahead of a tag to Jay Lyon, who ran wild with Koppo kicks and spinning slams. Orlando hits back with a DDT, while a Codebreaker, a cutter and a Bossman slam almost won it as the Shook Crew piled on the pressure.
Orlando’s taken into the ropes for a 619 from Black, as a Lyon-sault and a Black frog splash laid out Orlando for a near-fall. Grabbing at Lyon’s mask helps the Shook Crew fight back as a big ol’ Parade of Moves breaks out, leading to dropkicks from the Mane Event, who then went after Bobby Jr. again for a Goat Splash onto Orlando.
Donovan’s still in the ring though and tried to roll-up Lyon in the ropes for a near-fall, before Black and Lyon combined for a pop-up facebuster on Donovan for the win. This was a good, action-packed tag, but if you’re one of those sticklers for tag rules, you’re going to loathe it. Just make it a tornado tag and be done with it lads. ***
They roll through the card for Fete Forever next weekend – Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. VSK & Mark Sterling, Max the Impaler vs. Willow Nightingale, Kimber Lee vs. Masha Slamovich, Slade vs. RSP, Blake Christian vs. Alec Price, Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Makowski, and Ruby Soho challenging Alex Shelley for the IWTV title.
Matt Makowski vs. Slade
Makowski’s been getting booed in Worcester as of late, as his winning streak’s not sat well with the locals. Today’s perhaps his biggest risk so far of that ending… even thought his time Makowski wanted this no-DQ.
Slade jumps Makowski from behind to start, and we’re already in with plunder as Makowski’s laid out with chair shots. Makowski goes under the ring and returns with a football helmet as he blocked some chairshots, then speared Slade with it on…
Slade’s knocked and kicked into a chair, as a choke then followed with Makowski opting to let go and have a long run-up for a cannonball that wiped out Slade and the curtain. Back in the ring, Makowski chucks doors at Slade, but setting them up buys Slade time as he hits a chokeslam to Makowski for a two-count… only for Makowski to grab a front facelock.
Makowski wrenches away on Slade, but gets charged through a door for a near-fall, before the pair began to trade strikes. A spinning back elbow has Slade doubled-over, with a head kick nearly putting Slade away, before Makowski tried to choke out Slade with a gi. Instead, Slade breaks free and spears Makowski through another door… only for Makowski to rise through the wreckage and choke out Slade in the gi for the stoppage. They kept this one short, but packed full of stuff, but it didn’t quell Makowski’s detractors… ***¼
Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Championship: Suge D vs. Trish Adora (c)
This one went back to Reverse The Curse as Suge D and Trish Adora lost to the Kings of the District, which then led to Suge questioning Adora afterwards.
Suge snubbed a handshake at the bell, as we instead started with the pair trading holds, as Adora looked to focus on Suge’s arm early. Countering, Suge goes for an ankle lock that Adora manages to escape quickly as the tit-for-tat looked to set the tone for this one. Palm strikes from Adora break a wishbone leg spreader, but she’d pulled into some bodyscissors as Suge went for another submission attempt.
Pushing free just earned Adora a shoulder block, before she tripped up Suge as a submission attempt from the champion ended in the ropes… just before things blew up with a hockey fight. A leaping knee stuns Suge, who’s then taken outside… but a belly-to-belly has Adora down on the floor, as did a slam against the side of the ring as Suge blamed her for his actions.
Back in the ring, Suge targets the lower back of Adora, following with a snap suplex as Suge pushed on, absorbing chops as Adora was left clinging to the ropes. She drops down and gets pulled up into a guillotine, turning defence into attack in an instant, before she just got thrown right back down.
Adora’s able to hit back with a knee strike, then with some headscissors that rolled Suge down to the mat before he managed to get his feet into the ropes. A rear naked choke attempt from Suge had Adora down, but she fought out and boots Suge, following up with a crossbody and body splashes, which led to the Curt Hennig neck flip for a near-fall.
Adora lands a back suplex next, but couldn’t hold it for a bridge as we reset with Adora’s strikes getting her nowhere, with Suge blocking a DDT before he slapper back. A backbreaker slumped Adora to the mat as Suge then went back to the neck, stretching Adora in almost a crucifix, before Suge’s defence broke as she rolled him up for a two-count in the hold.
Again, Suge stops to almost mock Adora, holding her in the ropes as his jaw-jacking woke up Adora, sparking a comeback… only for a snapmare and a European uppercut to the back to stop it. Adora gets back up with some cravat knees, only to get caught with a nasty Tiger Driver ‘91 as Suge continued to test her… before a knee and a second Tiger Driver ‘91 planted Adora again… from the kick-out, she traps him in a triangle choke, only for Suge to power up and buckle bomb his way free.
We’re back to an exchange of forearms as Adora finds her second wind, rolling Suge into a sunset flip… only for Suge to roll through, trying to reverse it, only for Adora to push off the ropes with a rolling-backslide to snatch the win. This was a really good technical match, with good aggression throughout as Adora proved herself once again. ***¾
Post-match, Suge snatches the title… then gave it back to Adora.
They formally announce Beyond’s Heavy Lies the Crown for New Year’s Eve… meanwhile, Wrestival gains some more matches as Alex Shelley faces Anthony Henry at the ACTION/SUP joint show KEVINnnN!!!, plus AC Mack vs. Slade. Pizza Party Pro has Erica Leigh vs. Donnie Janela, which was already announced…
Teddy Goodz vs. Max Caster
Little Mean Kathleen’s out with Goodz, but she’s interrupted by Max Caster, who must have been paid because he cuts a rap on the way to the ring… and the live feed picked the worst time to glitch out because we’ve a cross-fade cut.
Goodz cuts off Caster’s rap as he started with chops and a back body drop, before a clothesline has Caster down. Caster grabs Kathleen into the ring to distract Goodz, and it works as Goodz gets hot shotted then thrown outside for a body press. Back inside, Caster hits a neckbreaker, then stung Goodz with chops…
They head outside as Goodz gets stomped on, then dropped onto the side of the ring, before a backslide from Goodz earned him a two-count as Caster hung onto the arm. Another back suplex followed for a near-fall as Caster pushed on, before he crotched Goodz in the ropes. A Tower of London gets Caster a near-fall, before Goodz again mounted a comeback… and gets whipped into the corner.
Crossface punches keep Goodz down, before he fought off a superplex and flew into Caster with a crossbody. A leaping knee rocks Caster next as Kathleen cheerled from ringside… mounted elbows in the corner lead to a chop as Goodz hits the backpack stunner out of the corner for a near-fall.
Caster returns, throwing Goodz shoulder into the ring post before a roll-up saw ring announcer Rich Palladino tattle tale on Caster, telling the ref that Caster had his feet on the ropes. An exchange of unpleasantry’s later, Caster turns around into a leg lariat, before an Iconoclasm and a running cutter gets a near-fall. Kathleen’s back to throw Caster’s chain in… Goodz takes it, but the ref removes the chain as a pop-up nut shot, a clothesline and a flying elbow gets the win for Caster. ***¼
Post-match, Kathleen goes to check on Goodz, but gets crushed with a top rope elbow…
Discovery Gauntlet: The Brick City Boyz (JCruz & Victor Chase) vs. Waves And Curls (Jaylen Brandyn & Traevon Jordan)
The Brick City Boyz are the first team I don’t think I’ve ever seen ahead of the Gauntlet… can they end Waves and Curls 6-0 run?
Of course, JCruz and Chase were heavily disliked in Worcester, especially because they jumped Waves and Curls before the bell. They target Brandyn’s taped-up knee with a stomp off the apron, which led to Brandyn getting assistance as Traevon Jordan cleared out the Brick City Boyz by himself.
Cruz’s German suplex plants Jordan as the match started officially, with Jordyn getting worn down by Cruz. Chase tags in to wish-bone Jordan’s legs, then landed a neckbreaker for a near-fall, before Cruz returned to wheel away on Jordan with punches from above. Jordan kicks out at two from a suplex, but gets knocked down again as the Brick City Boyz pushed on.
Eventually Jordan got free, but there’s nobody to tag out to as he’s quickly swarmed. Jaylen Brandyn gets carried to the ring as Jordan cleared house again, before he made the call to tag out to Brandyn. Jaylyn gingerly goes for a sunset flip, but only gets a one-count as he proceeded to fight off both men at the same time… but they kick his bad knee out.
From there, they Chase The Dragon for a near-fall for Cruz, before Jordan came back in for a chokeslam on Cruz, but Cruz leaps out as Chase tries to intervene. Chase pulls Jordan onto the apron, before Brandyn nearly nicked it with a roll-up, only to take a side suplex/elbow drop combination as the Brick City Boyz end the streak. A short match, but it told the story it needed – and left the door wide open for possible rematches… but it’ll not be in the Discovery Gauntlet. **¾
The Brick City Boyz get drowned out during their post-match interview, as Worcester really didn’t appreciate them… and they walk out on it instead of answering the question.
Masha Slamovich vs. Charli Evans
Better late than never, as Charli Evans’ makes her rescheduled debut for Beyond, against a Masha Slamovich who’s coming in on the back of two losses. They made this one a Marvelous vs. Sendai Girl match – harkening back to Masha and Charli’s time in Japan.
Slamovich takes things to the corner early on, but Evans took it to the mat as she looked to tie up the Russian, only to get caught in a heel hook that’s quickly rolled out of. A scissored rear naked choke looked to have Slamovich in trouble, but she escapes… and gets taken back down with a headlock.
We reset, but Charli rolled up Slamovich for a two-count, only for Masha to come back with crucifixes as they troll the ref with a bunch of two-counts. A snapmare and a kick to the back from Masha earns her some instant receipts, while a diving crossbody from Evans gets a two-count. Slamovich returns with a clothesline for a two-count, before an Arabian clutch stretched out Evans, following up with a dropkick in the ropes.
Slaps wake up Evans, as she returned with a release Northern Lights suplex, then a Flatliner into the corner as face-washing boots leave Slamovich laying. A roll-up into a knee cracks Slamovich, who then took a Fisherman suplex for a near-fall, before the pair traded strikes in the ropes. They trade German suplexes from there, while a Dragon suplex dumped Slamovich… and left her prone for a running knee too.
Evans tries another one, but the knee’s swept aside by Slamovich as both women had to beat the standing ten count… and do. Headbutts from Masha wear down Charli, but she returns the favour before Evans ran into a head kick and ate a Snow Plow for good measure. Evans kicks out at two from that, then scored a similar count from a roll-up before a modified Gory Bomb forces Masha to grab the ropes to stay alive.
The pair head onto the apron as more strikes are thrown, before Slamovich snuck inside to dropkick Evans to the outside… where Charli returned with an Electric Chair drop to the side of the ring, then a Saito suplex that planted Masha on her head. A lariat followed, but it’s not enough… nor was a Meiko Satomura-esque cartwheel knee, and Slamovich is able to get right back in with a German suplex, only to run into a death valley driver as those near-falls get nearer.
Evans runs into a head kick as Slamovich dug deep, pulling her up for a half-piledriver… and that’s enough to get the win! I’m gonna need some fresh air after that one – that was fantastic. Both Charli and Masha fought hard, holding nothing back… and I can only hope someone somewhere rematches these two somewhere quickly. ****
Next week: Trish Adora vs. Matt Makowski, Rhett Titus vs. Carlos Romo (hey, another familiar and much-missed face!), Megan Bayne vs. Kaia McKenna, and Masha Slamovich vs. Slade.
Ryan Galeone vs. Mike Bennett
Ryan Galeone’s headlining in Beyond after an impressive string of outings… meanwhile, Bennett’s “coming home” here.
We’ve split chants to start, as Galeone shoves Bennett away. Chops looked to give Bennett some headway, but Galeone swings back, before Bennett got decked with an elbow. Galeone sends Bennett outside, but rather than a dive, Galeone heads outside and chopped Bennett into the crowd.
Bennett chops back, before he had to elbow out of a chokeslam, only to get posted as Bennett tried to stay ahead. Galeone breaks the count-out so he can keep fighting Bennett in the crowd, before Bennett rebounded of the bottom rope, back into the crowd with a forearm. A run-up repeat sees him caught with a chokeslam onto the apron, but Bennett recovers to post Galeone’s shoulder.
A running dropkick back inside catches Bennett, who then pulled Galeone off the top rope ahead of a Divorce Court for a near-fall. Bennett keeps throwing shots, then popped up Galeone into an overhead armbar, but those end in the ropes as the pair go back to trading chops and strikes as both men were still looking for a clear advantage they could keep hold of.
Galeone’s ripcord head kick looked to be it, as he followed with a step-up knee and a standing spinebuster for a near-fall. Galeone can’t pull up Bennett for any follow-up, and Bennett goes right back into a Kimura, before they stood up… with Bennett then running into a pop-up knee. He shakes it off to deck Galeone with an elbow, before a crossbody off the top’s caught and turned easily into a backbreaker for a near-fall.
Bennett returns with a spear and a piledriver, but gets knocked away as someone by the camera was trying to coach. Another overhead armbar has Galeone flat on his chest, before a second piledriver doesn’t even get a one-count. A superkick from Bennett doesn’t help things, as Galeone returns with big boots before going up top for the springboard Molly Go Round, then took home the win with a deadlift powerbomb. This was a rather different style of match than we’ve seen out of Galeone before, and it helped keep him away from the threat of being a “one trick pony” – while the use of the new names suddenly available from ROH continues to bolster the “home” roster for Beyond. ***½
A longer show than usual, but this week’s Uncharted Territory is still worth your attention – with the Suge/Adora and Evans/Slamovich matches being outings I’d absolutely say you need to make time to watch.