Beyond returned to the Atlantic City Boardwalk for card full of intergender matches – and some timely advice for the summer…
We’re back at the Garden Pier on the Atlantic City Boardwalk as Beyond again have a matinee show… and after a rain scare earlier, it’s the first of two shows here today, with GCW returning later in the evening, so don’t be shocked if Beyond run short. Paul Crockett and eventually Nick Gage are on the call.
Quick Results:
KTB pinned Crash Jaxon in 5:30 (**½)
Willow Nightingale pinned Max Caster in 9:50 (**½)
Pinkie Sanchez pinned Solo Darling in 8:40 (**¼)
Lady Frost & Victor Benjamin pinned Bear Boulder & Bear Bronson in 7:40 (***)
Allie Kat pinned Slade in 6:40 (**¼)
Jordan Oliver & Myron Reed pinned Tasha Steelz & Christian Casanova in 16:20 (***)
Joey Janela pinned Kimber Lee in 14:40 (***¾)
Chris Dickinson submitted Priscilla Kelly in 18:40 (***½)
Crash Jaxon vs. KTB
We’ve an unannounced dark match, and we start with these two big lads charging into each other before Jaxon took down KTB with a forearm.
Jaxon follows KTB outside with a tope, then blocked a return as he proceeded to stomp KTB in the back of the head. That gets Crash a two-count, before he pounded on KTB in the corner. A snapmare and a diving kick follow for a two-count as KTB just couldn’t get out of the blocks… and just as I type that, KTB comes back with a dropkick that began the comeback. Chops keep Jaxon by the ropes, before KTB chained together an atomic drop and a splash, bouncing along nicely for a near-fall. Lifting Jaxon onto the apron almost backfires as Jaxon heads up top, but he’s caught with an elbow in the corner for a near-fall, before the pair began to clubber away at each other.
KTB strikes back with a powerbomb, but Jaxon’s up before one and comes back with a sit-out death valley driver for another two-count. A lariat from Jaxon keeps him ahead, before KTB got out of a Last Ride, coming back with a kick and a Quebrada for the win. Pretty short, but decent enough for the time they got in the pre-show. **½
Willow Nightingale vs. Max Caster
This one opens with a lock-up as Nightingale takes Caster into the corner for a break… with Caster using the referee as a human shield of sorts.
Another tie-up leads to a side headlock for Nightingale, before she’s pushed off into the ropes for see-saw shoulder tackles that led to Caster cowering away from a forearm attempt. He heads into the ropes for a breather, before Willow cartwheeled away from Caster and came back in with a head kick.
Nightingale’s in the ropes and hits a shoulder tackle for a two-count, before a back body drop and a slam kept Caster on the back foot. She goes for a gutwrench, but Caster rakes the eyes then proceeded to throw Willow shoulder-first into the turnbuckles as he looked to turn the tables. A short-arm clothesline gets Caster a two-count, before Bryce Donovan sucker punched Willow through the ropes as Caster’s Shook Crew began to get involved. Caster works over Willow’s’ arm some more, before he pulled her down by the hair into a neckbreaker. An overhead wristlock followed, but Nightingale comes back in for a roll-up before Caster just booted her in the mush.
Caster calls for the mic so he can freestyle, but he’s caught with a roll-up as Willow almost got the win. More interference from Donovan and Bobby Orlando keeps Willow on the defensive, before she began to fight back with forearms and a hair-mare. A spinebuster’s next from Willow for a near-fall, before an Olympic Slam got her ever closer as Orlando and Donovan almost lost it. From there, Willow goes for the gutwrench again, but Caster trips her down… then got caught in a headstand in the corner as Willow slammed him down for a near-fall. More interference sees Orlando duck a punch, but Caster goes back to the shoulder as she had to reach to the ropes as an overhead wristlock – a la Zack Gibson’s Shankly Gates – almost forced a stoppage. Yet again, Caster demands the mic… but his mic drop elbow whiffs as a death valley driver gets Willow back on top.
In the end, the Shook Crew’s interference backfires as Caster tries to go for Willow… but a sit-out powerbomb out of the corner’s enough for the win. This was fine, but it was starting to feel a little long with the interference losing its novelty by the end. **½
Post-match, the Shook Crew attack but Solo Darling makes the save… and we’re into run-on matches!
Solo Darling vs. Pinkie Sanchez
Sanchez came out with Solo’s dog, Officer Magnum, but Willow rescues it before it can get too close to the pier.
Sanchez tries to surprise Solo with a springboard something or other, but Solo catches him and toes in for a toe hold… but Pinkie bites his way free. Solo goes back in with a calf slicer, but again he bites his way free before he trapped Solo in a Boston crab. A rope break saves Darling, who comes back with a snap suplex as she began to build up those near-falls. It’s starting to rain as the pair go to the mat, which adds a new wrinkle to proceedings. Of course, my feed drops out, and returns as Solo’s battering Pinkie with forearms, taking him to the outside… where Pinkie just lobs a wrapped-up tarpaulin at Solo. Maybe it’s the unused ring apron?
Sanchez measures up Solo for something, but misses a charge into the apron as she came back with a tornado bulldog, pushing off the ring post as both wrestlers came down hard on the wooden pier. She rolls Sanchez back inside, but he snapmares her for a hip attack that almost got the surprising win. A strike battle leads to Solo softening up Sanchez for the Honey Steamer tornado suplex, but a back elbow from Sanchez stops her ahead of a springboard enziguiri out of the corner for another two-count. Solo catches Sanchez in the corner and counters with a spinebuster for another near-fall, only for Sanchez to brutally stomp through Solo in the ropes ahead of a moonsault off the top for the three-count. Commentary acted like that was a near-fall, but the ref calls for the bell, and that’s it. The finish didn’t help as the match just felt distinctly flat – they tried hard, but these outdoor shows and the risk of bad weather just throws another spanner into the works. **¼
Pretty Proper (Lady Frost & Victor Benjamin) vs. Bear Country (Bear Bronson & Bear Boulder)
You may remember them as a crimson Queen and a single-eyed Jack in another promotion… and Bear Country are looking to prove a point after a shock loss to Injustice last time out.
Boulder and Benjamin start us off with a handshake, but Benjamin suckers him in and grounds the big guy with an armbar. It’s rolled out of as Boulder powerbombs his way free, before Bronson came in to dump Benjamin for a back senton. That gets a two-count as Lady Frost drops off the apron and throws what were meant to be snowballs into the ring. Bronson throws them back at her, but his aim is off… and the distraction works as Benjamin caught him with a dropkick. Frost is in with a kick and a spinning neckbreaker that caught out Gage on commentary, before she began to unload with some chops and a boot choke in the corner… but Bronson grabs the boot to break free, only to get pulled into some Sole Food.
Benjamin is back to charge Bronson into the corner with shoulder charges, before a double leg takedown drew a near-fall. My feed drops again, returning as Lady Frost hits a cartwheel senton as Pretty Proper double-teamed Bronson… the old Quebecers assisted elevated senton is busted out for a near-fall, before Bronson threw Benjamin onto the apron. Benjamin slingshots himself back in, but he eats a lariat as Bronson had to go the long way around to a tag. In comes Boulder, who dumps Benjamin with shoulder charges before we got a big back body drop. I approve. Boulder pulls Benjamin up by the waist for a powerbomb, but Frost tries to save him… her leap is caught as Boulder hits a slam and a powerbomb at the same time!
Bear Country head outside as Boulder demanded he go up for the Elevator Drop, but Lady Frost rolls away as they looked to hit it on the apron. Back inside, Frost hits a flying neckbreaker to Boulder off of Benjamin’s shoulder, before an assisted 450 splash gets Pretty Proper the win. It’s another upset for the one-time would-be tag team aces of Beyond who lose in pretty short order. ***
Post-match, Bear Boulder threw a fit at his partner, who stormed off…
Slade vs. Allie Kat
This one’s continuing a spat between Allie Kat and Denver Colorado – sometimes Beyond-commentator – as DC’s more than fed up with gimmick wrestlers. It must be something Erick Stevens puts in his cookies…
Needless to say, the rain didn’t sit well for Allie, and she’s instantly decked with a running forearm from Slade at the bell. Slade pulls Allie up for an Exploder, before she threw her face-first into the middle buckle. This is ominously one-sided, as Allie Kat took some stomps in the corner before a T-bone suplex threw her across the ring. Slade’s not gone for a pin yet, and he continues to choke on her in the corner. The referee’s pushed away, and misses a low blow from Allie Kat, who mounted a comeback with a big boot, before a seated senton out of the corner and a hip attack had Slade on the back foot. A cannonball follows, then a headbutt, but it’s only enough for a one-count as Allie Kat fell onto him.
A piledriver from Allie Kat’s countered, but she rolls through for a sunset flip, before a sleeperhold ended with Allie Kat pushing back out of the corner to reverse the situation. She gets a near-fall, only to eat a chokeslam as Slade kept pushing… he goes for an elbow to the back of the head, but Allie Kat ducks, then moves away as he charged at her in the corner. Allie’s pulled outside too though, as the pair brawl around ringside… but Slade hits the post again with another elbow before a piledriver on the floor went awry. She rolls him back inside, then lands the Lari-kat for the upset win. This was fine, but Slade going hot at the start but ultimately falling short felt a little weird given his character. **¼
Injustice (Jordan Oliver & Myron Reed) vs. Culture SZN (Christian Casanova & Tasha Steelz)
Casanova and Oliver get this tag match underway, and we start with Casanova going to ground with a front suplex, only for a resulting pin attempt to be easily kicked out of.
Casanova works the wrist of Oliver, but has to fight out of a waistlock as we reached a stalemate. Tags bring in Reed and Steelz, and we get going with some rope running as Steelz misses a dropkick… but finds it at the second go. Oliver gets one too, before Casanova’s slingshotted into the ring for a senton atomico. Tasha goes in with an assisted legdrop as Oliver pulls Reed outside for a breather. Back inside, Reed rolls through to avoid a Doomsday leg kick as a boat passes by in the background. Injustice couldn’t keep hold of Steelz, who rolls through to tag in Casanova, but he’s instantly down with a superkick and a German suplex for a near-fall. Casanova fights back, but the numbers game overwhelms him as Reed put the boots to him in the corner, before Casanova got tripped in for a low dropkick that almost wins it for Injustice.
Oliver gets up and puts more boots to Casanova, which just fires him up… but Casanova’s spun to the mat with an enziguiri before Reed’s stomp off the middle rope landed on Casanova’s arm and chest for a near-fall. Reed grounds Casanova with a side headlock, but Steelz gets the crowd going as Casanova fights his way free, only to get caught with a fireman’s carry slam for a near-fall. Reed sucker punches Steelz off the apron, then grabs a chain from Casanova’s corner… it’s wrapped around his fist, but Casanova caught him with a superkick to counter the punch. For some reason Oliver’s in the ropes, and he’s caught with a rewind springboard legdrop as he was supposedly checking on Reed… and after he dumped Reed with Dirty Diana, he heads over to tag in Steelz. Except she’s still not there, and Oliver rushes in to trap Casanova in the corner with shoulders.
Reed’s back with a slingshot Codebreaker, before a stunner from Oliver and a monkey flipped Destroyer from Reed kept the flippiness going… but Casanova floats free and tags in Steelz to make a comeback, hitting a crossbody into Oliver and Reed. A tijeras from Steelz takes Oliver down as she fought Injustice on her own, before a double Shiranui almost got the win over Reed in the corner. Steelz tries to push on, and holds Reed for an elevated hooking lariat from Casanova that almost gets the win. My feed drops as we recover with Oliver and Steelz scrapping on the apron, trading chops as Steelz pushed ahead, only to have a scare as Oliver went for a tombstone on the apron, but Reed joins in with a springboard cutter to the outside.
Steelz gets rolled in as Reed tried to get the easy win, but it’s broken up by Casanova, as Reed again goes for the gold chain. It’s wrapped around his fist as Steelz flips him off… and pushes him into the corner as he rebounded into a cutter. Oliver goes for the chain before he countered out of a cutter with a back body drop as things began to get a little scrappy. A double-team ‘rana backfires as Casanova’s spiked onto his head… and as the ref checked on him, Oliver clocks Steelz with the chain for the pin. This was good in places, but at 16 minutes it felt like it could have been a little more compressed. Still, it’s another win for Injustice, who are quietly piling up victories here. ***
Kimber Lee vs. Joey Janela
This was Kimber Lee’s first match for Beyond in almost a year… but it’s been even longer since Joey Janela’s been in Beyond, after his iron man match at Americanrana last year.
We start with Janela working a wristlock on Kimber Lee, but she rolls free as we got a Rev Pro blurry cam take on Joey skinning the cat back into the ring. Kimber Lee takes Janela down into an armbar, but Joey again floats out and counters into a front chancery… but it’s reversed back into an armbar, than a calf slicer, as Janela got to the ropes to save himself. They keep going back-and-forth on the mat, trading holds before Kimber swivelled out of a wristlock… but a toe hold was in the ropes, as Joey pulls himself outside and jogs it off. He returns to catch Kimber with a kick to the gut, but she hits a splits to avoid further before she rolled him into a diving forearm. Chops follow by the ropes, before a kick to the elbow sent Janela powdering outside again.
Kimber follows him, and hits a cannonball off the apron into Janela, before throwing Joey back in… but he returns quickly with a dropkick through the ropes to the outside. Joey chops Kimber by the apron, then in the front row, but she swaps back around to get some receipts, until an eye rake and a forearm dropped the Impact star. A running kick to the head keeps Kimber down, before they returned to the ring. Janela takes Kimber up top for a superplex, but she pushes him down and hits a senton bomb instead, landing flush for a near-fall as Janela just about kicked out in time. On the apron, the pair trade shots, before some head kicks from Janela left Kimber Lee loopy ahead of a suplex onto the apron that could have gone much, much worse.
Janela grabs a bible and tosses it away, before rolling Kimber Lee back in for a two-count. She’s able to find a second wind but gets caught with a pump kick in the ropes… retaliating with German suplexes after ducking a clothesline as Janela suddenly looked to be in trouble. A third German suplex is bridged for a near-fall, before Kimber went up top… but gets caught with a gamengiri. From there, Janela joins her up top for an avalanche Fisherman suplex that nearly wins it, before a superkick added another near-fall to the tally. Kicks from Kimber Lee eventually wear down Janela, but she’s caught with a rolling death valley driver, and a thrust kick before Kimber ducked a clothesline and turned it into a piledriver for a near-fall.
Kimber Lee heads back to the corner with Janela, but an eye rake stops her as Janela again looks for a superplex… but instead switches it into an avalanche sit out death valley driver, which still isn’t enough. A small package nearly snatches the win for Kimber Lee, but a snap German suplex turns it around as Janela ends up landing a spinning package piledriver for a near-fall. Joey heads up top and stomps through Kimber Lee… and that’s enough to get the win. A brutal match with both competitors going all out – that stomp at the end looked to have really winded Kimber Lee, mind you… ***¾
Kimber Lee shoves Janela after the match, and that seems to be the cue for Chris Dickinson to come out. He puts them both over, as Janela took the mic and talked about his girlfriend going missing. It’s a not-too-thinly veiled shot at last night’s Takeover…
Chris Dickinson vs. Priscilla Kelly
It’s a Beyond debut for Priscilla Kelly, and she’s immediately taken down as the pair looked to jockey for position on the mat.
Dickinson took control with an early half crab, but Kelly rolls out and into an ankle lock, stopping to slap Dickinson’s arse before he pushed her into the ropes for a break. Dickinson tries again, taking Kelly to the mat, but she grabs a leg and trips him down as she looked for a half crab, but it’s countered out of into a STF by the ropes. They get back up for some rope running, with Kelly taking down Dickinson with a drop toe hold… stopping to pat him on the head. Dickinson returns with a side headlock takedown, sinking the hold in as Kelly eventually got free with headscissors before she caught him with a kick. Flipping the bird was a bad idea for Priscilla, as Dickinson bites it before a Magistral cradle began an onslaught, with a snap suplex taking him into a grounded bearhug.
A cross armbreaker ends in the ropes, before Kelly returned fire with headscissors and a dropkick, before a lucha armdrag out of the corner looked to add some pressure… but Dickinson catches her with a one-handed spinning Blue Thunder bomb that gets a two-count. Kelly’s not moved much as the ref checks on Dickinson for some reason. Dickinson pounces back in with a kick to the back, then with a slap, and then a forearm that took Kelly into the corner. Lifting Priscilla up top, Dickinson ends up getting bitten as she gets payback for earlier, before Kelly busted out a hanging armbar on the buckles. After getting free, Dickinson goes back for a half crab, sitting down low as Kelly had to claw her way to the ropes… which she does so!
A Dragon screw leads to a nasty landing for Kelly, which led to another two-count, but Kelly mounts a comeback with a series of kicks and slaps, ducking wild shots from Dickinson before she caught him with a half nelson suplex. Kelly follows in with a pump kick for a two-count, before they stopped to get Kelly some water… she pours a bottle over her as the New Jersey sun was beginning to beat down. Kelly climbs the buckles, but Dickinson rolls into the corner to catch her up top… only for Priscilla to counter with a chokeslam! She heads back up top for a missile dropkick, but it’s not enough… so she’s back in with a boot, then an Octopus stretch, only for Dickinson to push out and return with a high kick.
A Judo throw keeps Kelly in as she went for a cross armbar after the landing, but Dickinson rolls out into the ropes as he couldn’t quite lift her up to powerbomb free. Kelly stays on him with kicks that almost took Dickinson through the ropes, but a chop from Dickinson drops her before a snap death valley driver almost ended things. Dickinson hauls up Kelly for a Fisherman buster, but it doesn’t end the match, as the pair get up to trade slaps… Kelly catches a slap and counters it into a backdrop suplex that nearly ended the match! A running enziguiri from Dickinson sees him force a way back in, but a trapped-leg German has more impact before a STF forces Kelly to tap. An absolute banger of a main event – if you’ve only ever thought of Kelly as a “meme wrestler”, this match absolutely will change your mindset on her. ***½
Perhaps the show-long highlight for me was Nick Gage, whose commentary added an air of legitimacy to these intergender matches. Wrestling is wrestling – it’s an art, and not all of it is going to be to everyone’s liking. The sooner that’s an accepted norm, the quicker we get rid of time-wasting “debates”… While the undercard was a little tough, things got real good towards the end – and if you’ve got that IWTV subscription, you really ought to check this out, especially for Kimber vs. Janela along with the Dickinson/Kelly main event.