1) Nation of Intoxication (Danny Havoc, Devon Moore & Lucky 13) vs. Team Pazuzu (Jaka, Angel Ortiz, & Mike Draztik)
This way better than I expected it to be. I was pumped to see Danny Havoc in Beyond and I knew all the names here were solid workers, I just didn't expect the high impact opener that we got. I loved how they put this match together as they brawled through the crowd early on and Lucky 13 hit a moonsault off the stairs. Then, things finally get back in the ring and tags start being made which leads to Team Pazuzu taking control of the bout. This builds up towards the hot tag for Havoc which leads to a crazy closing sequence from all six men. Reverse rana, death valley driver, dragon suplex. Great stuff to end a very fun opener.
Match rating - ***1/4
2) "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams vs. Conor Claxton
Two more awesome guys here. I loved Hot Sauce when I first saw him on "King of Arts", the first Beyond event I watched, and the crowd is massively behind him as well. Conor Claxton has been the breakout CZW star of 2015 so I'm interested to see what he can do here because I haven't seen him in any regular matches. He & Williams put together a pretty strike based contest in which Claxton looked like the under dog who wouldn't quit and I think he won over the Beyond fans based solely off that. This didn't last too long, but it was a successful outing, I'd say.
Match rating - **1/2
3) Symbiote (Davey Vega & Rickey Shane Page) vs. The Minute Men
The feud between Beyond and the Crusade for Change stable continues here with two Beyond originals taking on The Minute Men. This was an action packed match from start to finish and that's really the only way I know how to describe it. Vega & RSP hit a variety of cool combinations and kicks. They really wowed the audience in the process and just when it looked like they were picking up steam, other members of The Crusade for Change hopped on the apron to cause a distraction. This ended up costing the Symbiote the match.
Match rating - **3/4
4) Garden State Gods vs. The Crusade for Change
After the last match, The Crusade for Change as a whole beat down the Symbiote which led to the GSG making the save. The bell rings and the match is under way. I thought the previous bout featured some crazy stuff, but MAN, this one was even more nuts. Piledriver on the floor, powerslam on the apron, and THE MOST VICIOUS DOUBLE STOMP OFF THE TOP ROPE ONTO THE RING APRON THAT I'VE EVER SEEN. This was an insane fast paced contest as you can probably tell. Crusade for Change ends up going 2-0 on the night with a win here.
Match rating - **3/4
5) Nick Gage vs. Chris Dickinson
THIS IS EPIC! The crowd exploded when Gage's music hit and they were chanting his name as soon as it was announced that this match was next. With how well established of a dangerous man that Chris Dickinson is after all he's done in the past few months, there's a big fight feel for this match with the man himself, Nick F'N Gage. They're at each other's throats during the introductions and the bell rings and the fight begins with both men grappling for control on the mat. They end up outside where they brawl and GAGE WITH A FLIP OFF THE TOP TURNBUCKLE! Gage makes his way to the stage and starts throwing chairs on the floor. They both end up on the stage and struggle for control. A chair pyramid is set up below and Gage tries to powerbomb Dickinson through it. Dickinson reverses and GAGE GETS BACKBODY DROPPED ON THE EDGE OF THE STAGE! That was possibly even more brutal than what would have happened if he had went through the chairs. Chris targets the lower back and legs of Gage after this as he wears him down with submissions in the ring. He sets a table up only to end up getting powerbombed onto it as Gage recovers. Dickinson pulls a page out of Gage's book with a chokebreaker for a nearfall before hitting him with the Pazuzu Bomb for the victory after a great match. "Please come back!" chants for Gage afterwards - I agree.
Match rating - ***1/2
6) Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Bill Carr) vs. War Machine (Hanson & Ray Rowe)
It seems I underestimated several matches on this card because for the second time in this review, I find myself saying, this was way better than I expected. I figured this would be good however I never expected these two teams to mesh as well as they did. The early going saw an epic shoulder tack stand off between Bill Carr and both members of War Machine as AR Fox showed up "fashionably late" to commentary. He's easily the most fun guy to listen to on commentary in Beyond. I've no clue why he's never joined Excalibur in the booth at PWG. None the less, the commentary definitely added to this match, but the action in the ring is what truly made this one. All four men busted their ass and produced a tag match that's gonna be hard to beat. Some highlights including a shooting star press off the top turnbuckle to the outside by Dan Barry, a dive by Bill Carr, and numerous feats of strength & agility by Hanson & Rowe.
Match rating - ***3/4
7) The Hooligans (Devon & Mason Cutter) vs. Tabarnak de Team
I'm somewhat familiar with both of these teams as I've seen Tabernak de Team in C4 Wrestling on a few occassions and I discovered The Hooligans work when researching for the tag team section of my year end awards last year. I was excited to see them in Beyond here. The crowd was kind of burnt out after War Machine & Team Tremendous tore it down so it took awhile for them to get into this one. The Hooligans impressed with their agility like usual and made this a match worth taking a look at. This was a nice little action packed contest.
Match rating - **3/4
8) Eddie Kingston vs. Stockade
This was a pretty great brawl. I slept on this match and it truly caught me off guard. As soon as Kingston hit the ring, the hype began as he ran down Stockade on the mic before the match. He nailed Stockade with a suplex that dropped him right on his head and the fight soon headed to the outside. Stockade would get control at this point as he suplexed Kingston through some chairs on the floor and powerbombed him on the wooden steps which was a sick spot. King fought back and back body dropped Stockade on the floor prior to heading back into the ring for more craziness. A table is brought into play and sat up in the corner. STOCKADE CHOKESLAMS KINGSTON INTO IT BUT IT DOESN'T BREAK! Stockade lifts Kingston back up and RUNNING SPINEBUSTER THROUGH THE TABLE IN THE CORNER! 1..2.. KINGSTON KICKS OUT! The crowd really got into it at this point. They do some awesome fighting spirit stuff to close out the match and Kingston picks up the win.
Match rating - ***1/2
9) The Young Bucks vs. Shynron & Kitsune (Mike Bailey)
This was the defintion of craziness. Seriously. Young Bucks matches are usually bonkers, but dude, Shynron was on fire here. He made moves out of nowhere that blew my mind. He'd get slung into the ropes and somehow twist himself around in a matter of seconds and forumlate into some kick or something. These guys just went out and had fun going absolutely nuts and it was awesome to watch. Superkicks & suck its met flips & kicks and it will blow your mind. This isn't a MOTY candidate however it's jam packed with action from beginning to end and tops off this great show perfectly. Very satisfying main event.
Match rating - ***3/4
Overall thoughts: This show took place on the same day as "Scorned" which I reviewed last week so I think it's appropriate to compare the two. If I had to recommend one, it'd probably be this one because while this event didn't have a match as good as Dunn/Starr on Scorned, it was an overall better show, in my opinion. It was loaded with good/great matches and featured a ton of variety. That's honestly the best way to put it. You had two crazy brawls, two awesome tag matches, storyline work in the Crusade for Change/Beyond tag matches, and a really fun opener. I'd say this event is worth a look if you're looking for a fun show to watch with a little bit of everything on it.
Beyond Wrestling: King of Arts Review
Beyond Wrestling: Scorned Review
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