Thursday, September 12, 2013

The Encore: Beyond Wrestling Point of No Return Preview

They'll tango again, this time, with partners
Photo Credit: Eliot Wish
Beyond Wrestling went all-in on Americanrana. They booked Kevin Steen and Masada and Colt Cabana and all their wrestlers helped toss gasoline into the fire. The result was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the year. How does a company follow that kind of show up while avoiding the letdown? Well, if you're Beyond Wrestling, you reload and you go again. For their next arena show, Point of No Return, Beyond Wrestling will take residence again in Fete Music in Providence, RI on September 15, the same venue as they ran on July 21 for Americanrana. Championship Melt will be there to sell gourmet grilled cheese, just like last time. And just like the last time, the card is loaded both with the top indie wrestling talent in America in addition to the Beyond family, a fraternity that has barged into the consciousness of American indie wrestling and made people notice.

Two major league feuds headline this show. Biff Busick, whether under this name or under his Wrestling Is... appellation Frank "Don't Call Me Francis" O'Rourke, has taken the scene by storm in 2013, but he can't seem to gain the respect of Eddie Edwards. The two have split their first two singles matches in Beyond, and to finish the job, they've recruited tag team partners for a third chapter. Edwards will team with his Dojo Bros. partner Roderick Strong, while Busick decided one he's gone to war with several times in 2013 is a better partner. Drew Gulak will stand alongside Busick for this epic tag war.

The other feud is a bit more personal in nature. I mean, when you knock your opponent out, kidnap him, and cut a YouTube promo gloating over him, either you're asking for swift and painful retribution, or you're sure in your abilities to imitate the most sadistic of serial killers. Which side of the ledger is Nicholas Kaye on?



I'm sure Anthony Stone didn't appreciate seeing Kaye do everything to him short of drawing a phallus and testes on his face. A stipulation will be named for this match, and given the recent events that happened between the two, I doubt the tack-on to this match will embody the spirit of sportsmanship and congeniality. Translation, they gon' clubberin'.

Steen will be back, and his challenge this time won't be too different. Sure, Chris Dickinson doesn't utilize skewers as methods of in-ring torture, but his relentlessness and vicious streak makes him very comparable to Masada. The other big difference? Steen won't have an easy in of a bad wheel like he did with the former Combat Zone World Champion. Another return, this one longer gone, is Chuck Taylor. He will meet Eric Corvis in the middle of the ring in a match that has cross-promotional synergy. Taylor is a regular in the Wrestling Is/Chikara family, and Corvis has made inroads there through the last two Wrestling Is Cool shows. I have to believe this contest will be far lighter in mood than Steen/Dickinson, but hey, great shows have something for everyone, right?

Additionally, Michael Elgin will be making his Beyond debut, going into the ring with JT Dunn. Ring of Honor Television Champion Matt Taven will also be rolling into Providence with one of his Hoopla cohorts, Kasey Ray. He'll meet Aaron Epic's challenge in a non-title match.

Beyond Wrestling would not put on a card without at least one of their signature four-wrestler/team matches. At Americanrana, the four-way tag match featuring Tremendous Investigations, EYFBO, Da Hoodz, and the M1nute Men stole the show. More than one attendee thought it was the best match on the show, bar none. Both four way matches booked for this show look like they have the same potential. The singles four-way match is an elimination bout. Johnny Cockstrong, Dan Barry, Jaka, and Oleg the Usurper, all four of them Beyond brothers FAH LIFE, will mix it up.

The tag four way, billed as a "Winner Take All Scramble," ups the ante from Americanrana's insane tag brouhaha. The M1nute Men (Devin Blaze and Tommy Trainwreck) and Da Hoodz (Davey Cash and Chris Pyro) return. They will be joined by teams called the Abnormalz and Fusion Dance. The former team combines AR Fox and Black Baron, while the latter will join ACH and his walking homage, Shynron. I don't want to throw shade on Tremendous Investigations or EYFBO, but if any match could top their contest, it would be one where they were replaced by those two teams.

Americanrana was a watershed show. Most companies don't even try to build upon shows like that, and if they do, they go about it the wrong way. Beyond Wrestling may build upon their landmark July show with Point of No Return. They may not. But Beyond is going about the whole process correctly. If you're in the area, you need to be there.

Point of No Return takes place at Fete Music in Providence, RI on Sunday, September 15. Tickets are $15 if you purchase them in advance through their website, or $20 at the door. General admission doors open at 3:30 PM local time. Food will be provided by Championship Melt and Mama Colorado, so bring extra money and come hungry.