Beyond Wrestling – Time Capsule: It’s Long Overdue

Time Capsule
Date: April 10, 2021
Location: 81Bay Brewing Company, Tampa, Florida

This is Beyond Wrestling out of Massachusetts and somehow I’ve never looked at them before. At the same time, this is the last of the Wrestlemania XXXVII weekend shows that I had meant to do but never got around to. I have no idea what to expect from this but since it’s Wrestlemania weekend, guests tars are likely. Let’s get to it.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show and seems to be our host.

Independent Wrestling TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Dave Cole vs. Facade

It’s a one night tournament with a fatal four way final and Facade has Dani Mo with him. He also comes out to Ninja Rap from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze, making him the most amazing thing ever. Cole is billed as the Psychedelic Warrior, which doesn’t exactly suit his look. They shake hands to start….and it seems this show has no commentary. Facade gets driven into the corner for a clean break before starting in on Cade’s arm.

That’s reversed into another armbar but Facade takes him down and flips over him to show off a bit. A springboard spinning kick to the face takes Cole down again and we need a quick breather in the ropes. Facade has to go to the ropes to get out of an armbar as it’s almost strange to watch a show with such little sound. A double springboard is loaded up but Facade has to bail out, allowing Cole to kick him off the apron and into the chairs (where less than five fans can be seen, though there are more on the other side).

Back in and a hanging DDT plants Facade for two before it’s back to cranking on his arms. Cole stays on the arms and takes him down for two, with the kickout causing some frustration. The delay lets Facade fight up but Cole kicks him in the face for his efforts. A Gargano Escape stays on the arm but sends Facade to the ropes almost immediately.

Back up and Cole knocks him off the apron and onto the bar, with Facade jumping back in to knock Cole down. Facade is fine enough to walk the ropes and hit a flip dive before throwing Cole back inside. Another flip dive is broken up by Cole throwing….a coat at Facade, allowing him to kick Facade low. A tiger driver flipped into a Side Effect gets two on Facade and the Gargano Escape makes him tap at 8:35.

Rating: C. I’ve seen Facade before and he didn’t get to do a lot of his cool flips and dives here. Then again, that kind of style isn’t really going to stand out on a weekend that is designed to focus on that style. Cole wasn’t exactly interesting either, but you could see who was good and who was bad, so they did manage to tell a simple enough story.

Independent Wrestling TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Gary Jay vs. Herzog

I don’t think I’ve seen Herzog before, but he has a big fur pelt over him and he is hunched over with a walking stick. Well it’s certainly unique, and at least his entrance shows a few more fans so it isn’t as depressing as it seemed. On the other hand, Jay, who I have seen before, continues to look like he weighs about 145lbs soaking wet. Herzog throws off his pelt at the bell and charges at Jay in the corner to start fast. Jay is thrown down, leaving us with a good look at Herzog’s painted/crazy looking eyes. Back up and Jay sends him outside for a suicide dive, sending Herzog staggering into the steps.

A high crossbody gives Jay two back inside but Herzog runs him over and babbles a lot. Jay is back up with a discus forearm and a Death Valley Driver into the corner to leave both of them down for a bit. Back up and Jay hits some loud chops in the corner before a few hard forearms to the face get two. Herzog is sent outside, where he catches a dive from Jay and counters it with a chokeslam onto the apron.

That’s good for two back inside, so Herzog gets in a shouting match with a fan who tells him to speak English. Jay catches him on top with some chops but gets brought back down with a super chokeslam for another near fall, thanks to a foot on the rope. Back up and Herzog misses a charge into the corner so Jay can hit some more chops. A running dropkick to the back of the head finishes Herzog at 6:36.

Rating: C. This one stood out more than the opener due to the hard hitting shots and Herzog being more memorable, but it was still just kind of there. They didn’t have much time and it was more about Jay surviving what Herzog through at him and hitting him hard. Not a bad match at all, but it came and went, which tends to happen at shows like this one.

Post match Jay leaves and Herzog argues with a fan with a big afro.

Independent Wrestling TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Dan Barry vs. Eric Corvis

Corvis mocks Barrry’s flowered shirt before the match, but Barry says it’s the only gimmick he has ever made money with so be nice. Actually Corvis wants him to be Detective Dan Barry again, so Barry asks if he wants the old gear. Barry disrobes to reveal his Detective gear, which has Corvis very confused. After Barry seems to tell a fan that they need to sit down, we’re ready to go with Barry spinning out of a wristlock and grabbing a headlock.

That’s reversed back into the wristlock as they’re staying technical early on. Barry pulls him to the mat to crank on both arms so Corvis reaches for the ropes. That’s enough for Barry to let go before the rope is grabbed and switch into….kind of a cross between a LeBell Lock and a Koji Clutch (that’s a new one). Corvis slips out and grabs a headlock, which is also reversed into something like a dragon sleeper.

That’s broken up as well and this time Barry is sent into the post, with Corvis bending his back around the steel. Back in and a bow and arrow hold makes it even worse as the fans are getting much more into the trash talking this time around. Barry slips out and puts on a Muta Lock but Corvis is out pretty fast. Hold on though as Barry has to tell a swearing fan that it’s a family show, leaving Corvis to counter a superplex into a DDT onto the turnbuckle.

Barry is fine enough to catch him on top with an enziguri, only to get caught in the ropes so Corvis can bend the back on the turnbuckle. A DDT gets Barry out of trouble and a big flip dive to the floor takes Corvis down again. Back in and Barry slips out of something and hits a scoop brainbuster for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C+. They had some nice technical stuff here and I can always go with a wrestler telling fans to not swear, but this was another match that didn’t leave much of an impression. I’m rarely a fan of one night tournaments as they rarely have stories to them and you get a lot of matches like this one. They might be good, but there is no backstory to them and it can be a little difficult to get invested.

Barry chats with more fans on the way out and Corvis asks for a beer for losing.

Before the next match, the ring announcer asks the fans to avoid the hate speech and be respectful.

Independent Wrestling TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Anthony Stone vs. Jefferson Saint

I don’t remember seeing either of these two before and Stone seems to be an MMA guy while Saint is in an old school wrestling robe. Hold on though as Saint interrupts the intros and handles his own introduction, saying he is the original Beyond. He says he is here to claim his spot…and gets rolled up for the pin in five seconds. Sounds like a “we’re running long” deal and fair enough.

Saint looks completely crushed by the loss and very slowly walks to the back, with the ring announcer awkwardly staring at him.

Island Kings vs. The Jollyville F***-Its

That would be Jaka/Sean Maluta (former NXT star) vs. Russ Myers/T-Money. Jaka and Myers get things going and go to the mat in a rather aggressive manner with Jaka holding a headlock. Back up and a running shoulder puts Myers down but his running shoulder puts Jaka down as well. It’s off to Maluta, who kicks Myers in the head to set up Jaka’s swinging side slam.

Some hard shots in the corner set up a slam to put Myers down again and a middle rope/rolling headbutt combination makes it even worse. Jaka’s headbutt sets up some hard chops from Maluta and he kicks Myers down for two. Myers finally jawbreaks his way to freedom though and it’s off to the much bigger T-Money (as we have a Battledome crossover) to start cleaning house.

A legdrop gets two on Maluta and it’s off to a fireman’s carry, with Myers coming in to punch Maluta in the head (that’s a creative one). T-Money runs him over again for two more but Maluta cuts off a charge with a superkick. A middle rope Codebreaker and the hot tag brings Jaka back in to clean house.

Everything breaks down with Jaka chopping away at T-Money in the corner, setting up some running kicks to the face. T-Money fights hits way out of the corner and plants Maluta, setting up a twisting Coffin Drop to give Myers two with Jaka making the save. Everything breaks down and T-Money superplexes Jaka and Myers is knocked down as well. That leaves Maluta to hit a frog splash onto both of them for the pin on T-Money at 10:04.

Rating: B-. This was a good one, with both teams hitting the other rather hard to make for an entertaining match. It wasn’t exactly a classic but sometimes you need someone to go out there and beat on each other for a little while. If nothing else, it was nice to get away from the tournament stuff that has dominated the show so far. That kind of thing that makes a match stand out and that was the case again here.

Lamont Williams vs. Darius Carter

Two more new guys and Carter comes to the ring holding a mask to his face. Actually hold on as Williams is billed as FORMERLY KNOWN AS Lamont Williams, and now known as Lou Gotti. Ok then.

Lou Gotti vs. Darius Carter

Feeling out process to start with Gotti working on the leg and not being able to get very far. Carter switches over to the arm but gets reversed into the hammerlock as this is very technical to start. Seemingly fed up, Gotti takes him down and starts hammering away as things slow a bit.

Carter gets sent outside but manages to snap Gotti’s throat across the top to take over. Back in and a knee drop gets two, with Carter not being happy at the count. Gotti is sat on the top but slaps his way out of a superplex attempt, setting up a powerbomb onto the knee. Back up and Carter kicks the knee out, only to have Gotti catch him with something like Made In Japan onto the knee.

Another backbreaker give Gotti another two and a top rope leg lariat gets the same. Carter shoves the leg out and hits an enziguri for two, giving us the bug eyed kickout face. They forearm it out again until Gotti suplexes him into the corner. Back up and Carter grabs a cobra clutch faceplant for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B. Best match of the night here so far, just for the energy they both had. It felt like a match where both of them were trying to beat the other and the question was which one was going to stay down first. Good match and the best thing on the show so far, albeit not by much here.

Post match Gotti gets a PLEASE COME BACK chant.

Sugar Dunkerton vs. Allysin Kay

You might remember Dunkerton as Pineapple Pete in AEW. Dunkerton drops to his knees in the middle of the ring and slowly pounds the mat before working on Kay’s arm. That’s broken up but Dunkerton is right back to said arm cranking. The test of strength lets Dunkerton take her down by the wrist for a change before going to a standing chinlock.

Since that isn’t enough, Dunkerton grabs her by the wrist and dances a bit. An annoyed Kay gets dropped and now it’s a judo through to bring Dunkerton down for a change. A hammerlock has Dunkerton in trouble before Kay starts striking at the ribs. Back up and Dunkerton hits her in the face (the fans don’t like that one) so Kay knocks him down and grabs a keylock.

That’s broken up and Dunkerton grabs a sunset flip but Kay sits up, meaning it’s time to slap it out. Dunkerton gets creative with a bearhug but then switches to driving a fist into the ribs. Kay gets suplexed over so they go back to the mat grappling with Dunkerton grabbing a kneebar. The rope is reached for the break and they’re both down for a breather. Kay kicks him down and starts striking away to keep Dunkerton in trouble. Back up and Dunkerton hits a running uppercut before kicking her in the face. That’s too far for Kay, who pulls him down into another keylock for the tap at 10:12.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it fell into the same trap that so many intergender matches do: there were times where it felt like Dunkerton was going at half force to not overwhelm Kay and it made things feel weird. That isn’t a knock on either of them, as you can only go so far with something like this, but it often becomes a problem. The wrestling was perfectly fine, but it felt like they were going extra safe rather than trying to win.

Post match they get a pinkie handshake (it’s a Kay thing).

Faith In Nothing vs. The Besties In The World

That would be Rickey Shane Page/Vincent Nothing vs. Davey Vega/Mat Fitchett, the latter of whom come out to Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden for their usual awesome entrance. Fitchett and Nothing (I think) start things off with Fitchett going after the arm. Nothing rolls to the mat and kicks his way to freedom, meaning it’s another standoff. This time it’s Fitchett taking him to the mat by the leg so a rope has to be grabbed for the break.

Back up and Fitchett grabs a headlock to take Nothing over and start in on the arm. Vega comes in to help with a backsplash for two but a running shooting star hits raised knees. It’s off to Page to slowly pound away on Vega and something like a double backbreaker gives Nothing two. Vega flips out of a suplex attempt though and it’s back to Fitchett…who gets kicked in the face by Page. A big toss sends Fitchett flying and we hit the armbar to keep him down.

There’s a backsplash and one heck of a toss suplex as Fitchett is rocked again. There’s a big double toss, leaving Fitchett looking shocked in pain, for two more before Nothing grabs something like an STF. Fitchett finally slips through the slips and an enziguri allows the hot tag to Vega to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Fitchett getting knocked down in the corner for a series of running kicks to the face and a rather near fall. Vega comes back in to kick Nothing down for two but Fitchett gets sent outside. That leaves Vega to get caught in a sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to give Nothing the pin at 13:29.

Rating: C+. This was the longest match of the night but only felt a bit longer than usual. The match was power vs. speed and the worst thing to be said about it is we don’t get more Savage Garden. Vega and Fitchett are a good team and work well together, making this a rather nice addition to the show.

Independent Wrestling TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Dan Barry vs. Dave Cole vs. Anthony Stone vs. Gary Jay

Elimination rules and everyone stares at each other to start until Barry and Jay both get suplexed down. That leaves Stone and Cole to lock up, which even survives a monkey flip. What looks like a running Codebreaker is blocked by Cole but he gets kicked out to the floor. Barry comes back in to take down Stone and then gets to face Jay. The slugout is on with Jay getting the better of things until Stone is back in to hit some running boots in the corner.

Cole breaks that up and hits a bulldog/clothesline combination. Cole’s suplex gets two on Stone but Jay pulls Cole outside for a loud chop. Stone gets chopped as well and a suplex gives Jay two back inside. Barry blocks Cole’s sunset flip and twists his neck around before doing the same to Stone’s leg.

An Indian Deathlock/northern lights suplex gives Barry two on Cole and a near submission but everyone stays alive. Barry is left alone in the ring so he hits the big running flip dive (and sticks the landing), leaving him as the only one standing. Back in and Barry hits a brainbuster to eliminate Stone at 6:36. Cole comes in to Gargano Escape Barry for the tap at 6:50, leaving us with Cole vs. Jay for the title shot.

Jay comes back in, only to get Blue Thunder Bombed for two. A tornado Downward Spiral gets two on Cade but he’s back with the tiger driver flipped into the Side Effect. Jay rolls outside and gets beaten up but manages a quick hanging DDT on the way back in for his own two. Back up and Cade jumps over him and grabs a rollup with tights for the pin and the title shot at 9:41.

Rating: C+. It’s another match where it felt like they were building things up but then just went home in a hurry. It wasn’t bad, but Cade just rolled Jay up for a win out of nowhere and that isn’t exactly interesting. They didn’t have time to build much up and it made for a main event that kind of happened without much staying power. Cade isn’t exactly interesting, but that could apply to anyone here really.

Cade poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a pretty weird show in that the action was fine and nothing was remotely bad, but nothing stuck with me whatsoever. Above all else, the tournament stuff isn’t very engaging, as you have a bunch of people who are fighting for a future title shot, which we don’t even get to see here.

In short, it was a show with quality wrestling that didn’t really make me want to see anything these people or promotion are doing in the future. Maybe their regular stuff is better, but this was the definition of just kind of there. Also, what was the point of the name? Time Capsule is a cool name and they did nothing with it. Just a kind of uneventful show and that’s not the best thing.

 

 

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