A focused, brief review of Beyond Wrestling’s sophomore DVD effort.

This is going to be a new semi-regular feature on Pro Wrestling Ponderings I do called “The Quick N’ Dirty”. Essentially, this is very abbreviated DVD’s of some of the lesser known companies. The reason they are abbreviated, is because when it comes to smaller companies, most people don’t want the play by play or even both reading it. Star ratings, match times, and the overall thoughts are what matters most. So for some companies, I figured it’s still helpful to match by match but just give generalized thoughts then a move-by-move analysis.
With that, the first edition brings you Beyond Wrestling’s second major DVD release “We Did It For The Hits”. Many of these are guys getting a shot more recently elsewhere on the independents (Chase Burnett, Zane Silver, The Garden State Gods, etc.) and some are guys you may be hearing about for the first time. Beyond Wrestling is wrestling for wrestlers, by wrestlers. There are no fans, and the audience is made up of other wrestlers. Basically this a big networking opportunity for the wrestlers and a chance to show off what they have with no restrictions. It’s a pretty cool concept, and I enjoyed the first Beyond Wrestling DVD “Of Bosses & Busters” quite a bit. So without any further adieu, here’s the Quick N’ Dirty on “We Did It For The Hits”.
Commentary is optional and is done by Denver Colorado and Beyond Wrestling’s own Chase Burnett.
1.15.2010 & 1.16.2010 – Elyria, OH
Disc One
Scott Henson & Yakuza J [The VanCougars] vs. Chase Burnett & Zane Silver [Team Beyond]
This started off with Team Beyond being jumped, but using their agility and skill to comeback. The VanCougars regained control and beat the tar out of Silver, but then he tagged in Burnett and Team Beyond made a great comeback. They hit a piggyback senton, something I have never seen before. Burnett waistlocked Burnett on the top rope, then Burnett jumped off so that both guys would senton splash their opponent. While big and a bit out of shape, the VanCougars threw some hard kicks and strikes and their size didn’t detract from their wrestling at all. Team Beyond is quite good, and I think with some matching gear, some tighter double team combinations, and crisper offense they could really be a force on the major independents. Winners at 11:18: The VanCougars; **3/4
Jonny Mangue vs. Pitboss
This was a pretty uninteresting bout. It was very basic, but to a fault, Pitboss’ offense never saw him leave the mat and he showed little to no personality throughout. Mangue carried most of the weight for this one, and I’ve seen him have great matches elsewhere, so it’s not unlikely that Pitboss brought it down. Mangue has a cool rolling thunder headbutt and splash in the corner as well. He has a bright future, but I would be fine never seeing Pitboss again. It was annoying that he got the win with a fisherman’s suplex too since Mangue was so much more impressive. Winner at 10:20: Pitboss, **
Jonah Block vs. Nasty Russ
This was a nice back and forth match in which each guy got enough of an opportunity to show off what they have. They showed some neat, creative stuff, and I loved Block’s snap boot to the head; it looked so cool! His braineater (a jump-up piledriver) also looked nasty and cool. Russ also brought the goods, and his homeless-looking schtick is better than both Ernie Osiris and Hobo Joe. These two guys really showed how hard they work and I think they’ll both be better with some more seasoning. Winner at 8:26: Jonah Block, **1/2
Johnny Cockstrong vs. Hailey Hatred
Cockstrong has a goofy name, and as you’d expect he uses a lot of cock based offense. This sounds kind of dumb on paper, I admit, but he actually uses it really well. He does it to the point where you completely believe that the offense hurts (i.e.a Shining Wizard where his cock hits the opponent’s face). Hatred is a damn good female wrestler who hangs in there with the guys 100 percent, and she did the same thing here. Cockstrong’s skinniness also makes it a tad difficult to take him seriously, but brings it when needed. Some of the stuff these guys did was quite hard hitting too and really did a good job overall. Winner at 11:12, Johnny Cockstrong; **3/4
Myke Quest & Corvis Fear [The Garden State Gods] vs. Scott Henson & Yakuza J [The VanCougars]
This was such a fun match to watch. Two teams of larger dudes and throwing each other around. These guys have their wits about them when it comes to mat wrestling as well, and really put on a style of this type in the tag team division that you don’t see very often anywhere else. These guys got plenty of time to show off everything they had too and did not disappoint. The Garden State Gods are another tag team I see a lot of potential in, and they deserve more exposure then just JAPW and Beyond. As I said in the first match, The VanCougars have promise but also quite a ways to go. Winners at 19:12, The Garden State Gods; ***1/4
Disc Two
Jonny Mangue vs. Zane Silver
Mangue and Silver were two-thirds of Team Beyond in the Jack Of All Trios tournament. They worked well as partners in that match, and worked just as well as opponents here. Both these guys busted their humps to put on a really fun match, and took some pretty big risks as well. Silver hit a great looking tope into a tornado DDT on the floor, followed by Mangue turning him inside out with a hard clothesline. I really liked the effort put in by both guys, and the fluidity made this a easy watch. Winner at 8:18, Jonny Mangue; **3/4
Chase Burnett vs. Hailey Hatred
If man vs. woman matches make you uncomfortable, rest easy. Hatred has the build and ability to make you forget she’s a woman, and I mean that as a very big compliment. These two traded such hard kicks and strikes that you’d think you were watching a match with some Japanese juniors. The kicks these two threw were quite a sight to see. They weren’t afraid to dump each other on their heads either, and it was nice seeing some different style out of Burnett then we are used to seeing. Hatred continues to be one of the females looking to bridge the gender gap in professional wrestling, which I am all for. winner at 10:36, ***
Elimination Match
Robby Kidd vs. Jonah Block vs. Corvis Fear vs. Donny Kidd

This was a nice showcase of what all four guys are all about. While the Kidd guys didn’t do it for me, I really am impressed with Corvis Fear and Jonah Block has a lot of promise. Fear has a unique look and character with a great wrestling set to boot. I was very happy to see him not only win, but eliminate two out of the three guys here. Block is real good for his size and his strikes are pretty believable even for a guy his size.This was a fun, quick match to show off the best of everyone and because of it there was no filler and all action. Winner at 10:11, Corvis Fear; **3/4
Davey Vega vs. Zack Novak
Novak won me over in this match. Looks wise, it’s as if Michael Cera and Chris Dickinson procreated and gave their kid kickpads and gym shorts. So his gear needs work, but MAN this kid works hard and has a lot of cool looking offense. His delayed dropkick in the corner was excellent. If he gets his act together and becomes a little more smooth and crips in his offense, he could make something of himself. Vega was good too, but I’ve seen him plenty of times before and I thought Novak was better overall. This was a great back and forth match that seemed like a legitimate contest between two athletes looking to better themselves. I dug this quite a bit. Winner at 19:38, Davey Vega; ***1/4
Chase Burnett & Zane Silver [Team Beyond] vs. Myke Quest & Corvis Fear [The Garden State Gods]
Holy cow, this was an awesome tag team match. Both these teams, while different in size and style, meshed really well and put on a fast, fun, hard-hitting contest. This ranks up with any great tag team match you’d see on the American independent scene this year. The GSG have such great double team sequences and moves, and look like they just absolutely destroy their opponents with their offense. Team Beyond held their own as well, and continue to cement themselves as the next big high-flying duo. This was by far the best match of the DVD, and totally worth your time. You’ll have so much fun watching it, just like I did. If you like car crash wrestling with style and somewhat of a story, I think you’ll really enjoy this. Winners at 16:25, The Garden State Gods; ***1/2
Overall: Beyond Wrestling offers a platform for younger, less experienced wrestlers to come in and ply their craft with no reservations. Because of it, these guys work quite hard and put on some really fun matches. If nothing else, this show provided some really consistent, solid wrestling and showcased some of the up and comers in independent wrestling. Give this DVD a shot if you want to see some newer talent. You can buy the DVD on Beyond Wrestling’s Facebook Page or Smart Mark Video.

Beyond Wrestling – “We Did It For The Hits” – Now Available on DVD @ facebook.com/beyondwrestling from beyondwrestling on Vimeo.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *