After a soft launch in April of 2017, Powerbomb TV emerged in June as the newest addition to the independent wrestling streaming services. PBTV prided itself on providing a platform for some of the best companies in North America, while also shining a spotlight on unique and unknowns companies from England, Mexico, and even Portugal. With it’s founders, Adam Lash and Gerard Durling, both having knowledge of video production and streaming, Powerbomb would begin streaming live events of several independent wrestling companies, as well as putting on live events themselves.

After defeating Zenshi at “Bye Bye Beautiful”, Brandon Watts challenged him for his Chile Lucha Libre All-Star championship. Zenshi suggested instead of fighting one another, they become a unit. So, Zenshi and Watts would have their first match as a team against EYFBO. To say it did not go well would be an understatement. EYFBO worked in tandem while Watts and Zenshi came off as two people doing their own thing who happened to be on a team. They wouldn’t always be there for a tag when their partner needed it. There was friendly fire. The team felt inorganic, despite each of them having solid showings on their own. It all came to ahead when Zenshi and Watts attempted a double coast-to-coast dropkick and Watts ended up landing on Zenshi. EYFBO scooped him up and hit the Street Sweeper for the pin. It looked as if Zenshi was ready to come in and break up the pin, but didn’t. Makes you wonder what Zenshi’s motive was all along. Given their complementary styles, these teams had a very fun match. It was a showcase for all the competitors with a solid foundation to keep it all logical. These types of matches are a great way to start an iPPV off with some energy and it accomplished just that. This checked off all the right boxes with me.

Taking exception to Brandon Watts referring to himself as the leader of Beyond’s “New Crop”, MJF challenged anybody from Beyond’s “New Crop” in an open challenge.
The 6 ½ feet tall former football player Josh Briggs made quite the impression when he decimated Cam Zagami in 32 seconds during the Americanrana matinee show, and he accepted this challenge in the hopes of reclaiming the same level of success he had that night. Unfortunately for him, MJF saw the shoulder wrap on Briggs as a bullseye and used that to his advantage. MJF also had no problem playing dirty when the opportunity presented itself, such as kicking the middle rope into Briggs’ groin. Despite the damage he took, Briggs valiantly fought back and would not stay down for a pin. After a strike, he hoisted up MJF for the Quackendriver I to shut MJF up for at least one evening. This was well done and both competitors came out of this better than they did coming in. MJF got to portray his arrogance and his craftiness in the ring, while Briggs showed off his resilience and power. Win-Win.

The team representing New England Pro Wrestling Academy had their hands full with the team dubbed the Pull-It Club of Johnny Cockstrong, Massage NV, and Joey Ryan. This had everything you’d expect: dick spots, baby oil, the whole nine yards. All that said, there was actually some really strong wrestling mixed in, especially from the NEPWA crew and Massage NV. The match boiled down to Joey Ryan and Cam Zagami, who proclaimed himself the NEPWA team captain. Ryan had Zagami down in and out in the corner after a superkick. Webb snuck in and gave Ryan his corner Death Valley Driver, choosing the corner in which Zagami was laid out. This not only got Team NEPWA the win but also showed that Webb had some disagreements as to who the team captain was. Webb even refused to have his hand help up by Zagami and include him in the post-match victory celebration. It’s another one of those matches that you know whether to steer clear of before you even start it, but I think this had the right amount of humor and wrestling.

JT Dunn vs. Martin Stone ended in a bit of controversy last month. While Dunn did pin Stone, Stone was folded over in such a way that his legs were in the ropes, and a thus a pin should not have been triggered by the referee. The referee did not notice, but rather than complain, Stone held up a single finger to signify he wished to face Dunn one more time. Stone went after Dunn’s fingers, rendering Dunn’s hands all but useless. Dunn still had the strength of his forearms and elbows to strike, keeping close quarters with Stone to land several shots. Dunn would also do a bit of damage to Stone’s knee, but that ultimately didn’t lead to much. Stone would finally land some strikes of his own as both men traded control down the ending stretch. Dunn attempted to pin Stone the same way he did in their previous encounter, but Stone not only kicked out, he rolled Dunn into the second crossface of the match to make the New England native tap out. This was excellent and an improvement from their first encounter. They did a terrific job keeping everything even but very exciting. It feels like it’s been sometime since Dunn produced a singles match like this in Beyond, but this reminded me a lot of his matches against Gargano and Elgin in 2013 in that he put up a hard fought effort, and despite ultimately coming up short, he won over the crowd. Stone is so good and so diverse. I’m really glad Beyond seems to be using him as consistently as they can. This is a match I recommend checking out.

When things looked bleak for the Amityville Project in their match against EYFBO last month, Rex Lawless interfered to cause a disqualification, but it also allowed the Amityville Project to put a hurting on Mike Draztik and Angel Ortiz. Fortunately for them, their pals in Doom Patrol were on commentary and sent Dan Barry and his cronies packing. This month, Chris Dickinson and Jaka would get the opportunity themselves to face Mike Verna and Ryan Galeone. Doom Patrol started off strong, but a boot from Galeone to Jaka and Verna pouncing on him right after turned things around. Jaka escaped their wrath and Dickinson ran wild to turn back the tide. Galeone cut him off with his impressive springboard somersault senton, and Verna followed with a Swanton bomb for barely a one count. Jaka wiped out Verna with a T’Challa kick. He and Dickinson went for the Doomsday Choke Bomb on Galeone. Rex Lawless tried to interfere just like he did last month, but EYFBO put a stop to that. While Lawless didn’t get to attack the Doom Patrol, he did serve as a distraction. Galeone shoved Dickinson head first into Jaka’s crotch, then rolled him up to steal the victory. Although EYFBO’s intentions were good, Jaka was more forgiving than Dickinson of EYFBO’s interjection. If this is building to a full confrontation 4 v 4 Team Pazuzu vs. Amityville Project match, I’m all for it. Verna and Galeone continue to prosper as a team and Doom Patrol have made 2017 their year across the board.

Brian Milonas vs. John Silver had the potential to do something really creative with the big man/little man formula given Silver’s proclivity for being a heavyweight trapped in a smaller man’s body. This match didn’t flesh that out nearly as much as it should have, if at all. Silver fought hard, Milonas would knock him down, rinse and repeat. Silver tried taking Milonas off the top turnbuckle, but got flipped down by Milonas. Milonas then came crashing down with a second rope crossbody for the win. I don’t understand Silver losing to Milonas of all people, nor do I think this match needed to be nearly 13 minutes long. As good as Silver has been and for the status he’s reached in Beyond, this was not the best way to showcase him on an internet stream to a new audience.

Team PAWG has become one of the best parts of Beyond in 2017, decimating teams since they banded together in 2017. Tonight would be no exception, even against the formidable pair of Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor. While Cassidy can seem absent minded or even lazy, they defeated Donovan Dijak and Mikey Webb when they last teamed at “Go With The Flow.” Taylor and Grace reached a stalemate before tagging in their partners. Cassidy played it cool with LuFisto but got his butt whipped for it. He and Jordynne decimated Cassidy and tossed him around (literally.) Taylor was of help when tagged in, but unfortunately for Taylor, Cassidy accidentally spit his orange juice into Taylor’s face instead of their opponents. Blinded and confused, Taylor pulled Cassidy, thinking he was LuFisto or Grace, into the Awful Waffle. How you could confuse either PAWG for Cassidy I’ll never know. Either way, PAWG wiped out Taylor with the ATM, then did the same to the still rattled Cassidy to pick up another win and keep their undefeated streak in Beyond live. Knowing that they’re undefeated makes me really want to see them vs. EYFBO. I thought this was well done and fun.

Joey Janela became an immediate top player in Beyond when he became the first person to ever defeat Matt Riddle in company history at “Americanrana.” He also defeated Donovan Dijak at “Looking California”, a man considered to be the ace of Beyond Wrestling. AR Fox is aa Beyond Wrestling institution, and it would be another feather in Janela’s cap if he were to defeat him in the main event of Beyond’s first Powerbomb TV live stream. The two guys essentially fought with the intention of one-upping each other. One did a dive, so did the other. When one guy hit, the other would hit back harder. Janela’s big matches always seem to involve some sort of spill to the floor or apron, and this match was no exception. Janela changed the whole complexion of the match after he gave Fox a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Fox would find a way to recover. In the midst of battle, Fox bicycle kicked the referee, much like he did during his match with Brandon Watts. When Penelope Ford came in the ring to check on the referee, Fox decided to put his hands on her, which led to her giving Fox a poison rana, and her and Janela nailing a variation of the Doomsday Device. Again, Fox found a way to fight back. Fox also introduced chairs into the mat, giving Janela a Lo Mein Pain onto one of them. When that wasn’t enough, he propped a door to make a makeshift table onto two propped up chairs. Fox intended to land a 450 splash onto Janela, but instead Janela caught him coming down with an Ace Crusher through the table, handing the match over to Janela. This was a great way to end the show, with a high energy, hard hitting, crazy brawl. Janela’s defeat of Fox further solidifies him as the Ace of Beyond (a claim he made in a post match promo.) Given the fluidity of the roster and how many strong names are on the roster, there’s a lot to be done with Janela is his new high profile position.

Overall: While the show wasn’t a homerun per se, it was a good show with a lot of variety. JT Dunn vs. Martin Stone and the main event were the stand-out matches of the card and are worth seeking out. The biggest compliment I can give to the event is it provided the authentic Beyond Wrestling experience to anybody who may be checking out the promotion for the first time, running from one of their home venues and providing a card that is tried and true to what you would typically expect from them.

This show is available through Powerbomb TV, a newer independent wrestling VOD and live streaming service that live streams events several weekends out of the month and boasts a catalogue that includes promotions such as IWA Mid-South, AIW, Alpha 1, NOVA Pro, and countless others from all over the world. You can use the code PWP20 or BEYOND to get 20 days FREE to the service.

Check out the bulk of Beyond Wrestling’s entire catalogue at BeyonDemand. $9.99 a month unlocks tons of past and current shows to stream, including raw footage of the latest events, the entire Women’s Wrestling Revolution catalogue, and BeyonDemand exclusives such as “Greatest Rivals Round Robin 2”, a clinic with Zack Sabre, Jr., never before seen Eddie Edwards matches, and interviews with Biff Busick, Donovan Dijak, Keith Lee, and others.

For more information, visit Beyond Wrestling’s official website. For a bunch of free matches, clips, and other fun stuff, check out Beyond’s YouTube page. You can also follow them on Twitter and through their Facebook page.

Quick Results/Match Times/Star Ratings

1. EYFBO (Mike Draztik & Angel Ortiz) defeated Brandon Watts & Zenshi in 12:05 with the Street Sweeper on Watts. ***

2. Josh Briggs pinned Maxwell Jacob Friedman with the Quackendriver I in 6:45. *½

3. Mikey Webb, Cam Zagami, Anthony Greene & Brick Mastone defeated The Pull-It Club (Johnny Cockstrong, Joey Ryan & Massage NV (Dorian Graves & VSK)) in 10:56 with a corner Death Valley Driver from Webb to Ryan. **½

4. Martin Stone submits JT Dunn to a crossface in 18:31. ***¾

5. The Amityville Project (Ryan Galeone & Mike Verna) bested Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson & Jaka) in 10:34 when Galeone rolled up Dickinson. **¾

6. Brian Milonas pinned John Silver with a second rope crossbody in 12:32. *

7. Team PAWG (Jordynne Grace & LuFisto) defeated The Gentleman’s Club (Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy) in 10:41 with the ATM on Cassidy. **½

8. Joey Janela bested AR Fox in in 17:20, catching Fox coming off the top rope with an Ace Crusher through a door propped up onto two doors. ***½

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