Uncharted Territory, Season 1 Episode 1 (Series Premiere)
April 3, 2019 (Re-aired May 1, 2020)
Episode Venue: Electric Haze in Worcester, MA
Streaming on IWTV.live
Something that really hit hard during this time of trials and upheaval in the wrestling world was that, amidst everything going on, Beyond Wrestling would have to put all of its huge 2020 plans on the shelf. As a relatively new fan who got to see the beauty of the promotion’s explosion last year after having minimal knowledge of what all went into filling the powder keg, I can’t imagine how hard it hits Beyond fans who have been there from day one to see the rise. This was going to be the year of Uncharted Territory Season 3 and likely a fourth season later in 2020. We were going to see Beyond at their gutsiest, running their Big Balls event in Tampa concurrent with the WrestleMania event itself that Sunday. A new school was to open and give rise to another generation of New England wrestling talent. 2019 was a standout year for Beyond and this was supposed to be their moment to reap the benefits of years of hard work.
This is not to say that all is lost, of course. When we’ve reached some level of new normalcy I’m betting on Beyond to come back with a fresh set of plans laid. For now though, this is an excellent time to reflect on how far the company has come. IWTV has been great about airing Beyond shows from years past and giving new fans some knowledge about the number of names who have been featured in the ring there. Now throughout the month of May we’ll get to see each episode of the first season of Uncharted Territory, and for anyone who was wondering how to get on board with watching some wrestling that’s new to them...this is your time!
The first half of Season 1 of Uncharted Territory looks a little different than what later-season fans might recognize, but I really like the close-quarters vibe that the Electric Haze provides as a venue. It almost reminds me a little of the Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia or the House of Independents in Asbury Park. Plus, you’ll still recognize a lot of the White Eagle regulars if you’ve been paying attention to fans in the crowd on other episodes.
On Commentary: Paul Crockett and Josh Briggs
I’m one who came in on the Beyond Wrestling party when Crockett and Bakabella had formed their power team at the commentary table. It took some back viewings to get used to the unique style of Crockett and Briggs on the mic, but there’s chemistry there no doubt. It helps that Paul Crockett is such a great play-by-play guy that he can play off of anyone he’s sat next to, but Josh Briggs is just so likeable and conversational that it all works just fine together as a unit.
Match 1: SCU (Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, and Scorpio Sky) vs Team Pazuzu (Santana, Ortiz, and Chris Dickinson)
And the very first match of Uncharted Territory has the mark of AEW talent all over it. If you didn’t know it when you started watching - Beyond Wrestling is the best platform in the business. Season 1 is full of talent who now call AEW, NXT, ROH, MLW, and Impact home. Excellent trios match to open the show and set the tone of what this was all meant to be: a showcase of the next level. SCU takes the victory but every person in this match here was impressive. Keep your eye on Chris Dickinson here, too, and note how well Beyond does its storytelling with him and David Starr near the end of the match. It’s clear that the Dirty Daddy was the face of Beyond Wrestling by the end of Season 2, but it’s also easy to note by the end of the opener that he’s damn sure somebody who’s meant to stand out.
Match 2: MJF vs Kimber Lee
I don’t know when MJF will ever have another intergender match again, but whenever he does I hope it’s with Kimber Lee. What otherwise would have been a ‘fun’ filler match with anyone else turned into a formidable fight here. Kimber Lee doesn’t play when it comes to her time in the ring, and that’s just the kind of opponent (male or female) that MJF needs. Maxwell got the dirty win here, but it wasn’t made easy for him at all. As a nod to foreshadowing, this would also be the last time we’d see Kimber Lee in the Beyond ring as a fan favorite...
Match 3: The Beaver Boys (John Silver and Alex Reynolds) vs Aussie Open (Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher)
John Silver and Alex Reynolds have progressed so far over the span of two seasons! Their Uncharted Territory debut happened just months away from their debut on AEW Dynamite; 2019 was a huge year for a lot of Beyond talent. The Beaver Boys were the winners in a show-stealing tag match against Aussie Open; I was mightily impressed by both Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher too. Even at the very beginning of the series it was a Beyond staple to feature talent from around the world to show their stuff!
Match 4: Gabriel Skye vs Mick Moretti (Discovery Gauntlet Match)
On the subject of featuring talent, the initial episode of Uncharted Territory also had the first Discovery Gauntlet match. Mick Moretti would go on to win the first Gauntlet match after an excellent bout against Gabriel Skye, and it’s pretty cool to think of how far the Gauntlet has come after two seasons. There’s been many current standout indie wrestlers who have made appearances in the Gauntlet since then; this match made a fine ‘origin story’ for it all.
Match 5: Kris Statlander vs AR Fox
I would absolutely love to see a sequel to this match. Statlander and Fox tore it down and I would have been happy to see this one go on even longer! The biggest shocker, though, came after the post-match celebration where Statlander stood tall as the victor with Kimber Lee in the ring. At that moment nobody expected the shock of Kimber Lee turning on the Galaxy’s Greatest Alien and giving her a brutal beatdown, though, and kicking off one of Beyond’s most involving storylines from then on.
Match 6: Jordynne Grace and Brian Cage vs Orange Cassidy and Session Moth Martina
In this ‘mystery partners’ match with Jordynne Grace and Orange Cassidy we end up seeing them paired up with what could be their best counterparts. Brian Cage was a great choice, yes...and Martina was an excellent choice. This match happened at the perfect time for Freshly Squeezed, too. Not only was he the reigning Independent Wrestling champion at the moment, but he was gaining massive buzz around this time and hosting his own WrestleMania weekend show at the Collective just days after the premiere episode of Uncharted Territory. OC picked a great partner and they may have lost the match, but by this point we were all on the road to the summer of Orange Cassidy and the wrestling world was about to find its latest star.
Match 7: Masato Tanaka vs David Starr
It’s only right that the very first Uncharted Territory main event should be one of the best matches of 2019. This was a true classic from start to the dramatic finish; I love David Starr especially when he’s playing the cocky jerk. He did the heel role to perfection in Beyond, really. Heel or face, Starr is guaranteed to give you a damn good match when you put him in the ring with the world’s most solid competitors. Tanaka vs. Starr is fantastic, too - there’s not a moment in the match where you feel fully certain it could go one way or the other for the win, and this is a continuous back and forth battle. It isn’t until right up until the end when we get the surprise return of Joey Janela to Beyond that we’re sure that Starr is in for it. Once the Bad Boy makes his presence known to Starr it’s not difficult for Tanaka to capitalize and get the victory. Beyond storytelling again comes masterfully to the front, reintroducing the beloved Janela and putting Starr’s cockiness in its place while bringing a satisfying end to the match and the show’s premiere.
Post-Show Thoughts
Now this is how you introduce a wrestling show to the world. Beyond Wrestling never put itself forth as the next big promotion to rival anyone. They’ve always made it known that their place in the industry is to serve as a platform to rising stars. In my opinion Beyond is a benchmark promotion; wrestling talent have ‘made it’ to a certain level once they’ve appeared on Uncharted Territory. From there they can springboard anywhere. I like this do-it-yourself vibe that the show has, and it thankfully hasn’t changed after two seasons.