Review: Uncharted Territory Season 1, Episode 12

byThatRoseTattoo •
0

Uncharted Territory, Season 1 Episode 12
Original Air Date: June 19, 2019 (Re-aired May 12, 2020)
Episode Venue: White Eagle in Worcester, MA
Streaming on IWTV.live
The latter half of Season 1 would take place at the White Eagle in Worcester and the show would remain there throughout the second season. Episode 12 is notable to me as it’s the first Uncharted Territory I’d ever seen after hearing the buzz on the previous episode. I came in at a nice point too, just as big changes were happening venue-wise and character-wise. If you thought the show’s been moving fast so far, get ready for a lightning quick pace from here on out.
On Commentary: Paul Crockett & Sidney Bakabella
Is there anything more endearingly sleazy than Bakabella’s laugh? It’s a good time when the commentators sound like they’re legitimately enjoying the show, and I’m sure Paul & Sidney were having a blast this episode. I especially liked hearing Bakabella call the Chikara tag match; the promotion is his usual home turf as the ‘Director of Fun’.
Match 1: Shane Mercer vs. Chris Dickinson
The Iron Demon vs. the Dirty Daddy delivered the beef and it was well done. I’d say this was likely the hardest-hitting opening match to Uncharted Territory all season. Dickinson and Mercer are at their peak in matches like these where the opponent is an equal monster and war is the best option. Dirty Daddy gets the win on Mercer and continues his hot streak. Excellent way to christen the White Eagle with Beyond Wrestling’s presence, just kick it all off with a badass Dickinson match.


Match 2: Green Ant & Razerhawk vs. Cornelius Crummels and Sonny DeFarge
More talent from Chikara are starting to appear on the show, which is a plus for both Beyond and the Wrestle Factory crew in that more talent will have a chance to showcase themselves. This was the case with the second match; both teams had a solid debut this episode. I definitely recall being impressed with the in-ring work of Crummels and DeFarge upon first glance last year. 


As good as they are, though, they couldn’t quite match up to Green Ant & Razerhawk. Just as the ant and the burb looked like they were going to get the victory, however, another familiar Chikara face showed up. Cajun Crawdad interfered in the finish of the match, allowing Crummels & DeFarge to get the unfair victory and introducing us all to a fresh new feud.


Match 3: Solo Darling vs. JXT
Our neighbors from the land down under have an abundance of wrestling prospects, and Uncharted Territory has featured a good number of names this season. The latest on the list of Aussies is JXT, who made his show debut against Solo Darling. Another debut in this match as well - Solo’s trusty companion Officer Magnum accompanied her to the ring! Once the bell rang, JXT and Solo went nonstop to the finish in this quick paced bout. JXT possesses some amazing skills and really should be seen more here in the States; he’s got a style that suits American audiences well. Great match with Solo & JXT, Solo gets the victory and the crowd has been introduced to one more fantastic Australian talent.


Match 4: Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Bill Carr) vs. Bear Country (Bear Beefcake & Bear Bronson)
This episode was full of tag team action but this match was by far the show-stealer. Barry and Carr made their return to the Beyond ring for this one, much to the joy of all the regular fans in attendance. Bear Country resolved to salvage their standing as the tag team aces, especially after the loss to Eddie Kingston and David Starr in the previous episode. The energy of a returning veteran team going up against the determination of a younger team on the rebound makes for a hell of a contest. This one was all over the place, the Bears and Team Tremendous had action going inside and outside of the ring simultaneously at some points. 


The Bears got their win and seemed to be headed in a step in the right direction, but a feigned breakup from Team Tremendous after their loss led to a dirty trick and a post-match beatdown on Bear Country. Barry and Carr are good actors and sore losers. Get ready - this act of chicanery would lead us to a long-lasting and heavy duty feud between Bear Country and Team Tremendous; we have not seen the last of this fight at all.
Match 5: Richard Holliday vs. Josh Briggs
Tonight’s episode was even more stacked than usual, but I really wish this match in particular had gotten more time instead of the majority of minutes going to Holliday’s promo. I like him on the mic, but he’s already got plenty of heat without having to say anything. Holliday and Briggs are two big dudes who have the finesse of men half their size, and it’s very cool to see them throw each other around while at the same time moving with the dexterity of a cat. For what we got to see, it’s great watching Briggs & Holliday go at it, and the finish was satisfying with Briggs taking the victory. Both these guys have a look that’s perfect for mainstream wrestling television, though, which made this short watch an enjoyable one.


Match 6: Kenn Doane & The Top Dogs (Davienne & Skylar) vs. Anthony Greene & The Platinum Hunnies (Ava Everett & Angel Sinclair)
The next match went under tag team tornado rules, and it seemed like a fine opportunity for AG and the Hunnies to show off their style as a team. The odd pairing of Kenn Doane with the Top Dogs didn’t seem like they’d mesh nearly as well as a unit. However, Davienne & Skylar and Doane were effective if not strange (Doane was clearly out for himself here) and they gave AG, Everett, and Sinclair a hard run for the majority of this match. Greene was the backbone of his team, but Ava Everett was a fearless ball of energy here. The Avataker and her team rallied forth to get the win, and Doane’s madman bullying behavior was chastened if only momentarily by the loss.


Match 7: Thomas Santell vs. Christian Casanova (Discovery Gauntlet match)
Just when it seemed that Santell would make it through the rest of the first season as the star of the Discovery Gauntlet, he entered Killanova country. Christian Casanova made his unforgettable Uncharted Territory debut in the Gauntlet as the Ovaltine Dream’s latest competitor. I’ve stated it before that Santell can match techniques with whatever you put him up against, but there’s nothing quite like Christian Casanova’s in-ring style. 


The competition amped up progressively in the Gauntlet and this young newcomer Casanova was by far Santell’s most difficult challenger yet. What makes the end of this one almost criminal is this - as close as Casanova came to beating Santell and as close as Santell came to beating him, we’d never know from this bout who the superior wrestler was. That’s because the finish of this match came with assistance from Cam Zagami, who still held a grudge against Santell’s not-so-helpful advice and assisted Casanova in defeating Santell, knocking him out of the Gauntlet after a nuclear hot streak. Feuds were born this episode, and this war between Santell and Zagami would shape up to be a classic.


Match 8: Nouveau Asthetic (Still Life with Apricots & Blank) vs. The Gentleman’s Club (Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor)
After the dramatic conclusion to the Gauntlet match, it was nice to have a main event that looked at the aesthetic side of things. Chikara regulars Blank and Still Life with Apricots made their Uncharted Territory debut against Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor, who at the time had both made appearances for AEW and would soon be announced as signed talent. I had a good time with this main event; as a first-time viewer it’s almost surreal seeing unique characters like this going back and forth between comedy style and mat wrestling but it all works as a whole. 


Orange Cassidy was a viral sensation by the time this match took place, and although I’d had some prior knowledge about his character I was very intrigued at the notion of actual art being wrestlers. These are the kinds of introductions I love to see from this show. I’ve seen what the mainstream has to offer; show me something I haven’t seen. 


OC & Chuckie T get the win here and the IWTV championship storyline is furthered post-match when Freshly Squeezed is attacked by indie wrestling upstart Logan Easton Leroux, one final surprise show debut for the night as one more opponent is looking for an opportunity at the title.


Post-Show Thoughts
Episode 11 was a monumental show, but Episode 12 is the one that’s the most stacked and packed (perhaps as a result from the social media buzz from 11). This eight-match show introduced a wealth of new talent like Mercer, JXT, and Christian Casanova. There’s also the Chikara regulars who really do deserve the spotlight, it was good to see them all over this episode as well. There was an incredibly fast pace to this show despite how packed it was; almost two and a half hours flew by. I’d be glad to show this episode in particular to anyone who feels like longer shows equal boring shows - this is never true when the show’s booked just right.
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