Review: Uncharted Territory Season 1, Episode 3

byThatRoseTattoo •
0


Uncharted Territory, Season 1 Episode 3
Original Air Date: April 17, 2019 (Re-aired May 3, 2020)
Episode Venue: Electric Haze in Worcester, MA
Streaming on IWTV.live
One thing that stands out about the earlier days of Uncharted Territory is the number of matches compared to later shows. During the live tweet for Episode 3 it was also pointed out that the wrestlers had more time to work with, and this does improve the overall quality of the show. This of course is not to say that I don’t prefer the wall-to-wall stacked cards and big matches of later Season 1 and all of Season 2; I love the chaotic energy of those episodes. It’s great, however, to look back at the near-perfect pacing of these initial episodes. 
On Commentary: Paul Crockett and Josh Briggs
Josh Briggs hits his color commentary stride with this episode. The dude’s pretty funny and played off Crockett really well, and he had the line of the night when Anthony Greene was out at ringside showing off his latest merchandise (including a ‘sex towel’ held up for display). The whole notion seemed to confuse Josh, and it led to one of the best lines of the night:
Briggs: "What do you do with a sex towel? Do you have sex with that towel?"
Match 1: Wheeler Yuta vs Chuck Taylor
Around this time last year it was made known that Chuckie T was AEW bound, and we were not going to see Chuck depart from the indie scene without giving his friend Yuta a match on the way out. As much as I liked seeing this match I really have to marvel at how young Yuta is and yet has so much wrestling prowess for a guy in his early 20s. When Yuta’s up against a seasoned vet like Chuck Taylor and gets the win then there’s no doubt he’s meant to be on his way upward; it’s pretty cool to watch this match knowing Yuta’s trajectory on Uncharted Territory from this point.
Match 2: Mick Moretti vs. Alex Taveres (Discovery Gauntlet match)
Moretti is back again for his third appearance in the Gauntlet and this time he’s got on wrestling trunks instead of his previous gear. The intensity of these Gauntlet matches have progressively amplified since the premiere; by the time I started watching near the end of the season there’s no wonder why things were at a fever pitch. Moretti wins his third week in a row after his toughest match yet with Taveres, and I’ve really grown to love the post-match Gauntlet interviews where the winner gets some mic time to let their character shine. Moretti’s an odd one when it comes to interacting with the crowd but damn is the guy talented.
Match 3: MJF vs. Chris Dickinson
The best thing about Season 1 of Uncharted Territory so far has been the ongoing saga involving Chris Dickinson/David Starr/Joey Janela/MJF. We knew this altercation was going somewhere good when it all gave rise to SLITHER, after all. It only escalates from here, though. Episode 3’s match between MJF and Dickinson came to an abrupt and dirty disqualification finish once MJF’s (now former) MLW partner in crime Richard Holliday showed up at the end of the match to run interference on his buddy’s behalf and attack while Dickinson was standing on his own for the moment. The result was a DQ and another player on the battlefield in this feud.
Match 4: Davienne vs. Kris Statlander
I got my first look at Davienne in the ring later in Season 1 and more so in Season 2; she remains one of the most underrated and worthy talents on the independent wrestling scene. Once the business is back up I’m hoping she gets more attention from her time on Uncharted Territory. Davienne’s got the skill and it was made clear on her debut this episode that she’s got the bold and brazen attitude to match it. Statlander and Davienne had a very good match here that had plenty of time for both competitors to show off their talent. Statlander got the win but Davienne ambushed her after the match during the post-match interview. Just as it looked as if we were going to see two sneak-attack beatdowns on this episode there was Solo Darling out to the rescue, quickly neutralizing Davienne’s threat and setting up what looks like a great one-on-one encounter for the next episode.
Match 5: Ophidian vs. Rory Gulak
At first glance I didn’t want to review any match at all involving Rory Gulak. I don’t support him whatsoever, but on the other hand I’m always down to see what Ophidian’s getting up to in the ring. On the live tweet for this replay we learned that this match arose from an opportunity given to the trainers at Chikara’s Wrestle Factory who had a match coming up and wanted to take it on the road. Both competitors did fine work here, too, and even though Ophidian took the loss I’m never at all disappointed in seeing a match with him involved. 
Match 6: Orange Cassidy vs. Kylie Rae (IWTV Championship match)
Over the past year as Orange Cassidy has exponentially grown in popularity there have been ‘best of’ lists of his matches that constantly get thrown around. These matches usually come up whenever there’s a debate of Freshly Squeezed’s talent or in-ring ability. This particular match is one that gets mentioned a lot, and for good reason. Not only is this one that unites the comedy side (which Kylie Rae is great at also) and the technical and the theatrical, but it also just makes both of the people involved look damn good. At the close of this match you honestly feel as if Kylie Rae could have walked away with the IWTV Championship and Orange Cassidy barely got by with the win, which I think is the best outcome. This was fantastic storytelling from bell to bell and another great main event in what would be many to come.
Post-Show Thoughts
I know I’ve made it clear and I have previously stated that Beyond serves as a platform to the up and coming stars. However, for a promotion that serves more as a springboard than a brand, the build of storylines that we see budding on early episodes of Uncharted Territory are going places that are way above and beyond what you’d see in some of the promotions that actually do try to build themselves as a brand. I’m a big fan of this style of storytelling that we’re getting in the beginning, too, with less matches and more room to build characters. Considering the frenzied pace of later episodes, it’s almost as if we’re getting the calm before a very intense storm.
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