Review: Uncharted Territory Season 1, Episode 6

byThatRoseTattoo •
0

Uncharted Territory, Season 1 Episode 6
Original Air Date: May 8, 2019 (Re-aired May 6, 2020)
Episode Venue: Electric Haze in Worcester, MA
Streaming on IWTV.live
Episode 6 of Uncharted Territory was an exceptionally well-done celebration of 10 years of Beyond Wrestling. Credit to Vin Gerard for putting together and IWTV for presenting the pre-show video. This feature really hit home how vital Beyond is to the wrestling industry, and it’s good to know that the past decade for the promotion was one of steady growth and progress. I believe that the next ten years will be just as revolutionary for Beyond as well; they’ll come back strong from the current circumstances and continue to break new ground and unearth new talent.
On Commentary: Paul Crockett and Anthony Greene
Since Josh Briggs was making his in-ring debut this episode, his best friend Anthony Greene accepted his usual spot next to Crockett. Briggs gets a show going with his excitement, but I do enjoy how comparatively laid-back the Retrosexual is on commentary. 
Match 1: Josh Briggs vs. Chris Dickinson
When your first match on the show is against the Dirty Daddy you have to be ready as hell, and Josh Briggs came with his top game. These two monsters got brutal in the opening bout. I wouldn’t mind having Dickinson start every show he’s on simply for the fact that he’s such a tough act to follow. Briggs looked excellent in his moments of domination during his debut match, too. The streak of first-class opening matches carried on with this one, and Dickinson took the win by submission. 


Afterward, the Dirty Daddy called out Eddie Kingston, setting up for an episode 8 match that hyped up an already enthused crowd.
Match 2: Thomas Santell vs. Brad Hollister (Discovery Gauntlet match)
Thomas Santell made his return to the Gauntlet on Episode 6, but this time we’d see a teacher vs. student classic as he took on ‘Big Bacon’ Brad Hollister. I’d say this was the most technically sound Gauntlet match we’ve seen of any episode so far. Very good wrestling and storytelling done by both Santell and Hollister, and by golly the Ovaltine chants were strong here. Santell is the most over guy in the Gauntlet so far, and that made this win all the more satisfying.


Match 3: Zane Silver, Chase Burnett, & Jefferson Saint vs. Johnny Cockstrong, Nicholas Kaye, & Eric Corvis (Warehouse Rules)
This is the show-stealer in an episode of must-see matches this week! Going by ‘Warehouse Rules’ in a throw back to the old Beyond days, we have a six-man tag match here that goes absolutely nuts in celebration of the 10th anniversary. All participants involved were fantastic here; you can tell a lot of love for Beyond went into the effort put forth here. Cockstrong, Kaye, and Corvis ended up with the win in the end but honestly there were no losers here. Much respect to Chase Burnett for showing up and showing out in this one; his spot off the top rope with Eric Corvis had me shouting out loud!


Match 4: Joey Janela vs. Matt Cross
Janela/Cross was another classic match for the 10th anniversary celebration that had just the right amount of high risk moments and close calls. As beloved as the Bad Boy is by the Electric Haze crowd, I think the audience was split dead center by mid-match as to who to root for. I really thought M-Dogg had this one won on more than a few occasions, but Janela came through with the victory and made sure to thank Cross afterward, letting everyone know how meaningful this awesome match was to him.


Match 5: Orange Cassidy vs. Jordynne Grace (IWTV Championship match)
If there were any misgivings that Orange Cassidy would be a fighting IWTV champion, I’m sure those doubts vanished by Episode 6. Freshly Squeezed defended his shiny new title this time against Jordynne Grace, revisiting the feud started in their ‘Mystery Partner’ tag team match from Episode 1. I’m happy with how Beyond allows OC lengthy matches to let the fun and games develop into serious business; this time factor is an element of his matches that I was hoping to see AEW pick up on and thankfully they did (a good example being Orange Cassidy vs. PAC earlier this year). Enjoyable title match between OC and Grace that ended with Freshly Squeezed retaining the title.


Match 6: Eric Ryan vs. Rickey Shane Page
I’m a GCW fan and by default that means I detest all things RSP. I can’t stand that cop caller. I do know, though, that without him we wouldn’t have the Beyond Wrestling that we know and love. For that, I didn’t wish a Nick Gage MDK beatdown on him for the final moments of this episode. Just for the moment, that’s all, because RSP and Eric Ryan went out of their damn minds for this deathmatch main event and I have to give credit where it’s due. Both these guys put themselves on the line for the purpose of putting the 10th anniversary show over the top, and they delivered. If you’re not the squeamish type, highlights here include Ryan injecting a syringe directly through RSP’s cheek, and then there’s the shopping cart spot that I’m sure Ryan’s been feeling every day since last year. RSP got the victory and in his post-match speech thanked Beyond and DC for having him along as a part of the decade-long ride.


Post-Show Thoughts
It’s nearly the midpoint of Season 1 and there hasn’t been a bad Uncharted Territory among the bunch yet. This particular episode, though, comes across as the climax of the season as it celebrates the 10th anniversary and marks a milestone (and perhaps a crossroads) for Beyond shows. Now that the stage was set for a weekly basis, not only would the promotion want to meet new demands of success but also expand itself further. As evidenced by the remaining half of Season 1, Beyond was ready for the challenge that weekly TV presents.
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