Beyond Wrestling presents Signature Series Episode 1
Event Air Date: February 25, 2021
Event Venue: H20 Wrestling Center in Williamstown, NJ
Available on demand via IWTV.live
Beyond is back! It’s about time Thursday nights felt right again. We’re not back at the White Eagle in Worcester just yet, but we damn sure have a Beyond Wrestling show to watch now that’s very much worth your time. Denver Colorado (the man, not the location) has a boatload of bangers on the horizon that he calls the Signature Series. In this we have both the 2021 Tournament For Tomorrow as well as a lineup of ‘Greatest Rivals’ round robin matches; looking at the names appearing on future episodes has me very intrigued as to what we’ll be seeing in the weeks ahead.
On Commentary: Paul Crockett and Sidney Bakabella
You never realize how much you’ve missed something until you’re near its presence once more. This is exactly how I feel about hearing Crockett and Bakabella on commentary again. These two haven’t missed a beat either; the dynamic is still the same and Sidney is still as much of a jerk as he was when we last saw him. It’s good to know some things don’t change.
Match 1: Jordan Oliver vs. Trish Adora
Excellent opener to the Signature Series! There’s no better way to show that Beyond is back than to have a quality match to start things off. Trish Adora is making her name known in the Beyond ring as she’s still enjoying her huge Iron Match victory over Tony Deppen on Valentine’s Day. Now she’s back to go one on one with Jordan Oliver, who made history in his Iron Match against Deppen last month. Great start to the show with Trish getting the win over Oliver after delivering a solid Lariat Tubman to get the pinfall. Is it safe to say that Trish Adora has ‘arrived’ in Beyond? I’d say so.
She got it locked in!@TheJordanOliver @TrishAdora202 #SignatureSeries #BeyondIsBack pic.twitter.com/DR1IyvWCZf
— 🎬Tiffany Takes Tampa, Take 2☀️ (@ThatRoseTattoo) February 26, 2021
Match 2: 40 Acres (Tre Lamar and PB Smooth) vs. The Rep (Dave McCall and Nate Carter) - Tournament For Tomorrow match
The first match in this year’s Tournament For Tomorrow is going to be hard to follow. The Rep is absolutely legit as a tag team, and 40 Acres looks damn good as the opponents who are on the same level as Carter and McCall. This tag match was strong from start to finish; PB Smooth and Tre Lamar work amazingly well as a team. I’m doubly impressed by this having seen them both excel in singles competition, too. Be sure to watch this one for some memorable moments; Dave and Nate are freakishly strong and left me with little doubt that they can go toe to toe with anyone of any size or caliber, including someone as huge as PB Smooth and someone as fast as Tre. It would take a little more than strength, however, to progress in the Tournament For Tomorrow. 40 Acres got the win in the end, advancing further in the TFT and leaving a strong impression with this match.
Only the first match in Tournament for Tomorrow and it BANGS@TreLaMar_ @PrettyBoySmooth @TheRepNate @TheRepDMC #BeyondIsBack pic.twitter.com/zctr9OwuE5
— 🎬Tiffany Takes Tampa, Take 2☀️ (@ThatRoseTattoo) February 26, 2021
Main Event: Chris Dickinson vs. Tony Deppen - Greatest Rivals Round Robin match
I really like the premise behind these round robin matches; the big rivalries of Beyond Wrestling being made into a series of something fantastic. Dickinson vs. Deppen was a fine way to start off the ‘Greatest Rivals’, too - this was a classic grapplefuck match with the Dirty Daddy dominating a large part of it all. Deppen, now a daddy himself, surely can’t be risking it all like he used to in these matches against guys like Dickinson, right? Nope, he’s going just as hard as he ever has and taking an ass-beating with the best of them. The defense Deppen gets in when he can is memorable, his double stomp always looks sickening. Dickinson is king in the Beyond ring, though, and in the end he gets the submission win over Deppen to end the show. This is that good shit!
Brainbustaaaaaahhhh!@DirtyDickinson @Tony_Deppen #SignatureSeries #BeyondIsBack pic.twitter.com/ZOspeC8NO2
— 🎬Tiffany Takes Tampa, Take 2☀️ (@ThatRoseTattoo) February 26, 2021
Post-Show Thoughts
Wow, I’ve missed this. I really like this fast-paced hour format of the Signature Series; these matches pack a lot of action that doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re missing out on something after it’s over. One thing about Uncharted Territory is that it felt like a show produced by one of the big two (and I’m not saying that because half of the talent from either season is on either NXT or Dynamite now) because each week had ‘major show’ energy. It was great, but it was also exhausting at times when the show got extra wild...which happened often. Having the Signature Series shows clock in at an hour, much like New South’s Action Clash, is a good way to keep people watching weekly without feeling viewer fatigue in a new landscape where wrestling shows big and small are coming back everywhere.