Event Air Date: March 4, 2021
Event Venue: H20 Wrestling Center in Williamstown, NJ
Available on demand via IWTV.live
This week has been pretty stellar for Beyond Wrestling. Not only are we on the second episode of the highly praised Signature Series, but now we know that the promotion will finally be making its return to its home at the White Eagle in Worcester, MA! As announced prior to yesterday’s episode, Beyond will be back in its familiar territory on April 1st for Fool’s Paradise. Awesome news as we welcome Beyond back to regular programming; this current series serves a great lead-in to the April 1st show. Episode 2 is one to watch, especially for the Greatest Rivals Round Robin main event. Yuta and Makowski went nuts and it was a classic!
On Commentary: Paul Crockett and Sidney Bakabella
The most dangerous duo in Beyond are back on commentary this week, and hopefully others who call the action for wrestling matches are paying attention. When Crockett/Bakabella are at the table you don’t feel like there’s a wasted moment in the match. Very often it’s fun to have the offbeat color comments thrown in, but kudos to Bakabella for being that guy who knows how to keep attention on the match while firing off his one-liners and not making commentary a distraction. You know when the action’s being called well when you feel like you’re in sync with what’s being said from bell to bell.
Match 1: Aaron Rourke vs. Delmi Exo
Aaron Rourke has not lost one step since I first saw him in Beyond two years ago. This opening match featuring him against Delmi Exo had that same vibe that both competitors brought to the second season of Uncharted Territory and I was thankful they brought that energy to the ring after so much time away from the promotion. It’s good to see the show starting out with these singles matches like Rourke/Exo and Adora/Deppen from last week as well; for new Beyond viewers who have heard about but not yet seen any of the so-called ‘intergender’ matches, these are a fine way to reel in fresh eyes and acclimate them to the idea that wrestling bouts hold no boundaries when it comes to competitors. Exo brought the fire, but the Dime Piece came to make a statement. Rourke came through with an impressive victory here, a nice shoutout to his hot streak back in Uncharted Territory season 2.
Opening match is something else, yall get in on this!@DelmiExo @PerfectAaron1 #SignatureSeries #BeyondIsBack pic.twitter.com/qanL2106hX
— 🎬Tiffany Takes Tampa, Take 2☀️ (@ThatRoseTattoo) March 5, 2021
Match 2: Ephemera (Sir Jaxson and Edith Surreal) vs. Shook Crew (Bobby Orlando and Bryce Donovan) - Tournament For Tomorrow match
Behold Ephemera! The Nouveau Aesthetic has been redesigned into something fantastic. Once known as Blank and Still Life with Apricots and Pears, Ephemera made their debut on episode 2 as Sir Jaxson and Edith Surreal. The change works wonders for the duo, because they shined their brightest here. Not to say that the Shook Crew isn’t on top of their game either, because both Bobby and Bryce are in the best shape I’ve seen them yet. This Tournament For Tomorrow match gave last week’s first qualifier a real run for its money; the Shook Crew were cocky and confident and backed it up with damn good teamwork. Was it enough to overcome the revamped Ephemera? Not on this occasion; the redesign proved to be too much for Bryce and Bobby to move past in the tournament. Ephemera got the win and the advance in a tournament that’s already heated up nicely.
DON'T USE BOBBY JR AS YOUR SHIELD@TheBobbyOrlando @BryceDShook @apricotspears @TheArtistBlank #SignatureSeries #BeyondIsBack pic.twitter.com/PoQUlp907k
— 🎬Tiffany Takes Tampa, Take 2☀️ (@ThatRoseTattoo) March 5, 2021
Main Event: Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Makowski - Greatest Rivals Round Robin match
Praise to Beyond for bringing newer viewers up to speed with the rivalries with exceptionally narrated video preview packages prior to the weekly round robin match. Do yourself a solid favor and watch Yuta/Makowski! This one’s a representative of all I consider wonderful about Beyond Wrestling - excellent wrestling with moments that make you shout out loud. Yuta and Makowski both put in exceptional work here with very little time for a breather. In addition to last month’s Iron Match, I’d put this one right up there with it as the best Beyond match of 2021 thus far. I came into this match not able to predict a winner and right up until the finish I still felt that the balance of the action could have tipped in either Yuta or Makowski’s favor. That’s how good this one was; it wasn’t until the end that I was able to catch my breath and blink once and realize that Makowski got the win. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Holy shit he hit that rear naked choke like an alien facehugger from behind lmao@WheelerYuta @TheMattMakowski #SignatureSeries #BeyondIsBack pic.twitter.com/bUIAWlD3mc
— 🎬Tiffany Takes Tampa, Take 2☀️ (@ThatRoseTattoo) March 5, 2021
Post-Show Thoughts
It really does feel like Beyond has picked up the pace once again after a year of total uncertainty. As much as I enjoy the communal vibe of having wrestlers cheer each other on (and boo each other, hah!) during each match, I can’t ignore the missing element of the fans that help make Beyond what it is. This is why I think Fool’s Paradise is going to be an outstanding lead in to Mania week; these episodes of the Signature Series have a bigger feel to them now that we know these matches are all leading into greater Beyond events later this spring.