By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Beyond Wrestling “Never Say Never”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
August 31, 2024 in Providence, Rhode Island at Fete Music Hall
The venue is a music hall. Eight matches were announced in advance. Paul Crockett and Brother Greatness provided commentary. This is a standing room crowd of maybe 200-250 and that seems like a disappointment, because they drew better Thursday in Worcester. The hard camera is in the second level and I don’t like this awkward view down into the ring.
1. Mads “Krule” Krugger vs. Marcus Mathers for the IWTV Heavyweight Title. Krugger has been champion for 712 days. Mads pie-faced him at the bell. Mads hit a pumphandle suplex and a chokeslam and completely dominated him early. Marcus hit a basement dropkick to the knee at 3:00. Marcus hit a second-rope fadeaway stunner. He hit some stunners and another stunner, then a top-rope 450 Splash for a nearfall at 5:30. Krule hit a backbreaker over his knee. He hit the faceplant for the clean pin. That was surprisingly short. Brother Greatness wondered if that was Mathers’ last opportunity.
Mads “Krule” Kruegger defeated Marcus Mathers to retain the IWTV Title at 6:35.
2. Brett Ryan Gosselin vs. Aaron Rourke. BRG was in MLW on Thursday. Basic standing switches and some gay humor early. Rourke hit an Exploder Suplex at 1:30 and some chops. BRG hit a bulldog for a nearfall. Rourke hit a doublestomp in the corner. He nailed an Eat D’Feat at 6:00. Aaron hit a running buttbump in the corner for a nearfall. BRG hit a Flatliner for a nearfall. Aaron hit a shotgun dropkick and an Angel’s Wings faceplant for the pin. Decent match.
Aaron Rourke defeated Brett Ryan Gosselin at 9:06.
3. Ryan Clancy vs. Matt Makowski. Matt is the guy who faced Charlie Dempsey in Bloodsport over Wrestlemania weekend, and he’s the shoot fighter. They immediately traded quick reversals on the mat. Matt tossed him to the floor. In the ring, Matt was in charge. He hit a kneedrop on the right elbow and tied it up. He snapped it backward at 3:30. Clancy hit a plancha to the floor. In the ring, he bodyslammed Makowski and hit a flipping senton for a nearfall at 7:00. Clancy hit the Russian Legsweep for a nearfall. Matt avoided the picture-perfect dropkick, and he hit a series of quick kicks, then the running knee for a believable nearfall.
Matt hit a standing powerbomb and another running knee for a believable nearfall at 9:30. He locked in a cross-armbreaker, but Ryan got a foot on the bottom rope. Clancy hit a second-rope bodyslam and a missile dropkick. Ryan nailed his Picture Perfect Dropkick for the pin! That was really good, and a rare loss for Makowski.
Ryan Clancy defeated Matt Makowski at 11:47.
4. TJ Crawford vs. Robbie Eagles. Australian star Eagles was in the NJPW show on Friday and he’s having quite a summer U.S. tour. Standing switches and a feeling-out process. “In many ways, this is like looking in a mirror,” Crockett said. Eagles hit a huracanrana at 3:00. He went for a dive but TJ cut him off, and TJ hit a stunner in the ropes. He kept Robbie grounded in the ring. Eagles hit a Mafia Kick; TJ hit a basement dropkick and got a nearfall at 7:00. TJ applied a Trailer Hitch-style leg lock, but Eagles reached the ropes.
TJ hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest and he applied an abdominal stretch. Eagles hit some Yes Kicks to the chest. Eagles hit a Meteora running double knees for a nearfall at 10:00. Eagles missed a top-rope 450 Splash, but he hit a series of kicks to TJ’s head, then a Sliced Bread for a nearfall. Eagles locked in the Ron Miller Special, but TJ quickly got to the ropes at 11:30. Eagles nailed another roundhouse kick. TJ hit an inverted DDT and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes and chops while on their knees, then while standing.
Crawford hit a stunner at 14:30. He hit a Dragon Suplex and a flipping powerbomb for a nearfall, and TJ was in disbelief he didn’t win there. Eagles reapplied the Ron Miller Special leg lock, but TJ reached the ropes. TJ set up for a Styles Clash but he turned it into a powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Eagles hit a top-rope 450 Splash onto the knee, and he re-applied the Ron Miller Special. He yanked TJ back to the middle of the ring, and Crawford tapped out. That was every bit as good as I hoped it would be.
Robbie Eagles defeated TJ Crawford at 18:57.
* Brad Hollister and Love, Doug attacked Robbie Eagles. This brought out Dezmond Cole and Jermaine Marbury for the next match.
5. Jermaine Marbury (w/Benny the Basketball) and Dezmond Cole vs. Love, Doug and Brad Hollister. Hollister carried his Wrestling Open title. Doug and Cole opened and Cole hit a deep armdrag. Brad and Jermaine fought; they have become regular opponents. The heels kept Marbury grounded, and the crowd chanted “Defense!” Cole got a hot tag at 6:30 and he hit some flying forearms. He suplexed Doug and hit his rolling guillotine leg drop. Cole hit a huracanrana on Brad. The heels hit a Team 3D on Dezmond for a nearfall.
Marbury hit his Euro-step dropkick. Doug nailed a clothesline on Cole. Marbury hit a running dropkick. Hollister hit a German Suplex on Marbury. Cole hit a flip dive to the floor on Doug. Hollister hit a superplex on Cole, but Marbury hit a Mamba Splash on Hollister for a nearfall, and everyone was down at 9:30. Doug hit a second-rope Sliced Bread on Marbury, and Hollister made the cover for a nearfall. Benny stopped Doug from throwing rose petals. Hollister hit the Tornado Jackhammer to pin Marbury. The last few minutes were great.
Love, Doug and Brad Hollister defeated Dezmond Cole and Jermaine Marbury at 11:57.
6. Channing Thomas (w/Sidney Bakabella, DJ Powers) vs. Teddy Goodz. Goodz is about to retire; he just lost a match Thursday that ended his career in Wrestling Open. The bell rang; Sidney slapped Goodz in the ring and the heels started to leave. The ref called for a DQ! Promoter Drew Cordeiro restarted the match with no disqualifications. (I restarted my stopwatch as there hadn’t been any action yet.) Sidney threw powder but it hit DJ Powers. Powers was blinded so he hit Bakabella! Goodz clotheslined Powers to the floor, and it’s now just Channing vs. Goodz.
Channing hit a snap suplex at 2:30. Goodz hit a suplex. Goodz hit a dropkick onto a chair in Channing’s arms, then he dove through the ropes onto Channing on the floor at 5:00. Channing hit a second-rope flying leg lariat for a nearfall in the ring. Goodz hit a flying forearm and a decapitating clothesline at 7:00. Goodz nailed a Backpack Stunner for a nearfall, but Bakabella pulled the ref to the floor. The ref knocked Sidney down! DJ Powers jumped in the ring to help beat up Goodz.
Sidney handed Channing brass knuckles; Channing stuck Goodz with them and got a believable nearfall at 9:30. Little Mean Kathleen hopped in the ring! She wants to hit Goodz! Instead, she hit Sidney in the gut with the chair and she hit a bulldog on him!! “I think we just witnessed a divorce!” Crockett shouted. Goodz hit a spear in the corner on Channing, then the Backpack stunner for the pin. That was fun. The crowd chanted “Thank you Teddy!”
* Teddy got on the mic and thanked the fans. He talked about his favorite matches over the years. He noted he’s now 42. He put over Channing Thomas and said he could be on TV soon. LMK spoke on the mic and shouted, “I want a divorce!”
Teddy Goodz (w/Little Mean Kathleen) defeated Channing Thomas (w/Sidney Bakabella and DJ Powers) in a no-DQ match at 10:52.
Intermission
7. Gal and “Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. “The Church of Greatness” Ichiban, Tyree Taylor, and Sammy Diaz (w/Brother Greatness). This is a bonus match. Gal got on the mic and told the crowd to shut up and listen. They posed and were booed. This brought out the babyfaces. Tyree and Ichiban carried their Wrestling Open Tag Team titles. Ichiban and Smokes opened, with Ichiban hitting a deep armdrag. Sammy entered and chopped Baylor, then hit a slingshot senton. Tyree slammed teammate Sammy onto Baylor at 2:00.
Gal got the big Tyree on his shoulders and that popped the crowd. The heels began working over Ichiban. Gal and Baylor hit a team suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Smokes hit a dropkick on Ichiban for a nearfall. Tyree got a hot tag at 6:30 and he hit shoulder tackles on all the heels. He hit a spear into the corner onto all three, and a Stinger Splash on Baylor, then an enzuigiri. Sammy dove through the ropes, but Gal caught him. In the ring, Tyree hit a uranage on Baylor, but he missed a moonsault.
Smokes hit a doublestomp to Tyree’s chest. Ichiban hit a top-rope flying legdrop. Baylor hit a shotgun dropkick at 8:30. Sammy hit a superkick. Smokes yanked Sammy to the floor! Everyone began fighting on the floor. Sammy leapt off the stage and hit a flip dive onto everyone at 10:00! In the ring, Sammy hit a running knee on Gal. Someone snapped Sammy’s throat across the top rope. Gal immediately rolled up Diaz with a handful of tights for the cheap pin. That was a non-stop sprint among six of the Northeast’s best.
Gal and “Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes defeated “The Church of Greatness” Ichiban, Tyree Taylor, and Sammy Diaz at 10:33.
8. Gabby Forza vs. Davienne. Gabby has the raw power advantage. They shook hands and had an intense lockup. Gabby knocked her down with a shoulder tackle, then she hit a bodyslam. Gabby hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall, then a fallaway slam at 1:30. Davienne hit an Electric Chair fallaway slam for a nearfall. Gabby hit some chops. Davienne began kicking at Gabby’s left leg and kept her grounded. Davienne hit a guillotine leg drop for a nearfall at 4:00, then some running Stinger Splashes, then a bodyslam.
Gabby hit a crossbody block. She hit a running Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 6:30. Davienne hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall. They traded rollups on the mat. Davienne applied a deep Boston Crab and sat down on Gabby’s lower back at 8:00. Gabby powered out. Gabby immediately hit a spear and they were both down. Allie Katch jumped in the ring and attacked Gabby! The ref waited a second but then called for the bell. Allie hit a piledriver on Gina the female referee! (I knew Allie wasn’t booked for GCW so I wondered if she was here.) Good action until the cheap finish.
Gabby Forza vs. Davienne went to a no contest at 8:41.
9. “The Batiri” Kodama and Obariyon vs. “Catchpoint” Tracy Williams and Drew Gulak. This is a bonus match; I thought we were headed to the main event! Again, the Batiri are short and wear black-and-yellow face paint, and I’ve never been able to tell them apart. Both of Catchpoint are now basically bald with short beards. Gulak opened and they traded slaps. Williams entered and they began working over one of the Batiri in their corner. Gulak hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 7:00, and he stretched his opponent.
A Batiri hit a powerslam on Gulak at 9:00. Tracy got the hot tag but the Batiri member hit some clotheslines and a spinebuster on Tracy for a nearfall. The Batiri hit some team offense on Tracy for a nearfall, but Gulak made the save. (I want to point out that Crockett and BG aren’t naming the Batiri individually, so it’s not just me!) One of the Batiri hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on Gulak at 12:30. In the ring, they hit a flying DDT on Tracy for a believable nearfall. A Batiri hit a spear on Gulak. Drew applied a Dragon Sleeper, while Tracy applied a Crippler Crossface, but the Batiri escaped. Gulak tossed one to Williams, who hit a sit-out powerbomb. Gulak then hit a piledriver move for the pin. Solid.
* Gulak got on the mic and said he wanted to talk about hypocrisy in pro wrestling. He was angry that the crowd turned on him the last time he was here when he faced Kimber Lee. He said people have accused him of being a bully. He said the fans are the bullies. He and Tracy then beat up the Batiri some more and were loudly booed.
Tracy Williams and Drew Gulak defeated “The Batiri” Kodama and Obariyon at 15:26.
10. Donovan Dijak vs. Anthony Greene. These two would have been in NXT at roughly the same time but it doesn’t appear they’ve fought each other before; Cagematch.net shows they were teammates in an eight-man tag in 2017. Dijak is coming off his surprise debut in MLW on Thursday. An intense lockup to open and Dijak’s size advantage is really pronounced. Dijak applied a headlock and kept Greene grounded early on. He threw Greene into the corner and hit some back elbows, then he hit a backbreaker over his knee at 4:00. He flipped Greene over the top rope, with Greene crashing on the cement floor.
Dijak hit a flip dive to the floor at 6:00, landing on his feet. Greene dove through the ropes but Dijak caught him. However, Greene shoved Dijak into the ring post. Dijak stood up and he was bleeding from the forehead. In the ring, Greene was in charge and he kept Dijak grounded. He hit some chops and Dijak was quickly bloody. Greene wiped blood on his own chest. He stomped on Dijak and kept him grounded. They began trading forearm strikes. Dijak hit a leaping clothesline at 10:30.
Dijak hit some LOUD overhand chops, and he hit a release suplex, tossing Greene across the ring. He hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall, then a springboard elbow drop for a nearfall at 12:00. They fought in the corner; Greene dropped underneath and hit a powerbomb, then a swinging back suplex for a nearfall, then a top-rope crossbody block. However, Dijak nailed a rolling Death Valley Driver into the corner at 14:00. Dijak nailed a chokeslam for a nearfall. Greene got a rollup out of the corner, then a running neckbreaker. Greene hit a back suplex onto the ring apron, then a springboard moonsault for a nearfall at 17:00.
Greene hit a superkick, then another. Dijak hit his twisting Mafia Kick for a nearfall. Dijak set up for a moonsault but Greene rolled away. Dijak still hit the moonsault for a nearfall! He really crossed the ring on that. Dijak went for a springboard move, but Greene caught him and hit a stunner for a believable nearfall at 20:00 and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Dijak went for Feast Your Eyes, but Greene avoided it, and Greene hit a high back suplex for a nearfall. They again fought on the ropes, and Dijak hit a top-rope chokeslam to the mat for a believable nearfall at 23:00. Greene shoved Dijak into the corner, and the ref got bumped. Greene hit a low blow, then his second-rope Unprettier for a believable nearfall.
Greene got on the mic and said everyone knows he is better than Dijak. “I got signed by the WWE younger than you, went to Japan before you, championships before you!” He told Dijak to tell the world that AG is better than he is. Dijak refused to say it. Greene hit a Buzzsaw kick. Dijak hit a kick. Greene hit a snap suplex into the corner, then a piledriver, but he couldn’t hit the Unprettier! Dijak blocked it, got Greene up onto his shoulders, hit the Feast Your Eyes pop-up kneestrike, and scored the pin. That was really good. He helped Greene to his feet and the crowd chanted “Both these guys!” Dijak put him over. Greene was about to hit Dijak from behind, but Aaron Rourke made the save.
Donovan Dijak defeated Anthony Greene at 26:25.
* Backstage, Marcus Mathers was upset at himself. Ryan Clancy tried to console him. Mathers said he just needed to go home. Krule came up behind him and threw a fireball in Mathers’ eyes, then the show went off the air.
Final Thoughts: A really strong show with the best-of-the-best of the Northeast indy scene. I was prepared to give Eagles-Crawford best match, but Dijak-Greene went all out and topped them to take the top spot. Two really good matches to top this show. The Ichiban six-man tag was a fun, non-stop sprint and takes third. Clancy-Makowski was really good for honorable mention. While I didn’t like how short and one-sided Mathers-Krule was, it’s clear they have another chapter planned. Lots to like here, and this show is highly recommended.
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