By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Beyond Wrestling “Two Tribes Festival”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
August 10, 2024 in Worcester, Massachusetts at The Palladium
This show did not air live, and it was released this week. This venue is an old concert hall; you can see chandeliers and that all seating faces the stage. A second deck hangs overhead but not directly over the ring. Lighting is okay, and attendance is packed at maybe 200. No new faces on this show for me. Brother Greatness and Ryan Clancy are on commentary.
1. Aaaron Rourke defeated Anthony Greene at 16:21. “Evil Gay” Rourke is flamboyant and he’s a babyface here. Standing switches and Rourke hit a dropkick at 1:30. Greene hit some chops and took control, and he hit a backbreaker over his knee. The commentators talked about Greene’ s recent tours in Japan. Rourke hit a Lungblower move to the chin at 7:00 and he got the crowd fired up. He hit a 619, then a dive through the ropes. Greene hit a top-rope twisting crossbody block for a nearfall at 8:30. Rourke hit a Helluva Kick and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, and he tied Greene in an Octopus. Greene hooked the arms and hit a sideslam for a nearfall.
Greene went for his Unprettier faceplant but Rourke escaped. Rourke hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along his back for a nearfall at 12:00. They traded superkicks. Rourke hit a Code Red for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Rourke hit a spin kick to the head. Greene nailed a piledriver for a believable nearfall. He hit the second-rope Unprettier for a believable nearfall at 15:00; I thought that was it. Greene hit a superkick. Rourke hit a rolling cannonball into the corner. Rouke hit a Split-legged moonsault for the pin. That was a heckuva opener. They shook hands, but then Greene hit a low blow and a DDT and was booed!
2. Thomas Santell defeated “Handyman” Jake Gray at 5:35. Santell is the graying guy who looks like your eighth-grade math teacher and he comes to the ring to 1950s-era music, and he’s a trainer here. Gray is one of three Beyond students on this show, and he always has his toolbox. Santell hit some shoulder tackles early on, then a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall at 2:00. Jake hit some forearms. Santell hit a powerslam for a nearfall at 4:30. Jake hit a dropkick. Santell hit a clothesline and a fisherman’s brainbuster for the pin. Adequate.
3. “The System” Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, and Alisha Edwards defeated Channing Thomas, Teddy Goodz, and Little Mean Kathleen (w/Sidney Bakabella) at 9:00 even. Channing and Bakabella and Goodz have been at odds recently in sister promotion Wrestling Open, so we’ll see if that spills over to here. Sidney got on the mic and he ripped into the crowd. Okay this is weird because everyone in this one is a heel, but the fans treated The System as the babyfaces. The women opened, and Clancy talked about how the Bakabella family aren’t getting along. Alisha hit a senton for a nearfall. Channing tripped Alisha. Eddie battled Channing. Myers hit a jumping knee to Channing’s face at 2:00.
The System hit triple superkicks. Goodz stomped on Myers in the corner, and the heels worked Myers over in their corner. Clancy reiterated that Goodz is planning to retire in coming months but he’s in great ring shape. Eddie got the hot tag at 6:30 and he beat up The Family. He hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Goodz for a nearfall. Alisha shoved LMK’s face into Sidney’s butt, then Alisha hit a top-rope dive to the floor! Eddie hit his backpack stunner and Myers hit a top-rope missile dropkick, and Eddie made the cover for the pin.
* Bakabella got on the mic and berated Goodz. He ordered Channing and LMK to the back and he was booed.
4. Landon Hale defeated Julius Draeger at 6:25. Draeger is the trainee who has the exact same look as former WWE/NXT wrestler Simon Gotch. He hit some armdrags on Landon early on. Hale hit a (grazing) dropkkick that sent Draeger to the floor, and he hurt his leg upon landing. In the ring, Hale immediately dove at the damaged leg and worked it over. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 4:00. Draeger hit a shotgun dropkick and a back suplex and a sideslam for a nearfall. Hale hit a stunner, put Draeger in a Figure Four, and wound up getting a pin! The commentators didn’t see that coming and said it has been a while since they’ve seen that lead to a pin.
5. Davienne defeated Kylie Alexa at 6:46. Davienne is a bit taller and thicker; not fat but definitely some muscle mass. Kylie, the NWA star, comes out to an Avril Lavigne song. Davienne hit a legdrop across the chest for a nearfall. Kylie stomped on Davienne. She suplexed Davienne into the corner at 4:30. Davienne hit a back suplex for a nearfall. She applied a Boston Crab, and Alexa tapped out. Solid match.
6. Gal defeated Brett Mettro at 5:47. The third of the trainees, Mettro is bald today, wearing his green singlet, and he’s of average height and size. Gal once again has his bodybuilding medals around his neck. (If I had won a bodybuilding medal, I’d show it off, too!) Mettro hit a bodyslam and a clothesline early on. Gal hit a fallaway slam at 1:30. He hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Brett hit a shoulder tackle and a back suplex and a bulldog. Gal nailed a discus clothesline to score the pin.
* I just want to point out the three students each lost, but that’s totally fine. They are all learning and getting great exposure. Their matches were staggered in the show, not back-to-back-to-back.
7. Megan Bayne defeated Janai Kai at 7:31. This should be good. Again, Bayne is a full 5’11” and just towers over most of her female opponents. She grabbed Kai’s throat and rushed her backward against the ropes. She picked up Kai and shoved her into a corner and hit some strikes. Janai hit a series of kicks but only got a one-count at 2:00. She hit some stiff kicks to the spine. Kai applied a Stretch Plum sleeper but Bayne just shrugged free. Bayne hit a suplex at 3:30 and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. Bayne hit an Exploder Suplex and a fallaway slam for a nearfall. Kai moved to avoid a clothesline, but Megan hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 6:30. Jai hit a spin kick, but she missed a Helluva Kick. Bayne immediately hit a flying clothesline, then the Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. That was fun and all action.
* RJ Rude’s band played a few songs. Not a joke. However, he then said “this is the worst crowd I’ve ever performed in front of.” The Batiri attacked Rude and Lawless on the stage! We have an impromptu match! Denver Colorado and Brad Hollister got on commentary.
8. RJ Rude and Rex Lawless defeated “The Batiri” Obariyon and Kodama at 8:40. The Batiri are the short guys with black-and-yellow facepaint. Rude hit a flip dive off the stage onto the Batiri! They threw the Batiri into the ring to officially begin. Rex slammed one of them to the mat. RJ hit a senton at 3:00. Lawless beat up the smaller Batiri. One of the Batiri hit a backbody drop on Rude, then flipped Rude into the corner for a nearfall at 6:00. RJ hit a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. Rex hit a running boot. RJ hit a Lungblower to the back of a Batiri for the pin. Okay action.
9. Krule defeated TJ Crawford (w/Brick City) to retain the IWTV Heavyweight Title at 10:01. Krule of course is quite tall and he towers over TJ. TJ immediately hit some body blows and some spin kicks to the thighs and ribs, but Krule pretty much no-sold it all. Krule hit a release suplex. They went to the floor at 2:30 as it appeared TJ was trying to run from him. Brick City slammed Krule onto the floor! Krule got back into the ring, and Crawford hit some blows to the back and chops. TJ hit a stunner at 5:30 and a spin kick to the head. Denver said it has been a flawless strategy for TJ, and Hollister has been cheering on TJ.
TJ hit another stunner. He flew off the top rope but Krule grabbed him by the throat and hit a chokeslam over his knee. Krule hit both Julio Cruz and Victor Chase as they hopped on the apron, then a chokeslam on TJ. Krule hit a dive to the floor onto all three heels at 7:00, earning a “holy shit!” chant. Back in the ring, he chokeslammed TJ, but Julio pulled the ref from the ring! TJ hit a low blow uppercut and a standing powerbomb, then a frogsplash for a nearfall at 8:30. Brick City tried to interfere but Ryan Clancy stopped them. Krule hit his faceplant slam and pinned TJ. That was pretty good, but the winner was really never in doubt.
10. Donovan Dijak defeated Alec Price at 20:37. The bell rang, and Price rolled to the floor and stalled. Fans chanted “Northeast bitch!” at Price. In the ring, Dijak hit a shoulder tackle that flattened Price. Dijak tossed him across the ring. Price hit some quick kicks to the thighs. Dijak cradled Alec in his arms and tossed him aside at 4:00. He hit a backbreaker over his knee and a splash to the mat. Dijak missed a Helluva Kick in the corner, and Price immediately began stomping on the damaged knee. Alec hit a European Uppercut in the corner at 7:00, then a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and he kept kicking at the leg.
Alec tied him up in a modified Figure Four Leglock. Dijak got up and hit a series of overhand chops, then he hip-tossed Price across the ring at 10:00. Dijak hit a Death Valley Driver. Price hit a spinning back fist but he couldn’t hit a half-nelson suplex, so he instead hit a dropkick on the knee. Price hit a top-rope leg lariat for a nearfall, and they were both down at 12:00. Price hit a springboard spin kick, then his running knees in the corner. Dijak hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Price hit a twisting bulldog, planting Dijak in the mat. Price put Dijak on his shoulders and hit a snake-eyes on the top turnbuckle!
Price hit a top-rope doublestomp as Dijak was in the Tree of Woe and he got a nearfall at 15:00. Price missed a move, stood up, and was hit by a Tornado Boot to the face! Price avoided the Feast Your Eyes kneestrike, and Price hit the Surprise Kick step-up mule kick, and they were both down. Dijak limped to the floor and stood by the railing. Price did a springboard off the top rope and onto Dijak in the crowd at 17:30! Price then hit his tornado DDT for a believable nearfall in the ring! We got a “This is awesome!” chant. Price shouted at Dijak then unloaded some punches. However, Dijak grabbed him by the throat. Price kicked out the knee again. Price grabbed the ref and was booed! It allowed Dijak to come up behind Price, get Alec on his shoulders, and hit the Feast Your Eyes pop-up kneestrike for the pin. Fantastic.
* Dijak offered a handshake, but Price rejected it, turned and left. Dijak was just starting to be interviewed in the ring, but Alec returned and attacked Dijak! He hit the ref, too! The crowd loudly booed him.
Final Thoughts: It’s hard to find a better big man-little man match than that. Price kept ‘sticking-and-moving’ and doing his best to avoid the bigger man’s offense. This was a great reminder of how agile Dijak is and how much he can do in the ring. Price is an equally great babyface as a great heel, as we saw here. A really strong match worth checking out. I’ll take that really good Greene-Rourke match for second. Even though it was short, I’ll take Kai-Bayne for third, ahead of an honorable mention for Krule-Crawford.
The matches with the new wrestlers were fine. No upsets here; all the wrestlers you expected to win wound up winning.
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