At last month’s Beyond Wrestling event “Fete Finale”, Beyond fans expected to enjoy a great night of wrestling, and celebrate new frontiers for Beyond Wrestling as they left the familiar grounds of Fete Music for new avenues in Somerville, MA, as well as the recently announced event at Aurora in Providence. We certainly were treated to an amazing night of wrestling, but the night took an ominous turn at the end, as the Beyond faithful witnessed the reunion of the United States Death Machine, as Sami Callihan joined forces with Chris Dickinson to decimate not only Kimber Lee, but also Donovan Dijak, who attempted to make the save.
This month, Beyond Wrestling returns to The Arts of the Armory in Somerville, MA on January 31st with “The Dream Left Behind”, a stacked show which sold out in just a matter of weeks. Kimber Lee has accepted the offer of former Team Pazuzu member Heidi Lovelace to take on the United States Death Machine, Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa return to Beyond to take on Da Hit Squad, Chris Hero meets Matt Tremont in the ultimate clash of styles, Zack Sabre Jr. makes his Beyond Wrestling debut, and much more.
Scroll through the card to see my previews and predictions for every announced match to this point for this awesome card:
*Grudge Match*
Matthew Riddle vs. Chuck O’Neil
After some disparaging remarks from Matthew Riddle towards his then-partners Chuck O’Neil and Eric Spicely at TFT4, Riddle enlisted the help of Drew Gulak last month to take on Spicely and O’Neil, and during that clash, the bad blood between Riddle and O’Neil only intensified. Riddle’s made no effort to endear himself to the Beyond audience, and most will be hoping to see “Cold Steel” quiet Riddle later this month.
A student of Biff Busick, O’Neil’s shown more each month, but Riddle’s already been testing himself against the likes of Jonathan Gresham, Drew Gulak and Chris Dickinson, and has found a way to come out on top every time. That slight experience edge should give Riddle a victory this month in Somerville.
My Pick: Matthew Riddle
*Submission Match*
AR Fox vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams
“Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams has frustrated AR Fox for months now in Beyond Wrestling, as Fox has found himself unable to gain a victory over the submission specialist. After another loss at Gratitude Era, many believe AR Fox might have allowed that frustration to get the best of him, as after demanding one more shot at Williams, Fox accepted Williams’ stipulation that they meet in a Submission match, a match that seems designed for “Hot Sauce”, especially since both of AR Fox’s previous losses to Williams came by submission.
That being said, any fans familiar with AR Fox’s body of work know better than to doubt “The Living Legend”, and with his back to the wall, I’m expecting to see the very best of AR Fox this month in Somerville, despite the odds being against him.
My Pick: AR Fox
Crusade For Change (Darius Carter, TJ Marconi & Anthony Gangone)
vs. Team Pazuzu (Angel Ortiz, Mike Draztik & Jaka)
When two groups run parallel in the same space for long, it’s only a matter of time before they finally meet. Both Crusade For Change and Team Pazuzu have run roughshod over Beyond Wrestling for some time, but it wasn’t until last month’s Fete Finale that the two groups finally squared off, due to a dispute over which faction reigned supreme in Beyond Wrestling. We saw a couple of months back, in my interview with Pazuzu member Pinkie Sanchez and his comments about the Crusade, that tension was building between both groups, and now they’ll have a chance to settle things at “The Dream Left Behind”.
One question, however, is how Team Pazuzu will react and focus with Chris Dickinson reuniting with Sami Callihan in his battles with Kimber Lee. Will their attention be split? Going into battle with Darius Carter, TJ Marconi, and Anthony Gangone, one cannot afford to be any less than 100% focused, and in this case,while Team Pazuzu seems to have their attention spread amongst multiple issues, the Crusade For Change seems ultra-focused.
My Pick: Crusade For Change
Shynron vs. Travis “Flip” Gordon
Sometimes, you just want to see guys do some crazy stuff. The Somerville crowd will get all of the craziness they can handle from when Shynron and Travis “Flip” Gordon take to the ring. Two fan favorites who have consistently impressed in Beyond Wrestling will square off this coming Sunday. This is a huge opportunity for Gordon, whose still a relative newcomer to Beyond, especially when compared to Shynron, whose frequently been placed in main events and “dream” matchups in Beyond Wrestling, and most recently took part in the finals of the Tag Team Tournament 4 Tomorrow last November.
A win against the “Spirit Dragon” would go a long way towards establishing Gordon as a major player moving forward in Beyond, but it’s a tough task to overcome. Coming back from injury, Shynron will be looking to regain his momentum, and should be expected to come out of the gates in 2016 in top form.
My Pick: Shynron
*Styles Clash*
Chris Hero vs. Matt Tremont
Drew Cordeiro has gone on record before talking how he likes to present matches that no other company would ever think of or consider, and he’s certainly achieved that goal with this one. Coming off a victory over his tag partner, JT Dunn, Chris Hero now ventures into the land of hardcore , taking on “The Bulldozer” Matt Tremont. While we haven’t seen Hero take to the extreme much during his time in Beyond Wrestling, we have seen a glimpse of the technical side of Matt Tremont, as he defeated Jonathan Gresham in November in another clash of styles.
While that showing of variety may lend Tremont an advantage, it’s difficult to go against the momentum Chris Hero is coming into Sunday’s event with after his victory at Fete Finale. Either way, this one’s going to be fun.
My Pick: Chris Hero
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Brian Fury
There may be no match I’m personally more excited to see this Sunday than Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Brian Fury, for the simple reason that it’ll be my first time seeing Sabre wrestle live. That said, Beyond Wrestling certainly didn’t toss Sabre a softball when they chose Brian Fury as his opponent, as Fury’s riding perhaps the highest wave of momentum of anyone in Beyond Wrestling. After shocking many with a win at Tournament For Tomorrow 4, he backed up that victory with another submission win over David Starr the following month at Fete Finale.
Fury is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career, and it will take the very best of Sabre Jr. to knock him off this month. That being said, Sabre has every tool it would take to accomplish exactly that, making this one a real exciting matchup.
My Pick: Brian Fury
*First Time Ever*
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Da Hit Squad
(Danny “Mafia” Maff & Steve “Monsta” Mack)
This match has “show stealer” written all over it, and that’s saying something on this card. Da Hit Squad has been a tear for months in Beyond Wrestling, winning TFT4 and then squaring off with Low Ki and Homicide at Fere Finale. Meanwhile, we’ve all seen Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa’s new endeavors in NXT, but both men also need to avenge losses in Beyond Wrestling. Gargano lost to David Starr at Americanrana last year, and just last month, Tommaso Ciampa fell victim to Donovan Dijak, despite everything Ciampa could throw at him, including a loaded knee pad.
No matter where Gargano and Ciampa call home, their pride will have them pulling out all the stops to find a victory in Somerville this Sunday, but Da Hit Squad seem unbeatable lately, and it’s hard to envision any two individuals, even two like Ciampa and Gargano, defeating a team like Da Hit Squad right now.
My Pick: Da Hit Squad
Steel Cage Match
JT Dunn vs. Joey Janela
While Chris Dickinson’s issue with Kimber Lee has been going on for much longer, and has plenty of personal animosity, the steel cage match with JT Dunn and Joey Janela may be the most personal encounter on the card. Because of that, it is also expected to be the most violent. Dunn and Janela will finally be able to fight, not wrestle, but fight in a setting where anything goes, and there will be no escape for either combatant, and both want nothing but to tear each other apart. This one’s not going to be for the faint of heart, as in choosing the stipulation, Dunn made no qualms about his desire to make Janela bleed.
In recent months, Dunn’s inability to control himself once Joey Janela surfaces has cost him dearly, and while one would think locking himself in a cage with Janela would solve that issue, I must say I’m a bit concerned that Dunn’s obsession may still be a detriment in this match, and the cagey Janela very well could find a way to capitalize on that obsession. One has to wonder what a loss to Janela in this match would do to JT…
My Pick: Joey Janela
*The Final Final Encounter*
United States Death Machine (Sami Callihan & Chris Dickinson) vs. Team LoveLee (Heidi Lovelace & Kimber Lee)
Just last month at Fete Finale, absolutely nobody inside Fete Music or following Beyond Wrestling would have predicted that this match would take place. Sami Callihan was making his Beyond debut, Heidi Lovelace was still considered a member of Team Pazuzu, and Chris Dickinson and Kimber Lee were having their “final” encounter. However, after the reunion of the United States Death Machine, Kimber was left without a partner to turn to for revenge against Dickinson and Callihan. That’s when Lovelace, the same person who turned on Kimber to join Team Pazuzu, stepped up to the plate to help battle the U.S. Death Machine.
Can Kimber Lee trust Heidi Lovelace? History would tell us no, but with Lovelace seemingly feeling used by Team Pazuzu, anything is certainly possible. If they’re united, Lovelace and Kimber Lee may finally be capable of redeeming Kimber Lee in her war with Chris Dickinson.
My Pick: Kimber Lee & Heidi Lovelace
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