Images: Voodoo Camera Guy
By Josh Nason, Limitless Podcast co-host
With our tired eyes toward a big CarverVerse spring with two Limitless Wrestling events and one Let’s Wrestle show over the next 50+ days, I wanted to take a final look back at last month’s sold out Limitless Reasonable Doubt — regarded by some as one of the best shows in company history with two new champions crowned and future champions emerging.
Be sure to check out our recap podcast (available anywhere you get your pods) that will go up this week with all the inside stuff you won’t get here.
Those watching on IWTV will notice snow falling outside, further proof that the Limitless CGI budget is increasing every month. However, we cannot confirm that Troy Nelson’s mic issues and Johnny Torres’ voice nearly going out were a rib.
The night was dedicated to the memory of Jess Ellsmore who we talked about on the podcast and who meant so much to the Limitless faithful but to many New England indies as well. Over $1000 was raised for her family as a result of the raffle in addition to over nearly $8000 in a GoFundMe.
MSP defeated Fresh Air
This was a surprise match that kicked off the show with the debuting Fresh Air (Junior Benito & Macrae Martin) trying to prove their mettle against Maine’s greatest tag team. The newcomers wasted no time showing off their athleticism and hops, punctuated by Benito landing a unreal running dive over the corner post on Aiden Aggro and DangerKid that made the sold-out crowd take notice.
MSP had to tighten up their working boots as Fresh Air was game for whatever was thrown at them with Martin kicking out of a Vibe Changer for a near fall only to hit a second rope springboard enziguri on Aggro for his own near fall. Benito later followed with a high frog splash for another near fall.
The end came when DangerKid catapulted Aggro into Benito by using his feet which then set Benito up for the Drip Drop to give MSP the hard-fought win and what we hope is a return visit or 100 for Fresh Air.
Afterward, DangerKid and Aggro paid tribute to Benito and Martin and the late Jess Ellsmore. Hopefully, this whole match and promo will find its way to YouTube. I’ll put in a word with the mustachioed one.
Ichiban defeated Joseph Alexander
This was Alexander’s Limitless debut after appearing in both Let’s Wrestle and the Mojo in the Dojo series. To me, he’s out of the Kurt Angle/Jason Jordan/Chad Gable/Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport mold as he looks for a body part and just attacks. In this case, he took advantage of Ichiban injuring his knee on a big dive and methodically went to work.
The high flyer valiantly tried to fight through the injury, getting Alexander in trouble with a nice offensive rally late. “A Game” looked to have this done after a German suplex nearfall and a setup for a Tiger Driver, but Ichiban rallied — only to get turned inside out after a big lariat.
Ichiban wouldn’t die, hitting a Canadian Destroyer that sent Alexander outside the ring. Alexander roared back, nearly getting the submission win to an ankle lock on Ichiban’s bad wheel. But, Ichiban went for broke, rolled through the submission attempt as a counter and held onto Alexander’s legs for the shocking pin and his first victory in Limitless.
B3CCA defeated Rachael Ellering
This was another first-time matchup with B3CCA looking for her fifth straight victory as her ascent up the ranks of the indies continues. Conversely, Ellering didn’t make her return to Limitless for the first time since 2018 to be a stepping stone.
Ellering left a literal impression on B3CAA with heavy chops as they battled outside the ring. “The International Pop Star” hung in and fought back with her own chops and a chair-assisted hurricanrana that did damage to Ellering.
B3CCA failed to finish Ellering off with any of her top rope-based offense and got caught off a second rope springboard with a big Ellering black hole slam for a near fall. Later, Ellering still couldn’t get a pin after a Falcon Arrow that had her feeling like many of B3CCA’s opponents: frustrated.
B3CCA eventually picked up the win after a tope suicida outside the ring followed by a 450 splash back inside. After the match, B3CCA called her shot for this summer’s Vacationland Cup. Will she get it?
Dezmond Cole defeated 2 Cold Scorpio
This was one of the night’s most anticipated matches with a fixture of the past meeting what hopes to be a fixture of the future. This was Scorpio’s first match in Maine since 1997 when he was Flash Funk in WWE while Cole was looking to rebound from his loss to Alec Price in January.
This was evenly matched for the first few minutes as they felt each other out….that is, until Scorpio hit a reverse heel kick and a somersault legdrop to ground Cole. The veteran used his expertise and size advantage to keep it that way. “Da Big Boofa” saw an opening and swung things back in his direction, hitting a big Terminator dive over the top followed by a missile dropkick back in the ring that got a close near fall.
Both guys were mirror images down the stretch, trading kick and elbow exchanges in the middle of the ring. Scorpio was a master at suckering Cole in just when Boofa thought he finally had him. With Scorpio on the top rope, Cole countered with a hurricanrana, capo kick and his own swanton. But that, and a Shining Wizard afterward, couldn’t get him the win.
A Scorpio capo kick and senton leg drop couldn’t get him the win either. Neither could a moonsault. Then, as he was setting up for his finisher, Cole reversed a power bomb attempt with a roll-up to get the surprise win and get back on track in Limitless.
Afterward, the two shook hands and embraced. Scorpio even took the mic to give Cole props, saying the six-year veteran gave the 36-year veteran a run for his money and can “steal his sh*t” if he wants. The two then danced to “Jungle Boogie” to end a memorable match and segment.
But that’s not all.
BRG defeated Mac Daniels to win the Let’s Wrestle Championship
The backstory here was known by anyone that follows Limitless. Dating back for more than a year through the formation and breakup of Prestigious. BRG earned the shot by winning a no. 1 contender’s battle royal in January while dressed as Humerus — a, well, funny way to get around a clause preventing him from title opportunities as long as Daniels was champion.
Daniels won the title over a year ago and didn’t exactly endear himself to anyone with his lack of title defenses and overall attitude. As Randy Carver Jr. has reportedly said before, “Good looking guys like myself aren’t supposed to get grey hairs this early in life.”
This was heated from the get-go with both guys shoving each other and Daniels jumping BRG — all before the bell rang. BRG was sporting a new hairdo and new ink heading into this — a show of confidence ahead of what he hoped were championship pictures, perhaps.
Daniels controlled the action early, but BRG dug deep and rallied, hitting a big tope suicida followed by a brawl outside the ring that saw a giant welt appear on Daniels' back. A superplex back into the ring only got two which BRG bristled at, followed by both men laid out in exhaustion due to the fast pace.
Daniels got frustrated after not finishing BRG off with his Magnificent Slam and grabbed his title belt. As he and referee Eric Greenleaf battled over the strap, Daniels pulled Maine’s favorite referee into BRG’s superkick line of fire. BRG hit another superkick but with Greenleaf out cold and dreaming of Dysart’s, Daniels was bailed out.
Daniels hit a low blow and then, out of nowhere, Jon Alba made his surprise return and grabbed the title belt. The two had a staredown as Alba suddenly was conflicted whether to give it to Daniels or not. Daniels then turned around into another superkick and the Unprettier on the belt for the BRG pin and title change as Alba stood by stunned on the outside of the ring.
Alba got back in the ring with the belt and presented it to BRG with an emotional embrace afterward as members of locker room even spilled out to honor the new champion.
ATR defeated ARTE
This was Above The Rest’s first return trip to Limitless since their win over the WorkHorsemen late last year, while this version of ARTE hasn’t been seen since last summer. However, there were plenty of questions regarding Aaron Rourke & Ricky Smokes’ relationship with AVA after their last appearance — adding further intrigue.
This was everything you would expect from two young, hungry teams who work a fast-paced style. In a big spot that laid out all four men, Gabriel Skye superplexed Rourke inside the ring onto Tristen Thai and Smokes. That eventually led to Skye getting the hot tag to become the legal man. He ran wild on Rourke, nearly getting the win after a sequence closed by a Falcon Arrow. Rourke would rally as after a Blue Thunder Bomb on Skye, he and Smokes worked toward a Doomsday Meteora that got a near fall.
The end came when Rourke got tossed into a knee from Thai on the ring apron, followed by Rourke getting monkey flipped into a running knee from Skye in the ring for the pin and win.
Afterward, Sam Leterna got a word with ATR in the ring who said they were the best team around which piqued the interest of MSP (who happened to be hanging out in the venue instead of being back in the locker room). Aggro and DangerKid didn’t take too kindly to ATR’s callout and sentiment. Thai shouted out Jess Ellsmore and how much she would like seeing these four in the ring together and a match was eventually made for Saturday, May 20th when Limitless returns to Yarmouth.
- Leterna caught up with Rourke and Smokes afterward who were surprisingly happy with their performance, felt they proved they could hang with anyone, and called out anyone in the Limitless locker room. Whether it’s two or three of them, it’s “ARTE vs. everyone.” Their confidence level continues to grow, but what about AVA?
Anthony Henry defeated Andy Brown
Brown didn’t like the feel of Henry’s kicks early, retreating into the ropes to get a respite. He eventually got the action to the outside, hitting a DDT on the floor off a feint Henry bit on, later tossing Henry near the broadcast table in order to get a countout win. Narrator voice: it didn’t work.
Henry eventually got momentum in his favor, hitting a running PK on the apron, and wisely reversing a second Brown cartwheel/feint/DDT attempt into a Northern Lights suplex of sorts.
Action heated up with both men turning up the violence, mirroring each other in one sequence that included kicks, clothesline attempts and slaps. Both emptied out the tanks with Brown getting frustrated that Henry didn’t go down in defeat after the Finish Him punch.
Henry countered a second attempt with a brainbuster and the double foot stomp off the top, but Brown somehow kicked out at one and sprung to life. Henry kicked him again and Brown woke up again. After a vicious kick, Henry got the tapout win after a ground and pound flurry that Brown submitted to.
After the match, Henry talked about how he has persevered throughout his career, his trials and tribulations in WWE NXT, going to AEW, and why coming to Limitless is why he loves professional wrestling. He then called next on the winner of the championship match. Will he get his opportunity?
Beef defeated Ace Romero (c) and Rip Byson in an anything goes three-way to win the Limitless Wrestling World title
Despite this being a longer show than usual, the venue was still packed for the main event— evidence of how much fans wanted to see this battle. All three men have faced each other before at different points of their Limitless careers, but never like this.
Byson went all out early, going airborne over the top on both men after action spilled to the floor. That’s where chairs got involved because, of course they did. Beef sat both the champion and Byson down for a diet of slaps and chops that culminated in running Beefy Bombs onto both men as they were seated.
After a garbage can entered the fray, Byson brought out a door from under the ring, perhaps from his own home. Byson then adorned the can and dove onto Romero because, of course he did. Eventually, the door made its way back in and after Romero taunted Beef and Byson with a line from ‘97 (“Suck it!” complete with the crotch crop matching set), the two simply speared him through the door and then begin hitting each other with the fragments because, of course they did.
Byson then brought another door from under the ring, arranging it on chairs on the floor. Put a pin in that as the kids say.
As the match entered its closing stages, no one could get a clear advantage. With Romero outside the ring, Byson hit Beef with a Burning Hammer and had the pin, but the champion wisely pulled referee Eric Greenleaf out of the ring. Byson then crashed and burned trying to get to Romero, leading the champion and Beef alone.
Byson eventually got back up on the apron, but was knocked off through that aforementioned door by Romero as he was setting up Beef for a package piledriver. You can take the pin out now. He gone.
But that distraction cost him. As he stared as his handiwork, Beef hit a Beefy Bomb on Romero while he was in the ropes followed by the frog splash for the pin and win.
And just like, Beef, with his own new hairdo and new ink, is your new Limitless Wrestling World Champion, ending Big Boy Szn….for now, anyway. Romero embraced his family on the way out. What could be next for the now-former champion?
Next show:
Saturday, April 22nd: Limitless Identity Crisis in Hermon, Maine, with Scotty 2 Hotty, Alec Price, Judas Icarus, B3CCA and more.
Saturday, May 6th: Let’s Wrestle in Brewer, Maine with MSP
Saturday, May 20th: Limitless Winds of Change in Yarmouth, Maine, with Timothy Thatcher