GCW Jimmy All the Way
by SamoaRowe
December 26,2019
I've been meaning to check out GCW for a number of months now, so I might as well take advantage of my vacation time and see what all the fuss is about.
From the Voltage Lounge, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our hosts are Joey Janela and MLJ. The commentary is decidedly unprofessional, with lots of casual profanity and Janela, in particular, comes across as drunk and unruly throughout.
Jimmy Lloyd pumps up the crowd, stating that Christmas is f*cking today and GCW is f*cking family. They're going to do some f*cking drugs and have a lit-@ss show. This is certainly different.
Jason Cade vs. Lucky 13
Bell rings and they begin with a pretty standard exchange of arm drags and dropkicks. They then surprise me as Lucky hits a top rope moonsault to ringside. Cade mouths off to some fans, allowing Lucky to pull him into the apron. Lucky seemingly botches a springboard move on purpose to let Cade take over. Lucky hits a standing moonsault double knees, but hurts himself in the process. Cade dropkicks the bad knee to regain control. Cade drapes Lucky on a small stage to hit a flying knee from the apron. Cade misses on a head of steam and Lucky hits a 619 and tornado DDT for 2. Lucky's flying backstabber is good, but he further hurts his own knee. Cade answers with a reverse rana. They stumble to their feet while trading strikes until Cade counters with a buckle bomb, followed by a Northern Lights suplex, and double stomp for a nearfall (that no one bought). Lucky counters with a double knee backbreaker and grabs his own knee in agony. Cade dropkicks the knee again to set up a flurry of moves culminating with a brainbuster for a more believable nearfall. Lucky no sells to hit a cool looking flipping DDT for a good 2 count. Lucky's dive is blocked via a chair to the face. Both guys desperately grab chairs for a duel, and Cade hits more unprotected shots to the face before hitting a flying splash for a great 2 count. Lucky's spinning package piledriver also gets 2. Lucky intentionally botches another top rope move to get his leg stuck in the ropes, allowing Cade to hit a drive by dropkick, powerbomb, and basement dropkick, but LUCKY KICKS OUT AGAIN! Cade hits a backslide driver onto a pile of chairs and finally wins at 14:21. Totally indie-riffic outing, but both guys showed a lot of pride and passion. I'm not a fan of using fake botched spots to further the storytelling though, ***¼.Winner: Jason Cade
Manders vs. Homicide
Manders enters in cowboy garb to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." (Editor's Note: The Jovi? "He's hardcore! He's Hardcore!") Homicide enters to his old ROH theme, and I nearly fell over from a rush of nostalgia. Homicide encourages the fans to chant "f*ck you" at Manders. They lock up and Manders sits Homicide on the buckles and pats him on the head like a child. Manders hits a pair of power slams and a seated lariat for 1. Manders continues to dominate, with Homicide throwing desperation chops. Homicide absorbs a prolonged beatdown before showing signs of life with an uppercut. Series of chops by Homicide and he then rakes the face. Manders fires back rapid chops and hits a sidewalk slam for 2. Homicide desperately hits an exploder suplex for 2. Manders hits a jawbreaker and lariat for 2. Janela's commentary has been pretty unhinged, as he thinks the ref should be fired and sent back to TGIFridays. They guys duke it out and Manders nails a Doctor Bomb for 2 (while Janela accuses the ref of having glazed chicken wings on his mind). Homicide surprises with an Ace Cutter for 2, and then a lariat for another nearfall. Manders blocks a Cop Killa and nails a running power slam for a good nearfall. Homicide manage s a top rope Ace Cutter for the win at 13;47. This was decent, with Homicide fighting an uphill battle to overcome a bigger, younger competitor, **¾.
Winner: Homicide
Janela is delighted to spot a homeless guy in the crowd and tells a story about how the guy bet that he could do a one handed pushup for every two handed pushup that Janela could do. To make a long story short, the homeless guy could not in fact do the pushups. I've still yet to see any evidence that Janela has exercised a day in his life, but I digress.
Tony Deppen vs. Ophidian
Bell rings and they engage in some neat chain wrestling. Ophidian slithers into a reverse bow and arrow and rests his head behind his arms. Deppen comically fails to kip up and needs the ref's help. Deppen answers with a shoulder block and blows his nose all over his opponent. They run the ropes and trade rapid fire counters until reaching a stalemate. Ophidian head stands on the turnbuckles and lures Deppen into a head scissors takedown. Deppen weathers the storm and hits a leaping STO onto the apron. Deppen hits a flying trust fall off a speaker! Deppen delivers snake eyes to the snake man. Ophidian tells Deppen "he ain't sh*t" and counters into an enziguri. Deppen climbs the speaker again and lands on the apron, where Ophidian leg sweeps him to set up a flying double knees from the stage! Ophidian's springboard crossbody gets 2. Deppen counters a modified cobra clutch into a brainbuster. Deppen's half nelson suplex looks gross. Ophidian reverses an overhead suplex for a great nearfall. Deppen viciously targets the head with a series of blows, and they trade lariat attempts until they both drop. They trade more counters until Ophidian hits a high elevation lungblower for a great nearfall. Cue the "GCW" chants. Ophidian hits multiple knee shots, culminating in Meteora, but DEPPEN KICKS OUT! Ophidian mounts the back, forcing Deppen to drive him into the buckles with a running cannonball or sorts. Deppen's flying double stomp gets another 2. Another series of reversals leaves both guys looking wobbly, and Deppen hits an insane sit up powerbomb reversal. Ophidian answers with a snap suplex. They roll into pinning predicaments until Deppen catches the pinfall at 17:27. Really cool display of athleticism and creative technical wrestling, though a few notches below the best of the best, ***¾.Winner: Tony Deppen
Six Way Scramble:
Treehouse Lee vs. Grim Reefer vs. Steve Sanders vs. Dougie Mosa vs. Jonathan Wolf vs. KTB
Janela brands this as a "f*ckfest match." I think that's code for "Don't expect rules, selling, psychology, etc." Janela has no clue "who the f*ck" Dougie Mosa is, but knows that everyone else likes to smoke weed, and predicts that the scary looking KTB will "f*ck up everyone." The action begins before the bell. Sanders pauses the action to light up a joint and shares with Grim Reefer. Everyone gathers to pass the blunt, but KTB loses his patience and resumes kicking ass. KTB hits a ridiculous double arm springboard armdrag, followed by a dive, WITH THE BLUNT IN HIS MOUTH! Drugs are bad, mmmmkay? Sanders rebounds with tornado DDT's on KTB. Reefer breaks it up, but Dougie in his Santa hat, cuts him off with a standing shooting star (Janela is burying him hard on commentary). They're in the mode where everyone takes a nap while two guys hit finishers in the ring. Treehouse really impresses using his athleticism to overwhelm the bigger KTB. The ring fills with guys hitting rapid drive by moves. Wolf hits a sickening buckle bomb onto a prone Treehouse. Reefer hits a reverse curb stomp and walks the ropes for a somersault senton. Dougie gets his shine while Janela speculates that he works at TGIFridays. Dougie bridges a wooden board on the apron and chair, but KTB slams him through it. Treehouse kicks KTB onto a chair and then hits an awesome leg drop. Treehouse finishes with a corkscrew elbow drop on Dougie for the win at 9:48. Five star f*ckfest, *** match.Winner: Treehouse Lee
It's intermission time, but they're going to switch to a simulcast from Beyond Wrestling in Worcester, Massachusetts. But first, Joey Janela gets into the ring to pump up the fans with some profanity for the sake of profanity and picking on a fan for wearing New Day merchandise.
GCW World Champion Rickey Shane Page vs. Chris Dickinson
This is presented by Beyond Wrestling from Worcester, Massachusetts. I suppose I could have attended this event if I had the wherewithal tonight. Paul Crockett and Sidney Bakabella are on commentary. Several fans are wiedling beer bottles and appear drunk. I wish I was there. Bell rings and they work a wristlock. Dickinson goes for a quick Figure Four but RSP gets the ropes. Dickinson rolls into an STF but RSP gets another rope break. RSP shows off his own technical wrestling chops and flips the bird, but Dicksin bites the middle finger! RSP avoids a dive and score a body slam in the ring. RSP looks a bit winded as he dishes out a methodical beatdown. Dickinson fires back and they both go down with enziguri attempts. Dickinson botches a springboard moves and seems to save face by selling a knee injury. Dickinson wobbles through a comeback, hitting a Death Valley Driver for 2. RSP answers with a back suplex and stands on the ropes for a springboard frog splash! Match continues with vicious chops by Dickinson but RSP hits a Saito Suplex, but Dicksinson pops up for an enziguri. Dead lift German suplex by Dickson, but RSP pops up only to eat a lariat. RSP saves himself with a desperate rope break. Dickinson hits a major superplex and a Falcon Arrow, but RSP KICKS OUT! Suddenly, the tag team of Violence is Forever runs in and attacks Dicksinson to draw the DQ at 13:42! This was an absolutely solid match with some fun surprises, though the nonfinish brings it down a tad, ***.Winner via DQ: Chris Dickinson
Pinkie Sanchez runs in for a failed save attempt as the beatdown on Dickinson continues. Just when all hope is lost the lights go out (am I watching AEW?) and come back on to reveal Jaka! Crowd goes nuts as Jaka cleans house. Dickinson and Jaka embrace but Chuck O'Neil slips out of the ring before they can hit their electric chair finisher on him.
That concludes the "historic live simulcast" and they head back to Philadelphia. The Phillie fans look pretty drunk themselves.
Matthew Justice vs. Allie Kat
Oh good, this show was lacking in the man on women violence department. Bell rings and Allie lays on her back so Justice can feed her some snacks, as if she were an actual cat. Oh, the things I've seen in wrestling. They start the match proper by trading forearms, while Janela explains that there's no pinfalls or submissions, but that whoever dies is the loser. That seems a bit harsh. I'm guessing Janela had a few cold ones during intermission. Janela claims he used to bang a crazy cat lady who owned 19 cats, and that she'd sleep naked on a pile of cats, and that he would wake up covered in scratches. Need any more proof that Janela is wasted? Meanwhile, there's a match in progress, and Allie hits an ill advised unprotected chair shot as if it was 2005. Janela declares he likes unprotected sex, but not unprotected chair shots. Justice wedges the chair in the buckles and sends Allie through head first. Allie blocks a head of steam and drives the chair into Justice's chest with a seated senton. Justice pops up and throws the chair into her face. This is getting uncomfortable. Justice hits an impaler DDT onto the chair. Allie is busted open as Justice puts her in a tree of woe but she sits up to avoid Coast to Coast! Allie puts a chair on Justice for a running hip check and cannonball. Justice absorbs more chair shots before counting with snake eyes, but misses a flying knee. Allie hits a flying senton for 2. Allie brings 2 wooden planks to the ring while Janela makes Teddie Hart jokes. Justice cuts her off with a spear. Justice counters into a reverse piledriver onto the bar table! Allie avoids getting put through the wooden plank and goes for a top rope piledriver, but they MISS THE PLANK and Justice is dead but kicks out anyway. Justice puts her through a board with a Death Valley Driver, but refuses to pin her. Instead, he hauls her up to a second floor balcony and slams her off onto a pile of fans! Crowd chants "Allie Kat" while Justice pins her at 18:07. Whoo boy, this was all kinds of unpleasant, and with many dangerous spots that feel outdated in 2019. They get an A for effort though, **½.Winner: Matthew Justice
Jordan Oliver vs. Blake Christian
Janela is so wasted he can barely put the words together to compare Oliver to a Soundcloud wrestler. Bell rings and they sprint through a rapid exchange of counters, flips, and leap frogs until reaching a stalemate. Fans chant "GCW!" Blake offers a handshake, but Jordan cheap shots and flips the bird, so Blake punishes him with a springboard corkscrew plancha. Oliver's buddy distracts, but Blake counters a chair shot with a Van Daminator and drives Oliver into the fans with a suicide dive. Oliver answers with a mule kick and German suplex for 2. Blake desperately hits a jawbreaker but Oliver plants him with a stiff big boot. Oliver's buddies interfere again, but Blake fights them off the apron, but Oliver retains the upper hand. Blake throws a chair to the face, but Oliver cuts him off with a piledriver on the bar! Crowd chants "Blake" after he kicks out at 1. Oliver's friends interfere again but Blake cleans them out with quick athletic attacks. Oliver is on the stairs and BLAKE SUPERPLEXES HIM BACK INTO THE RING! Crowd was not nearly as impressed with that spot as I was. Maybe that happens a lot in this venue. Oliver tries to rally, but Blake rolls him into a Dragon sleeper! The hold breaks and they slug it out back to their feet. Oliver's top rope package piledriver doesn't go quite as planned, but still results in a sick looking bump for a believable nearfall. Oliver botches an ace cutter counter to a springboard move, but the crowd forgives them as they take a breather. They have an elaborate duel on the ring apron, using the nearby stairs for support, and Blake caps it off with a sick double stomp to the chest. Oliver's pals interfere yet again, allowing him to hit a superkick on top of the bar. The entourage set a plank up on some chairs on the stage. Meanwhile, Blake saves himself with a cannonball senton off of the bar! Blake puts Oliver on the plank and returns to the ring… and HITS A SPRINGBOARD SPLASH OVER SOME FANS AND THROUGH THE PLANK! That was AWESOME! Blake hauls Oliver back to the ring to finish with a springboard spinning splash at 17:20! These guys set out to make a serious statement. Take away one unfortunate botch, and this was brutal, spot-filled war that made clever use of the environment, ****¼.Winner: Blake Christian
Jimmy Lloyd vs. Dan Maff
Maff was blackballed for years because of something that went down between him and Homicide, and no one knows for sure what it was, but he's making a comeback in 2019, for better or for worse. Seeing as this event is named after Lloyd, I expect him to do something stupid before this is finished. Maff tries to keep the fight grounded, but Maff hits and arm drag and enziguri. They trade forearms, and Maff has a huge strength advantage and hits a shoulder tackle. Lloyd answers with a series of kicks and dropkicks Maff through the ropes for a pair of suicide dives. Lloyd misses a somersault senton off the apron and goes through a chair. Maff hits his own dive and a spear in the ring. Lloyd recovers with a novel somersault headbutt. Lloyd's swanton bomb gets 2. Some crew boys bring a wooden planks to the ring. Maff lets Lloyd set the weapons up before hitting a half nelson suplex. Lloyd is busted open and desperately hits a low blow, and then an ugly Destroyer. Maff sends Lloyd through a plank with a POUNCE! BURNING HAMMER by Maff only gets 2! Lloyd pops up after taking a piledriver and smashes a broken piece of plank over Maff's head. Maff no sells all the shots and returns the favor before hitting a ripcord lariat. Maff hits a second Burning Hammer and then a third through the plank! That finishes Lloyd at 10:54. Entertaining plunder brawl, though a bit one sided down the stretch, **¾.Winner: Dan Maff
Crowd chants "Thank you, Maff" as he's leaving GCW after signing with ROH. Maff takes a mic and admits that at first he was scared he wouldn't fit in or be embraced in GCW. He puts over the fans for bringing madness to GCW and panders to them by trashing the New York Giants. He helps Jimmy up and shakes his hand for being a crazy SOB. Maff thanks the fans again and leaves as a hero.
Jeff King and Shlak vs. Matt Tremont and Nick Gage
King is the only "normal" looking guy in the match, as the other three are Death Match meatheads. Crowd is fired up and firmly behind Tremont and Gage early on. Tremont wins a chopfest against King. Gage and Shlak exchange forearms until Gage hits a neckbreaker. Shlak eats a double team shoulder block. "Old Timer" King hits a flying dive on both opponents. Gage takes a double team drop onto a board covered with metal cans. Ouch. Tremont tries to save but takes a disgusting double hip toss onto the can board. King takes a hard bump off the top rope to the floor while Shlak gets sent through a plank. Gage face washes the can board into Shlak's face. Gage pulls out a cheese grater and carves up King's forehead. Trement abuses King's forehead further with a grill fork. Tremont brings in a board covered with barbed wire. King tries to fight back but gets backdropped onto the wire! They bring a glass panel in and Shlak willingly runs through it! Shlak tries to suffocate Tremont with a plastic bag and back suplexes Gage onto the barbed wire for 2. Shlak throws another glass panel at Gage and sets it up in the corner, and shatters it with Gage's body! They bridge a glass panel on some chairs over Gage's body, and King hits a moonsault through the glass! Gage kicks out! Tremont returns to put Shlak through a chair with a Death Valley Driver and plants King for 2. The ring is covered with broken glass, so every impact move looks that much worse. Tremont's trio of Death Valley Drivers finishes King at 13:23. This was sooooo not my cup of tea. The live crowd loved every second of it, so your mileage may vary, **.Winners: Nick Gage and Matt Tremont
Gage grabs a microphone and declares that he loves what he does, and puts over King for suffering through the match. Gage says he could care less about Shlak but admits that he loves fighting him. Gage puts over his spiritual brother, Marcus Crane, who couldn't be here tonight, and the crowd plays along. Gage calls Rickey Shane Page a "f*cking pu$$y" and begins to think that the people running GCW are "pu$$ies" too. Tremont says he grew up wanting to be like Gage, and now they're the new H8 Club! They rock out to some Metallica and the fans eat it all up.
Final Thoughts: I think I mostly enjoyed this. The presentation was a far cry from what I'm used to, as they embraced the trashy side of the wrestling industry. The guys in the ring showed a ton of passion though, and the fans in attendance played along, so their energy was infectious at times. I'm not sure that I'll watch too much GCW going forward, but I'm glad I gave them a shot.
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