GCW: The Wrld on GCW- January 23, 2022
by SamoaRowe
Live from the sold out Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, airing on traditional pay-per-view! Our hosts are Dave Prazak and Kevin Gill.
Grab the Brass Ring Ladder Match:
Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Tony Deppen vs. Alex Colon vs. PCO vs. G-Raver vs. AJ Gray
This is basically GCW's answer for Money in the Bank. Gray is a last second addition. Scramble to start, Deppen scores first with a ladder assisted dropkick. Gray powerbombs Deppen into a ladder. Gray climbs a small ladder and gets knocked down by Raver's larger ladder. Colon hoists Raver for PCO's messy but effective Doomsday Ladder attack! Colon cartwheels over PCO's ladder sweep to hit a dropkick. Oliver dropkicks Colon and PCO off a ladder. Jimmy drapes a ladder, but Oliver cuts him off with a Rave neckbreaker. Oliver climbs the draped ladder for a splash to outside. Colon and Raver follow with double dives. PCO takes everyone out with a cannonball dive! Deppen joins the fun with a double springboard plancha. Gray dives off the stage onto everyone. PCO takes everyone down with a moonsault. PCO climbs, but Deppen races up an even bigger ladder and bites him down. Oliver takes Deppen down with a cutter. PCO chokeslams Oliver down, and follows with a package piledriver onto a ladder. Colon drops PCO onto a chair and hits a diving double stomp! Raver buries Colon under a ladder and chairs and gives up a chance to win so he can hit a flying back senton! Lloyd launches Raver through a creative pile of ringside furniture. Gray tries a dive from an extra tall ringside ladder and slips for a bad bump onto a leaning ladder. Jimmy stops Colon from winning, and John Wayne Murdoch runs in to take out Colon. Gray quietly climbs up and retrieves the brass ring at 15:17! Good energy and effort here, but most of the better spots didn't involve the ladders. Raver and Gray nearly killed themselves with their botches. Pretty disappointing, considering all the fanfare, **.Winner: AJ Gray
Gringo Loco, Demonic Flamita, and Arez vs. Bandido, Laredo Kid, and ASF
Arez starts with Laredo Kid in a lightning exchange. Bandido enters to hit Arez with the 3 Amigos. Gringo catches Bandido with a leg lariat. ASJ takes Gringo down with a rana and armdrag. Flamita enters with a concentrated attack to the face, and flips the fans off rather than hit a top rope move. Arez and Flamita neutralize ASF's partners with stereo dives, leaving Gringo to continue attacking his head. Bandido and LK get put in double surfboard stretches on the floor so Gringo can wipe them out with a soaring senton! ASF gets unceremoniously tossed over the ropes into the ring! ASJ leaps off Flamita to hit Gringo with an armdrag, but Flamita answers with a Tiger Driver! Match breaks down with triple superkicks and head scissor takedowns from the heroes. The rudos take triple dives and the crowd applauds. LK and ASF miss double dropkicks and get put in a crafty leg submission, with Flamita rolling up Bandido in the middle. "This is awesome" chant. Superkick by Flamita and then a frog splash onto Bandido. LK hits Flamita with a Michinoku Driver and then a 450 splash. Arez hits LK with a double knee backbreaker. ASJ hits Arez with a DVD and dropkick. Gringo hits ASF with a pair of mean power moves, Bandido saves the match. Bandido hits Gringo with a big DDT. They set up stereo double stacks for an amusing chicken brawl, resulting in the damndest Destroyer of all time. Everyone goes down for a rousing standing ovation. ASF gets tossed over the ropes for a rana onto Gringo outside. Flamita follows with a dive. Arez and LK duke it out, Bandido runs past them for a twisting plancha to the floor. LK hits a Spanish Fly to outside! Gringo misses a splash, but hits a piledriver to win anyway at 14:09. Not sure what they were actually going for with that finish, but I'm sure it would have been cool. Amazing spotfest that only lacked a big finish, ****.Winners: Gringo Loco, Arez, and Demonic Flamita
Blake Christian comes to the ring and reveals that Jonathan Gresham isn't here, but he gave ROH a call and still wants his f'n title shot. Blake came all the way here and wants an f'n fight.
Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush
They let the moment breathe a bit before shaking hands, Blake ambushes with an armdrag. They run the ropes, share a second handshake, and this time Rush cheapshots, but Blake sends him reeling to ringside. They restart with a quick exchange, Rush scores a spinning kick. Rush hits a slick tope suicida, but Blake quickly answers with his own. Blake hits a double knee gutbuster for 2. They keep a blistering pace, but Christian seems to have the upper hand. Rush blocks a spear, thrusts the midsection, and hits an enziguri. Rush maneuvers into a spear and his Falcon Arrow only gets 2. Blake counters with a Frankensteiner and flying bulldog. They trade counters until Blake hits a nasty kick to the back of the head, followed by a Standing Spanish Fly and springboard 450. RUSH KICKS OUT! Rush comes back with an unreal poison rana and the Final Hour frog splash. Blake kicks out of a late cover. They tease sunset bombs o the apron, instead Blake hits a running plancha into a piledriver outside! Blake finishes with the springboard 450 splash at 12:39! Wow, this needed some more time, but what we got was truly elite action, ****.Winner: Blake Christian
"ECW TV Champion" Matt Cardona (with Chelsea Green) vs. Joey Janela
Cardona comes out chugging beer to "Enter Sandman" in a "F*ck Mick Foley" flannel shirt. He sprays beer into one mouthy fan's face and then makes out with Chelsea. All Hail the Death Match King! Cardona takes credit for putting GCW on the map and promises to end Joey's career before Tony Khan can fire him. Bell rings, Cardona immediately hits the Rough Ryder for 2. Cardona brings in a door, but Janela puts him through it with a running DVD! Joey attacks the eyes and hits a tope suicida! Cardona answers with a somersault plancha. Joey blasts a lariat, and it feels like we're 20 minutes in, with only 3 minutes gone. Cardona puts Joey through a chair and throws his shirt into the crowd, and a fan rips it apart. Chelsea stops Cardona from using a chair and kicks her husband in the groin. She then trips Joey on the top rope and Cardona reveals he was wearing a cup. Cardona hits a chair assisted Broski Boot. Joey desperately hits a superplex. Janela builds some steam with a German and prepares a belt shot, but Smart Mark Sterling shows up to reveal that Joey would be disqualified for using the title as a weapon. He brings out "Vince McMcMahon" who unmasks to reveal Virgil. The cameo seems to go nowhere, as Mark runs interference but gets knocked down with the belt. The crowd seems taken out of this, so Joey hits a DVD on the ring frame. Next, Swoggle sneaks out from under the ring to bite Joey's @ss and thrust him into the post. Sam Stackhouse brings Swoggle into the ring for a big avalanche. Stackhouse misses a moonsault, Swoggle flips off the fans, and doesn't see Marko Stunt arrive with a chair. Stunt launches the chair at Swoggle, but Cardona takes him down with an inverted DDT. Joey ambushes Cardona with a DDT as well and checks on Marko. Stunt puts Swoggle through a door with a double stomp while Cardona puts Cardona through a ringside door! Chelsea knocks Stunt out with the belt and finishes him with a Destroyer. Joey goes after Chelsea, Cardona saves his bride with an Attitude Adjustment through a chair. Cardona takes too long setting up new doors, and Joey attacks with a chair. Chelsea takes a kendo stick to Joey. Janela breaks the stick over his knee and breaks Chelsea with a piledriver. A mystery person in riot gear spears Joey through a door and unmasks to reveal Brian Myers! He helps Cardona finish Janela with a Rough Ryder through a door at 19:42. I know what they were going for, but this wasn't the match I was hoping to see, and I don't think the fans really wanted this either, **.Winner: Matt Cardona
X-Pac arrives to a rare hero's ovation to help clear out Myers and Cardona. I smell a tag match.
Mance Warner comes to the ring to talk. Mance puts over everyone who works for GCW, from the talent to the photographers. He's interrupted by Atticus Cogar, who buries everyone on this spot show. Warner says he's not cleared to wrestle, but his doctor didn't say anything about beating someone's punk @ss. Sadly, Cogar gets the better of Warner, but Matthew Justice runs in. This brings out the 44OH crew to lay waste to the SGC. Cogar prepares the skewers, but the lights go off. A whistle signals the arrival of Sabu (with Bill Alfonso), and he helps the SGC clear the ring by throwing chairs. Justice gives Gregory Iron a frog splash and Fonzie counts to 3. Crowd likes this, I would have put this on the preshow. I wanted the first GCW PPV, not another ECW tribute show.
Soulful video package for Allie Katch, who walks around NYC as her voiceover muses about how everything happens for a reason. The first time she ever missed a flight, she thought things might be over, but she's since learned that there are some flights you aren't meant to catch. She arrives at the Manhattan Center and cannot seem to believe what the fates have given her.
Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho
Crowd likes both women. Ruby scores first with a shoulder block. Ruby tries an early No Future and slips out of Allie's piledriver attempt. Ruby manages to drive Allie's head into the buckles for 2. Allie returns the favor and then hits a series of running corner attacks. They trade kicks and Allie fires away with a German suplex. Ruby comes right back with a back suplex. They take a breather and Ruby fires again with an armdrag from the second rope. Low rana by Ruby gets 2. Ruby finally hits No Future but Allie kicks out. Ruby argues with the ref and Allie manages a Piledriver for another 2 count. They battle on the top rope until Ruby blocks a piledriver and pulls Allie into an avalanche No Future for the win at 9:33. Crowd boos that finish, as Allie was the sentimental favorite. In fact, I'd daresay that with the pre match video package, Allie pretty much needed to go over here, but I guess it plays into her longer narrative of having to overcome setbacks and self-doubt. Match was pretty good, though a bit rushed, it's at this point where they're probably starting to realize that they only have an hour of PPV time left, **½.Winner: Ruby Soho
Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy
Effy pulls a wet 20 dollar bill from deep in his trunks and offers it to Jarrett to get out while he can. The ref removes the money, they lock up, Jarrett shoves Effy into the corner. Effy proves to be a bit too flamboyant for Jarrett's comfort and he argues with the ref to do something. Match restarts with Effy throwing body shots and applies a "sexy variant of the Tarantula." Jarrett whips Effy with his belt and whips him into a ring attendant. Jarrett whips the ring guy across the face, fans chant "F*ck you, Slap N*ts." Jarrett continues to lose his mind as he whips Effy's back. He ties Effy to the buckles, but Effy slips away as Jarrett swings a chair. Effy makes his patented comeback, including pelvic thrusts to the face. Under the Rainbow gets 2. Effy repays the belt shots, but misses the blockbuster. Jarrett fetches his guitar, but Effy hits a low blow and rollup for 2. Effy rips off some fishnets and forces them into Jarrett's mouth. Effy takes the guitar, but Jarrett punches him in the d!ck. Jarrett smashes the guitar over Effy's face and hits a variation of The Stroke to win at 11:15. Yikes, I don't know about these finishes tonight, man. There's a time for heat, and a time for catharsis, and they're going with heat, **½.Winner: Jeff Jarrett
GCW World Championship:
Jon Moxley © vs. Homicide
Fans give Mox a "welcome back" chant, followed by a "F*ck Bully Ray" chant. They share a sincere, yet tense handshake and start trading forearm shots. Homicide looks for a dive, but Moxley cuts him off with a back elbow. Moxley's double ax handle is blocked by Homicide's fist. Moxley weathers the storm and comes back with a piledriver. Homicide fires back with a pair of exploder suplexes, followed by a tope con hilo. Top rope cutter by Homicide gets 2. Moxley blocks the Cop Killa and nails a German suplex. Homicide stumbles up for a surprise German of his own. Moxley hits the Paradigm Shift for only 2, so he elbows the head and applies the Bulldog Choke. Homicide lost a tooth somewhere, but he gets a rope break. Moxley misses a head of steam into a chair, and Homicide nails a lariat for 2. Homicide looks for a Cop Killa onto chairs, but Moxley counters into the Paradigm Shift on the chairs for only 2. The fans are oddly out of this and that false finish felt tired. The fans try to get into it with a dueling chant. Homicide flips double birds and nearly steals it with a jackknife pin. Moxley hits a brutal Paradigm Shift through a standing chair and wins at 11:30. Pretty disappointing and cold match, the crowd just died after ring introductions, likely sensing that the match was stuck in a time crunch, **.Winner and still GCW World Champion: Jon Moxley
Music video for the Briscoes' open challenge set to "Heatwave ‘98" by Jynx. The Briscoes come to the ring for the main event not knowing who their challengers will be. They only have about 15 minutes of PPV time left, so there's a sense of anxiety in the air as Matt Tremont takes his full entrance partying to Journey. The crowd goes properly crazy for Dewey Donovan signaling the arrival of Nick Gage.
GCW Tag Team Championship:
The Briscoes © (Jay and Mark) vs. Nick Gage and Matt Tremont
Gage immediately spears Jay through a door. Tremont hits Mark with a Samoan Drop. The Briscoes get right back up and fill the ring with chairs. Everyone arms themselves with broken doors and chairs for a duel. Sadly, the doors are exposed for being totally gimmicked cardboard. Dewey tries to toss in a pizza cutter, but Jay launches a chair. Mark leaps off a chair to put Tremont through a ringside door. The fans boo the Briscoes and chant "MDK" while they take control. Mark hits Gage with a froggy elbow through a door for only 2. Jay launches a chair at Tremont, who shakes it off for a uranage. Mark knocks Tremont from the ring, but Gage hits Mark with an avalanche piledriver through a door. Gage finishes Mark with the Chokebreaker at only 5:35. The fans are bewildered by this outcome but are happy their heroes won. Massively disappointing main event, they were under a tight time crunch so they just did a bunch of hardcore spots with what little time they had, *.Winners and new GCW Tag Team Champions: Nick Gage and Matt Tremont
Gage plays to the crowd on the mic while the ring fills up with the GCW locker room to enjoy some Pabst Blue Ribbon together.
Final Thoughts: This show fell off a pretty big cliff when they seemingly realized midway through the show that they didn't have all night to do everything they wanted. I guess these kinds of growing pains are not unexpected, but I would have predicted the good people at GCW to be better prepared than this. Just about every big match under delivered, so even though there were a couple of great matches on the undercard, I can't give this a recommendation.
Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!