WARNING: VIOLENT WRESTLING MEANS STRONG LANGUAGE!

We’re back for another action-packed outlaw fuckery festival with GCW. Just Being Honest looked like the most exciting GCW show of the year so far as we’d see Rickey Shane Page take on one of GCW’s daddies in Effy, Mance Warner was set to take on Tony Deppen, Matthew Justice was set to get a shot against Nick Gage and Chris Dickinson was going to battle David Starr. Throw in scrambles, Joey Ryan and more and it was gonna get hot. Honestly, I was excited about this one. Let’s get into it. Also, as the show was in memory of him, RIP to Justice Pain. A founding father of modern American deathmatch wrestling. My condolences to his family, his brother Nick Gage, and friends.

AJ Gray defeated Chris Bey via Chopped and Screwed

Despite Gray being a former GCW, the crowd seem to be all in on Chris Bey, showering him with cheers. We started with some fast and furious technical exchanges with Bey bringing some strong kicks into the mix. He hit Gray with the Big Dick Energy drop for a two count. Gray came back with a Snake Eyes in the corner and finally put his power advantage to work. Gray is GCW’s WALTER and brought the chops to Bey. He kept the pressure on Bey and kept on pummelling. Bey withstood and launched Gray into the turnbuckle with a Headscissor. The pair traded with Bey downing Gray with a springboard back elbow. More trading later and Gray nearly killed Bey with a Spinebuster and Sit out Powerbomb. Bey got Gray in the corner and hit a Cheeky Nandos, John Woo Edition. He kept on the kicks but got caught on the top rope for a Superplex. Gray got caught in the ropes so Bey kicked him out of them to the floor. He missed a follow-up attack and got levelled with a huge Lariat from Gray. That was followed with the Chopped and Screwed for the victory. Gray killed Bey in the end despite it being Bey’s house. The crowd loved him still and gave him an ovation after the match. This was an excellent starting bout with a nice mix of flash and smash.

Jimmy Lloyd defeated Joey Ryan via Flipping Headlock Destroyer

Next up was GCW’s different boy vs one of the most different in the game, Joey Ryan. Jimmy Lloyd would have to avoid the iron dong if he wanted to win here. I love both these guys so I was conflicted watching this one. Joey started by giving a male fan his sucker pop and grabbing a mic. He talked about their training backgrounds and wanted to put on a technical masterpiece with Lloyd. That’s what we got. They started with technical exchanges and Ryan started picking an arm and working it over. He hammerlocked, slammed and kept the pressure on it trying to force Lloyd to tap. Lloyd came back with a 619 and springboard Codebreaker. Ryan broke the rules when he ended up landing on Lloyd’s knee following an atomic drop. Ryan continued this dishonesty by trying to get Lloyd to touch it but Lloyd powered out and smacked him in the face with a forearm. Lloyd retorted by taking the match outside, breaking his part of the agreement. He wiped out though trying to hit a running senton into the chairs. A dazed Lloyd then nearly KO’ed himself by headbutting Ryan’s dick then got boob-plexed. The Penis Plex followed by Lloyd was able to kick out. Ryan went for the Suckerpop kick but it got turned on him and Lloyd finished the match with a Flipping Headlock Destroyer. This was an excellent match compounded by the drama of an agreement getting broken and Jimmy Lloyd actually getting a win.

Blake Christian defeated Arez via Elia

Next up was a change to the card as Rich Swann is currently injured (get well soon Rich) meaning Blake Christian was left without an opponent. Arez was moved from the scramble to take on the heart of GCW. As you can expect, it got pretty fast and flippy. The pair started with a fast sequence and kept their feet on the gas. Blake went to the leg then took Arez over with a head-scissor. Arez threw Blake outside and hit a Moonsault off the turnbuckle. Blake then won the whole show by hitting a tope over to the outside and landing on a chair. The match went back in the ring with Arez nearly beating Blake with a twisting double knee. The pair kept trading with Blake going for the Hidden Blade multiple times. Blake kept wowing the audience with a Backdrop Driver off the top rope. Arez went one step further with a folding Gory Bomb. Blake came back with a kick, super springboard cutter but Arez reversed a Hurricanrana into a Powerbomb. He caught Blake out of a Crossbody and hit him with a Suplex slam. Blake survived and came back with a pop-up kick and a twisting Slam. More trading came Blake hitting a Springboard 450 splash. Arez struck like a constrictor and locked in a submission slowing down Blake. Arez continued the assault with a Powerbomb and Folding driver on the ring apron. Blake retorted with a Hook Kick and Hidden Blade on the apron. He followed up with a tornado DDT and Elia for the win. He had claimed another victim and took to the mic to call out Will Ospreay once again. Give me that match. Those two would tear the house down, just like this pair did.

Chris Dickinson defeated David Starr via Lariat of Doom

Next up was a match to get the strong style fans hard. It was the man of a 1000 nicknames vs The Dirty Daddy. This was gonna be strong, stiff and technical as shit. Starr unionised the crowd like he’s trying to do with wrestling. The pair got the crowd duelling and locked up. Starr won the technical exchange and starting manipulating the joints of Dickinson. The pair traded submissions with Starr using the ropes to hold in a death lock for longer. Dickinson was just as technically adept and trapped Starr as often as Starr trapped him. Starr disrespected Dickinson and paid the price getting struck down. Starr tried to hit back but was gravely outmatched. The pair went back to trading holds with Starr working over the legs. Star trapped Dickinson in the corner and started stomping a mudhole. Dickinson dodged the corner Crossbody and levelled Starr with a Brainbuster. The pair traded again with Dickinson smashing down Starr with strikes and a Backdrop. Starr grounded Dickinson and went for the legs again. He rolled Dickinson onto the apron and tried to kill him with a rope hung spinning Neckbreaker. Dickson chopped Starr down but fell victim to a leg breaker and Vertical Suplex. Starr antagonised him again by slapping his head which he paid for with a Superplex. He followed up with some hard strikes, a Snake Eyes Bomb, German Suplex and a High Angle DVD. Starr kicked out so Dickinson kicked him down some more but Starr was able to chop down the leg and superkicked Dickinson’s teeth out.

Starr pummelled Dickinson on the ropes and suplexed Dickinson into the corner. He then dived out of the ring into the third row and Dickinson. He threw Dickinson back into the ring but couldn’t hit the Han Stansen but dropped Dickinson with a patella neck breaker. The pair traded on the canvas before Starr got another flurry of offence that ended in an apron DDT. Dickinson pounced Starr out of the Han Stansen avoided being rolled up. He caught Starr with the Pazuzu bomb but it only got a two. So, he finished Starr off with a vicious Lariat of Doom. Jesus Christ words can’t describe how good this was. Two master strikers and technical marvels trying to kill each other. One of the absolute must-watch matches from this show. Dickinson gave Starr kudos at the end as the crowd chanted “that was awesome.”

Scramble: Gringo Loco defeated Slice Boogie, Eli Everfly, Adrian Quest, Starboy Charlie and Matt Vandergriff via Superplex Slam

After intermission, we got the usual scramblefuck match. This time it featured new faces, old faces and I’m pretty sure a literal child in Starboy Charlie. It was going to be an interesting one as I was only familiar with Loco and Everfly. For whatever reason, the crowd were not liking Slice Boogie. Regardless of that the match was going to get mental, as scramblefucks often do. Slice Boogie, the biggest man in the match, went after Starboy Charlie, the smallest guy in the match. This didn’t work as Charlie used Gringo Loco to bring him down. Quest and Vandergriff locked up and brought the flippy shit. Charlie came back and kept bringing people down with Hurricanranas and dives. I’m not going to describe the whole match just know it was a mix up of flippy shit, hard striking and all six men bringing the ruckus. Everfly and Charlie were probably the standouts but everyone else brought their A-game too. Vandergriff also brought a lot of innovative and fun moves to the dance too. The only person who seemed to be lacking in the match at the start was Slice Boogie but he made every moment he had felt. He had the obvious size advantage over everyone and used it to his advantage. He brought the chairs in and hit most of the guys in the match with vicious multi-man manoeuvres. Charlie won the crowd’s love by grabbing a door. That door would give Gringo Loco the win as he put Slice Boogie through it when everyone else was wiped out. This match started slow but became an all-out clusterfuck towards the end. Props to Starboy Charlie for competing in such a high pace match.

Tony Deppen defeated Mance Warner via KO Elbow

Next up was a match that was bound to get messy. Mance is the master of the plunder and Tony Deppen is always down to get dirty. This was going to be a fun one. Deppen went for the plunder during his entrance smashing Mance with a chair and diving to the outside. He followed with a double stomp but his surprise attack only got a two. He choked Mance with his vest and insulted the crowd. Deppen sat Mance down and went for a diving knee but got crotched on the chair. Mance started striking back trading with Deppen around the ring. Deppen flew over a fan and dived onto Mance. He couldn’t keep down Mance though as he bounced a beer can off his head. Mance got a door but Deppen had a chair ready. Deppen set the door up on the outside and hit Mance in the head with a hard hat (where the fuck did they get that?) Mance took the fight to the stage and threw Deppen through the door. Mance sat Deppen down on a chair but ended up being driven into it by Deppen. Mance came back with a dick hit and an eye poke then hit a neck breaker on the chair. Deppen avoided a second eye poke and snot rocketed Mance. Mance came back by Chokeslamming Deppen through a door. Deppen started striking back, knocking Mance and himself down with a headbutt. He set up another door and put Mance through it with a Deppen Driver. Mance returned the headbutt favour, knocking Deppen out of a springboard. The pair started a slugfest, slapping the shit out of each other. They then started playing rock ’em sock ’em robots with door parts. Deppen won the exchange and went full-on Norman Bates with the door. But Mance had one more shot in him, bringing both men down. Mance hit Second Gear on a door part but it only got two. He tried it again but Deppen swung the door into Mance’s legs. Deppen hit a low blow and won with a KO elbow. Deppen called for a mic and ran down Rickey Shane Page. He called himself the best wrestler GCW has and threw down the gauntlet for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 to Alex Shelley. Excellent match with Mance and another excellent match to look forward to come Spring Break.  

Rickey Shane Page defeated Effy via Chokebreaker trio

Next up was Effy trying to defend GCW’s honour from the tyrannical Rickey Shane Pussy (I love you really, Rickey). He was going to show RSP and his little mob just who Daddy is. As per usual RSP interrupted Effy’s entrance but had come alone for once. RSP started by throwing Effy around but Effy matched him. The pair traded technically with RSP taunting at every point. He had a clear power advantage and slowly but surely dismantled Effy. To escape, Effy had to be creative, attacking the nipple and launching a combo on RSP. It didn’t last though and RSP was back in control. He launched Effy with Suplex Tosses and chopping him in the corner. RSP kept dropping Effy but failed a kip-up. He followed with a Swanton Bomb but only got a two. Effy slapped RSP but got dropped again to the boos of the crowd. Every comeback was crushed as was Effy’s back. RSP started taunting again, firing Effy up and being dropped. Effy followed with a combo of sentons and kicks. He gave RSP the fingers and hit a second rope Blockbuster. This was when the plunder came out as Effy rummaged under the ring. Effy set up a door but took too long allowing RSP to wake up. He broke the door by stomping on it, further pissing off the crowd. RSP went top rope and hit a Piledriver from the top rope. He kept on the offence but couldn’t keep Effy down with the Chokebreaker. Effy flipped Page off again prompting a further two Chokebreakers. At that point, he stayed down for three. RSP had killed off another GCW favourite without really breaking much of a sweat. Just who could stop RSP and retake the GCW title.

Nick Gage defeated Matthew Justice via Pain Thriller

I didn’t know what to expect from this one. It was meant to be Gage vs Brian Cage but Cage is currently injured so Justice had to step in and take his place. Matthew Justice is completely insane though so it was going to see him mix it up with the King of Ultraviolence. Justice loves to battle CTE, Gage loves to dish it out. The pair shook hands and the fight began. They started technical with Gage showing his actual wrestling ability. He kept going with a Monkey Flip and Neckbreaker. Justice went outside and started a brawl. Gage threw Justice into the chairs and a fan assisted him in smashing Justice headfirst into a chair. Justice retorted by dropping Gage onto the stage and diving onto him. The doors came out but Gage escaped it by driving Justice into the ring post. He then hit the springboard twisting elbow through the door and Gage. We got more doors in-ring and Gage worked to set them all up. He then gave Justice his first dose of CTE by smashing a door part over his head and hitting a running knee into the corner. Gage was kicked out of a second elbow drop and hit a chair assisted spear. He followed that up with another spear through a door. He placed a door piece on Gage’s torso and smashed it with a chair then followed that up with a splash onto the pile. Gage reversed the third spear by smashing a door into Justice and pummelling away.

That was followed by a Spinebuster and DDT from the king. Then we got dual staple guns from Gage but Justice escaped it and the pair slugged it out. The pair traded staples to the head and body. Gage went low and hit a piledriver. Justice hit a DVD onto some chairs and hit an Implant DDT. Justice set up some fuckery but Gage was able to use it to his advantage, hitting a dick kick and suplexing Justice through a door. Gage followed it up by two piledrivers onto a door and won the match with the Pain Thriller. It was a fitting homage to his brother, Justice Pain. Gage once again stands tall at the end. He is the king of the brand who could have easily passed up tonight due to the circumstances. Gage delivered a farewell to Pain and thanked the crowd for getting him through it. Then RSP, to be the ultimate dickhead, attacked. He pulverised both Gage and Justice before fleeing when the rest of the GCW locker room came to chase him off. Gage made a challenge to Page for Atlantic City in a deathmatch where he promised to fucking kill him.

So, there you have it, my thoughts on GCW’s Just Being Honest, their best show of 2020 so far. Every match was fun, there was once again something for everyone and Dickinson vs Starr is already a match of the year contender. Despite the sad news about Justice Pain, Gage came out, put on a banger and kept the crowd positive. RSP continues to cement himself as a top tier dickhead with this latest show and honestly, I’m surprised he made it out alive at the end. Now the company sets out for Japan and I get to see Lloyd and RSP in action this week in the UK. I cannot wait for both.  

All images courtesy of Fite TV, Orlando Death Squad, HeyyI’mRob, Italo Santana, Blake Christian, Toms_Customs, GCW Twitter, Robert Collard