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Deathmatch Reviews US

GCW “The Acid Cup 2” Night 1 – Results and Review

ByJohn Dinsdale

Mar 20, 2020 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

WARNING STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD

Long live GCW. The last outlaws have regrouped from devastating news to deliver a 2-day, 16-person tournament through Indie Wrestling TV. Some of the GCW faithful, newcomers, enemies, and a new debut all came out to the “GCW Performance Centre” for a big fight tournament powered by donations to the crowd of fellow wrestlers and hosted by Joey Janela and Brett Lauderdale. It was a feel-good show in a dark time. Let’s get into night one, shall we?

KTB defeated Cole Radrick via Single Leg Crab

When in doubt, start with the Beast taking on one of the wildest prospects on the indie wrestling scene right now. Both of these guys are hybrid athletes capable of hitting hard and flipping out. The pair instantly started striking out and knocking the other down with shoulder tackles and head-scissor takedowns. Radrick kept up the flippy shit by hitting a rope walking Hurricanrana that send KTB to the outside. Out there, Radrick hit a springboard Yakuza kick and a Tope con Hilo to the outside. Radrick hit a knee assisted facebuster then tried for another springboard but KTB avoided it and hit a springboard European Uppercut. KTB continued the assault with a tackle in the corner, some chops, and a diving headbutt. The pair kicked each other in the head then KTB flipped Cole into a knee strike. That was followed up by an over the shoulder knee strike to the face for two. Janela described it as a Razor’s Edge to Sleep, I find this accurate. Radrick kicked his way back into the match and dropped KTB with a DDT. KTB tried to smash free and springboard into the ring but Cole caught him into a Flatliner and hit him with a Lionsault. Cole Radrick tried to fold KTB up for a move but KTB snapped his arms and hoisted Radrick up for a move I can’t even name, it just looked like it hurt. They took the fight to the stage and KTB sent Radrick through the ropes. KTB was kicked out of a dive and Radrick hit him with a guillotine leg drop to the outside. Radrick kept up the pressure with a series of kicks and an Oscutter. The pair fought on the top rope where KTB caught Radrick with a Powerbomb and went for a second but Cole reversed into an Alley Oop. Radrick landed awkwardly and KTB locked on a crab to win. This was an excellent opening bout and one hell of a showing for Radrick. KTB progresses on to round 2.

Shane Mercer defeated Lucky 13 via Moonsault and Battery

Fucking hell this was a match to watch. Lucky 13, a veteran of the indie scene taking on the Iron Demon Shane Mercer. These two seemed determined to murder each other. They locked up with Mercer having a clear power advantage. 13 escaped a headlock and used a mix of dodging and Lucha Libre to takedown Mercer. They locked up again and 13 was launched with a Belly to Belly. 13 bailed and chinned Mercer onto the ropes. 13 missed a Fosbury Flop and was thrown back into the ring by Mercer. Instead of taking that, 13 dived out and hit a tornado DDT on the floor. Mercer drove 13 into a post but ended up chopping it when 13 dodged again. 13 climbed up it and hit a Hurricanrana to the floor. Lucky continued his flippy shit with a corkscrew plancha off the bar. Mercer came back by bouncing 13 off the ropes and slammed him into the ring apron. This was followed by a super DVD into the ring. That was followed by a ridiculous X-Plex and an exploder into the corner. Lucky 13 must have broken something during that combo. Mercer kept attempting the pin but 13 kept kicking out. Mercer threw 13 into the corner but was dragged face-first into the turnbuckle and hit with a 619 and 720 DDT. 13 went for a Poison Rana but was caught into an electric chair German. 13 rebounded with a Springboard Lungblower then another lungblower for two. 13 went top rope but Mercer Pele kicked him and set up for a move but 13 jumped to the stairs, slammed Mercer off the bannister and hit a sliding sunset flip bomb. The two traded on their knees then slugged it out on their feet until 13 was able to hit a curb stomp and Psycho driver but Mercer shook it off. 13 went one step further with a DDT-Stroyer but Mercer still kicked out. They ended up on the top turnbuckle but Mercer caught 13 and hit Moonsault and Battery for the win. What a fucking match. These two took everything to another level.

Allie Kat defeated Atticus Cogar via MDK Roll-Up

Next up was GCW’s top feline taking on the only 44OH stooge in the tournament. Dickinson took over announcer duties and announced Kat was up for adoption. Cogar got a chorus of boos and ribbing from Dickinson. Coger went for a gut kick and the pair traded opening exchanges that saw Cogar get elbowed in the moth and Kat gets killed in the corner with a Dropkick. Cogar continued to be a dick by grinding his forearm across Kat’s face and biting her. Kat tried to escape with a Jawbreaker but Cogar hit her in the corner and gutted her across the ropes. Kat kept trying to fight back but Cogar would strike her down and lock in holds to keep her grounded. She finally broke free and hit some Vader lariats in the corner. This was followed by a trip to the other corner and a Whoopie Cushion, Hip Attack and Furball to Cogar. This only got two so she went for a piledriver but Cogar escaped and started a slugfest. Allie was hit with a German but shook it off and had her neck broken with an Air raid Crash onto Cogar’s knee. They fought on the apron and Kat drove Cogar into the ring with a reverse Cactus clothesline but got caught with a draping DDT on the way back in. Cogar went top rope but Allie crotched him and hit a single knee codebreaker. The pair fought over a finisher so Cogar hit a schoolboy Superkick. He tried to mouth off to Nick Gage who came to the ring to fight him. With Cogar distracted, Allie Kat rolled him up and won the match. Meow-DK saves the tournament from 44OH and Kat gets to progress to the next round.

Jordan Oliver defeated Ellis Taylor via WALE Driver

Next was the battle of the Young, Dumb N Broke. Jordan Oliver took on his fellow stablemate Ellis Taylor in the first-round action. The two locked up and Taylor sent Oliver to the outside. They squared up again and Oliver made Taylor bail this time. Ellis got the knockdown on Oliver and took him down with a Hurricanrana but got caught in the corner. The pair sped things up and started reversing each other’s moves on the fly. Taylor tried to betray Oliver but was dropkicked out of the ring. Oliver went for a dive, missed but landed on his feet and hit Ellis with a second tope. Oliver hit Ellis with a chop and kicked him in the head. Ellis chopped back was kicked back down. Oliver locked in a chin lock and clubbed Ellis in the back. Ellis avoided a corner splash and kicked Oliver down, then double stomped his head. He continued the assault and kicked Oliver out of the ring. They fought outside and Ellis sent Oliver headfirst into the ring. Ellis locked in his own chin lock but Oliver broke free and hit a Headscissor takeover. The pair continued to smash each other with Ellis hitting an Usigoroshi. Ellis started targeting the hands and shoulder of Oliver then victim kicked Oliver to the back. The pair fired up and started chopping each other to death. After more kicks, Oliver powered Ellis into a Brainbuster for two. The pair went for yet more kicks and brought each other down. Ellis managed to throw Oliver onto the bar and hit another double stomp to the head of Oliver. Ellis hit a Clout Cutter but only got two. He continued his assault with a tribute to Trent Acid then locked in a crossface on Oliver. Oliver ended up escaping, hitting a Clout Cutter of his own and ending the match with a WALE driver. This was way better than it had any right to be. The YDNB lads pulled one out of the bag and I hope Ellis got a chance to shine from it since he’s usually lost in the tag team shuffle.

Matthew Justice defeated Jimmy Lloyd via DVD Double Bill

It was a battle of the GCW elite next as Jimmy Lloyd took on Matthew Justice. This one would be a rough one as both guys like to hit hard. Justice loves disproving the existence of CTE and he’d probably do more of that here. It started with Justice taking down Lloyd with a trio of lariats and taking too much time to celebrate. Lloyd came outside and battered Justice around ringside. He spat beer in Justice’s face and the pair took the fight to the stage. The pair hit each other in the dick with random objects. Lloyd took a pizza box to the head and gave Justice a forearm to the face. Justice sent Lloyd face-first into the ring apron and hit an Axe Handle off the sound system. He went for a second but Lloyd stopped it with a crutch to the gut and a Superkick. He continued his abuse with a Back Suplex on the apron. He went for a chair but Justice kicked it into his face, nearly taking out pitbull. Yes, “legendary” musician Pitbull was in attendance too. Totally not just a cardboard cut-out. Justice sent out a call to arms to throw chairs in the ring so everyone did. Justice picked one up and rammed it into Lloyd’s head then did it again and again. Janela was cracking up on commentary at the random shit Justice was saying as he hit Lloyd. After taking his shots, Lloyd came back by striking back and hitting a Blue Thunder bomb onto the chair pile. He got too fired up and was thrown into a corner mounted chair then Justice hit him in the head with yet another chair. He went coast to coast and kicked another chair into Lloyd’s head as Manders held onto it. Justice tried to get Lloyd to hold onto a chair so he could splash him but Lloyd woke up and bounced it off his head. Lloyd capitalised with a Tombstone but only got two. He went for a second, this time dropping Justice on the chairs but still only got two. Lloyd spat on a chair and wrapped it around the head of Justice. Justice fired back with an even nastier chair shot and made Lloyd take a seat. He then glugged some Corona (the beer, not the virus) and spat it in Lloyd’s mouth like an alcoholic bird. This was followed up by a DVD through a chair and a second DVD to keep Lloyd down. This was goofy fun and probably just a little bit troubling to those of a nervous disposition. I loved the hilarity of the action in the ring and the commentary of Joey Janela.

Blake Christian defeated Benjamin Carter via 450 Splash

Next up was GCW’s heart taking on the newest debut for GCW, Benjamin Carter. It’s the oddest time for a debut but hey, why not show off to other wrestlers. Unfortunately, he drew one hell of a tough opponent. The pair started with a fast-technical exchange that saw Carter lock in a grounded headlock on Christian. They went for round 2 and Blake picked at an arm then went into a full-on speed demon sequence that ended in a stalemate. Carter knocked Blake out of the ring and went for a dive but missed and got toped by Blake. He rebounded and hit Blake with one of his own. He rolled Blake back in and hit a massive springboard dropkick. He chopped Blake in the corner but took too long to capitalise and Blake punished him with a flurry of chops. Carter gained his composure and hit a Hangman’s Elbow. He dropped another elbow and went for a springboard 450 but Blake moved and kicked him in the face with a low 619. Christian hit his own 450 for two. The pair went for a strike exchange that ended with Blake hit a snap Saito on Carter. Blake was rolled up but escaped and again, the pair started smashing each other in the face. The pair went for quick pins and kicked out after a dual headbutt. Carter came back with a spinning Suplex and a huge Frog Splash. He tried for a Phoenix Splash but missed and ate a knee, half and half Suplex and a Falcon Arrow into a rear-naked choke from Christian. Carter made it to the ropes and took Blake off the top rope with a Spanish Fly. He hit the Phoenix Splash the second time but only got two. Christian got to his feet, hit a reverse Spanish Fly and the Hidden Blade. He went top rope and hit a 450 to end the match. What a great debut for Benjamin Carter and another feather in the cap for Blake Christian, a man with limitless potential should the world not die.

Chris Dickinson defeated Pinkie Sanchez via Bridging Half and Half Suplex

Coming from the Pazuzu projects, out next match would see Chris Dickinson taking on his stablemate, Pinkie Sanchez. This would be quite the clash of styles as Dickinson is known for raw power and wrestling whilst Sanchez is much more of a high flyer. Also noteworthy before the match started, Allie Kat is a fucking great ring announcer. Dickinson instantly struck with some quick roll-ups but Sanchez escaped. Sanchez tried to match him but Dickinson kept outsmarting him. They traded armbars and Sanchez brought Dickinson down into a side headlock. The pair traded German Suplexes then chops then Dickinson eventually murdered Pinkie with more vicious chops and a Vertical Suplex. The pair went back to trading with forearms being on the menu this time. Dickinson ended the exchange with a back elbow. They both fought top rope so Pinkie brought Dickinson down with a Tornado DDT followed by a Lionsault. He tried to kick Dickinson in the chest but ended up eating a Dragon Screw and getting caught in an Indian Deathlock. With a target set, Dickinson started working the knee. He even slammed the knee into the post on the outside. Pinkie avoided a Piledriver on the apron but ended up Powerbombed almost out of his boots. Dickinson went for a Figure 4 put Pinkie reversed the pressure, forcing Dickinson to crawl to the ropes. Pinkie tried for a dropkick but his knee gave out.  Dickinson smelled blood and went for a Snake-Eyes in the corner but Pinkie withstood and hit a German Suplex. Pinkie hit a cannonball duo on Dickinson but only got two. The pair traded roll-ups and Dickinson locked on Figure 4 again. Pinkie escaped and hit Dickinson with a Moonsault. Pinkie went for a second but Dickinson caught him into a Running Powerbomb. The pair slugged it out one final time with Dickinson rocking Pinkie and finishing him with a Bridging Half and Half Suplex. What a great display of pure wrestling. Pinkie and Dickinson went all out until the Dirty Daddy stood tall and victorious.

Nick Gage defeated 1 Called Manders via Cowbell Piledriver

The last match of the night was preceded by a live performance from Pitbull. He was a bit worse for wear but he gave it his all. We also saw a dancing ref get taken out by a bottle for dancing like an asshole. Then came the fucking King of GCW taking on one of the best throwback wrestlers in Manders. If Manders could best Gage, he’d be going into the second round with a huge confidence boost. That didn’t happen though and Manders fell to the King. They locked up and Manders had a clear strength advantage. Gage instantly went for a chop but couldn’t knock down Manders. They slugged it out until Gage brought Manders down with a Swinging Neckbreaker. Manders came back and knocked Gage out of the ring with a Lariat. The pair fought on the floor with Manders chopping Gage and hitting him with a chair. Gage fought back and slammed Manders into the stage. Manders hit Gage in the face with a football but got back body dropped into a pile of chairs on the stage. Gage set up some chairs and slammed Manders in the back with one. Gage had made a platform of chairs but ended up Suplexed on it by Manders. He choked out Gage and dragged him back to the ring. Manders threw some jabs and bulldozed Gage. He signalled for a lariat but Gage caught it into a DDT. Manders dragged Gage off the top rope and hit the Oklahoma Stampede. Manders went for his cowbell and smashed it into Gage’s head. He followed up with a Powerslam but only got two. He continued to kill Gage with a lariat but still only got two. Gage came back with a Spinebuster and ran a chair into Manders’ head. A face wash came next and he put Manders on the top rope. He hit a super Piledriver but only got two. Gage grabbed the cowbell and choked out Manders and hit a Piledriver to go through to the next round. This was a short but sweet bout with Gage’s signature violent touch. Manders was a fun heel but he couldn’t deal with Gage. He ended the show with a tribute to Trent Acid.

So, there you have it, Acid Cup 2 Night One reviewed for your reading pleasure. This was wild. Everyone on the show went all out to make it as fun as possible despite the lack of a crowd. They supported each other, had a laugh and even killed Pitbull on the way out. It was the type of fun that flourishes from pressure and circumstance. The commentary of Janela was completely batshit at times but it was fun as hell to listen to. The show is a great blues killer and you should totally watch it. Night 2 is mere hours away at the time of writing so get on this and if you can, donate on the Indiegogo.

Images courtesy of GCW, HeyyImRob, Earl Gardener Photography, TigerDriver9X Twitter

By John Dinsdale

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