Day 2 is here! After one hell of a Day One of action (which you can read about here), we come to the next day in this long weekend of wrestling action. Today, things would get fabulous with EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch, Glory Pro will show us what they can do with Are Ya Wrestling Son?, things will get unbelievably wild as Joey Janela brings Spring Break 4 to October and last but not least, Freelance and Freelance Underground presents, I Don’t Think We’re in Chicago Anymore.
GCW: “EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch”
We start things slightly earlier today with Brunch, Effy’s Big Gay Brunch to be exact. Much like For the Culture last night, this was going to be a celebration of representation in wrestling. We had a card of LGBTQ+ talent raring to bring some wrestling excellence and put on a show. We’d see the legendary Cassandro taking on Sonny Kiss, Dark Sheik taking on Still Life with Apricots and Pears, The Twink Gauntlet and so much more.
The Sea Stars (Delmi Exo & Ashley Vox) defeated Ashton Starr & A.C Mack via Elevated Tumbleweed Senton to Starr – The best way to open the show is with a feel-good win and this is what we got here. Starr and Mack were the perfect villains, keeping Exo away from her partner and utilising every evil trick in the book. The crowd really laid into Starr and Mack and they couldn’t stop lapping it up. Once things got competitive, the match only got more fun. One hell of a way to open. As this was my first time seeing Ashton Starr in action, you can colour me impressed, the guy oozes charisma and skill.
Still Life with Apricots and Pears defeated Dark Sheik via Figure Four Deathlock – This was exceptional. A slow burn bout of Lucha, catch wrestling, submissions and so much more. Dark Sheik lived up to her name, showing disdain for Still Life and forcing them to work up from the bottom and take the win in brutal fashion. This was one of the best examples of a character match from every show so far as Sheik really did become a domineering badass for a large portion of the match, making Still Life’s comeback all the sweeter.
Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner, Matthew Justice, 1 Called Manders & Levi Everett) defeated the BGB All-stars (MV Young, Billy Dixon, O’Shay Edwards & Joshua Wavra) via – SGC Execution to Dixon – well, this show wanted a chaotic 8-man match, it got a chaotic 8-man match. Everyone brought it and took plunder, flying and brawling to a whole other level. Too many miscommunications made O’Shay Edwards leave and potentially cost BGB All-Stars the win but it was an exemplary match nonetheless. After the match, Tony Deppen took a chair to the face for daring to spoil a dance act intermission.
.@thejamiesenegal with a handspring German suplex!#GCW #EffysBigGayBrunch @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/g2iCb6t191 pic.twitter.com/0FGMjxEWhK— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2020
Jamie Senegal (w/Saint Synclair) defeated Allie Kat via Springboard FaceBuster onto Chair – I was a tad biased going into this one. Jamie Senegal may just be one of the most underrated wrestlers in the U.S and here the Punk Rock Kween got to show what they could do against Allie Kat, with a little help from Saint Synclair. This was a hyper-competitive match where the numbers would ultimately decide the win here.
The Twink Gauntlet: Devon Monroe outlasted Jimmy Lloyd, Dyln McKay, Jared Edwards, Logan Stunt, Parrow, Tyler Klein, Calvin Couture, Tony Deppen, Juicy Jimmy, Molly McCoy, Sean Henderson, Marcus Mathers, Kit Osbourne, and the unnamed unlimited twinks via Cazadora Roll-up on The Twink Hunter Parrow – Talk about a fun gauntlet. Parrow became an unstoppable force in this match, obliterating twinks left, right and centre until Black Sexcellence with a little help from Tony Deppen put him out for the count.
Too Hot for TV: Marko Stunt defeated EFFY via Roll-up – Due to a family emergency, Priscilla Kelly had to drop out of this match. in her place, The Ultimate Twink made EFFY pay for his crimes against twinks in the funniest hardcore match I’ve seen in a long time. We’d see dick biting, hot wax, ball-gags, and whips be used in a match that truly would have been too hot for TV. To describe this match in detail would get it slapped with a warning. Stay tuned for the more detailed review coming up…
Cassandro defeated Sonny Kiss via Top Rope Victory Roll – Talk about a main-event. A legend of the Exotico taking on one of the best LGBTQ+ talents out there right now, Sonny Kiss. Cassandro laid the groundwork for so much of what this event is built on. It was a war of wits and physicality as the veteran Cassandro was taken to his limits by Kiss. We got a genuinely heartfelt match bolstered by drama, intensity, and all-round athleticism. What a main event.
Well, the first show of the day threatened to be the most fun. it was a celebration of all things LGBTQ+ in wrestling and it really didn’t disappoint. There were fun matches, silly matches, naughty matches, and some incredible straight matches. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, this one felt special as I saw people go wild for wrestlers under the rainbow banner. I’m thrilled to hear it’ll be back for part two.
Glory Pro: “Are ya Wrestling Son?”
Whilst the name of the show might be based on a dad meme, this company, boasting wrestling’s to father, Dan the Dad, would be anything but a joke. It boasted ACH vs AJ Gray, A bull rope match between 1 Called Manders and Jake Something, Kylie Rae vs Hakim Zane, and Zachary Wentz getting a shot at the Independent Wrestling Championship against WARHORSE.
Mike Outlaw defeated Lee Moriarty via – Glory Pro opened with a certified show-stealer as they pitted Lee Moriarty against Mike Outlaw, two men riding high off wins at For the Culture last night. TAIGA STYLE was meeting Outlaw style in a big way. What we got was a smart wrestling match with a lot of counterwork and Mike Outlaw living up to his name as he stole Lee Moriarty’s thunder and the win
The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated Blake Christian & Alex Zayne via Up and Over Spinebuster – Well, this was as good as you’d expect. The North used the tag-team IQ to grind down Christian in the early game then we got to watch as the match descended into a free-for-all of crazy combo moves and unbelievable feats of agility. Christian and Zayne are probably the best high-flying hybrid wrestlers on the planet whilst The North remains one of the top teams on the planet. Plus, we saw rare respect showing from The North so we know they enjoyed it too.
Mid-West Territory Championship: Hakim Zane (w/Karam) defeated Kylie Rae via Karam Distraction Killswitch – Our first title match saw Kylie Rae, the smiling star of wrestling try to snatch the Mid-West Territory title from Hakim Zane and his bodyguard Karam. She would have to overcome the numbers and Zane’s dickish ways to take this one. Alas, she couldn’t get it done as she had Zane on the ropes, Karam distracted her and allowed Zane to pick up the win. it was a crushing loss for Rae and another excuse to gloat for Zane.
UFO Cutter by @zachary_wentz to @JPWARHORSE #AreYaWrestlingSon | @WeAreGloryPro
Available on @FiteTV, new users use promo code “4vweyzv pic.twitter.com/6F0dqy2rHZ
— Wrestling With Unicorns (@W_W_Unicorns) October 10, 2020
Independent Wrestling Championship: WARHORSE defeated Zachary Wentz via Sharpshooter – Okay, this ruled ass. Wentz and WARHORSE went hell for leather here in a hard-hitting bout where both men could have killed the other. Wentz is one of the best strikers in the game with a whole host of MMA-infused and flying moves at his disposal and he put WARHORSE through the paces before WARHORSE could eventually lock in the Sharpshooter and secure his win. Yet again, this show keeps delivering.
Bullrope Match: 1 Called Manders defeated Jake Something via Something Man Slam – Something is a bit of a dick. He beatdown Manders before tying the rope to his wrist and pulverised him with bell shots, chair shots, and raw power. Manders relished the chance to get ever scrap of payback as he gave Something a hellacious assault and took just as much punishment. These two went to hell and it took Something utilising the cowbell and a massive slam to win the day. Manders took an absolute clobbering but couldn’t quite get it done.
Triple-Threat Tag: The Sisters of Destruction (Elayna Black & Blair Onyx) defeated Hyan & Lanie Luck via Sister Abagail – This was good fun. Both teams put on an excellent match filled with the creepy mannerisms of Blair Onyx and the sadism of Elayna Black. Commentary being terrified of Blair Onyx helped add another dimension of entertainment too.
Devon Monroe defeated Kody Lane, Jody Threat & Stephen Wolf via Springboard Jawbreaker – From the twink gauntlet to this frantic four-way, Devon Monroe was picking up the wins today. Whilst Monroe took the win, they didn’t have an easy run as everyone came out swinging. Both Lane and Threat wanted to murder people and Wolf was out to prove himself again but it would be Monroe who would take advantage of some confusion and win the match. The multi-person matches have been knocking it out of the park today.
United Glory Tag Titles: Top Flight defeated Gaytanic Panic (Danhausen & EFFY) & Allie Kat & Dan the Dad via Double Stomp Doomsday into teeth – Who wants to see comedy and serious wrestling in a fun little three-way tag bout? If you answered yes, you got that here. This is probably the only match to include Lucha moves, human teeth, and one team getting a time out. It also saw the Sisters of Destruction take out Top flight with a slew of chair shots and steal their titles.
Crown of Glory Title: AJ Gray defeated ACH via Blue-Eyes White Dragon – Well this is the match of the day so far. Talk about two of the best in a ring just beating the hell out of each other. This was pure King’s Road style violence with super-stiff strikes, gut-churning power moves, and two guys who know how to construct and tell a compelling story. They literally threw every move they had at each other and fought back the shock as it was never enough. After 15+ minutes of brutality AJ Gray finally got the Blue-Eyes White Dragon off and pinned ACH. Both of these guys have had multiple wrestling masterpieces the past 2 days and they ain’t done yet.
ACH with a slingshot cutter!#GloryPro #AreYaWrestlingSon @WeAreGloryPro
▶️https://t.co/g2iCb6t191 pic.twitter.com/MUvjmejK64— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2020
So, this was a pleasant surprise. Much like S.U.P yesterday, this is a company I had heard of but never actually seen. I was blown away by the quality here and the nice variety of different matches they brought to the table. They were able to encapsulate so many different tones and moods, then mould them into an excellent 2-and-a-half-hour show. it had a hot crowd and hotter action that made me very glad I watched.
GCW: “Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4”
This was 100% going to be the wildest event of The Collective. Joey Janela had booked a stacked show of dream matches in Tony Deppen vs Alex Shelley, unexpected encounters in himself vs Ricky Morton, the wild mess of the Clusterf*ck, Matt Tremont’s final GCW match against Alex Colon in what is sure to be a violent deathmatch and so much more.
.@orangecassidy!!!#JJSB4 | @GCWrestling_/@JANELABABY
Available on @FiteTV, new users use promo code “4vweyzv @collective2020 #collective2020 #Thecollective #theCollective2020 pic.twitter.com/E57LqMiOpd
— Wrestling With Unicorns (@W_W_Unicorns) October 10, 2020
Rickey Shane Page Open Challenge: Orange Cassidy defeated Rickey Shane Page via Orange Juice Roll-Up Rickey Shane Page and the 44OH! goons opened the show with the open challenge. He instantly got rid of the open challenge rule and said he was challenging one of H2O’s top students, Marcus Mathers. That was a lie and he told the kid to leave. Instead, the challenger was Dominic Truex, okay it wasn’t and he got jumped. Then the sounds of Sonne by Rammstein played and Danhausen accepted the challenge. He was jumped by 44OH! and dragged to the back. Then the real challenger appeared, Orange Cassidy. He beat RSP at his own game, angering him to the point of making a mistake and taking out the 44OH! goons. When RSP had abused enough of his mannerisms and went for the juice. Cassidy kicked the juice is his face and rolled-up the GCW champ. Talk about an opening surprise.
IronBeast defeated The Rascalz via The Asmodeus Bomb – Next up was a tag battle of epic proportions. It would be speed vs strength as IronBeast met the Rascalz. What we got was exactly what I wanted. It was a furious bout of the Rascalz trying to out-strike and out-run IronBeast but falling foul to a nasty door spot and some devastating power team combos.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Lee Moriarty via Hammer Blow Octopus Hold – Talk about a technical dream match. TAIGA STYLE meeting The Foundation that is Jonathan Gresham. This was going to be a chess match of a match. it became a match of holds, smarts, and sadistic strikes. As the match went one both men’s resilience would shine through and Moriarty would push Gresham farther than he could have expected. When it was over, Gresham thanked the fans for supporting independent wrestling and put Moriarty over hard. Gresham invited Moriarty to ROH and the pair shook hands. After a match of the year contender like that, this was the icing on the cake. Hard work being rewarded.
.@DirtyDickinson with the Pazuzu Bomb!#GCW #JJSB4 @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/g2iCb6t191 pic.twitter.com/qNo1sZQjgI— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 11, 2020
Team Pazuzu (Chris Dickinson, Santana & Ortiz) defeated Alex Zayne, Blake Christian & Jordan Oliver via Pazuzu Bomb to Christian – Holy hell what a stacked amount of talent in the ring. The next generation of talent Zayne, Christian, and Oliver taking on one of the old dominant stables in indie wrestling, Team Pazuzu. Dickinson, Santana, and Ortiz were going to put the Next Generation through the wringer. That is exactly what they did. For most of this match, Pazuzu controlled the pace, grinding down Christian and keeping the others out of the ring. Even as the match became more open, they kept their advantage, and Dickinson KO’ed Christian until he couldn’t get up any more. It was a celebration of new school and old school wrestling meeting in a single ring.
Tony Deppen defeated Alex Shelley via Pinfall – Oh boy, this is it. This is the match to look forward to. Yes, I call a lot of people the best but Alex Shelley has been the best for over a decade and Tony Deppen is 100% approaching best in the word status. These two had an answer for everything that the other could throw. They went from trading bombs to counters to holds and back again. Neither man would stay down despite the damage and in the end, a crafty pinfall won the match. Genuinely, every bit as awesome as I wanted it to be.
Lio Rush defeated ACH via Dragon’s Call – Well isn’t this an interesting premise. Yet again we have two similar athletes from two different generations. This was going to be a fast one with a lot of moving parts. Except it wasn’t at first as ACH ground him down. Both guys played it smart and we got another hyper-competitive tour de force of wrestling. Rush overcame ACH’s best to pull out a win with the Rush Hour/Dragon’s Call combo.
Ricky Morton defeated Joey Janela via Inverted Figure Four Leg Lock – So, this one broke the internet. Joey Janela challenged one of the best tag team wrestlers the sport ever produced to a marquee match at Spring Break and he accepted. Now we’d see if things really do get better with age as Janela and Ricky Morton squared off. This was wild. It wasn’t the slow bout you might have thought it would be. It was a plunder-powered wrestling match with blood, doors, chairs and Ricky Morton being his absolute best. I am in awe that I got to review a Ricky Morton match in 2020 and it was in front of a rabid crowd at one of the biggest events of the year. A new school match with old school vibes.
ClusterF*ck: Spyder Nate Webb won the Clusterf*ck by outlasting everyone else – With this being a quick review, I will not be doing a full rundown of the clusterf*ck. I’m saving that for the super-sized review coming in the near future. I’ll just give some of the greatest hits here. Those include Suge D using JTG as a basketball, Violence is Forever going on a rampage, especially Kevin Ku’s Ku’be Stomp, a three-team bar fight between VIF, The Carnies and The Bird and the Bee, the returns of Cassandro and Dustin Thomas, Kerry Morton dropkicking everyone, Juicy Finau getting an opportunity because he put in the work and slamming multiple people at once, Tankman eliminating both members of VIF and the Carnies and Kerry Morton and Kody Lane all in quick succession. Billie Starkz’s GCW debut, 44OH! ruining things as usual until SGC and Elayna Black came to mess them up, The Walmart dudes Lord Adrean and Tahir2x getting a massive pop against SGC then turning on each other, the Parrow massacre, The Invisible Man coming back with a vengeance, the wrestling return of AIW promotor John Thorne and quick elimination of AIW promotor John Thorne, the Stunt family meltdown, the devastating battle of Yoshihiko and the Invisible Man, the Sharkboy Stunner Fest, Cogar eliminated AJ Gray with a fireball and Spyder Nate Webb getting the hometown win with Soylent Green. The Teenage Dirtbag got his big win. As you can see from the highlights, this was a blast.
Tremont’s Final GCW Match: Alex Colon (w/Markus Crane) defeated Matt Tremont via Tube Rake Barrage – Our main event would be an emotional one. A story told in blood and glass as Tremont laced up his boots for a GCW show one final time. What better opponent to have than Alex Colon? This was going to be something special. And guess what, it totally was. Not just to a gore-hound deathmatch fan like me but to any wrestling fan in general. This was the tale of two men giving it everything because one didn’t want to go out on his back and the other wanted to make sure he went out with a bang. People love to say deathmatches have no story. This one had one written by two master authors to finish a series where they really sacrificed it all. This genuinely made me emotional. When the guys go this hard, you know they wanted it to mean something. Tremont tributed the match to his fallen friend Danny Havoc and ended the show with a G-C F’N W.
So, this show was massive. It ran about double the length of the other shows and was jammed packed with shocks, surprises, and unbelievable matches. From the opening shock of Orange Cassidy to the joys of Moriarty/Gresham and Deppen/Shelley to the emotional farewell of Matt Tremont. This show had it all and then some. The meagre amount of words here can’t do this show justice, so expect to see a much longer review in the near future.
Freelance/Freelance Underground: “I Don’t Think We’re in Chicago Anymore”
Last but not least, the fourth show of the day, Freelance and Freelance Underground would present a late-night feast of Freelance Title matches with Kylie Rae, EFFY, and Laynie Luck against some strong competition, tough competitor scrambles, and the Brothers of Funstruction taking on Warhausen.
Isaias Velazquez defeated Lee Moriarty via Double-Underhook Piledriver – TAIGA STYLE came to Freelance to take on resident ace Isaias Velazquez. This was the perfect way to open the show as Lee Moriarty is probably one of the most popular people of the Collective and Velazquez is probably one of the best opponents for him. Their styles meshed incredibly well and they put on a nasty little bout focused on major back pain.
Freelance Underground Tag Titles: Warhausen (WARHORSE & Danhausen) defeated The Brothers of Funstruction (Ruffo & Yabo The Clown) via DQ – Okay, I’m always up for more clown gimmicks in wrestling and the Brothers of Funstruction seemed like the perfect team for me. They gave off a sinister vibe that I was all for. However, commentary assured me that this match was going to be all about fun. What could possibly go wrong? Well… nothing actually, it was actually really damn fun. we got clown antics and the Warhausen fun moments as they danced to Tequila. This cacophony of violence and comedy came to a sad end as Ruffo clocked WARHORSE in the head with a cowbell. No belts changed hands but Warhausen got a fun match win. I genuinely enjoyed everything and everyone in this match.
Freelance Legacy Title: Robert Ego Anthony (w/Frank the Clown) defeated EFFY via Mandalorian Driver – Eurgh, okay time for a clown I do not enjoy, Frank the Clown. He was out to try and help Robert Anthony take the Legacy Title from EFFY. There was no way in hell that he was going to give up his title easily. I feel slightly sorry for Anthony because he’s a really good wrestler but he’s hanging around with someone that cramps his style. EFFY made this match incredibly fun and gave Frank a probing he’s never going to forget. This was really damn fun and Anthony really put the work in against EFFY.
Freelance Scramble: Blake Christian defeated Storm Grayson, Elayna Black, Alex Zayne, August Matthews & Davey Bang via Cross-Armbreaker on Black – Well, well well, this was excellent. Six competitors, unaffected by the time or weariness putting in the work. Everyone was firing on all cylinders and I love the dynamic between Alex Zayne, Blake Christian, and Elayna Blake. They got the most ring time but the other three certainly weren’t slouching either. Just like the matches before it, this was fun as hell to watch.
@theirondemon just turned @ColbyCorino inside out at @FreelanceWres @FreelanceUndrgd…….it's 2am and we're still ROCKIN!#theCollective2020 pic.twitter.com/mTyS9BDUkX
— Pack Diesel (@PackBDB) October 11, 2020
FU Independent Title: Laynie Luck defeated Faye Jackson via Uni-Cutter – Next up was another title match. Layne Luck would have some serious competition coming for her FU Independent title as she had to take on the plus-sized Pam Grier, Faye Jackson. To no one’s surprise, this too was a lot of fun. It was slightly clunky at times but Luck’s energy was infectious and Jackson went monster mode, dominating Luck through size and power. Plus, there was the nice extra element of trying to outdo Jackson in the extra elements of dancing.
Shane Mercer defeated Ethan Page & Colby Corino via Moonsault and Battery to Corino – I think this match is a tad unfair, you see Page, and Mercer are both big guys whereas Corino is a lot smaller and lither. He did exactly what he had to do though and used his speed and athleticism to manoeuvre around the larger guys. In-between that we got Page showing off his signature brand of offence and Shane Mercer being the terrifying powerhouse and taking the win with the ever-impressive Moonsault and Battery.
Freelance World Title: Kylie Rae defeated Josh Alexander via Crossface – Last but not least, the final match of the show and the final match of day two. Kylie Rae would take on a very game Josh Alexander in what was set to be a barnburner at 7:15 am BST. Talk about making people believe in your champion. Josh Alexander was a monster here. He failed to take Kylie Rae seriously at first and paid the price so he started to take away Kylie’s best weapon, her kicks. He nigh-on shattered her ankle, forcing her to get creative and, in the end, she was able to wrap Alexander up in the crossface for the big feelgood win.
And with that, Day two of the Collective is down. Freelance was put in a bit of a tough spot here but they made the best of it and put on an incredible show. The card was continuously fun or engrossing and kept a crowd rabid at 2 am ET so, I think they were doing their job right. The main event rocked, the scramble was fun and I want more Brothers of Funstruction on my screen now. Definitely worth staying up for.
Remember to keep it tuned to SteelChair for long-form reviews of EFFY’S Big Gay Brunch and Spring Break 4, as well as a rundown of all of Day 3’s show including BLP’s Threat Level Noon, SHIMMER at the Collective, Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 2020, and Paradigm’s Trapsoul. Order on Fite TV here. See you then!
Forget Frank the Clown and Robert Anthony, this dude just hit himself in the dick with confetti.#GCW #JJSB4 @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/g2iCb6t191 pic.twitter.com/gpv7YVUJhY— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 11, 2020
All images courtesy of Earl Gardner Photography, HeyyImRob, Wrestling with Unicorns, Freelance Underground Twitter, Glory Pro Twitter, GCW Twitter, Go Pro Wrestling, Freebirds Twitter, PackBDB Twitter