WARNING STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD

Welcome back to GCW! It’s been a while since we last got the talk about the Game Changer company so it’s only natural, they came back with a double-bill to bring in the new year. We start with Good Riddance, an accurate farewell to 2020 and a show filled with some top tier matches. We’d see G-Raver vs Jimmy Lloyd in an I Quit match, Crazy Tough Enemies taking on IronBeast, Lee Moriarty vs Calvin Tankman, Jordan Oliver vs ACH and so much more. it’s the New Year’s party to die for (or in if you’re some of the wrestlers) so let’s get into the action! Also, be sure to check out the free pre-show that happened before the main card for more wrestling fun.

Crazy Tough Enemies (Matthew Justice & Joshua Bishop) vs IronBeast (KTB & Shane Mercer) goes to a double pin

After a 10-bell salute to Brodie Lee, the show opened with CTE, because of course a team of Matthew Justice and Joshua Bishop would be called that, taking on the intimidating IronBeast. Could KTB and Mercer make as easy a job as these two as they had everyone else in their way? CTE were natural enemies, could they also be natural allies? They started by brawling, got stopped by the ref, threw the ref out and brawled some more. The fight fell to the outside and CTE were crushed under the diving mass of IronBeast. Justice was singled out and punished by an IronBeast strike and headbutt combo but Bishop wouldn’t fall to the same, using a steel chair as an equaliser. Mercer tried to swing at Bishop with a door but Bishop pushed him into the corner and sandwiched him between the post and the door with a DVD using Justice. Bishop went for a second but KTB pelted him in the head with a chair and drove both CTE members into the mat with a German. They tried to assault KTB with more plunder but he shrugged it off, charged through a door and knocked both men down with a double clothesline. Mercer was tagged and IronBeast hit Justice with a home-run X-Plex. IronBeast continued to bring out the double-team bombs and got more plunder but CTE loves chair shots to the head and accepted them like candy. More doors came out and ended up in the corners for another double-team but the ref tried to restore order. The ref was thrown through a door by KTB and Bishop speared both IronBeast members through a door as Justice hit a Van Daminator. KTB was taken out by a corner DVD and Bishop was taken out by Moonsault and Battery, then exhaustion and chair shots took hold and both teams were pinned. The match was ruled a double pin so the match was a draw and we know we’re going to get another match down the line. Which after this taste of craziness, I whole-heartedly want.

Treehouse Lee defeated Saieve Al Sabah via Diving Twisting Headbutt

Next up was a match that was going to kick ass. Treehouse Lee and Saieve Al Sabah had finally returned to GCW and they were going to put on a wrestling masterclass. Who would be successful, the child of the Xth Day or the Soundcloud wrestling superstar? After an opening exchange of technical holds and athletic escapes the pair mixed in strikes and slams alongside more technical trading. Sabah caught Lee into a running powerslam and missed a moonsault but managed to catch Lee’s jumping spin kick and received a slap in the mouth. The pace picked up and Lee was able to wind Sabah in the corner and launched off Sabah for a flipping dropkick. Sabah bailed and tried to lure Lee out but it didn’t work as Lee skinned the cat on a dive. Sabah feigned sportsmanship and bitch-slapped Lee. He then tanked a flurry in the corner and dragged Lee into the second turnbuckle, booting it into his face. Sabah jabbed Lee around the ring and trapped Lee in a Cobra Clutch variant. Lee made the ropes so Sabah re-applied the hold and nearly lost as Lee turned it into a leverage pin. Sabah returned fire with a devastating back Suplex and kipped-up off of a Vertical Suplex. He then launched off Lee’s throat for a corkscrew elbow and stuck Lee in an STF bundle. Lee tried for a roll-up and popped-up but Sabah quickly kicked him back down with a beautiful twisting enzuigiri. Sabah nailed a standing moonsault but missed a second-rope follow-up and tried for a springboard cannonball but Sabah caught him and tried to powerbomb him out of the ring. Lee turned this into a Hurricanrana, sending Sabah spilling out of the ring. As Sabah rested on the outside, Lee tried to will life into his knee, so Sabah rushed him only to be caught by a short-arm elbow and collection of beautiful kicks into a side-headlock takeover pin. Sabah bailed again so Lee followed him outside with a massive dive. Sabah tried to take advantage again by stomping Lee’s foot and drilling him with a twisting slam but only got two. He tried for a second but Lee flipped out and nailed a spinning Axe Kick. A standing spinning elbow drop followed but Sabah kicked out and planted Lee with a twisting deadlift powerbomb. Lee was whipped over the ropes but headbutted free of Sabah and ended the match with a massive twisting headbutt. This fucking rocked. These two are bonafide stars with some of the most creative move-sets I’ve seen. When brothers fight it’s never pretty but hey, let them fight more if this is the quality we get.

Atticus Cogar (w/Gregory Iron) defeated Elayna Black via Brain Haemorrhage

After that, things were set to get dark. Atticus Cogar, the silver-teeth Satan would go one on one with the Sorceress of Sin Elayna Black. Cogar started by being a disrespectful prick, dumping Black on her face and swatting her in the corner but quickly got his comeuppance as Black nearly won with a roll-up. The pair traded slaps and Black launched Cogar with a duo of arm-drags into a corner Hurricanrana and running knee. She scored another near-fall with a pop-up leg drop and tried for a springboard but Iron trapped her in the ropes. She dodged the rope-hung lionsault and took Iron’s jaw off with a forearm before getting caught by Cogar and dropped on her head with a Hangman’s DDT. He tormented her with slams and tore at her nose in the ropes. He caught her again in the corner with a step-up enzuigiri and suplexed her onto the ropes, pushing her to the floor. Iron threw her back into the ring and Cogar stomped her but she was able to regroup and launched him into the corner with a step-up Hurricanrana and hammered him with a forearm. She kicked Cogar down and tried to drag him into a Full Nelson but he broke free and dropped her with a German, then superkicked her in the face. Iron got out a door for Cogar, helped set it up and Cogar grabbed his green skewers. Black avoided a skewering by dropping back and kicking Cogar in the face, then dumped him on it with a vicious DDT. She looked set to skewer Cogar but Iron tried to interfere and after superkicking him in the jaw, stabbed Iron with them instead. Cogar pelted her with a chair and drove her through the door with an Air Raid Crash. She kicked away from the Brain Haemorrhage and rolled Cogar into a small package but still only got two. She locked on an Octopus Hold but Cogar swung her around into the Brain Haemorrhage and got the win. It might not have been the easiest win but Cogar put on a fairly strong performance against a very game opponent. Black has bags of skill, she just couldn’t best scum-baggery and guts.

Lee Moriarty defeated Calvin Tankman via Border City Stretch

Following that was the dream match of Lee Moriarty vs Calvin Tankman. It might not have been their first encounter but it was their first for a GCW audience, and they were guaranteed to make magic. Could TAIGA STYLE best the raw power of Tankman? The pair started fast as Moriarty tried to stun Tankman but found a more than game Tankman striking back. Moriarty avoided the Hidden Blade and Tankman avoided a stomp, prompting a stalemate. Tankman downed Moriarty with a chop but Moriarty took him over with a head-scissor and tripped him into an arm kick. He continued to target the arm and gave Tankman Kawada kicks through the ropes but an ill-fated charge allowed Tankman to hit a powerslam onto the apron. They fought around the outside and Tankman broke Moriarty over the apron with a Side Suplex. The fight returned to the ring and Moriarty tried to take advantage with chops. Tankman just snarled at this until Moriarty picked up the pace with Machine Gun chops. Tankman took them all and nearly killed Moriarty with a forearm. Tankman locked in a side headlock, but the crowd willed Moriarty out, and he attacked Tankman’s arm again. Moriarty was slammed into the mat and Tankman grabbed onto his arms and tried to tear him apart. Tankman continued to punish him until Moriarty kicked away Tankman’s arm and staggered the big man with an Enzuigiri. He hit a second into the corner and tripped Tankman into a sliding double stomp. Moriarty fired off chest kicks at Tankman and the pair went hell for leather with elbows and forearms. The pair continued to trade as Tankman nailed a backbreaker and Moriarty locked in Joint Custody but both men ended up down after a devastating lariat. Tankman got off his destructive powerbomb/hidden blade combo, but Moriarty kicked out, and Tankman couldn’t believe it. He climbed to the second rope and tried to drag Moriarty up but this backfired as Moriarty changed this into joint custody and Moriarty made Tankman pass out with the Border City Stretch. This again, fucking rocked. I love styles clash matches and Moriarty played it smart whilst also showing heart in striking exchanges. Two of the best went to war here.

SHLAK defeated 1 Called Manders via Plastic Bag Asphyxiation

Cards are always subject to change and due to sad circumstances, AJ Gray wasn’t present for this (Our thoughts are with him.) in his place, fellow SGC Crew member Manders stood in to take on SHLAK. This was the Cornbelt Cowboy’s second deathmatch for me and I just knew SHLAK was going to kill him. The pair started with tackles and chops, then transitioned to stiff headbutts. Manders took control and threw SHLAK through a pane of glass. He tried to whip SHLAK through a barbed-wire door but SHLAK reversed, sending Manders flying through it. As Manders tried to remove the wire, SHLAK beat him over the head with part of the door and carved him up with the wire, all while dealing with a nasty gash to his cheek. The pair collided with tube bundles and rolled to the outside to assault each other with more tubes. He carved glass into Manders’ head, then charged him with a second pane that refused to break until it had connected with Manders twice. Manders somehow shook this off and bludgeoned SHLAK like a pinata with a broken door. The door went between heads and the fight finally returned to the ring. SHLAK cut off Manders in the ropes and hit a bundle leg drop to his head. He took Manders over with a backdrop and pelted him with more tubes before scoring a near-fall with an Overhead Belly to Belly. Manders wasn’t out though and took SHLAK through tubes with an Oklahoma Stampede and slammed him into the mat. The pair fought it out on their knees until SHLAK took the advantage and looked for a top-rope victory but Mander knocked him off the top with tubes and brought him crashing down with an avalanche overhead belly to belly and lariat. SHLAK kicked out so Manders choked him out with his cowbell. Manders tried another tube charge but SHLAK broke the tubes into his chest with a Polish Hammer and took him down with a lariat. SHLAK pulled out a plastic bag and won the match by asphyxiation, winning by sheer brutality. This was exceptional fucking carnage. I love deathmatch Manders and I’m glad GCW has been able to see him too now. SHLAK might have won but Manders won the heart of the crowd.

Jordan Oliver defeated ACH via Clout Cutter

After intermission, the ACH dream match tour continued as he took on Young Dagger Dick Jordan Oliver. ACH is one of the greatest indie wrestlers ever but how would he cope against someone as brash, resourceful and lax on the rules as Oliver? The pair started out struggling for technical dominance as ACH seemed to have the mat-based advantage and wanted to show it off. He popped up and tried for a backflip kick but Oliver catapulted him over the ropes and elbowed him to the floor. Oliver tried to follow but ACH was a step ahead and delivered a PK off the apron. They traded chops on the floor and Oliver caused ACH to faceplant onto the apron. Oliver kicked ACH into a chair and took a victory lap into a sliding dropkick. Back in-ring, ACH lit up Oliver with strikes and threw him over the turnbuckle to the floor. He sent Oliver into another turnbuckle but ran into an elbow and the pair struck each other around the ring. ACH regained control and started stomping Oliver’s head, continuing to angrily strike Oliver. He tried for a Tiger Bomb but Oliver reversed into a Back Body Drop and threw him over the ropes again for a running elbow and suicide dive. He threw ACH back into the ring and hit ACH with a Clout Cutter. He hopped up to the top but ACH hopped up faster and brought Oliver crashing down with a sunset bomb. Oliver tried to knock ACH off the top but ACH withstood and knocked Oliver back down. ACH crashed and burned on a frog splash but reversed a second Clout Cutter and hit a Tiger Bomb. The pair traded hard strikes, then Oliver reversed a brainbuster into Diamond Dust and hit a second Clout Cutter for the three-count. No one saw that coming and Oliver gets to celebrate a victory over one of indie wrestling’s finest. ACH made Oliver work for it and it showed just how much the Young, Dumb and Broke one has come.

Scramblefuck: Chris Dickinson defeated EFFY, Mance Warner, Allie Kat, Cole Radrick & Blake Christian via Blackheart Superplex

It can’t be a GCW show without a Scramblefuck. This time it was an all-star affair as we had some of GCW’s best and brightest filling the six spots. It would be EFFY, Mance Warner, Allie Kat, Cole Radrick, Blake Christian and Chris Dickinson all plonked in a ring and told to fight. Tensions were already high as EFFY was pissed at Allie Kat always coming out to Ted Nugent. EFFY struck first and knocked out Radrick, Dickinson and Warner, then tried to pull off a double-team with Allie but it resulted in Christian kneeing her in the head and the pair coming to EFFY’s brand of stand-off. Blake wasn’t phased and decked EFFY, ramming his face into the mat. Radrick came in and toped onto a downed Dickinson and hit a slingshot senton onto EFFY. Allie crushed Radrick with a senton and stunned him with a headbutt, allowing Mance to get rid of him by pelting a chair. He did the same to Allie and stared down Dickinson but the rest of the participants swarmed the ring before they could fight. They cleared off the rabble and brawled. Mance downed Dickinson with a short-arm clothesline but Christian broke up the pin. EFFY and Allie beat down Christian in the corner and tried for a double superplex but Christian threw them into each other and used them as stepping stones to hit Dickinson with a Hurricanrana. He dived onto Dickinson as Radrick dove onto EFFY and Allie. The pair dealt with Radrick and Mance approached, trying to find beer. There was no beer so he punched both and murdered Christian. EFFY and Allie double-teamed Mance with punches, scratches and a double Suplex. Dickinson rushed back in and traded with Allie, hitting her with an enzuigiri and eating defeat. He looked to have it won but she hit the Pussy Piledriver and got a two-count before EFFY turned on her. He threw her into Mance and kicked Mance in the balls but Christian was waiting and hit a buckle bomb and running knee. He looked set to dive but Dickinson caught him into a Dragon Screw and dived onto the rest of the competition before putting Christian in a Figure Four. Radrick broke this off with a springboard moonsault and got into a heated exchange with Radrick. Christian KO’ed Radrick with a roaring forearm but Radrick rolled out and climbed up for Elia when the Blackheart Music hit. Dickinson hit him with a Superplex and stole the win. Christian had this match won when Rush seemed to fuck with him from beyond the mat. Dickinson picked up a great win whilst we got to see a tease of a future match… plus, we got a beautiful speech from EFFY.

I Quit match: G-Raver defeated Jimmy Lloyd via Scissor Board Torture

Of course, nothing else could be the main event. We’d seen feel-good speeches, Gage fake-outs and Janela’s cardio before getting to this monster of a match. Raver had finally come back to wrestling and he had a grudge to deal with, Jimmy Lloyd. He’d already set him on fire so what the hell would he do to make Lloyd quit? This was going to get barbaric, bloody and potentially uncomfortable. There was no technical start, just traded punches and high-flying takeovers. Raver instantly took out Lloyd with a Suicide Cannonball and punt kicked him in the head. Raver grabbed a barbed-wire board, elbowed Lloyd into a chair and dropkicked the board into Lloyd, cutting into his shoulder. Lloyd scrambled away and gave Raver a chair to the face. He set up another door and threw Raver onto it, then dragged him over to the merch area and hit a piledriver onto one of the hardwood tables. The fight returned to the ring and Lloyd threatened Raver with a light-tube but missed the swing and Raver rained down forearms. He climbed to the top and hit Lloyd with a float over a cutter. Lloyd fell into the ropes and got kneed into the floor. More plunder was thrown into the ring and Raver set up a chair on the apron. He looked set to drive Lloyd onto it but Lloyd reversed and put him through it with a DVD. Raver got to breathe as another door was set up and pummelled Lloyd onto the door and hit a Swanton off the ring-post through Lloyd and the door. Somehow though, Lloyd wouldn’t quit. Raver tossed him back inside and rained down more boots on Lloyd. Raver reached into his coat and pelted Lloyd with another chair. Raver tried to stab Lloyd with tattoo needles but Lloyd kicked them away. He tried for a DVD but Raver elbowed free and stabbed tattoo needles into Lloyd’s hand. Raver then booted them back out and dropped Lloyd on his face with a rope-hung flatliner.

Raver made a horrible mistake though and turned his back on Lloyd as he set up more chairs. He gloated over his creation and Lloyd put him through it with an Assault Driver, spiking Raver in the kidney with a chair leg. Lloyd rubbed salt in the wounds by bringing out a tube ladder, the same contraption that injured Raver and set it up in the corner. Raver got justifiably pissed and dumped Lloyd on his head with a half and half. More plunder was set up as the pair brawled on top of chairs. Lloyd got the advantage and hit a Package Piledriver through the chairs. Raver refused to quit so Lloyd put him through a trio of doors on the outside with a Razor’s Edge. The locker room came out to check on Raver as he crawled back to the ring to fight. Lloyd tried to get the crowd behind him but Raver shocked everyone by hitting Lloyd with a nutcracker and throwing him into the tube ladder. It was all a ruse so the devil could get Lloyd where he wanted him. A giant ladder was set up and Raver had the crew assemble a platform of doors and glass. The pair fought atop this ladder until Raver dragged Lloyd to the top and knocked him off into the glass and wood below. The ref asked and Lloyd still wanted to go. Raver tied Lloyd to the ropes and pelted him with chairs to the head. The chairs weren’t cutting it so Raver grabbed a weed whacker and cut up Lloyd with it, striking him in the guts and dick. Lloyd was in tears but still wouldn’t quit. Raver had one more ace up his sleeve and brought out the lighter fluid. Lloyd dared him to do it, so Raver had no interest in using it. Raver found a scissor board, the thing that nearly fucked Lloyd up on multiple occasions and stuck the scissors into Lloyd’s face, taunting him with them. Raver put the board in front of Lloyd and took a run-up when Lloyd broke and quit. It was a heart-breaking cry for mercy but given Lloyd’s runs with scissors, I can’t blame him. This was the first US match of 2021 and really set the standard for how depraved wrestling could get. However, this was only the first shot. Raver is going to make Lloyd suffer until he’s as fucked up as he is. What a fucking show. The matches fucking killed, that I quit match gave me chills and I cannot wait to see what GCW gets up to in the new year.

All images courtesy of GCW Twitter, FITE TV, Kayden, Freebirds Shop, HeyyImRobb

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