Welcome to day two of the GCW and friend’s invasion of Chicago. On day one we saw Freelance get their solo show and BLP team up for a super-show. Now, BLP was opening the day with its own solo show following some of the wild fallout of 3 Cups Stuffed and would act as a precursor to one of the craziest GCW shows to date, The Art of War Games. Between the title fights and the crazy scrambles, we would see one of GCW’s most ambitious matches, the Team MDK vs 44OH! War Games match. Once again, there’s a whole load of action to break down so let’s get into it.
BLP: “Ground Control to Filthy Tom”
Billie Starkz defeated Jody Threat via Tombstone Piledriver
BLP opened the show with a wrestling battle of Red vs Blue. Space Jesus Billie Starkz was opening this space-themed show with a tough bout against Jody Threat. The pair put on a nice generational bout as Threat played to her power and veteran instincts and Starkz played to her speed and creativity. It led to an excellent opener that the crowd got into and left both fighters with bad backs.
Jordan Oliver defeated Drago, Nick Wayne & Starboy Charlie via Clout Cutter on Charlie
Next up was another high-flying multi-man spectacle as Drago returned to our screens to battle three of the hottest young talent, Nick Wayne, Starboy Charlie, and Jordan Oliver. He looked to impart some wisdom through the power of beatings but found himself the target when the younger generation wasn’t beating the hell out of each other. It was fast, furious, and fun. That’s what it wanted to be and it nailed it.
Big Beef defeated Anthony Greene via BEEF Splash
BEEF! Big Beef was back to break some more skulls and this time his sights were set on the returning Anthony Greene. The Alternative has a chip on his shoulder but he might come away with even more as Beef likes to bludgeon his opponents. This was a stiff one as Beef hit hard and Greene answered back, leading to this cat and mouse match of pain. Both guys left it all in the ring and Beef left the winner. This was another one of those matches you could watch multiple times just to see every car crash of a move happen.
Lee Moriarty defeated Laredo Kid via Armbar
Oh boy, time for the best technical wrestler in the world to meet one of the world’s best Luchadors. Lee Moriarty and Laredo Kid took the time they had and put on a chess game of a wrestling match. We had flying, submissions, grappling, and stiff strikes all intermingling to cause pain and damage. Neither man could keep their momentum as a counter was always nearby. It was a tense fight to the very end and a whole lot of fun.
Josh Bishop murdered Trevor Outlaw via Bishop’s Edge
In between the matches we had a deadly return to the company as Joshua Bishop came out and murdered Trevor Outlaw. He’d held the show hostage as his match had been cancelled. He wanted a fight so Bishop decided to fix things. Bishop came at Outlaw like a Terminator and launched him with a Choke-plex before ending things with the Ryback and Bishop’s Edge through chairs. Outlaw wanted a match; he was sacrificed to the Blood Gods. Be careful what you wish for.
Kevin Blackwood defeated Janai Kai via Single Leg Crab
After that snuff film, we got a match I didn’t expect but am overjoyed that it happened. Kevin Blackwood went one on one with the baddest Black Belt Janai Kai. This was going to be a kicking and striking extravaganza. Once again, this was a match that mixed brains and brawn as both fighters continuously had to think ahead to avoid the other’s attacks. Kai seemed to have Blackwood’s number and he had to take multiple breathers. This entire match was disciplined viciousness personified. Pure physicality from start to finish.
Kylie Rae defeated Killer Kelly via Crossface
Well, this is a clash of personalities. Smiley Kylie Rae was back in action and she was taking on the returning Killer Kelly. It would be smiley fire vs killer violence. When Killer Kelly smiles in the ring it usually means you’re going to die. That’s kind of how the match played out. Kelly spent a lot of time trying to kill whilst Rae started happily and got angrier and angrier as the match went on. Even then, Kelly was a machine in the ring, destroying her opponent. You can never keep Rae down though and she found her way to the win with a Crossface. That’s one on her journey back, now to catch ’em all.
Danhausen, Dan the Dad, WARHORSE & EFFY defeated Devon Monroehausen, Pufhausen, Cabana Man Danhausen & Megabyte Ronniehausen via Finisher combo on all clones
Time for another WTF match. Warhausen, EFFY, and Dan the Dad had a tough job on their hands as an army of Fakehausens had appeared that looked like Devon Monroe, Puf, Cabana Man Dan, and Megabyte Ronnie. Could our band of heroes defeat this very nice, very evil army? This was ridiculous fun. The dynamic between the real and fake Danhausens, the comedic spots throughout, the ridiculous premise. It was all fun and hearing commentary trying to take in what they were seeing was hilarious. Amongst all that though, there was a whole host of real quality wrestling. This was the perfect break after all the serious matches we’d had up to now. Also, I popped for Eddie Van WARHORSE, that gear rocks.
Kevin Ku defeated Rohit Raju via Gutwrench Double Knee Backbreaker
From giddy highs, we descended to gritty striking once again. Kevin Ku was coming to BLP solo and he was going to kick the life out of Rohit Raju. Both Raju and Ku showed off every bit of technicality, brains, and bludgeoning ability they had. Raju had a game plan and he tried to stick to it, dismantling Ku’s arm. That only solved some of the problems though as Ku continued to strike back and knocked Raju around as he owed him money. This is another one of those matches that’s hard to describe because it’s just excellent violence you want to watch because both guys are really damn good.
BLP Heavyweight Title: Jake Something defeated Stallion Rogers via Black Hole Slam
How about a battle between two workhorses? Stallion Rogers was back for his next match of the weekend and it was for a title. He was getting a shot at the BLP title but that meant taking on a very angry Jake Something. This was brutal as Something pulled no punches and Stallion took every shot and gave it back. There was just no give throughout. Neither man was there to play nice and used every tool in the arsenal to put the other down. You wanted to see creativity, you got it here as both men threw out some incredible moves. Something couldn’t win fairly so he hit Stallion in the cock and won with the Black Hole Slam after several minutes of pure punishment. You might disagree with the methods and attitude but it worked again. Something still reigns supreme.
Filthy Tom Lawlor defeated Daniel Garcia via Rear Naked Choke
Last but not least, the main event. The newly minted Midwest Champion, Filthy Tom Lawlor was going to battle Red Death, Daniel Garcia, one of the hottest wrestlers on the planet right now. BLP was ending thing with another technical masterpiece. These two had a cerebral bout of targeted strikes, chokes, and submissions as both jockeyed to be the top dog of the match. There was barely a moment to stop as both guys turned mistakes and moves into opportunities to hurt the other. This was intense and unmissable as sequences went by in rapid-fire and momentum shifted on a dime. The ending came from another smart counter and gave Lawlor his second win of the weekend. What a fight. This proved why it was the main event and if Tom Lawlor wasn’t considered a weekend MVP after his match with Alex Shelley, he definitely should be now.
GCW: “The Art of War Games”
Billie Starkz defeated Janai Kai via Tombstone
GCW welcomed us back to its second show of the weekend with some two-ring warfare. Before diving too deep into the madness, we had a showcase for two of the JCW/GCW standouts, Janai Kai and Billie Starkz. It would be kicks vs creativity as Kai would use her BJJ knowledge to try and dismantle Starkz and Starkz would look to use every tool she could to keep Kai at bay. Those kicks quickly came into play and forced Starkz to re-evaluate a bit. Things only got more intense as Kai was busted open and only ramped up her viciousness at the sight of crimson. From there, the gloves were off and both women beat the hell out of each other. Starkz is now two for two on opening shows with excellent opening fights against diverse styles of fighting. Also, the second win in a row with that deadly Tombstone. This is how you open your show, with hard-hitting, heavy striking action.
Tony Deppen defeated Allie Katch via Snot Rocket Codebreaker
The intensity continued as Allie Katch looked to continue her weekend reign of terror by taking out the Gatekeeper Tony Deppen. With these two present, it was going to be a must-watch mat no matter who won. Deppen decided to mock the Katch moniker before the match and lit the fuse for a very explosive wrestling match. Deppen being a dickhead seemed to be a theme for this match before Katch opened the match up into an all-out professional wrestling war. This was another match where any move could suddenly give your opponent the edge, they could counter like mad and Katch had to deal with some neck issues throughout. This didn’t stop her pushing Deppen to his limits and giving us one hell of a wrestling epic. Through thick and thin, the crowd tried to will her through as everyone wanted to see her shut Deppen up. Both fighters were left damaged and although Deppen won the bout, he earned the wrath of Katch and paid the price. I need to see another round between these two as this was bloody awesome. Plus, Deppen won by cheating which means he couldn’t beat Katch clean. Afterwards, Deppen tried to kill Ron Funches too, wrestling is wild.
PBR’s Two Ring Ladder Scramble Fuckfest: Ninja Mack defeated Dante Leon, Nick Wayne, Jake Lander, Jordan Oliver, Yoya & Shane Mercer via Super Sunset Bomb on Leon
The gloves were off now as Pabst Blue Ribbon presenting the most fucked-up scramble GCW has had yet. Seven fighters, two rings, and a whole bunch of ladders. This was a recipe for disaster and no doubt Mack, Leon, Wayne, Lander, Oliver, Mercer, and Yoya were all going to wear the scars of it. Mercer was pretty much the most dangerous man in the match as he could overpower everyone in the match and launched Yoya across several rows of the crowd from the ring. There was action everywhere as scraps broke out between the fighters, the daredevils took to the air with the powers of ropes and ladders and the gif-able moments just kept coming. It was just moment after moment after moment as for twenty minutes these seven beat ten shades of shit out of each other. We even had Leon and Mack trying to do the milk crate challenge, only to incur the wrath of Shane Mercer who ruined the whole thing by throwing Lander. There were so many moments where someone could have died that it became completely unmissable, every second could present something jaw-dropping. Mercer was the monster, Mack and Leon couldn’t put hostilities aside and Yoya kept going from victim to aggressor. There was so much going on you’d need an essay to document it all. One minute, everyone was down. The next, Mercer and Lander are having a test of strength by pressing Wayne and Yoya. He even hit Lander with a top rope Moonsault and Battery. As the clock ticked on, there were more and more moments where someone should have died. When it was done, Mack was the winner but what price had he paid for it? There were broken doors, ladders, and bodies everywhere. He ended this match against his greatest rival and picked up another win over Leon. All the animosity was lost for everyone bar Jordan Oliver as they all shared a beer or water after the match.
TWENTY FOOT SUNSET BOMB OFF THE LADDER FROM @NinjaMack1 #GCWWarGames pic.twitter.com/CbLMGTvwWN
— Fuck Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) September 5, 2021
War Games: Team MDK (Nick Gage, Alex Colon, EFFY, AJ Gray, Matthew Justice & Mance Warner) defeated 44OH! (Rickey Shane Page, Atticus Cogar, Eric Ryan, Eddy Only, Bobby Beverly & Gregory Iron) via Chokebreaker to RSP
War huh good God y’all what is it good for? Setting up massive, multi-man double ring cage matches of ultimate fuckery that’s what. It was time to end things between 44OH! and Team MDK for good. Rickey Shane Page and the gang of green have terrorised GCW and the King for so long and now, this was the ultimate solution to get rid of them. 12 men, 2 rings, 1 cage. Iron opened against EFFY with EFFY punishing Iron with many a dick-based hit. Team MDK had the advantage and just as he had EFFY down, Mance Warner came out to mess him up. SGC linked up and put Iron through the first door of the match. Eddy Only was out next for 44OH! and had 0 seconds of action as MDK punched him down. Iron distracted the pair and Only hit both in the dick then put out a cigarette on the MDK team’s tongues. Matthew Justice came out next and couldn’t even get in the cage as Iron kicked a cage door into him. Once he got in, all hell broke loose for 44OH! as bodies met cage walls and chairs. Atticus Cogar was out to even the odds and systematically destroyed all of Team MDK. As things got competitive Alex Colon came out and broke the first tubes of the night with a double knee to Cogar. Team MDK teed off on Cogar with tubes and The Bev came to the rescue with a whole bunch of Saitos. As SGC and 44OH! battled in one ring, Colon and Cogar battled it out on the scaffold bringing glass panes into the mix. AJ Gray was out next and started throwing hands and kicks like they were going out of style. Meanwhile, Cogar put Colon through the pane and a door with an Air Raid Crash. Eric Ryan was out next and he rushed to help Cogar back into the cage. He wasn’t the entrant though, RSP was. 44OH! had cheated and chained up the door before Gage could enter.
this is THE END of Rickey Shane Page #GCWWarGames pic.twitter.com/csqkCWU9jn
— Fuck Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) September 5, 2021
44OH! went on a massacre with tubes and bundles as Gage couldn’t enter the cage. They had broken the rules but that meant naff all as they were going to eradicate MDK. Gage tried to bust open the door as MDK battled the handicap odds. Gage and Colon were coming in angry and with everyone in, the match could be won now. A 12-man tube breaking brawl broke out as everyone went on the attack. There was carnage everywhere as this blood feud blew up within the confines of the cage. There was glass and blood everywhere as pretty much every fighter was cut and bleeding. Iron got the better of Gage again with a door spear but Gage wasn’t taking that and obliterated Iron with a super bundle. RSP was clearing house too as he battled Gray. Between the two rings, everyone was hurting. Even commentary was struggling to keep up, the camera lingering on Gage and the pizza cutter. Gage and RSP wrote another brutal chapter in their story and SGC took to the air with a superfly splash from the scaffold. We saw Gray eat a bundle via double brainbuster and Colon killed Beverly and Ryan with a glass pane double stomp. Cogar and Colon went for a second round on the scaffold and despite being skewered Colon sent them both crashing down with a Spanish Fly. RSP was the last 44OH! Man standing and ran to the hills… well scaffold. Mance and Justice gave chase and EFFY, Gage and Colon set up the fuckery. RSP was thrown into the murder pile and Gage ended things with a Chokebreaker. Team MDK took out 44OH! and left all of them bloody and broken. This was pure fucking carnage. Glass, blood, broken bodies, and broken dreams littered the cage. This was amazing and ended up being the swan song on RSP’s deathmatch career. He’s stepping away from the style and went out with the most violent of bangs. This was incredible.
Matt Cardona’s GCW Universal Title Open Challenge
PARADIGM SHIFT TO ZACK RYDER THROUGH THE TUBES. JON MOXLEY WINS THE GCW WORLD TITLE #GCWWargames pic.twitter.com/d6zOQFf37q
— Fuck Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) September 5, 2021
Believe it or not, War Games wasn’t the end for this show. Despite all that maddening violence, we now had to put up with an open challenge from the GCW King, Matt Cardona. Given how the last one went, this was going to end up being a joke. He brought out his “opponent” and it turned out to be the one and only murder death Klown Frank the Clown. He lost in 11 seconds after losing his wig to a belt hit as the representative for Chicago. As you can imagine, no one was happy about this. Cardona tried to brag about his win when he was cut off by the infamous music of A Serbian Film. That meant one thing, G-Raver! The druids were back and filled the ring as G-Raver menacingly made his way to the cage. Cardona squared up and Raver sicked the druids on him. He fought off all but one and that druid hit Cardona with the Paradigm Shift. Jon Moxley was here to save GCW from this makeshift King. Moxley dropped Cardona with a second Paradigm Shift onto tubes and took the GCW World Championship. GCW has a new king and his name is Jon Moxley. His first target, an old friend and the man he clashed with months ago, Nick F’N Gage. The dream match lives again. GCW has had another Paradigm Shift and his name is Moxley.
MOX speaks just moments after becoming the *new* GCW World Champion at #GCWWarGames…
Next up:
Mox vs Gage
10/9/21
Atlantic City, NJ pic.twitter.com/sW65t2YdqC— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) September 5, 2021
All images courtesy of GCW, BLP, FITE, Isthiswrestling, Killer Kelly