WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD
Welcome back to part 2 of GCW’s big Atlantic City weekender. We’d dealt with Moxley vs Gage, now it was time to see the aftermath of it all. We knew GCW was building to Bloodsport and the NGI now so there could be all sorts of challenges and gauntlets thrown down. On the card tonight, we had another massive scramble, AJ Gray vs Colby Corino, Allie Katch taking on the debuting Mercedes Martinez, Alex Zayne vs Starboy Charlie, and more leading to the monstrous co-main events where Joey Janela took on Minoru Suzuki and Alex Colon went to war with Jimmy Lloyd in a brutal deathmatch. Let’s get into the action.
Scramble: Ninja Mack defeated Marcus Mathers, Frontman Jah, Gringo Loco, Spyder Nate Webb & Everett Connors (w/Charli Evans) via 450 Pin Counter on Mathers.
.@NinjaMack1 and @GringoLocoOG use some aerial offense to take out Everett Connors!#GCWAftermath @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/IfA1QkfyaR pic.twitter.com/0WxwTHCrXA— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2021
One of the highlights of the AC Weekend was the return of Charli Evans to the USA. She’d appeared to save him at JCW and now the new power couple were going to be represented in a mixed generation scramble match featuring some new blood and veteran hands. It would be a mix of high-flying, brawling, and barbarity as this clash of styles prepared to open the show with a bang, GCW style. As expected, this opened with flips and flying as Marcus Mathers got himself some hate for attacking Webb. Jah became public enemy number one by spilling beer and continuously worked to be the centre of attention. As per usual with these scrambles, there was action aplenty, spotlight-stealing aplenty, and a whole host of fun spots and mini-fights. Everyone was firing on all cylinders for the last show of the weekend and the surprise return of Webb was a nice little booster despite terrifying everyone with a bad landing. Mack got the big win and proved he is still the current master of the scramble within the company, using his wits instead of his flips to put an opponent away. Again, the scramble proves to be a whole lot of fun and the perfect way to kick off this monster show.
AJ Gray defeated Colby Corino via Death by Lariat
Next up was another unique pairing as Colby Corino returned to GCW to go to war with Black Death, AJ Gray. We know both guys can go but Corino had a size disadvantage here so he’d be relying on his speed and agility to avoid Death by Lariat. Okay, this was an awesome little match. It opened with a unique brand of technicality and had Corino getting the better of Gray with grappling and misdirection. Gray brute-forced his way through and things got way more physical as Corino tried to stand up to Gray’s intense physical style. Corino’s high-flying cost him and Gray was always ready to crush and capitalise. The unpredictability of the moment-to-moment action kept you guessing just what both fighters would pull out next as Corino looked to keep Gray down and curb the striking ability whilst Gray brought out the surprising and painful counters. It might seem like I don’t have much to say but in reality, it was just a great match of back-and-forth physicality where both guys went for broke in the time they had. Corino managed to find Gray’s number on several occasions but in the end, he fell to Black Death and that lariat despite every counter he’d thrown at it. What a fucking fight. A must-watch gem from this show.
Tony Deppen defeated Dante Leon via KO Knee Strike
.@Tony_Deppen catches Leon in mid-air with a knee and follows up with another one!#GCWAftermath @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/IfA1QkfyaR pic.twitter.com/sThx3kOtKP— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2021
How do you know GCW is interested in you? They put you against Tony Deppen. The gatekeeper of the company. Deppen has been burning through the high-flyers on the scene right now and forcing them to work his kind of match. He has been pretty undefeatable in these types of fights but now he was going against the Endseeker Dante Leon. Early on, Leon went for broke with his style of wrestling. Deppen was left reeling as Leon dove, kicked, and knocked him dizzy with a Spanish Fly. Deppen took flight too and went into murder mode, clearly pissed about the fight he was in. It got hyper-competitive through pinfalls and Deppen just got nastier and more aggressive as time went on. Leon kept working to turn his fortunes and again, flew at Deppen knocking him to the floor again. Alas, it didn’t keep him safe as Deppen killed him again with a double stomp to the floor. Both guys kept kicking up the gears and both were finally too exhausted to keep going. When they got back to their feet, the intensity was ramped up again as the pair slugged it out. Neither man could find a way to kill the other as the kick-outs kept coming despite the bombs being thrown. Once again, Deppen’s wits got him the win as he kneed Leon out of an SSP and ended him with a KO Knee Strike. This was a vicious match showing off the variety of styles these fighters can command at a moment’s notice. It was competitive to the end and Deppen continues to show that the high-flyers have depth through matches like this.
.@Atticus_Cogar puts skewers in Nick Wayne's head!#GCWAftermath @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/IfA1QkfyaR pic.twitter.com/GK0LCSvO15— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2021
Post-match, Nick Wayne head to the ring for his match but Atticus Cogar jumped him and basically tried to murder him. Cogar bullied him around the venue, bludgeoning him with chairs and tried to garrotte him with a cable. The skewers came out and shocked the world by skewering Wayne, a high schooler. You sick fuck is right. It took Jordan Oliver and the rest of YDNB running out to scare off the Silver Teeth Satan before he really caused some harm. YDNB are now protecting the youth of the company since Cogar seems to want to murder them.
Alex Zayne defeated Starboy Charlie (w/Chris Dickinson) via Taco Driver
.@starb0ycharlie spins on Zayne's head and hits an arm drag!#GCWAftermath @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/IfA1QkfyaR pic.twitter.com/sPqeKv1Wwr— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2021
Speaking of youth, it was time for another dose of Team Eye to Eye. This time it would be Starboy Charlie fighting solo with Chris Dickinson watching from his corner as he prepped to take on The Sauce Alex Zayne. This was one I couldn’t predict. Alex Zayne is a master of innovation and has been nigh on unstoppable since returning but Charlie has skills on skills and could believably cause an upset. Charlie started strong but there’s only so much Zayne was willing to take before bringing the fight right back. Zayne tried to have fun at Charlie’s expense but it only resulted in him getting hurt. Once again, we got another match that mixed creativity with high-flying and technicality. The Dickinson influence was starting to shine through in some of Charlie’s offences as he tried to break Zayne’s legs. This only worked part-time as again, the Taco Bell energy kept bring Zayne back to life. It was another compelling fight as neither fighter was ever out for the count for very long. Charlie is a wrestling chameleon but that was being put through the wringer as Zayne picked him apart. When the dust had cleared, Charlie had lost but he had left his mark against Zayne, shocking the Sauce by kicking out of the Crunchwrap Supreme and learned even more lessons from another veteran of the game. It had definitely been a valiant effort from the Starboy and another killer match on a show full of killer matches.
Calvin Tankman defeated ASF via Super Sit-Out Powerbomb
Nope. @CalvinTankman #GCWAftermath @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/IfA1QkfyaR pic.twitter.com/27ViAvYR4B— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2021
They often say size doesn’t matter but I’m not sure it could be attributed here. ASF has been on a bit of a tear in GCW, wowing with his Lucha stylings in scrambles, now he was going to be put in the fight of his life against Heavyweight Hustle, Calvin Tankman. There was a massive size discrepancy here as Tankman is a super heavyweight who can move like a cruiserweight and has a pretty good track record against Luchadors. However, ASF didn’t seem too fussed by this and got down to fight. He learned he couldn’t square up to Tankman so he tried to fight around him and use his speed as a weapon to take Tankman down. Obviously, Tankman wised up to this and went on the warpath against ASF, hitting him so hard he probably regretted coming to work. This mauling went around the building as Tankman mercilessly beat down ASF, enjoying the power advantage. ASF went all-out to even the odds and kept Tankman reeling but the effort he was putting in limited his chances for pins. Both guys were down from the other’s efforts and narrowly beat the double count to continue beating the hell out of each other, Tankman going back into murder mode. That could extinguish the fire in ASF though who kept kicking his way back into things. Unfortunately, he kept pushing his luck and Tankman kept punishing him. That would play into the finish as Tankman caught ASF on the top and drove him into the mat with a Super Sit-Out Powerbomb that made ASF bounce on impact. This was fucking awesome. I love David and Goliath fights and ASF had to be knocked the hell out to finally give up. If you weren’t already sold on him, he just put on a clinic of underdog wrestling mastery. Once again. this show killed it with the storytelling within matches.
Allie Katch defeated Mercedes Martinez via Ocean Cyclone Suplex
Okay, time for a potential murder. Mercedes Martinez was making her GCW debut and was about to lock up with one of the deadliest in the ring right now, Allie Katch. Martinez may be the world-travelled, company travelled veteran of the game and this debut was long overdue but oh boy, she was in for a tough fight against Katch. This was beyond intense. It started measured with grappling and quickly descended into stiff brawling as the niceties of grappling gave way to nasty strikes. Martinez seemed equally happy to murder Katch as she brought out a whole host of violent and horrific manoeuvres to end Katch early, working over her neck. Katch refused to stay down and brought the fight back hard, busting out her signature style of pain to leave Martinez hurting. A fight on the top saw both struggle to nail the other with anything until Martinez was knocked to the mat and jumped back up to dump Katch with a Spider German. Katch kicked out again but the toll was being taken on her neck. Katch kneed her way into things and stunned Martinez with a DVD before dropping them both with a headbutt. Both beat the count and kept hitting each other in the jaw with forearms. Martinez tried to kill Katch with knees and kicks but Katch just downed her with a clothesline. She fought like hell, through a hell of a lot of pain, and took the win over Martinez with one of the best finishers, The Ocean Cyclone Suplex. Holy shit, this got stiff. I had no doubt this would kick ass but it managed to be even better than expected.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Joey Janela via Gotch Style Piledriver
The Minoru Suzuki vs GCW tour continues with a stop-off in Atlantic City. This time it would be one of GCW’s biggest stars taking the fight to Suzuki as the Bad Boy Joey Janela was stepping into the ring to battle the King. We’d seen a technical masterclass and a brawling slugfest, what would Janela bring out of Suzuki. Janela was ready to fight but Suzuki took his time and laughed at him. Both of them knew how to work the crowd and Suzuki used this to bait Janela into a striking battle. Punishing the Bad Boy with lethal chops. Suzuki was in full dickhead mode here as he made light of Janela’s attacks and tried to kill him with his own. This worked to motivate Janela but didn’t stop the punishment. That fight went out into the crowd as Suzuki bullied Janela around the venue and fans ran for their lives. Janela joined them as he pissed off Suzuki with palm strikes. Suzuki was having the time of his life here as he couldn’t stop smiling at the damage and pain he was causing. That smile quickly faded though as Janela started slapping him, earing Janela another series of hard shots and an attempted breaking of his arm and fingers. Janela just couldn’t get a break as Suzuki always found a way to cut off his momentum and break him further. Even whilst trapping in a Figure-Four, Suzuki was messing with Janela, sitting up and laughing through cries of pain. Janela kept trying to play Suzuki’s game and kept getting knocked on his ass for it but wouldn’t stop coming at him. He even did the arms behind the back offer so Suzuki just KO’ed him with another sickening forearm. Janela even hit him with the DVD but it got a one-count and a look of disappointment from Suzuki. They kept trading at Suzuki’s behest and Suzuki finally put Janela out of his misery with the Gotch Style Piledriver. Props to Janela, this was an incredible ride. He kept getting up and coming at Suzuki no matter what was thrown at him in an incredible show of heart. However, heart only got him so far and the blows finally put him out like a light. Compelling stuff to watch and proof that Janela is one tough son of a bitch. Post-match, we got a fun confrontation between Suzuki and Chris Dickinson as they prepare to go to war soon.
Alex Colon defeated Jimmy Lloyd via Camel Clutch
Last but not least, the main event. It was time to get bloody as two of the stalwarts of GCW’s roster went to war in another deathmatch. Alex Colon and Jimmy Lloyd are two of the most recognisable stars of the deathmatch world and they were closing out the show with an explosion of glass and barbed wire. They opened with a lock-up round the wire and Colon sent Lloyd outside for a tube dive. Colon propelled himself at Lloyd again with a running lariat and did the same again with a tube. He cut Lloyd up with more tubes and kept himself fired up by nailing himself in the head too. Lloyd struck as they returned to the ring and broke a bundle over Colon’s head. He made Colon bleed with a broken tube so Colon snatched the tube away and smashed it in Lloyd’s face. Colon kept pummelling Lloyd and left the ring to fire up with the fans so Lloyd grabbed a chair and flew through a wall of tubes to hit Colon with a dive. Doors came out and Lloyd tried to set some up but took too long, allowing Colon to get his wind back. He came at Lloyd with doors and chairs, then set up his own fuckery. More tubes broke and Colon tried to cut off Lloyd’s offence by stabbing into his arm and leg. Lloyd looked out for the count so Colon handed him a super bundle and ran at him but Lloyd kicked back and pelted Colon with the bundle. He launched Colon into a wired patch and threw a bundle to him, dropkicking it into him and giving him another back full of wire. Colon sent Lloyd outside again and nailed a Suicide DDT onto the swan glass pane. It didn’t break so Colon scooped it up and broke it over Lloyd’s back instead.
HOLY FUCK! @TheJimmyLLoyd #GCWAftermath @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/IfA1QkfyaR pic.twitter.com/pDMAEXRDFz— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 10, 2021
He threw Lloyd back into the ring for the bundle double knees and tried for a step-up Code Red off a chair but Lloyd caught him and broke him across the chair with an Air Raid Crash. He hoisted Colon up again and put him through a glass pane with a Falcon Arrow. They slugged it out and dropped each other with various suplexes before Colon threw more tubes and scored another near-fall with a Code Red. He went up top but Lloyd dragged him down into a Fireman’s Carry and drove them both through doors with a Suicide Finlay Roll. They slugged it out again and Lloyd scored another two with the Gonzo Bomb. He went for the kill with a Suplex onto another pane but Colon kicked him into a chair and went tube crazy, breaking every bit of glass in sight, then scored another two with a glass pane double stomp. He broke the pane and applied the Camel Clutch. Lloyd passed out and Colon was declared the winner. This was bloody excellent. It had the high-stakes feel of the main event and all the shocking violence you’d want. These two always know how to deliver and the post-match surprise was just as great as AKIRA came out to show his respect to Colon and share some big news. He wanted to prove himself to Colon and the GCW audience and laid out a challenge for Colon’s choosing. The fans shouted out Hammerstein but Colon had a better idea, they’re going to war at NGI 6. That is going to be fucking incredible. Seriously, GCW are blowing up at the moment. The show quality is through the roof and the rest of their schedule seems to be showing no sign of letting up.
All images courtesy of GCW, FITE, FREEBIRDS_Shop, HeyyImRob