WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AHEAD
Welcome back to part two of GCW’s triumphant return to Texas. It was time to hit Dallas again and GCW were bringing the big guns. It was set to be another stacked card featuring big returns, big matches and some surprises along the way. Plus, there would be plenty of violence and another big deathmatch to end things. On the cards tonight, we’d see Joey Janela vs ASF, Jordan Oliver vs Atticus Cogar, the return of Blake Christian, The Briscoes vs Ninja Mack and Dante Leon, Allie Katch vs Thunder Rosa and much much more leading to the main-event bloodbath between John Wayne Murdoch and Jimmy Lloyd. Let’s get into the action.
Joey Janela defeated ASF via Package/Gotch-Style Piledriver Combo
Up first tonight was the return of the Bad Boy Joey Janela. The ultimate provocateur of GCW was back in action and was about to take on one of the hottest up and comers in the company right now, ASF. Win or lose, people are enamoured with Antonio San Francisco and the Lucha antics he brings to the ring. Given the two creatives in the ring, anything was possible here. Sadly, the first part of the match was lost to technical difficulties as the feed cut out but when it returned, we got a nice clash of styles as Janela did what he does best, cut people off and force them to work his style while throwing in his own flash too. They took this anarchy around the venue, crushing chairs and legit trying to kill each other, even when the cameras couldn’t see it. Both wrestlers were firing on all cylinders as Janela turned ASF into the ultimate underdog with violent Suplexes and cutting him off at any chance he could. In the end, his strategy worked as even after everything ASF did, he still got the win, murdering ASF with not one but two nasty Piledrivers. It had been competitive as hell, scary as hell at times and once the stream behaved itself, fun as hell too.
Tony Deppen defeated Demonic Flamita via KO Knee
Next, we had more Tony Deppen vs Luchador action as this time, he looked to break Demonic Flamita. The Demonic One had already tasted defeat this weekend with the Lucha six-man and Deppen looked to rub salt in the wounds by forcing him to 0-2. This was one of those matches that just didn’t wait. Flamita had tried to be an asshole and Deppen gave it right back, opening with early dives and vicious strikes. This match got heavy as Tony Deppen found himself on the back foot as Flamita pissed the fans off more than he could and methodically broke him down in and around the ring, flipping the fans off in the process. It was a fast match with Flamita bringing the pain and Deppen being forced to work up, punishing the Demon for getting too cocky with him. Both wrestlers would absorb shots that would kill lesser fighters and used a mix of hard strikes, deadly kicks and manic flips to wear the other down. After a relentless sprint of a match, Deppen threw everything he had at Flamita and took the win with a KO Knee, middle fingers up on impact. This was awesome. It didn’t drag, had bags of personality and made me all the more a fan of Demonic Flamita. Deppen is still one of the best on the indies and will bring the best out of anyone he’s in the ring with, even if that means being the lesser of two assholes on occasion.
Atticus Cogar vs Jordan Oliver ends in No Contest
This is amazing #GCWSOALIVE @GCWrestling_ @FiteTV @Atticus_Cogar @TheJordanOIiver pic.twitter.com/UNjpDoAaZr
— (???????)??? ??????? (@AshDabbath) December 5, 2021
Okay, here comes the pain. We’ve seen these two try to destroy each other across multiple shows and states. Now, it was one-on-one, man vs man. Oliver had tried to show Cogar he could be one of them, the youth but instead Cogar had tried to kill him and anyone associated with him. it was time for murder as Oliver had realised there was no redeeming someone like that. These two wasted no time in throwing hands and Oliver tried to match Cogar at the brawling game. There was no real wrestling to be had here, it was just on-sight violence as Oliver pummelled and threw himself into his attacks. Cogar matched the intensity and hate, even stabbing up Oliver with skewers. Oliver got so into things; he took himself out colliding with a metal pole. The refs tried to stop the viciousness but they were either thrown out or skewered. Just as it looked like Oliver was about to get some skewer-based vengeance, Cogar blinded and burned him with a fireball. Cogar had taken Oliver out of the equation again and made things way worse by running Oliver down again on the mic, making a match for himself. Jordan Oliver vs Atticus Cogar, no-rope barbed-wire in LA. He then sealed that deal with more fire, holding Oliver’s face into a ringside pyro after a Brain Haemorrhage. Holy shit did this make a statement. Cogar wanted to prove his point and he did, showing Oliver he was far more sadistic than ever imagined. This was by far and away one of the best no-contest brawls I’ve seen in quite some time.
Blake Christian defeated Jack Cartwheel via 450 Double Stomp
.@jackcartwheel with a corkscrew SSP!#GCWSoAlive @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/6v9ItcxlXf pic.twitter.com/oq0ytcBPmS— Rob (@HeyyImRob) December 5, 2021
What is GCW without a heart? Whilst his absence was only brief, Blake Christian was returning to a company full of new and innovative high-flyers. He’d set the standard alongside Alex Zayne and now was going to pick up where he left off, showing nothing had changed. His first opponent in this renaissance, Jack Cartwheel. It started nice and light with everyone including the ref doing cartwheels and became more competitive as time went on. Cartwheel and Christian were clearly having fun whilst doing what they do best. It was a massive chance for Jack Cartwheel to rise to a challenge and try to bring it to one of GCW’s established high-flying masters. I think he achieved that. This was 20 minutes of exciting action interlaced with personality, technique and flippy shit all with an undercurrent of intensity as Christian showed he could still go as well as ever despite his brief excursion. Welcome back Blake Christian, you had been missed and made your return a highlight of a stacked show. Plus, that 450 Double Stomp looked gnarly. He’s back and he’s not just doing it for the fun of it, he’s going to be the best in the world.
The Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice & AJ Gray) defeated Alex Colon & Sadika via Door Breaker Immortal Corruption on Sadika
Well, this was going to be a doozy. The SGC is all about chaos. It’s thrash metal and anarchy with no one safe from the fallout. That energy was about to meet someone just as manic as they fought the law and disorder of Alex Colon and Sadika. Colon is one of the most disciplined Bloodfighters on the planet and he had Sadika there to bring the uncontrollable pain to AJ Gray and Alex Colon. Sadika had already had a brush with EFFY, time to battle more of SGC. This was wild. I always love seeing Alex Colon in action but we also had the unexpected dream match of Matthew Justice and Sadika taking their fight around the crowd. Colon and Sadika found excellent working chemistry and were beating SGC at their own chaotic game. SGC finally started to turn the tide and the violence count just kept getting taken higher as both teams looked to murder the other and the plunder came out. Everyone brought the fight, as Sadika hit another twisting Neckbreaker off the apron to Gray and would have nearly taken the match if it wasn’t for Justice and a chair. Sadika had found herself right at home amongst this madness and brought the fight to SGC as Colon brought his wrestling IQ in to play alongside the hardcore. Gray nearly killed Colon during the match with a Uranage onto the bottom of an open chair, nearly impaling him and did it again with a double throw onto chairs. Through everything that happened though, SGC persevered and eventually got the win. Considering this was a match made on the fly, it was a blast to watch. Sadika went off the rails again but it felt so much more at home here, forcing SGC to end her with Immortal Corruption through a door. What a beautiful mess.
Scramble: Fuego Del Sol defeated Drago Kid, Deranged, Gringo Loco, Nick Wayne & Sam Stackhouse via Destroyer on Stackhouse
.@FuegoDelSol hits a moonsault off a pole while @GringoLocoOG hits a tope con giro!#GCWSoAlive @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/6v9ItcxlXf pic.twitter.com/bGG9UoMYuM— Rob (@HeyyImRob) December 5, 2021
After intermission, we had the GCW classic scramble match featuring some of the fastest, the flippiest and some surprise entrants as Deranged the scramble specialist, Sam Stackhouse and Fuego Del Sol appeared in this six-man clusterfuck. It would be speed and agility vs the raw power of Sam Stackhouse. Much like always, it was pure joy in and around the ring. Some fallout from the previous show resurfaced between Loco and Drago Kid as everyone went to war with Stackhouse. Battles broke out everywhere with everyone trying to take that spotlight. Once again, Deranged shone throughout the match and Fuego Del Sol basked in the applause he was getting. It was continuous carnage from everyone involved, Fuego Del Sol stealing the show with a Moonsault off of the pole, even though it was slippery as hell. There were no brakes on this train. It was continuous gif moments or fights, even Stackhouse took flight. Once again, these are the types of matches you watch, not write about. It was pure pandemonium in the best of ways. The finish saw Fuego Del Sol manoeuvre Stackhouse into a Destroyer, how does that not entice you?
GCW Tag Team Titles: The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) defeated Dante Leon & Ninja Mack via SuperDuper Neckbreaker Bomb on Mack
The flips kept on coming as we got our only title match of the night. The Tag Titles were on the line and The Briscoes were in Texas looking for a fight. Their first opponents would be the love/hate team of Dante Leon and Ninja Mack. These two are just as comfortable teaming as they are kicking the other’s ass. They were going to give The Briscoes a challenge they’d never faced before. It opened with some light-hearted showboating as Mark Briscoe tried to navigate Ninja Mack and quickly went downhill for Mack as the Briscoes got to work. The two teams kept the pace up and kept everyone on the edge of their seats as Leon and Mack made the most of the opportunity presented to them. That heart brought them against the nasty strikes, power moves and all-out badassery from the Briscoes. Texas was split on who to cheer for but that didn’t seem to phase the Briscoes as they kept doing what they’ve been doing for over a decade, kicking ass and putting teams in the ground. Leon and Mack tried to give the Briscoes hell but their efforts only got them so far as The Briscoes found new and painful ways to make them suffer whether in or out of the ring. This was another anarchic encounter from a show full of them but it had its own flavour of violence that kept me entertained throughout. Holy shit did both teams bring it for this one.
Thunder Rosa defeated Allie Katch via Rear-Naked Choke
Now, time for something special. What happens when you take two kick-ass wrestlers and put them in the ring together? Usually, it’s something amazing. That was sure to be the case here as Allie Katch was bringing her Katch as Katch can style to Thunder Rosa. We’d seen Rosa burst onto the GCW scene by invading a scramble match, now she was getting a singles match with one of the company’s pillars. This was pure wrestling at its finest. These two went through multiple styles and beat the absolute hell out of each other across almost twenty minutes of action. It was an even-split contest as both fought like mad with the crowd behind them. It was hold for hold and style for style as the pair struck hard, locked the other up and we even saw Rosa trap Katch in a Pendulum Submission. Rosa was vicious in her assault on Katch’s body, attacking limb after limb. Equally, Katch worked to match her and inflict just as much damage back. Rosa had talked about choking the life out of Katch and we almost saw it happen part-way through the match. Things just got more and more desperate as neither fighter could put the other down. Rosa unleashed everything she had on Katch but it was not getting the job done. The same was true of Katch, who hit everything bar the Murder Crab on Rosa. These two gave it all the energy they had until Rosa was finally able to claim the win with that lethal choke. It was far and away the best wrestling match of the night and a testament to the skill of both wrestlers. This rocked and brought to life Rosa’s deadly prophecy. Match of the night for sure.
John Wayne Murdoch defeated Jimmy Lloyd via Tube Door Brainbuster
Last but not least, we had the main event. The Duke of Hardcore, John Wayne Murdoch had been on the sidelines for long enough. After ambushing Alex Colon at the NGI, he’d thrown down the gauntlet to the whole company. No one wanted the smoke until Jimmy Lloyd answered the call. The bastard child of the company, the different boy was going to make Murdoch sorry for fucking with GCW. They had the tubes, now it was time to use them. That started almost instantly as Murdoch ran his mind then started duelling tube shots. Lloyd got the better of Murdoch with a blitz of broken bundles and Murdoch fired back by launching him into corner tubes. The pair took turns throwing punches and both got downed with kicks, Murdoch flying into a corner bundle. Both got gussets in the head and both got KO’ed with dual lariats. Murdoch was pissing blood from the head and Lloyd made him bleed from the chest with another kicked bundle. However, Murdoch wouldn’t stay still and dumped Lloyd on his head with a Deep South Destroyer. The fight broke to the outside and bodies flew as the duo fought amongst the fans, flying into their chairs and that infamous pole. A bar fight broke out and after a meeting of heads, the pair dragged themselves back towards the ring. Lloyd tried to cut Murdoch off on the apron with a bundle to the head but Murdoch shook it off and drilled Lloyd with a Tornado DDT. A board was brought in and Murdoch doused it in lighter fluid. It was lit and Lloyd drove Murdoch into it with an Assault Driver. A second board was brought in and Lloyd set it up for another killing blow, covering it with tubes he hadn’t brained Murdoch with. Murdoch countered into another Deep South Destroyer then followed up with the Brainbuster for the win.
.@TheJimmyLLoyd with an assault driver through a flaming door!#GCWSoAlive @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/6v9ItcxlXf pic.twitter.com/jtYHnTa245— Rob (@HeyyImRob) December 5, 2021
He couldn’t celebrate for too long though as he might have won but he was far from welcome here. Murdoch tried to call out Alex Colon for having no balls and letting Jimmy Lloyd do the heavy lifting. Sadika came out to jaw jack with Murdoch but it was all a ruse and Colon smashed Murdoch in the back with tubes. Murdoch met another corner bundle and was put to sleep with the Bloodfighter Combo, that Uranage Back Kick into the Camel Clutch. Alex Colon was pissed and Murdoch had himself a fight on his hands. New Years Day, the Bloodfighter collides with the Duke, one-on-one. Someone will die in that one. What a way to end another hectic as hell show.
.@alexcolon0139 enacts his revenge.#GCWSoAlive @GCWrestling_
▶️https://t.co/6v9ItcxlXf pic.twitter.com/8oxswXudK7— Rob (@HeyyImRob) December 5, 2021
All images courtesy of GCW, HeyyImRob, Ash Dabbath,