WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AHEAD

Welcome back to the craziest wrestling company I have always had the joy to cover. GKPW was back and ready to start the year in its special hectic manner. This time they weren’t alone as Miyako Matsumoto’s company of carnage was being invaded by the new roaming deathmatch army Prominence. Suzu Suzuki was leading her pack of warriors into the fight against some of GKPW’s best and most reluctant. Across this show we’d see most fighters pull double duty as Chris Brookes battled Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera battled Miyako Matsumoto under GKPW rules, Akane Fujita and Mochi Miyagi took on the manic Senosister Mao Inoue and Sanshiro Takagi, then in the main-event, most of these fighters collide again for an eight-person faction vs faction fight. Would GKPW reign supreme or would they feel the sting of Prominence’s might? Let’s get into the carnage.

Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes (w/Drew Parker) defeated Suzu Suzuki via Coffin Breaker Praying Mantis Bomb

Up first in the versus action was a hardcore bout between GKPW’s reluctant roster member Chris Brookes and the leader of Prominence Suzu Suzuki. Across the past year, we’ve seen both combatants show their worth in the hardcore/deathmatch game and now, they were going to set the tone for the show. Brookes may hate GKPW but could he give them the first win? He started off by mocking Suzuki’s height and dominated her with a wrist-lock, trying to get her to quit without breaking a sweat. The technical showmanship continued as Brookes tried to force Suzuki to wrestle his style. Suzuki tried to knock him down with shoulder tackles but got nowhere so found the great equaliser in foot stomps. Brookes offered a hand of friendship but it was a ruse and he kicked Suzuki to the outside for another beating. Suzuki fought back and pelted Brookes with chairs. The gloves were off now. Drew Parker appeared from the crowd to save Brookes further chair shots and distracted her long enough that his best mate could brain her with a chair. Parker dragged her back to the ring and Brookes continued to play with his food as Suzuki bled from the head. Brookes kept trying to aggravate the wound and willed Suzuki back to life through his mocking, tanking her forearms to floor her again. He trapped her in a Camel Clutch and enjoyed a beverage and removed a lemon from his cup to squeeze over Suzuki’s lacerated forehead. Suzuki slugged back, the fire in her wounds firing her up all the more, and Matrixed under a chair shot to dropkick it into Brookes. Suzuki covered the ring in bells and dropkicked Brookes into the shrapnel. Brookes fired back with a mid-kick and rained a bin-full of tacks over Suzuki. He tried to end it with the Praying Mantis Bomb but Suzuki cut him off with a chin-breaker.

She went up top again but this time, Brookes was ready and leapt up with her to deliver a lethal Butterfly Suplex into the bells and tacks below. Suzuki was still kicking so Brookes set up a bell board and placed her on the top for another trip to hell when she wiggled free and tried to powerbomb him. Brookes held on for dear life so she just spanked him with her hand, then a staple gun until he let go and she could smash him off the board with a Spider German. Parker intervened again to prevent further damage and assaulted Suzuki with boots and the trashcan. She was trapped in it and the two vultures played ping pong with chair shots. Parker went Coast to Coast and the pair dragged out a coffin for her. Suzuki bitchslapped them both and took out both men with a diving crossbody to the floor. Parker refused to stop interfering and grabbed onto her again so Brookes could lob a ladder at her. That ladder was set up and Brookes ascended. Suzuki joined him up there and threw shrapnel in his face so she could drop him with a Superplex and spear him through a fork board. A Bridging German followed but Parker saved the day again and the pair slugged it out again. Brookes used the ref as a shield, then jumped over him to deliver the Shoop Cutter for another two-count. She rebounded with a deadly roundhouse after some tack spit and a cock kick but also only got two. Suzuki dragged the coffin into play and tried for another German but Brookes fought free and dropped her into it. He dragged her up one final time and climbed onto the coffin to deliver the killing blow, the Praying Mantis Bomb. Suzuki stayed down and Brookes had scored the first point for GKPW. He’d had help along the way but in the end, he was still the one standing tall. This rocked. A brilliantly built hardcore bout that delivered on the plunder and the wrestling. Suzuki was a breakout in 2021 and will continue that trend into 2022. Meanwhile, Brookes remains one of the best in the world. Alongside this week’s heavy hitters, this stands out as a MOTY contender. It’s that damn good. GKPW 1 – Prominence 0

GKPW Rules: Risa Sera (105 points) defeated Miyako Matsumoto (0 points) via Points Win

The ring was cleaned up and we were entertained by a musical performance from Munenori Sawa in the most glamourous of dresses. He kept everyone entertained during the intermission and we prepared for match two, a Gake Game between deathmatch icon Risa Sera and the owner of GKPW Miyako Matsumoto. We’ve seen most of Matsumoto’s matches end in disaster, would this be any different? They opened with a bit of fast-paced chain wrestling and got stopped mid-pose by the whistle. The rules were changed to a sumo match. Sawa was back out, in that amazing dress to represent Matsumoto and Sera had Kurumi Hiiragi as hers. Sawa was destroyed and Sera got the points. Matsumoto attacked Sawa so Sera reminded her who she was supposed to be fighting with a Crab and knee drop. Matsumoto fired back with a flying clothesline but got stopped mid-pin by the whistle and had her points deducted. The next contest was a no-laughing contest and Matsumoto lost instantly. To add further insult to injury she was then cracked in the ass by a baseball bat. Matsumoto laughed again and got another whack from the bat. There was one final attempt and again, Matsumoto laughed no matter how hard she tried not to, earning a third bat shot. Matsumoto got some revenge by baiting Sera into hitting the ref and ended up headbutting him in the dick as Sera tripped her up. She used the ref as a weapon on Sera and double-stomped them both but couldn’t get the pin as the ref was on top of Sera, getting what points there would have been.

The whistle blew again and this time it was a race to the ring to hit the ref. He took them both out as Hiiragi bulldozed them all. Matsumoto hadn’t made a single point so far and went after the ref again, allowing Sera to hit a Brainbuster. The next whistle blew and both were handed paddles for miniature racquets for Badminton. Matsumoto botched the swerve and gave away another load of points to Sera. Sera too botched a swerve though, so Matsumoto made some points only to lose them again, even though she’d won the game. They both had a shot but only Sera seemed to enjoy it. Matsumoto collapsed and Sera made her feel even worse with a giant swing. Matsumoto gave up and Sera was declared the winner. Matsumoto’s points were gone and Sera had won by a whopping 105 points. This was riotous fun as once again GKPW finds a way to turn on its leader. Matsumoto had fallen again but she’d given it her all in the process. Sera’s win had evened the scores. GKPW 1 – Prominence 1

Prominence (Akane Fujita & Mochi Miyagi) vs Sanshiro Takagi & Senosister MAO (w/Senosister Mao Inoue) ends in no contest

The action kept on coming as we went into a special tag bout. It would be Big Boss Sanshiro Takagi and the Senosister Mao Inoue with another Senosister MAO against Prominence’s Akane Fujita and Mochi Miyagi. With the scales even, who was going to tip the points in their favour? With how messy the past two matches were, just how much order would we even have here? Even Takagi seemed confused by the two Maos. Team Senosister cleaned house and beat Prominence down around the ring while screaming. It would be Senosister MAO doing the heavy-lifting as Takagi left him to handle the in-ring torture on Miyagi. They kept beating her down with audible and physical attacks as Inoue watched from ringside. Miyagi raked both their eyes and flogged MAO but couldn’t nail Takagi as she was stopped mid-whip. MAO stole the flog and Takagi held Miyagi in place for a whipping but they took too much time building it up and MAO ended up whipping Takagi’s chest. Miyagi made the tag and Fujita made Takagi’s chest hurt even more with her baseball bat. MAO cut her off too but another botched double-team saw him crack Takagi in the chest with the bat. Fujita bulldozed them both and Takagi was forced barefoot onto plastic shell mats with Fujita on his back. MAO made the save with a push and got into a Mongolian Chop Off with Miyagi. In the end, they did away with the chops and just hissed at each other.

Both went on a run and failed to catch each other until MAO could hit a slingshot Shotei. Another double-team failed and Takagi caused MAO to be crotched on the top rope. MAO’s voice returned to normal and Miyagi had him on his knees, threatening to shoot him with her confetti cannon. Takagi attacked from behind and held Miyagi in place for another double-team but once again, it failed miserably and Takagi was blasted in the face with confetti. MAO narrowly avoided being rolled up and tried to do the same to Miyagi but she launched him at the ref. The ref got knocked out with a Kancho and MAO KO’ed Miyagi with a surprise punch. Inoue finally got some action in as everyone attacked Fujita and Takagi tried to blast her with a plastic tub. Instead, he hit MAO and joined Prominence. Fujita covered the ring in LEGO™ as Takagi dropped MAO with a Stunner. MAO was repeatedly dumped in the blocks but was saved by fellow 37KAMIINA member Shunma Katsumata who had clearly been summoned through the power of LEGO™. He stopped Takagi with a party popper in the mouth and doled one out to Miyagi before trying to choke out Takagi. The match was thrown out and Katsumata was added to the main event since Takagi was a turncoat. Again, this was a whole load of fun with goofy comedy meeting hardcore wrestling. What’s not to love? GKPW 1 – Prominence 1

5 on 4 No DQ Tag: Prominence (Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi, Akane Fujita & Sanshiro Takagi w/Kurumi Hiiragi) defeated Miyako Matsumoto, Chris Brookes, Senosister MAO & Shunma Katsumata (w/Senosister Mao Inoue & Munenori Sawa) via Ladder Knee Drop on Matsumoto

Last but not least, we had the main event of this madness. Shunma Katsumata was now on team GKPW and Takagi was the Prominence cheerleader. Now, we’d have one final battle with one side getting the big win. it would be Prominence’s Suzuki, Sera, Miyagi, and Fujita with Hiiragi watching over them against Brookes, Matsumoto, MAO, and Katsumata with Sawa and Inoue at the sidelines. There’d have to be a winner as there was no DQ in this one. I felt sorry for Brookes, he wanted to switch sides too if it would get him away from Matsumoto and Katsumata. Matsumoto started against all four and Takagi and managed to knock them all down. She went on a run and tried to get her team to follow, MAO and Katsumata obliging and Brookes listlessly following, then led them all on a senton train. They tried for Kokeshis but got kicked in the teeth by Prominence. MAO and Miyagi had another round of action trying to out-pose the other. Takagi nearly pissed Miyagi off but she kept her calm and went back to hiss at MAO with telepathic Mongolian chops. They went on another run and this time it got stopped as MAO stunned Miyagi with his chest, ripping his business shirt open. Miyagi regained her composure and twisted up MAO’s nipples before trying to dispatch him with a Kancho. MAO’s glutes resisted the blow and Miyagi was sent flying with an ass plex. Turncoat Takagi took him out so Katsumata took him out with a dropkick. Takagi took a seat and Katsumata blasted his already tender chest with a LEGO™ bat. Fujita and Katsumata had a battle over LEGO™ supremacy and covered the ring in blocks for painful body slams. They took block bumps to show their toughness and the two factions fought over a Suplex. Various sides were successful with Sawa fairing the worst as he matched up with Hiiragi and getting launched. Fujita took out Katsumata with a diving shoulder block and Hiiragi held him in place for a rope-hung splash. Suzuki entered the fight but Katsumata was ready for their double-team and murdered both with a senton/dropkick combo.

Suzuki and Katsumata squared up for a slugfest and she too ate a LEGO™ body slam. She returned fire with a German and kicked low before getting downed with another dropkick. They tagged and Brookes collided with Sera. They too slugged it out and Sera destroyed Brookes with double knees. She hit a triple jump knee drop for two and tried for a slam but Brookes wriggled free and took her out with a jumping knee. He hit the rope-hung Neckbreaker and Matsumoto jumped in for a chair-to face Shining Wizard but that only got two. Brookes carried Matsumoto into a super double stomp and took the fight to the outside for another chase as Prominence started braining people with chairs. Brookes broke Sera’s nose and team GKPW helped Matsumoto put her through a table. Matsumoto began directing traffic and prepared for another Miyacoco Coaster… it didn’t work Matsumoto just fell down the stairs in a tub. A body pile formed outside and MAO directed Inoue to jump onto everyone from the top. Turns out she only took out team GKPW. Prominence dragged the wounded Matsumoto back in to the blocky ring and everyone wrecked her with kicks and slams before Sera ended things with a ladder Knee Drop. Matsumoto had been killed again and Prominence got to stand tall after a monstrous main event. This was seriously good fun with so much insanity on show. Prominence are all incredible wrestlers and showed here they can be cruel and comedic. This was a joy to watch and review as every GKPW show has been. It always manages to be this anarchic breed of serious wrestling and slapstick with Matsumoto always coming off the worst. Wrestle Universe is going to play home to more Prominence shows in the coming months so if you like what you saw here, keep it tuned to them. More is coming and I can’t wait to see what this deathmatch army does next. GKPW 1 – Prominence 2

All images courtesy of GKPW