Welcome back to GCW. After months of build, it was finally time for the company to showcase what it had planned for Brett Lauderdale’s dream venue. The company had gone all out this time, a massive venue, a massive card, cable access, hell even a pre-show. This was their chance to show that the independents could have a big league too. They’d made an eclectic mix of OGs, veterans, big names, and oddities to collide in high-stakes matches. Across the card we’d see, the Grab the Brass Ring Ladder Match, Allie Katch vs Ruby Soho, EFFY vs Jeff Jarrett, Jon Moxley vs Homicide and so much more before ending with a mystery main event as the Briscoes” open challenge was finally answered. Let’s get into the action.
Pre-show Battle Royale: Big Vin defeated B-Boy, Charles Mason, Brandon Kirk, KTB, Juicy Finau, LuFisto, Cole Radrick, Marcus Mathers, Psycho Clown, Hoodfoot, Thunder Rosa, Dustin Thomas, Ruckus, Parrow, Dark Sheik, 2Hot Steve Scott, Spyder Nate Webb, Janai Kai & Yoya via throwing out Mason
Everything kicked off with the Pabst Blue Ribbon battle royal. It was your standard format but full of GCW and general wrestling star power. This saw the return of KTB, Hoodfoot, and B-Boy and gave many more people a shot to be on GCW’s biggest show. It was continuous action with plenty of favourites getting their time to shine but as is often the case, a lot of action gets buried in a battle royal. It was a nice touch and a fun match but it’s hard not to think that some of these fighters should have been in higher spots. Psycho Clown is one of the most beloved Luchadors and he’s on the pre-show? That aside though, for what it was, it was fine. The fighting started early as everyone had an entrance and some of the fighters got impatient. It was hard not to have fun with this level of chaos. We had battles of the big men, the high-flyers and the brawlers as more and more bodies just kept spilling in. This battle royal had a lot of heart and it gave everyone a feel-good moment to see Big Vin get the big win, especially since it meant destroying the evil Charles Mason.
Pre-show Scramble: Grim Reefer defeated Ninja Mack, Shane Mercer, Dante Leon, Jack Cartwheel & Alex Zayne via Chair-Breaking Tornado DDT on Mercer
630 X-PLEX FROM @theirondemon #TheWrldOnGCW pic.twitter.com/hR17NYbyui
— Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) January 24, 2022
It wouldn’t be a GCW show without a scramble. Well, the pre-show was the home to the high-flying spectacular as several of the top scramble warriors had to go to war with Shane Mercer. We saw a new look debuted for the Sauce God Alex Zayne and a whole lot of bodies flying be it voluntarily or involuntarily when they came across Mercer. It was another continuous barrage of spotlight-stealing moments and high-impact, high-speed offence. It was continuous as the fighters made the most of their runtime. It wasn’t the longest scramble that’s ever been held but it was concise, hit the right notes, and gave us plenty of WTF moments. Once again, this is a match you watch rather than read about. As an appetite-whetting piece, it definitely did its job. Grim Reefer snagged a massive win to once again prove that experience can trump all, especially if you have a chair handy. If you want to watch either pre-show match, it’s here on the GCW YouTube. It also has one hell of a heartfelt speech from Brett Lauderdale, Chris Dickinson, and more.
Grab the Brass Ring Ladder Match: AJ Gray defeated Alex Colon, Jimmy Lloyd, G-Raver, PCO, Jordan Oliver & Tony Deppen via Grabbing the Brass Ring
Are you ready to get wild? The main show was kicking off with what could be the most madcap match of the whole show. AJ Gray had been brought into this ladder match as Lio Rush was nowhere to be seen and was now going to go to war with some of the top deathmatch guys, PCO, Jordan Oliver, and Tony Deppen to grab that brass ring and claim a title shot anytime, anywhere. From name-value alone, this could get ridiculous and to no one’s surprise, it most certainly did. No one held back in this one as the ladder match tradition came true and everyone took sickening landings onto solid steel. AJ Gray had a scary moment as he fell right into a leaning ladder that saved his life, Oliver left a dent in another ladder after a Package Piledriver, G-Raver hit the world’s nastiest crash landing on Colon, PCO used a ladder for a Doomsday Device and just so many more moments echoed out throughout this match. it was pure anarchy in a scary but compelling way. Everyone came out hot and it gave this match the sense of purpose it needed. This wasn’t just for pride, this was people risking it all to snag that win and take a title shot. As per usual, PCO went above and beyond to prove he wasn’t human and took just as much punishment as everyone else. I loved this. We even got to see John Wayne Murdoch appear to get rid of Colon with a Brainbuster. It made for horrifying viewing at times but hell, that is half the fun of GCW. I’m glad no one was injured because it really looked like they could be and it ended with the excellent moment of AJ Gray getting the title shot we all know he deserves. This is how you kick off a show, with a mix of madness, horror, and excitement.
Team Gringo Loco (Gringo Loco, Demonic Flamita & Arez) defeated Team ASF (ASF, Bandido & Laredo Kid) via Spike Piledriver on ASF
Holy shit what a lineup. ASF and Gringo Loco have had quite the rivalry brewing across the past few months. They make great allies and better enemies so now; they were getting a spot at Hammerstein and they’d brought some friends. Loco had gone Rudo with Demonic Flamita and Arez whilst ASF had gone Technico with Bandido and Laredo Kid. This was going to be insane. It totally was too. We had six master Luchadors doing exactly what they do best and then some. This was a never-ending cacophony of innovative flying, multi-man moves, and technique. We got more heated action between Gringo and ASF as Loco became a masterful villain and ASF remained the world’s most natural underdog. This was just pure fun. It was the most gif-worthy match, had the world’s most insane Destroyer spot, and kept giving us moment after moment. Again, it’s a match I can’t describe as I’d need an essay. It was a joy to watch and kept escalating as time went on. There was always someone lurking to ruin a pin and launch into another lethal move. This could have been the whole show and I wouldn’t have complained. Loco has been a mainstay of GCW and it was great to see him get a big win on a show of this status. Though everyone won here as no one was lacking in the slightest. This is how you take a moment and make it count.
Blake Christian defeated Lio Rush via 450 Double Stomp
Well, this was a bit of a change-up. Jonathan Gresham wasn’t available for the show so instead of Blake Christian vs Jonathan Gresham, we had a return to an old rivalry. Lio Rush hadn’t vanished at all, he’d just switched match and was now reigniting things with Blake Christian. He’ll still get that shot someday but now, he had to make his Hammerstein moment against Lio Rush lest Rush rip it away from him. Old memories remained as these two knew just what to expect from each other. A respectful beginning quickly devolved as the old rivalry took hold. What followed was another hybrid fight of technicality and high-flying. The pair brought their A-game as stiff striking and high-flying was layered across mind games and technicality. We know both guys have mixed skillsets so they made sure to show it all whilst they had everyone’s attention. It made for a nice change of pace as the match could whiplash from submission work and grounding to rail-bending dives, then back again. it was a multi-faceted match that certainly helped Christian make his cause as Rush gave him everything and he was still able to prevail. He had learned to counter Rush’s signature spots and laid in some nightmarish kill shots. Even then, Rush still had more tricks up his sleeve. This brought a different type of intensity and violence to everything so far and greatly benefited from it.
Matt Cardona (w/Chelsea Green) defeated Joey Janela via Rough Ryder
Everyone loves a good love story. Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green echo their perfect relationship. That wedded bliss had been struck a blow by the Bad Boy Joey Janela and now, a furious Cardona wanted to make him pay for it. Cardona had already pissed everyone off with a “fuck Mick Foley” vest and using Sandman’s music. I will let him off though because he was rocking some incredible Mickey Whipwreck-inspired gear. Everyone was rooting for the Bad Boy in this one. Again, someone had made the mistake of giving Cardona a microphone and he droned on about everyone being ungrateful towards his efforts. It almost ended instantly with a Rough Ryder as Cardona started hot and brought out the plunder. Thankfully or not depending on how you view these two, it didn’t and we got a much longer, wilder match. Janela made sure to poke as much fun at Green as he could whilst beating some sense into Cardona. Even the fans were against Cardona as he threw out a shirt and the fans threw it back. This was a shenanigans match of the highest order as we had plunder, deception from Green, and many surprise guests rushing the match. First Smart Mark Sterling tried to sabotage the match by bringing out Vincent, or as we all know him, Virgil. That failed as Cardona took out Sterling and got busted up. Then Swoggle came to spoil Janela’s fun so Sam Stackhouse nearly killed Swoggle. With that issue, Marko Stunt made his grand return to help the Bad Boy. Everything remained chaotic throughout and, in the end, Cardona was able to topple another GCW great. There’d been broken doors, broken bodies, weird and wonderful alliances as Joey Janela helped create another Clusterfuck. This very much won’t be for everyone and certainly had its dragging points but I found it daft fun. The Major Wrestling Figures Podcast won the day as Brian Myers proved to be the turning point for it all. Janela had the last laugh though as Sean Waltman, X-Pac, came out and murdered the duo before a real riot could break out. Seriously, this was ridiculous but mostly fun.
HE'S AT HAMMERSTEIN @ThrashJustice #TheWrldOnGCW https://t.co/5znqCvArgt pic.twitter.com/c497GdJ7Ip
— Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) January 24, 2022
Before our next match, we got some more anarchy as SGC invaded Hammerstein. Mance Warner was walking again and he wasn’t about to miss this one. He’d come to preach and preach he did. 44OH!’s Atticus Cogar had tried to derail that moment since he never received his spot. Warner didn’t take kindly to being cut off and decided he’d been medically cleared to kick ass. Matthew Justice joined the fight but the 44OH! goons had been lurking. Eddy Only, Bobby Beverly, and Gregory Iron all swarmed but they couldn’t handle it as SGC had a weapon too, Sabu. Chairs were thrown and Fonzie got in on the action by smashing in Iron. SGC and Sabu toppled the 44OH! beast again to give Hammerstein another feel-good moment. It’s a shame this wasn’t a real match though.
Ruby Soho defeated Allie Katch via Avalanche Runaway Kick
Competitive match here with @AllieKATCH and @realrubysoho #TheWrldOnGCW pic.twitter.com/YeRNSh852N
— Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) January 24, 2022
The dream match came next as Allie Katch not only got her Hammerstein moment but also one of her top-tier dream matches. Katch had found herself across the past year, ditching the Kat and embracing her inner self. Now it was time for that cosmic reward she was due in a fight with Ruby Soho. This was the match she’d longed for, now it was time to step up and take it. That was definitely not going to be easy though, she was dealing with the Runaway. What followed was a very enjoyable match as the pair showed they’d done their research and brought the match through the phases. Soho brought the physicality and went after Katch without mercy once Katch showed she could hang. Katch most certainly showed she could hang and the pair escalated to competitive back-and-forth as the pair tried to work around the style differences. Sometimes it’s the simple things that work best, this was a great match that told a nice little story and gave Katch her Hammerstein moment even if she didn’t win. It was a nice culmination of all her efforts since embracing the Katch and hey, maybe we’ll get a rematch down the line for more between these two. Both wrestlers’ finishers weren’t enough as Katch survived the Runaway Kick and Soho kicked out of the Pussy Piledriver. It was this desperation that led to Katch’s downfall as Soho used an attempted Super Piledriver to hit an avalanche Runaway Kick. The fans weren’t happy with that win but Soho was gracious in victory and hugged it out with Katch. If anyone was going to get Katch’s story, it was her.
Jeff Jarrett defeated EFFY via Guitar Shot Stroke
I still struggle to believe this is a real thing. Jeff Jarrett had appeared in GCW and attacked EFFY. If this was a way to provoke a response, it had failed. EFFY wanted nothing to do with him, so Jarrett attacked again, targeting Allie Katch. That got the response he desired and Jarrett was now added to this super-show and wanted to show the last outlaws who the real last outlaw was. This was most certainly an oddity of a match but there was one thing to remember, EFFY is fine and he was going to try and kill Jarrett. This was such an odd match. EFFY played his usual mind games and Jarrett took them about as well as expected. He attacked everyone with his belt and imposed his will on the match, falling victim to the Tarantula and the dick attacks. Jarrett tried to use every underhanded tactic in the book but seemed to forget to do his research since we all know Daddy likes it rough. Both men remained indestructible throughout as EFFY took the whipping and Jarrett survived going Under the Rainbow. In the end, Jarrett would be the one to win but he couldn’t rely on old tricks as another guitar shot just made EFFY angry. The Stroke turned out the lights but we’d seen EFFY leave his mark on Jarrett. This was an oddity of a bout but it was rather fun and offered some unique interactions between the pair. Again, it felt like such a weird addition to the card but it delivered something different.
GCW World Title: Jon Moxley defeated Homicide via Chair-landing Paradigm Shift
It was time to enter the big leagues as we got to the title fights. First up was the GCW World Title as Jon Moxley defended against the man that won the Rumble to face him, Homicide. It would be contracted king of wrestling vs the independent king of wrestling as Moxley looked to retain his title after a necessary hiatus. He was looking better than ever but, then again, so was Homicide. This was going to be a fight. This was another great match. The pair had amazing chemistry and meshed well as both mixed traditional technicality with brutal spots and underhanded tactics. Moxley was showing that he was still in top form and Homicide showed why the hell he’s a Hall of Famer and one of the most respected veterans in the business. It was very physical, very hard-hitting, and furious as hell as these two went hell for leather for about 12 minutes. It might have been a little short for a title fight but it definitely delivered and gave both one hell of a spotlight. It packed so much into its timeframe and made for compelling viewing. Mox got the plunder and made full use of it with a Paradigm Shift on a chair pile and a second onto an open chair. It was just what a match between these should have been, a blend of technicality, brawling, and plunder.
GCW Tag Team Titles: The H8 Club (Nick Gage & Matt Tremont) defeated The Briscoes via Avalanche Piledriver into Chokebreaker on Mark Briscoe
The show needed to end with a bang. We’d been left with an open challenge to close the curtains on. The Briscoes had burned through all challenges that had been thrown their way and now they were left with nothing certain. They’d issued an open challenge and now we’d see who was going to take the titles from them, well at least try to. The response was the best possible option. Matt Tremont was out first, that’s great enough but his partner was the God of this Shit, Nick F’N Gage. The man who’d popularised GCW was in the main event as H8 Club reformed to challenge one of the world’s greatest tag teams. Hearing Separate Ways in the Hammerstein is also a very special moment. The company was built on the backs of deathmatch wrestlers and now two of those special guys were closing the show in victory. Sadly, it couldn’t be the epic we wanted due to time constraints so what followed was a rapid-fire hurricane of hardcore brawling that saw H8 Club score the win before the feed could be cut. It was a bit of an odd ending to the show but holy shit, it was very cool to have a Hammerstein Nick Gage entrance and some of the most beloved of GCW ending the show in gold. That was the eruption needed to end things right. I wish the timing had been better but I’ll enjoy it for what it was, violence. The rematch needs to happen where both teams can take full advantage of a main event slot but for now, let’s revel in what happened. H8 Club dethroned the Briscoes in a pile of broken plunder. The king was back on top of a division leaving some very livid challengers calling for a do-over.
Second Rope Piledriver from Gage! #TheWrldOnGCW pic.twitter.com/BjY6czVx5A
— Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) January 24, 2022
So, that is the action rundown. Overall, this was an odd show. The action was crisp, the wrestling great but I can’t help but wonder what would have happened with better time management. This show definitely had its moments and stayed true to the clusterfuck nature of GCW. I wish things had been shuffled so the regulars were on more than a pre-show and that we could have enjoyed a longer main event but overall, I enjoyed this. it wasn’t their best show but it delivered what it needed to and definitely kept me entertained. This was a proving ground and GCW showed they could go big and sell out a massive venue with a storied legacy. Given their momentum, it will probably be the first of many to come. As a Prometheus for that kind of scale, it yielded mixed results but for the most part, it was pretty damn cool. GCW is an ever-shifting product and has changed a lot since I started watching. I think it’ll keep changing because that’s just the nature of the beast. GCW is a multi-ring circus and it’s pleasing to see them reflect it here even if it didn’t spotlight the sections I wanted to see the most.
THE DEW HAS SUMMONED THE KING! NICK FUCKING GAGE IS HERE #TheWrldOnGCW pic.twitter.com/eqFKbmMnMy
— Tripping Balls (@IsThisWrestling) January 24, 2022
All images courtesy of GCW, Scott Lesh, Mouse, Rich Wade, IsThisWrestling