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New Sights, New Sounds, Same Carnage – GCW “You Wouldn’t Understand” & “I Never Liked You” – Review

ByJohn Dinsdale

Jun 20, 2022 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome back to GCW as we look at another double-bill of chaos from the ultimate indie company. It was a return to New York and a debut in a new state as the company head to Providence Rhode Island. We’d have some of the best within the company joining a cavalcade of new faces coming to play as new territory was broken. We’d see the return of the S.A.T, the GCW debut of the Commonwealth Kingpin Will Ospreay, Charles Mason looking to kill Nate Webb and Wheatus, Jon Moxley vs Tony Deppen for the GCW World Title, the debut of Lucha sensation Komander Jack Evans vs Ninja Mack and so much more as GCW does what it does best. There’s a lot to get into as we have not one but two stacked shows to get into. Let’s dive into the action.

You Wouldn’t Understand

Scramble: Blake Christian defeated Komander, Cole Radrick, Alec Price, Jack Cartwheel, John Wayne Murdoch & Jordan Oliver via Head Stomp on Price

Everything kicked off in true GCW style with a good old scramble. We had seven fighters all stepping into the ring and battling it out until only one was left standing. It would be GCW stalwarts, Jordan Oliver, Blake Christian, and Cole Radrick joined by the former Ultraviolent champion John Wayne Murdoch, Jack Cartwheel, Alec Price, and the debuting Lucha sensation, Komander. There were going to be some fireworks in this one. As per usual, this was excellent. Komander fit right in with this fast and furious flurry of styles, blowing minds and making gifs as he went along. It was a very high-energy opener that kicked everything off right. There was a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy. No one got left behind and Blake Christian racked up another win on his journey through the GCW ranks. Also, I 100% need to be seeing more Komander, all the time. Holy shit is he cool.

“Action” Mike Jackson defeated Joey Janela via Door-Breaker Splash

Next up we had the Bad Boy coming for more flowers as Joey Janela looked to kill Action Mike Jackson. Janela will stop at nothing to kill off everyone’s favourite stars and make himself the top dog wherever he goes. Jackson was in for a rough night but Jackson has faced decades of rough nights. This was really fun to watch. Janela was in pure dickhead mode and looked to continue his trend of beating up older wrestlers. He did do that a lot but Jackson refused to stay down, continuously raising like the Terminator. Even a double stomp onto a chair could stop the 72-year getting up and breaking another foot off in Janela’s ass. He got the win by breaking the first door in his illustrious career and broke Janela in half with a splash. The grand “give me my flowers” tour is really starting to come off the rails for Janela. The match quality is through the roof though.

Ninja Mack defeated Jack Evans via Missed 630

Well damn, this promised to be an innovative mess of action. Jack Evans was the original high-flying innovator of indie wrestling and now, with newfound freedom, he was wrestling anywhere and everywhere. Now he was going to bring the “From the Heavens” style to Ninja Mack, the new-age innovator. So, let’s address the elephant in the room right away. That missed 630 landing was horrifying. I’m surprised the match was allowed to go on after Evans struggled to get up and I was saddened but understood why he’d pulled out of Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary the next night. It was a black mark on a match that had delivered a whole lot of cool shit between the two. Evans has been fighting like he needs to prove himself all over again and Mack continuously remained defiant, ready to show Evans everything he had. The ending sucked but goddamn I’m glad Ninja Mack had the common sense to realise something was wrong and ended things without moving him. That’s proper professionalism. I hope we see this proper at some point as it was looking to get good but had to be wisely stopped due to that horrible moment.

Masha Slamovich defeated Marko Stunt via White Night Driver

Hell yeah, Marco Stunt was back which meant we had his unique style of fighting and the incredible Pat Benatar echoing throughout the venue. It wasn’t all fun and games though as he was about to tangle with one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the company, Masha Slamovich. Mr. Fun Size was in for the fight of his life. Wow, he definitely had to fight to survive. Slamovich is no stranger to brutalising opponents but she was definitely having fun throwing around and unloading on Stunt, forcing him to fight up and topple her. It wasn’t a one-sided match and the ultimate underdog got his stuff in but he could never find something to stop Masha. The Russian Dynamite had an unlimited fuse and just kept exploding into action whenever she was given the opportunity. It had its funny moments but for the most part, this was quite the intense affair as Stunt reminded people he’s more than a joke, he can really wrestle. It didn’t get him the win though because Masha is a pure killer. This felt like the perfect way for Slamovich to celebrate her birthday, with a victory in New York City.

Drago Kid & Space Boyz (ASF & Gringo Loco) defeated The S.A.T (Joel, Jose & Will Maximo) via Avalanche Falcon Arrow

Well, it was time for some more flying. We were about to get some high-flying, high-impact tag action as the full force of The SAT took on the combined forces of Drago Kid, ASF, and Gringo Loco. We had two generations of Luchadors colliding in a battle for dominance that could go anywhere. Tempers flared quickly as the competitive spirit of the action came out as everyone looked to show off and outsmart each other. There was plenty of competitive high-flying to enjoy and so much innovation on display. The Maximos innovated back in the day and now Drago Kid and ASF were looking to carry that torch for the new generation. It all led to another absolute gif heaven of a match with action repeatedly spilling into the crowd and ringside area. The S.A.T got their time to bully and team Loco got their time to shine on the comeback. It was another well-orchestrated match in a show full of them. I’m always going to love a spectacle match and this had nice elements of spectacle and technicality. The S.A.T are as good as ever and it’s hard not to enjoy watching them work.

Charles Mason defeated Spyder Nate Webb via Billion Dollar Driver

Ah, what would a show be without its villain? Charles Mason has broken away from terrorising JCW to take his hatred to a GCW favourite. For months, he’s been attacking Spyder Nate Webb and even attacked Wheatus frontman Brendan B Brown during a recording session. Mason has tried to destroy everything Webb holds dear and now, he had a full match to do just that. It was time for Webb to get his revenge or fall at the hands of Mason once again. He fought valiantly but he couldn’t stop Mason. Webb got his time beating down Mason but a missed chair-sault left him open to the Garrote. Brendan tried to rescue Webb but he ended up causing his defeat as Webb blasted him during the confusion. Mason followed up with the Billion Dollar Driver and mocked Webb further by choking out Brendan over his fallen body of Webb. It was a brutal display of sociopathy and one hell of a moment for the show. I know I’m meant to loathe Mason but I am in awe of someone actually living up to their moniker as the Root of All Evil.

Homicide defeated Grim Reefer via Avalanche Ace Crusher

It was time for a legend’s bout as Homicide and Grim Reefer collided. Both are some of the biggest names to come out of New York City and they were going to have a scrap for a rabid crowd. It would be the Highest Flyer in the gamer taking on the Notorious 187. The two pros were just going to take to the mat and show everyone how it was done. This was an excellent little war. It had a bit of everything, brawling, pageantry, high-flying, and a lot of weed. It was a great showcase of two East Coast legends getting to do what they do best. Everyone seemed to enjoy the show and Homicide ended the segment with a tribute to Trent Acid as Giorgio Moroder filled the venue. Legends never die as long as their legacies are celebrated.

Jimmy Lloyd & Los Macizos (Ciclope & Miedo Extremo) defeated The Second Gear Crew (1 Called Manders, Matthew Justice & Mance Warner) via Bridging German on Manders

Well, if you hadn’t had enough anarchy yet, Los Macizos, Jimmy Lloyd and the SGC had you covered. It was time for some six-man warfare as Jimmy Lloyd, Ciclope and Miedo Extremo prepared to take the fight to Mance Warner, Matthew Justice, and Manders under the gaze of Nick F’N Gage. There was chaos abound and everyone was along for the ride. This was the time to enjoy some plunder-powered madness as both teams played off each other to craft something anarchic. Ciclope and Miedo are making up for lost time with some absolute belters and I’m hoping to keep seeing them mix it up with SGC and hopefully get bloody again. This was another spectacle but in a much more violent way. We had the outlaw match at last as everyone involved broke chairs, doors, and more in the chaos. It was a hurricane of hardcore to cleanse the palette after some of the more intense wrestling wars.

GCW Tag Team Titles: BUSSY (EFFY & Allie Katch) defeated The Mane Event (Jay Lyon & Midas Black) via Sack Ryder on Lyon

It wouldn’t be a GCW show without some BUSSY. The tag champs were in the building and had been prepared for a challenge but had been left without opponents. As such, they had left the door open to any team looking to get some action and one had answered, The Mane Event. The ringmaster Midas Black and Jay Lyon were answering the call and were ready to give another audience a show. I loved this. The Mane Event are exceptional and they paired well with BUSSY to give us an unexpected Title fight. Katch and EFFY tried to have some fun but realised they needed to work when Black and Lyon brought the fight. It was a great post-intermission treat and another big title defence for BUSSY. The champs retained and continue to reign supreme. The Mane Event brought the fight but BUSSY continue to top their competition.

GCW World Title: Jon Moxley defeated Tony Deppen via Paradigm Shift

Last but not least, the main event. Tony Deppen is one of the top guys in GCW. He has been the Gatekeeper for years and pretty much every prospect the company wants to use, has to prove their worth against him. Now, all those years of service had earned him a title shot. He was getting into a battle with Jon Moxley and was going to give it everything he had. This was going to hit hard so all those lessons with Regal would be seen as Deppen and Mox would hold nothing back. If you’d ever forgotten just how good Tony Deppen is, then this was the match to remind you. He went out of his way to out-wrestle, out-strike and outdo Mox at every step, no matter how hard he was hit or how tightly he was locked down. Deppen wore the wounds of the match but he’d left his mark on Mox and both had been left weary by the end of it. This is how you make your title belt mean something. Deppen did absolutely everything he could, fighting until the very last second to try and take that title. This was vicious, brutal and everything you’d want from these two. Talk about ending a show on the highest note you could. Next on the list, Mox vs Blake Christian.

I Never Liked You

Blake Christian defeated Jordan Oliver via Head Stomp

Kicking off the second show was the new number one contender, Blake Christian battling the East Coast Ace, Jordan Oliver. They’d met in last night’s scramble and now they were about to tear up the mat in singles action. This was the time for Christian to showcase what he was going to do to Mox and he did not hold back, making Oliver suffer. Oliver didn’t slouch either and we got a stiff, athletic display between two of the highlights of this generation of talent. It was another energetic way to kick off a show and gave us the best of two of the company’s top guys. We got to see Christian leaning into the Mox style of fighting as he continued to mess with the champion until their big match. It was smart to have these two start things off as they had everyone in the building fired up. It was another one to sit back, enjoy and have your mind blown. These two just get it and the respect shown at the end was well earned and appreciated.

Allie Katch defeated LuFisto via Pussy Piledriver

It was time to kick things up a notch as LuFisto made her return to GCW. The First Lady of Hardcore was on the hunt again and this time, she was going to try and destroy one-half of the GCW Tag Team Titles, the master of Katch-as-Katch-can, Allie Katch. This was going to be an absolute slugfest. LuFisto seemed to be having a lot more fun in this one but that didn’t stop her from unleashing the whole of her painful arsenal of strikes and boots on Katch. The aggression was still there and LuFisto looked to hurt Katch but she was doing it more with a smile than a load of trash talk unless it was directed at the fans. It was a very physical fight with Katch having to dig deep into her heart reserves as LuFisto looked to break her in any way possible. Katch got her comeback and blew the match open, getting the win in the end as BUSSY once again beat everyone. It made for another excellent match. seriously, the more LuFisto GCW gets the better. She is bringing the best out of everyone. Pure physicality at its finest.

Kevin Blackwood defeated Jack Cartwheel via Stomping Cloverleaf

It was time for a styles clash as the Rocketwheel, Jack Cartwheel came out to fight the Aesthetic Crippler, Kevin Blackwood. Cartwheel loves nothing more than flipping, flying and picking up the pace whilst Blackwood loves to break limbs and spirits with strikes and submissions. These two couldn’t be more different so the match was going to be quite the interesting one. I don’t really want to say too much about this one. Just watch it. Styles make fights and watch the continuous chess game going on as Cartwheel tried to get the better of Blackwood and Blackwood tried to wreck the mobility of Cartwheel. It all made for an engrossing watch with both guys having a blast. Blackwood racked up the win after weathering the storm of Cartwheels. A must-watch from this show and one of the best matches of the weekend.

Cole Radrick defeated Ninja Mack via Crucifix

Oh, bloody hell. It was time to head to Wreck Shit Mountain as Cole Radrick was back in action. The King of Demolition Derby Style was taking his break-neck style to the king of innovation, Ninja Mack. After having his match yesterday cut short, Mack was out to impress again, making Radrick his canvas to do so. This was a proper fight. The pair just kept trying to outdo each other, throwing insults, kicks and more with malice. It was another entertaining fight with the two bringing an intensity only they could as the crowd went wild. It was another vicious one with both going for broke until one could go no more. We got to see some of the best of both and Radrick got himself another win with a sneaky crucifix. It was a shocking end to a heated contest. Somehow, I doubt this will be the last we see of these two as there is all the potential for an even wilder ride in the future.

Drago Kid & Space Boyz (ASF & Gringo Loco) defeated Komander & Los Macizos (Ciclope & Miedo Extremo) via Base Bomb/Shooting Star Press on Komander and Ciclope

The chaos continued as Drago Kid, ASF and Gringo Loco prepared for another 6-man Lucha tag extravaganza as the unit was going against a very different kind of team. Last night, it had been the S.A.T, tonight it was Komander and Los Macizos, Ciclope and Miedo Extremo. It was going to get very hectic. Last night’s match was wild, this had the potential to get even crazier. The names involved had even brought Nick Gage to the commentary booth. This started fast and just escalated as all six fighters flew around the venue and beat the shit out of each other. We got to see more of Komander in his element and even more teamwork between the best frenemies, ASF and Gringo Loco. No one got left behind in this one as Los Macizos and Komander brought just as much fire as Loco, ASF and Drago Kid. It was ultra-competitive, incredibly fun and the second gif-heavy storm that a Lucha six-man had made. I’d have been wary of being in the crowd for this one as bodies were continuously coming at you at rather high speed. This was another to sit back, watch and enjoy the ride. There’s only so many ways I can say how sick the action was. The Lucha division has become one of the top divisions GCW has. They always show out.

Joey Janela defeated JT Dunn via Superkick

Okay, I’ll admit I was pretty hyped for this one. JT Dunn has only recently come onto my radar but every time I see him, he kills it. The Saviour was making his GCW debut and if there was anyone in need of a Saviour, it was the Bad Boy, Joey Janela. Dunn was in for a tough time but if he could secure a win over Janela, that would definitely leave a lasting impression on the company. Well, these two definitely tried to steal the show. Everything these two did had an impact. They slugged the hell out of each other, took vicious powerbombs, faceplants, suplexes and piledrivers to hell and just kept going. These two left everything in that ring, blowing minds and making moments at a rapid pace. Dunn is a bonafide main event across the indie scene and this showed why. He pushed Janela beyond his limit with his hellacious striking, durability and adaptability. This bloody rocked and despite the malicious moments throughout the match, the pair shook hands when everything was done. They’d left their mark on each other, the ringside pole and multiple chairs throughout this one. Dunn got the “please come back” chants and I seriously hope he does. Janela might be back on his winning streak but goddamn did Dunn leave a lasting impression on the company.

SGC (1 Called Manders & Mance Warner) defeated Waves and Curls (Jaylen Brandyn & Traevon Jordan) via Iowa Door Stampede on Brandyn

The chaos continued with the debut of Waves and Curls. As one of the top teams on the indie scene, a lot of fans had been waiting to see Brandyn and Jordan make their way to GCW and now they had their chance. They were jumping in at the deep end too, as they were taking on Mance Warner and 1 Called Manders of the SGC. The plunder had been creeping into the show, now it was time to go all-out with the hardware. It started well enough for Waves and Curls but a missed Tope led to them getting beaten down with chairs. Their fight went around the venue with SGC unleashing another hardcore hurricane on a GCW crowd. Waves and Curls didn’t just lie down and take it, withstanding the punishment and bringing it right back. It was pure chaos from start to finish but everyone was having a blast and Waves and Curls looked great despite the loss. We were seeing new team manoeuvres, broken doors and broken bodies as both teams give it their all. It was hard not to watch the carnage without a grin on your face. SGC plunder bouts are so damn fun and this was no different. If Waves and Curls aren’t invited back, GCW has fucked up as this was a blast. Waves and Curls brought the fun, SGC brought the fury and the match greatly benefited from having both. This was the post-intermission energy this show needed.

Scramble: Tony Deppen defeated Dustin Waller, Jimmy Lloyd, EFFY & Marcus Mathers via KO Knee on Waller

It wouldn’t be a GCW show without a scramble. Tony Deppen had come up short last night against Jon Moxley but now he had been presented another shot at glory as he took on EFFY, Marcus Mathers, Jimmy Lloyd and the debuting Dustin Waller. He was far from happy about this demotion and resigned from it. The rest of the participants filled the void with a whole host of unique, high-octane spots until Deppen returned to action with a stage dive. It turns out he wasn’t going to miss the chance to mess up some people. It was another great scramble with Waller and Mathers continuously trying to steal the show. It was a nice penultimate match before the main event. Deppen continues to be one of the deadliest men in GCW, especially when he’s pissed. He even got to piss people off again by pinning the hometown hero.

Will Ospreay defeated Nick Wayne via Stormbreaker

To end things for the weekend, we had the big debut of the Commonwealth Kingpin Will Ospreay. This debut felt like a long time coming and what better way to introduce Ospreay than by putting him against the face of the future, Nick Wayne. These two have very similar styles, so were most likely going to tear the house down. Nick Wayne is the young prodigy, Ospreay broke the internet bringing his style to the big leagues. There was going to be a lot here. I wasn’t wrong. Fucking hell. Love him or hate him, Will Ospreay is great for getting reactions, both in and out of the ring and not always for the right reasons. Here though, he was perfect. He started off belittling Wayne, treating him like a child and refusing to take him seriously. There was a lot of taunting, a lot of shrugging off and Ospreay acting like the belligerent dickhead his character often is. He built Wayne up to be the hero of the match and through every counter chain, every near-fall, the believability went up. Wayne went from having no chance to continuously beating the count, breaking Ospreay and getting the world’s biggest upset. By the end, it seemed like Ospreay fighting a younger version of himself and it pushed them both to do better. This was the best Ospreay match I’ve seen in a long time. He knew what he needed to do, he knew how to do it and Wayne was right there matching it. This was an insanely good main event with Nick Wayne showing how the hell he ended up as the Young, All-Elite Prodigy. By the end, Will Ospreay went from asshole to honest as he talked about how much he’d enjoyed his match and chatted with the GCW crowd. It felt like a crowning moment for Wayne, his idol had noticed him, battled him and though he’d come up short, he’d received the respect and recognition he’d wanted. Excellent match and an excellent way to end the weekend and a reminder that GCW has a shit ton of drawing power.

All images courtesy of GCW, HeyyImRob

By John Dinsdale

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