By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Gringo Loco’s The Wrld On Lucha”
Streamed on FITE TV
April 1, 2022 in Dallas, Texas
The show was held in a large industrial building with a high roof, and there were probably 500 to 700 fans present… definitely fewer than the main “Spring Break” shows here over the weekend.
The show began at 7:30 p.m. CST Friday (during Smackdown), but that also meant it was up against the ROH “Supercard of Honor” and the beginning of Impact Wrestling’s “Multiverse of Matches” (which explained why some of these wrestlers here didn’t appear on those shows).
Lenny Leonard and MLJ were on commentary; they had technical issues in the first match but got it fixed.
1. Johhny Caballero (a/k/a John Morrison) defeated Jack Cartwheel at 11:24. Good opening reversals from these two. Cartwheel rolled to the floor and did several cartwheels, showing he lives up to his name. They played with the squirt guns that Morrison was using at the end of his WWE run, and this was comedy early on. Caballero hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall at 5:00.
Cartwheel hit the Sasuke Special flip dive to the floor at 7:30; he’s a good, improving talent. Caballero missed Starship Pain flip from the corner. Cartwheel did a cartwheel flip to the floor on Caballero, earning a “holy shit!” chant at 10:30. Hennigan sprayed Cartwheel in the eyes with his water gun. Caballero then hit the Starship Pain for the pin. An alright match, but I wish Morrison would skip the comedy stuff.
2. Tony Deppen defeated Psicosis at 7:43. Psicosis, who was wearing a mask, jawed at Deppen in Spanish. Deppen hit a flip dive to the floor to start the match. They brawled in the crowd. In the ring, Psicosis nailed an open slap to Deppen’s ear, and it dropped Deppen at 3:30. Psicosis then took over control in the ring. Deppen hit a flip dive to the floor, the a top-rope double stomp in the ring for a nearfall at 5:30.
Psicosis applied a Dragon Clutch in the ropes. Psicosis began whipping Deppen with a belt, and it made a great, harsh sound. However, he missed a top-rope elbow drop. Deppen immediately hit a Shining Wizard and scored the pin. Deppen expressed shock at getting the win. Good match, but it felt like they were just really getting going when this wrapped up.
3. Shane Mercer defeated Golden Dragon, Drago Kid, Chris Carter, Octagon Jr., and Aeroboy in a six-way scramble match at 8:55. So, we have four masked luchadors and two white, unmasked men in this match. Drago Kid is really, really short; I’ve seen him once in Warrior Wrestling. Mercer has a lot more bulk; he threw Carter up in the air, caught him, and hit a spinning bodyslam, which drew a huge pop.
Octagon hit a running DVD into the corner on Carter at 6:30. This is good lucha action. Mercer grabbed the tiny Drago Kid and did an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, tossing him into Octagon. Mercer gorilla pressed Carter to the floor on the four luchadors. Mercer picked up both Drago Kid and Chris Carter in the corner and did a top-rope moonsault, with both of them in his arms, scoring a pin. He has good size and impressed here.
4. Pagano defeated Sadika in an intergender, street fight match at 14:32. I don’t care for hardcore matches or intergender matches, so this will be a rough one. The announcers agreed Sadika isn’t afraid to mix it up with male wrestlers. They started with some mat reversals and she slapped him in the face. Pagano hit a shoulder tackle, but seems hesitant to hit her. So, Sadika turned off an oversized shirt, revealing a smaller top (and more exposed upper chest), and Pagano slapped her hard on the chest at 3:00.
Pagano slammed Sadika onto a folded chair for a nearfall. Pagano is bleeding on his back from falling on debris in the ring. They brawled to the floor, and Sadika hit Pagano in the face with a chair at 6:00. They continued to brawl on the flor and pull weapons out from under the ring. In the ring, Pagano slammed her onto light tubes for a nearfall at 9:00, then he went back under the ring for more weapons. However, Sadika gave him a suplex from the ring apron onto a pile of weapons stacked on the floor at 10:30, and that got a “holy shit!” chant.
Pagano hit a flip dive through the ropes directly on her, sending her flying. Ouch. Seconds later they were in the ring, and Sadika broke several light tubes over his head. She hit a tornado, spinning slam off the ring apron onto Pagano as he was lying on weapons on the floor at 14:00. His back is really bloody now. However, they got back into the ring and he hit a Codebreaker to her jaw for the pin. At the bell, he struck her with light tubes that hadn’t shattered.
5. Gringo Loco, Abismo Negro Jr., and Demonic Flamita defeated Rey Horus, ASF, and Laredo Kid at 14:47. Good action. Gringo’s team are the rudos/heels. Horus and Gringo Loco traded good offense early. Flamita teased a top-rope move, but then just stepped down, drawing boos. Negro and Laredo Kid traded good, quick reversals at 4:00.
In a cool spot, Flamita hit a top-rope spear on an opponent. Negro hit a missile dropkick on Laredo Kid at 6:30. The heels beat up the diminutive ASF. In another fun spot, ASF did a headscissors on each of the three heels, one after another, without touching the ground. Flamita hit a hard superkick on Laredo Kid, then a Tiger Driver for a nearfall at 10:00. ASF hit a DVD on Gringo Loco, then a 450 Splash for a nearfall. However, Negro hit a second-rope Styles Clash on ASF for a believable nearfall at 11:30.
Horus hit an X-Factor faceplant, then a tornado DDT. Horus hit a springboard corkscrew press to the floor. Laredo Kid hit a top-rope hurricanrana on Flamita. Gringo Loco hit a top-rope moonsault on Laredo Kid, then a dive to the floor at 14:00. Gringo Loco hit his spinning powerbomb out of the corner on ASF to score the pin. “That was exceptional,” one announcer said. This was easily best match of the show so far.
Gringo Loco grabbed the mic and praised the other wrestlers in the match, saying they are the best luchadors on the indy scene today. The crowd chanted “all these guys!”
6. AR Fox defeated Ninja Mack at 8:33. Mack wrestled in an ROH match against Brian Cage perhaps two hours before this match. Fox makes a good argument as the best wrestler of the past 15 years to never make a splash on TV. Fox hit a flip dive to the floor at 2:00. They brawled to the floor, where Fox hit a leaping front flip onto Mack as Mack sat on a chair.
In the ring, Fox hit a brainbuster at 5:30. Mack hit a pair of German Suplexes, then his handspring-back-flip to the floor. Fox leapt off the second rope and hit a stunner. The crowd is hot now. Mack missed a second-rope twisting press; Fox hopped up, hit a 450 Splash, and scored the pin. Another match that felt like it was just really starting to get going when it suddenly ended.
7. Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Psycho Clown at 20:39. Psycho Clown came out first and danced with some young kids in the ring. Dr. Wagner got a huge ovation, and he really soaked it in. They took turns playing to the crowd, then they traded mat reversals and some deep armdrags.
Dr. Wagner ripped Psycho Clown’s mask at 5:30, drawing a lot of boos. Wagner dominated the action as the crowd rallied for Psycho Clown. Wagner hip-tossed Psycho Clown into a door set up in the corner of the ring at 9:00. Wagner went for a dive to the floor, but Psycho Clown caught him with a chairshot at 11:00. Psycho Clown hit him with a trash can on the floor, and they brawled outside the ring. In the ring, Psycho Clown put the garbage can over Wagner’s head and hit it with a chair, then he slammed the chair into Wagner’s knee.
When the trash can came off, Wagner was bleeding heavily from his head. Psycho Clown whipped him with a metal piece. Wagner fired back with a stunner out of the corner at 14:30. Wagner tied him up in a surfboard. Psycho Clown hit a tornado DDT from the corner, and they were both down at 16:30. Wagner hit a top-rope superplex, and they were both down.
Psycho Clown hit a second-rope powerbomb for a believable nearfall, and the crowd was fired up. Psycho Clown hit a spear through a table set up in the corner at 20:30. Suddenly, Dr. Wagner Jr. ripped off Psycho Clown’s mask entirely, got an inside cradle, and the pin. The crowd booed loudly at the move. This was a good main event-style match.
Dr. Wagner Jr. got on the mic and spoke in Spanish; even if I had understood it, it was hard to make out the words. He grabbed a fan to provide English translation for him, which was cool. He wants a mask vs. hair match. Psycho Clown responded that he’s ready to do it now, but Dr. Wagner bailed out to end the show.
Final Thoughts: Somewhat of a mixed bag. The six-man tag was stellar, followed by the main event, and even though it was short, Mack-Fox was third-best. But Psicosis-Deppen also was shorter than anticipated.
However, there were negatives. The intergender match will have its fans, but not me. For one, Pagano is far bigger, far stronger than her. Second, I really dislike weapons, and I really hated seeing him attack her with those weapons. John Hennigan is so talented, and has shown a serious streak like at the Bloodsport show. I wish he wouldn’t play the goofball so much, because he is so good.
This was a fun lucha show, and deserved more fans seeing it, but it was going up against a lot of competition in the area.
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