By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW and Black Label Pro “4 Cups Stuffed”
Streamed on FITE TV
September 2, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois at Grand Sports Arena
This was a joint show that began at 11 p.m. The late start time allowed fans who attended the live AEW Rampage to make their way to this show as well.
Dave Prazak and Kevin Gill provided commentary. This venue is a LARGE fieldhouse with a high ceiling. They have a curtain set up to make it feel smaller at ringside. The crowd is perhaps 500. As per usual, GCW doesn’t use guardrails, and the fans are seated uncomfortably close to the ring.
1. Gringo Loco, Latigo, and Toxin defeated ASF, Drago Kid, and Laredo Kid at 14:29. I have seen Drago Kid a few times and he is really small, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a young teenager. Loco’s teammates are masked luchadors; I just saw Latigo for the first time last week. As expected, this is fast-paced lucha action with everyone going in and out of the ring. ASF and Loco have teamed or fought countless times this year, and they have a flawless exchange I’ve seen a few times now. Loco powerbombed ASF over the top rope onto everyone on the floor at 4:30.
In a neat spot, Loco’s partners threw the tiny Drago Kid in the air, and Loco caught him and hit a powerbomb. Drago Kid hit a top-rope Canadian Destroyer at 10:00. Latigo hit a top-rope corkscrew press onto everyone on the floor. Laredo Kid also hit a top-rope corkscrew dive onto everyone. In the ring, Loco pops ASF up in the air, catches him and in one fluid motion, hits a piledriver for the pin. Exactly what you’d expect here. Fans threw crumpled-up bills in the ring at them.
* Nick Gage came to the ring, getting the huge pop from the crowd. Emil Jay no sooner finishes Gage’s intro when Jon Moxley came out, with his GCW title on his shoulder. The crowd popped huge for this unexpected appearance. These two have a “title vs. career” match coming Oct 8. Moxley said he will end Gage’s career in front of his friends and family in New Jersey. Moxley said that on Oct. 8, Gage’s life is over. Gage told Moxley that all he’s got in this life is pro wrestling, so Moxley will have to kill him. Moxley headed to the back, with no blows exchanged.
2. Mike Bailey defeated Kylie Rae in an intergender match at 14:24. I have said this before — I believe Tessa Blanchard, ODB, Jordynne Grace, Rachel Ellering, and a few others, could beat up a man. I can’t suspend my disbelief enough to pretend Kylie could beat Bailey. Standing switches at the bell and a standoff. She hit a northern lights suplex for a one-count. They went to the floor, where she whipped him into the ring post at 3:00. However, he hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee. He wrapped her back around the ring post, pulling on an arm and a leg. In the ring, he tied her up on the mat and worked over her back.
Bailey missed a corkscrew senton at 6:00, and she hit a clothesline. He put her on his shoulders for his modified One-Winged Angel, but she escaped. Bailey missed his moonsault kneedrop. She hit some forearm shots. He fired back with some kicks to the body. She applied a Jamie Noble Trailer Hitch, and she turned it into an STF, but he reached the ropes at 9:30. Bailey hit his Triangle Moonsault to the floor, and he applied a Boston Crab on the floor, then he slammed her on the ring apron. In the ring, he again went for a One-Winged Angel, but she applied a submission hold around his neck.
Bailey put Rae on his back and hit the Widow’s Peak neckbreaker at 12:30. They fought in the corner on the ropes, with Bailey hitting her (for the first time) with forearm shots. Kylie hit a TKO Stunner for a nearfall, and she went back to an STF. Bailey kicked her in the face, then he hit his modified One-Winged Angel, but she kicked out. He immediately applied a Boston Crab, leaned way back for pressure, and she tapped out. While I don’t like male-on-female violence, this was watchable. I like how he refused to hit her in the face until late in the match, and Kylie did a great job selling the back injury.
3. Shane Mercer defeated Marko Stunt at 14:32. Mercer has a great physique. He has a ridiculous height, weight, strength advantage. Stunt tried to open with a chokeslam, but he couldn’t budge Mercer. Marko ran to the floor and hid under the ring, so we are headed straight to comedy stuff. In the ring, Marko hit a huracanrana. Mercer hit a Jeff Cobb-like swinging powerslam for a nearfall at 2:30. Mercer hit a belly-to-belly overhead release suplex that sent Stunt all the way across the ring. Wow. On the floor, Stunt hit Mercer with a chairshot to the head.
They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Mercer hit a backbreaker over his knee, then a sit-out piledriver for a believable nearfall at 6:00. Mercer did a springboard delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall. Stunt hit a Poison Rana out of the corner, then a top-rope elbow drop, sending Mercer to the floor to recover. Mercer dove onto him on the floor. In the ring, Stunt hit a second-rope frogsplash. He went for a top-rope splash, but Mercer got his legs up. Mercer picked up Stunt and gave him a running gorilla press, with Stunt going over five rows of chairs and hitting two “fans” on the floor. Stunt seriously traveled 15 feet in the air. That was insane.
In the ring, Mercer set up a door between two open chairs. However, Stunt gave him a stunner onto the door for a nearfall. Mercer hit a second-rope fallaway slam, then another second-rope fallaway slam, for the pin. Stunt was absolutely tossed around like a rag doll throughout this match.
4. Tom Lawlor and Killer Kelly defeated Bryan Alvarez and Billie Starkz in a mixed tag match at 14:46. I have actually never seen Alvarez wrestle before; he of course is known more for his wrestling analysis on his radio show and website. He was showered in boos as he strutted to the ring, wearing a karate outfit top. The camera pointed out Dave Meltzer sitting in the front row. Billie and Kelly started. Alvarez tackled Lawlor one minute into the match, bailed to the floor and celebrated. He’s got the heel part down. In the ring, Bryan and Tom wrestled on the mat, with Tom applying a Texas Cloverleaf. Alvarez doesn’t look like he’s been in a gym in years. Lawlor whipped him into a corner at 5:00, with Alvarez doing the Flair spot of somehow landing upside down in the turnbuckles. Meanwhile, the women brawled on the floor.
Billie grabbed Lawlor’s foot as he tried to re-enter the ring, allowing Alvarez to seize control. However, Lawlor again tied up Alvarez on the mat. Lawlor and Kelly hit a team suplex on their opponents at 9:00. the ladies finally got back in, with Kelly hitting a running dropkick to the face in the corner. On the floor, Alvarez chopped Kelly across her breasts, so she unloaded a series of punches on him. In the ring, Alvarez went for a Swanton Bomb, but Lawlor caught him and applied a rear-naked choke.
Starkz hit a low blow on Lawlor, allowing Alvarez to hit a Swanton Bomb on Lawlor. Alvarez applied a rear-naked choke of his own, but Lawlor escaped and put a chokehold on Alvarez. Lawlor tied Alvarez in a knot, and Bryan tapped out. In many ways, this felt like a match featuring a celebrity. Alvarez clearly knew what he was doing in the ring, but it also felt clear he hasn’t done it in a while.
5. Joey Janela defeated Ernest “The Cat” Miller at 12:03. Janela’s first GCW show in a month as he’s been overseas. Miller, age 58, really doesn’t look much different than the last time I saw him 15 or so years ago, but I admittedly never wanted to see him wrestle then, let alone now. He got a nice pop. Early in the match, he caught Janela with a kick to the face. They brawled on the floor. Janela went for a Swanton Bomb but crashed onto an open chair at 5:30. Janela hit a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall.
Miller kicked Janela off the ring apron, sending Janela through a door set up on the floor at 9:00. In the ring, Janela hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Miller whipped Janela into a door set up in the corner. Janela picked up a piece of the door and slammed it over Miller’s head. Janela put the door shard on Miller’s chest. Janela then hit a top-rope doublestomp onto the door shard to get the pin. Not all that good, but it wasn’t awful, either.
6. Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone at 8:26. Moone dove to the floor on Masha early in the match, and they brawled on the floor. Masha hit a powerbomb on risers at 3:30. Finally back in the ring, Masha set up a board in the corner. Moone got some chairs. Moone slammed Masha face-first on a folded chair for a nearfall. Masha threw a chair at Moone’s head, and hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 7:00. Masha put Moone on her shoulders, ran across the ring, and slammed her onto the board in the corner. Masha then hit a piledriver for the pin. Decent brawl.
7. Calvin Tankman defeated Rich Swann to retain the BLP Title at 10:15. Tankman, of course, weighs 350 to 400 pounds and has a massive size advantage. They shook hands. They fought on the floor, and Tankman slammed him onto the ring apron. Tankman took control in the ring, and he gave a hip-toss that sent Swann across the ring at 3:00. Tankman hit a massive crossbody block for a nearfall, then a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall.
Swann fired back with a series of punches. Tankman hit a belly-to-back suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. Swann hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker, then a frogsplash for a nearfall. Tankman hit a spinning back elbow for a nearfall. Swann nailed a handspring-back-stunner at 9:30, then a second-rope Phoenix Splash for a believable nearfall. However Tankman put Swann on his shoulders and hit his sit-out piledriver for the pin. That was really good for the time given.
8. “Team GCW” Tony Deppen, Blake Christian, Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Jordan Oliver, Nick Wayne, and Cole Radrick defeated “Team BLP” Joshua Bishop, Levi Everett, Crash Jaxon, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini, and the Bang Bros. in a 14-man tag at 16:15. Gill noted that Blake wrestled just hours earlier on AEW TV. Deppen opened vs. Ku, then Blake fought a Bang brother. Ciclope and Miedo got chairs and began clocking opponents. Miedo and Ciclope squared off with Ku and Garrini at 3:30.
Wayne and Oliver hit simultaneous dives through the ropes. Levi and Deppen traded good offense in the ring. Bishop — the young Sid Vicious clone — gave teammate Eli a powerbomb onto everyone on the floor. The rotund Crash Jaxon dove over the top rope onto everyone at 6:30. Deppen jumped off a platform, falling 10 or so feet onto everyone. In the ring, Radrick and Levi traded blows, with Levi nailing a spinebuster. Levi dove off the top rope, but Blake Christian caught him with a Lungblower. Blake then hit a frogsplash.
Wayne hit a full nelson suplex. Wayne and Oliver were now battling the Bang Brothers, and I really like the structure of this match. Jaxon slammed Wayne for a nearfall. Deppen hit a roaring elbow on Jaxon for a nearfall. Bishop hopped in the ring and started beating on the smaller opponents. In an impressive feat, Bishop put two guys on his shoulders and slammed them into a corner at 13:00. Ciclope hit a Doomsday clothesline on Bishop.
Ku and Wayne traded forearms. Blake hit a springboard 450 on Garrini, then a Fosbury Flop onto several guys on the floor. Ciclope and Miedo hit some team moves on one of the Bang brothers, with Ciclope hitting a top-rope moonsault for the pin. That was a blast.
Final Thoughts: There clearly was some thought in putting that main event together so every one of those 14 guys got in some of their signature offense. I really liked seeing Ciclope/Extremo Miedo square off with Ku/Garrini, and later, Wayne/Oliver square off with the Bang brothers, setting up potential future tag matches. That earned best match.
The lucha show opener was fun and earns second-best, ahead of Tankman-Swann. Bailey had a good match a few months ago against Masha Slamovich, and this was a decent intergender match here. Of course, the problem is he’s a beloved fan favorite, but the crowd could easily turn on him if he is too vicious. I just don’t see the upside of a babyface man taking on a female competitor.
OK, this venue is huge. So, there’s no excuse to having seats so close to ringside, particularly with that opening lucha match with dives sending wrestlers near fans and open seats.
Yes, Stunt is short and light, but that throw Mercer did, sending him over the rows of chairs, was a power display I’ve never seen before. Just insane. How did they practice that? How did Mercer know he would be able to safely throw him that far? Just an insane spot you must see.
Janela has wrestled numerous retired or aging wrestlers this year, from Sean “X-Pac” Waltman to 72-year-old “Action” Mike Jackson. He has a very deliberate style that works well for those who might need a break in the middle of the match.
The show clocked in at just under three hours. If the show started on time, it means this ended at about 2 a.m.
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