By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Moment of Clarity”
Streamed on FITE TV
October 23, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio at Valley Dale Ballroom
This appears to be a fairly ornate room, and the crowd was perhaps 250. This room is two levels tall, so no problems with a low roof or chandeliers. Dave Prazak and Veda Scott provided commentary.
1. Alec Price defeated SB Kento at 9:13. Dragon Gate’s SB Kento is blond, much like Kazuchika Okada. Price hit a head-scissors takedown and a tornado DDT. Kento hit a series of chops and a Michinoku Driver at 4:30. Kento nailed a spinebuster. Price hit a springboard moonsault, and they were both down. Kento hit a running kick. Price hit a running Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall at 7:30. Kento nailed a snap German suplex with a bridge for a nearfall, then a second and a third, each getting nearfalls. Price hit a double-jump blockbuster and a running mule kick to the back of the head to score the pin. Good opener.
2. Komander defeated Shane Mercer at 9:30. Mercer won a violent hardcore match a night earlier. Mercer is a tall, thick, strong white man and Komander is a short, high-flying agile luchador, so this is definitely a clash of styles. Mercer flipped Komander over his head but Komander landed on his feet. Komander dove through the ropes and barreled into Mercer on the floor at 2:00. In the ring, Mercer hit a belly-to-belly overhead release suplex. Komander hit a springboard frogsplash for a nearfall.
Mercer hit a monkeyflip that sent Komander across the ring. In a nice spot, Mercer threw Komander in the air, caught him and hit a swinging powerslam at 4:30. They fought on the ropes, and Komander hit a Poison Rana, but Mercer popped to his feet. Komander leaped off the top rope and hit a huracanrana on the floor. They brawled briefly on the floor. Mercer gorilla pressed Komander, tossing him onto a distant stage away from the ring. Komander hit a tornado DDT on the floor and a shooting star press from the apron to the floor. In the ring, Komander hit a springboard 450 for a nearfall. Mercer hit a second-rope fallaway slam to the mat, but Komander rolled through upon landing and scored the pin. Really good match.
3. Nick Wayne and Jordan Oliver defeated “The Mega Bastards” John Wayne Murdoch and Alex Colon at 17:18. Oliver and Wayne wore their identical ring gear. Colon carried a table with him to ringside; they lost a bloody tag match a night earlier. So, we once again have an intriguing contrast of styles, with the younger high-flyers vs. the established brawlers. Oliver and Colon started with some mat reversals. Prazak noted that Murdoch and Colon are “feeling the effects” of their match a night ago. Murdoch and Wayne locked up at 2:00. Oliver slammed Wayne onto Murdoch.
They all brawled to the floor, and a split screen is shown to follow the action. (The lights are on here, so it is much easier to follow the action on the floor.) In the ring, Colon whipped Wayne into a door set up in the corner at 4:30. Officials tried to help Wayne to the back, but Murdoch attacked them, and he dragged Wayne back toward the ring. TMB continued to work over Wayne in the ring, with Murdoch hitting a weapon onto a chair lying over Wayne’s groin at 8:00.
Colon hit a double stomp to the back as Wayne’s legs were draped on the top rope, as the extended beatdown continued. Wayne hit a snap Dragon Suplex, and he made the hot tag at 10:30. Oliver hit a Cameron Grimes-style Cave-in stomp to the chest on Colon. Murdoch slammed a chair across Oliver’s back, then he hit a brainbuster on Oliver onto an open chair for a nearfall. Murdoch hit a half-nelson suplex for a nearfall on Wayne at 13:00. All four brawled in the ring.
Colon hit a backbreaker over his knee on Oliver. Suddenly, all four men were down. They got up and traded blows. Oliver hit a Tiger suplex and the faces hit a team suplex for a nearfall. Colon hit a double stomp on Oliver’s chest, and Murdoch followed with a Canadian Destroyer for a believable nearfall. Wayne hit a leaping DDT. Oliver and Wayne hit a team Cloud Cutter combo on Colon for the pin. A solid, but fairly standard tag match.
* After Wayne and Oliver left the ring, Murdoch and Colon began shoving each other, upset at losing on two straight nights. They shook hands, but Colon still shoved him away.
4. Allie Katch defeated Billie Starkz at 10:07. Mat reversals to open. Katch grounded her with a chokehold. Starkz nailed several Yes Kicks at 3:00. Katch nailed a sit-out piledriver for a nearfall. Starkz hit a Mafia Kick, and they began trading stiff forearm shots. Starkz hit a clothesline, and they were both down at 5:30. Starks hit a German Suplex with a high bridge, dumping Katch on her upper shoulders for a nearfall.
Katch hit a second-rope superplex, then a Death Valley Driver into the corner for a nearfall. Starkz nailed a Gory Bomb, but she missed a top-rope Swanton Bomb. Katch immediately hit a piledriver for a believable nearfall at 8:00. Starkz nailed a Tombstone piledriver, and this time, she hit the top-rope Swanton Bomb for a believable nearfall. The crowd is really into this. Starkz nailed a running boot to the side of the head. Katch hit an Eat D’Feet kick out of the corner, and she immediately hit another piledriver for the pin. I really liked this. The crowd chanted “This is wrestling!”
5. “Los Macizos” Extremo Miedo & Ciclope defeated ASF & Gringo Loco at 8:59. Loco and ASF have fought against each other, and teamed up in multi-tag matches, numerous times this year. Emil Jay joined commentary, replacing Veda Scott. Loco and Ciclope started with fast reversals and ended with a standoff. ASF entered at 2:00 and traded quick reversals with Miedo. Miedo’s left shoulder is still heavily wrapped from an injury a couple weeks ago at GCW show in New Jersey. Los Macizos hit simultaneous kicks to ASF’s head.
ASF leaped off Loco’s shoulders and hit a double DDT on the opponents. ASF hit a German Suplex. Loco hit an awkward cloud cutter as he slipped coming off the ropes at 6:00. Miedo hit an Angle Slam on Loco. ASF hit a dive to the floor on both Macizos. Loco hit a flip dive onto them. In the ring, Ciclope nailed a standing powerbomb on ASF then a Shining Wizard kneestrike to ASF’s jaw. Miedo hit a flip dive through the ropes on Loco. In the ring, Miedo hit a piledriver on ASF, and Ciclope immediately hit a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. I really liked how Miedo tackled Loco as he tried to get in the ring to break up the pinfall.
6. Yamato defeated Blake Christian at 12:47. I wrote this previously, but Yamato’s face and haircut reminds me of Shinsuke Nakamura. A sign of respect, then an intense opening exchange, ending in a standoff at 2:30 and earning a nice pop. Blake hit a dropkick. Yamato hit some chops in the corner and took control. He applied a single-leg crab at 5:00, and he tied up Blake’s head. They began trading chops. Blake hit a 619 and a top-rope flying forearm at 7:00.
Blake hit a handspring-back-spin kick, and a moonsault out of the corner. Yamato fired back with a Northern Lights suplex. They traded mid-ring forearm shots. They each hit an enzuigiri. Yamato hit a dropkick in the corner. Blake hit a running boot, and they were both down at 9:30. They traded rollup attempts. Blake nailed a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Blake hit his Fosbury Flop to the floor and turned it into an inverted DDT at 12:00. Yamato nailed a beautiful mid-ring Frankensteiner to score the pin. That was fun.
7. Effy and “Second Gear Crew” Matthew Justice and Mance Warner defeated “Unsanctioned Pro” Aaron Williams, Jeffrey John, and Lord Crewe at 9:07. I am unfamiliar with the Unsanctioned Pro team. John wore an unbuttoned baseball jersey and was loudly booed. Williams wore a black shirt with a tan tie. They came out first. Effy hit a Fameasser seconds into the match. Williams and Effy did some gay humor. Williams hit a moonsault to the floor on the SGC at 4:30.
Multiple doors and tables were set up in the corners of the ring, and the Unsanctioned Pro team put the SGC team through them. Mance threw a chair across the ring and striking an opponent in the head at 7:30; that is dangerous and completely unnecessary. John hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall. Effy used a chair to hit a low blow. Effy then hit a Doomsday Fameasser for the pin. A decent brawl that the crowd liked, and the weapons were kept to a minimum. No one bled, either. The on-screen graphics never said individual names of the Unsanctioned Pro wrestlers, so I had to look up their names.
8. Cole Radrick defeated Jimmy Lloyd, Anakin Murphy, Kristian Robinson in a four-way at 4:49. I think I’ve seen Anakin before, perhaps in a JCW show; he’s a white man of average size. Robinson is a Black man with short dreadlocks. Lloyd slammed Anakin face-first on the mat. Kristian hit a nice flip dive to the floor. In the ring, Kristian hit a German Suplex. Anakin hit an enzuigiri on Lloyd. Radrick hit a 619. On the floor, Lloyd nailed a superkick on Kristian at 2:30.
Lloyd hit a Razor’s Edge on Anakin onto the stage. Anakin and Kristian traded some good offense in the ring; I have to presume they are familiar competitors. Lloyd nailed a Copkillah backdrop on Anakin for a nearfall at 4:30. Kristian hit a Poison Rana. Radrick hooked the arms and hit a flip powerbomb on Kristian for the pin. That was a fun sprint.
9. Jonathan Gresham defeated Mike Bailey at 17:44. An intense lockup to begin and mat reversals. They traded stiff forearm shots. Bailey dropped him with a spin kick at 6:00, and he unloaded a kick combo, then a corkscrew splash for a nearfall. Gresham stomped on the left arm, rolled him up and got a nearfall. Gresham nailed a spear and a brainbuster for a nearfall at 7:30. Gresham slowed it down with a single-leg crab, but Bailey reached the ropes. Bailey hit his speedball kicks to the thighs and ribs.
Gresham hit a dragon screw leg whip in the corner. They traded rollups. Bailey nailed a roaring elbow, and they were both down at 10:00. The crowd chanted “fight forever!” They traded open hand slaps to the face. Bailey unloaded some spin kicks to the chest, while Gresham returned fire with chops to the chest. Gresham nailed an enzuigiri. Bailey hit his moonsault kneedrop and hit a spin kick to the head for a nearfall at 13:00.
Bailey nailed his tornado kick in the corner, but he missed the Ultimo Weapon second-rope moonsault kneedrop. Gresham went back to the left leg and tied him up ont he mat. Gresham dove through the ropes onto Bailey. Bailey hit his Triangle Moonsault to the floor, and they were both down at 14:30. As they went to get back in the ring, Gresham hit another dragon screw leg whip on the apron. Bailey hit his moonsault double kneedrop on the apron. In the ring, Bailey nailed the Ultimo Weapon for a believable nearfall; I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone kick out of it. Bailey went for the Flamingo Driver/modified One-winged Angel, but Gresham escaped and hit a German Suplex for a nearfall.
Gresham nailed a diving forearm to the jaw, and he applied a Figure Four at 17:00. When Bailey didn’t give up, Gresham stood up, leaned over Bailey with their legs still tied together, and got the pinfall. Interesting way to have a finish out of a Figure Four. That was really good, and Gresham remains undefeated in GCW this year.
Final Thoughts: This was a really good show, and one of the better GCW shows I can think of. I don’t know if it is a rule of the building, or even a state athletic commission, but we had no glass panes, no light tubes, heck, not even blood. The brawls were on par with what you’d see in a TV match for WWE, AEW or Impact, as far as chairs and tables, but nothing more gross (staple gun, pizza cutters, etc.) There also were no intergender matches.
The main event was really good. Gresham’s matches always start out slowly, with almost no action to describe, but they build nicely, and it was a really stiff fight for the last few minutes. I’ll go with Blake Christian vs. Yamato for second-best. Komander-Mercer was a great clash of styles to earn third-place, with the Starkz-Katch match earning honorable mention. The more I see of Shane Mercer, the more I have come to realize he’s a younger Brian Cage. Big, muscular, but athletic enough to keep with the high-flyers.
I hate intergender matches, so it was really nice to see Starkz and Katch go at it, no men involved, and they really delivered. I know GCW only has a handful of female wrestlers, but they need to find fresh, new women competitors for these two, rather than an endless stream of matches against bigger, stronger men.
The show clocked in at about 2 hours, 40 minutes.
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