GCW “Wisconsin Death Trip” results: Vetter’s review of Cole Radrick vs. Toshiyuki Sakuda in a hardcore match, Mance Warner vs. John Wayne Murdoch in a hardcore match, Hunter Freeman vs. Big F’n Joe in a hardcore match, Ciclope and Extremo Miedo vs. Eric Dillinger and Dysfunction in a hardcore match for the GCW Tag Titles, Alec Price vs. Blake Christian vs. Jordan Oliver

By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, Impact Wrestling, MLW, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com

GCW “Wisconsin Death Trip”
Streamed on FITE TV
November 13, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at La Pica Lounge

This is a very small bar, and maybe 250 fans are packed in this venue; they really couldn’t find a bigger room than this? Dave Prazak and Emil Jay provided commentary and Prazak said it was a sellout, adding, “You can only fit so many human beings in this place.” I don’t usually mention this, but this mat is taped together and looks like trash. It also appears to be 18 to 24 inches tall, much shorter than a typical ring.  It is worth reiterating that GCW has moved to Fite+, so a lot of people will be checking out the promotion for the first time as part of their subscription. This is not my idea of a “good first impression.”

* Nick Gage hit the ring to fire up the crowd. For a guy who promised to be a fighting champion, he sure isn’t defending the belt a lot…

1. Nick Wayne defeated Carlos Romo at 10:30. Mat wrestling to open. Romo hit some hard kicks to the back as Wayne was seated on the mat at 5:00. Wayne hit a handspring-back-stunner and a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Wayne dove through the ropes and barreled into Romo. In the ring, Wayne hit a Code Red for a nearfall at 8:00. Romo hit a piledriver for a nearfall. Wayne went for a Cloud Cutter, but Romo caught him witha  sleeper. Wayne hit  Dragon Suplex, and this time he nailed the Cloud Cutter for the pin. Good match.

* They actually had to pause the action to fix this garbage ring. Just embarassing.

2. Blake Christian defeated Jordan Oliver and Alec Price in a three-way at 12:54. Price just beat Christian in a singles match a day earlier. Super-fast pace to start with no one able to really connect on their big moves. Blake hit a standing moonsault. Price hit a running knee to Oliver’s jaw in the corner. Oliver flattened Price with a running kick to the chest. Blake hit his springboard flying forearm at 5:00, then an Arabian Press to the floor on Oliver, as Prazak noted how little room he has to move around.

Price dove over the top rope onto Oliver. In the ring, Price hit a Sliced Bread on Blake for a nearfall at 6:30. Blake fired back with an enziguri, then a Lionsault Press for a nearfall. They did a tower spot out of the corner, with Blake hitting a sunset flip powerbomb, and everyone was down at 9:30. Oliver hit a stunner on Blake. Blake hit his handspring-back-spin kick on Price, then a rolling Death Valley Driver, then his top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall.

Blake dove over the top rope onto both opponents. In the ring, Oliver hit a Mafia Kick on Blake for a nearfall. Oliver nailed his sit-out powerbomb on Blake for a nearfall at 12:00. Blake hit a German Suplex, then a mid-ring Spanish Fly on Alec. Blake then nailed his springboard 450 Splash on Price for the pin. That was a really good, fast-paced match, and the crowd chanted “That was awesome!” as they left the ring.

3. Sawyer Wreck defeated Jimmy Lloyd in an intergender hardcore match at 6:04. Boards and light tubes were already placed in opposite corners of the ring. I have noted this before, but Sawyer is a legit 6’1″ and is taller than most of her competitors, including here. She speared him through a door at the bell. Lloyd powerbombed her through a door in the corner for a nearfall. Sawyer chokeslammed Lloyd onto a pile of light tubes for the pin. Yuck.

4. “Los Macizos” Ciclope and Extremo Miedo defeated Eric Dillinger and Dysfunction in a hardcore match to retain the GCW Tag Titles at 8:08. Barbed wire boards were in the ring before the match began. Dysfunction is a long-time indy wrestler from Wisconsin. Ciclope set a boot on fire and hit a running kick on Dysfunction for the pin, but the blaze didn’t immediately go out. They had to spray water in the ring. This was just a debacle. If they knew they were having a fire spot, how do you not have an extinguisher on standby?

* Intermission. When we return from break, the ring is still wet and there are more light tubes.

5. Hunter Freeman defeated Big F’n Joe in a hardcore match at 10:43. Joe wrestles in a button-down shirt and his white underwear briefs. Both bled and Freeman hit Joe over the head with light tubes for the pin. Yuck.

6. John Wayne Murdoch defeated Mance Warner in a hardcore match at 12:31. They taped their fists and glued shards of glass on it. Yuck. Both men bled significantly during this match. Murdoch applied a leglock around Mance’s head, and Mance passed out. I can’t stress enough the blood loss here.

7. Cole Radrick defeated Toshiyuki Sakuda in a hardcore match at 16:56. Sakuda came to the ring with a saw in his teeth. More light tubes are set up in the ring. In the grossest thing I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring, Radrick poked a metal wire through Sakuda’s cheek and kept pressing it until it  came out his other cheek. Radrick used a fishing pole, hooking him and winding it up, to bring Sakuda to him. Radrick slammed him for the pin.

Final Thoughts: I don’t understand hardcore matches. I don’t like them. It is absurd to think that Sakuda would just sit there and let Radrick jab him in the jaw, and not flee. He clearly helpded Radrick push this wire through his skull. It is the grosses thing I’ve ever seen in pro wrestling.

This show as as close to me as a GCW has been, roughly four hours drive. I’m glad I didn’t go. I get that GCW wants to end its shows with a death match. I have gone to many, many IWA-Mid South shows that ended with a death match, and I could check out before it took place. I dont’ understand making five of seven matches a death match. Where was the lucha action, with Gringo Loco or Komander? Where was the light-hearted comedy of Effy? Where is the mat classic with Tony Deppen?

Everything about this show was ugly. The first two matches were good action, but the ring looked terrible. I have to believe they could have found a larger building than this. The show clocked in at about three hours.