By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Settlement Series”
Streamed on YouTube.com
December 6, 2022 in Williamstown, N.J. at the H20 Wrestling Center
This is streaming for free on Youtube.com. This is from the H20 Wrestling Center, a small training academy/wrestling school with almost no fans in attendance – I am seeing about 15 patrons. There may be more wrestlers in the locker room than people watching the show, and that isn’t hyperbole. This feels like watching the shows from QT Marshall/Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory wrestling school. There is commentary.
1. Marcus Mathers defeated Bobby Orlando at 8:59. I hate Mathers’ name — I always think of Eminem — but he’s a good, young, cocky and brash wrestler. My first time seeing Orlando, who walked to the ring holding a stuffed dog. Late in the match, Orlando tried to hit Mathers with the stuffed animal but missed. Mathers hit a nice top-rope 450 Splash for the pin.
2. “Mane Event” Jay Lyon and Midas Black defeated Percy Ryan and Gabriel Star at 14:33. I have compared Lyon to Evil Uno, as they both wear masks and are decent flyers for being a bit heavier. The Mane Event were recently on AEW Dark, too. First time seeing Percy and Gabriel, who are both scrawny and young kids. Late in the match, the kids began arguing over whether or not to cheat. Lyon hit an X-Factor faceplant for the pin. This went a little bit longer than it needed to, but they are clearly focused more on using this show as a training session and gettin these youngsters ring-time.
3. Griffin McCoy defeated Terry Yaki at 15:28. I have seen these guys at least once each. McCoy has short black hair much like a young Paul London. Yaki is a Black man with about half of his hair colored light brown. McCoy has a solid physique and appears to have a slight height and weight advantage, and McCoy was the heel and dominated the match. McCoy hit a Cody-style spin kick off the ropes for the pin. Best match so far.
4. Chuck Tiger defeated Jimmy Lloyd at 8:24. Lloyd is a mainstay on the GCW roster but he’s pretty much their “enhancement wrestler,” always putting others over. Tiger has appeared in several multi-man matches in GCW/JCW; I think this is the first time I’ve seen him in a singles match. Lloyd hit Tiger with a chair. Tiger hit a Death Valley Driver onto an open chair for a believable nearfall. Tiger then applied a rear-naked choke, and Lloyd tapped out. A mild upset, just because Lloyd has so much more ring time.
5. CPA defeated Jae Fre at 9:54. My first time seeing Fre, who wore a red hoodie to ringside and he is dressed and acting like a white rapper; with his thin dark beard and bald head, he looks a lot like an out-of-shape Baron Corbin. CPA wrestles in a button-down shirt and tie, like Irwin R. Schyster. Fre missed a moonsault where I thought he was going to land on his head. CPA eventually removed his button-down shirt and wrestled in his t-shirt that was underneath. CPA hit a Death Valley Driver for the pin.
6. J Boujii defeated Rocket and Sean Campbell in a three-way at 8:28. Rocket is a thin Black man; not quite as thin as Cheeseburger or Leon Ruffin, but pretty thin. Campbell is white with long, really curly frizzy hair. Boujii is Black with dreadlocks. Boujii hit a Rollins-style curbstomp to the head for the pin.
7. Jordan Oliver defeated “The Mecha” Brian Johnson at 12:13. Johnson had a run in ROH but he is now completely bald and was so unrecognizable I wasn’t sure it was the same guy. Oliver is in the top 10 indy wrestlers under the age of 25. Johnson attacked before the bell. Oliver was selling a left arm injury from recent matches. Johnson targeted it and dominated early.
Oliver hit an Exploder suplex out of the corner at 7:00. Johnson applied a cross-face chickenwing, but Oliver reached the ropes. Oliver hit a Mafia Kick and a powerbomb for a nearfall. Johnnson blocked the Clout Cutter and again tried to apply a cross-face chickenwing. However, Oliver dropped down, rolled up Johnson, and scored the pin. By far the best match of the show.
8. Ryan Redfield defeated Tarzan, Face and Barbarian Man in a four-way at 8:12. Tarzan made a “jungle call” on his way to the ring; he yell at the fans and he’s a heel. Face is intense and angry, and he has long black hair and looks like a young Crowbar or a more menacing Bo Dallas. Barbarian Man wore Vampiro-like face paint and is dressed like another member of the Viking Raiders. Redfield wore a black-and-red singlet and he has a Kevin Owens-sized gut. All four brawled at the bell. Of the guys I hadn’t seen before on this show, the best are in this match. Face needs a name change, but he has a good physique and the right look. Redfield hit a pair of uranages/Rock Bottoms on Tarzan to score the pin.
* A nice video package aired showing some of the highlights of GCW in the past year, with everything from the good (Mike Bailey, Blake Christian) to the ugly (light tubes, hardcore matches.)
9. Matt Tremont defeated Deklan Grant in a hardcore match at 9:05. Light tubes were set up in the corners of the ring. Deklan is average sized; with a thick brown beard, he has a passing resemblance to Drew Gulak. Tremont, of course, is thicker and has a significant size advantage. He’s bald and scarred everywhere from these hardcore brawls. They took turns whacking each other over the head with light tubes and I wasn’t amused. Tremont hit a piledriver for the pin. Blah.
Final Thoughts: No surprise that Jordan Oliver, one of the stars of the indies this year, was in the best match. Brian Johnson is a solid heel and an ok worker. Also no surprise that the matches I liked best had guys I’ve seen before (Mathers, the Mane Event). McCoy shows promise. Of the guys I hadn’t seen before, Face (hate that name!) and J Boujii caught my eye the most.
I knew going in this was a bunch of matches with young, up-and-coming kids, so I was prepared for the quality of the matches here. Still, awfully disappointing the attendance was so small. The show clocked in at just under three hours.
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