By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Middle of the Night”
Replay available via Fite.TV
February 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California at Ukrainian Cultural Center
This show started at 10 p.m. CST, essentially right as the WWE “Elimination Chamber” was ending. This is an ornate building and it appears to be a legit sellout in the 700 range. Dave Prazak provided live commentary, with Emil Jay and Jordan Castle trading off pretty much every match.
1. Tony Deppen defeated Jimmy Lloyd, Starboy Charlie, Alec Price, Cole Radrick and Eli Everfly in a six-way scramble match at 9:39. Seconds into the match, Price hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor. Radrick dove through the ropes on everyone. Lloyd hit a dive. Charlie hit a dive. In the ring, Charlie hit a running Shooting Star Press. Eli hit a bulldog on Deppen at 3:00. Radrick hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Eli. Price hit a Dragon Suplex on Radrick. Deppen hit a half-nelson suplex on Lloyd. Charlie hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Deppen for a nearfall at 5:30.
Eli hit a Canadian Destroyer on Deppen. Charlie hit a springboard bulldog on Lloyd. Eli nailed a top-rope moonsault onto everyone on the floor at 8:00. In the ring, Radrick hit his pumphandle sitout powerbomb for a nearfall. Lloyd powerbombed someone over the top rope onto several people. However, Deppen nailed a running knee on Lloyd for the pin. Another fun scramble; it really is GCW’s specialty match.
2. Nick Wayne defeated Matt Cardona at 12:24. Cardona wore a jacket that said “Indy God” on the back. With the full brim hat he’s wearing, he looks like Indiana Jones. He got on the mic and said “All hail the death match king!” He told Wayne that “all your little indy spots aren’t going to work on me.” The bell rang, and Cardona immediately rolled to the floor to stall. An intense lockup and a shoulder tackle with neither man budging. Wayne dove through the ropes, sending Cardona flying at 3:00. In the ring, Wayne hit a standing powerbomb. He went for a Clout Cutter, but Cardona tripped and crotched him in the corner.
Cardona was now in charge, slowing Wayne down with a chinlock on the mat. He hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker at 6:00. Wayne went for a Clout Cutter, but Cardona blocked it. He choked Wayne on the mat while doing push-ups and got heavily booed. He picked up his Indiana Jones-style bullwhip and he choked Wayne with it, but Wayne eventually powered out. He hit a back suplex and they were both down at 8:00. Wayne nailed a handspring-back-stunner, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Wayne went to the top rope, but Cardona shoved the ref into the ropes, causing Wayne to get crotched.
Wayne hit a running boot in the corner, then a Fameasser legdrop (Cardona’s move!) for a nearfall at 10:00. Cardona nailed a low blow kick, then the Radio Silence (Fameasser) for a believable nearfall. Wayne nailed the Clout Cutter for a nearfall, but Cardona got his foot on the bottom rope. Cardona went under the ring, got a chair, and hit Wayne with it. In the ring, he jabbed Wayne with the chair and cracked it over the back. Prazak said there is no DQs in GCW. Cardona swung the chair, but it hit the top rope and ricocheted back onto his head, and Wayne got a schoolboy rollup for the pin. That finish may be cliche, but this looked as good as that spot can look.
* Cardona got on the mic and said he’s proud of Wayne, and was in awe of the teenager. He said that Wayne will someday have his own “WrestleMania moment.” He offered a handshake, and the crowd shouted at Wayne not to trust him. They shook hands; Cardona went for a kick to the gut but Wayne caught the leg, and Wayne hit a superkick. Wayne grabbed the chair, but Cardona hit a low blow uppercut. Jordan Oliver ran to the ring to make the save, and Cardona scampered to the back.
3. Gringo Loco and “Los Vipers” Toxin and Latigo defeated Jack Cartwheel, Mago, and Arez in a six-man tag at 17:04. Cartwheel has grown out his hair a bit and it is startling. (Kind of like seeing Karrion Kross with a full head of hair after being used to seeing him bald.) Arez and Toxin started. Toxin’s mask reminds me of Evil Uno or Shark Boy, and he is heavier than your typical luchador. They traded lucha reversals. Mago and Latigo tagged in at 3:00, and they traded quick mat holds, then armdrags. Loco entered to face off with Cartwheel. Cartwheel did some cartwheels, so Loco did some too. Cartwheel hit a top-rope huracanrana at 5:30.
Loco’s rudo team began working over Arez. Gringo hit a sit-out powerbomb, then a Canadian Destroyer. Cartweheel entered and hit some quick moves on the rudos. Mago entered and hit a handspring-back-spin kick. Arez’ team hit simultanous dives to the floor on the rudos at 10:00. In the ring, the babyfaces worked over Toxin. Loco hit a powerbomb on Cartwheel at 13:00. Toxin hit a Swanton Bomb over the top rope onto two opponents lying on the floor! In the ring, Toxin hit a backbreaker over his knee on Cartwheel.
Everyone brawled in one corner, and one by one, they all got flipped to the mat, and suddenly everyone was down at 15:00, with the fans chanting, “This is awesome!” Arez hit a dive to the floor. Cartwheel hit a Canadian Destroyer over the top rope on Toxin, sending them both to the floor, with the fans loudly chanting “Holy shit!” Emil called it a “Space Flying Tiger Destroyer to the Floor.” In the ring, Cartwheel hit an awesome Phoenix Splash for a nearfall. Out of nowhere, Loco hit a Rikishi Driver piledriver on Arez for the clean pin. That was a blast. Fans pelted them with dollar bills.
4. Jordan Oliver defeated Mance Warner to retain the Jersey Championship Wrestling Title at 17:24. Oliver just won four matches in a one-day tournament last Saturday, so no way he’s losing it already here. Oliver at about 6’2″ is even slightly taller than the brawler Mance. They traded mat reversals early. Mance peppered him with punches in the corner, then some loud chops at 4:00. They brawled to the floor, and Mance (dangerously, recklessly, stupidly) threw a chair at Oliver’s head. Oliver had blood coming from the top of his forehead. Mance cracked him over the back with a chair, and they brawled over to a wall.
Oliver leapt off a bar onto Mance at 6:00. He slammed Mance into the ring post; Mance was now bleeding from his forehead as well. They got back in the ring, with Oliver hitting a chairshot across the back for a nearfall. Oliver hit a dropkick and got a nearfall at 8:30. Mance was heavily bleeding. Oliver went for the Clout Cutter, but Mance caught him and applied a Dragon Sleeper. Mance got out and hit a series of kicks. Mance was really gross now with the blood loss.
Mance applied a Crippler Crossface on the mat at 10:00 and Oliver teased possibly tapping out. Oliver hit a Tiger Suplex and a Mafia Kick for a nearfall. “He’s just pouring blood!” Prazak shouted. Oliver went under the ring and got a door to bring into the ring. He got a second one, drawing a pop. Mance threw another chair at Oliver’s head, and Mance set up a door in the corner, and he made a door bridge between two chairs. They fought on the ropes, and Oliver nailed a superplex through the door bridge at 14:00 for a nearfall. The crowd chanted “GCW!”
Mance got up and hit a Canadian Destroyer and a huge decapitating clothesline for a nearfall. Oliver hit an enziguri. Mance charged at Oliver, but Oliver leapfrogged him and Mance barreled through the door in the corner. Oliver hit a Mafia Kick and a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. He then nailed the Clout Cutter for the clean pin. Good match that was hampered by too much blood loss and chairshots to the head.
5. Charles Mason beat Allie Katch in an intergender match at 15:15. This feud has been boiling for two months, but I don’t care one iota about it. Everyone was banned from ringside; that would matter later. Katch came out first, but Mason ran up and attacked her from behind. He dragged her on the floor. He choked her with the edge of a chair. They finally got in the ring, with Katch hitting a headscissors takedown, then a dive through the ropes onto Mason. She hit a top-rope crossbody block on him. Mason, who was wearing a white shirt and tan pants, has blood spatter on him, but I think it is from the prior match.
Mason hit a DDT onto the floor at 4:30. Katch was bleeding from the top of her head, and Mason wiped it on his face. Allie fired up with a series of punches, and a tornado DDT at 8:30. She hit her buttbump in the corner, then a rolling cannonball, then a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. Mason applied a sleeperhold on the mat. He nailed a rolling Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 11:00. He removed his belt and was loudly booed. Katch hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall.
Mason accidentally clotheslined the ref! Katch immediately hit a piledriver for a visual pin, but we had no ref. A bald guy hit Katch with a chair. Dark Sheik hit a missile dropkick on the bald guy. Parrow hit a slam on Sheik. Effy hit a Fame-asser on Parrow. Mason put Effy along his back and hit a piledriver. Mason hit a spinning tombstone piledriver to pin Katch.
* Allie got on the mic. She vowed that this isn’t done, it isn’t finished. She challenged Mason to a steel cage match in Atlantic City, N.J., on March 5. “You can choke on those words, bitch,” she concluded. Mason smirked, unbothered by the challenged.
6. “Los Macizos” Extremo Miedo and Ciclope defeated “The Bollywood Boyz” Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 11:17. Los Macizos have been defeating one team after another in recent months, and it’s hard to take the Bollywood Boyz seriously as a threat to win the titles in their debut match. The Boyz attacked from behind. I never learned which brother is which. Miedo is wearing a police vest (think D’Lo Brown.) Chairs were thrown at each other’s heads, and I absolutely hate that. They all brawled on the floor.
Both Macizos were bleeding from the forehead, as they re-entered the ring and kept brawling. Ciclope suplexed them both at 6:00 and he was fired up. The Boyz set up a table bridge between two chairs and they flipped Ciclope through the table at 8:30. Miedo threw more chairs at the Boyz’ heads. Miedo slammed Gurv threw a door. Miedo finally removed that vest. Ciclope hit a top-rope powerbomb on Harv through a door for a nearfall. Miedo grabbed Harv and immediately hit a piledriver for the pin. A bloody brawl; this has been a good show but too much blood for my tastes.
7. Lio Rush defeated Komander at 14:36. Prazak noted that both men won their first-round match last week in the J Cup tournament but lost in the quarterfinals. They tied up in a knucklelock. They jawed at each other and it appears Lio actually has a slight height advantage. Komander nailed a dive through the ropes to the floor at 3:30. Lio hit a dive through the ropes. In the ring, Lio nailed a Yes Kick to the chest. Lio is in full heel mode, flipping off the crowd. Lio hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 7:00.
Komander hit a handspring-back-into airplane spin head-scissors. Komander hit a mid-ring tornado DDT for a nearfall. Lio hit a spin kick to the head. Komander nailed a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee at 10:00. LIo hit a Canadian Destroyer; he went for a frogsplash, but Komander got his knees up to block it. Lio nailed a spear for a nearfall. They traded rollup attempts on the mat.
Komander hit a cool move where he snapped LIo’s arm back while flipping Lio to the mat. Komander walked the tight rope from one corner to the other, then hit a moonsault to the floor at 13:00. In the ring, Komander missed a springboard Shooting Star Press. Lio hit his stunners out of the ropes, then he nailed his top-rope frogsplash for the clean pin. That was excellent.
8. Blake Christian defeated Willie Mack at 23:08. Mack got a huge ovation from the hometown crowd. Blake competed in Chicago a day ago, beating Marsche Rockett via count-out. Blake stalled at the bell against his much taller and heavier opponent. They traded quick reversals, and Blake did some crotch chops, and he was loudly booed. Prazak said that Blake’s attack on the female ref last week “hurt his bank account.” Willie hit a headscissors takedown at 3:30, then a running kneestrike to the forehead.
Blake set up for a dive to the floor, but he instead laid on the mat and did a crotch chop, earning more boos. He then hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor at 5:30 but still got booed. They fought on the floor. In the ring, Mack hit a sunset flip for a nearfall at 9:00. Blake hit a handspring-back-elbow. He was really playing up his heel mannerisms with the crowd. Blake dove through the ropes but Mack caught him. In the ring, Mack nailed a clothesline at 12:00. Mack nailed a Samoan Drop, and they were both down.
Mack nailed the standing moonsault for a nearfall at 14:00. Blake nailed an enziguri, then a springboard missile dropkick onto the shoulder for a nearfall. Mack hit some forearm shots. Blake hit a kneestrike to the chest. Mack nailed a pop-up European Uppercut. Blake nailed a mid-ring Spanish Fly, and they were both down at 16:30. Blake missed his Rollins-style stomp to the head, but he nailed a Saito Suplex, then a Canadian Destroyer. Blake then nailed a springboard 450 Splash for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Emil said that move usually gets him the win.
Blake leapt off the top rope, but Mack cut him in half with a spear for a nearfall. Mack nailed his cannonball in the corner and a massive sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 20:00. Blake pulled the ref in front of him. Mack wound up splashing the ref. Blake hit a German Suplex. He went under the ring and got a chair. In the ring, Mack nailed a stunner; he went for a frogsplash, but Blake pulled the ref on top of him, so Mack landed on his feet before hitting the ref. Blake then nailed the Stomp to the head for the pin. Like in other recent matches, he put the metal chair on Mack’s head and he kicked the chair. He was loudly booed as he left the ring.
* A video aired to highlight the main event.
9. Nick Gage defeated Mike Bailey for the GCW Heavyweight Title at 24:49. Bailey is on a roll, but this match has just been thrown out there with pretty much zero build-up, so a title change wouldn’t make sense. At this point, it feels weird to watch a Bailey indy match without Veda Scott on commentary. Gage got absolutely mobbed by the crowd, as his entrance is more and more like Sandman’s lengthy intro. Bailey showed some minor heelish mannerisms, upset at the lengthy ring introduction for Gage.
Lots of stalling at the bell. Gage hit a swinging neckbreaker early on, and they brawled to the floor. Gage slammed Bailey’s head into the ring post at 4:30. Gage got a door from under the ring, but Bailey kicked it on him. Bailey hit a kneedrop on the door, which was lying on Gage. In the ring, Bailey began working over the left arm. The crowd booed him a bit, and Emil Jay said it was “like bizarro-land” hearing those boos. He snapped the arm across the top rope at 8:00. Bailey hit his running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall.
Gage hit a spinebuster and a running elbow into the corner at 10:30, then a Facewash boot in the corner. Gage hit a Vader Bomb elbowdrop. He turned and jawed at the ref. They began trading chops. Gage nailed a brainbuster at 12:30. Bailey applied a cross-armbreaker in the center of the ring. Gage nailed a piledriver, with Bailey scrambling to the ropes before Gage could attempt a cover. They traded more forearm shots. Bailey hit a series of kicks and his moonsault double-kneeshot to the chest at 15:30, then a spin kick to the head for a nearfall.
Bailey hit a series of kicks that finally dropped Gage. Bailey waited for Gage to get to his feet and he hit the tornado kick in the corner, then the Ultimo Weapon second-rope moonsault kneedrop for a believable nearfall at 17:30, and many in the crowd reacted with dismay, saying that was a three-count. They brawled on the ring apron, where Gage hit another piledriver, and Bailey tumbled to the hard floor. Gage hit a snap suplex on the floor. In the ring, they brawled on the ropes in the corner, with Bailey hitting some headbutts. Gage grabbed Bailey in the groin, and then suplexed him from the top rope through table bridges set up on the floor at 22:00. That was an inside spot.
They got back in the ring, but Bailey applied a Fujiwara Armbar, with Gage finally reaching the ropes and escaping to the floor. Bailey nailed his Triangle Moonsault to the floor, then his moonsault double knees on the ring apron. Bailey missed a moonsault doubleknee shot into the ring. Gage hit two piledrivers, then a chokeslam over his knee to get the pin. That started slow but heated up into a really, really good match.
* Gage got on the mic and encouraged the fans to cheer for Bailey. He said he was going to be a fighting champion and he meant it … any time, any place. This brought out an unannounced Masha Slamovich. Prazak reminded us she won the “Do or Die” Rumble on New Year’s Day to earn a title shot. She got on the mic and asked, “Where’s my f—ing gang at?” Masha said she has nothing but respect for him and his 20 years in the business. However, “2023 is the year of Masha Slamovich.” She wants the match March 17 in New York City; the crowd booed because they wanted it here. She said, “one more thing — Masha is going to kill you, motherf—er.” She shoved the mic in his chest, turned and left, as we fade to black to end the show.
Final Thoughts: GCW does shows all over the nation, but the New Jersey and Los Angeles shows feel like their quarterly pay-per-views. They get huge crowds every time in this building, and they deliver the best of the indy action. So many stellar matches here, but I’ll go with Lio-Kommander for best, Blake-Mack for second and the six-man lucha for third, just ahead of the main event. I feel like six matches could be in the mix for top three of the night, though.
At age 42 and after years of hardcore death matches brutalizing his body, Gage is just a step slow and still not my choice to be the face of the promotion, but the crowd loves him. But the reality is he needs his opponents to provide the movement to make his matches passable. They worked Bailey’s style of match and Gage worked really hard here to keep up. They didn’t resort to pizza cutters or staple guns or glass or light tubes. All that said, I never once thought Bailey was winning here. So, I’m sure many people would have the main event in their top three, but I’ll place it at fourth.
I said this in my review of Dream Wave Wrestling in Chicago a week ago… but Arez is sooo good but he loses way too often. Also, Jack Cartwheel is so good and rarely wins in GCW, too.
My complaints are the same… too much bloodloss, far too many chairshots to the head, and my dislike for watching a man beat the crap out of a smaller woman.
GCW will be back in the Ukrainian Cultural Center during WrestleMania weekend for “The Collective,” as there are eight or so shows planned in the building over three days.
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