By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “IWS vs. GCW: UnFnSanctioned”
Replay available via Fite.TV
March 11, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec at Olympia Theatre
Last week, a half-dozen wrestlers from IWS interfered in a GCW show to “make this fight personal.” During that melee, Canada native Mike Bailey sided with IWS and helped beat down GCW’s roster. I admittedly am unfamiliar with everyone on the IWS roster. Earlier this week, IWS boasted that more than 1,000 tickets have been sold for this show.
* Earlier in the day, rising star Marcus Mathers posted on his Twitter page that he’s injured and cannot compete in a scheduled eight-man tag. Also, GCW regulars Blake Christian, Joey Janela, Effy and Matt Cardona are in Australia this weekend so won’t be on this show.
* The show opened with footage from a prior IWS show, featuring Effy fighting IWS champion Benjamin Tull. After Effy lost, he kicked Tull in the groin. Mance Warner hit the ring and helped Effy beat up Tull until the IWS roster made the save. We then saw footage of the IWS invasion last week in New Jersey.
To the arena! Veda Scott and Adam V are on commentary. This is a large theater and it’s set up like an Impact taping with the ramp across from the ring. Veda said there were two “bonus matches” won by GCW prior to going on air, but I’m not going to count those in the scoreboard.
1. “East West Express” Nick Wayne and Jordan Oliver defeated “Fresh Air” Junior Benito and Macrae Martin at 15:23. Fresh Air are dressed like 1990s rappers. Veda said Nick Wayne isn’t used to being booed. Macrae is white in a singlet and he started with Jordan Oliver and they shook hands before locking up. Jordan got a Crucifix Takedown for a nearfall. Benito and Wayne entered at 3:00; Junior is shorter, Black, and wore basketball warmup pants. Wayne hit some punches and got booed; I assume all the GCW heels will get the heel treatment tonight.
Oliver and Wayne worked over Benito. Macrae made the hot tag at 7:30 and cleaned house. Wayne hit a snap Dragon Suplex on Martin. Oliver hit the Acid Kick, then the sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Macrae caught Oliver coming off the ropes and hit a spinning side slam at 10:30. Benito entered and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Oliver for a nearfall. Wayne hit a handspring-back-stunner. Oliver hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly on Benito, and suddenly everyone was down.
All four traded blows in the ring. Oliver and Wayne hit superkicks. Macrae hit a dive to the floor on Jordan. Meanwhile Benito hit a top-rope frogsplash on Wayne for a believable nearfall at 14:00. Wayne nailed a Poison Rana. Wayne and Oliver hit a team Clout Cutter on Macrae for the pin. That was really good action. GCW 1, IWS 0.
2. Lufisto defeated Sawyer Wreck at 9:51. Congrats to Lufisto for dropping some weight in recent months, but she’s really short, and Sawyer is a legit 6’1″. Lufisto hit a back suplex, sending Sawyer to the floor. Lufisto hit a rolling summersault off the apron to the floor on Sawyer. Lufist got a thick table from under the ring; this looks like it might not easily break! As they brawled on the floor, we can see the sizable crowd on the other side of the guardrail. Sawyer tossed several chairs into the ring.
They got in the ring and sat across from each other on chairs and traded forearm shots at 4:00. Sawyer slammed her onto a folded chair for a nearfall. Sawyer missed a second-rope moonsault. Lufisto hit a rolling cannonball into the corner for a nearfall at 7:30. Sawyer hit a rolling Death Valley Driver onto several folded chairs for a nearfall. They fought on the ring apron, and Lufisto hit a Burning Hammer onto the table on the floor at 9:30, drawing a “holy shit!” chant. Lufisto rolled Sawyer into the ring and pinned her. Decent brawl. GCW 1, IWS 1.
3. “TDT” Thomas Dubois and Mathieu St-Jaques defeated “Los Macizos” Ciclope and Extremo Miedo at 13:03. TDT wear red-and-black plaid lumberjack shirts and made me think of AEW’s Bear Country. They immediately brawled to the floor. Miedo gave the crowd the middle finger, accepting the fact they are heels here. A TDT guy hit a double DDT at 4:00 in the ring. Another TDT guy hit a double suplex. A TDT guy applied a Texas Cloverleaf.
Ciclope hit a Shining Wizard at 8:00. Miedo slammed Ciclope onto an opponent for a nearfall. Ciclope slammed St-Jaques through a table, but Dubois hit a moonsault to break up the pin. They all began throwing chairs at each other’s heads. Ciclope hit a top-rope doublestomp onto an opponent’s head at 11:00. TDT slammed Ciclope through a door set up in the corner. They then hit a sit-out powerbomb on Miedo for a believable nearfall. One TDT member applied a sleeperhold, while the other applied a Boston Crab, and both Ciclope and Miedo tapped out. Good brawl. GCW 1, IWS 2.
4. Matt Falco defeated 1 Called Manders at 11:31. Falco looks like Chris Kanyon or a young Crowbar. Manders attacked before the bell and got booed. A box containing several beer cans was brought to ringside. Falco drank from a beer and hit a delayed vertical suplex. They brawled to the floor, where Manders whipped a chair at Falco’s head; I hate seeing that. Manders drank from a beer and they kept brawling in the ring, with Manders cracking a chair across Falco’s back at 3:30.
Falco slammed Manders head-first onto a keg that was set up in the corner. Falco hit a fallaway slam and was fired up. Manders slammed Falco onto two kegs on open chairs for a nearfall at 7:00. Manders hit a hard lariat for a nearfall. They sat down at a table in the center of the ring at 9:30 and had a drinking contest, both pounding beers, before whipping the cans at each other. Falco hit a chokeslam off the top rope through the table in the ring for the pin. Good brawl. GCW 1, IWS 3.
* Intermission. We had a 12-minute countdown clock and returned right at zero.
5. Mike Bailey defeated Gringo Loco at 17:15. Yes, Bailey is on team IWS tonight. Veda said this is a first-ever singles matchup, which is a bit surprising. Quick reversals and a standoff and we’re off to a hot start. Gringo did several backflips, showing off his athleticism despite a bit of a gut. They fought to the floor, where Loco swung Bailey’s head into a guardrail at 3:00.
In the ring, Bailey hit a head-scissors takedown but Loco landed on his feet and he hit a clothesline on Mike. Loco hit a top-rope Clout Cutter for a nearfall at 6:00. Loco missed a top-rope corkscrew splash. Bailey hit a series of kicks and a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. They brawled back into the ring and the crowd was loudly booing Loco. Bailey hit his springboard moonsault to the floor at 8:30. They fought on the apron, where Bailey missed a moonsault kneedrop.
Loco nailed a flip dive to the floor. They fought on the ropes in the corner and traded chops. Loco nailed an impressive top-rope Spanish Fly for a nearfall at 11:00. Loco hit his spinning powerbomb from the top rope to the ring apron, and they both wound up on the floor. That seemed unnecessarily dangerous! In the ring, Bailey hit his moonsault kneedrop. They fought in the corner, where Bailey hit a Frankensteiner at 14:30, and he was fired up.
Bailey went for the Tornado Kick in the corner, but Loco caught him. Bailey missed the Ultima Weapon moonsault kneedrop. Loco hit a swinging faceplant for a believable nearfall. Bailey was selling a lower back injury, and Loco hit a dropkick right onto the sore back. Bailey hit a second-rope Poison Rana! He hit a series of kicks, then the Tornado Kick in the corner. He hit the second-rope Ultima Weapon moonsault kneedrop for the pin. Really, really good match. GCW 1, IWS 4.
6. Melanie Havok defeated Allie Katch to retain the IWS Women’s Title at 14:41. Havok wore shiny red and black and appears a bit Goth, and has pink-and-brown hair. They traded some standing reversals and Havok kissed her on the forehead. Allie applied a chinlock on the mat at 5:00 and taunted the crowd. Havok hit a superkick; she set up for a dive but Allie hit a forearm to cut her off. Havok hit a Steve Austin-style kick to the gut and stunner combo at 7:30. She hit a doublestomp on Katch’s back for a nearfall.
Havok applied a Rings of Saturn double armbar, but Katch was able to get free; Katch was selling pain in her left arm. They fought on the ropes in a corner, and Havok hit a powerbomb at 11:00. Havok hit a uranage for a believable nearfall. Katch nailed a second-rope superplex, then a Death Valley Driver for a believable nearfall. They got up and traded chops and forearms. Katch kissed her hard on the mouth, then she hit a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall at 13:30.
Katch set up for a piledriver but Havok broke free. Katch hit a splash against the ropes. Havok hit a Crucifix Takedown for a believable nearfall. Havok again applied the Rings of Saturn in the middle of the ring, and Katch tapped out. An okay match; having the title on the line made it seem like Havok was never really in danger of losing here, so perhaps this should have been a non-title match. GCW 1, IWS 5.
7. Benjamin Tull defeated Tony Deppen to retain the IWS Title at 12:35. Tull has a gut and reminds me of the Gallus boys in NXT, or a young Trevor Murdoch. Tull had his IWS title; he wore green pants and a black singlet on top. They stood nose to nose and Tull is 3ish inches taller and heavier. Tull hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Deppen, then a Mafia Kick at 2:00. They brawled to the floor, where Tull chopped Deppen in front of the fans. Tull accidentally chopped the ring post. In the ring, Deppen hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall.
Deppen applied a chinlock and cranked on the face, and bit Tull’s fingers, and he was fully in charge. He went for a senton at 5:00 but Tull got his knees up to block it. Tull hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Tull hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall. Tull missed a top-rope twisting splash. Deppen hit a slingshot stunner and a Meteora running double knees for a nearfall. Tull hit a swinging sidewalk slam for a nearfall at 9:00. Tull put Deppen on his shoulders and dropped him stomach-first to the mat.
Deppen hit a Death Valley Driver, then a top-rope doublestomp for a believable nearfall. Tull hit a Michinoku Driver and he ripped down the straps on his singlet. He slammed Deppen through a table set up in the corner and scored the pin. OK match. Much like the prior match, with the title on the line, I never thought Deppen was winning. GCW 1, IWS 6.
8A. Sexxxy Eddie and Green Phantom vs. Rina Yamashita and Mance Warner in a “fans bring the weapons” match didn’t start. Yes, this is supposed to be two-on-two. Light tubes were set up all over the ramp. Phantom wears a generic green-and-yellow lucha mask. Eddie appears to be around age 50 and he wears thong underwear. “Fighting champion” Nick Gage came to the ring with a bundle of light tubes. PCP hit the ring; he appears to be in his 50s. So, it looks like we actually have a six-person tag instead…
8B. Nick Gage, Rina Yamashita, and Mance Warner defeated Sexxxy Eddie, Green Phantom, and PCP in a “fans bring the weapons” match at 18:24. Everyone hit each other with light tubes. Rina grabbed Eddie’s groin, so he grabbed her in the crotch. No thanks. Everyone was bleeding. Rina broke some light tubes over Eddie’s groin. That seems so reckless and unnecessary. Phantom planted cooking skewers in Mance’s head. Did I mention that everyone was bleeding?
Mance hit a DDT on Phantom through a table at 11:00. Meanwhile, Gage and PCP brawled into the upper deck of the theater, and Gage shoved PCP off the second deck through some tables far below. That seemed unnecessarily dangerous. In the ring, Gage pulled out a pizza cutter and used it on PCP’s forehead at 15:00. RIna hit a top-rope dive to the floor on Eddie. The GCW team hit several light tubes over PCP’s head, and PCP was suddenly bleeding HEAVILY from his left ear. He clutched at it, as Gage jumped on him for the pin. That was disgusting and awful. GCW 2, IWS 6.
* Gage got on the mic and said how happy he was to be there. It’s his first time ever in Canada “because I’m a f’n felon.”
Final Thoughts: The less said about the main event, the better. Unnecessarily violent and way too much blood loss. I’m sure some fans will absolutely love that match, but it’s just not for me.
The good: Bailey vs. Gringo Loco was every bit as entertaining as I expected it would be. The show-opening tag match was strong for second place, with the TDT-Macizos tag match being a good brawl and earned a distant third place. I would certainly say of all the guys on the IWS roster who I hadn’t seen before, TDT were the most promising.
GCW is back in action next weekend as they return to New York with Nick Gage defending his title against No. 1 contender Masha Slamovich, Bandido vs. Gringo Loco, Kushida & Alex Shelley vs. Jordan Oliver & Mike Bailey, and Homicide vs. Matt Cardona.
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