By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Worst Behavior”
Replay available via FITE.TV
March 19, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario at The Opera House
This show was a sellout in advance. We once again had a hard camera on the second deck, giving us an unusual look down into the ring. The venue is a tiny theater/opera house with perhaps 600 people absolutely packed in, including a filled upper deck. The ring is directly in front of the stage, with fans also seated on the stage. Dave Prazak and Veda Scott provided commentary. Five wrestlers were already in the ring.
1. Blake Christian defeated Big Vin, Michael Richard Blais, 1 Called Manders, Alec Price and Starboy Charlie in a six-way scramble at 13:28. After Emil Jay had introduced the five guys in the ring, Blake Christian walked to the ring to join. Vin and Manders, the largest men in the match, traded punches, and Vin hit a huracanrana that got a pop. Price hit a springboard spin kick. Blake hit a 619, then a springboard kneestrike on Charlie, then a Saito Suplex. Blake hit a Pele Kick on Charlie at 5:00, and this felt like a one-on-one match for a bit.
Charlie hit a Canadian Destroyer on Blake, then a corkscrew press on Manders for a nearfall. Blais, who looks like Cameron Grimes, hit a spinebuster. Manders hit a series of headbutts on Price. Blake hit a top-rope doublestomp on Manders’ head, and everyone was down at 7:30. They did a six-way Tower spot out of the corner, with everyone down again. Price hit a top-rope Blockbuster on Manders. Blake hit a sit-out powerbomb on Price, then a mid-ring Spanish Fly on Price. Price hit a superkick on Manders.
Manders hit a clothesline on Price. Blais tied Manders in the Tree of Woe and hit a neckbreaker, then a coast-to-coast flipping legdrop. Charlie hit a spin kick to Blais’ forehead for a nearfall at 12:30. Blake hit a low blow uppercut on Charlie, drawing massive boos. Blake hit a splash on Charlie’s back, then Blake hit his Rollins-style Stomp to Blais’ head for the pin. Good scramble and far better than Friday’s version.
2. “The East West Express” Nick Wayne and Jordan Oliver defeated “Wasted Youth” Marcus Mathers and Dyln McKay at 23:37. Wayne couldn’t compete on Friday in New York because he is still a minor. Oliver and McKay started with some good reversals. Mathers and Wayne entered at 3:00. Oliver slammed Wayne onto an opponent, and the EWE were fired up. Oliver snapped McKay’s arm backward at 6:30, and EWE worked Dyln over. Marcus entered and hit a Mule Kick to Wayne’s head at 10:00. Mathers hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall.
Oliver made the hot tag at 12:00 and hit a Northern Lights Suplex on McKay and an Acid Kick to the jaw, then his sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. McKay hit a tornado DDT and a twisting suplex into the turnbuckles for a nearfall. Wayne made the hot tag at 14:30 and he hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. McKay hit a spin kick, and they were both down. Mathers made the hot tag and he hit a top-rope crossbody block on Oliver, then a running sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. McKay hit a Lionsault, then a spinning tombstone pilledriver on Wayne for a nearfall, but Oliver made the save at 18:00.
Dyln hit a top-rope moonsault accidentally on his partner! Mathers hit a German Suplex on Wayne; Oliver hit a German Suplex on Mathers. McKay hit a Poison Rana. Oliver hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly, and suddenly everyone is down, and the fans loudly chanted, “GCW!” Wayne hit a stunner on Mathers. Wayne went for a Clout Cutter, but Mathers turned it into a German Suplex. McKay hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press, and Mathers hit a top-rope 450 Splash on Wayne for a believable nearfall. All four brawled in the ring. Oliver hit a Tiger Suplex. EWE hit a team Clout Cutter, with Wayne pinning McKay. Really good match, and despite its length, this never dragged.
* Adam V replaced Veda Scott on commentary.
3. Joey Janela defeated Benjamin Tull at 11:38. I first saw Tull just a week ago on the GCW show from Montreal; he reminds me of the Gallus guys; his title belt is not on the line. Tull was loudly booed. They traded shoulder tackles with neither man going down. They brawled out of the ring and onto the stage. In the ring, Tull hit a swinging Boss Man Slam for a nearfall at 3:30, and he was in charge. Janela hit a standing powerbomb and he was fired up.
They traded forearm shots. Tull hit a decapitating clothesline, and they were both down at 6:30. They tossed a half dozen chairs into the ring, and Tull suplexed him onto the pile of chairs. Tull missed a second-rope moonsault move, and Janela immediately hit a Death Valley Driver onto an open chair for a believable nearfall at 9:30. Janela opened eight chairs in the ring. However, Tull hit a second-rope Michinoku Driver through the open chairs for a believable nearfall. (Absurd he kicked out of that.) They dueled with chairs. Janela hit a superkick and a clothesline, then a top-rope double stomp onto a pile of chairs on Tull’s chest for the pin. Good brawl.
4. Matt Cardona defeated Sexxxy Eddie at 5:59. Eddie is 44, the internet says, but I thought he was older than that. Cardona got on the mic and did his “All hail the death match king” monologue. He asked why he was being booed, noting he married a Canadian, but then he added that he got her to move to the U.S. Cardona attacked from behind to start the match. Eddie whipped off his warmup pants to reveal he wrestles in a thong. Yuck. Eddie applied a Figure Four and took a sip from a beer can; he passed it to Cardona, but Matt spit beer in Eddie’s face.
Cardona hit a running facewash in the corner at 2:30, and he jawed at the fans. Eddie flipped Cardona to the mat in the ‘Flair spot’ from the top rope. Eddie’s thong ripped! He held his hands over his groin, but his butt was bare. The ref put on the gloves. Funny. Eddie hit a second-rope moonsault, hands still over his crotch, and got a nearfall at 5:30. Cardona hit a Fameasser for the pin. Decent humor; I didn’t expect much here so this was fine.
5. Mance Warner defeated Cole Radrick at 8:27. Admittedly these are two of my least favorite guys on the GCW roster, but the crowd is hot for this. They immediately traded punches and chops, and they brawled onto the stage at 1:00. In the ring, Mance (dangerously, recklessly) whipped chairs at Radrick’s face. Radrick leapt off a chair and hit a hip attack in the corner, Sabu style. Radrick tossed a chair at Mance at 4:30, and he set up a table in the ring. Mance super-plexed him onto the table but it didn’t break. Radrick tried a 619 but it fell woefully short, but Mance sold it anyway. Radrick hit a Death Valley Driver through the table in the corner for a nearfall at 7:30. Mance chokeslammed Radrick through two open chairs, then a DDT for the pin. Passable; it wasn’t as violent as I feared.
6. Shayne Hawke, Matt Viviani, and Macrae Martin defeated Tony Deppen, Yoya, and Janai Kai at 10:11. I saw Macrae on the IWS show from Montreal. GCW didn’t put his partner’s names on the screen, but I found them online. On the GCW side, Deppen is a heel teaming with two faces, so a weird match. Janai entered at 2:30 and she hit several kicks to the back. We had two three-way sleeper spots. Janai hit a series of kicks on all three men in the middle of the ring at 8:00, drawing a pop.
Shayne Hawke (think Josh Alexander) hit a slam on Deppen. Deppen and Yoya argued. Martin hit a spin kick on Deppen for the pin. Prazak pointed out that Yoya was right there and could have made the save, but didn’t. Not great action; this was more about establishing the oddball teaming.
7. Rina Yamashita defeated Lufisto to retain the GCW Ultraviolent Title at 13:46. Give Lufisto credit for some recent weight loss, and she went under the ring and threw chairs into the ring before Rina even emerged from the back. They had a chair duel, then traded overhand chops. Lufisto stomped on her in the corner, then a running hip attack onto a chair over Rina’s face for a nearfall at 4:30. Lufisto jabbed cooking skewers into Rina’s forehead. Gross. Lufisto hit a DDT. Rina sat up and was bleeding. Lufisto slammed her from the ring apron through a table at ringside at 9:00, earning a “Holy shit!” chant.
In the ring, Rina hit a German Suplex onto a pile of folded chairs. Rina hit a diving forearm onto a chair against Lufisto’s head. Lufisto hit a Jay Driller for a nearfall. Rina hit a clothesline onto a pile of chairs but only got a one-count. Rina hit a Death Valley Driver onto the pile of chairs for a believable nearfall at 13:00. Rina hit a Razor’s Edge overhead powerbomb onto the pile of chairs for the pin. Not as violent or as gross as I feared.
8. Gringo Loco defeated Jack Cartwheel at 13:09. Cartwheel is so talented but barely got any offense against Blake on Friday, and I’m expecting a similar result here. They showed off their flips. Cartwheel hit a huracanrana. They brawled onto the stage, where Cartwheel hit a superkick at 2:30. In the ring, Jack came off the ropes, but Loco caught him and hit a piledriver move for a nearfall. On the floor, Loco crotched him on a guardrail. Jack hit a stunner on the ring apron, then a plancha to the floor at 7:30. Loco powerbombed Jack onto the ring apron.
In the ring, Loco missed a Phoenix Splash. Cartwheel hit the top-rope Phoenix Splash for a nearfall, but Loco reached the ropes at 10:30. Cartwheel hit an awkward Poison Rana, and they were both down. Gringo Loco hit a second-rope Angle Slam, then he flipped Jack up and hit a piledriver for the pin. Really good match; the packed crowd kept them from hitting dives to the floor, but they made it work.
9. Sawyer Wreck & “Bussy” Allie Katch & Effy & defeated Green Phantom & “TDT” Mathieu St-Jaques & Thomas Dubois and Jimmy Lloyd & “Los Macizos” Ciclope & Extremo Miedo in a three-way trios match at 10:40. Katch competed in Minneapolis on Saturday night. TDT are dressed like lumberjacks and remind me of Bear Country; I was impressed with them on the IWS/GCW Montreal show. Phantom and Lloyd started. TDT entered and hit some clotheslines. Miedo slammed Sawyer for a nearfall.
TDT each applied a Texas Cloverleaf at 4:00. Effy hit a Whoopee Cushion for a nearfall. Sawyer hit a Mafia Kick on one of the TDT guys. Ciclope hit a top-rope double stomp on the top of Green Phantom’s head. Lloyd hit a package piledriver. Katch hit a piledriver. A TDT guy hit a double DDT at 7:00. Green Phantom slammed Katch through a table in the corner for a nearfall. Ciclope hit a top-rope Canadian Destroyer through a table on Effy. Sawyer hit a double clothesline. Effy hit a top-rope Fameasser on Ciclope, sending him through a table, for the pin. Solid match.
* A video package aired of Mike Bailey turning on the GCW roster two weeks ago and fighting alongside the IWS roster.
10. Masha Slamovich defeated Mike Bailey to retain the GCW Title at 19:53. Masha defeated Nick Gage on Friday to win the GCW title. A fair amount of boos for Bailey, which is surprising in his native country. I recall these two fought at a GCW show in Los Angeles at some point in early 2022 with Bailey winning. They shook hands but Bailey hit a kick and a brainbuster for a nearfall in the first minute. She hit a hard kick to the back. Bailey applied a Boston Crab on the floor. He dragged her in the ring and applied it again, then he hit a double kneedrop to her stomach at 4:00, and he was turning up the heel mannerisms.
Masha fired back with a second-rope summersault on Bailey. She hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall. Bailey hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 7:00. she hit a spin kick to the face; she set up for an Air Raid Crash but Mike escaped. Bailey set up for the Flamingo Driver, but she fought free. She hit a second-rope German Suplex, with Bailey rotating and landing on his stomach, and they were both down. She ran in for a knee strike, but he caught her leg. She hit the Air Raid Crash for a nearfall. Bailey again applied a Boston Crab, with Masha reaching the ropes. Bailey got pliers and cut off the ring turnbuckles at 11:00.
Bailey hit a spin kick to the face, and he began loosening the top rope, and he got it undone; he struck her in the face with a turnbuckle at 13:30 and was loudly booed. Masha slammed Bailey on the ring apron, and he crashed to the ground. He powerbombed her on the ground. He kept dismantling the ring, and he peeled back the padding to expose the boards. He catapulted her head into a wood board at 17:30. They got in the ring, and he applied a half crab; her body was falling through the ring because boards had been moved. Bailey missed a moonsault kneedrop. She hit a driver, and he fell through the ring. She picked him up and began choking him, and he tapped out. That was a fun match.
Final Thoughts: While I admittedly am not a huge fan of intergender matches, Masha and Bailey have really had good matches against each other, and that earns best match. I guess I don’t mind putting the title on Masha, as she has more athleticism and can deliver better in the ring than Nick Gage in 2023. The East West Express match was a non-stop 20+ minute sprint and earns second place. Gringo Loco-Cartwheel earned third, with a good scramble earning honorable mention.
I am glad to see GCW use guardrails on both shows this weekend. While fans sat really close to the ring, at least they were never pelted with glass or light tube debris. This was a really good venue, and they definitely should return here soon.
I will never understand why someone watches GCW and says things such as “gross” or “not as violent as I thought it would be” or “he was careless with that move”. Its GCW. That’s what they do. Period.
I think Chris has made it clear that he enjoys other elements of GCW more than the hardcore style. Some GCW shows feature a lot of hardcore matches, some feature less, but they do have a variety. It’s no different than watching WWE and being annoyed by the sports entertainment style hokey comedy. It’s possible to enjoy some elements of a product while not being a fan of everything they present you with. It’s not an all or nothing decision.