By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW vs. Renegades of Wrestling
Streamed on FITE.TV
August 25, 2023 in Sydney, Australia at The Roundhouse
Game Changer Wrestling headed to Australia over the weekend for three shows. This is a review of “GCW vs. Renegades of Wrestling: Australian Tour 2023,” from Aug. 25, 2023, in Sidney, Australia. When the show started, the lighting was mediocre at best, but two minutes into the match, they got the ring well-lit. I’ll put the crowd at 500 or so. We had Australian commentary and they were hard to understand, and not just their accent… they spoke too quietly and not into the mics enough.
This show aired at 6 p.m. CST on the same day as the show, giving a few hours for any edits to be made before airing.
1. Robbie Eagles defeated Everett Connors and Lochy Hendricks in a three-way at 11:15. The commentary team is trying to convince me that U.S.-born Connors is “representing” GCW, but I don’t ever recall seeing him on the dozens of GCW shows I’ve watched. Eagles is the known standout here and he got a nice pop. Connors has bright pink hair and he wears a NASCAR driver’s outfit. Connors hit a superkick at 5:30 on Eagles, then an enzuigiri. Hendricks hit a double Poison Rana and everyone was down. Hendricks hit a Flatliner for a nearfall at 7:30. Eagles hit a top-rope 450 Splash onto both opponents. They all traded punches. Connors hit a Burning Hammer on Hendricks, then a top-rope twisting splash for a nearfall on Hendricks. Eagles hit a springboard missile dropkick, then a spin kick to the chest for the pin out of nowhere. Solid opener; I admittedly didn’t like the finish.
2. “The Bastard Brothers” Gore and KrackerJak defeated Backman and Gym-bro Jessie at 8:49. I don’t know any of these four, and they all wore a mix of red and black so they practically look like a faction of four. KrackerJak cut a funny heel promo, basically saying it brings him joy to taunt fans over their bad sports teams and making fun of their lives. Jessie, a woman, replaced Jack Pain, and she has a muscular physique, giving me ODB or Jordynne Grace vibes. She competed in a series of pushups with KrackerJak, but then he hit an elbow drop on her back. Gore wore a scary Luchasaurus-type mask, and he brawled with Backman (think Heidenreich). Backman was bleeding from his forehead. The BB worked over Backman extensively. Gore powerbombed his teammate onto Backman at 6:30.
Jessie made the hot tag and she hit some back elbows and clotheslines and a bodyslam on KrackerJak, then one on Gore! Impressive strength from her. She hit a German Suplex. KrackerJak used a staple gun on her forehead. Yuck. Gore hit a second-rope swinging powerbomb on Backman for the pin. Like the first match, the finish just came out of nowhere. A bit more bloody than I prefer. Jessie was the standout here, and she wasn’t even initally booked in the match.
3. “Bussy” Allie Katch and Effy defeated “PPK” Frankie B and Nikki Van Blair at 13:18. Nikki is effiminate; Frankie is an attractive blonde woman, so this is likey all comedy. Nikki and Effy started with some gay humor. Allie and Frankie traded some offense. Effy hit his Whoopee Cushion buttdrop on Nikki and Allie made a cover for a nearfall at 6:00. Effy hit a double Blockbuster on his opponents. Effy hit a TKO stunner, dropping Frankie onto Nikki, and he scored a nearfall at 10:30. More gay humor from Effy and Nikki, and they had to be pulled apart by their teammates. The men kissed, but then Nikki got a rollup for a nearfall. Effy hit a Doomsday Legdrop to pin Frankie. I liked nothing about this, but it admittedly isn’t my brand of humor.
4. Caveman Ugg defeated Joey Janela at 20:52 to retain the ROW Title. I first saw Ugg at a GCW BOLA several years ago; he’s on par with watching Killian Dain or Beast Man wrestle, and I do enjoy his schtick. Janela tried some shoulder tackles that had no effect, and Janela rolled to the floor to regroup. In the ring, Janela dropped him head-first on the middle turnbuckle and began stomping Ugg. Ugg charged at Janela but crashed into a wood board set up in the corner at 7:00, but the board didn’t break. Janela whipped Ugg at the board, but it again didn’t break. Unintentionally funny. Ugg whipped Janela at the board, and finally he hit a rolling cannonball onto Janela to break the board in the corner. Janela tossed a wood shard at Ugg’s head, and Janela nailed a top-rope superplex at 10:00, and they were both down.
Janela hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb onto a wood shard lying on Ugg’s chest for a nearfall at 13:00. Ugg hit a uranage onto Janela, and they both rolled to the floor. Ugg missed a top-rope corkscrew splash; you wouldn’t expect that from a man that size. Janela immediately hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 15:00. They got up and traded forearm shots. Ugg nailed a clothesline and was fired up. Janela hit a superkick and a Tiger Driver powerbomb for a nearfall. Janela got a chair and hit Ugg across the back. Janela set up a wood board bridge in the ring, and he placed Ugg on the board and he climbed the ropes. However, Ugg hit a Razor’s Edge powerbomb through the wood board — it shattered finally! — for a nearfall at 20:30. Ugg immediately hit a Rikishi Driver piledriver for the pin. So much better than the first three matches.
5. Aysha defeated Steph De Lander and Lena Kross in a three-way to retain the ROW Women’s Title at 8:48. Aysha is Asian and she’s the champion, and she’s much smaller than her opponents. SDL is so much taller than her opponents, and she was giving the crowd the middle finger as she walked to the ring. She got on the mic and said she was home and got a pop. But then she said, “I’m home and I f—ing hate it here.” She wore her “women’s internet championship” belt. She declared she should be at WrestleMania, “but instead I’m here with you f—ing losers.” Lena has a splash of purple in her hair and she wore black-and-green. Aysha tried some forearms that barely registered on her opponents. Lena is only an inch or two shorter than SDL, but SDL is much thicker.
SDL hit a snap suplex on Aysha. Lena hit a sliding German Suplex on Aysha at 4:30. They brawled on the floor, where Steph slammed Lena’s head on the ring apron. In the ring, SDL hit a running boot in the corner at 7:00. SDL grabbed her (fake) title belt, so Aysha pushed her and got her own title belt. Aysha got a rollup on Lena with a handful of tights for the pin out of nowhere. Okay action.
6. Maki Itoh defeated Charli Evans at 18:03. I’ve seen Evans a handful of times but usually in hardcore matches that don’t appeal to me. A huge pop for Itoh. Evans is short but has a clear overall size advantage. Good mat reversals to open. They paused to pose for the crowd, apparently to see who is ‘cuter.’ Itoh swore at Evans, drawing a pop. Itoh hit her Kokeshi falling headbutt at 4:00. Evans hit some stomps and kept Itoh grounded, and she hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker at 6:30. Itoh fired up and hit a headbutt that dropped Evans. Itoh hit a running Facewash boot in the corner. Itoh applied a Boston Crab, but Evans reached the ropes at 9:00.
Itoh pulled out a pizza cutter, which drew a pop. Charli hopped up and hit a kneestrike to the jaw, then a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. They traded forearm shots while on their knees at 11:00. They kept giving each other the middle finger until Charli bit the finger. Itoh did her fake crying on the mat, which I just always find hilarious. Evans hit Itoh over the head with an unprotected chairshot at 13:30; it wasn’t terribly hard but I still hate to see that. Itoh grabbed the chair and hit it several times across her own head to show how ‘tough’ she is. Itoh finally grabbed the pizza cutter and used it across Evans’ forehead.
Evans hit a swinging neckbreaker out of the ropes for a nearfall at 16:00. She hit a Death Valley Driver-into-a-neckbreaker over the knee for a nearfall. Itoh hit a headbutt and a jumping DDT, then a top-rope jumping DDT for a believable nearfall. Itoh applied a vertical Liontamer-style Boston Crab, and Evans tapped out. That was entertaining and the crowd was fully into it.
7. El Hijo Del Vikingo defeated Gringo Loco at 21:18. This is at least the fourth time I’ve seen this matchup in the past year and I have to wonder how often they are facing each other (and it is the sole reason I watched the show.) Good to see Vikingo back in action, as he missed shows last weekend after a bit of a bruising at AAA’s Triplemania, so I’m glad it wasn’t a long-term or serious injury. Quick reversals and a standoff at 1:30. They avoided each other’s big moves and Vikingo hit a huracanrana. Vikingo hit a springboard corkscrew moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Vikingo hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. He charged at Loco, but Loco flipped him head-first onto the top turnbuckle for a nearfall at 5:00. He bit at Vikingo’s forehead, earning a “you sick f—!” chant.
Loco hit a fallaway slam for a nearfall at 6:30. Loco bit Vikingo’s nipple, drawing a disgusted reaction. Loco hit a clothesline and he kept Vikingo grounded. They fought on the rin apron, where Vikingo hit a superkick. Loco put Vikingo on his shoulders and hit the swinging powerbomb to the apron, and they both collapsed to the floor at 10:00. In the ring, Loco hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall and he is showing heelish mannerisms, again biting the forehead. Loco missed a top-rope corkscrew moonsault. Vikingo jumped from one rope to the other and hit a missile dropkick at 12:00.
Vikingo jumped off the post, bounced off a top rope and got an armdrag; it wasn’t perfect but the crowd approved. Vikingo then hit his second-rope 450 splash into a huracanrana on the floor. Vikingo hit some hard openhand slaps to the face in front of the fans. Back in the ring, Vikingo hit his second-rope twisting splash from outside the ring and landing on Loco in the ring at 14:30. He went to the top rope but Gringo tripped him and crotched him in the corner. Loco hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Loco hit his Awful Waffle-style piledriver. Vikingo hit running double knees and they both fell to the floor and were down at 16:30.
They traded slaps as they got back in the ring. Loco hit a top-rope gorilla press, tossing Vikingo to the mat, earning a “holy shit!” chant at 18:30. Vikingo hit an enzuigiri in the corner. Gringo hit a top-rope moonsault into a Canadian Destroyer. They fought on the top rope, with Vikingo hitting his top-rope Poison Rana, then a running double knees, then the top-rope 630 Splash for the pin. I’ve seen them do that finishing sequence a few times now, and they really have it down pat; it is really impressing the live crowd. “We witnessed something special here tonight,” a commentator said.
* Loco got on the mic and told the crowd to “give it up for the best luchador on the planet today.”
Final Thoughts: An excellent main event; those who haven’t seen these two interact before will be in awe. I’ll narrowly go with Janela-Ugg for second best, just ahead of a strong Itoh-Evans match for third. Of the wrestlers on this show I hadn’t seen before, I admittedly wasn’t blown away or impressed by any of them. The gay humor just didn’t click for me in the Bussy match, but the crowd seemed amused enough.
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