By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Keep In Touch”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
March 2, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Marriott East
This is a convention center room at a hotel and it’s pretty generic. It’s packed with maybe 500 fans. Dave Prazak and Nick Maniwa provided commentary.
* The show opened with a video of Virgil, and we had a 10-bell salute for him. We then had a video showing “Spyder” Nate Webb over his 25 years in pro wrestling, set, of course to Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag.”
1. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini defeated Alec Price and Cole Radrick to retain the GCW Tag Titles at 10:25. I guarantee that as a team, Price/Cole have lost more than they’ve won, and they lost a day ago, so they really don’t deserve a title shot. Ku and Radrick opened. Garrini entered at 2:00 and battled Price. Ku tied Price in a Boston Crab. Price hit a doublestomp on Ku, then a dropkick on Garrini. Radrick made the hot tag at 6:00, and he hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Garrini for a nearfall.
Ku hit a running knee on Cole. Cole hit a springboard stunner. Price hit a Rebound Lariat, then a dive to the floor. Price hit a Swanton Bomb for a believable nearfall on Garrini, but Ku made the save at 7:30.ViF hit a running knee-and-back suplex combo on Radrick. Ku hit a doublestomp on Radrick for a nearfall, but Price made the save. All four got up and brawled. Price and Cole hit running kneestrikes in the corner. Price hit his springboard Blockbuster. ViF hit the Chasing the Dragon kick-and-brainbuster combo on Radrick for the pin. A really good opener.
2. Joshua Bishop defeated Brayden Lee at 6:26. This is a bonus, unadvertised match. Lee is comparable to Jake Crist. Bishop has a massive size advantage. Lee hit a huracanrana, then a plancha to the floor. Bishop wore a brace on his right shoulder and that’s new. Bishop slammed Lee back-first on the apron at 2:30. Back in the ring, Bishop was in charge. Lee hit a stunner and a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Bishop hit a massive chokeslam, then a Black Hole Slam for a believable nearfall at 5:30; I thought that was it. Lee hit an F5! However, Lee missed a Shooting Star Press. Bishop immediately hit a Mafia Kick and an overhead powerbomb for the pin. Decent match; a squash but a few nice spots for Lee, too.
3. Myron Reed defeated Jack Cartwheel at 11:30. This should be really good. They’ve shared a ring three times before but this is a first-time singles match, Prazak said. An intense lockup and some fast reversals early with neither man able to land a blow, and we had a standoff at 2:30. Reed hit his kip-up enzuigiri and a Helluva Kick. Jack hit his Cartwheel Powerslam for a nearfall. They both hit crossbody blocks at 6:00 and were both down. Cartwheel hit a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb. Myron hit his own slingshot powerbomb for a nearfall. Myron put Jack’s feet on the ropes and hit a Flatliner for a nearfall at 8:00. Jack missed a standing moonsault.
Jack nailed a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall. (No one’s Crucifix Driver looks better!) The crowd started a “this is awesome!” chant. Cartwheel hit a top-rope twisting senton for a nearfall at 10:00, and Reed rolled to the floor to regroup. Jack nailed the Sasuke Special to the floor on Myron. These guys are having a stellar match. Jack missed a top-rope splash to the mat. Reed hit a Stundog Millionaire. Reed hit an Air Raid Crash for the pin. That was a blast and they got a standing ovation.
4. Billie Starkz defeated Billy Roc in an intergender match at 11:45. Roc is short, now in his 40s, and looks like an eighth grade math teacher; he’s had five matches in the past decade, dusting off his boots when GCW is in the area. She has the height advantage. Basic reversals to open. She got a sunset flip for a nearfall at 2:30. He hit a LOUD chop that dropped her and he was booed. He hit a top-rope doublestomp on her head for a nearfall. He applied an anklelock but she reached the ropes at 4:30. He applied a crossarm breaker. Starkz hit a German Suplex at 6:30. She missed a top-rope summersault and crashed on the ring apron; she screamed in pain as she rolled to the floor, as she grabbed her tailbone and lower back.
Roc dragged her into the ring and applied a Boston Crab; he pushed off the bottom rope for extra leverage and was booed. The crowd railled for Starkz, and they traded forearm strikes, with her getting the better of the exchange. Starkz hit a piledriver for a nearfall at 11:00, then a top-rope Swanton Bomb, but Rock kicked out at one! She hit some kicks and a Gory Bomb. She applied a modified Crossface Chickenwing with a knee in his back, and Roc tapped out. That was good stuff.
* Up next is a bonus, unadvertised match!
5. Oni El Bendito and “Los Macizos” Ciclope and Miedo Extremo defeated Ace Perry, Josh Crane, and Tripp Cassidy at 10:36. I don’t know Crane or Tripp at all. Bendito is wearing the same red outfit as a day ago; again, his whole body type and gear reminds me of WCW-era La Parka. He opened against Perry, who is dressed like 1999 Jeff Hardy, and they had a quick exchange and a standoff at 1:30. Miedo entered to face Tripp, who has blond hair, lots of tattoos, and wears a leotard. Crane is older with graying hair, and he exchanged chops with Ciclope. Crane’s team began working over Ciclope. Ciclope hit a spinebuster on Tripp at 5:00. Miedo got the hot tag and hit an overhead release suplex on Tripp.
Bendito hit a flip dive to the floor on Crane’s team. In the ring, Bendito hit a moonsault for a nearfall at 7:00. Crane hit a powerbomb out of the corner. Miedo hit a Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex on Crane. Perry hit a stunner on Miedo. Ace hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor on everyone. Crane’s team worked over Bendito in the ring, with Perry hitting another stunner, and Tripp hit a running knee for a nearfall at 10:00. Ciclope hit a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer on Perry for the pin. They kept that moving; everyone got a lot of their signature offense in.
6. Sawyer Wreck defeated Steph De Lander at 5:39. Both of these women are at or close to 6’0″. SDL got on the mic and said she’s here… “in the biggest shit-hole in the USA.” She said it is the redneck capital of the world and that got cheers. SDL attacked as Sawyer got in the ring, and they immediately traded chops on the floor. SDL accidentally chopped the ring post, and Sawyer laid in some hard chops, then whipped SDL into rows of chairs. In the ring, SDL hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 2:30. She hit a running Facewash in the corner and was in charge. SDL swung a chair that bounced off the top rope, ricocheted and hit her head. Sawyer immediately hit a spear through a board in the corner for the pin. I had zero sense that match was about to end.
7. Calvin Tankman defeated Alex Zayne at 12:41. Zayne, at least to me, no longer appears to be a junior, but he is still giving up a LOT of weight to the 350+ pound Tankman. Standing switches to open. Zayne hit a rolling cannonball at 2:00 but Calvin popped to his feet and hit a cartwheel splash on Zayne. He backed Alex into the corner and hit some loud chops, then a back suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Zayne hit some forearms to little effect. Tankman hit a splash for a nearfall at 5:30 and he hiptossed Zayne across the ring. Alex fired back with his axe kick to the back of the neck and they were both down. Zayne hit his jump-up-Frankensteiner at 8:30.
Zayne hit a running knee in the corner, and he hit a big back suplex for a nearfall. Tankman hit a snap suplex for a nearfall. Zayne hit a running neckbreaker. Tankman hit a Jackhammer for a nearfall at 10:30. He dropped Alex stomach-first on the top turnbuckle and they fought on the ropes. Tankman hit a Poison Rana! He hit a pump-handle powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Zayne hit a pop-up dropkick. Tankman nailed the Rikishi Driver/sit-out piledriver for the pin. That was really fun and also got a standing ovation.
8. Blake Christian (w/Shane Mercer) defeated Arik Cannon to retain the GCW World Title at 14:10. Like in the tag title match, Cannon lost a night ago and really hasn’t earned a title shot. A feeling-out process and standing switches to open. Blake dropped him with a shoulder tackle and he did several crotch chops and was booed. So, Cannon hit a shoulder tackle and also did some crotch chops and was cheered. Blake hit a DDT out of the corner at 3:30. Mercer choked Arik in the ropes and slugged him, then dropped him face-first on the apron. Blake hit a dropkick at 6:30 and celebrated some more, as Arik rolled to the floor to regroup.
Blake hit a huracanrana on the floor. Cannon hit a clothesline. Back in the ring, Cannon hit an Exploder Suplex into the corner, then a brainbuster for a nearfall. Blake hit a handspring-back-spin kick to the face, then a snap suplex. He nailed a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 8:30, and they were both down. Blake hit a spear on the ring apron, he dove through the ropes and barreled onto Arik. Blake then hit a springboard 450 Splash for a believable nearfall at 10:00. They traded forearm strikes and chops while on their knees.
They got to their feet and Cannon hit a Buzzsaw Kick. Blake hit a superkick for a nearfall and they were both down at 12:00. Cannon hit a back suplex and a clothesline for a nearfall. He hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall, but Mercer hopped on the apron to argue with the ref. Cannon shoved Blake into Mercer. However, Blake got a rollup, put his feet on the ropes for leverage, and scored the tainted pin. That was really good; Arik is a much better opponent for Blake’s style than his Friday opponent, John Wayne Murdoch.
9. Nick Gage and Maki Itoh defeated “The Rejects” Reed Bentley and John Wayne Murdoch at 13:26. I must reiterate how much smaller Maki is compared to these bigger male opponents. They played to the crowd extensively. I didn’t hear the bell so I started stopwatch as Murdoch and Itoh finally locked up, and JWM hit a chop; she fell to the mat and fake-cried, but then she stomped on his foot and hit a DDT. She hit a Kokeshi falling headbutt to his groin. She hit a top-rope splash onto the heels on the floor at 2:30. She got a stapler and put several staples on Murdoch’s chest. She stapled Reed’s tongue as Nick held him in place.
Gage and Itoh got their pizza cutters and used them on the foreheads of their opponents at 5:00 and both heels were bleeding. Maki pounded a gusset plate into Murdoch’s forehead and this is gross. Reed slammed Murdoch onto Gage. Reed’s face was covered in blood now. The heels hit a Magic Killer slam on Itoh for a nearfall at 10:30. She hit a tornado DDT on Bentley. Gage hit a snap suplex on the floor on Bentley. Murdoch and Gage sat on chairs across from each other and traded forearm strikes. Gage hit a Vader Bomb elbow drop. Itoh jumped off the top rope, captured Murdoch’s head, and hit a DDT for the pin. Far too bloody of a brawl for me but this crowd thoroughly loved it.
10. Mance Warner defeated “Spyder” Nate Webb at 17:06. Mance came out first and was booed. Webb came out to “Teenage Dirtbag” and he was wearing an Indianapolis Colts jersey. Not surprisingly, Mance attacked from behind and they brawled on the floor. In the ring, Mance slammed a chair across his back and was in charge. They brawled again to the floor and Webb hit a snap suplex at 4:30. Mance was bleeding from the head. He tossed Webb off the apron and through a door bridge on the floor at 8:30. In the ring, Webb speared Mance through a board set up in the corner.
Webb held a ladder and nailed a top-rope moonsault onto Mance, who was buried in debris, at 11:30, and the fans chanted “holy shit!” They took turns whacking each other over the head with board shards. Mance got a screwdriver, but Webb grabbed it, jabbed it into Mance’s forehead, and got a nearfall at 14:30. Mance slammed Webb into the referee He whipped a chair at his head and hit a piledriver onto a board. Warner got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for the pin… the exact same (underwhelming, unimaginative) finish as Cannon-Blake. The show went off the air without us hearing from Webb.
Final Thoughts: The usual hit or miss of GCW shows. Alex Zayne is wrestler of the weekend as he was in the best match of both nights (versus Bailey on Friday and versus Tankman here.) Reed-Cartwheel was given enough time and they put on a stellar early-show match for second best of the night. As I noted, Cannon is just a better fit for Blake to face, and their match takes third place. The show-opening tag takes honorable mention, but again, Price/Radrick had done absolutely nothing to deserve a title shot and there was never a sense they were going to pull off the upset. Violence is Forever is on quite a run.
I have no problem acknowledging the crowd loved some of the brawling and hardcore stuff from the last two matches that just doesn’t work for me. Also, I really don’t get GCW’s fascination with intergender matches. Not only did they book four on Friday and two more on Saturday, the women (or their team) went 5-0 against the individual or team that didn’t have a woman. And in nearly all the cases, it’s just not believable. Rare for me to see guys on a GCW show I haven’t seen before, but Crane and Tripp are clearly veterans and they kept that six-man at a brisk pace.
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