By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “So Much Fun”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
March 10, 2024 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at The Showboat
The crowd appears to be 200-250, far smaller than Saturday’s event. Dave Prazak and Carmen Michael provided commentary. As I noted in my review of Saturday’s show, this is a venue that allows death matches to take place, so GCW loaded up with multiple hardcore, violent matches. While I’m not a fan, I acknowledge it does set GCW apart from what wrestling fans see in WWE or AEW.
1. Oni El Bendito defeated Tony Deppen, Marcus Mathers, Terry Yaki, Hunter Drake, Rico Gonzalez, and Brayden Toon in a scramble at 9:09. Four of these guys wrestled in the JCW show here just hours earlier. Deppen hit a single chop on each opponent; every opponent hit a superkick on Deppen. Hunter hit a top-rope doublestomp. Toon hit a running Shooting Star Press at 2:30. Bendito hit a top-rope twisting press on Toon. Bendito hit a Flatliner, dropping Deppen on the middle turnbuckle. He hit a handspring-back-elbow on Mathers. Deppen hit some bodyslams and posed. Mathers hit a top-rope crossbody block, then a Blue Thunder Bomb and a LIonsault, then a flip dive to the floor at 5:00.
Toon hit an Asai Moonsault to the floor. Mathers hit a second-rope double superplex. Deppen hit a top-rope doublestomp on Mathers. Bendito hit a wheelbarrow German Suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. Toon hit an Air Raid Crash on Deppen, then a Swanton Bomb on Deppen. Drake hit a top-rope 450 Splash. Mathers hit his own 450 Splash. Bendito hit a Canadian Destroyer. Deppen hit a flip dive to the floor on everyone. Rico hit a top-rope doublestomp. Drake hit a flip dive to the floor. Bendito hit a top-rope moonsault but he barely avoided hitting the top rope. In the ring, Bendito hit a frogsplash on Rico for the pin. That was a blast.
* In a backstage clip that took place Saturday, Parrow came up to Charles Mason, who looked like he had a concussion. Mason told Parrow that he wouldn’t be there on Sunday and “you guys got this.”
2. Parrow and Richard Holliday defeated Alec Price and Cole Radrick at 6:24. The heels attacked before the bell. Holliday hit a backbreaker over his knee on Radrick. Parrow hit a chokeslam on Radrick for a nearfall at 2:00. He hit a big fallaway slam and the heels were in charge. Price made the hot tag at 4:00 and he hit a springboard crossbody block, then a Lionsault Press on Holliday for a nearfall. Price hit a crossbody block to the floor. Radrick hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb; Price hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb for a nearfall, but Parrow pulled the ref to the floor. Price dove through the ropes but Parrow caught him at 6:00 and slammed him on the mat. Holliday hit a low blow on Radrick, then the 2008 swinging suplex for the cheap pin.
3. “Broski” Jimmy Lloyd defeated Alex Zayne at 6:32. Alex hit a senton. Lloyd threw Zayne into the ring post. Back in the ring, Lloyd choked Zayne while doing pushups. Zayne hit a clothesline at 2:30. He hit his flipping axe kick to the back of the head, then a flip dive to the floor on Lloyd. (In a prior match between these two, a shard of glass punctured Zayne’s eyeball and he needed surgery to have it removed. He pointed at his eye here in this match but neither announcer seemed aware of why he was doing it.) Lloyd hit a Canadian Destroyer. Lloyd hit a Radio Silence flying lariat for a nearfall at 6:00. Lloyd hit a low blow with the ref out of position, got a rollup, and the cheap pin. I was hoping for more.
* Nick Wayne ran to the ring! He tried to superkick Lloyd, but JImmy bailed. Wayne got on the mic and he admonished Lloyd for being “brainwashed by Matt Cardona.” Wayne challenged Lloyd to a match at the March 24 show in Rochester, N.Y.! A great surprise to see Wayne here, but I question bringing him in just for this one spot, and not having a bonus match later in the show.
* Emil Jay pointed out that Missy Hyatt was in the front row and she got a polite applause. Joey Janela hugged her on his way to ringside.
4. Joey Janela defeated Jack Cartwheel at 12:09. These two were in a scramble against each other a day ago. Standing switches to open; they sped it up and had a standoff at 2:00. Janela took control and he kept Jack grounded. Jack nailed a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall at 5:00. Joey hit a DDT onto the ring apron. They brawled on the floor with Jack doing cartwheels on the floor while holding Joey. Janela slammed Jack’s back against a pillar at 6:30! They went back to the ring, where Jack hit a Sasake Special and they were both down on the floor.
In the ring, Joey hit a German Suplex. Jack hit a superkick and his own German Suplex for a nearfall at 8:30. Joey hit a Canadian Destroyer. Jack spiked Joey on his head and they were both down. They got up and traded forearms and chops. Joey hit a Dragon Suplex. Jack hit his second-rope Cartwheel-style Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 11:30. He went for a top-rope cartwheel but Joey got his knees up to block it. Joey hit a superkick, then a Package Piledriver for the pin. Good match.
5. Microman defeated Brandon Kirk at 8:17. I just don’t get into Microman matches, and Kirk is so tall and a death match brawler. MM hit a dropkick but he missed a Vader Bomb. Kirk punched him and was LOUDLY booed. He bodyslammed MM and made a cocky one-foot cover at 2:30. Microman hit a DDT and some big punches. Kirk leveled him with a boot, and he tossed several chairs into the ring. Kirk nailed a piledriver onto the open chairs for a believable nearfall at 5:30 and the announcers went nuts that Microman kicked out.
Kirk pulled out a pane of glass and two kid-sized chairs from under the ring. He set up for a chokeslam, but Microman hit a back suplex, sending Kirk through the glass bridge. Microman hit the Vader Bomb for a believable nearfall. MM hit Kirk in the head with a chair. Big Vin (last seen playing Santa Claus!) hopped in the ring and set up a ladder! Microman leapt off the ladder (probably even with the top rope) and hit a frogsplash to pin Kirk. The crowd LOVED this silliness. In all seriousness, Kirk probably hurt his shoulder taking that back suplex as he struck those tiny wood chairs. Kirk was bleeding in several spots on his back from that glass pane.
* Blake Christian is making his 37th title defense in a 280-day reign as GCW champion. He glared at Missy Hyatt as he walked past her. He has mentioned her a few times on Twitter/X too so maybe she interferes?
6. Blake Christian (w/Shane Mercer) defeated Masha Slamovich to retain the GCW Championship at 18:59. We briefly lost the picture but it returned; however, my sound and picture isn’t in sync… and the picture briefly froze; it returned at 1:00 and our sound and picture are nearly on the same page (close but not quite). She cranked back on his left arm. He hit some forearm strikes to her back. Masha was tossed to the floor, and Shane slammed her back into the ring post at 4:00, then tossed her back into the ring. In the ring, Black hit some backbreakers over his knee and was in charge. He got a chair and jabbed it into her back.
Blake walked to the back and returned with a ladder. He got back in the ring but she hit him with a chair across the head. She used the chair to hit the ladder, sending the chair into his groin at 8:30. She hit a snap suplex onto the horizontal ladder for a nearfall. He did an Irish Whip into the ladder in the corner. He did a Giant Swing, turned her over, and locked in a Texas Cloverleaf at 10:00; she quickly reached the ropes. They traded punches while on their knees. Blake hit a superkick, then a springboard 450 Splash for a nearfall at 12:30. The crowd chanted “no heart!” at him. She hit a piledriver for a nearfall, then a Shining Wizard for a nearfall.
Blake hit an Air Raid Crash for a nearfall at 14:30. He hit a running knee to the side of her head for a nearfall. Mercer and Blake set up a double-decker door bridge in the ring, next to an open ladder. Mercer shoved her up the ladder; Masha and Blake fought near the top of the ladder, but she shoved him off. So, Mercer climbed the ladder and grabbed her by the throat. However, she shoved him off and he went through the double-decker door bridge at 18:30. Blake tied her in the rungs of the ladder and bent her in half; he essentially has a Sharpshooter on her as she was tied inside the ladder! She tapped out! The crowd loudly booed this outcome. Creative finish. Prazak acknowledged the technical issues.
* Blake got on the mic and boasted that he’s still the GCW champion. The camera panned over to Missy Hyatt who was yelling at him. He invited her into the ring, so she got in and jawed some more at him. She slapped him. Shane grabbed her and the crowd booed. Joey Janela ran into the ring to make the save; Blake and Mercer bailed. The crowd loudly chanted “Spring break!” Joey is sick of Blake “making a mockery out of Game Changer Wrestling, a company that Joey Janela helped put on the map.” Joey said he’s already signed the contract… he is facing Blake at the Spring Break show over WrestleMania weekend! Also, Missy Hyatt will be Janela’s corner!
7. Kasey Catal defeated John Wayne Murdoch in a death match at 13:52. Kasey is the wife of Brandon Kirk; she is below-average height and it’s absurd to pretend she could stand toe-to-toe with Murdoch, but she does a lot of death matches. Prazak said she’s 4-0 against him in other promotions. (Again the height/weight/size advantage is really notable.) They whacked each other with light tubes and she jabbed a gusset plate into his head and arms. This is gross; he’s already bleeding a lot. They took turns whacking each other with light tubes. She hit a Crucifix Driver onto light tubes for a nearfll at 7:00. He used a cheese grater between her legs; getting a “you sick f—!” chant. This is very uncomfortable to watch. A scissors-lift was brought to ringside. She hit several, several light tubes on him and placed him on a door bridge. Brandon Kirk set a pane of glass on fire. She leapt off the scissors-lift and hit an elbow drop onto the fire-covered glass, which was on top of JWM, and she pinned Murdoch. An insane finishing spot.
8. Dark Sheik and “Bussy” Effy and Allie Katch vs. Nick Gage, Maki Itoh, and Matt Tremont ended in a no finish at 17:07. Itoh has her Extreme Title she won on Saturday. Itoh and Sheik opened with some comedy. Allie tried a shoulder tackle on Tremont at 3:00 but he didn’t budge. He bodyslammed her. Gage hit a Facewash on Effy, while Itoh hit one on Katch. Gage’s team got pizza cutters, and they used it on Allie’s forehead at 8:00. Effy’s team began working over Gage. Gage hit a piledriver on Allie at 12:00. Maki hit a top-rope dive onto her opponents on the floor.
Itoh’s team hit Kokeshis. The crowd is fairly quiet as they aren’t booing either team. Sheik slammed Gage through a door bridge. Tremont accidentally splashed Itoh in the corner. Effy kissed Tremont and hit a leg lariat. Mance Warner jumped in the ring and hit Effy with a chair! He threw the chair at Tremont, then he stabbed Effy with a screwdriver at 16:30. Mance shoved ref Scarlette Donovan and she called for the bell, throwing the match out.
9. Abdullah Kobayashi and Ryuji Ito defeated “Los Macizos” Miedo Extremo and Ciclope in a death match at 14:56. Ito and Kobayashi were in grueling death matches a night earlier and I truly don’t know how they are competing tonight. Light tubes were taped to the ropes and they immediately grabbed them and hit everyone over the head with them. Abdullah again had a fork planted in the top of his head at 4:00. They whacked each other over the head with weapons. They hit suplexes into the glass. Ciclope hit a top-rope senton onto a glass plane at 11:00 for a nearfall on Abdullah.
A light tube box was shoved into the ring; there may be 30 or so tubes in it. Abdullah whipped Ciclope into it. Ito hit a top-rope splash to the floor on Miedo, who was lying on a table. Abdullah hit a running elbow to pin Ciclope. Needless to say, all these guys were quite bloody. Just not for me.
Final Thoughts: I just don’t enjoy these death matches, so most of this show did nothing for me. I’ll go with Cartwheel vs. Janela for best match, Blake-Masha for second, and the show-opening scramble for third.
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