By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “The Block Is Hot”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
March 24, 2024 in Rochester, New York at Water Street Music Hall
The show was sold out in advance. The venue is a large and deep room with a second level and looks like a nice place to see a concert; the ring is shoved next to the stage. They might seriously have 800 or more people packed into this club. Dave Prazak and Emil Jay provided commentary. For most of these wrestlers, it was about a 5 1/2-hour drive from Detroit on Saturday night to this show in Rochester on Sunday afternoon. GCW actually has guardrails tonight! That is a rare move for them.
* Unfortunately, Billie Starkz missed her flight so her match against Marcus Mathers was canceled.
1. Cole Radrick defeated Kevin Blackwood at 10:15. Blackwood competed in San Francisco less than 18 hours ago; he’s from nearby Buffalo. This crowd was hot as they traded intense mat holds. Blackwood hit a doublestomp to the chest at 4:00. He hit a stiff kick to the spine and a snap suplex for a nearfall. He draped Cole over the top rope and hit a doublestomp to his back for a nearfall. Radrick hit a back suplex at 7:00 and they were both down. Radrick hit a Cena-style falling punch. They traded kicks. Blackwood hit a jumping Cave-in doublestomp to the chest and they were both down.
Blackwood hit a rolling forearm and a Gotch-style Piledriver for a believable nearfall, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for a nearfall at 10:00. Radrick hit a springboard stunner, then the Little Sebastian’s Curse/pumphandle powerbomb for the clean pin. The wrong guy won, but Radrick is the GCW regular so this was expected.
* The same video aired from Saturday’s show, where Masha Slamovich spoke about facing Shayna Baszler in a Bloodsport ring in two weeks.
2. Charles Mason and Richard Holliday (w/Parrow) defeated “To Infinity & Beyond” Colin Delaney and Cheech at 10:12. I just watched Delaney and Cheech on Friday’s AIW show from Cleveland. Parrow clotheslined the babyfaces before the bell, and the heels worked Delaney and Cheech over. They tied Delaney in the Tree of Woe and hit a dropkkick to his face. Mason hit his rolling Death Valley Driver at 4:00. Cheech finally got the hot tag and hit bodyslams on each opponent. Delaney dove through the ropes. Holliday hit a second-rope 2008 twisting superplex, and Mason hit a piledriver for a believable nearfall at 7:30. All four got up and traded punches. Cheech hit a German Suplex. Mason applied a rear-naked choke. Holliday applied a Figure Four Leglock on Delaney, while Mason applied a sleeper and Delaney passed out.
* A video package aired of Nick Wayne returning and challenging Jimmy Lloyd to a match.
3. Nick Wayne defeated “Broski” Jimmy Lloyd (w/Steph De Lander) at 10:10. Steph got on the mic but the fans shouted her down. She noted this is the hometown of GCW promoter, and she said he sucks. Nick is really trying to grow a beard. SDL tripped Nick, allowing Lloyd to take control. She choked Nick in the ropes. Wayne hit a Sliced Bread at 4:00. Jimmy hit a Brohski Boot in the corner for a nearfall. Wayne hit a Dragon Suplex and a Crucifix Driver. Lloyd hit a piledriver move for a believable nearfall and they were both down at 7:00. Lloyd hit a low blow, then a package piledriver onto a four open chairs for a believable nearfall! Lloyd accidentally speared SDL through a door in the corner! Nick hit a Poison Rana then a Wayne’s World fadeaway stunner for the pin. Good action.
* A video package aired showing the feud between Mance Warner and Effy.
4. Microman vs. Mance Warner went to a draw/no-finish at 13:00. The commentators were fearful for Microman’s safety in this one. This sure feels like a match where Effy will interfere, right? They took turns playing to the crowd and Mance kicked him to the mat. He missed a kneestrike in the corner. Unlike most people, he refused to back-bump when Microman pulled on his leg. Microman hit a low blow headbutt and a diving headbutt to the groin, then a Vader Bomb for a believable nearfall at 3:30, but Mance forcefully kicked out. Mance kicked Microman to the floor and stomped on him on the floor. In the ring, Mance got on the mic and ordered referee Dan Perch to count Microman out. Microman got back in the ring, so Mance hit him over the head with the mic.
Mance bit Microman’s fingers. Microman hit several body blows to the ribs, and he placed Mance on a board bridge. Microman hit a frogsplash onto Mance on the board bridge for a believable nearfall at 9:00. Mance pulled out two screwdrivers. However, Microman got one and stabbed Mance in the ribs! Mance hit him with the other screwdriver, and he whipped a chair at Microman! Mance got on the mic and threatened to unmask Microman. Allie Katch ran to the ring and chased him away. Mance left so I guess we have a no-finish.
5. Marcus Mathers defeated Jay Lyon, Ariel Van Go, and Facade in a scramble at 9:29. This is a replacement match for the Mathers-Starkz bout. Again, the masked Van Go used to compete as “Zenshi.” Mathers never seems to win in GCW but this feels like a match designed to get him one, as the others aren’t regulars. Lyon and Van Go traded armdrags. Mathers hit a top-rope crossbody block on Lyon for a nearfall at 2:00. Facade hit a Lionsault Press on Mathers. Marcus hit a brainbuster on Facade, thena dive to the floor on Lyon. Lyon hit a springboard corkscrew press to the floor on Mathers and Van Go. Van Go hit a unique flip to the floor that earned a “holy shit!” chant. Facade hit a huracanrana to the floor at 5:30.
In the ring, Facade hit some quick Speedball-like kicks. Facade hit a top-rope Lionsault onto Van Go for a nearfall at 7:00. Mathers hit a standing powerbomb, then his own Lionsault. Lyon hit a Mark Briscoe-style top-rope flying elbow drop. Van Go hit a Pele Kick. Facade leapt off the stage (where the hard camera is) and dove into the ring. Mathers hit a Canadian Destroyer on Facade, then a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. A bit messy and often disjointed, but that was a fast-paced and fun scrambled. Hopefully this is a sign Mathers is going to start earning some GCW wins.
6. Jacob Fatu and Zilla Fatu defeated Gringo Loco and Oni El Bendito at 17:10. Zilla and Bendito opened. I again will say that with his size and overall build, Bendito reminds me of WCW-era La Parka. Zilla dropped Bendito with a shoulder tackle. Jacob and Loco entered at 2:30 and they traded some lucha reversals and had a standoff. The commentators said they didn’t expect that offense from Jacob. Jacob hit a dive to the floor that was essentially a Fosbury Flop. Zilla then dove onto everyone at 5:30. All four brawled on the floor in front of the fans. Bendito hit a Canadian Destroyer on Jacob on the stage at 8:00.
In the ring, Bendito hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press. Loco hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall on Zilla. Bendito hit a top-rope senton move for a nearfall, but Zilla made the save. Jacob dove through the ropes onto Bendito and actually went over the guardrail and landed on fans in the front row. In the ring, Zilla hit a swinging uranage on Loco. Jacob hit a handspring-back-moonsault on Loco. Jacob hit a Frankensteiner on Loco, then a Swanton Bomb for a believable nearfall at 13:00. Meanwhile, Zilla speared Bendito through a door in the corner, and all four were down.
Loco hit a top-rope sit-out powerbomb through a board bridge for a believable nearfall on Jacob. Jacob hit a top-rope moonsault on Loco for a nearfall at 15:00. The Fatus set up another door bridge in the ring. Jacob caught Loco coming off the ropes and hit a Samoan Drop through the board bridge. Jacob popped up Zilla, who hit a Samoan Spike to the throat for the pin. (I thought on Saturday’s show it was a Superman Punch, but was likely a Spike there as well.) A really strong match and my favorite of either Saturday’s or Sunday’s show.
7. Allie Katch and Dark Sheik defeated “High Seas” Nick Ando and Cloudy at 11:33. I haven’t seen Cloudy in years, and I don’t know Nick. Sheik and Cloudy opened; Prazak said Cloudy has now been wrestling 21 years, and he’s much smaller than Sheik. Allie entered at 2:00 and took on Ando, who has a short beard and wears a blue bandana over his head. He tried to kiss her but she blocked it. Cloudy got back in and he’s shorter than Allie and appears to be lighter, too. High Seas snapped Allie’s legs apart in a wishbone at 5:00 and the crowd rallied for Katch. High Seas worked her over.
Sheik finally made the hot tag and hit a top-rope missile dropkick at 8:00, then a leaping DDT on Cloudy. Sheik hit a Sliced Bread on both heels for a nearfall, but missed a top-rope legdrop. Ando hit a top-rope flying headbutt to Allie’s groin at 10:00. She sat up, initially looked angry, but then pulled Ando back down to her groin. She hit rolling cannonballs onto each opponent. Sheik and Allie hit a team X-Factor faceplant for a nearfall on Cloudy. Sheik finally hit the top-rope flying legdrop to pin Cloudy. This match didn’t do much for me; they had a tough job of following the prior (better) tag match.
8. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini defeated Nick Gage and Danhausen to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 15:11. Ku had 10 stitches in his face since last night due to all the glass panes in Saturday’s hardcore match. Seriously, there is no reason to use glass panes in a wrestling match. Prazak talked about the injuries ViF sustained a day ago. Gage and Garrini opened. Ku and Danhausen entered at 2:00; Ku has a wrap over his whole forehead, and the commentators agree it won’t take much for him to bleed through that bandage. Danhausen hit some punches to the forehead. Garrini hit a stiff kick to Gage’s spine at 6:00, and ViF worked Gage over.
Gage finally hit a Spinebuster on Ku, then a DDT, and he tagged in Danhausen at 9:30. Danhausen hit a German Suplex on Ku for a nearfall. Garrini hit a hard clothesline on Danhausen, and Ku got a nearfall. The crowd started a “new champ!” chant. Nick hit a backbreaker over his knee, and Danhausen hit a flying elbow on Ku for a nearfall at 11:30. Gage got a door and set it up in the corner. However, Garrini hit an Exploder Suplex, tossing Gage through the door in the corner. Garrini applied a leglock around Nick’s throat.
All four men stood up and traded forearm strikes. Gage and Ku traded forearms. Danhausen got his jar of teeth and poured them into Ku’s mouth. Gage hit a piledriver on Ku for a nearfall at 14:00. Garrini shoved Gage into Danhausen. Ku immediately got an inside cradle to pin Danhausen! The crowd booed this decision. Danhausen looked perplexed as to what happened; he got on the mic and yelled at Gage. Gage yelled back at him and they jawed nose-to-nose. Gage challenged Danhausen to a tag match at the GCW Collective in two weeks! Gage said his partner will be Maki Itoh!
9. Joey Janela and Sawyer Wreck (w/Missy Hyatt) defeated Blake Christian and Shane Mercer at 19:21. Janela and Mercer opened and traded forearm strikes. Mercer hit a double clothesline at 2:30. The heels began working over Wreck. Mercer slammed her to the mat. Blake tied her up on the mat. Mercer hit a bodyslam at 6:00. Joey got the tag but of course the ref didn’t see it so he sent Joey back to the apron. Joey finally got the hot tag and he dropped Mercer with a clothesline at 8:00. Janela nailed a moonsault press. Blake and Joey finally were in the ring and Blake hit a Pele Kick and a handspring-back-spin kick. Janela hit a German Suplex.
Joey hit a top-rope summersault to the floor on the heels at 9:30. Mercer hit a Tour of the Islands-style powerslam on Janela for a nearfall. He went for Moonsault & Battery, but Sawyer made the save. Janela ran on the stage and clotheslined Blake into the ring at 12:00. Mercer and Blake set up a door bridge. Blake nailed a flying legdrop onto Janela, sending him through the door bridge for a nearfall at 14:30, but Sawyer made the save. Joey hit a Razor’s Edge on Blake through the door bridge on the stage! In the ring, Janela hit a tornado DDT on Mercer. Sawyer hit a Spinebuster on Blake, and everyone was down at 16:30.
Blake hit a superkick on Janela. Shane hit a sit-out powerbomb on Joey, and Blake hit a top-rope flying elbow drop. On the floor, Sawyer shoved Blake into the guardrail. Joey threw a chair at Mercer’s head; I really hate that. Joey hit a doublestomp on Mercer, but Blake hit a kneestrike on Joey! Missy Hyatt hopped on the ring apron at 19:00; Blake grabbed her. It allowed Sawyer to hit a chokeslam on Blake. Joey hit Blake in the head with the loaded purse and pinned Blake! Good brawl and it hammers home the main event of JJ Spring Break in just two weeks.
Final Thoughts: A much better show than Saturday’s outing. I really enjoyed the Fatus vs. Loco/Bendito and I’ll go with that for first. Blackwood-Radrick was a strong opener and takes second, with the main event in third place. Wayne-Lloyd was really good for honorable mention. All that said, if I was booking the show with this roster, I would have paired Nick Wayne with Kevin Blackwood and let them go and have a barnburner. Also, really good to see Mathers get an overdue singles victory; he needs to start climbing the ladder here.
The team of Cloudy and Ando did nothing for me and that match was a bit flat. With Gage’s in-ring limitations from years of hardcore matches, his match with ViF also didn’t quite meet expectations. The good news is we didn’t have any gross weapons or bleeding on this show.
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