By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
GCW “Rather You Than Me”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
May 3, 2024 in Tampa, Florida at Egypt Shrine Center
On paper, this is a really strong lineup. This is a plain white room with a high ceiling, and the crowd is in the 400-500 range. Dave Prazak provided commentary.
* Matt Cardona and Jimmy Lloyd walked to the ring; Cardona’s right arm is in a sling. Cardona got on the mic and said he has a “major announcement.” He said he suffered a “life-threatening injury” when he tore his pectoral muscle. “My summer plans are ruined,” he said and the crowd cheered. “The doctors said I will be out indefinitely.” More cheers! “They said I might never wrestle in a GCW ring ever again.” More cheers. Cardona declared that “GCW is my home, and I love GCW, and I love the GCW universe. I love each and every one of you.” He said he has “creative control” in his contract. He announced he exercised that power and is now general manager of GCW! He said he was giving Lloyd a “squash match.” Cardona joined Prazak on commentary.
1. Megan Bayne defeated Jimmy Lloyd in an intergender match at 6:00 even. Prazak said Trish Adora was scheduled to face Lloyd but she had travel issues. Megan is a tall amazon and she might be as tall as he is. Cardona shouted “this is a miscarriage of justice.” Jimmy attacked her from behind as she removed her robe. She hit some shoulder thrusts to his stomach and a belly-to-belly suplex. He hit a forearm that dropped her and choked her in the ropes at 1:00 and he kept her grounded. She hit a high German Suplex, then another suplex and a spear for a believable nearfall at 3:30. He slammed her head-first into the middle turnbuckle and stomped on her.
Jimmy hit a Facewash in the corner. She hit a leaping clothesline for a nearfall. Jimmy hit a Radio Silence flying leg drop for a nearfall. Jimmy got a chair from under the ring. He swung it, it hit the ropes and ricocheted onto his head. She got underneath him in the corner and powerbombed him onto the open chair for a believable nearfall. She then hit a Tombstone Piledriver for the pin! The crowd popped for the finish. That was a LOT of action in just six minutes.
* A video package aired of highlights of the 4/20 show in Los Angeles. Lenny Leonard replaced Cardona on commentary!
2. Mr. Danger defeated Eli Knight at 8:35. Knight is half of Florida’s “Culture Inc” and I always say he has the prettiest Shooting Star Press, and I just saw him compete on a Reality of Wrestling show in Texas. Both are Black and seem to be the same height and build. Danger hit a dropkick and a senton at 1:30. Eli hit a dropkick. Danger went to the top rope but Eli yanked him to the mat. Danger hit a huracanrana. Eli got a chair and slammed it across Danger’s back. Danger hit a spin kick onto the chair in Eli’s hands. Eli hit an incredible top-rope moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Eli hit a fisherman’s buster for a nearfall at 4:30.
Eli hit a wheelbarrow German Suplex and both men were down. Mr. Danger hit a split-legged moonsault. He leapt over the top rope and slammed onto Eli on the floor. Eli is bleeding from either his nose or mouth. In the ring, Danger hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall at 7:00. Eli hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Eli missed a top-rope moonsault and crashed on his stomach. Danger hit a springboard Canadian Destroyer, then a top-rope Phoenix Splash for the pin. That was a blast of a high-flying match.
* We then headed to a video package of the GCW show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from two weeks ago.
3. Billie Starkz, Alec Price, and Cole Radrick defeated Gringo Loco, Arez, and Jack Cartwheel at 9:17. Price wrestled in Massachusetts 24 hours earlier. Billie had her ROH title belt. Cartwheel is replacing Latigo in this match. Arez and Billie opened, and Arez worked her left wrist. Jack entered and clocked her with a kick at 2:30. Arez and Jack popped her in the air, and Loco caught her head for a stunner. Radrick entered and did some comedy with Jack. Jack did a nice legsweep move to drop Radrick, and his team worked Cole over. Price finally tagged in at 5:00 and hit a flying legdrop on Loco, then his springboard Blockbuster on Arez.
Jack hit a Sasuke Special to the floor on Cole. Arez hit a moonsault to the floor on Billie! In the ring, Jack missed a Shooting Star Press. Price hit a Rebound Lariat on Jack, then a dive to the floor on Arez and Loco. Billie hit a Swanton on Jack, so Cole hit one, then Alec hit one for a nearfall at 8:00. Fun spot. All six brawled in the ring. Arez hit a one-footed springboard stunner. Loco hit a piledriver on Cole. Billie hit a Canadian Destroyer on Jack. Price then hit a top-rope doublestomp on Jack for the pin! That was non-stop action.
4. Jordan Oliver defeated Timothy Thatcher at 11:26. This is a first-time-ever singles match, and Thatcher is noticeably thicker. Oliver charged and hit a running knee at the bell, and Thatcher rolled to the floor to regroup. In the ring, Thatcher worked over the left arm. Oliver went for a Boston Crab; he applied an abdominal stretch. Thatcher went for a cross-armbreaker at 3:00. Oliver hit some deep armdrags. Thatcher applied a half-crab at 6:30. Thatcher dropped him with a European Uppercut and he kept Jordan grounded. This crowd was hot and split. Oliver hit a DDT at 9:00. He hit an ax kick to the back of the head. Oliver leapt off the ropes but Thatcher caught him with a European Uppercut. Oliver hit a dropkick to the face. He set up for the Acid Bomb, but Thatcher raked his face to escape. Oliver hit a Frankensteiner and a Clout Cutter for the pin! Everyone seemed surprised that was the finish.
5. Zilla Fatu defeated John Wayne Murdoch at 9:44.. Standing switches to open. Fatu hit a Bubba Bomb at 2:00. He dove through the ropes onto Murdoch and they brawled on the floor. Murdoch pulled out steel chairs and a door from under the ring, and he tossed the door at Zilla’s head. Zilla put John on his shoulders and tossed him lawn dart-style into a chair that was wedged on the apron. Zilla set up a door bridge on the floor. Zilla leapt off the apron but Murdoch moved, and Zilla crashed stomach-first on the door bridge at 6:30.
Back in the ring, Murdoch got a nearfall. Murdoch hit a Flatliner off the second rope for a believable nearfall at 8:00. Zilla charged but John sidestepped him, and Fatu crashed through a door in the corner. However, it made Zilla fire up, and he hit a gut-wrench suplex. He grabbed the door shards and slammed them on Murdoch. Zilla then hit a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. After the match, Murdoch attacked Zilla with door shards, but Zilla hit him with a Samoan Spike.
* A video package aired of the latest chapter in the never-ending Effy-Mance Warner feud.
6. Microman defeated Alex Zayne at 8:58. Zayne crouched down low to tie up with Microman. Microman hit a back suplex and a 619, but he missed a Vader Bomb, and Zayne stomped on him in the corner. Microman got a Victory Roll for the pin. I just feel this is such a waste for a wrestler as talented as Zayne to be in a cartoon match like this.
* Parrow ran into the ring and hit a boot on Microman, then choked him with a chain. Parrow set up a board in the corner. Nick Gage came to the ring to make the save.
7. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini defeated Ariel Van Go & Bobby Flaco and Hunter Drake & Rico Gonzalez and “The Mane Event” Midas Black & Jay Lyon in a four-way tag match at 7:36. ViF came out first. Flaco is the short, white dork. Drake, Rico, Flaco and Van Go all wrestle in the Atlanta area and have appeared on AEW shows in the South in the past. TME beat up the scrawny Drake. Lyon hit a dive to the floor at 2:00. Drake and Rico hit stereo moonsaults to the floor. Lenny Leonard showed he was unfamiliar with these guys. Midas hit a powerbomb on Rico, and Lyon hit a swinging sideslam on Rico, then a Jay Driller on Drake for a nearfall.
Ariel hit a top-rope 630 splash for a nearfall. Drake got a nearfall on Van Go at 5:30. Garrini hit a Musclebuster, while Ku hit a brainbuster on the top turnbuckle. Garrini hit a Go To Sleep kneestrike. Ku and Garrini hit a Chasing the Dragon kick-and-brainbuster combo. Van Go hit a double Pele on ViF. ViF hit a doublestomp-and-Air Raid Crash combo. Garrini hit a piledriver move to pin Flaco. Ku leaned into the camera and wondered when they were going to get some actual competition for their titles.
8. Joey Janela defeated Miyu Yamashita in an intergender match at 15:25. Joey just lost to Megan Bayne in March, and now he has another tough female competitor in front of him here. Yamashita is much smaller than Megan, though. They traded mat reversals and had a standoff. He hit a LOUD chop at 1:30. They went to the floor, where he dropped her knees-first onto chairs at ringside. In the ring, Joey was in control and worked over her legs. She began working his neck and hit some knee strikes to his chest. She ran across the ring but collapsed at 6:30 as her knee gave out. Joey hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Miyu hit a stiff kick to his spine, then some Yes Kicks to the chest. She hit a kick to his head; he hit a clothesline at 9:30.
She hit a second-rope spin kick to the head and they were both down. Joey hit a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron at 11:00, and they were both down on the floor. In the ring, she went for a running knee, but he caught it, turned her around and applied a half crab, but she reached the ropes at 13:00. Joey hit a running double knees. Joey nailed a top rope superplex, but she rolled through and hit her own suplex, and they were both down. He hit a German Suplex; she hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. He blocked her skull kick, and he hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. He hit a stiff kick to her chest, then a package piledriver for the pin. Entertaining.
9. Effy vs. Mance Warner in a Last Man Standing match ended in a no contest at 21:31. These two have already had an I Quit match and I don’t know how or why this feud is still going. Lenny Leonard said he’s worried one or both will be seriously or permanently injured by the time this feud is over. Mance immediately attacked him with a screwdriver and stabbed Effy repeatedly with it. Yes, we’re 30 seconds in and Effy is already covered in blood on his forehead. Mance hit chops and forearms. He went to the floor and threw garbage cans and lids and crutches into the ring. He got the ring bell and hammer. In the ring, Effy repeatedly struck Mance with a chair at 5:00, then he hit a Helluva Kick. Mance was bleeding heavily too.
Effy put a garbage can over Mance’s head and hit him with crutches. They brawled to the floor, and Effy whipped a chair at Mance. (If Mance had ducked, or it ricocheted awkwardly, it definitely would have hit fans. So unnecessary.) Back in the ring, they traded more punches. Effy threw a chair at Mance’s head at 11:00. They fought more to the floor, and Effy is dripping blood all over the flooring. Mance flipped Effy off the top rope and onto four open chairs on the floor at 14:00. There is a serious amount of blood spatter on the floor. Effy got back to his feet and the match continued. In the ring, Effy hit a flying leg lariat.
Effy got the screwdriver and he repeatedly stabbed Mance; the blood was really dripping out of his forehead onto the mat, too. (Why wasn’t this match last? No one wants to wrestle on this mat next!) The ref nearly got to the 10-count, but Effy stopped him! Effy stabbed Mance some more in the forehead! Effy headed to the back and returned with a red plastic gas can at 19:30 but he couldn’t figure out how to open it. He eventually got it open and dumped the fluid on him. He pulled out a lighter but the refs pulled him away. Mance was helped away. Is this yet another no-finish in a hardcore match? UGH. The company that prides itself on not having any disqualifications has had several non-finishes in this feud. Not good when this ends with fans chanting “bullshit!”
10. Danhausen defeated Blake Christian (w/Missy Hyatt) to win the GCW World Title at 13:32. Yes, this mat is gross now. I feel bad for these two to have to wrestle on this mess. There is a reason why when I used to go to IWA-Mid South shows on a regular basis, the hardcore match always went last. Lenny Leonard said Blake has now been champion for 334 days and had 39 successful title defenses. A lockup to open and Blake mockingly made the ‘curse’ motion at Danhausen. Danhausen hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Blake at 1:30. He hit punches to the forehead in the corner, and Blake bailed to the floor to regroup.
They brawled on the floor, with Danhausen putting his fingers in Blake’s mouth and prying it open at 4:00. Missy grabbed Danhausen’s ankle, allowing Blake to hit a spear on the apron. Blake nailed a dive through the ropes onto Danhausen and he celebrated. Back in the ring, Blake was in charge, doing pushups while choking Danhausen at 6:30. Danhausen hit a Northern Lights suplex and some clotheslines. He hit a German Suplex at 8:00 and they were both down. Blake nailed a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. Blake missed a 450 Splash but landed on his feet. Danhausen hit a DDT, then a Go To Sleep kneestrike, but Blake rolled to the floor at 10:00 to avoid being pinned.
In the ring, Danhausen made a cover but Blake got a foot on the ropes. Danhausen got his jar of teeth, but Blake hit a rolling Death Valley Driver and a springboard 450 Splash for a nearfall. Blake hit a legdrop for a nearfall. Danhausen hit a German Suplex and got his jar of teeth again, and he dumped them in Blake’s mouth. He kicked Blake’s chin, and the teeth went flying at 12:30. Blake hit an Exploder Suplex. He got the loaded purse but Danhausen avoided being hit by it. Danhausen hit Blake with the loaded purse and scored the pin! New champion! I definitely did NOT expect that to happen! The crowd celebrated the title change.
BUT WAIT! GM Matt Cardona came out and said “we are not going to have a Tampa Screwjob on my first day as general manager.” He demanded the ref restart the match and ring the bell.
10b. Blake Christian defeated Danhausen to win the GCW World Title at 00:06. Blake hit Danhausen in the head with the loaded purse and scored the pin. The show ended with Blake celebrating with his belt and the crowd chanting, “Bullshit!”
Final Thoughts: As too often, a GCW show started out really strong and loses steam as it goes. I’ll go with the Price/Radrick/Starkz six-person tag for best match, Oliver-Thatcher for second and Danger-Knight for third. Yes, the top three matches occurred 2-4 on the show. While I’ve noted my dislike for intergender matches, Janela-Yamashita was well laid-out and earns honorable mention. Other positives is that Zilla Fatu remains a beast who you can’t take your eyes off of, and ViF picked up wins over some inferior teams.
The Effy-Mance feud has become a debacle. They are bleeding all over, it’s too violent… and we have one non-finish after another, in a promotion that takes pride in having finishes to matches. I don’t know where this feud goes now, and frankly, I no longer care. I will reiterate the stupidity of throwing chairs at each other’s head, and in particular, doing it on the floor with fans standing just feet away from the action, because GCW refuses to use guardrails on nearly all their shows. It is just a recipe for disaster.
I love Blake Christian, but I have often written I don’t want comedy guys in the main event. Danhausen, like CPA, or R-Truth, are fine early in the show, but they aren’t or shouldn’t be in the main event. Danhausen is entertaining, but just not main event material. This show would have been far better by trading up matches and going with Blake-Zayne and Danhausen-Microman.
Be the first to comment