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 “The Sky is the Limit”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
August 13, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan at Shinjuku Face
This show aired on delay later in the day in the United States. This is the second of three shows. In the main event of the first show, Alex Zayne suffered a knee injury and his match was stopped, so I’m sure some matches will be changed.
This is a small room and it appears seating goes back 8-10 rows. Attendance is maybe 400. Lighting over the ring is really good. Dave Prazak and Emil Jay provided commentary.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Broski Jimmy Lloyd at 7:20. Lloyd is angry because the airlines lost his bags. They locked up and the much larger Lloyd easily shoved her to the mat. She hit some front and back kicks on a seated Lloyd. He tied her up on the mat. She hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 5:00, showing off her power, too. He set up for a package piledriver but she escaped. Moments later, he hit the package piledriver, but she kicked out, and the crowd rallied for Miyu. She hit a spin kick and a German Suplex for a nearfall at 6:30. Lloyd hit a swinging face plant for a nearfall. He hit a running Broski Boot in the corner. However, she hit a roundhouse Skull Kick and the ref called for the bell, determining that Lloyd was knocked out.
* A video package aired showing highlights from Bloodsport XI from July 28.
2. Maki Itoh defeated The Great Sasuke at 11:47. Sasuke was not on the show Monday in Korakuen Hall. Itoh carried a pizza cutter to ringside. Sasuke waved his arms around and I have absolutely no idea what he’s doing. Is he bowling? NO, he’s waving his arm teasing a handshake. They finally touched at 3:00. She kicked him in the gut and they went to the floor, where he tied up her arm. This is shockingly slow and honestly, it’s dull. Nothing is happening. They re-entered the ring at 7:00 and he had her left arm tied up. She got her pizza cutter at 11:00 and used it across his (masked) forehead. Sasuke charged into the corner, barely grazed ref Scarlett Donovan, but she went down like she had been crushed. Itoh hit Sasuke with a weapon, rolled him up, and pinned him. I’m not going to lie, this was brutally bad. I never expected this to be so bad.
* A video package aired of Joey Janela and Megan Bayne vs. Mance Warner and JImmy Lloyd from the Aug. 4 show.
3. Joey Janela defeated Marcus Mathers at 19:36. Geez, I’m sure this will be great, but they could have had this match in New Jersey; I’d rather they each be facing a Japanese talent. Janela applied a headlock at the bell. Mathers wore his Phillies-inspired gear, which I’m sure is meaningless to the Japanese crowd. Mathers hit a Surprise Kick, then a dive through the ropes at 3:00 and he was fired up. Mathers set up for a moonsault, but Janela pushed him off the top rope to the floor. Joey was in charge as they got back into the ring. Mathers hit a stunner, then a German Suplex at 6:30, then a top-rope twisting crossbody block. They got up and traded punches. Janela hit a Razor’s Edge and a DDT for a nearfall.
Joey set up for a package piledriver at 8:30, but Mathers escaped. They traded more chops, then forearm strikes. Mathers hit a Poison Rana and a spin kick. Janela hit an Air Raid Crash for a believable nearfall. Marcus hit a Sister Abigail twisting faceplant for a believable nearfall at 11:00. They traded rollups. Janela again went for a Razor’s Edge, but Mathers turned it into a rollup for a nearfall. Joey hit a German Suplex and they were both down at 13:00. Mathers hit a top-rope superplex. Janela hit his own top-rope superplex and they were both down. Mathers rolled over and he has a bloody finger and blood across his chest, too. Joey got up and stomped on Marcus’ bloody fingers!
They traded more chops. Mathers hit his Kip-up stunner, then a second-rope Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall at 16:00. This is incredibly good. Mathers went for a top-rope 450 Splash but Janela got his knees up. Joey hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Joey missed a top-rope doublestomp, but he nailed a superkick and a half-nelson suplex. They traded forearm strikes. Mathers hit an Ospreay-style heel hook kick, then a brainbuster at 18:30. Mathers hit a second-rope moonsault to the floor on Janela. Back in the ring, Janela hit a hard clothesline and a package piledriver for the pin. That was stellar and may wind up being the best match of the tour.
4. Dark Sheik and “Bussy” Effy and Allie Katch defeated Aja Kong, Mao, and Masashi Takeda at 10:15. All six brawled at the bell. Effy dropped to his knees for some lewd humor with the scar-covered Takeda, who responded by grabbing garden shears. Mao pulled two bananas out of his pockets, yes, bananas, and they did comedy by pretending they were guns. Allie hit a buttbump on Mao for a nearfall, and Team GCW worked over Mao. Effy hit his whoopee cushion at 3:30. Mao hit a senton on Allie. Takeda hit a shotgun dropkick on Effy and got a nearfall.
Effy hit a chairshot on Takeda’s unprotected head. Takeda slammed a chair onto another chair that was on Effy’s head and got a nearfall. Effy hit his Blockbuster. Kong hit a Stinger Splash on Sheik at 7:30 and Team DDT worked over Sheik. Kong hit a back suplex on Allie. Sheik hit a missile dropkick on Kong, then a dive to the floor on Mao, then one onto Takeda. Effy hit a spear on Kong, and Sheik hit a top-rope guillotine leg drop on Kong. All three of Team GCW piled on Kong for the pin. Plenty of action.
5. Danhausen defeated Kikutaro at 10:41. Kikuaro wears a goofy mask; he’s made several ROH appearances in the past and he’s a comedy guy, so presumably they got some fun humor planned here. Danhausen cursed Kikutaro, who collapsed. Kikutaro hit some armdrags at 2:00. The ref pushed Kikutaro, who collapsed onto Danhausen’s groin. Kikutaro tried to Irish Whip ref Dan Perch at 6:30, who was annoyed with the shenanigans. Danhausen hit a DDT for a nearfall. He poured the jar of teeth into Kikutaro’s mouth. Kikutaro hit a low blow mule kick. Danhausen hit one back. Kikutaro hit a low blow mule kick on Perch at 9:00. Over the top facial exaggerations from everyone and this is all very low-brow humor. Kikutaro went for a Shining Wizard but Danhausen avoided it, got a jackknife cover, and scored the pin. This one didn’t click for me.
6. Masha Slamovich and Rina Yamashita defeated Violento Jack and Gringo Loco at 18:15. I’ve seen Jack on some GCW shows where he’s competed in some ultraviolent death matches. Loco and Masha opened. Masha hit a second-rope huracanrana and they had a standoff. Rina and Jack entered and they traded shoulder tackles at 2:00. The guys worked over Rina, with Loco hitting a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 4:00. Loco hit a top-rope moonsault on Rina for a nearfall. Rina hit a top-rope flying huracanrana on Loco, and she made the hot tag to Masha at 7:30. Masha hit a twisting dive through the ropes onto both men. Rina leapt off the top rope onto the guys.
In the ring, Jack bodyslammed Masha at 9:30. Loco hit some hard overhand chops on Masha. Masha hit a doublestomp on Loco and got a nearfall. Loco hit a sideslam. Rina grabbed Loco’s groin, so he grabbed her groin, too. They traded enzuigiris. Masha and Jack traded forearm strikes at 13:00, and he tied her up on the mat. She hit a German Suplex. Loco nailed the Base Bomb/twisting powerbomb on Rina for a believable nearfall at 16:00, but Masha made the save. Rina hit an Air Raid Crash on Loco. Jack hit a Lungblower move on Rina for a nearfall. The women hit a team powerbomb on Jack; Rina made a jackknife cover and scored the pin. Okay.
7. Mance Warner defeated 1 Called Manders to retain the GCW World Title at 22:51. They traded punches and immediately rolled to the floor and fought at ringside. They got back in the ring and continued to trade chops. No surprise, Mance was bleeding heavily from his forehead. Mance tied up Manders on the mat, but Manders reached the ropes at 9:30. Mance got a screwdriver and he jabbed it into Manders’ head. Manders hit a flying shoulder tackle, then a dive through the ropes onto Mance at 11:30. In the ring, he hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall.
Manders hit a superplex through a table and got a nearfall at 14:00. They traded more slaps to the face. They brawled back to the floor, and Mance peeled back the thin mat at ringside at 17:00. Mance hit a piledriver onto the bare floor! He got a nearfall in the ring. Manders hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 19:30. He slammed Manders onto a chair and got another nearfall. Manders hit a second-rope powerslam through a table for a nearfall at 22:00. Manders accidentally clotheslined the ref! Mance immediately hit a low blow punt kick, and Manders collapsed in pain. Mance then hit a leaping DDT for the tainted pin. Good brawl; not my preferred style but the crowd was into it.
Final Thoughts: Joey Janela vs. Marcus Mathers was fantastic and well worth going out of your way to see. I noted this a day ago, but Janela was hospitalized and he has come back looking lighter but in a healthy way. I really enjoyed it, but I again point out they could have done that match anywhere on the East Coast. It just feels like a missed opportunity to have them travel to Japan and not face some top-tier Japanese talent. The main event was a good brawl but same thought as Mathers-Janela, in that Manders-Warner could have happened anywhere.
Nothing else really stood out. I don’t know if Sasuke is just that old but that match with Itoh did not click for me at all. Loco/Jack vs. Rina/Masha was fine, but Rina is so much smaller that it’s hard to buy her offense. The Danhausen-Kikutaro stuff doesn’t quite work for me, but I’m really hit-or-miss on comedy stuff in wrestling. Notably absent is Alex Zayne after that injury during his match Monday.
Be the first to comment