By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
April 18, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Pearl Theater at Palms Casino
This is the ninth show of the 13-event Collective, featuring promotions from quite literally across the world. This began at 7 p.m. local time and was the third show of Friday’s four-event lineup here. The ring canvas is clean, appears new, and has the Collective logo in the center. Lighting over the ring is really good and this is as top-notch as I’ve seen GCW look. We can see more of the crowd; it is clearly one of the largest crowds so far. Dave Prazak and Jordan Castle provided commentary.
* Emil Jay welcomed us to the show. Cole Radrick recently tore his ACL, so Alec Price needs to find a new tag partner to help him try to reclaim the tag titles! The champs came out first to delay finding out who it will be!
1. “Violence is Forever” Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku vs. Alec Price and a mystery partner. Alec came out solo, leapt off the stage on ViF and we’re underway, but we’re starting two-on-one. (He’s had three or so weeks! He hasn’t found anyone yet?) He hit a Blockbuster on Garrini at 2:00. Garrini hit a running knee, then a Chasing the Dragon (spin kick and brainbuster combo) for a nearfall. Cole Radrick’s music played! He came onto the stage on crutches, and he introduced the returning JORDAN OLIVER! (I have written multiple times on Twitter that he was my pick to be the mystery partner!!) Jordan ran in and hit some quick moves. “He hasn’t lost a step, man!” Castle said.
Oliver hit a running boot on Ku for a nearfall. He has put some muscle mass on while out for the past nine months! Price hit Garrini with a crutch. Price hit his 720 DDT on Ku. Meanwhile, Oliver hit a faceplant out of the corner on Dominic! Price and Oliver covered Garrini and pinned him! New champions! Radrick got in the ring and celebrated with Oliver and Price. Too short to be much of a match, but getting Oliver back is a huge plus for GCW. (He tore his ACL in early summer and probably had his knee surgery around Independence Day, so I figured it was about time he was ready to return.)
Jordan Oliver and Alec Price defeated “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini to win the GCW Tag Team Titles at 6:58.
2. Gringo Loco and Arez and Jack Cartwheel vs. Galeno Del Mal and Dr. Wagner and El Hijo Del Dr. Wagner. There is a WWE ID show beginning in about an hour but I just checked and it appears Jack isn’t on that one, too. (In theory, he could have made it!) Cartwheel and Hijo opened. Arez and the massive Galeno entered at 2:00; Galeno did a leapfrog that popped the crowd, just because he is so mammoth. Dr. Wagner then locked up with Loco; they traded armdrags and had a standoff at 6:00, and we got a “lucha libre!” chant. Wagner removed his mask at 7:30, showing off his silver beard.
Jack nailed a Sasuke Special to the floor. Loco’s team backed Galeno into a corner and hit some blows. Loco hit his split-legged moonsault on Galeno at 9:30. Wagner hit a somersault off the apron onto Loco! Galeno flipped Hijo onto Arez. Wagner hit Arez with a garbage can at 11:30. Castle noted that Wagner is 59. Galeno hit the Three Amigos rolling suplexes on Arez at 13:00, earning an “Eddie!” chant. Galeno nailed a frogsplash for a nearfall. Cartwheel hit a flip dive to the floor. Arez hit his one-footed moonsault to the floor on several guys at 16:00. Jack and Wagner were alone in the ring, and Jack sold pain in his left knee. Hijo hit a powerbomb on Cartwheel, then the Magistral Cradle for the pin! Fun match.
Galeno Del Mal, Dr. Wagner, and and El Hijo Del Dr. Wagner defeated Jack Cartwheel, Gringo Loco, and Arez at 17:02.
3. Megan Bayne vs. Bozilla. My only knowledge of Bozilla is honestly from playing her downloadable CAW in WWE2K24; she also is a taller-than-average woman and she’s billed as “from Germany coming straight out of Japan.” Veda Scott replaced Castle in the booth. Of course, Bayne wrestled in Boston about 23 hours ago. They stood across from each other and Bozilla is taller and a bit thicker! (I’m guessing Bozilla is 6’1″ or even 6’2″ while Megan is closer to 5’11”). They traded shoulder blocks with neither woman going down, but then Bozilla knocked her down at 1:30. They fought onto the apron and Bozilla clocked her! Megan kicked her off the apron to the floor.
Bayne nailed a dive through the ropes! In the ring, Bozilla hit a Sabin-style Cradle Shock for a nearfall at 3:00 and a bodyslam, then another and she made a cocky one-footed cover. She hit a fallaway slam. Veda said “it’s almost like she’s playing with her food.” Bozilla applied a belly-to-belly bearhug, but Megan powered free. Megan hit a Mafia Kick, then a running kick, then a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall at 6:00. Bozilla hit a German Suplex but Megan hopped to her feet and she hit her leaping clothesline! Bozilla hit a second-rope fallaway slam at 7:30 and that popped the crowd. A weird commercial interrupted the match and the crowd jeered it. (I doubt that was intentional.)
Bayne fired up and hit some forearm strikes. Bozilla hit a standing powerbomb at 9:00. Megan hit a sit-out powerbomb. They traded open-hand slaps to the face! They traded clotheslines until Bozilla dropped her with one. Bozilla hit several powerbombs but only got a nearfall at 10:30. Megan hit a top-rope somersault splash, then an F5 and a Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. “What a fight!” Veda said. That was really, really good. Bozilla is raw but you can’t teach height; she could be quite a player.
Megan Bayne defeated Bozilla at 12:10.
* Footage of 1 Called Manders (VERY successful) tour of Germany aired, including clips of his win at the 16 Carat Gold tournament. This was a tremendous video package. He can’t lose after that, right?
4. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. 1 Called Manders. No wXw Title belt for Manders for this one; he had it at a show earlier. Standing switches and a feeling-out process. Manders hit a shoulder tackle and he gave Sabre a middle finger; Zack grabbed it and twisted it! Manders hit some chops; Zack hit some European Uppercuts. Zack hit a stiff kick to the spine at 4:30, then a Penalty Kick to the chest. Manders popped up and hit a decapitating clothesline, and they were both down. Sabre hit a Pele Kick to the shoulder; Manders hit another clothesline for a nearfall at 7:30. However, Sabre rolled him over, leaned back for added leverage, and got a flash pin out of nowhere! That was really good for the time given.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated 1 Called Manders at 7:54.
* The weird commercial that accidentally started to air in the Megan-Bozilla match now aired. Jordan Castle returned to the booth as Veda left.
5. Fuego Del Sol vs. Atticus Cogar in a career-vs.-mask match. Fuego came out surrounded by guys wearing his masks. They charged at each other at the bell and brawled, and they did the spot where they both got suplexed over the top rope to the floor. Fuego cracked a chair across the back at 1:30 as they fought at ringside. They brawled up onto the stage and Atticus had scissors! He began cutting at the mask, then he stabbed Fuego with them at 4:00! Atticus hit a running Air Raid Crash off the apron and through a door bridge on the floor! They got back into the ring and Atticus hit him with a trash can lid at 6:00.
Fuego tied him in the Tree of Woe and hit a doublestomp to the chest at 7:30. Otis Cogar jumped in the ring and hit a Black Hole Slam on Fuego! That brought in the massive Sam Stackhouse, who hit his leg lariat on Otis, and he peeled off his shirt to show off his 450+ pound frame. He dove through the ropes onto the Cogars (it wasn’t pretty but it was effective!) Atticus whipped a chair at Sam’s head and I really hate that. Fuego slammed Atticus through several open chairs in the middle of the ring for a nearfall at 10:00. Atticus hit a German Suplex onto an upside-down open chair for a nearfall. That was potentially dangerous.
Atticus jabbed several cooking skewers into Fuego’s forehead and kicked a chair onto Fuego. Atticus nailed the Brain Hemorrhage (snapmare driver) for a believable nearfall at 13:00. Otis handed Fuego a two-by-four wrapped in barbed wire. Fuego avoided being hit by it and he hit a springboard tornado DDT for a nearfall and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Meanwhile, Stackhouse hit a moonsault onto Otis. Fuego hit a top-rope 630 Splash onto Atticus on a door bridge on the floor! He rolled Atticus into the ring but only got a nearfall at 16:30. Fuego now jabbed cooking skewers into Atticus’ forehead! Fuego hit him with the two-by-four! Otis handed Atticus a Taser! Atticus used the Taser on Fuego’s chest, then he hit the Brain Hemorrhage onto a trash can and got the pin! Fuego must unmask!
Atticus Cogar defeated Fuego Del Sol at 17:47.
* Fuego stood up and let his long-time friend Stackhouse untie his mask for him. Fuego took off the mask and handed it to Atticus. Atticus celebrated, holding his new ‘trophy’ over his head. WOW, I really thought Fuego was winning. Fuego sat on the mat and he began removing his boots! Is this the end? The crowd reacted in shock! Stackhouse pleaded with him, as the crowd chanted, “Please don’t go!” “Have we just witnessed the end of Fuego Del Sol’s wrestling career?” Jordan Castle asked. Fuego headed to the back. The camera zoomed in on the boots left in the ring. Wow. Well done.
6) Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont. The crowd chanted “Bulldozer!” for Tremont at the bell. They immediately traded chops and forearm strikes. (This is already better than the Butterbean debacle from a day ago.) They traded headbutts at 1:30. They brawled to the floor, and Tremont accidentally headbutted the ring apron. Tremont was immediately bleeding from his forehead. (This is show 9… how is that new canvas still clean? Probably because these bloody spots are on the floor!) No, Tremont rolled into the ring at 4:30. Yeah, he’s bleeding pretty heavily. Suzuki grabbed Matt’s fingers and twisted them. He punched at the cut, and the blood was really pouring. Gross.
Tremont hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 7:00. Minoru applied a standing sleeper, and Tremont fell to a knee! Suzuki grabbed the ref and hit a Gotch-style Piledriver! Other refs came in and separated them, and the crowd booed. Tremont charged at him, and they kept brawling, even though several officials tried to separate them. They brawled on the floor. Prazak said he thinks it’s over, but we haven’t had a bell. They headed toward the back and the crowd booed. Really lame finish to a good brawl.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont ended in a draw/no contest at 9:30.
7. Masha Slamovich vs. Suzu Suzuki for the JCW World Title. Veda returned to the booth for a women’s match, and she said Masha has 11 scheduled matches this week. Masha carried her JCW World TItle and her TNA Knockouts Title. Suzu is a bit shorter but it appears she weighs more, and she knocked Masha down with a shoulder tackle. Masha hit a running penalty kick at 2:00 and she tied both of Suzu’s arms behind her back. Suzu hit a spear at 3:30. Suzu hit a stiff kick to the spine. She ran on the floor and kicked Masha’s head as it was by a rope at 5:00.
In the ring, Suzu hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall. Suzu hit a series of buzzsaw kicks and got a rollup. They hit stereo kicks to the head and both collapsed at 7:00. Suzu hit a German Suplex and a headbutt, then a twisting slam for a nearfall, then a German Suplex with a high bridge for a believable nearfall. Masha hit a running knee for a nearfall. Suzu charged, but Masha caught her with a roundhouse kick to the head! She immediately hit the White Knight Driver (piledriver) for the pin. They got a LOT in for a match that wrapped up in just under 10 minutes!
Masha Slamovich defeated Suzu Suzuki to retain the JCW World Title at 9:50.
8. Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner. These two had a brawl in Jersey City a couple months ago that ended in a non-finish. Mance had a violent match a day ago against Sami Callihan in TNA and he has a wrap on his left bicep. He pulled out a screwdriver and tried to jab Kidd with it. Gabe grabbed the screwdriver and he loosed the turnbuckle. and he jabbed the screwdriver into Mance’s forehead, and it was POURING out of Mance’s head. This was gross. So much for the clean canvas. Veda said he was “squirting blood.”
“He is absolutely losing a ton of blood right now,” Prazak said, and he wondered if the match will be able to continue. Mance got a door from under the ring, but blood was dripping on it. He threw several chairs into the ring. He used the screwdriver on Gabe’s head, and now Kidd was bleeding. They sat down across from each other on chairs in the ring at 7:30 and traded punches; Gabe jumped to his feet and bit the cut on Mance’s forehead. Gabe hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Mance hit a tornado DDT through a door in the corner at 10:00. Mance hit a clothesline and they were both down. Gabe hit a second-rope piledriver through a door bridge at 13:00. They traded forearm strikes. Kidd hit a hard slap to face, collapsed on Mance, and got the pin! That was a surprise.
Gabe Kidd defeated Mance Warner at 14:36.
* Next up is a ‘senior scramble’ of wrestlers who are at least age 55. Several guys have dropped out in recent weeks, and frankly, after the Butterbean disaster on Thursday, this should have been scrapped entirely. But let’s see if it’s as bad as I fear it will be!
9. Mike Jackson (age 75) vs. Ricky Morton (68) vs. George South (62) vs. Damian 666 (63) vs. Robert Gibson (66). I thought this was supposed to be a six-way but I guess enough people dropped out they couldn’t fill this out. Damian was among the late additions. At about 1:00, Kerry Morton came onto the stage and ordered them to stop. “What is this shit?” he said. “All I see is a bunch of erectile dysfunctions.” Kerry complained that it’s “a damned shame” he isn’t on the show but these old guys are. Robert Gibson hit Kerry on the back with a chair and Kerry was thrown into the ring. All the old guys fought Kerry. Mike Jackson hti the old school tightrope walk, but Kerry pulled him down and was booed. Ricky hit a Canadian Destroyer on Kerry. They all powerbombed Kerry through a door bridge and they all pinned Kerry. Well, it wasn’t terrible, at least.
Mike Jackson, Ricky Mortion, George South, Damian 666 and Robert Gibson defeated Kerry Morton at 6:12.
10. Sabu vs. Joey Janela in a no-ropes barbed-wire match. A bit of a break as the ropes were taken down; I was watching on a delay of about an hour, so I got to catch up a bit. There were barbed-wire boards in the corner and a spiderweb crib of barbed wire on the floor. Joey hit him from behind and we’re underway. Sabu wore white pants and a white jacket; I presume it’s going to turn red. Joey pushed him into the wire (formerly ropes) at 1:30. Bill Alfonso came to the ring at 3:00, blowing his whistle, and that popped the crowd. Sabu fell through the barbed wire ropes and collapsed into the spiderweb. Back in the ring, Joey ripped off Sabu’s jacket, and he whipped Sabu into a board against the ropes; Sabu hit it so hard he went through it and crashed to the floor at 5:30.
Sabu’s head was busted open and people ran over to wipe up the blood. Gross. Atticus Cogar and Otis Cogar jumped in the ring and they attacked Bill Alfonzo and Joey Janela. The lights went out! The sound of Metallica’s “Sandman” popped the crowd, and Sandman emerged from the back. “What f—ing year is it? Veda asked as the crowd sang along. If Sandman is here to help, he’s not doing a good job, because the Cogars were beating up Janela while Sandman was still in the crowd. Sandman finally got in the ring and he cracked the cane over the Cogars’ backs.
Sabu got back up at 13:00 and he tossed Joey through two barbed-wire doors. Sabu threw him into the spiderweb. Back in the ring they had a duel with chairs and Joey whipped chairs at him, then they hugged, before starting to hit forearm strikes. Sabu hit his chair-assisted leg drop and scored the pin. Well, everyone survived.
Sabu defeated Joey Janela in a no-ropes barbed-wire match at 17:11.
* Joey got on the mic and put Sabu over.
Final Thoughts: A mixed bag as is often the case. Sabu-Joey and Mance-Kidd were far too bloody for my tastes. Bayne-Bozilla was thrilling and earned best match. I know I can’t be the only person who hadn’t actually seen Bozilla before, and she had a nice coming-out party. While it was super-short, Sabre-Manders earned second. The lucha six-man takes third. The visual of Fuego not only losing, but leaving his boots in the ring, was quite a shocker. We’ll see if this really was it for him. I certainly hope not. Masha-Suzuki was good. I really don’t know why Minoru-Tremont ended in a draw.
The building looks great, the crowd was hot, and more matches delivered than not. If you don’t mind the blood (or love that violence!), you undoubtedly liked several of the matches more than I did. I know Effy said he was only going to defend his title once this weekend — at the Big Gay Brunch on Saturday — but it still feels like he should have a role on what is one of the biggest GCW shows of the year.
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