By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW and Juggalo Championship Wrestling “Showcase Showdown”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
July 17, 2025, in Detroit, Michigan, at the Majestic Theatre
The venue is a large tavern or music hall, and the lighting is good. The crowd is maybe 400-500, and it’s packed. Notably, they are using guardrails here; too often, GCW does shows without them. Joe Dombrowski provided commentary. GCW promoter Brett Lauderdale joined for some of the matches.
* I admittedly am not a fan of a lot of the JCW roster and the hardcore matches, so I’m just watching five of the nine matches. Match results and times for the other four matches come from cagematch.net. There is too much good wrestling this week (especially with the G1 Climax underway!) for me to watch matches that just don’t interest me at all. Okay, onto the show!
1. Effy and Joey Janela vs. Otis Cogar and Christian Napier. Janela has been feuding with the Cogar family for months now, and I just want this feud to go away. Effy carried his GCW World Title, which, of course, is not on the line here. Joey and Otis opened. Effy then battled the younger Napier (he debuted as a ref who turned on Joey in this never-ending feud maybe two months ago.) Napier hit a slingshot slam on Effy at 3:30, and Otis got a nearfall. Napier hit a Bronco Buster in the corner on Effy and got a nearfall.
The heels kept working over Effy in their corner. Effy hit a double Blockbuster. Joey got a hot tag at 5:30, and he hit a DDT on Otis. Joey hit a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall. Napier hit a leaping Rude Awakening for a nearfall. Effy hit a clothesline on Otis at 8:00, and he was fired up. Otis hit a Black Hole Slam on Effy. Napier set up for a dive, but Joey caught him with a superkick. Effy speared Otis through a table in the corner. Effy hit Napier over the head with door shards, and Joey did, too. Effy hit a Doomsday-style Fameasser leg drop on Christian, and Joey covered Christian for the pin. Good, fast-paced opener. (When has Joey ever wrapped up a match in less than 10 minutes?)
Effy and Joey Janela defeated Otis Cogar and Christian Napier at 9:25.
2. Alice Crowley vs. Hollyhood Haley J vs. Rachel Armstrong vs. Christina Marie for the JCW Women’s Title. I’ve seen Armstrong the most, but I’ve seen all four women a few times now. I’ve seen Marie (think Masha Slamovich!) on a lot of shows in the Buffalo area (and I forget how close Detroit actually is to Buffalo if you cut through Canada!) Crowley has a ‘trucker’ look, wearing a black vest. She attacked Haley J, and we’re underway; those two brawled on the floor. Armstrong hit a moonsault for a nearfall, and she traded blows with Haley J.
Marie slammed Haley for a nearfall at 1:30. Big Al flipped Christina onto Rachel in the corner. Al and Marie brawled on the floor, and Haley J hit a rolling somersault off the apron onto them both. Marie hit a dive through the ropes onto everyone. Rachel hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor onto everyone, and that earned a “Holy shit!” chant. In the ring, Rachel missed a 450 Splash. Big Al immediately nailed a running knee on Haley J and got the pin. These women got a LOT in for a match this short, and frankly, this deserved to be much longer.
Alice Crowley defeated HollyHood Haley J, Rachel Armstrong, and Christina Marie at 4:15.
3. Man Like DeReiss vs. Atticus Cogar. They brawled at the bell and are roughly the same size. Atticus pulled out cooking skewers, but DeReiss avoided being stabbed by them. They brawled to the floor at 2:00, and I can see how big this crowd is. Back in the ring, DeReiss hit a hard clothesline at 4:30, then a shotgun dropkick into the corner, then a spinning back suplex, and he got the crowd fired up. He hit a springboard clothesline for a nearfall. Cogar hit a Buzzsaw Kick and an Air Raid Crash for a nearfall at 6:30.
Cogar pulled out even more cooking skewers, but DeReiss blocked Atticus from using them. Cogar hit a low blow and a sideslam for a nearfall. (Dombrowski quoted Shakespeare, then paused to wonder if anyone has ever done that in calling a wrestling match. Funny.) DeReiss hit his kip-up stunner, then a pop-up powerbomb, and he applied a Sharpshooter. Cogar jabbed the skewers into MLD’s thigh to break the hold. Atticus pushed DeReiss into the corner, then he hit the Brain Hemorrhage (snapmare driver) for the pin. Good action.
Atticus Cogar defeated Man Like DeReiss at 9:09.
4. Caleb Konley defeated Cocaine at 12:03. I didn’t watch this but I’ll reiterate that Caleb now dresses like Stone Cold Steve Austin and is nothing like his “Kaleb with a K” gimmick from TNA.
5. “YDNB” Jordan Oliver and Alec Price vs. “PME” Philly Collins and Marino Tenaglia for the GCW Tag Team Titles. I’ll reiterate how much weight Collins has lost in the past two years, and PME has become a top-level tag team in the Midwest. Oliver and Philly opened, and Jordan has a big size advantage now. Price and Marino locked up and traded armdrags; I have to believe they’ve tangled before. (A quick cagematch.net check shows this is their fourth time meeting in the ring, with Price at 1-0 in singles matches). Marino hit a twisting neckbreaker on Price for a nearfall at 3:00, and PME worked Alec over.
Oliver got a hot tag and he hit a tornado DDT and a uranage for a nearfall. PME hit a team missile dropkick-and-faceplant move on Oliver at 5:30. Dombrowski was defending JCW’s raunchy style. PME hit a team Flatliner move for a believable nearfall, but Price made the save. Price got a hot tag at 7:00 and hit a missile dropkick, then a pop-up dropkick on Marino, then his springboard Blockbuster. Oliver hit a standing powerbomb, and Price hit a Swanton Bomb to pin Marino. That wrapped up suddenly, too; I wouldn’t have minded that going longer. Really good action.
Alec Price and Jordan Oliver defeated Marino Tenaglia and Philly Collins to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 7:48.
* Oliver got on the mic and said that was authentic tag team wrestling, and they just showed why they are the best tag team in the world. It was a very heelish promo.
6. “The Brothers of Funstruction” Yabo the Clown and Ruffo the Clown defeated Abel Booker and Jacksyn Crowley at 7:59. I always point to the wrestling clowns as one of the (many!) reasons I simply stopped watching NWA. I just don’t enjoy their brand of humor at all.
7. Dr. Redacted defeated Bam Sullivan at 10:28. Two hardcore guys, and this just isn’t my thing.
8. 2 Tuff Tony and Mickie Knuckles and Willie Mack vs. Anthony Greene and Colby Corino and JP Grayson (w/Shane Mercer). Not a fan of Tony, but I’ve always enjoyed Willie Mack matches, so that’s why I tuned in and didn’t skip this one, too. Mack was introduced last, but he was attacked at the entrance by indy vet “M-Dogg20” Matt Cross, who repeatedly struck him with a chair. The match was now underway, as everyone brawled. Cross tossed Mack into the ring and left; Greene hit a twisting top-rope crossbody block on Mack and some spin kicks on him. Greene’s team worked over Mack in their corner. Mack finally hit a uranage on Corino at 4:00.
2 Tuff Tony got a hot tag to enter for the first time, and he hit a series of clotheslines on each opponent. Shane Mercer jumped in the ring and suplexed Tony! He hit a release suplex on Mickie! (I don’t understand these storylines at all. Mercer turned heel on GCW to join JCW just a few months ago, and now he’s fighting JCW?) Corino hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb. Mickie grabbed him and hit a back suplex.
JP hit a shotgun dropkick that sent Mickie through a board in the corner. Tony hit a piledriver along his back on Greene. Greene hit his second-rope Unprettier on Tony at 7:00. Tony flipped Greene into a board in the corner, then he did it again, but it still didn’t break! Tony hit a Lionsault on Greene! He got his bottle of alcohol, set his fist on fire, and hit a flaming punch on Greene for the pin. The chaotic brawl I expected this to be.
2 Tough Tony, Mickie Knuckles, and Willie Mack defeated Anthony Greene, JP Grayson, and Colby Corino at 8:09.
9. Matt Tremont defeated Mad Man Pondo to win the JCW Title at 15:02. Pondo has been wrestling for at least 20 years. Again, this isn’t my style of match.
Final Thoughts: The tag title match was really good for the time given, and it was the best of the five matches I watched. DeReiss-Atticus was really strong for second place.
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