By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW in Japan
Streamed on TrillerTV+
July 30, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
This was the final night of three straight shows in Japan. I’ve seen numerous shows from this venue, so I was surprised that I didn’t recognize it when the video began. The hard camera was set up in the extended bleacher areas. Usually, when you are watching an NJPW show from this venue, those bleachers are to the right. Point being, I had a different visual on the other side of the hard camera than I’m used to. Attendance was maybe 300-400. Promoter Brett Lauderdale provided commentary.
1. Jordan Oliver and Alec Price vs. Mao and Rina Yamashita for the GCW Tag Team Titles. All four brawled at the bell, with Oliver hitting a dropkick on Mao. Rina hit a double clothesline. (She is so short and tiny, she is just not believable against bigger and stronger men, even though she’s got the tough-as-nails mystique.) The champs hit some quick team moves on her, and Oliver laid in some loud chops. Rina suplexed Oliver at 4:30, and they were both down. Mao got a hot tag and hit kicks on each champ. Mao hit a split-legged moonsault on Price for a nearfall.
Oliver got in and hit a discus clothesline in the corner and a fisherman’s buster on Mao for a nearfall at 6:30. Mao hit a flying stunner on Oliver, and they were both down. Rina got a hot tag and was way short on a kick to Oliver’s face. Mao and Rina set up for a team Razor’s Edge, but Oliver escaped. Price hit a pop-up dropkick on Mao and a springboard Blockbuster on Rina, then his dive to the floor on Mao at 9:30. In the ring, he hit a 720 DDT on Mao. Mao powerbombed Oliver onto Price, and they were all down. Alec and Rina traded forearm strikes on the apron, and she hit a piledriver on the apron.
Mao hit a frog splash on Price, then Rina hit one; they both covered Alec for a nearfall at 11:30, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Mao dropped Oliver with a stiff superkick. He hit a twisting kick to Price’s head. Mao came off the ropes, but Alec caught him with a superkick. Price hit a Rebound Lariat on Rina. This has been sharp. The champs hit their team faceplant on Rina for the pin. A really good opener; this is what I had in mind for them; to lock up with some top-notch Japanese talent.
Jordan Oliver and Alec Price defeated Mao and Rina Yamashita to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 12:58.
* Oliver got on the mic and said they are proving they are one of the best tag teams in the whole world.
* Footage aired of 1 Called Manders’ matches from the shows held on Monday (July 28) and Tuesday (July 29). In my reviews, I considered his matches the best match of each night.
2. Atticus Cogar vs. Miyu Yamashita. I’m a big fan of Miyu, but she’s giving up a lot of size in this one, too. She charged at the bell and hit a pump kick to the chest, then a stiff kick to the spine. He immediately pulled out the cooking skewers and started to stick them into her hand to escape a hold. He hit a half-nelson suplex on the ring apron at 1:00 and got more boos. In the ring, he hit another half-nelson suplex for a nearfall, and he was in charge. Lauderdale talked about how disrespectful Cogar has been on this tour as he kept beating her down. “He’s pushing the bounds of sportsmanship, to say the least,” Brett said.
Cogar hit another half-nelson suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Miyu fired up and hit some chops, then a hard clothesline that dropped Cogar. He threw a chair at her head at 5:30 (I HATE that) and got a nearfall, and he pushed the chair into her throat. He swung the chair but she kicked it. He still cracked it across her back. She hammered the cooking skewers into his head at 9:00, and a roundhouse kick that dropped him. Atticus hit a Lionsault as she was caught in the ropes for a nearfall. Miyu hit a release German Suplex at 11:00, but he hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall, then his Brain Hemorrhage (snapmare driver) for the pin.
Atticus Cogar defeated Miyu Yamashita at 11:15.
* Footage aired of a feud between Dark Sheik, Jeffrey John, and the masked Kikutaro, who informed us his partner for this show will be Invisible Stan. So yes, lots of comedy will be coming.
3. Dark Sheik, Jeffrey John, and Yoshihiko vs. Invisible Stan, Kikutaro, and Shota. Again, Shota is older; this is not Shota Umino. Yoshihiko is the lifeless mannequin; at some point this year, cagematch.net actually gave the doll a bio entry. Yeah, I don’t have this funny bone in me to get into a match with a doll and an invisible man. Jeffrey and Kikutaro traded offense early on, with Kikutaro hitting a flipping senton for a nearfall at 5:00. The heels (including Invisible Stan) worked over John. (Again, I just am not amused but I admire the effort.) Sheik then got in and battled Invisible Stan. Sheik hit a top-rope guillotine leg drop to pin Shota.
Sheik and Jeffrey John, and Yoshihiko defeated Invisible Stan and Kikutaro, and Shota at 12:47.
* Ref Dan Perch joined Lauderdale on commentary.
4. 1 Called Manders vs. Jun Akiyama. Manders immediately targeted the left arm. Neither went down on shoulder tackle attempts, and they traded chops. They rolled to the floor at 4:00 and brawled in front of the crowd. Manders hit a DDT onto the hard floor. (They were next to a thin mat, but Brett noted the head hit the floor, not the mat.) In the ring, Manders got a nearfall, and he tied up Akiyama on the mat. Jun hit a running knee for a nearfall at 7:30, and he put Manders in a front guillotine choke.
Manders hit a series of chops in the corner, then the Oklahoma Stampede (Bulldog Powerslam) for a nearfall at 9:30. Jun hit a second-rope superplex, but Manders popped to his feet, knocked Jun down with a running shoulder tackle, and they were both down. Manders hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 11:00. Jun hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall. He hit some more hard knee strikes to the heart, then a T-Bone Suplex for a nearfall, and we got a “Fight forever!” chant. He hit another Exploder Suplex and got the pin. A hard-hitting brawl.
Jun Akiyama defeated 1 Called Manders at 12:35.
5. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Maki Itoh. They played to the crowd a bit before finally locking up.Shotzi kicked her, and instantly, Maki started crying. Of course, Maki stopped crying, and she kicked Shotzi, and Shotzi started crying, but the crowd wasn’t having any of it from Blackheart! Shotzi took control and began working over Maki. She hit a basement dropkick to the groin. “That one was exactly where you think it was,” Lauderdale said as Maki buckled over in pain. Brett pointed out Shotzi’s left cast, which reads “Indy God.” Shotzi kept Maki grounded, but then she shoved Maki head-first into a turnbuckle. Maki has a super hard head, so she was impervious to that blow.
Maki backed her into a corner and repeatedly punched her at 5:30, then she hit a running knee. She hit a DDT onto the ring apron. In the ring, Shotzi fired back with a back suplex for a nearfall. Itoh hit a straight punch to the groin that Shotzi no sold; Shotzi punched Maki on the head but that hurt her own head. Maki tried a few more punches to the groin but Shotzi kept no-selling them. “You may be better off trying to hit her somewhere else, Maki,” Brett said. Maki hit a DDT at 8:00, then a Kokeshi falling headbutt to the groin.
Maki pulled out her bedazzled pizza cutter and she used it across Shotzi’s forehead, and the crowd chanted, “MDK!” (because she is ‘gang affiliated’ with Nick Gage.) Maki was now in charge and Shotzi had a bloody forehead. Shotzi hit a suplex, then a rolling cannonball in the corner at 10:30. Maki hit a stunner for a nearfall. Maki tied her in a Boston Crab, and Shotzi tapped out. A fun match with some unusual offense. Maki helped her up and they hugged.
Maki Itoh defeated Shotzi Blackheart at 12:28.
6. Chris Brookes vs. Drew Parker. No commentary on this one. I’ve seen Brookes before, but he’s not someone I regularly see wrestle. Basic standing switches to open. Brookes is bigger and pushed Parker down. They traded chops. Drew hit a dropkick at 4:00. They brawled to the floor, and we can really see how sparsely filled the seating is on the big bleachers side. They went up onto the walkway halfway up the seating area at 6:00, and they kept trading blows. Parker hit a frog splash onto Brookes, who was lying on a table, at 7:30. They fought back to ringside, and Parker’s face was covered in blood.
Back in the ring, Brookes hit some chops. Parker applied a front guillotine choke at 9:00, but Brookes put Parker’s feet on the ropes and turned the move into a swinging neckbreaker. Nice! Some Young Lions brought clear plastic totes to the ring and they started hitting each other over the head with these cheap boxes, and they easily shattered. Parker hit a stunner at 12:30. He hit a Meteora on the ring apron, but he missed a Swanton Bomb. Brookes hit a shotgun dropkick. Brookes hit a second-rope underhook suplex at 14:00 and they were both down. They got up and traded chops and forearm strikes. Brookes hit an enzuigiri and a left-arm clothesline and a running knee.
Parker hit a running Meteora for a nearfall at 17:00. Parker hit a Code Red for a nearfall. They held each other’s wrists and hit a thudding headbutt and both collapsed. This has topped my expectations. They got back up and traded more forearm strikes. Brookes hit a twisting Tombstone Piledriver for a believable nearfall. He hit another piledriver for a believable nearfall, then a second-rope flipping powerbomb; that really should have been it. He unloaded more stiff kicks. Drew gave him a middle finger. Brookes kissed him on the mouth and hit two Jay Drillers for the pin. Good brawl; I wish this had been in front of a bigger, hotter crowd. But this also is a rare match where I think they went past the peak of the match and went a minute or two too long.
Chris Brookes defeated Drew Parker at 23:13.
7. Effy vs. Matt Tremont for the GCW World Title. Tremont brought his Ultraviolent Title to the ring, but that was not on the line. Barbed-wire boards were slid into the ring, and a bunch of other weapons. They traded shoulder tackles with neither man going down, so they traded headbutts. Effy tied him in a Tarantula at 2:00. Tremont dove off the apron and splashed onto Effy on the floor. They brawled at ringside. Effy picked up a toy gun and pointed it at Tremont’s head and pulled the trigger. Sorry, that’s uncalled for, even as a toy. Effy stapled money to Tremont’s forehead.
They sat down in chairs and traded punches at 7:00. Tremont stapled money on Effy’s forehead. Effy missed a somersault dive off the apron to the floor and crashed onto an open chair. They got back into the ring, and Tremont stabbed Effy in the forehead with a fork at 9:00, and Effy was heavily bleeding. Yeah, this isn’t my speed. Effy picked up a plastic bat covered in weapons, and he repeatedly struck Tremont with it. They took turns whacking each other with weapons and Matt was now heavily bleeding, too. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Effy hit a top-rope flying leg lariat, dropping Tremont onto a folded chair, for the pin. Gross, and that gun spot was a huge turn-off.
Effy defeated Matt Tremont to retain the GCW World Title at 21:32.
Final Thoughts: As often is the case, a mixed bag. I really did like Parker-Brookes, and it’s my surprising pick for best match, even though they clearly peaked when Brookes hit a flipping powerbomb move off the ropes about two minutes before it actually ended. Manders-Jun was a good brawl, and I’ll narrowly give that second, ahead of the show-opening tag. Mao is really talented, and I’m glad he got to mix it up with both Oliver and Price. Shotzi-Maki was fun, and it was certainly different with all the focus on hitting each other below the belt.
Atticus-Miyu crossed into an uncomfortable territory where this looked like a physical assault of a smaller woman. Quite simply, you’ll never see a match that looks like this on WWE TV. Did he actually hurt her? No, of course not. But visually, it was a brutal match where he kept clocking her, over and over, with her actually having very little offense. There is a way to do an intergender match without it looking like a crime; this wasn’t it. The main event really turned me off with the gun play — Effy pushed a gun into Tremont’s head and pulled the trigger. That’s not funny; that’s not entertaining. The cartoonish match with a doll and an invisible character… to each his own, I guess. The good outweighs the bad here, though.
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