By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Rumble on the River”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
September 13, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana, at White River State Park
Yes, this was an outdoor show in a park with a big bridge over a river in the background. It also started mid-afternoon. It was overcast and a bit darker than I would have expected. Dave Prazak was back on commentary again, and he was joined by Nick Maniwa. DP noted it was raining earlier but it has now stopped. Maybe 300 people are watching. I see some people are standing on the bridge overlooking the park as well.
* A video package aired with highlights from the show on Friday in Detroit. Just one new face for me in this lineup; the rest are regulars in GCW or the indy scene.
* Early in the show, Dave Prazak announced that Effy’s knee has swollen and he will not be able to compete today. It is unclear who will face Billie Starkz in the main event.
1. Jeffrey John vs. Rachel Armstrong vs. Brayden Toon vs. Shane Mercer vs. Rod Bass Jr. vs. Dex Royal vs. Jamie Lynn Senegal in a scramble. Everyone was already at ringside so we didn’t have full entrances. The commentators noted this was Bass’s GCW debut, and I don’t think I’ve seen him before; he’s a BIG, wide man, and he dove through the ropes onto everyone. (He might be 6’3″ or 6’4″). Toon hit a moonsault onto Bass in the ring. Rachel hit a huracanrana on John, then a shotgun dropkick and a buzzsaw kick to his jaw. Senegal jumped in the ring and choked Rachel. Mercer hit a pumphandle back suplex on Senegal at 3:00.
The tiny Rachel (barely 5’0″!) jumped in the ring and challenged the muscular Mercer. Maniwa noted how far Mercer has tossed her in the past. Rachel tried to put Shane on her back, but he blocked it. Shane did a Gorilla Press and tossed her 3 or 4 rows deep into the crowd! “At least he didn’t throw her in the river,” Prazak said. Dex (who looks so much like Swerve Strickland) hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press onto everyone on the grass at 5:30. In the ring, Dex hit some Yes Kicks on Toon. Toon hit a package piledriver on Dex.
Senegal hit a spin kick to Toon’s head. John hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Senegal for a nearfall. Mercer nailed Moonsault and Battery on John, but Jeffrey wisely rolled to the grass to avoid being pinned. Mercer and Bass fought, and Bass hit a Boss Man Slam at 7:30. Rachel got back in, and she chopped Bass, but it had no effect on him. She hit a headscissors takedown! She hit the shortest World’s Strongest Slam ever on him! Rachel hit a top-rope 450 Splash to pin Bass. Fun match.
Rachel Armstrong defeated Ron Bass Jr., Shane Mercer, Jeffrey John, Dex Royal, Brayden Toon, and Jamie Lynn Senegal in a scramble at 9:00.
2. Gary Jay vs. KJ Orso. Again, Gary is a red-headed version of Brodie Lee. Maniwa said the scramble last night was the first time these two had met in the ring. Jay hit a hard chop to the back, then more to the chest. Orso dropped Jay awkwardly on his neck, and Gary rolled to the grass and sold the pain in his neck. They fought at ringside. They got back into the ring, with Orso (f/k/a Fuego Del Sol) in charge. He hit a crossbody block in the corner at 4:30, then a back suplex for a nearfall. Gary hit a hard clothesline, and they were both down at 6:30. Gary hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall. KJ bit him on the ear, then hit a piledriver on the ring apron at 9:00. He pushed Gary back into the ring and hit a leaping doublestomp to the back of the head for the pin. He was loudly booed.
KJ Orso defeated Gary Jay at 9:22.
* Footage aired of the Brothers of Funstruction winning the tag titles on Friday from Jordan Oliver and Alec Price. Words cannot describe how much I hated that match…
3. “YDNP” Alec Price and Jordan Oliver vs. “Boisterous Behaviour” Leon Slater and Man Like DeReiss. This should be tremendous. Oliver and DeReiss opened with a basic feeling-out process. Price and Slater locked up at 1:00; they each hit some playful slaps to the back of the head, and it got more aggressive, as Alec is a hothead. “Tempers are really starting to flare here,” Maniwa said. DeReiss got back in, and he repeatedly struck Price’s head into the top turnbuckle. YDNB began working over DeReiss. (They should stop using the hard camera; it is really hard to see the action from that view now.) DeReiss hit a slingshot senton on Price at 6:00.
Maniwa noted it was now drizzling out; I am not surprised because it is too dark from that hard camera. BB continued to work over Price, with DeReiss hitting a bodyslam for a nearfall. (I gotta put over ref Scarlett Donovan here, as she got in position, seeing if Price is going to make it to his corner for the tag, and just her overall expressions. She’s so good!) Slater hit a dropkick on Alec for a nearfall at 8:30. Oliver finally got the hot tag, and he hit some kicks and a tornado DDT on DeReiss. He hit a bulldog on Slater, then a German Suplex for a nearfall at 10:00. He hit a jumping enzuigiri on Slater in the corner, but he couldn’t hit the Acid Bomb.
DeReiss got the hot tag, and he hit a shotgun dropkick on Price, then a kip-up stunner on Oliver. DeReiss hit a double 619 on them, then a double missile dropkick at 11:30. BB hit a Team 3D for a nearfall. Slater accidentally hit a leg lariat on DeReiss! Oliver immediately got a rollup for a nearfall. Oliver hit a dropkick on Slater as Leon was going for a handspring move. Price hit his springboard Blockbuster on Slater for a nearfall. DeReiss slipped off the top rope but still broke up the pin. DeReiss hit a Michinoku Driver on Price, with Slater getting a nearfall. MLD sold pain in his knee from slipping off the ropes. Oliver hit an Acid Kick (Mafia Kick). DeReiss hit a superkick on Jordan, and Slater hit a leg lariat. Price hit a DDT. Oliver hit a German Suplex on DeReiss. Price hit a Rebound Lariat on DeReiss. They hit their team DDT to pin DeReiss! A very good match; better than anything on Friday’s show, too.
Jordan Oliver and Alec Price defeated Leon Slater and Man Like DeReiss at 15:41.
* Prazak noted the rain has picked up, but several matches are remaining. Slater and DeReiss refused a post-match handshake.
* Cole Radrick came to the ring to a nice pop, as he’s from here. He had his ACL repair surgery six months ago, so he still has maybe three months to go. He showed off the brass ring that gives him a title shot. (Doesn’t that have an expiration date? He won it at Mania weekend more than a year ago!) Matt Cardona came out! He got on the mic and said he’s a week too early for WrestlePalooza… but he’s too good to be in a ring by the river. “I grabbed the brass ring 15 f’n years ago, kid!” he shouted at Radrick. He said Cole is “pathetic,” and called him a “F—en pu–y” and “white trash.” Cole said if he wasn’t injured, he would whip Cardona’s ass. The familiar sound of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” hit, meaning that Nate Webb is hitting the ring! He has been out with a shoulder injury for a year!
4. Matt Cardona vs. Nate Webb. Yes, they played the full song with Webb serving as orchestra director, leading his flock in belting it out. “This is not on Matt Cardona’s gym playlist,” Maniwa said. The crowd chanted profanities at Cardona at the bell. A lockup, but Cardona pushed him away and rolled to the grass. In the ring, Webb hit a leaping forearm, so Cardona again rolled to the grass and called for a timeout. Webb followed him to the grass, and they fought around the ringside area, with Webb hitting some chops as Cardona was seated on a fan’s lap.
They got into the ring, and Cardona choked him while doing some pushups. He took off his shirt and choked Webb with it at 4:00. Cardona got Webb’s beer. Radrick jumped on the ring apron and confiscated it, took a sip and sprayed it on Cardona! Webb immediately rolled up Cardona for the pin. No one broke a sweat in this one. Webb and Radrick celebrated in the ring as we heard Wheatus again. (The combined length of playing this song was longer than the match!)
Nate Webb defeated Matt Cardona at 5:00.
5. The Bev vs. Dr. Redacted in a falls-count-anywhere match. Wait, these guys are having a match that isn’t a deathmatch? Because I presume light tubes are banned from a city park. Dr. Redacted tossed a chair at him, and they brawled at ringside. Bev slammed Redacted onto the ring apron. Redacted found a barbed-wire-covered door leaning against a wall, and he dropped it on the grass at 5:00. Bev suplexed him on the grass. Maniwa noted that there is a baby far too close to this action, and I agree with that statement. They brawled over to the port-a-potties and inside one! Ref Scarlett politely knocked. They emerged, and Bev’s face was covered in blue liquid. Redacted hit a Tower of London onto a garbage can and got a nearfall at 8:00. Bev suplexed Redacted through the barbed-wire door and got the pin.
The Bev defeated Dr. Redacted in a falls-count-anywhere match at 10:31.
* Prazak noted the rain has let up. Yes, the view from the hard camera is much more visible now. It was really dark during that tag match earlier.
6. Gringo Loco, Davey Bang, and August Matthews vs. Joey Janela, Megan Bayne, and Marcus Mathers. Loco fought Bang and Matthews in a multi-team tag match on Friday, but they are teaming here. This should be really good, too. Mathers wore his blue-and-teal pants. Bang and Janela opened with basic, friendly reversals. Bayne hit a double clothesline on Bang and Matthews. Mathers jumped in and fought Loco. Team Chicago worked over Janela in their corner. Loco hit a delayed brainbuster for a nearfall at 5:00. Joey hit a Canadian Destroyer on Matthews. Bayne got a hot tag, and she hit some clotheslines. She powerbombed Bang onto Loco and got a nearfall on August.
Bayne got Bang on her shoulders, but Davey hit a DDT at 9:00. Bang hit the Spears Tower on Janela. He tried to hit one on Megan, but she powerbombed Bang onto Mathews, then she hit a double German Suplex on both of them! Mathers hit a fadeaway double stunner on Bang and Matthews. Mathers hit his heel hook kick to the face. Bayne hit her leaping clothesline on Bang, and suddenly, everyone was down at 11:00. Bang and Matthews hit stereo flip dives to the floor. Bayne hit a Frankensteiner on Loco! She dove through the ropes on four guys. She jumped in the ring and speared Loco for a nearfall at 12:30. Mathers hit a Tombstone Piledriver on Matthews on the grass! In the ring, Joey hit a package piledriver on Bang. Bayne immediately hit an F5 faceplant on Davey for the pin. That was good action.
Joey Janela, Megan Bayne, and Marcus Mathers defeated Gringo Loco, Davey Bang, and August Matthews at 13:32.
7. Calvin Tankman vs. 1 Called Manders vs. Mance Warner in a three-way. This should be hard-hitting! The bell rang, and they took turns chopping each other. Calvin clotheslined Manders into a corner and hit a splash on him at 1:00. Mance got a chair and hit Calvin in the back with it. He hit Manders across the back, too. Mance pushed a trash can lid and boards into the ring. Calvin suplexed Warner across two open chairs for a nearfall at 4:00, but Manders made the save. Manders and Tankman traded chops, and Calvin hit a backbreaker over his knee and a short-arm clothesline on Manders.
Manders and Mance briefly worked together. Manders put Mance on his shoulders and slammed them both onto Tankman as they all barreled through a door in the corner at 7:30. Manders and Tankman traded more forearm strikes. The commentators said those two hadn’t shared a ring since 2021. Mance speared Tankman through a door. Manders hit a clothesline on Mance, with Warner landing on Tankman, and got a nearfall at 9:00! Tankman hit a standing powerbomb on Mance. Mance hit a running knee to the side of Tankman’s head. Manders hit a hard clothesline on Tankman. Calvin hit a sit-out powerbomb on Manders. Mance hit a running knee on Tankman, which somehow flipped Manders on top of Calvin for the flash pin! Nice creative finish. Good, hard-hitting match.
1 Called Manders defeated Calvin Tankman and Mance Warner in a three-way at 11:23.
* Again, Effy has a swollen knee, so he’s off the show. Who will face Billie Starkz now? Emil Jay got in the ring and noted they have “persevered the weather, and the sun is even coming out.” She came out first and told the crowd Effy couldn’t be there. (I don’t know if the crowd knew that yet.) “I came for a fight tonight,” Starkz said. “I came for titles.” The familiar sound of “Separate Ways” by Journey can only mean one thing… Matt Tremont is headed to the ring!
8. Matt Tremont vs. Billie Starkz for the GCW Ultraviolent Title. While I didn’t watch the match, Tremont was in a deathmatch 20ish hours earlier that left him bloody. Again, he’s looking more and more like Big Van Vader — he easily has 100 pounds on her. He threw several chairs into the ring before we had ring intros. Maniwa said Billie actually holds a victory over him. They clanged chairs at the bell. They sat down on chairs and traded punches, and he knocked her over. She got up and hit a series of headbutts and flipped him out of his chair. She dove through the ropes and knocked him down into the grass, then she pushed him head-first into the ring post at 1:30. Otis Cogar and Atticus Cogar ran to ringside and pushed Billie down. Tremont got on the mic and turned this into a tag match.
Billie Starkz vs. Matt Tremont went to a no-finish at 2:52.
8b. Billie Starkz and Matt Tremont vs. Otis Cogar and Atticus Cogar. We had a bell to start this new match. Tremont hit a leaping double shoulder tackle. They all fought at ringside. We can see the sun setting, and Prazak laughed about why we couldn’t have seen it before now. The Cogars attacked Starkz in the ring. She hit a DDT on Atticus on the ring apron. Otis hit a running body block at 2:30. Tremont pushed some doors into the ring. Otis hit a Black Hole Slam on her. She kicked Atticus into the ropes, which caused Otis to fall and be crotched. Atticus hit an Air Raid Crash for a nearfall on her. He pulled out his Taser, but he accidentally used it on Otis. Tremont scooped up Atticus and hit a Death Valley Driver through a table in the corner and pinned him. That wrapped up quickly.
Billie Starkz and Matt Tremont defeated Otis Cogar and Atticus Cogar at 4:49.
Final Thoughts: A far more entertaining show than Friday’s deathmatch-fest. I’ll narrowly go with the Janela six-person tag for best ahead of Price/Oliver-DeReiss/Slater, but it was close; the only real problem with the Price/Oliver match was the rain and sudden darkness that made it not easy to see. The Tankman three-way was also really good and earned third. I didn’t mind the Cardona match being so short; he got to do what he does best — insult the crowd, stall, and look like a star while doing it.
I also didn’t mind the main event being turned into a tag. I don’t think you can really do Tremont-Starkz in a family-friendly outdoor environment, and it would have just been absurd for him to realistically sell for her — the size difference is just too great. I know I’m in the minority here, but why not just let Billie face Rachel Armstrong and let those two ‘tear the house down,’ so to speak? Bev-Redacted did nothing for me, but the crowd liked the mild hardcore match — if that had been an indoor show without kids present, that would have been a bloody one. Overall a good show and well worth checking out.
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