By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Cannonball Fest: For Jeff Cannonball’s Fight Against ALS
September 14, 2025, in New Providence, New Jersey, at New Providence High School
Available via GCW’s YouTube Page
All proceeds went to Cannonball. The event streamed live on GCW’s YouTube channel. This was held in the high school gym. The lights were on, and it was easy to see. This crowd was HUGE; there might be 800 fans in the gym. Effy and Emil Jay provided commentary; Emil just said the crowd was more than 600 (and I bet it is closer to 800, as I estimated.) New Providence is located about a 40-minute drive straight west of New York City.
* Cannonball is perhaps best known for being a heavy, masked man in MLW in “The Calling” with Sami Callihan and Rickey Shane Page. A quick check of his cagematch.net bio says he only had five matches in MLW, but he was present at ringside for far more matches than that. He wrestled his last match in December. I believe it was early summer when I first read about his ALS diagnosis. A QR Code is in the corner of the video for people to donate. He sat in the front row in a wheelchair. I truly don’t know the lineup for this show at all and what to expect. (I’ll note that several wrestlers, plus Emil Jay, made the 10 1/2-hour trek from Indianapolis a day ago to get here.)
1. Bear Bronson vs. Mike Santana. This could easily be a main event. Effy said, “Bear Bronson looks like he throws tractors for fun.” An intense lockup to open. Santana let Bronson chop him. (Why would you do that???) Santana hit a dropkick, then a plancha to the floor at 3:30. Bear dove onto Santana, and that got a pop. They brawled through the crowd and up the bleachers and traded loud chops and forearms. “It’s like a pep rally in here!” Effy said. In the ring, Bear hit a buttsplash, dropping all his weight onto Santana’s chest, then he hit a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall at 8:00.
Bronson hit a Choke Bomb for a nearfall. Santana hit a Death Valley Driver at 10:00, then a stunner for a nearfall. He hit a Tiger Driver (butterfly powerbomb) for a nearfall. He hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 12:00, but Bear popped up and they traded forearm strikes. Santana nailed the Spin The Block discus clothesline for the pin. A sharp, hard-hitting opener… yeah, I wouldn’t have argued if that was the main event.
Mike Santana defeated Bear Bronson at 12:19.
* Santana got on the mic and put over Cannonball and talked about how the wrestling community has come together to support one of their own. He then put over Bronson. He then talked about the recent death of Jaka, who died of a heart attack two weeks ago. He was fighting back tears as he talked about hitting the road and traveling to shows with Jaka. We then had a 10-bell salute for Jaka.
2. “Team JAPW” Dan Barry, Archadia, Azrieal, and Erik Corvis vs. “Team GCW” Jordan Oliver, Marcus Mathers, Man Like DeReiss, and Masha Slamovich. This should be awesome, too! I’ll note that Oliver, Mathers, and DeReiss all competed 24 hours earlier in Indianapolis. Barry is retiring on Dec. 31. I really don’t know Archadia or Corvis at all. This is really a past vs. present match. Oliver and Archadia opened; the commentators talked about how Oliver has a packed schedule and is a “no days off” guy. Archadia hit some armdrags. DeReiss and Azrieal got in at 3:30, and they picked up the speed, with MLD hitting a bodyslam and a guillotine leg drop.
Mathers entered, so the bigger Corvis also entered. The commentators agreed this has to be a first-time-ever battle. Mathers shouted that he’s 22, and the crowd booed him! Funny. Barry tied up Mathers on the mat. Effy said these old guys are just smart and mature. Barry hit some hip-tosses on Mathers that were more comedy than I can describe. Mathers hit a rolling cannonball on Barry and got a nearfall at 9:00. Team GCW started to work over Barry in their corner, with DeReiss stomping on him as the crowd chanted his “O-1-2-1!” Archadia got back in and hit a DDT on Oliver and an axe kick to the back of the head.
Azrieal jumped in and bodyslammed Jordan, and Barry hit a springboard moonsault on Jordan. Oliver hit his twisting crossbody block move on Archadia at 12:00. DeReiss got in and hit an enzuigiri, then a double 619, then a double missile dropkick. Jordan hit a German Suplex and all of GCW piled on for a nearfall, and we got a “Cannonball!” chant. Azrieal teased a dive but just climbed to the floor instead. Funny. Corvis hit a dive at 14:00. Masha hit a twisting dive onto everyone. Mathers hit a flip dive onto everyone on the floor. Barry hit an Asai Moonsault and the crowd chanted “42!” at him (his age!)
In the ring, Team JAPW hit a team slam on Oliver for a nearfall. Azrieal slammed Masha for a nearfall at 16:00. Barry caught Mathers and hit a powerslam on Mathers for a nearfall. Jordan and Barry traded chops. Corvis hit a Missile Dropkick and a spear. Mathers dropped him with his heel hook kick. Barry clotheslined Masha. DeReiss hit a Canadian Destroyer on Barry. Jordan hit an Acid Bomb. DeReiss and Mathers hit stereo 450 Splashes for the pin. That was fun. The only complaint is inevitably, some people don’t get a lot of ring time, and it felt like Masha was barely in this one.
Jordan Oliver, Marcus Mathers, Man Like DeReiss, and Masha Slamovich defeated Dan Barry, Archadia, Azrieal, and Erik Corvis at 19:17.
3. Joey Janela vs. Megan Bayne. It’s fairly well-known these two are dating, and this isn’t the first time I’ve seen them square off in the ring. These two also traveled from the Indianapolis show a day ago. He offered a handshake but withdrew it. “Joey’s about to get his ass beat,” Effy said. She shoved Joey to the mat. She hit a butterfly suplex and several bodyslams. He hit a release suplex at 2:30, and he tied up her arms while planting his knee in her spine. He missed a moonsault. She put him on her shoulders and slammed him to the mat, then she hit a German Suplex and a running kick at 5:00.
Bayne hit an Exploder Suplex, then another. She hit a spear for a nearfall. Joey hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Bayne put him in a Boston Crab. Joey hit a top-rope superplex and a piledriver for a nearfall at 8:00. Megan hit a Frankensteiner! Emil said he’s never seen her do that before. She dove through the ropes onto him and landed on her feet. Bayne hit a back suplex off the ropes and back into the ring, and they were both down at 10:00. Janela hit a CrossRhodes swinging faceplant for a nearfall, then a buzzsaw kick to her jaw.
Janela hit a One-Winged Angel for a nearfall! “There is no cutting this angel’s wings,” Effy said. Joey went for a slingshot move, but Megan collapsed. She hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Janela hit a Muscle Buster for a nearfall at 12:30. He hit an F5 on her for a nearfall (her move!). She scooped him up and hit her own F5 for a nearfall. Joey hit a Tombstone Piledriver on her for a nearfall. She hit a second-rope superplex, then a running powerbomb for the pin. That was a lot of fun.
Megan Bayne defeated Joey Janela at 15:03.
4. Willow Nightengale vs. Tony Deppen in an intergender match. A huge pop for Willow’s theme song. Emil, in his ring introductions, said Willow “is probably your grandma’s favorite wrestler.” I don’t claim to know all the details, but Deppen was heavily involved in organizing this show. They locked up, and she tossed him to the mat. They traded reversals on the mat. They danced, but then she bodyslammed him and hit a flying crossbody block at 2:30. They rolled to the floor and brawled. Deppen pushed Cannonball’s wheelchair to the back wall, and he got wildly booed for that.
They got back into the ring at 4:30 with Tony in charge. She hit a bulldog, then a Spinebuster for a nearfall at 6:00. She hit a massive Pounce at 8:00 that sent him flying. Deppen hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Jeff Cannonball’s two sisters jumped in the ring and attacked Deppen! One of them hit a stunner, and the other hit a Canadian Destroyer on Tony! Willow hit her gut-wrench powerbomb for the pin. (The ref saw all this but of course, didn’t call for a DQ.)
Willow Nightengale defeated Tony Deppen at 9:34.
5. Delirious and Obariyon and Kodama and Hallowicked and Frightmare and Ultramantis Black vs. Cheeseburger and Wheeler Yuta and Terra Calloway and LSG and Matt Mako and Tracy Williams. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen “The Batiri” Obariyon and Kodama; they are short, muscular guys who paint their faces yellow. It’s also been a while since I’ve seen Delirious wrestle, and his long beard now has a lot of gray. Terra is Jeff Cannonball’s wife, and it’s her first match in years. (No way her team is losing, right???) The crowd DID boo Yuta in his ring introduction, but everyone else got cheers. Masha Slamovich joined commentary here. Delirious, as always, went nuts at the bell, and he chased Cheeseburger around the ring. He slammed Cheeseburger’s head repeatedly into the top turnbuckles and he bit Cheeseburger’s arm.
Frightmare jumped in, so LSG got in and hit an enzuigiri on Frightmare. The Batiri got in together and they fought Tracy Williams and Matt Mako. Tracy applied a Texas Cloverleaf on one of the Batiri (I’ve never been able to keep them apart, especially with the makeup.) Yuta entered at 4:00 and fought Hallowicked, hitting a dropkick. UBlack got in, so Callaway got in and got a massive pop, and she hit a sideslam on him. She splashed him for a nearfall. UBlack jabbed her in the throat and got booed, and he tied her in the corner. Cheeseburger hit a top-rope crossbody block on three guys at 5:30.
The heels wrapped Cheeseburger around the ring post, and Frightmare hit a standing moonsault. The Batiri jumped in and worked him over. Effy talked about how the heels are using “dark magic” to take control of the action. Terra got a hot tag at 9:30, and she hit punches on each heel, one at a time. The babyfaces each hit a splash in the corner on UBlack. Some comedy as the heels piled up in the corner, and Terra hit a running splash on all of them. Hallowicked kicked her in the face. Frightmare hit a German Suplex on Yuta. Delirious hit a powerbomb on LSG. Tracy hit a piledriver on Delirious. Mako put a cross-armbreaker on Delirious. The Batiri made the save.
UBlack got his staff as the other heels piled the babyfaces in the ring, and it appeared UBlack was ‘cursing’ them. This looked like a scene from “Lord of the Flies” as they chanted and danced. Four skeletons in black robes walked to the ring, and they took away four of the babyfaces! Only Wheeler and Terra were left! Yuta shouted, “I’m out!” and he left! He was booed as he left Terra alone in the ring! FUNNY! Out of nowhere, Nyla Rose came to the ring! Out of the back came Tommy Dreamer! Tommy, Nyla, and Calloway beat up the heels. Terra slammed one of the Batiri to get the pin. The four babyfaces who were “cursed” and taken away returned to the ring to celebrate. Terra’s young son, maybe two years old, joined her in the ring.
Cheeseburger, Wheeler Yuta, Terra Calloway, LSG, Matt Mako, and Tracy Williams (w/Tommy Dreamer, Nyla Rose) defeated Delirious, Obariyon, Kodama, Hallowicked, Frightmare, and Ultramantis Black at 16:14.
6. Crowbar, George Gatton, Lowlife Louie, and SHLAK vs. Danny Demanto, Jimmy Lloyd, KTB, and Ron Voyage. Lots of brawling at the bell, and we had four guys hitting simultaneous cannonballs. Jimmy Lloyd hit a dive to the floor. Lots of brawling on the floor. Lowlife Louie hit a guillotine leg drop at 3:00. SHLAK slammed Lloyd across an open chair. The crowd was pretty quiet. Jimmy Lloyd hit a swinging piledriver for a nearfall, but Crowbar made the save at 5:30. Demanto put Crowbar in a chair and repeatedly chopped him. Crowbar flipped Demanto onto the open chair.
KTB hit a Lionsault at 7:00. Crowbar threw a chair at KTB: I hate that. Crowbar hit a sit-out powerbomb. Ron Voyage, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall. Crowbar hit a plancha to the floor on Voyage, who was lying on a guardrail link leaning against the ring. KTB dove to the floor on two guys at 10:30. This match has been going at two-thirds speed. KTB speared Crowbar through a door, but Crowbar popped to his feet. Crowbar hit KTG with his pipe to the gut. Crowbar put his pipe across KTB’s throat and pulled back until KTB tapped out. Okay match.
Crowbar, George Gatton, Lowlife Louie, and SHLAK defeated Danny Demanto, Jimmy Lloyd, KTB, and Ron Voyage at 11:49.
* Danny Demanto beat up Crowbar some more after the match. That brought out Nick Gage, who celebrated in the crowd before he finally got to the ring to make the save.
7. A Royal Rumble for the inaugural “King of Ugly” Title. Emi Jay said it was a battle royal “with 30-second intervals,” which to me makes it a Rumble. He showed off a belt with an ugly purple strap. Dick Justice was No. 1; he’s quite rotund, and I’ve never heard of him. A bald Bobby Dempsey was No. 2; is that an ROH student from 15 years ago? I guess so; he’s not aged well! Rockett, a thin Black man, entered at 1:30, so they aren’t sticking to those intervals at all. I’ve seen him maybe twice before. No idea how many people will be in this one. Austin Luke was No. 4; he’s a Northeast regular, and I’ve compared his look to Pac. Justice punched Luke and eliminated him within seconds!
Death Cult, wearing a black mask, was No. 5. The masked Smiley was No. 6; I’ve seen him a few times on some Pennsylvania indies. He hit a moonsault on Rocket and tried to get a pin, but of course, there were none. So, he stood up and threw Rockett out. Gabby Ortiz was No. 7; I thought she had retired. Death Cult was tossed. Gabby was tossed in about 10 seconds, so we have just three in the ring. Ryan O’Neil (8) and Ryan Mooney (9) entered together at 6:00. Mooney was tossed. The short Sean Henderson was No. 10; I’ve admittedly never been a fan. Sean eliminated Smiley. The muscular Stan Stylez, holding his shake weights, was No. 11.
Ava Everett was No. 12 at 8:30; she sat in the front row and walked around ringside rather than getting in. The masked Merlock (Sp?) was No. 13. He eliminated Ava. Krist Worthless, who looks like an older Ivar, was No. 14. The short, masked King Crab was No. 15. Merlock was tossed. This has not been good. Long road trucker Bessie was No. 16. King Crab was tossed. You could hear a pin drop, as this crowd was so uninterested in many of these participants. Martin Hughes was No. 17; he hit a Tombstone Piledriver on Henderson, but Sean’s head was at least six inches from the mat on the landing, then Martin tossed him. Blah. Tom Larosa was No. 18; I don’t know him. He eliminated Bessie.
Tony Deppen joined commentary hear at the 14:30 mark. Twitch was No. 19. Martin Hughes and Tom Larosa were tossed. Deppen noted he got Dempsey out of retirement for this. Tyler Murphy was No. 20. Deppen joked that there were 65 more people to come out. Good lord, please no! Marc Angel (Marcus Mather’s father) was No. 21. CPA was No. 22 and he got a pop — finally someone anyone recognized! He hit his comedy 619 and tossed someone. He peeled off a shirt, and of course, he had another one on underneath. Alf hit the ring at No. 23; yes, a full-sized mascot Alf from the 1980s TV show. Alf hit a 630 Splash and the crowd went NUTS for that! (Who is that? There aren’t many guys who can hit a 630! I read later it was Rocket). Geoffrey the Giraffe (the Toys R Us mascot?) was No. 24, and we’re told that he’s the final participant.
I think we have six guys in this, including the two mascots. Alf and Geoffrey the Giraffe pushed each other. Dick Justice eliminated Alf, and he was LOUDLY booed. Dempsey got his foot caught in the top two ropes, and no one could figure out how to free him. Unintentionally funny. Several refs came over to try and get him out. All the rumbles I’ve seen, and that’s never happened. They finally freed Dempsey, and he was kicked to the floor. It is down to just CPA vs. Geoffrey the Giraffe vs. the heavyset Dick Justice. Dick grabbed CPA’s clip-on and pulled, and fell to the floor. CPA peeled off another shirt. He tried to lift Geoffrey but couldn’t. Geoffrey tossed CPA to win. Ridiculous.
Geoffrey the Giraffe won a 24-person (entity?) Rumble at 24:31.
* CPA was irate that he didn’t win. He said the match was stolen from him. It was revealed that Jeffrey the Giraffe was Jeff Cannonball’s best friend.
8. “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Matt Tremont. Jordan Oliver now joined Effy on commentary. Bailey unloaded some chops and spin kicks to the thighs. Tremont fired back with some punches. He got a table from under the ring. Bailey hit a flip dive to the floor at 2:30; he slid the table back under the ring and got some boos! He hit some quick kicks as they fought at ringside. He went for a Fujiwara Armbar on the floor, and he hit a kneedrop on the elbow. In the ring, Bailey hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 5:00. Bailey did an Old School tightrope walk and kept injuring Tremont’s arm. Tremont flipped Bailey off the top rope to the floor, and he hit some running splashes and a suplex. He hit a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 7:00.
Tremont flipped Bailey over the top rope to the floor, with Mike crashing on the gym floor. Tremont powerbombed Bailey onto a door bridge on the floor at 9:00! Bailey hit his Triangle Moonsault to the floor. Mike slammed a door over Tremont. They sat down across from each other and traded punches to the jaw at 11:30. In the bleachers, Bailey hit a moonsault kneedrop to Tremont’s chest, rightfully earning a “holy shit!” chant. Tremont hit a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron at 13:30, and he pushed another door into the ring. In the ring, Tremont swung (in slow motion) with a fork, but Bailey blocked it.
Bailey hip-tossed Tremont onto the table in the corner. Bailey nailed a top-rope Shooting Star Press but only got a nearfall at 15:30. Bailey went for his tornado kick, but Tremont caught the leg and repeatedly stabbed his bare foot with the fork! Tremont hit a piledriver for a nearfall. Bailey got the fork and he repeatedly stabbed Tremont in the forehead. Tremont hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. He missed a frogsplash, and Bailey immediately got a magistral cradle for the pin! Good match; definitely a contrast of styles.
Mike Bailey defeated Matt Tremont at 17:52.
* Bailey got on the mic and said he came here to put an end to Tremont. “My intention was to f— you up!” Bailey said. He said he wanted to do that because it’s exactly what Jeff Cannonball would do. Tremont and Bailey hugged. Joey Janela (who, along with Deppen, organized this show) got on the mic and thanked the crowd, too. Janela announced that more than $40,000 was raised at the show. (This includes an auction of some items from MJF and Cody Rhodes). Everyone from the back came out for a HUGE group picture.
Final Thoughts: I really liked that Santana-Bronson match, so that takes best match, ahead of the Bailey-Tremont main event. Bayne-Janela takes third. The Deppen-Willow match was fun, and the participation of Cannoball’s sisters worked. The GCW-JAPW match was pretty good, considering most of the JAPW team aren’t working regularly.
The Jimmy Lloyd eight-man tag was merely okay, and a lot of that Rumble was honestly pretty bad. The crowd will remember the final (fun) ending of the Rumble, beginning when CPA entered, so I guess that’s what matters most — but for most of that match, it was one retired wrestler after another, and there was no ebb and flow to the match; they clearly didn’t do a lot of planning backstage. It felt like if you showed up with wrestling gear, they let you run out there.
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