By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
GCW “Shotzi Blackheart’s House of Horrors”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
October 24, 2025, in Rochester, New York, at Water Street Music Hall
This is at least the third time they’ve run a show here; they have greatly upgraded the lighting since the first visit. The ring is set up next to the stage. The building is packed with fans watching on two levels. (I bet this is a great place to watch a concert. It reminds me a lot of First Avenue in Minneapolis, which also hosts a lot of wrestling shows.) Rob Sanderson and Colin Delaney provided commentary. Emil Jay would join later. There were carved pumpkins all over the place, and they would be used during matches over the course of the show. There are also guardrails! My guess is that New York rules require them.
* A video package aired with highlights from the double-header in New Jersey two weeks ago. Shotzi Blackheart came to the ring; she had her black hair up in a beehive and looked macabre. (I presume it’s a wig.) She welcomed the fans to her “house of horrors, where pain is home.” She concluded by saying, “Let the suffering begin!”
* Outside, Jordan Oliver and Alec Price talked about their match later. Oliver kept saying “garbage,” and Price kept saying “gahh-bage.” Some good humor.
1. “YDNP” Jordan Oliver and Alec Price vs. “High Seas” Cloudy and Capt. Nick Ando for the GCW Tag Team Titles in a “garbage plate on a pole” match. The winning team will be the first one to pull down gift cards out of a plastic pumpkin hanging on top of a pole in the corner. The commentators tried to explain that ‘garbage plates’ is a Rochester food staple. Cloudy has barely aged (and barely put on any muscle mass) since he was in ROH 20 years ago. Ando always wears a ship captain’s hat. Those two are regulars anytime GCW is in upstate New York. The bell rang, and Price immediately tried to climb the pole but was pulled down.
Delaney explained that a “garbage plate” has noodles and a burger on a plate with a variety of toppings. (I Googled Rochester garbage plate to look at some pictures.) Price hit a huracanrana on Ando. High Seas worked over Price. The champs hit stereo clotheslines at 5:00. We had some “Garbage plate!” chants. Price hit a dive through the ropes. Oliver went to the pole, but Cloudy cut him off. Oliver slammed them to the mat in a top-rope bulldog. Oliver again went to the pole, but Ando struck him in the back with a chair. High Seas hit their team, Falcon Arrow, at 7:30. They set up for a Wassup flying headbutt, but Oliver threw a chair at Ando’s head to stop it. Price launched off of Oliver’s back and hit a Frankensteiner. Price hit a brainbuster on Cloudy, while Oliver climbed the pole to retrieve the winning gift cards.
Alec Price and Jordan Oliver defeated Cloudy and Nick Ando in a Garbage Plate on a Pole match at 8:30.
* The garbage plates were brought into the ring, and the tag champs devoured the food to loud cheers.
2. Slade vs. HC Loc. Another guy who I associate with early ROH, and he wasn’t a young man then! Loc came out, and he’s really heavy and gray; he has to be mid-50s. They immediately traded forearm strikes and punches. They brawled to ringside. They got back into the ring with Slade in charge. He chokeslammed Loc across two open chairs for the pin. At least they kept it short.
Slade defeated HC Loc at 6:06.
* Marcus Mathers talked outside with a blindfold over his eyes, as he’s getting ready for his match later. A funny video aired of him practicing while blinded.
3. Marcus Mathers vs. Cheech in a blindfold match. I’ve noted before that as Cheech has aged and is now bald, he looks a lot like Sonjay Dutt. They both had black bags put entirely over their head, which went to their necks. As per usual, they felt around the ring, unable to find one another, and the ref had to avoid being grabbed. Cheech finally grabbed the left arm and twisted it. Mathers went for a pin on the ref at 3:30. (The ref is wearing a shirt; kayfabe, Mathers wouldn’t make that mistake!) Cheech tied him in an abdominal stretch and he grabbed the ropes for leverage, but the ref kicked his hands away.
Mathers began blindly kicking at the air; eventually, he struck Cheech at 5:30. They brawled at ringside. They both began stomping on the poor ref at 7:30! Good humor. They got back into the ring, found each other, and brawled. Mathers hit his Blue Thunder Bomb. Mathers did the “You can’t see me!” hand gesture (no one was below him), and he missed a Cena elbow drop. Mathers hit a Death Valley Driver for a visual pin at 9:30; the ref finally got in and counted a nearfall. Mathers missed his kip-up stunner. Cheech hit a German Suplex. They traded rollups; Mathers flipped over and did a bridge while getting the pin. That was a well-above-average blindfold match.
Marcus Mathers defeated Cheech in a blindfold match at 11:11.
4. 1 Called Manders vs. Isaiah Broner. This should be quite a brawl! Again, I’ve compared Broner to Ahmed Johnson; he’s a strong man. An intense lockup to open, then they traded chops and forearm strikes. They brawled to the floor, and Broner accidentally struck the ring post with his shoulder at 2:00. Manders put Broner’s hand in a pumpkin and stomped on it. They picked up pumpkin pieces and hit each other with them. They got back into the ring at 5:00 and traded chops.
Manders bit a hand. They hit stereo clotheslines and were both down. They got up and traded chops. Broner hit a spear through the ropes and they crashed onto a table that was lying between the apron and guardrails at 7:30. Broner picked up a chair, but Manders hit a forearm strike that pushed it into Broner’s face. Broner barely got to his feet at the nine-count. Manders clotheslined Broner as Isaiah was holding a chair; the ref checked Broner, determined he was out, and called for the bell. As hard-hitting as expected.
1 Called Manders defeated Isaiah Broner at 10:20.
* Footage aired of Flyin’ Ryan O’Neill taking on Joey Janela two weeks ago. He had a good debut, but they both kicked out of too many finishers and no-sold the big moves to the point of absurdity.
5. Vaughn Vertigo vs. Carmelo Lee vs. Julio Diamante vs. TJ Epixx vs. Chael Connors vs. Flyin Ryan O’Neill in a ladder match. An “MDK” logo on a chain was dangling from the ceiling. Whoever pulls down the chain will become an official member of the MDK gang! I wrote their name in order of entrance. Canadian star Vaughn is comparable to GYVets’ James Drake; he doesn’t “fit the MDK mold.” I don’t think I’ve seen Carmelo; he’s got short hair and he’s really thin, and they said he’s a student here in Rochester. Diamante is Latino and wore white-and-red. I’ve seen Epixx before; he wore yellow-and-black gear. Chael is TJ’s regular tag team partner; again, I’ve seen them team a few times. O’Neill came out last, but he was in the upper level! He dove from the second floor onto the five guys in the ring, and we’re underway!
TJ hit a German Suplex on Carmelo. Vaughn hit a half-nelson suplex. Diamante hit a kip-up stunner. Carmelo hit a flip dive to the floor on several guys at 2:00. The teammates Chael and TJ were alone in the ring; rather than fight each other, they knocked down Vaughn. They hit stereo dives to the floor on everyone. Vaughn teased a dive, but instead threw a ladder on all of them. A taller ladder was brought in. Epixx tried climbing it, but Diamante hit a springboard forearm to knock TJ off. This action was fast and non-stop. Lee hit a coast-to-coast dropkick at 5:00. Diamante hit a Styles Clash. O’Neill hit a Canadian Destroyer.
Epixx hit a running knee. Chael hit a double stunner across a ladder at 7:00. Lee hit a Sliced Bread, and he was fired up. TJ threw a ladder at Carmelo as Carmelo was climbing an open ladder. TJ and Carmelo fought on the top of the ladder, and TJ hit a Death Valley Driver through a horizontal ladder that absolutely disintegrated, and we got a loud “Holy shit!” chant. O’Neill hit a Swanton Bomb. Chael and Diamante fought on top of the ladder, and Chael hit a stunner, and they were both down. Vaughn and O’Neill fought on top of the ladder. O’Neill kicked Vaughn off and pulled down the chain to win the match. That was a heckuva match.
Flyin Ryan O’Neill defeated Vaughn Vertigo, Carmelo Lee, Julio Diamante, TJ Epixx and Chael Connors in a ladder match at 11:07.
* A video package aired for the NGI deathmatch tournament, which convinced me I won’t be watching the NGI.
6. Matt Tremont vs. Joshua Bishop in a ‘Doorway to Hell” match for the GCW Ultraviolent Title. A door was set up in each of the four corners. These are two big men; Bishop is taller but Tremont is heavier. They brawled to the floor and hit each other with pumpkins and chairs at ringside. They got back into the ring and hit each other with doors. Bishop threw Matt onto a door in the corner at 5:00. He chokeslammed him through a door and got a nearfall. Tremont speared Bishop through a door. Tremont hit him with unprotected chairshots over the head, and I just hate that — it’s so unnecessary.
Bishop threw Tremont off the top turnbuckle and onto two open chairs for a nearfall at 8:00. They hit each other over the head with door shards. Tremont hit a back-body drop to send Bishop through a door at 10:30. Tremont stabbed Bishop in the hand with a fork, then he hit a DVD through a door in the corner. Tremont hit a frogsplash onto the door debris over Bishop’s chest and got the pin. A crowd-pleasing brawl that never got bloody or gross.
Matt Tremont defeated Josh Bishop in a Doorway To Hell match to retain the GCW Ultraviolent Title at 11:21.
7. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Emersyn Jayne in a street fight. Several plastic pumpkins were in the corners, and I presume they are filled with weapons. Shotzi wore a full-body skeleton outfit. She hit a huracanrana. Jayne hit a suplex. Shotzi hit a somersault flip from the apron to the floor at 1:30 and she shoved some pumpkin pieces in Jayne’s mouth. They brawled over the guardrail and into the crowd and over to a bar. They brawled up onto the bar and Emil joked we had a “Coyote Ugly situation.”
Shotzi dove from the bar to the floor on Emersyn. They returned to the ring at 5:00. Emersyn got a broomstick and broke it across Shotzi’s back. Emersyn bodyslammed Shotzi onto two big pumpkins at 7:30. Shotzi put a big pumpkin over Emersyn’s head and slammed her into the top turnbuckle. Shotzi launched off a chair and crashed onto Jayne, who was against the ropes. Jayne hit a German Suplex at 9:30. Jayne shoved candy down Shotzi’s throat, then kicked them out.
Jayne hit a piledriver along her back for a nearfall. They went on the stage, where apples were put into a tub of red liquid, but Shotz shoved Emersyn’s head into the fluid. In the ring, Shotzi pulled open the back of Emersyn’s pants and poured candy down them. Shotzi then hit a top-rope senton splash for the pin. A fun hardcore match that again was more comedy than violent.
Shotzi Blackheart defeated Emersyn Jayne at 12:31.
8. Atticus Cogar vs. Charles Mason in a casket match. Some druids, dressed in all black hoods, carried out the casket and set it on the stage. Cogar came out first; no sign of his faction partners. Mason wore his red jacket. Mason charged at the bell and we’re underway. Mason hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor at 1:30. They brawled at ringside. Back in the ring, Atticus hit a Lionsault at 4:00. They brawled over by the casket on the stage. They got back into the ring, where Mason tore at Cogar’s nose piercing and earned a “You sick f—!” chant. Mason rolled to the floor and smashed a pumpkin, and got an “asshole!” chant.
In the ring, Atticus hit a half-nelson suplex at 8:30. He got a skewer and tried to jab it in Mason’s eye. Mason hit running double knees in the corner, then a DVD onto a door in the corner that didn’t break. So, Mason backed up and ran at the door and hit another DVD at 11:00, and that one broke the door. Mason dragged Atticus out of the ring and onto the adjacent stage. Atticus hit a back-body drop on a door bridge on the stage. They fought on top of the casket, and Atticus hit the Brain Hemorrhage (snapmare driver).
Slade appeared out of nowhere and repeatedly slammed Cogar’s head on the casket. Slade swung a small hatchet but missed; Atticus used a Taser to strike Slade. Atticus opened the casket, but Krule was inside! He stood up and chokeslammed Atticus onto the casket! Mason stepped into the casket and hit a Tombstone Piledriver on Atticus; he slammed the top shut to win the match. Mason, Slade, and Krule celebrated together as the show went off the air.
Charles Mason defeated Atticus Cogar to win a casket match at 15:07.
Final Thoughts: A fun, Halloween-themed show. That ladder match was an absolute blast with some big spots. Considering that the match had a few rookies and two lesser-known (but talented!) guys from this area, they pulled off a lot of exciting spots, and it was easily my match of the night. I’ll narrowly go with the Price/Oliver tag match for second-best, ahead of Manders-Broner. There really isn’t much ‘new’ you can do in a blindfold match, but I was amused when they both started stomping on the ref. The main event was too disgusting for my tastes, but the crowd was into it, and they sure popped for the discovery that Krule was hiding in that casket. My biggest complaint was some missing regulars; as GCW champion, Effy really should be on nearly every show.
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