By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
GCW “Dream On”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
November 22, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at American Dream
This was an afternoon event, so fans could make it to the AEW Full Gear event later in the day. This show was at the multi-level American Dream mall in New Jersey. It’s well-lit, and the crowd was perhaps 600. Veda Scott and Emil Jay provided commentary.
* I made this statement a year ago when GCW ran at this mall — I find it humorous that they dial down everything that makes them unique and different from WWE — the man-on-woman violence, the deathmatches, the raunchiness — when they are in a family-friendly environment. It’s like they are admitting that their product is a niche, and to appeal to a bigger audience, they need to be more family-friendly and frankly, more like WWE.
* The show opened with a video of Effy talking about his feud with Charles Mason.
* In the ring, Emil Jay was welcoming the fans, but Lucky 13 stormed to the ring and ripped on New Jersey, the state’s residents, and of course, the New York Giants. A thin, fairly frail-looking Jim Duggan marched to ringside and got a “USA!” chant going. Lucky 13 rolled to the floor and confronted Duggan. Ray Jaz ran to the ring, threw Lucky 13 into the ring, and our first match was underway!
1. Ray Jaz vs. Lucky 13. I know Jaz is a New Jersey native. He hit a release German Suplex and a top-rope clothesline, then a back suplex for a nearfall. Veda Scott said, “We’re chanting USA in a purely nostalgic way,” and I have no idea what that means. Lucky 13 hit a jumping knee and got booed. Jaz hit a second-rope superplex, then a Death Valley Driver for the pin. Nothing wrong with a quick squash match opener.
Ray Jaz defeated Lucky 13 at 1:57.
* Footage aired of a Marcus Mathers-KJ Orso match from October.
2. Jack Cartwheel, “Flyin” Ryan O’Neill, and Ryan Clancy vs. Marcus Mathers and “YDNP” Alec Price and Jordan Oliver. I knew this match had to be early in the show because Clancy has a match later in the New England area! Mathers competed in Chicago 16 or so hours earlier. Clancy and Mathers opened; they just had a nearly 40-minute match. Mathers hit a huracanrana, and they had a standoff. Oliver got in and traded armbars with Clancy. Jack got in and hit a slingshot senton on Oliver at 3:30. Mathers chopped O’Neill, and YDNP hit a swinging back suplex move on Ryan at 5:00, and they worked O’Neill over in their corner.
Oliver hit some loud chops. Ryan hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Jack got a hot tag at 7:00 and he hit a running neckbreaker on Mathers, then a cartwheel-into-a-German Suplex on Price. “How do you even figure out you can do that?” Emil asked. Jack hit a Sasuke Special dive to the floor onto three guys. Mathers hit a fadeaway stunner in the ring on Jack, then a Blue Thunder Bomb. Price hit an enzuigiri on O’Neill in the corner at 9:30. They started chicken-fighting with Price and O’Neill on top and trading punches. Ryan got back onto the top turnbuckle and hit a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer on Price at 11:00!
Jack hit his Crucifix Driver. Clancy hit his Picture Perfect Dropkick. Jack hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press on Price, and Ryan made the cover for a nearfall, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Alec and O’Neill traded forearm strikes and punches. Price hit his pop-up dropkick and a dive onto Ryan with them landing deep into rows of fans. Mathers hit a Tombstone Piledriver on the floor on Clancy, while Oliver hit a brainbuster on the floor on Cartwheel! It allowed Price to hit his springboard Blockbuster on O’Neill for the pin! That was a blast.
Marcus Mathers and Alec Price and Jordan Oliver defeated Jack Cartwheel and Ryan O’Neill and Ryan Clancy at 14:04.
* A vignette aired from KJ Orso, who is angry at Joey Janela for “sticking his nose in my business.”
* Emil Jay introduced Gail Kim, who was loudly booed. (For those unaware, there has been some legit friction after some Twitter/X comments Gail made about deathmatch wrestling. I’m glad to see they are turning it into an angle.) She got on the mic but was booed some more. “Shut up,” she said. “You are so disrespectful. A legend came here to grace you with her presence.” She belittled Joey Janela for “jumping over buildings, bleeding buckets, and bashing light tubes over his head and thinking that’s entertaining.” The crowd cheered that. Gail said it speaks volumes about who these fans are. (I’m enjoying the mix of reality and storyline.)
Gail told the fans, “It’s all your fault because you encourage the wrestlers.” Gail said, “I built my legacy on wrestling, talent, and psychology.” She said the fans are cowards for trolling her online. Out of the back came Joey Janela. He told her to “shut the hell up.” And he wanted to give a “shout-out to Riho.” (This is a reference to Gail saying she didn’t like an outfit Riho wore a few years ago that made her look like a juvenile, and the camera had a shot up Riho’s skirt.) Joey and Gail kept arguing. Joey said that if Megan Bayne were here, Gail would be buried in the ground. He said she’s “nothing but a f—ing bitch” and that shocked the crowd. She slapped him. KJ Orso jumped in the ring and attacked Joey. Meanwhile, Gail sat down on commentary!
3. KJ Orso vs. Joey Janela. The bell rang 15 seconds after Orso attacked him. Veda and Gail argued, and Veda said, “I don’t know why you are here.” Joey and Orso brawled on the floor. Veda asked Gail if she had anything to do with Orso attacking Joey from behind. The guys got back in the ring, and Orso kept him grounded. Joey dove through the ropes onto KJ at 3:00. Back in the ring, Joey was in charge. Orso hit a stunner across the top rope, then a plancha to the floor at 4:30. Back in the ring, he teased a Fuego Del Sol-style tornado DDT but instead pushed Joey away. Funny. Gail said Joey is a “rotten human being.”
KJ dropped Joey throat-first on the top rope and hit a twisting suplex for a nearfall. The crowd started taunting KJ with a slow “Fuego!” chant, which irritated him. Joey hit a top-rope superplex at 6:30, and they were both down. They began trading European Uppercuts. Gail said, “KJ needs my help.” Veda was startled by that. Gail walked back to ringside and tried to help KJ win. KJ hit a Poison Rana; Joey hit a Dragon Suplex, and they were both down at 9:00. KJ hit a jumping knee; Joey hit a clothesline, but he couldn’t hit a package piledriver, and KJ turned it into a huracanrana. Joey hit the package piledriver, but Gail Kim pulled the ref to the floor! Loud boos for that! She teased getting in the ring. Gail accidentally slapped KJ; Joey rolled up Orso for the flash pin. A fun angle.
Joey Janela defeated KJ Orso at 11:12/official time of 10:57.
* Footage aired of a gross Charles Mason-Atticus Cogar match from Rochester, N.Y. They aren’t having a match like that one at the mall! Emil Jay returned to the booth as Gail Kim was now gone.
4. Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno vs. Bear Bronson and Matt Tremont. I know Bronson was in a deathmatch 16 or so hours earlier. The on-screen graphic spelled it “Rhyno” not Rhino, but we all know who I’m writing about. Dreamer and Tremont opened and shook hands. Emil talked about how fans like to draw comparisons between ECW and GCW. “The influence is heavy,” Emil said. Bear and Rhino entered at 2:00. (There was absolutely no action yet.) Those two locked up. They tried shoulder blocks, but neither man budged.
Dreamer tossed their opponents to the floor. Rhino and Dreamer teased a dive, but of course, they walked through the ropes and hopped down to the floor onto Bronson and Tremont. The crowd chanted “Holy shit!” nonetheless. They brawled on the floor and into the crowd. Dreamer and Bear got back in the ring at 5:30. Bear hit a clothesline in the corner. Rhino tagged in and hit a shoulder thrust to Bronson’s ribs in the corner. On the floor, Dreamer pushed Tremont’s head into the ring post. Dreamer got a door and set it up in the ring. Rhino hit a Gore to send Tremont through the door. Dreamer set up for a DDT onto a folded chair, but Bear blocked it, and Bronson hit a Choke Bomb, dropping Tommy onto the folded chair for the pin. What you’d expect at this point.
Bear Bronson and Matt Tremont defeated Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno at 9:17.
* Dreamer got on the mic and thanked the fans. He said he’ll be 55 in February and will keep going until his body gives out. (He joked that Rhino is 39, and that got a laugh.)
5. Gringo Loco vs. Mascarita Dorada. Loco has been absent from the scene for much of the past three months; like Mathers, he wrestled in Chicago on Friday night for HOG. Dorada must be about 4’0″ — he’s not as short as, say, Microman. Basic lucha reversals early on. Dorada hit a huracanrana, then a flip dive through the ropes at 1:30. In the ring, Loco was on his knees and hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 3:00. He hit a sideslam for a nearfall and was in control. He started to untie Dorada’s mask and was loudly booed.
Dorada hit a huracanrana. He hit a top-rope huracanrana to the floor. He hit another one in the ring. Loco hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 7:00. Loco slipped and fell from the top rope; Dorada got a nearfall. Dorado hit a DDT. This match isn’t working for me at all. Dorada hit a Frankensteiner at 9:30. He got Loco on his shoulders to a HUGE pop and slammed Loco to the mat. He hit a Swanton Bomb for the pin. You really have to suspend your disbelief to buy that outcome. They hugged afterwards.
Mascarita Dorada defeated Gringo Loco at 10:17.
6. Sam Stackhouse vs. Beastman. Two big men here, and they traded some punches and shoulder blocks. They both rolled to the floor at 1:00 and continued to brawl as they looped the ring. Beastman splashed onto a fan (presumably a plant) at ringside. They got back into the ring at 3:00, with Beastman stomping on Sam, then nailing a rolling cannonball in the corner for a nearfall. “That’s a lot of beef in that ring,” Emil accurately said. Sam fired back with a spinning kick, then a big Samoan Drop at 5:00, and they were both down.
Beastman got underneath him in the corner and hit an Electric Chair drop. Beastman dove through the ropes and barreled onto Sam! Moments later, Sam hit a twisting dive through the ropes on Beastman! These dives weren’t pretty, but they sure got pops. They brawled away from ringside and down a hallway toward other shops! Ref Scarlett called for the bell! A decent brawl, especially for men this size.
Beastman vs. Sam Stackhouse ended in a no contest via a double count-out at 7:55.
7. “The Major Players” Matt Cardona and Brian Myers vs. Killer Kross and Jimmy Lloyd. Cardona had a Juggalo Championship Wrestling belt over his shoulder. He was going to start against Kross, but he tagged out to Myers before locking up. Lloyd hit a senton on Myers for a nearfall. Cardona got in and traded punches with Lloyd. Jimmy hit a running neckbreaker for a nearfall at 2:00. The Major Players began working over Lloyd in their corner.
Kross got a hot tag and hit a stunner at 5:30. He put on a Kane mask, and that terrified Cardona! Kross hit a chokeslam on Matt and removed the mask. Kross put Cardona in a sleeper on the mat, but Myers hit Kross with a chair to break it up. Myers slammed the chair across Kross’s back, then across Lloyd’s back. Cardona got a title belt, but he accidentally hit Myers with it. Kross picked up Cardona and ran him through a door in the corner for the pin. Decent.
Killer Kross and Jimmy Lloyd defeated Matt Cardona and Brian Myers at 7:41.
8) Jeffrey John vs. Maki Itoh in an intergender match. John was a last-minute replacement for Zayda Steel; it’s unclear why she’s missing so many dates all of a sudden. He attacked her from behind and was loudly booed. She started bawling; John just mocked her. She hit a Kokeshi falling headbutt at 1:30. John fired back with a Pump Kick that dropped her. John hit a slingshot splash. Maki hit a stunner and a running Facewash kick. Itoh hit a DDT onto the ring apron at 3:30, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. John hit a running Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. She hit a second-rope flying DDT for the pin. Passable.
Maki Itoh defeated Jeffrey John at 6:01.
* We had an unusually long break here with lots of videos from past shows.
9. Atticus Cogar vs. Charles Mason in a No. 1 contender’s match. Again, Mason was with Mathers and Loco in Chicago a day earlier. Mason immediately hit a clothesline and a Meteora, but Cogar hit a Canadian Destroyer, then a dive through the ropes. In the ring, Cogar hit a standing moonsault for a one-count at 1:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Mason hit a uranage for a nearfall. He slid some doors into the ring. Cogar slammed him through a door. They fought in the corner, and Mason hit a superplex through a door bridge at 4:30, and they were both down. Effy emerged from the back with his title over his shoulder. He doesn’t want to wait for one of them to win; he wants to beat up both guys! “So why wait?” He demanded that this become a three-way!
Atticus Cogar vs. Charles Mason went to a draw at 5:31.
9b. Effy vs. Atticus Cogar vs. Charles Mason for the GCW World Title. We had a bell, so I restarted the stopwatch. Effy hit some punches, and he hit a Helluva Kick in the corner on both guys. He used his leg to drag Atticus to the mat. He hit a TKO stunner on Atticus and applied a sleeper submission hold on the mat, but Mason made the save. Mason hit a piledriver on Effy but got a one-count at 1:30. He wrapped something around Effy’s throat and choked him. Mason hit a Gotch-style Piledriver for a nearfall.
Slade pushed a casket to ringside! Mason hit a back suplex on Atticus. “VNDL 48” Otis Cogar and Christian Napier hit the ring and attacked Mason and Slade. The casket opened, but out of it came Sawyer Wreck! She hasn’t been wrestling in a year! She attacked Atticus. Krule stormed to the ring. He chokeslammed Atticus. (Quick, convince me who the babyfaces are out there besides Effy. No, seriously. Who are fans supposed to be cheering for?) Krule chokeslammed Effy. He hit another. AJ Gray and Matthew Justice ran into the ring! There are some babyfaces! They attacked Krule, Mason, and Slade. Gray and Justice hit stereo top-rope splashes onto Krule.
Everyone brawled to the floor except Mason, Atticus, and Effy. Slade hit a shotgun dropkick on Effy and his rolling Death Valley Driver, then a top-rope elbow drop. Cogar hit a low blow on Mason, and he tried a cocky, one-footed cover on Effy. Atticus hit an Air Raid Crash, dropping Mason onto Effy at 10:00. Atticus pushed cooking skewers into Mason’s head, threw him into the casket, and the door slammed shut. In the ring, Effy hit his Fameasser on Atticus for a nearfall. Atticus hit the Brain Hemorrhage (snapmare driver) for a believable nearfall. Atticus planted more cooking skewers into Effy’s forehead, hit another Brain Hemorrhage, and scored the pin! New champion!
Atticus Cogar defeated Effy and Charles Mason to win the GCW World Title at 11:53.
Final Thoughts: Well, the match to tune in for undoubtedly was the six-man tag. Ryan O’Neill is still new on the scene, but he’s really delivering, and he didn’t look out of place with all those other indy stars. The other five in that match are among my favorites. Price, Mathers, Oliver, Clancy, and Cartwheel are simply among the best on the indy scene today. The Janela-Orso match takes a distant second. The stuff with Gail Kim was fun, and I’m glad they decided to incorporate a real-life ‘issue’ into this show.
The main event will be an acquired taste. There were so many run-ins and false finishes, I started thinking I was watching a Jeff Jarrett-led TNA PPV.. If Sawyer isn’t wrestling, why put her out there? When was AJ Gray last in a GCW ring? Heck, it’s been months since Justice has been here, too. And… if you are going to have all those run-ins… where was Allie Katch? She’s wrestled several matches this month but hasn’t returned to GCW. If there was ever a time to do it… it was here. I’m more than a bit surprised to see those cooking skewers come out at a family-friendly mall show. Atticus works hard, but his style has never clicked with me. The rest of the show was merely fine. Beastman and Stackhouse sure worked hard.
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