By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Rock N Roll Forever”
Streamed on FITE TV
July 3, 2022 in Evansville, Indiana at the Evansville Coliseum
This was the third GCW show in four days. Dave Prazak and Kevin Gill provided commentary, and they talked at lengths about how this is a historic venue and numerous top wrestling stars had competed here. The crowd was perhaps 500 to 700. The second deck is high off the ground, which would be a factor later.
1. Jordan Oliver defeated Calvin Tankman at 12:08. They shook hands. Tankman overpowered him early with hard chops, then a decapitating clothesline at 3:30. They brawled to the floor. In the ring, Tankman leveled him with a hard forearm shot, and Oliver struggled to get to his feet. Oliver fired back with a Mafia Kick for a nearfall at 7:00. Tankman hit an Alabama Slam and a Hidden Blade forearm shot to the back of the head for a nearfall, and they were both down at 9:00.
They traded mid-ring forearm shots and chops, and Oliver hit a spin kick to the head, then a butterfly DDT for a nearfall. This crowd was hot! Oliver went for the Cloud Cutter, but Tankman caught him and hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. They fought on the top rope, and Oliver hit a Cloud Cutter for a nearfall. Jordan nailed a second Cloud Cutter for the pin. Great stuff to get the crowd rolling.
2. Tony Deppen defeated Kerry Morton at 10:48. Kerry has competed a lot this year in NWA. Deppen jawed at the crowd. Quick reversals early, with each man avoiding the other’s big moves. They brawled to the floor. In the ring, Kerry hit a power slam for a nearfall at 3:30. Deppen tied up Kerry in the ropes and slapped him in the face; Deppen was jawing at Ricky Morton, who was watching the match from the stage far from the ring.
Morton hit a standing neckbreaker at 6:00, then a standing powerbomb and a vertical suplex for a nearfall. Morton hit a second-rope bulldog for a nearfall at 8:30. They fought on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Kerry hit a crossbody block. Deppen nailed his leaping knee strike to the jaw. Kerry hit a German release suplex. Deppen got a rollup out of nowhere with his feet on the ropes for leverage to score the cheap pin. The crowd loudly booed the outcome. Good match; the veteran Deppen carried the green Morton to a match better than I expected.
* The next match was slated to be Nick Wayne vs. Allie Katch. However, 2 Cold Scorpio’s foot popped Katch in the face on Saturday and she was bleeding hard from her nose or mouth as she left the ring. So, she has been replaced in the next match with Axton Ray, which is a step up in my eyes.
3. Nick Wayne defeated Axton Ray at 9:09. The announcers say that Wayne will turn 17 on July 10. I said this in my last review: Ray is thick like Brutus Creed, built like a football player. Quick reversals out of the gate and a standoff. Ray tied him on the mat and hit some Moxley-style elbow shots to the jaw at 3:00. Wayne hit a fisherman’s suplex with a nice bridge for a nearfall.
Axton did a handspring-back-knee strike for a nearfall at 5:30 and applied a crossface on the mat. Wayne came back with a Code Red for a nearfall. Wayne tried a sleeper, but Ray escaped and turned it into a stunner. They fought on the ropes in the corner. Wayne missed a Swanton Bomb, but then he hit a flip dive over the turnbuckle to the floor. Back in the ring, Wayne hit a Swanton Bomb and a Cloud Cutter for the clean pin. Another really good match.
4. Blake Christian defeated Shane Mercer at 11:41. Mercer is so thick and muscular and bigger than Blake. They shook hands at the start. Blake went for a dive to the floor but Mercer caught him and tossed him back into the ring. Mercer hit a second-rope swinging powerbomb. Mercer had tape on his arm, but he started bleeding by his elbow at 3:00. Blake hit a top-rope plancha to the floor, then hit a Slop Drop reverse DDT on the floor. Blake hit a Poison Rana but Mercer landed on his feet at 5:30 and the crowd popped for the athleticism. Mercer nailed a hard clothesline for a nearfall.
Blake hit a Poison Rana and a top-rope Frogsplash for a nearfall at 7:00. Mercer hit a German suplex for a nearfall. Blake hit a piledriver as Mercer’s feet were in the ropes. Blake got a table and some chairs from under the ring. Mercer hit a big powerslam for a nearfall at 10:00. Blake placed Mercer’s head on the table, set up on two open chairs. Blake then did a springboard Rollins-style stomp to the head and scored the pin. Good match.
5. “The Second Gear Crew” of 1 Called Manders, Mance Warner, and Matthew Justice defeated Akira, Alex Colon, and Dan Patricks 13:16. Hoodfoot was supposed to be in this match, but he severely injured his arm two days earlier. All six brawled on the floor. They brawled up onto the second deck, which is seriously a 25 foot drop to the floor. Matthew Justice dove off the balcony onto the five guys below at 5:30. Okay, that was an insane bump.
They got in the ring and the SGC put their opponents threw doors set up in the corner for nearfalls at 8:00. Everyone started banging each other over the head with door pieces. Colon got a saw, and he struck Mancer with it. Colon and Akira hit simultaneous dives to the floor at 10:00. Colon hit a one-man Spanish Fly. Akira hit a moonsault to the floor onto everyone. In the ring, Mance nailed a DDT on Akira, and Matthew Justice nailed a frogsplash on Akira. Manders picked up teammate Mance and hit a second row slam onto Akira to score the pin. The typical messy brawl that pops the crowd. I must reiterate — that bump was just insane.
Intermission
6. “Spyder” Nate Webb defeated Alex Price, Carter Gray, Larry D, Yoya, Jimmy Lloyd in a six-way scramble match at 8:17. My first time seeing Gray; Prazak said he was active 10 years ago and is now re-appearing on the scene. Larry D no-sold a blow from Carter Gray, which earned the “you f—ed up!” chant. Yoya and Price traded offense in the ring. Carter got in and hit several kicks on Yoya. Price hit a second-rope double stomp. Yoya nailed a top-rope double stomp at 5:00.
Larry D picked up Yoya and powerbombed him over the top rope onto everyone. Price hit a dive onto everyone on the floor. Carter hit a top-rope corkscrew dive onto everyone on the floor, and they were all down. In the ring, Price hit a buckle bomb. Lloyd hit a Go-to-sleep knee strike. Yoya hit a Poison Rana. He tried a second one on Larry D, but Larry D swung him forward and Yoya slammed HARD face-first on the mat at 8:00. Webb grabbed a chair and did a top-rope moonsault with the chair on his chest, to pin Yoya. This moonsault looked dangerous; I thought Webb came straight down on his head at first glance.
7. Cole Radrick defeated Joey Janela at 21:43. Radrick, the dorky-looking guy with a cult following, also has his arm taped after needing stitches from a hardcore match a night earlier. An intense lockup to start. They traded chops, and Prazak wondered if Janela would avoid the taped-up arm. Cole went for a dive to the floor, but Janela cut him off at 3:00, and Joey nailed a suplex on the floor.
They brawled back into the ring, with Janela in charge. Radrick was bleeding from both the head and the arm. I am not amused. They traded blows as they were on their knees. Radrick hit a springboard moonsault, then a dive to the floor at 8:00. In the ring, they traded more punches. Radrick hit a 619, then a top-rope frogsplash. Janela nailed a Death Valley Driver for a believable nearfall. They traded rollups. Radrick hit a stunner that Janela cartoonishly oversold at 11:30.
Radrick missed a Lionsault. There was a headbutt spot where both sold the pain of the move. Janela hit a German suplex, a hard clothesline and a superkick. Janela nailed a brainbuster at 16:00. Janela nailed a jumping piledriver for a believable nearfall. Radrick hit an Air Raid Crash onto an open chair to get a nearfall at 19:00. Janela nailed a top-rope superplex for a believable nearfall. They traded more mid-ring forearm shots. Radrick hit a gut-wrench suplex for a pin out of nowhere. The crowd, and the announcers, went nuts for the surprise pin.
* A recording of “Happy Birthday” played for Janela, who expressed disgust they would play that for him after he lost. Funny. Allie Katch joined the commentary booth.
8. Billie Starkz defeated Dark Sheik at 11:19. Starks immediately hit a pair of dives through the ropes onto Sheik. Sheik bent Starkz’ back over her knee. They traded mid-ring forearm shots at 5:30. Sheik hit a pumphandle backbreaker over her knee, then a catapult legdrop across the neck. Billie hit a German suplex and a spin kick to the jaw at 8:00. Sheik fired back with a Lungblower to the back.
Starkz hit a swanton onto Sheik on the ring apron. In the ring, Starkz nailed a Gory Bomb for a nearfall. Starkz nailed a second-rope German Suplex. They traded rollups, with Starkz scoring the pin. So-so match.
9. “The Rock n Roll Express” Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton defeated John Wayne Murdoch and Reed Bentley at 8:14. Before the match, JWM and Bentley ran down the crowd and the city and said they weren’t going to fight. A great introduction, with the ring announcer listing off all the Rock n Roll Express’ past title wins. This was built as their “last match in the coliseum.” The crowd loudly chanted “Rock and Roll!” Gibson applied a full nelson on Bentley.
Morton and Murdoch squared off. They were going for a knuckle lock, but Morton popped him in the jaw instead. Gibson made the hot tag at 6:30 and punched his opponents, then hit a double noggin’ knocker. Murdoch went under the ring and got a pack of light tubes. However, Morton grabbed it from Murdoch and slammed it over JWM’s head. Morton then hit a Canadian Destroyer for the pin. You really have to suspend your disbelief here.
* Morton got on the mic and thanked the fans. Janela brought drinks in the ring for them.
Final Thoughts: The first two shows on this GCW tour had a standout match, first with Alex Shelley vs. Nick Wayne vs. Jordan Oliver in a three-way, then with Davey Richards vs. Joey Janela. While this was a solid show and had several good matches, there wasn’t a “must-see” match here. If you are nostalgic about the Rock n Roll Express, you may want to check that out, but the reality is they can’t do much in the ring these days.
I’ll give best match to the show opener of Oliver vs. Tankman, with Mercer-Blake second-best and Nick Wayne-Axton Ray a close third. As per usual for me, GCW shows peak early with the best matches on the first half of the show.
I wasn’t surprised that Janela lost clean to Radrick. At this point, Janela is such a hot heel in GCW, he is basically teflon and can absorb a loss like this. While I’m not a fan of Radrick, this was a much bigger deal for him to get the win, and I just don’t think it hurt Janela at all.
The show clocked in at just under three hours.
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