By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
GCW “I Can’t Feel My Face 2024”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
June 16, 2024 in Mesa, Arizona at The Nile
This is the third straight night of GCW in action, after having a very good draw in Denver on Friday and a sellout crowd in Los Angeles on Saturday. GCW announced mid-day that Masha Slamovich was not going to make it in time for her match with Kylie Rae, so Megan Bayne was replacing her. Also, Brittnie Brooks injured her leg — she vacated the Freelance women’s title on Saturday — and she is also off this show.
* The show opened with footage of Blake Christian’s return on Saturday and spoiling the end of the main event. This is new footage after the show went off the air, with fans pelting Blake with debris.
* We headed to what appears to be a bar. Lighting over the ring is decent. Dave Prazak and Jordan Castle provided commentary. Jordan said it is 108 degrees outside.
1. Billie Starkz defeated Hunter Drake in an intergender match at 8:41. Starkz carried her ROH TV Title with her. Castle said these two have fought in scrambles and multi-person matches but this is a first-ever singles matchup. The crowd was loud and fully behind Billie. She hit some chops in the corner; they are relatively the same height. He hit a chop at 2:00 and was booed. He flipped her onto the floor with his Code Red, and again was booed. Castle talked about how Drake was “decimated” by Zilla Fatu a day ago. In the ring, Hunter hit a running forearm in the corner and remained in control. He hit a big senton for a nearfall at 5:30.
She fired up and hit some forearm strikes, and they traded blows. Billie hit a neckbreaker over her knee for a nearfall at 7:00. She went for a German Suplex but he rotated and landed on his feet. He nailed a top-rope 450 Splash, but she rolled him over for a nearfall. He went for his “Purple Haze”/Code Red but she blocked it, sat down and got a nearfall. She then hit the Swanton Bomb for the pin. Fun opener and the crowd was totally into this one.
* Video aired of the Man Like Dereiss-Viva Van match from Saturday’s show. This was a blast and if you have Fite+, you really gotta watch it.
2. Man Lie Dereiss defeated Jack Cartwheel at 11:17. Dereiss hit a deep armdrag and worked the left arm. Jack hit a dropkick. Dereiss did a Stink Face, clearly copying what Viva did to him a day ago. They traded forearm strikes at 4:00, and Jack hit a DDT. He nailed a uranage for a nearfall. Cartwheel pulled up his trunks to go for a Stink Face! However, Dereiss caught him and hit a German Suplex! Nice. Dereiss hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Dereiss hit a superkick at 6:30. Jack hit his rolling Death Valley Driver, then cartwheels-into-a-back elbow. He did a cartwheel-into-a-doublestomp for a nearfall.
Jack nailed a Sasake Special to the floor at 8:00. In the ring, Dereiss nailed a top-rope superplex and they were both down. This has been really good. They both kipped up and Dereiss hit some chops. This turned into a chop exchange. They traded rollups. Dereiss hit a running back elbow. Dereiss hit a stunner, then a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. Very good action.
* Footage aired of the Friday show in Denver.
3. Alec Price, Cole Radrick, Jordan Oliver, and Bodhi Young Prodigy defeated Rob Shit, Brayden Toon, Sam Stackhouse, and Jordan Cruz at 10:51. Radrick still has the giant brass ring around his neck, which gives him a “future match of his choosing.” The Jordans opened with standing switches. Bodhi entered and stomped on Cruz’s elbow. Cruz hit a head-scissors takedown and a release suplex on Bodhi. Rob entered and slapped at teenager Bodhi. Bodhi hit a dropkick on Rob at 2:30. Radrick tagged in, but Rob’s team began working him over in their corner. Price entered and hit a flipping senton on Toon.
Stackhouse entered and clobbered all his opponents with clotheslines. Sam accidentally knocked all his teammates off the ring apron. Price’s team hit stereo superkicks to drop Stackhouse at 5:30. Bodhi hit a missile dropkick on Rob, then clotheslined him to the floor. Cruz hit a second-rope superplex. Radrick hit a Swanton Bomb, then he dove through the ropes onto everyone. Brayden hit an Asai Moonsault to the floor. The muscular Cruz hit a flip dive onto everyone. Rob slipped off the top rope and fell onto everyone.
Bodhi hit a top-rope Phoenix Splash onto everyone on the floor. Back in the ring, Bodhi tried a crossbody block but just bounced off of Sam. Sam hit a rolling dive through the ropes onto everyone at 9:00. Stackhouse missed a rolling cannonball in the corner. PRice immediately hit a surprise kick on Sam. Jordan Oliver hit a Shellshock face plant on Rob. Bodhi hit a stunner on Rob. Cruz hit a Kamigoye Kneestrike on Bodhi. Price hit a top-rope doublestomp on Cruz for the pin. That was a really good non-stop match.
4. Zilla Fatu defeated 1 Called Manders at 10:31. Well, this should be hard-hitting. Again, Zilla actually has fewer than 20 pro wrestling matches under his belt but you wouldn’t know it from watching him move. An intense lockup and they traded chops. Zilla pushed him into the corner and hit some body-blows. They brawled to the floor at 2:30 and traded loud chops in front of the fans. Manders ran shoulder-first into the ring post, and Zilla slammed him onto the ring apron. In the ring, Manders hit a back suplex at 4:00 but sold the pain in his shoulder. Zilla hit a Samoan Drop and they were both down at 6:00.
Zilla went for a Samoan Spike but Manders blocked it. Manders hit a clothesline to the back of the neck for a nearfall. Manders nailed a dive through the ropes onto Mander at 8:00. He hit a frogsplash for a nearfall in the ring. Manders avoided a Samoan Spike and hit a short-arm clothesline. Zilla slipped on the ropes (unintentional) but he hit a uranage and nailed the Samoan Spike for the clean pin. That was really good and a BIG win for Zilla over a well-established big name on the indies. They recovered well from that late slip on the ropes and the crowd was forgiving. They hugged afterward.
5. Megan Bayne defeated Kylie Rae at 10:52. Again, Bayne is replacing Masha Slamovich and I must reiterate the height and clear strength advantage Megan has. Megan easily shoved her to the mat. She caught Rae and easily flipped her overhead at 2:30, then repeatedly rammed her shoulder into Rae’s stomach as they fought in the corner. Rae hit some forearms. Bayne set up for a delayed vertical suplex but dropped her stomach-first, then she hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 4:00.
Rae leapt off the top rope and hit an armdrag, then a Buzzsaw Kick, for a nearfall. Bayne hit an Exploder Suplex, then a Samoan Drop for a nearfall at 7:00. Rae hit a series of forearms that Bayne barely sold, then Megan dropped her with one forearm. Rae hit a tornado DDT and they were both down. Rae hit a huracanrana. Bayne hit an F5 slam for a nearfall at 9:30. Rae got a Crucifix Driver and she applied a crossface, but Megan powered to her feet. Rae went for a crossbody block but Megan caught her; she set up for a Tombstone Piledriver, but Rae got a rollup for a nearfall. Seconds later, Bayne hit the Tombstone Piledriver for the clean pin. Good match.
* Footage aired of the Sidney Akeem (WWE’s Reggie/Scrypts) versus Jack Cartwheel from a day ago. Seriously, this match topped all reasonable expectations.
6. Dark Sheik and “Bussy” Effy and Allie Katch defeated Sandra Moone and “Lo Macizos” Ciclope and Miedo Extremo at 8:18. Miedo and Allie opened and danced, and I do mean “dance.” Moone hit a clothesline on Sheik. Sheik accidentally kicked Katch. Macizos hit a team flapjack on Sheik. Effy hit a Helluva Kick on Miedo at 2:00, then one on Ciclope. Moone hit an assisted Code Red on Effy. Ciclope forcibly kissed Allie at 4:00. Efy hit a Doomsday legdrop. Moone hit a dive to the floor, then Ciclope hit a dive to the floor.
Miedo was alone in the ring and set up a door bridge. Ciclope slammed Effy through the door bridge, but Allie made the save. Sheik hit a missile dropkick on Moone, then powerbombed her for a nearfall at 7:30. Sheik missed a top-rope guillotine leg drop, and Moone hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Sheik for a nearfall. Sheik hit a pumphandle powerbomb to pin Moone. Solid match.
* Fuego Del Sol came to the ring and spoke on the mic. He is disappointed that Nick Gage is injured and can’t compete. He made an open challenge! His tag partner, the 400-pounder Sam Stackhouse, answered the call!
7. Fuego Del Sol defeated Sam Stackhouse at 8:56. Sam laid down at the bell; Fuego made the cover but Sam made an aggressive kickout. Fuego went for a springboard huracanrana but Sam caught him and politely set him down. Fuego hit some dropkicks in the corner. Sam hit a big spin kick at 2:00, sending Fuego to the floor. Sam followed and they brawled on the floor. Sam dropped him face-first on the ring apron at 4:00. Fuego leapt off a short stage (maybe 8 feet tall) and hit a flip dive onto Sam on the floor.
In the ring, Fuego hit a coast-to-coast dropkick, then a top-rope Phoenix Splash but only got a one-count at 6:00. Sam peeled down the straps of his singlet, which always draws a reaction. He climbed the ropes! However, Fuego cut him off, and Fuego hit a powerbomb out of the corner. Fuego hit a tornado DDT out of the ropes at 8:30. Fuego hit a Canadian Destroyer for the pin. Well, these two certainly know each other’s in-ring style. Jordan Castle wondered if Stackhouse could have won if he hadn’t competed earlier. They hugged afterward.
* One more video package of the Joey Janela-Mance Warner match from a day earlier. Mance Warner then came to the ring and said he’s the one and only GCW champion, and he derided Blake Christian for interfering in his match. Mance told Blake to “check with Tony Khan” to make sure his schedule is clear for an eventual match. Out of the back came Joey Janela. He tossed profanities at Mance, as well as Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander. Jimmy Lloyd attacked Joey Janela from behind to begin our main event! And Mance Warner joined commentary.
8. Joey Janela defeated Jimmy Lloyd at 14:15. Basic brawling early on and Joey tossed Lloyd into a door; it actually took a couple tosses before it cracked. Joey hit a sliding European Uppercut at 3:00 and a snap suplex for a nearfall. Joey was bleeding from his forehead, and he tossed chairs into the ring, with one striking Jimmy; that just seems unnecessarily reckless. In the ring, he tossed a chair at Lloyd’s head at 5:00. Joey hit a sunset flip powerbomb, tossing Jimmy onto an open chair.
Jimmy hit a Broski Boot in the corner for a nearfall at 7:30. Mance seethed on commentary, reiterating he is the one and only GCW champion. Joey hit a standing powerbomb and he set up several chairs. However, Lloyd hit a package piledriver onto the open chairs, then a brainbuster for a nearfall at 10:30. (As I noted a day ago, Janela kicks out of moves that would pin 99% of wrestlers.) Joey hit a low blow uppercut and Mance muttered he’s “a damn cheater.” Joey hit a Death Valley Driver off the apron through a board bridge set up on the floor, and we got a “GCW!” chant.
Jimmy hit a spear through a door in the ring, then a Radio Silence/Fameasser for a nearfall at 12:30. Jimmy grabbed his ‘internet title belt.” Joey ducked it and hit a superkick. Joey hit a top-rope doublestomp onto a board on Jimmy’s chest, but Mance jumped in the ring, hit Joey with a chair, then a leaping DDT. Megan Bayne hopped in the ring and she speared Mance at 14:00. Jimmy hit a superkick on Megan! Joey hit a top-rope doublestomp on Jimmy for the pin. That got a bit busy at the end but glad to see the show didn’t end with a non-finish again.
* Mance stood on the stage and held his title belt above his head as he glared in the ring at Joey Janela and Megan Bayne as we faded to black.
Final Thoughts: An entertaining show. As so often, the best of the GCW show was in the middle of the show. I’ll go with Dereiss-Cartwheel for best match, Zilla-Manders for second, and Bayne-Kylie Rae for third. The eight-man tag was fun, chaotic action in the best way possible. I will reiterate that I’m thrilled to see Blake Christian back, and GCW is off to a really good start in setting the pieces for a Blake-Mance feud, even though both are presented as heels. And with her actions in the main event, it’s clear Bayne is going to wind up in the top-tier mix now.
Be the first to comment