By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Monster Bash”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
October 31, 2024 in San Diego, California at The Primal Compound
This is GCW’s San Diego debut. This is a training center and I immediately recognized this venue, as West Coast Pro held a show here maybe six to eight weeks ago. It’s such a small room, there isn’t room for fans opposite the hard camera. This room is packed with maybe 150 fans, all standing. Veda Scott and Jordan Castle provided commentary.
1. Vipress vs. Brooke Havok. Vipress came out to Undertaker’s theme song and her look is certainly inspired by him today, too. Havok came out to Stone Cold’s “shattered glass” and she wore blue jean shorts and shook her head back and forth a la Steve Austin, and she gave Vipress some middle fingers. Havok went for a stunner; Vipress went for a chokeslam, and neither were able to hit a big move. Vipress hit a snake-eyes and a Mafia Kick. Vipress did an Old School tight-rope walk and got a nearfall at 2:00. Havok did Austin’s stomping across the ring into an elbow drop. Havok stomped on Vipress in the corner with fans chanting “What?” with each stomp.
Havok hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. Vipress hit a clothesline and another Mafia Kick, then a chokeslam! She made Undertaker’s folded-arm cover for a nearfall at 4:00. Havok hit a running neckbreaker for a nearfall. Vipress hit a Poison Rana. “Made famous by the Undertaker!” Veda shouted. Funny. Havok hit a Canadian Destroyer and they were both down. Vipress hit a Last-Ride standing powerbomb. She set up for a Tombstone Piledriver but Havok escaped. Vipress spiked Havok’s head to the mat, and Havok rolled to the floor at 7:00. Havok hit a stunner, then the Cross Rhodes swinging faceplant for the pin. A fun match and a fun tribute to Austin and Taker. Brooke celebrated with a couple of beers and banged them together. She gave a beer to the ref, then kicked him in the gut and hit a stunner.
Brooke Havok defeated Vipress at 7:45.
* More footage aired of Allie Katch turning on Effy and hitting him with an explosive-covered bat at the recent “Art of War Games” event.
2. Dark Sheik vs. Broski Jimmy Lloyd. The fans chanted, “F— you, Jimmy!” before he said a word. He got on the mic and demanded respect. Sheik hit a huracanrana. Jimmy threw a weapon at Sheik’s head. He pushed a chair into Sheik’s throat at 2:00. Sheik hit a Helluva Kick in the corner, then a slingshot leg drop and a slingshot senton. Jimmy nailed a running Broski Boot in the corner. Sheik hit him with another chairshot to the head at 4:00, and I really hate that. Sheik hit a Frankensteiner, with Lloyd crashing onto an open chair for a nearfall, with the fans chanting “holy shit!” Sheik hit a Sliced Bread across an open chair for a nearfall. Jimmy swung a chair but it ricocheted off the top rope and onto his own head. Sheik hit a top-rope leg drop onto the chair over his head and scored the pin. Okay match; the fans were into it.
Dark Sheik defeated Jimmy Lloyd at 6:09.
* Footage aired of the Blake Christian-Rina Yamashita match at Art of War Games. Blake is on a long losing streak and it’s really gotten to him.
3. Juicy Finau vs. Bobby Flaco. Finau is wearing his black one-strap singlet and he’s probably a bit under 400 pounds now. However, Flaco is maybe 160 pounds. He’s the dork who waves his arms. Flaco hit a missile dropkick to open the match, and he hit a DDT, then a dive to the floor on Finau. In the ring, Juicy hit his running body block to drop Flaco. Flaco dropped Juicy throat-first across the top rope. However, Juicy hit a Black Hole Slam at 2:30 and he choked Bobby in the ropes. Flaco hit some chops that Juicy no-sold, and Juicy dropped him with a hard slap.
Juicy hit a bodyslam and celebrated. He went for a delayed vertical suplex, holding Flaco upside down for maybe a minute; Flaco escaped and hit a stunner. Flaco fired up and hit some chops and a superkick. He hit a top-rope doublestomp at 6:00 and started waving his arms. Juicy caught him coming off the ropes and hit a Rikishi Driver (sit-out piledriver) for the pin. Passable.
Juicy Finau defeated Bobby Flaco at 6:21.
4. Rob Shit vs. Effy. Rob is a West Coast regular; he looks like every 1980s hair band rocker. Rob put his hand in the front of his trunks and they did some comedy with no one wanting to get close to that hand. Effy tied him in a Tarantula at 3:00. Rob hit a short-arm clothesline, then a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 5:00. Effy hit his second-rope Blockbuster, then a spear for a nearfall. Rob hit a sit-out powerbomb at 7:00, then a Stinger Splash, then a springboard splash for a nearfall. Rob shoved his disgusting fingers in Effy’s mouth, but Effy bit the fingers. Effy hit the Fameasser legdrop for the pin. More watchable than it had any right to be.
Effy defeated Rob Shit at 7:54.
5. Rey Horus vs. Gringo Loco. Loco hit a Helluva Kick to open the match! He hit a Gorilla Press and a basement dropkick; Horus still hasn’t had a chance to take off his vest. Horus hit a modified huracanrana and a buzzsaw kick. He hit a huracanrana to the cement floor at 2:00. In the ring, Gringo Loco hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along his back and he was back in charge. He hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 3:30. Loco nailed a Swanton Bomb. Horus got on Loco’s shoulders and hit a cool huracanrana at 5:30. Horus hit a top-rope tornado DDT, sending Loco to the floor. So, Horus hit a flip dive over the corner of the ring and onto Loco, earning a “holy shit!” chant.
Loco hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall, and they were both down at 7:30. Horus flipped Loco out of the corner and stomach-first to the mat, then he hit another tornado DDT for a nearfall. Loco hit a top-rope fadeaway stunner for a nearfall at 9:30 and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Horus hit another tornado DDT for a nearfall. He hit another rolling huracanrana out of the corner to the mat for a nearfall at 11:30. “What’s it going to take?” Castle shouted. Loco hit a top-rope Spanish Fly, then a sit-out piledriver for the pin. (I’m so used to Loco winning with a Base Bomb, I didn’t expect that finish.) Easily the best match of the show so far.
Gringo Loco defeated Rey Horus at 12:34.
6. Masha Slamovich vs. Zara Zakher for the JCW Title. I’ve loved what I’ve seen of Zakher this year; she is Black with long red hair in braids and she’s “the petite powerhouse.” Cagematch.net says this is the 101st match of her two-year career. Masha had her JCW Title AND her TNA Knockouts Title. (The JCW Title is an intergender belt; it is open to men and women.) They shook hands and had an intense lockup, with Masha having a height advantage. Masha hit a hard clothesline at 2:00 and she was in charge early on. Masha made a lazy cover; Zara rolled her over for a nearfall at 4:30. Masha hit another clothesline for a nearfall. Zara hit a German Suplex, then a Lungblower move to the chin, and they were both down. The crowd was firmly behind hometown hero Zara.
Zara hit a Polish Hammer and an enzuigiri. Castle said Zara is just 22. She hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 7:00. Masha hit a swinging side slam for a nearfall. Masha tried a sleeper, but Zara dropped to the mat to escape. Zara hit a fisherman’s buster for a nearfall. They got up and traded chops. Masha hit some Yes Kicks to the chest. Zara hit a stunner at 11:00 and she was fired up! Masha grazed her on a Shining Wizard; she missed a second one, and Zara hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall. Masha suplexed her into the corner. Masha hit another Shining Wizard for a believable nearfall. She immediately applied the sleeper on the mat, and Zara tapped out. That was really good and had great crowd heat.
Masha Slamovich defeated Zara Zakher to retain the JCW World Title at 12:41.
7. Mike Bailey vs. Super Crazy. This is Super Crazy’s GCW debut, and a first-time-ever matchup. Bailey hit a flip dive to the floor on him to open, then the Triangle Moonsault to the floor. They got into the ring, where Crazy hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee. They brawled back to the floor. In the ring, Crazy slammed Bailey’s face on an open chair at 3:00. He hit a corkscrew elbow and was in charge. Super Crazy tied Bailey in a Tarantula! (Castle noted it was a tribute to Tajiri, and a few fans chanted Tajiri’s name.) He tied Bailey in a Surfboard at 5:30, then pulled back on his head for a Dragon Sleeper. Bailey hit a missile dropkick. He hit his series of kicks and the running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall.
Crazy avoided a superkick and hit a clothesline. Bailey nailed his moonsault double kneedrop for a nearfall at 8:30. Bailey nailed a Tornado Kick in the corner, but he missed the Ultima Weapon. Super Crazy immediately hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Super Crazy missed a second-rope moonsault. Bailey immediately got a Magistral Cradle for the pin. The crowd seemed shocked that the match wrapped up so suddenly. Super Crazy got on the mic and thanked the fans.
Mike Bailey defeated Super Crazy at 10:17.
8. J2 Mateoli vs. Robin Shaw vs. CJ Tino vs. Antonio Rivers vs. Primo Jeno vs. Ariel Van Go in a scramble match. This is a bonus match with local competitors, and unfortunately we don’t have on-screen introductions. Van Go has competed a lot in GCW in recent months. I saw some of these guys on the West Coast Pro show here. Shaw is a rotund bald man and he’s apparently a trainer here, and he chopped down a lot of the competitors. Ariel hit a 619 move onto several guys. CJ Tino hit a missile dropkick on Shaw. Shaw hit a stunner. Van Go hit a double Pele at 6:00. Shaw nailed a Package Piledriver. Van Go grabbed the ceiling, swung to the center of the ring, and splashed down onto Shaw for a believable nearfall at 8:00. That was cool. Tino hit a back suplex and pinned Shaw. These guys put together a barnburner of a match and topped all expectations.
CJ Tino defeated J2 Mateoli, Robin Shaw, Antonio Rivers, Primo Jeno and Ariel Van Go in a scramble match at 8:22.
9. Arez vs. Ciclope. Two weeks ago, Miedo Extremo beat the crap out of his former tag partner Ciclope, hitting him (too many times) over the head with a chair. Realistically, Ciclope should still be selling the effect of that beatdown. Quick lucha reversals to open. Arez hit a Pele Kick, then a running Penalty Kick on the apron, then a dive through the ropes onto Ciclope at 3:00. Arez pulled out doors from under the ring and he made a door bridge on the floor. In the ring, Arez hit a basement dropkick on the knee, and he ran up Ciclope’s back at 6:00. Arez missed his one-footed Lionsault.
Ciclope hit a second-rope clothesline for a nearfall at 8:00. He hit a senton for a nearfall. Ciclope pushed Arez into the wall on the side on that side of the ring. In a cool spot, Arez launched himself off the wall and hit a stunner! This time, he hit the one-footed Lionsault for a nearfall at 10:30 and he was fired up. They traded forearm strikes. Ciclope hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. He went to the floor and began tossing chairs into the ring. However, Arez wrapped a chair around Ciclope’s neck and shoved him into a corner at 13:00. Ciclope hit a back suplex, tossing Arez onto an open chair!
Arez hit a Lungblower move to the back and they were both down. They fought on the apron, and Arez hit a heel hook kick to the jaw. Arez hit a running moonsault off the top rope and onto Ciclope on the board bridge at 15:00, rightfully earning a “Holy shit!” chant. This was cool and one fluid move. They got back into the ring, where Ciclope threw a chair at Arez’s head, so Arez threw one back. Wow, I hate those. They each hit another chairshot to the head. Arez hit a powerbomb across an open chair for a believable nearfall at 17:00. Arez slid another door into the ring. Ciclope climbed a ladder that was on the floor, and he hit a Canadian Destroyer into the ring! Creative. He speared Aez through a door set up in the corner, then a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. What a blast.
Ciclope defeated Arez to become No. 1 contender at 19:15.
Final Thoughts: This show topped all expectations and turned out much better than it appeared on paper. I will actually go with Masha-Zara for best match; the crowd was so into it, and it’s been great to watch Zara rise so quickly and meet this moment and have a great bout with Masha. The main event was very good and the spot where Arez runs across the ring and does the moonsault to the door bridge on the floor is a memorable moment. But I won’t back off my opinion that those COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY chair shots to the head at the end of a good match takes it down a notch. The match was great; how do those blows make it better? I’ll go with Gringo-Horus for third. A rare night where Bailey’s match isn’t top three; it was just really starting to heat up when it ended, so it winds up as honorable mention.
Outside of those blows to the head, I have really no complaints tonight. Effy-Rob told their story and didn’t overstay their welcome. Same with Jimmy-Sheik. The locals in the scramble was a fun mess in the best possible meaning of the word. While that main event had the chair shots to the head, we got through a GCW show without blood loss, gusset plates, glass panes, pizza cutters and light tubes, and that alone is a big positive.
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