By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Gateway to the Death”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
November 15, 2024 in Sauget, Illinois at Pop’s Nightclub
This is the second show in a triple-header. I have no interest in watching Saturday’s death match tournament. The crowd is maybe 250. Dave Prazak and Emil Jay provided commentary. This show features a mind-boggling five intergender matches.
1. Gringo Loco vs. Myron Reed. Loco was among the stars notably absent from Friday’s show in Kentucky, along with Blake Christian, Megan Bayne and Mike Bailey. Loco hit a gorilla press and a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Reed dove over the top rope and crashed onto Loco at 2:00. In the ring, Loco hit a swinging uranage and he kept Myron grounded, hitting his reverse Angle Slam, dropping Myron stomach-first for a nearfall at 5:00. He hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall. Myron hit a huracanrana to the floor. In the ring, he hit a springboard flying leg lariat for a nearfall at 7:30.
Loco nailed a top-rope Spanish Fly, but Reed hit a stunner, and we got a “both these guys!” chant. Reed hit his flying stunner over the top rope with them both crashing on the floor. In the ring, Myron hit a 450 Splash for a nearfall, then a Helluva Kick at 10:00, then a superkick. Loco hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. However, Loco hit his second-rope Base Bomb (twisting powerbomb to the mat) for the pin. Exactly what you’d expect here from two top-notch indy workers.
Gringo Loco defeated Myron Reed at 11:23.
2. Shane Mercer vs. Jack Cartwheel. Mercer has to be among the strongest wrestlers today, indy wrestling or anywhere else. Mercer easily backed Jack into a corner and hit a LOUD chop to open. Jack ‘cartwheeled’ away from Shane’s offensive moves. Jack did a Sasuke Special to the floor but Shane caught him and hit a backbreaker over his knee at 2:00! He slammed Jack back-first into the ring post. In the ring, Shane hit a fallaway slam that sent Jack all the way across the ring. Mercer hit a delayed vertical suplex at 5:00, pushing off the bottom rope. Jack hit handspring-back-elbow in the corner, then a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall at 7:00.
Jack hit a top-rope Frankensteiner. Mercer hit a Tour of the Islands-style powerslam for a nearfall. Shane set up for Moonsault & Battery but Jack escaped, got underneath, and hit a standing powerbomb at 9:30. Jack hit the top-rope corkscrew splash (landed more on the ankles than Mercer’s chest) for the pin. Good action.
Jack Cartwheel defeated Shane Mercer at 9:53.
* The prison bus video aired to promote “The People vs. GCW” on Jan. 19 in New York. I have said it already, but these vignettes are just great and maybe the best videos I’ve ever seen done by an indy promotion. I am sure you can check them out on youtube.
3. Joey Janela vs. Brooke Havok in an intergender match. Havok had a long match on Thursday against Miyu Yamashita. Standing switches to open, and Janela is just so much thicker and visibly stronger than her, and I’m guessing about a 70-pound weight advantage, too (he’s listed at 183 pounds; she is unlisted but has to be closer to 110). Joey hit a release German Suplex at 1:30 and was booed. He hit some hard chops. She hit a second-rope crossbody block to the floor on hit at 3:30. In the ring, he hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. She hit a deep armdrag but he hit a boot to her face. Brooke hit a running neckbreaker at 6:00. Joey hit a Superkick. Brooke hit a DDT. Joey hit a spinning bodyslam move and was booed.
Janela nailed a snap Dragon Suplex at 8:00. She hit a flying forearm and they both went down. Joey hit an RKO. Brooke hit a Code Red at 9:30 and a buzzsaw kick; he fired back with a clothesline. They got up and traded open-hand slaps to the face. She hit a mid-ring Canadian Destroyer, then a Stomp move for a nearfall at 11:00. Joey hit a rolling Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckles. Ouch. He hit a package piledriver for a believable nearfall, and the commentators were incredulous. He hit a second Death Valley Driver for the pin. Decent match; I struggled to get into it because of the size difference. I definitely preferred seeing Brooke having a competitive match against Yamashita a day ago.
Joey Janela defeated Brooke Havok at 12:34.
* A new vignette aired for Blake Christian. He’s walking down a road in a forest and he hears whispers all around him. He comes up to a mirror in the middle of the street and he sees images of fire and destruction. A female jogger approaches him. (At first glance I thought it was Kylie Paige). This feels like a scene from a horror movie as she can see him in the mirror. Intriguing.
4. Masha Slamovich vs. Gary Jay in an intergender match for the JCW World Title. This is technically Gary’s GCW debut; the indy veteran is a red-haired Brodie Lee. Masha hit the rolling Koppo Kick at the bell and a slam for a nearfall just seconds in! Gary hit a dive through the ropes onto her. They traded chops on the floor in front of the fans. She picked him up for a powerbomb and tossed him into empty chairs at ringside at 4:30. Masha rolled him into the ring and hit some Yes Kicks to his chest. He kicked her and they were both down. He hit some LOUD chops and a modified Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 7:30. Prazak said these two have wrestled before but it was years ago.
Masha hit an Air Raid Crash off the apron through a door bridge set up on the floor. In the ring, they traded forearm strikes. He hit a discus forearm that dropped her at 10:00. She hit a White Knight Driver (piledriver) for the pin. Good action; no woman looks more believable against bigger, stronger men than Masha.
Masha Slamovich defeated Gary Jay to retain the JCW World Title at 11:18.
5. Sidney Akeem vs. Broski Jimmy Lloyd. Jimmy came out first and cut his usual promo, demanding respect, hating on St. Louis, and belittling his opponent. He attacked Sidney as Akeem got into the ring. Akeem kept cartwheeling and ducking all of Lloyd’s offense, and he hit a plancha to the floor on Jimmy at 1:00. In the ring, Jimmy was in charge, hitting some blows and keeping Sidney grounded. Akeem hit his twisting crossbody block for a nearfall at 3:30, then a Poison Rana, then a running Mule Kick at 5:30, then a top-rope moonsault press on a standing Lloyd for a nearfall.
Jimmy hit a Broski Boot in the corner, but Akeem ducked Radio Silence. Akeem hit a Canadian Destroyer. Lloyd hit a low blow uppercut and a Radio Silence flying leg lariat for a believable nearfall at 8:00. Jimmy swung a chair but it bounced off the top rope and ricocheted onto his own head. Akeem immediately nailed the Final Act (double handspring into a stunner) for the pin. Akeem remains undefeated in GCW and has been a surprisingly great addition to the GCW roster this year.
Sidney Akeem defeated Jimmy Lloyd at 8:20.
6. Allie Katch vs. Dan the Dad in an intergender match. They tied up while Dan was still holding his coffee cup. She knocked the cup out of his hand and it shattered on the floor! He suplexed her at 1:30. He hit a hard back elbow and a splash into the corner. He nailed a spinebuster for a nearfall at 4:30. She hit a piledriver. She hit a second one and pulled him up before a pinfall. She then hit a third piledriver for the pin. Fairly basic, and much shorter than expected.
Allie Katch defeated Dan the Dad at 6:15.
* Allie removed Dan’s belt and choked him with it! Effy ran in to make the save. She spit on him and ducked to the floor and left. (Absolutely no one, anywhere, believes these two hate each other. For me, this feud is not working.)
7. Miyu Yamashita vs. Mike Bailey in an intergender match. These two fought each other in a three-way last weekend in Seattle. They immediately traded strikes and Mike rolled to the floor to regroup. She again kicked him to the floor. She hit a spin kick to the head at ringside at 2:30. He hit a baseball slide dropkick, and he put her in a Boston Crab on the floor. He dragged her into the ring and reapplied the Boston Crab at 5:00. Bailey hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall and remained in charge. (It feels weird to have Bailey on a GCW show and not have Veda Scott calling the action!) He missed a running Shooting Star Press at 8:30.
Yamashita fired back with a running clothesline and she was fired up. He did the Triangle Moonsault to the floor (he barely grazed her.) They traded kicks on the ring apron. She hit a Death Valley Driver onto the apron, and he collapsed to the floor at 11:30. Back in the ring, they traded kicks and were both down. They got up and traded forearm strikes. She hit some roundhouse kicks; he fired back with his Speedball kicks. Miyu hit a release German Suplex. Bailey hit a Falcon Arrow, then a top-rope Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 15:30. He set up for a Tornado Kick but she kicked him to block it and she got a nearfall. He missed an Ultima Weapon, and she immediately hit a knee to the back of the head for a nearfall. She hit two spin kicks to his head and a running knee for the pin. As hard-hitting as expected.
Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey at 17:35.
8. Griffin McCoy vs. Mikey Midas. I don’t know Midas at all; he’s a thin Black man and shorter than Griffin. They traded slaps at the bell. Midas hit a huracanrana. Griffin hit a standing powerbomb and a stiff clothesline, then a swinging sideslam for a nearfall at 2:00. A high-pitched noise began and the lights went out! When the lights came on, Blake Christian was standing in the ring, with writing all over his upper chest and upper arms. McCoy shouted, “That’s all you; I’m out” and left. Blake ripped at Midas’ nose and mouth. Some refs hopped in the ring to separate them. The high-pitched noise returned and the refs fell in pain and grabbed at their ears. The lights went out and Blake vanished. Intriguing…
Griffin McCoy vs. Mikey Midas went to a no-finish at 2:00.
9. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini vs. Rina Yamashita & Drew Parker vs. Violento Jack & Takayuki Ueki vs. “Gahbage Daddies” Cole Radrick & Alec Price in a four-way for the GCW Tag Team Titles. Price had a taped Rampage match at roughly this same time. I don’t think I’ve seen Ueki before; he apparently is in the death match tournament on Saturday. All eight brawled at the bell, and Rina applied a double Testicular Claw on the champs and slammed them to the mat. Jack put two people on his shoulders and hit a Samoan Drop. Price hit his Emergency leg drop and a senton. Emil proclaimed that the Gahbage Daddies would be odds on favorites to eventually beat ViF for the titles. (Emil apparently has never looked at Price/Radrick’s record as a tag team. It’s not good!) Parker hit a stunner on Ku at 2:30.
Garrini hit a sliding clothesline for a nearfall. Jack and Garrini traded shoulder tackles. Price hit a springboard blockbuster. Ueki slammed teammate Jack onto Garrini for a nearfall at 5:00. Jack/Ueki brawled with Parker/Rina; those four are in the NGI Saturday so this served as a preview. Jack accidentally hit a shoulder block on the ref. Ueki repeatedly headbutted a chair maybe two dozen times. Jack hit a flip dive through the ropes at 7:30 onto several opponents. We suddenly had ViF vs. the GD and they traded forearm strikes. Cole hit a springboard stunner. Price hit a dive to the floor. He hit a top-rope doublestomp on Ku for a visual pin but the ref was still down! Garrini hit a piledriver on Price on the ring apron. ViF then hit Chasing the Dragon (spin kick-and-brainbuster combo) to pin Radrick. Good brawl.
Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini defeated Rina Yamashita & Drew Parker and Violento Jack & Takayuki Ueki and Cole Radrick & Alec Price to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 10:02.
10. 1 Called Manders vs. John Wayne Murdoch. There were doors in the ring before the match began. They immediately traded blows. Manders chopped him and Murdoch rolled to the floor, and they fought at ringside. They sat on chairs and traded forearm strikes. In the ring, Murdoch hit a brainbuster through a door bridge for a nearfall at 6:00. Manders hit a hard clothesline and a Bulldog Powerslam through a door in the corner for a nearfall. Murdoch tied him up on the mat, and Manders passed out! Decent brawl but shockingly short.
John Wayne Murdoch defeated 1 Called Manders at 7:46.
11. Mance Warner vs. Ciclope for the GCW Heavyweight Title. This match was supposed to happen a few weeks ago in California but Mance canceled. (I believe it was to help Steph De Lander in post-surgery recovery.) Ciclope hit a shotgun dropkick, sending Mance through a door in the corner and got a nearfall just seconds in. They threw chairs at each other, and Mance speared Ciclope through a door in the corner for a nearfall. They smashed door debris over each other’s head. Ciclope hit a spinebuster onto a light tube for a nearfall at 3:00. Mance hit a Rude Awakening neckbreaker across the top of an open chair for a nearfall, and the crowd rallied for Ciclope.
Mance slammed a chair onto a chair where Ciclope’s head was resting at 6:00, and Ciclope rolled to the floor, selling the pain of the move. They brawled at ringside. They brawled on the ring apron, where Ciclope hit an enzuigiri at 9:30, then a moonsault to the floor, sending Mance through a door bridge. This didn’t land well but they both were okay. They took turns whacking each othe with light tubes and this got gross in a hurry. They don’t seem particularly concerned about potentially injuring fans on the floor with their errant tosses, either. Ciclope hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall at 13:00. Mance hit a top-rope superplex through a door bridge and both were down. The ring was just covered in debris.
Ciclope rammed cooking skewers into Mance’s head and he hit a piledrive for a nearfall at 17:00. They threw more light tubes at each other, and Ciclope hit a frogsplash onto tubes on Mance’s chest for a nearfall, but Mance got his feet on the ropes at 19:30. Ciclope missed a moonsault. Mance hit a running knee and a DDT for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. The crowd rallied for Ciclope, but Mance hit two more DDTs and scored the pin. This match is an acquired taste and just not for me.
Mance Warner defeated Ciclope to retain the GCW Heavyweight Title at 20:57.
* Mance got on the mic and said there isn’t a single person in the locker room who can take this belt away from him. Effy came out. Please, no, their feud was already never-ending. They argued and Mance offered him a title match at an upcoming show at a mall in New Jersey. While they argued, Katch snuck into the ring and repeatedly hit Effy with chairshots as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts: As is often the case, I really enjoy the opening few matches of a GCW show but my interest wanes in the later matches. The show-opener Loco-Reed takes best match, Bailey-Miyu was good for second place, and Mercer-Cartwheel takes third. Masha-Gary Jay also was a strong intergender match and earns honorable mention. While it was short, I really enjoyed Akeem-Lloyd, too. I’m sure fans of brawling and hardcore matches enjoyed that main event. I don’t plan on watching the NGI9 death match show, but I might catch a match or two of non-tournament action.
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