By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Dream On”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
November 23, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at American Dream
GCW is known for its hardcore action and violence, so it will be intriguing to see how G-rated this show is, how different this feels from a typical GCW show at a darkly-lit nightclub. If you have ever watched the first-ever Nitro from the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, you know the set-up. This mall has perhaps three levels, so fans can watch it on all the balconies as well as a paid seating area at ringside. There are easily hundreds of fans watching this live. The hard camera is on a second level and I don’t like this view of the ring. The ring mat is clean and looking really professional. Dave Prazak and Veda Scott provided commentary.
* The show opened with a video package of the (seemingly never-ending) feud between Effy and Mance Warner.)
* Emil Jay introduced Kurt Angle. He thanked the fans for showing up and coming to his autograph signing. Next out came Mick Foley, who also got in the ring, and they hugged. Because this show is at the American Dream mall, Foley did a Dusty Rhodes impression. Foley also let us in a behind-the-scenes story… Angle won a gold medal with a broken-freakin’ neck! Next out came Blue Kane, I mean “Blue Pain!” Prazak said “it’s freezing in here.” Whoever is in this blue-colored Kane outfit is really heavy but also is much taller than Foley and Angle. Foley called him a loser. Blue Pain went to attack, so Foley put on Mr. Socko and shoved it in Blue Pain’s mouth. Angle put Blue Pain in an ankle lock, and Blue Pain frantically tapped out. Fun segment to open the show.
1. Marcus Mathers vs. Tony Deppen. Mathers, of course, is a WWE ID prospect. The commentators raved about the incredible number of people who are watching this show. Quick reversals and a standoff. Mathers hit a dropkick at 1:30 and Deppen rolled to the floor to regroup. They fought at ringside, and Deppen shoved Mathers head-first into the ring post. Deppen hit a flip dive off the apron to the floor. In the ring, Deppen was in charge. Mathers hit a top-rope crossbody block at 4:30, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Mathers hooked a leg and hit a brainbuster for a nearfall.
Deppen shoved the ref into the ropes, causing Mathers to fall in the corner and be crotched. Deppen hit a Tombstone Piledriver on the thin mat at ringside. In the ring, Deppen hit a top-rope doublestomp for a nearfall at 7:00. Mathers fired up and hit some open-hand slaps and a Canadian Destroyer. Mathers hit a flip dive to the floor on Deppen and he was fired up and we got a loud “GCW!” chant. (Great camera work here to show the size of this crowd.) Mathers hit an Ospreay-style heel hook kick. He leapt off the ropes but Deppen caught him with a jumping knee, then a suplex. Tony hit a running knee and scored the pin! I didn’t expect that!
Tony Deppen defeated Marcus Mathers at 9:30.
* The prison video aired, promoting “The People vs. GCW.” This is simply one of the best things I’ve seen an indy promotion do.
2. “Los Desperados” Arez and Gringo Loco vs. “Gahbage Daddies” Cole Radrick and Alec Price. Price and Arez opened. Cole hit a headscissors takedown on Loco. Arez hit an Axe Kick across Cole’s neck at 2:30, and LD took control of the offense. They hit a team Magic Killer slam on Radrick, and Loco hit his own Axe Kick to the neck. Loco hit an impressive split-legged moonsault for a nearfall at 4:30. Price got a hot tag and hit a flying headscissors takedown, then his Blockbuster for a nearfall at 6:30, then his series of kneestrikes in the ropes. Loco slammed Price to the mat, and Arez hit his one-footed Lionsault for a nearfall.
Loco hit a top-rope fadeaway stunner on Price and all four were down at 9:00 and we got an “All these guys!” chant. Price hit his springboard twisting DDT. Arez hit a backbreaker on Price. Radrick hit a stunner on Arez, then an Asai Moonsault to the floor on Loco! In the ring, Arez hit a top-rope doublestomp on Arez, who was seated on Cole’s shoulders; both Cole and Price covered Arez for the pin. That was non-stop action. GCW is putting its brightest stars in the first few matches.
Cole Radrick and Alec Price defeated Gringo Loco and Arez at 10:46.
3. Sidney Akeem vs. Mike Bailey. Akeem (WWE’s Reggie/Scrypts) has really impressed in his post-NXT run. They shook hands before the bell. They immediately traded quick reversals and neither could land a signature move, ending in a standoff. Bailey kicked him to the floor then hit the Triangle Moonsault to the floor on him at 2:30. In the ring, Bailey tied up Sidney’s legs and applied a Trailer Hitch leglock at 4:30. However, he missed a running corkscrew splash. Akeem hit his twisting crossbody block and a step-up mule kick, then a moonsault press on a standing Bailey for a nearfall at 7:00.
Bailey missed his Tornado Kick in the corner. He hit a superkick; Akeem hit one. They hit stereo superkicks and were both down. Mike hit his Speedball kicks to the ribs and thighs. Sidney hit a plancha to the floor, then threw Bailey back into the ring, where he hit a top-rope twisting Meteora for a believable nearfall at 9:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. They traded rollups. Sidney went for the Final Act, but Bailey hit a Lungblower to block it. He hit a moonsault kneedrop, the Tornado Kick, but he missed Ultima Weapon. Akeem immediately hit the Final Act (double backflip into a stunner) for the clean pin. Akeem remains undefeated (he has one draw!) in GCW. Good action.
Sidney Akeem defeated Mike Bailey at 11:36.
* Sidney got on the mic and said he wanted to speak from the heart. He noted he was released in June, and the crowd booed the WWE reference. He said he thought about giving it up. But he found a new home in GCW, and that got a pop. He said he wants “the best of the best” in New York at the Hammerstein show on January 19th. An on-screen graphic announced Sidney will face El Hijo Del Vikingo, and the crowd popped for that.
* Jimmy Lloyd came to the ring and said this place sucks and it’s just another dying mall. Coming down the escalator was Ricky Starks, to his “The Revolution is televised” intro music! “Ricky Starks is here at American Dream!” Prazak shouted, and the crowd chanted “holy shit!” Lloyd said Starks should be “up the street at catering.” Starks hit a DDT on Lloyd. Ricky took the mic and said that everyone wants a statement from him. He said the statement is he’s here in a GCW ring. “Damn it feels good to be right back here in New Jersey,” Starks said. He noted he beat a ‘straight-edge superstar’ and won the Owen Hart tournament. “Passion runs through my blood and I’ll be damned if I sit at home and get frozen out,” Starks said. He called himself a generational superstar. He said he’s in control every step of the way, and he says and does what he wants. He hit a spear on Lloyd for good measure to end the segment and he left.
* Matt Cardona came to the ring and he was livid at Starks. Cardona said he and Jimmy built this place, while Starks has been sitting at home, collecting a paycheck. The crowd chanted for Nick Gage, and Cardona said, “too bad, because he’s in jail.” However, 1 Called Manders came out for their match!
4. Matt Cardona (w/Jimmy Lloyd) vs. 1 Called Manders. Cardona stalled and ran around the floor. Back in the ring, Manders hit some chops and clotheslines. He hit a backbody drop at 2:30, so Cardona rolled to the floor and teased they were leaving. Of course, Manders hit a double noggin’ knocker on the heels. Cardona hit a baseball slide dropkick and he asked the ref to count out Manders. In the ring, Cardona and Lloyd took turns choking Manders in the ropes. Manders hit some overhand chops to the chest, but he went for a spear and crashed into the corner at 5:30. Cardona hit some Broski Boots and was booed.
Manders hit a series of clotheslines in the corner, then a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall. Cardona hit the Radio Silence flying legdrop for a nearfall at 7:30. He pushed the ref; the ref pushed back, and it allowed Manders to hit a decapitating clothesline for a visual pin, but Lloyd pulled the ref from the ring.
John “JBL” Layfield got in the ring and he hit a Clothesline From Hell on Manders! He turned and left just as quickly as he arrived. Cardona’s arm was on top of Manders. The ref rolled into the ring and made the three-count; it appears Cardona wasn’t even aware he was making a cover. Another nice surprise.
Matt Cardona defeated 1 Called Manders at 8:54.
* Josh Barnett came to the ring; his next “Bloodsport” event is on Sunday! He talked about how he is facing MVP on Sunday.
5. Little Guido vs. Ricky Morton. Yes, this is happening in 2024. Basic standing switches and they traded shoulder tackles. At 2:00, Kerry Morton shouted “Dad, what have I gotten myself into? What are you doing in my wrestling ring?” Kerry came to ringside with Griffin McCoy. They got in the ring. “We have a match underway here,” Prazak said. Kerry said that “none of these fans came here to chant rock n’ roll.” Looks like we’re going to turn this into a tag match!
Little Guido vs. Ricky Morton ended in a draw at 2:00.
5b. Ricky Morton and Little Guido vs. Kerry Morton and Griffin McCoy. Ricky and Kerry opened. Griffin got in and tied up with Ricky. The heels worked over Guido with some basic offense. Guido hit a crossbody block at 4:30 on Kerry. Kerry accidentally struck Griffin. Ricky got the ice-cold tag and hit punches on both heels. Ricky and Guido hit a series of punches in the corner as the crowd counted along. Ricky hit a Canadian Destroyer on Griffin, and Guido covered McCoy for the pin. It was what it was.
Ricky Morton and Little Guido defeated Kerry Morton and Griffin McCoy at 6:35.
6. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini vs. Joey Janela and Megan Bayne for the GCW Tag Team Titles. ViF have held these tag titles for a long time now. Ku and Bayne opened, and Prazak noted she has the height advantage, and she tossed Kevin to the mat, and she hit a shoulder tackle. Joey tagged in at 2:00 and hit a flying kneedrop on Kevin. Garrini made a blind tag and hit a pop-up forearm strike on Joey and some loud chops. He hit a doublestomp to the chest at 3:30. Ku applied a half-crab as ViF worked over Janela. He went to tag out, but Ku pulled Megan off the apron. Joey eventually slammed Ku to the mat at 6:00 and he tagged in Bayne.
Megan hit some clotheslines and Stinge Splashes into the corner, then overhead belly-to-belly suplexes. She powerbombed Ku on top of Garrini for a nearfall. ViF hit a spike piledriver on Joey for a nearfall at 7:30. Joey hit a dive to the floor on Garrini. Megan dove through the ropes and barreled into ViF and that got a pop. In the ring, Ku hit a back suplex on Joey. Bayne hit a top-rope flip dive onto both ViF. Garrini hit a jumping knee on her at 9:30. Ku and Joey traded open-hand palm strikes. Megan hit a flying clothesline and suddenly all four were down.
Ku hit an Angle Slam on Joey. Bayne hit a Doomsday Device clothesline on Ku for a nearfall at 11:00, but Garrini made the save. She hit another flying clothesline on Garrini. She accidentally speared ref Scarlett Donovan! Ku hit Megan with a chairshot to the back! Joey hit a DDT on Ku. Megan chokeslammed Ku, and Joey hit a top-rope doublestomp to Ku’s chest, but we didn’t have a ref! Joey hit a German Suplex on Ku. Garrini hit a low blow uppercut on Joey. They then hit the Chasing the Dragon (brainbuster and spin kick combo) onto an open chair and pinned Joey. Good match.
Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini defeated Joey Janela and Megan Bayne to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 13:40.
* Ku got on the mic. He said the fans can boo all they want, but they have been the best tag team for a year and no one can beat them. Alec Price got on the mic and interrupted them. Price and Cole Radrick came out of the back. Price said they had them beat last week. They challenged ViF to a rematch on Jan. 19. Garrini rejected the match request, then they attacked the babyfaces from behind with their title belts. Ku then said, “Okay, see you at Hammerstein, bitch.”
* John Wayne Murdoch came to the ring. He berated the crowd and said he should be the ultra-violent champion. He has entered himself into a ladder match to become the next ultra-violent champion, as Sawyer Wreck won the belt last week in her retirement match. Brandon Kirk got into the ring and is tired of hearing Murdoch complain. Kirk also will be in that ladder match. Out came Drew Parker. (I thought he retired from death matches?) He is entering himself into that match, too. We have an impromptu three-way. Make that four-way, as Journey’s “Separate Ways” played to introduce Matt Tremont!
7. Matt Tremont vs. Drew Parker vs. John Wayne Murdoch vs. Brandon Kirk. They had garbage can lids and doors in the ring. Tremont tossed Kirk through a door in the corner. Tremont dove through the ropes onto all three opponents at 2:00! (Again, I routinely compare Tremont to Big Van Vader.) They rolled to the floor and began whacking each other over the head with street signs, and they hit each other with kendo sticks.) In the ring, Tremont crotched opponents on a ‘wet floor’ sign. Kirk hit the Psycho Driver on Parker for a believable nearfall at 5:30. Murdoch hit a Flatliner and a Canadian Destroyer on Kirk. Tremont slammed Murdoch to the mat, then he hit a Death Valley Driver onto a pile of signs and debris and pinned Murdoch. Decent hardcore match but quite tame by GCW standards. Tremont got on the mic and announced he also will be in the ladder match Jan. 19. So, four of the six slots are filled.
Matt Tremont defeated Drew Parker, John Wayne Murdoch, and Brandon Kirk at 7:08.
* The bizarre video of Blake Christian getting pulled into a mirror aired again. If you like what AEW has done with the Julia Hart vignettes lately, you’d like this, too.
8. Masha Slamovich vs. Santana Jackson for the JCW Title. I am disgusted by the Michael Jackson impersonator but I’ll stop venting for today. He danced while walking on the top rope at 2:00. He pulled out a glove, put it on, and punched her with it. Masha hit a twisting dive through the ropes at 4:30. He went under the ring, the “Thriller” music played, and he re-emerged with the wolf mask on. So corny and it’s the same damn match every time. He speared her at 6:00. He ‘bit’ her arm. She grabbed the wolf mask, put it on, and hit the White Knight Driver (piledriver) for the pin.
Masha Slamovich defeated Santana Jackson to retain the JCW Title at 7:02.
* Blake Christian, once again covered in writings by a marker, hopped in the ring and beat up Santana Jackson. (In my eyes, this turned Blake babyface again!) Refs hopped in the ring and pulled Blake off of Santana, and the crowd loudly booed Blake and chanted, “Don’t come back!”
9. Mance Warner vs. Effy for the GCW World Title. Again, it feels like these two have been fighting for a year. Mance attacked before the bell and they immediately brawled. Mance dropped Effy onto the ring apron. They brawled to the floor at 2:00, and Mance whipped Effy into the ring post and he struck Effy with some weapons. In the ring, Mance hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Effy hit a Stomp for a nearfall at 5:30. Effy hit a TKO stunner and he tied up Effy on the mat. Mance hit Effy with more chairshots and he set up a door bridge.
Effy hit a Razor’s Edge through the board bridge for a nearfall at 11:00. Effy hit his Helluva Kick and a Blockbuster. Mance chokeslammed him across the back of two open chairs for a nearfall! Ouch! Mance hit a standing powerbomb and a piledriver for a nearfall at 15:00. Effy hit the flying Fame-asser and a spear for a nearfall. Effy hit a spear for a nearfall. Allie Katch, now with red hair, hopped in the ring and hit Effy with a chair to the back! Mance hit a DDT on Effy. Allie hit Mance! She hit a piledriver on the ref. She held the title belt above her head as the show faded to black. So somehow, GCW which doesn’t have DQs, once again had a no-finish to its main event? Ugh.
Mance Warner vs. Effy went to a draw at 18:00; Mance Warner retained the GCW World Title.
Final Thoughts: “LA told me, ‘you’ll be a pop star. All you have to change, is everything you are.'” — P!nk, “Don’t Let Me Get Me.”
This lyric popped into my head as I watched this show. GCW is the home of light tubes, barbed wire, pizza cutters, gusset plates, staple guns, panes of glass, including a death match tournament a week ago. (The four-way and main event here was tame by comparison). GCW is the home of five intergender matches on one show last week. GCW is the home of fans chanting lewd comments that would turn off the mid-30s soccer mom who brings her 10-year-old son to his first wrestling show. SO, GCW abandoned much of its niche identity on Saturday to put on an excellent show that will appeal to the masses. I’m not bashing GCW at all; this is the sort of show I wish every GCW event looked like. I just find it funny that their typical show, appealing to their niche audience, often draws just a couple hundred fans, while this mainstream event was being watched by maybe 1,000 or more spectators. (Can you imagine if this event happened first, and the NGI tournament happened a week later, and a parent brought kids to that show, unaware it was a death match tournament?)
I’ll go with Arez/Loco vs. Price/Radrick for best match, Bailey-Akeem for second, and ViF vs. Janela/Bayne for third. GCW lined up all of its top in-ring workers and delivered a memorable show here. It’s just not a show that feels authentically GCW; I’ll leave that up to you if that’s a good thing or not. Between the unexpected appearance of Ricky Starks and (somewhat expected) return of JBL, plus the segment with Angle and Foley, this was a noteworthy show, too. I’ve written multiple times that I don’t find Katch to be believable against men, and I’m not liking the idea of them having a three-way on Jan. 19.
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