By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Scene of the Crime”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
December 13, 2024 in Mesa, Arizona at Nile Theater
The venue is a tavern with an extraordinarily high ceiling. The crowd was maybe 250-300. Emil Jay and Brett Lauderdale provided commentary; still no Dave Prazak and he’s sorely missed.
* The show opened with footage from last weekend’s show in Atlanta.
1. Fuego Del Sol vs. JKM. Fuego had a pair of really good matches on last weekend’s shows. JKM wears a Spider-Man inspired mask; this is at least the third time he’s wrestled for GCW shows in the West. Quick standing ovations to open. Fuego hit a dropkick for a nearfall at 2:00, and he tied up JKM in a pendulum. JKM hit a flip dive to the floor on Fuego at 4:00. JKM then hit a springboard flying forearm in the ring and a Pele Kick, then a twisting senton for a nearfall. Fuego hit a Lionsault Press and a kick for a nearfall. JKM hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly at 6:00, then a frogsplash for a nearfall. JKM hit an OsCutter for a nearfall. Fuego hit a Canadian Destroyer and a tornado DDT for the pin. Good high-energy opener. JKM hasn’t won here yet but he continues to impress.
Fuego Del Sol defeated JKM at 8:38.
* The courtroom vignette to promote “The People vs. GCW” aired.
2. Brooke Havok vs. Gino Rivera in an intergender match. Like JKM, Rivera has looked good in a series of matches when GCW has headed West. I have compared him to former ROH wrestler Ricky Reyes, and his nickname is “The Puerto Rican Pitbull.” Gino jawed at the fans before the bell. Ref Dan Perch joined Lauderdale on commentary! She ducked and avoided his offense early on. She hit a basement dropkick to his chest. He tripped her on the ring apron at 1:30, and he playfully kicked her on the floor. He teased whipping her into the chairs but tossed her into the ring instead. He splashed onto her in the corner of the ring, then hit a brainbuster and he was in charge. He hit a bodyslam at 4:30. She hit a twisting DDT for a nearfall. Gino hit a senton for a nearfall at 6:30 and the crowd was all over him. She hit the Cross Rhodes swinging faceplant for the pin. Okay match; they definitely have a better match in them if there was ever a rematch.
Brooke Havok defeated Gino Rivera at 7:16.
* Footage aired of Mr. Danger’s surprising upset win over John Wayne Murdoch last weekend.
3. Man Like DeReiss vs. Rich Swann. Fuego Del Sol now joined Lauderdale on commentary. I will reiterate that if you haven’t seen Rich in a while, he has shaved all his hair off, and he also appears to have dropped some muscle mass. These are two never-ending entrances! They locked up and DeReiss appears to be bigger, and he shoved Swann to the mat. They had a dance-off and the crowd was into this. DeReiss hit a clothesline at 3:00, then a snap suplex. They brawled on the floor, and DeReiss whipped him into a stage. Swann leapt off the stage, but DeReiss caught him with a superkick at 5:00. They got back into the ring and the crowd was really engaged. Swann hit a Surprise Kick, then a frogsplash at 7:00.
DeReiss hit a swinging Flatliner and they were both down. They traded forearms, and DeReiss hit a swinging back suplex at 9:00. Swann nailed a Frankensteiner. DeReiss hit a second-rope Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 11:00. Swann hit a Lethal Injection, then the Phoenix Splash for the pin. That was really good, as expected. I’ll point out I’ve seen three Swann matches in the past eight days and he seems to be healthy and clear-headed.
Rich Swann defeated Man Like DeReiss at 12:48.
4. Effy vs. Juicy Finau. Finau wore his black one-strap singlet. They jawed at the bell. Effy hit some kicks in the corner. Finau slammed him to the mat and hit a splash onto him for a nearfall at 2:00. Juicy hit a shoulder tackle and was in charge. Effy hit a huracanrana. Juicy hit a standing powerbomb at 5:30, but he missed a moonsault. Effy hit a Blockbuster for a nearfall. Effy hit a second-rope superplex, earning a “holy shit!” chant, and they were both down. Effy hit his Helluva Kick, then dragged Juicy to the mat. He hit his top-rope flying leg drop for the pin. Solid; you really don’t want to ask Juicy to go longer than this.
Effy defeated Juicy Finau at 8:22.
5. Sidney Akeem vs. Rey Horus. This should be great. (Hey Tony Khan, since it is all but a certainty you are losing Rey Fenix, how about you replace him with Horus?) A feeling-out process early as they twisted each other’s left arm. Sidney hit a dropkick at 2:00. Horus hit a flip dive to the floor onto Sidney. In the ring, Horus hit a buzzsaw kick. Akeem hit a snap suplex. He hit a moonsault press on a standing Horus for a nearfall at 7:00. Awkward timing as Sidney set up for a dive and had to wait for Horus to punch him. Seconds later, Sidney nailed a dive through the ropes, with them both crashing onto empty chairs at 9:00. Sidney left off the top rope but Horus caught him with a leaping dropkick! Rey hit a sunset flip powerbomb. However, Sidney nailed the Final Act (double backflip into a stunner) for the pin out of nowhere. Good action; I wish they had gone longer! Sidney is now 16-0-1 in GCW.
Sidney Akeem defeated Rey Horus at 10:49.
6. Joey Janela vs. Rob Shit. Rob has the 1980s rocker look and he’s an alright brawler; I admittedly am not a fan. Basic action early on. They brawled to the floor at 2:00. Joey was in charge as they got back into the ring, hitting a diving European Uppercut for a nearfall at 4:30. Rob hit some clotheslines and a backbody drop, then a Stinger Splash. Joey tossed him off the top turnbuckle to the mat, then a spear for a nearfall, but Rob grabbed the ropes at 7:00. Joey slid some boards into the ring. Rob splashed onto Joey, who was lying on a board bridge, for a nearfall. Joey hit a top-rope flying elbow, then a top-rope kneedrop onto a chair over Rob’s face for a nearfall at 10:30.
They got up and traded punches. Joey charged and accidentally crashed through a door in the corner at 12:00. Joey hit a Death Valley Driver onto an open chair for a believable nearfall, so Joey hit a second DVD for a believable nearfall. Joey hit him over the head with door debris, then he threw a chair at his head and I really hate that. Joey hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb onto door debris on Rob’s chest and got the pin. The crowd loved this a LOT more than I did. I just reject the unnecessary spot of throwing a chair at the head. Also, A DVD onto an open chair should be a finisher, not a transition move to the real finisher. All that said, the crowd was fully into this.
Joey Janela defeated Rob Shit at 13:44.
7. Megan Bayne vs. Dulce Tormenta. As is typically the case, Megan is taller and clearly stronger than her opponent. Bayne is back in her white gear tonight, not her new black-and-gold. Bayne hit a shoulder tackle. Dulce hit some forearm strikes and a head-scissors takedown. Bayne hit some chops and a butterfly suplex for a nearfall at 4:00, then a vertical suplex. Tormenta hit a superkick, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall at 6:00. Bayne hit a Stinger Splash, then a wheelbarrow German Suplex. Dulce hit her own German Suplex at 7:30, then a Canadian Destroyer. Bayne hit a running powerbomb and they were both down. They got up and traded chops. Bayne charged and her shoulder went into the ring post. Dulce immediately hit a Meteora running double knees, then a sit-out Falcon Arrow move for a nearfall at 10:30, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant.
Dulce tied Megan in an Octopus Stretch. Bayne hit a second-rope superplex, then her own Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 12:30. Tormenta hit a Falcon Arrow. Tormenta dove through the ropes and crashed onto Bayne. They got back into the ring, but Megan immediately hit a leaping lariat and an F5 faceplant for a believable nearfall. Megan immediately hit the Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. A really good match. The winner was never in doubt, but Tormenta brought a good fight.
Megan Bayne defeated Dulce Tormenta at 15:11.
8. “Gahbage Daddies” Alec Price and Cole Radrick vs. “Wolf Zaddies” Bad Dude Tito and Che Cabrera. The WZ are much thicker/stronger and have the experience edge, too. They attacked the GD before the bell and tossed them around. Che hit a decapitating clothesline on Radrick. Tito hit a Buckle Bomb on Price, then a hard clothesline at 3:30. The WZ hit a team flapjack on Price. Tito hit a senton and they kept Alec in their corner. Cole got in but Che slammed him. Che hit a flying shoulder tackle on Cole at 6:30. Che hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall on Radrick. The WZ hit stereo F5 faceplants for nearfalls at 12:30, then a team chokeslam on Cole for a nearfall. Tito hit a flying spinebuster on Alec for a nearfall. Price hit a Frankensteiner on Che, then a springboard crossbody on Tito. Price hit a top-rope doublestomp on Che’s shoulders, and the GD piled onto Che for the pin. Good match.
Alec Price and Cole Radrick defeated Bad Dude Tito and Che Cabrera at 14:51.
9. Matthew Justice vs. Broski Jimmy. This doesn’t feel like a main event to me, but Justice is crazy so who knows what he might do here. Jimmy came out first and he’s not happy about being in Arizona; he should be helping Cardona prepare to beat Jericho! The match began and they immediately brawled to the floor, where Justice slammed a chair over Jimmy’s back. Justice slammed down a couple of beers as they continued to brawl. Justice threw some weapons into the ring, and he got a stapler and used it on Jimmy’s forehead at 3:00. Jimmy was heavily bleeding from the forehead and I’ve lost my interest in this one. He buried Jimmy under a pile of chairs on the floor at 5:30. Jimmy hit a forward Finlay Roll, leaping from the stage and they both crashed through a board bridge on the floor. They got back into the ring and Jimmy began whacking Justice with weapons and board debris.
Justice hit a top-rope tornado DDT through a board bridge at 11:00. Justice hit a HARD chairshot over Jimmy’s unprotected head. That’s just gross and so unnecessary. Justice hit a coast-to-coast missile dropkick and got a nearfall, and they traded chairshots to the back. They fought on a ladder in the ring, and Jimmy hit a superplex off the second-to-top rung, with them crashing through a board bridge for a nearfall at 16:30. They got up and whacked each other over the head with board debris. Justice put a garbage can over Jimmy’s head and struck it with a chair. Justice then hit a frogsplash off the ladder for the pin. The crowd liked this; I abhor those chair shots to the head and cannot look past them.
Matthew Justice defeated Jimmy Lloyd at 18:36.
Final Thoughts: DeReiss-Swann stole the show. I liked Horus-Akeem for second and I’ll go with Tormenta-Bayne for third. A bit of a strange GCW show in that it was missing champion Mance Warner, plus Allie Katch, 1 Called Manders, Blake Christian, Gringo Loco, Jack Cartwheel and Mike Bailey. Plus, TNA had a show Friday so Masha Slamovich also was unavailable. Those absences loom large when so many of them have marquee matches on the Hammerstein show they are building towards.
I will reiterate what I wrote last week… Fuego Del Sol had his match early in the show and joined Emil on commentary for some matches and provided some great insight. Emil does alright on commentary, but I really prefer him having a guest in the booth with him. I’d really like to see more wrestlers who have already wrapped up their match step up like Fuego did here.
GCW heads back to Los Angeles tonight. I have urged GCW to warn the fans to not pelt the ring with cans, garbage, and debris. The last two trips to Los Angeles, the fans there have gotten out of control. So, hopefully they nip this in the bud tonight.
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