By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Highest In The Room 3”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
December 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California at the Ukrainian Culture Center
GCW always draws a strong crowd of 600-700 here – if it’s not another sellout, it’s close. Jordan Castle and Emil Jay provided commentary.
1. Starboy Charlie vs. Man Like DeReiss. This truly could be a main event. Castle noted that Charlie just returned from another tour of Japan, while Brit star DeReiss has crisscrossed the US in recent weeks. They shook hands at the bell and traded fast-paced reversals. Charlie hit a head-scissors takedown and a dropkick at 2:30. DeReiss dropped him with a clothesline, and he hit some loud chops, then a bodyslam for a one-count. Charlie hit a Thesz Press and some punches to the face at 7:30, then a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. DeReiss caught Charlie and hit a German Suplex, then a standing powerbomb for a nearfall.
They held onto each other’s left wrist and traded chops, then they traded rollups. Charlie hit a uranage and a corkscrew senton, then a brainbuster for a nearfall at 11:30. DeReiss hit a kip-up stunner for a nearfall. Charlie did a handspring-into-a-Pele Kick in the corner. Charlie went for a top-rope Shooting Star Press, but DeReiss caught him with a stunner, and they were both down at 14:30. Charlie hit a Pele Kick, and they traded dropkicks. DeReiss clocked him with a superkick! Charlie hit a top-rope superplex, then the top-rope Shooting Star Press for the pin. Yes, that might be the best match of the show, and the crowd gave them a “both these guys!” chant.
Starboy Charlie defeated Man Like DeReiss at 15:59.
* A really nice video package aired for the next match. Really well done, to the point I felt I had to point it out.
2. Matt Cardona (w/Jimmy Lloyd) vs. Effy. Cardona got on the mic and congratulated Chelsea Green on becoming the first-ever U.S. Women’s champion, and that makes him “one-half of the U.S. champion!” Effy hit a headbutt to the groin early in the match. Effy hit a dive onto Lloyd. Effy and Cardona brawled in front of the fans. In the ring, Cardona choked Effy and kept him grounded. Effy hit a Northern Lights Suplex at 3:00, then a Whoopee Cushion buttdrop. Cardona hit an Unprettier for a nearfall, and the crowd immediately chanted “Chelsea’s better!” Effy hit a Blockbuster at 5:30, then a spear for a nearfall. Cardona hit a Broski Boot in the corner for a nearfall.
The ref got bumped. Cardona got a belt but he accidentally hit Lloyd with it. Effy hit his Fame-asser for a visual pin. Cardona hit a low blow uppercut. He again grabbed his Internet title belt, but a masked man in a New York hoodie got in the ring and hit Cardona with a bat! Effy hit his Fameasser for the pin! The masked man pulled down his hoodie and it was Chris Jericho! He hit a Judas Effect elbow on Effy, too! Jericho gave the crowd the middle finger.
Effy defeated Matt Cardona at 8:20.
* Jericho peeled off the hoodie and he wore a generic AEW black T-shirt. He hit both Effy and Cardona with the bat, then left. That was a fun surprise and I applaud everyone for keeping it under wraps.
3. Sidney Akeem vs. Fuego Del Sol. Akeem is now 16-0-1 in GCW competition and he’s been a highlight here. Good reversals to open. Akeem hit a backflip armdrag at 3:30. Fuego hit a huracanrana off the ropes. He hit a backbreaker over his knee, then a faceplant combo. Akeem hit a step-up mule kick, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall at 6:30, then a pump-handle side slam. Fuego hit a doublestomp as Akeem was tied in the Tree of Woe, then a coast-to-coast dropkick, earning a “holy shit!” chant. Fuego hit a crossbody block that sent them both to the floor.
Akeem hit a sunset flip bomb; Fuego hit a Poison Rana, and they were both down at 11:00. Akeem went for the Final Act but Fuego blocked it and hit a doublestomp to the back! Akeem then nailed the Final Act (double backflip into a stunner) for the pin. Fun match; these two work well together.
Sidney Akeem defeated Fuego Del Sol at 11:38.
* A new vignette aired from inside a prison. Guards were torturing Atticus Cogar, who was incarcerated there.
4. “Gahbage Daddies” Alec Price and Cole Radrick vs. Rick Scott Stoner and Scott Rick Stoner. The Stoners are a one-note joke (They like marijuana!) and have never clicked for me. Radrick still has his brass ring around his neck that gives him a future match of his choosing. All four smoked joints. The Stoners shared with the crowd! The GD leapt through the ropes onto the Stoners and the match was underway. (I never heard a bell but I started the stopwatch at first contact.) The Stoners hit a team German Suplex on Cole in the ring. The Stoners are older but they are much bigger than their opponents, and they kept Radrick in their corner.
Price got a hot tag at 3:30 and hit the Emergency flying leg lariat. He hit a dive over the top rope, then his springboard Blockbuster for a nearfall. Cole hit a 619. A Stoner hit a second-rope powerslam on Cole. The Stoners hit a team powerbomb on Price for a nearfall at 5:30. Cole pushed the brothers into each other. Price hit a top-rope doublestomp for the pin. Not bad, actually, and it didn’t overstay its welcome.
Alec Price and Cole Radrick defeated Rick Scott Stoner and Scott Rick Stoner at 6:40.
5. Brooke Havok vs. Dulce Tormenta vs. Zara Zakher. Dulce had a really good match a day earlier against Megan Bayne. Zara is a short Black woman, just age 22, and she’s a WWE ID prospect. She’s a powerhouse and had a really good GCW match against Masha Slamovich right before she got the ID deal. They traded rollups early and had a standoff. Zara hit a shoulder tackle and a bodyslam on Brooke. Brooke hit a brainbuster on Zara for a nearfall at 4:30. Dulce hit a running Meteora. She hit a top-rope crossbody block to the floor on her opponents, and she got a nearfall on Brooke in the ring. Zara hit a Spinebuster on Brooke for a believable nearfall at 7:00. Zara cut Tormenta in half with a spear. Brooke shoved Zara to the floor, and she nailed the Cross Rhodes and pinned Tormenta. That was a sprint; they got a lot of offense in a match that short.
Brooke Havok defeated Dulce Tormenta and Zara Zakher at 8:03.
* They replayed the footage of Chris Jericho entering the ring and attacking Matt Cardona and Effy. Not sure why I need a reminder of what I saw an hour ago… (OH, they used this as a break to take down the ropes. It’s time for a Bloodsport match!)
6. Josh Barnett vs. Royce Isaacs in a Bloodsport match. They immediately went to the mat and traded intense reversals. The crowd isn’t bored but they are quiet. Josh hit some elbow strike to the side of the head. Emil noted that these two have competed in more Bloodsport matches than anyone. Isaacs hit a German Suplex at 6:00 and he hit some strikes to the forehead, and he went for a hammerlock. Isaacs hit a suplex and went back to a headlock. Barnett applied a sleeper, so Royce fell backward onto him. Royce nailed a Doctor Bomb at 9:30, then a hard clothesline. The ref determined Royce was out and called for the bell. Almost no reaction from the crowd at the finish. This wasn’t bad at all, but the crowd wasn’t there for it.
Josh Barnett defeated Royce Isaacs in a Bloodsport match at 9:53.
* Footage aired of Parrow and Richard Holliday turning on Charles Mason, and Mason being taken away and accused of murder! The vignette aired of Mason at the prison, and as he was being transferred to a mental institute, he escaped the transport van! (I admittedly love what GCW is doing with all these recent vignettes. I could be fast-forwarding to the next match but I wanted to see this one again.) They then ran the vignette where Richard Holliday nervously talked to an FBI agent about Mason’s escape, and how he is worried that Mason will kill him if he gets his hands on him.
7. Megan Bayne and Joey Janela vs. Parrow and Richard Holliday. Holliday wrestled in North Carolina 24 hours earlier. A team of security guards led the paranoid Holliday to the ring. Holliday got on the mic and screamed that these “are unsafe working environments.” He complained that Charles Mason should be in jail. The crowd is fully into this after being quiet for the Bloodsport match. Parrow easily shoved Joey down to open the match. Joey and Megan hit team shoulder tackles to knock Parrow down. The heels began working over Megan in their corner. Megan chokeslammed Holliday for a nearfall at 3:00. Parrow hit a splash on Joey for a nearfall and the heels began working over Janela. Megan got back in at 7:00 and hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Holliday, then a flying clothesline on Parrow.
Megan tried to pick up the massive Parrow. On a second attempt she got him up and hit a Samoan Drop! Massive pop for that spot. She powerbombed Holliday onto Parrow, then hit a splash to the mat on both of them for a nearfall. Megan and Joey hit a second-rope superplex on Parrow for a nearfall at 10:00, but Holliday made the save. Bayne hit another leaping clothesline on Holliday; she hand Parrow hit clotheslines on each other and suddenly everyone was down. Joey hit a top-rope crossbody block on Holliday. Parrow chokeslammed Joey. However, a person in an orange jumpsuit was on the stage! Security escorted the guy out of the building, but it unnerved Holliday, who left the ring. It allowed Megan to hit a spear and pin Parrow. This was better than it had any right to be, and the crowd is into the Mason storyline.
Megan Bayne and Joey Janela defeated Parrow and Richard Holliday at 12:22.
* Charles Mason, wearing a blue suit (not the orange jumpsuit!) jumped in the ring and hit Parrow over the head with a hard chair shot. He hit a security guard, too. Holliday fled the building and the cameras followed him as he ran onto the streets of Los Angeles.
* Mance Warner is off the show so the Wolf Zaddies are taking his spot in the next match!
8. Juicy Finau and “The Wolf Zaddies” Bad Dude Tito and Che Cabrera vs. Gringo Loco, Arez, and Jack Cartwheel. Gringo’s three-man team will be facing the ECW legends Tajiri & Super Crazy & Little Guido on Jan. 19 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. Juicy’s team are all visibly bigger and stronger. Loco and Tito opened, with the crowd loudly and fullly behind Loco. They traded some quick reversals and had a posedown. Arez entered at 2:30 to square off with the massive Juicy! Arez went for a shoulder tackle but he just bounced off Finau. Arez hit an enzuigiri. Finau hit a flying body block. WWE ID prospect Cartwheel entered at 4:00 and hit a dropkick on Juicy. Che entered and mockingly did some cartwheels while Jack was down. Those two traded fast-paced reversals.
Loco hit a flip dive to the floor on the heels at 6:00. Juicy set up for a dive but Arez stopped him by hitting a superkick. Emil joked that Arez just saved the lives of the guys on the floor. Arez hit his moonsault to the floor onto everyone. In the ring, Cartwheel hit a standing moonsault. Loco hit a split-legged moonsault out of the corner at 8:00. Arez hit a series of chops on Tito as Arez’s teammates held onto Tito’s arms. Loco and Arez nailed a Magic Killer, and Cartwheel splashed onto Tito. They hit team superkicks on Finau. Arez hit a DDT on Juicy at 10:00. Loco hit a flipping axe kick. Tito hit a dive through the ropes to the floor! In the ring, Juicy hit a bodyslam. The WZ hit a team chokeslam. Juicy hit a Samoan Drop on Loco at 12:00. The WZ tossed Arez and Jack into each other, with them really colliding in mid-air!
Che hit a Frankensteiner on Loco. Arez hit his Pele Kick. Che hit a powerslam. Jack nailed his Crucifix Driver on Che at 14:30. Juicy tossed Jack to the floor onto everyone! Tito hit a spear on Arez. Juicy’s team each climbed a different corner but they were all cut off before doing a dive. Loco hit a Spanish Fly on Tito. Arez hit a Poison Rana off the ropes on Juicy and pinned him. A fun match with non-stop action.
Gringo Loco, Arez, and Jack Cartwheel defeated Bad Dude Tito, Che Cabrera, and Juicy Finau at 16:35.
* Emil announced the return date here will be March 1.
9. Allie Katch vs. Vipress. Allie hit a kick that dropped Vipress. Vipress hit a back suplex and a shotgun dropkick. Allie hit a German Suplex and she began to stoomp on Vipress, and the crowd was loudly booing Katch. She hit a Pounce and was in charge. Vipress hit an Alabama Slam, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. Vipress hit an Electric Chair drop, with Katch crashing onto a folded chair for a nearfall. Katch hit a piledriver, then a second one, but she pulled Vipress up at the two-count at 7:00. She then hit a third piledriver onto the folded chair for the pin. Decent.
Allie Katch defeated Vipress at 7:19.
* Footage aired of the bloody Jimmy Lloyd-Matthew Justice match from Arizona 24 hours earlier.
10. Matthew Justice vs. Dr. Redacted in a death match. I’ve seen just a couple of Dr. Redacted matches; he wears the blue hospital scrubs and he’s bald. Weapons were thrown into the ring before the match started. They immediately brawled to the floor, where Justice suplexed him onto an open ironing board at 1:30. Justice shoved gusset plates into Redacted’s forehead. Gross. They whacked each other over the head with weapons as they fought on the floor. In the ring, Redacted hit a Tower of London stunner onto several open chairs at 12:00. Dr. Redacted hit a Vader Bomb onto a folded ladder on top of Justice. (No way that hurts Justice more than it hurts Redacted. What a dumb move.) They whacked each other with weapons. Redacted hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Justice hit an Air Raid Crash onto a ladder in the corner for a nearfall at 19:00. Justice hit a Death Valley Driver off the top of a ladder, with them crashing through a board bridge for the pin. Good big spot to end this match. Not as bloody as I anticipated.
Matthew Justice defeated Dr. Redacted at 23:15.
* Atticus Cogar, also wearing an orange jumpsuit, jumped in the ring and attacked both Justice and Dr. Redacted! The inmates are running the asylum!
Final Thoughts: A couple years ago, Chris Jericho and his entire Jericho Appreciation Society invaded a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show and they had an impromptu 10-man tag. So, this was not unprecedented for Jericho to pop up here and create some more buzz. Congrats to everyone involved for keeping it under wraps… no one leaked word that Jericho was in the building.
If you have read my Bloodsport reviews, I have written that I probably wouldn’t watch a full weekly series of this style of match. But I like the idea of mixing in a Bloodsport match into GCW events… no different than mixing in a lucha match next to an intergender match next to a death match. A little bit of variety is what GCW is about.
Overall a really good show, even though I don’t care for the death match stuff. The Loco six-man tag was a fun spot-fest with both Tito and Che showing they can do some of those lucha moves, and I’ll narrowly give that best match ahead of the Charlie-DeReiss opener. Fuego-Akeem takes third. The women’s three-way was short but noteworthy of honorable mention, and the Richard Holliday/Parrow-Janela/Bayne had no right being that fun, either. I’ve noted it before, but outside of their home in the NY/NJ market, Los Angeles is clearly the top show for GCW and it was treated as such here. Warning, this show topped four hours.
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