By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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GCW “Til Infinity 2024”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
December 31, 2024 in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey at The Mecca
Ridgefield Park is located straight west of New York City. The crowd is maybe 250. Veda Scott and Emil Jay provided commentary.
* The show opened with a highlight package including matches from last Saturday’s “Take Kare” show in Seattle, Washington.
1. 1 Called Manders vs. Tony Deppen. They took turns working each other’s left arm. Manders hit some LOUD chops; Deppen got angry and hit some stiff forearm strikes. Deppen hit a plancha to the floor at 3:00, but Manders turned it into a Death Valley Driver on the floor. Deppen had a large handprint on his upper back from a back chop, and they fought on the floor. Back in the ring, Deppen jumped on his back and tried to slow down Manders, but Manders hit a Bulldog Powerslam at 7:00. Deppen hit a running Meteora in the corner, then a top-rope doublestomp for a nearfall.
Deppen hit a running knee for a nearfall at 9:00. Manders hit some loud chops and he dropped Deppen gut-first across the top rope, then he hit a powerbomb. Kerry Morton and Griffin McCoy suddenly hit the ring and distracted Manders, allowing Deppen to get a rollup for a believable nearfall. Manders hopped up, hit a decapitating clothesline, and scored the pin. McCoy and Morton hopped in the ring and helped beat up Manders after the bell. Homicide ran in for the save, leading to our next match!
1 Called Manders defeated Tony Deppen at 10:34.
2. Homicide and Grim Reefer vs. Griffin McCoy and Kerry Morton. The heels stalled on the floor at the bell and the crowd chanted, “Please go home!” Homicide and Kerry opened. McCoy and Reefer entered at 2:00 and locked up. Homicide hit an Exploder Suplex on Griffin for a nearfall. McCoy hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest. Kerry tripped Homicide, allowing the heels to take control. A pretty standard beatdown, until Reefer made the hot tag at 8:00. The heels hit some kicks to Reefer’s gut. Reefer lit a joint and hit a huracanrana. Reefer put Griffin in a crossface, but Morton made the save. Kerry confiscated the blunt, took a tiny puff, and broke it in half. Homicide and Reefer hit punches in the corners at 10:30 as fans counted along. Deppen interfered and crotched Reefer on the ropes! It allowed McCoy to roll up Homicide, with a handful of tights, for the cheap pin.
Griffin McCoy and Kerry Morton defeated Homicide and Grim Reefer at 11:13.
* Homicide got on the mic and guaranteed he will mess up the heels. He challenged the three heels to a match Jan. 19 at Hammerstein Ballroom. Who will team with Homicide and Reefer?
* A new video aired of Parrow and his husband sleeping in bed, and the video implies someone attacked Parrow’s husband. Back to the venue, Richard Holliday and Pa
* Another video aired of Atticus Cogar, who has been locked up in a mental institute. (Yes, the Cogar and Mason storylines are fairly identical right now.) Footage aired of Cogar’s return to GCW in a death match tournament (just about the only GCW shows I didn’t watch this year.)
3. Atticus Cogar vs. Ciclope. Cogar came out first, wearing his orange jumpsuit. Ciclope set up a door in the corner before the bell, and he immediately hit a shotgun dropkick that sent Cogar through the door for a nearfall. Cogar hit a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, Cogar jabbed cooking skewers into Ciclope’s left arm. Ciclope hit a Canadian Destroyer, then a spear that sent Cogar through a barbed-wire door at 6:00. Ciclope hit a Spinebuster onto the barbed-wire door. Ciclope missed a moonsault at 9:30. Cogar hit an Air Raid Crash onto an open chair for a nearfall, then a snapmare driver for the pin. I just don’t get these deathmatches when there is no personal issue between them.
Atticus Cogar defeated Ciclope at 10:11.
* Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku will defend their tag titles on Jan. 19 against Cole Radrick and Alec Price. In true wrestling tradition, it means we must have two singles matches between the teams leading up to the match!
4. Dominic Garrini vs. Cole Radrick. Radrick wore his huge brass ring around his neck; he’s held that for months, and it gives him a match of his choosing whenever he wants. (Not necessarily a title shot, but why waste it on anything but a title match?) Cole immediately hit an OsCutter for a nearfall. Garrini is taller and thicker and he slammed Cole to the mat, then a shoulder breaker over his knee for a nearfall. Veda noted that Ku and Price are banned from ringside. Radrick hit his 619 around the ring post at 1:30, and he barely grazed Garrini on a Swanton Bomb. Garrini nailed a brainbuster for a nearfall. They got up and traded chops at 3:00. Garrini set up for a Muscle Buster, but Radrick escaped, got a backslide, and the fluke pin out of nowhere!
Cole Radrick defeated Dominic Garrini at 3:48.
* Kevin Ku ran in and attacked Radrick; Alec Price made the save, and our next match was quickly underway!
5. Kevin Ku vs. Alec Price. Ku immediately hit an Orange Crush flipping powerbomb for a nearfall. Price hit a dropkick. He backed Ku into a corner and hit some punches. Ku hit a running knee for a nearfall. They fought to the floor, where Ku hit a piledriver onto the hardwood floor at 4:00! Back in the ring, Ku kept Price grounded in a cravat. Garrini threw a title belt in the ring; Radrick jumped into the ring and grabbed it! The ref saw Radrick and ejected him. Price hit some European Uppercuts but sold the pain in his neck. He hit a springboard crossbody block. Ku collided with Garrini, who had hopped on the apron. Price nailed the Emergency flying leg lariat, then the springboard Blockbuster, then a frogsplash for a visual pin at 9:00, but Garrini pulled the ref from the ring. Ku hit Price with the title belt! Ku rolled up the prone Price for the tainted pin.
Kevin Ku defeated Alec Price at 9:24.
6. Megan Bayne vs. John Wayne Murdoch in an intergender match. Bayne rarely loses, but Murdoch is in the big ladder match on Jan. 19, so I’m not sure what happens here. She knocked him down with a clothesline to open. She hit a kick to his sternum that dropped him, then she hit a butterfly suplex at 1:30, then a dive through the ropes, with them landing deep in the crowd. They fought around the building. She had fans hold Murdoch’s arms so she could chop him. She hit a suplex onto the hardwood floor at 3:00, then another one! Murdoch hit a Divorce Court armbreaker on the ring apron, and she fell to the floor and she sold pain in the arm.
They got back into the ring and he kept her grounded. He slammed a chair against her arm, which was against the ring post, at 7:30. Murdoch hit a top-rope superplex. She got underneath him in a corner and hit a running powerbomb, and they were both down at 10:00. She fired up and hit some suplexes, then her leaping clothesline. He hit a low blow uppercut that she no-sold. (Because apparently in pro wrestling women are impervious in their groin area!) She hit a Tombstone Piledriver onto a door in the corner, and he bounced off it rather than it breaking. She then chokeslammed him through the door, and this time it broke. She immediately covered him for the pin.
Megan Bayne defeated John Wayne Murdoch at 13:00 even.
* Matt Cardona sent in a video from his home in Orlando. “I’m not going to wrestle on New Year’s Eve, I’m hosting a big Broski Bash with my hot wife, Chelsea Green,” he said.
7. Joey Janela vs. Dr. Redacted. Redacted wears blue medical scrubs; he’s bald, a deathmatch guy, and he’s been on a few GCW shows of late. They opened in a lockup, and Joey shouted to the crowd that they are going to wrestle. There is a trash can in the corner of the ring, however. Joey tied up the left arm as they did basic wrestling maneuvers early on. They got up and switched to chops and forearms at 2:30. They finally fought to the floor, where Dr. Redacted hit a running somersault onto Joey, who was seated on a chair, at 5:00. Redacted put a trash can over his head, leapt off a stage… and went through a table, as Joey had moved. They got back in the ring, where Joey hit him with a trash can lid at 8:00, and Redacted was bleeding from his forehead.
Emil and Veda joked about Janela’s promise that this was going to be a wrestling match, as this was now pretty hardcore action. Joey hit a brainbuster. Redacted hit a Tower of London-style stunner onto a trash can for a nearfall. Joey hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 10:30. He slammed Redacted onto an ironing board. Redacted flipped Janela off the corner and onto four open chairs for a nearfall at 14:30. Joey hit a German Suplex. The ring was covered in blood now. Redacted again put a trash can over his head and leapt off the ropes, but Joey repeatedly hit him with chairshots. They traded German Suplexes. Redacted hit a Death Valley Driver through a door in the corner for a nearfall at 17:30.
They started whacking each other over the head with door debris and chairs; I hate when a match gets to this point. Redacted sprayed green mist, but Joey got door debris up to block it. Joey hit a piledriver for a nearfall at 21:00. Redacted hit a Saito Suplex, then a frogsplash onto a garbage can on Joey’s chest for a nearfall. Redacted got a door that had four gusset plates on it; that is barbaric. Joey hit a doublestomp on that door, pushing it onto Redacted. He then hit a Death Valley Driver onto some open chairs for another nearfall. Joey hit a butterfly piledriver onto a horizontal door for the pin. Violent. Really violent. But watchable.
Joey Janela defeated Dr. Redacted at 25:06.
* Joey got on the mic and put over Dr. Redacted, then reiterated that he will see Masato Tanaka at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
* Intermission. They opted to show Mance Warner vs. Masha Slamovich from last week. It has gotten a lot of praise from the GCW diehards, but I found it too violent for my tastes, and I really don’t like intergender hardcore matches.
* When we returned from break, Emil Jay interviewed Effy in the ring. We saw footage of Allie Katch turning on Effy at the Art of War Games. Emil noted that Effy made some comments on a podcast that “set the wrestling world on fire.” (Which reportedly is why Tony Khan pulled Ricky Starks from a show.) We then saw footage of a masked Chris Jericho attacking Effy at a GCW show in Los Angeles. Effy finally got on the mic and expressed his anger at Allie. (This is the exact opposite of the CM Punk-Seth Rollins war of words. There is nothing he says that makes me think he is angry at her one iota.) Allie Katch marched to the ring and said no one cares about the bad things that happened to Effy in 2024. The winner of their singles match at Hammerstein faces Mance Warner in a singles match. She vowed it would be her that is winning. (I wish if they were doing this, it was just a three-way.) She slapped him and went for a piledriver; he escaped and he speared her. Katch rolled to the floor and left.
* Veda Scott and Emil Jay ran down the list of matches for the Hammerstein Ballroom. They are still listing Sidney Akeem vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo. I’m sure they are both aware Vikingo tweaked his knee in Progress Wrestling over the weekend, but they didn’t mention it. I hope the match happens, but I wouldn’t wager on it, either.
* Cole Radrick joined Veda in the booth as Emil went to the ring. The ring is still blood-stained and looks gross; I wouldn’t put my body on that.
8. The Do or Die Rumble. The winner gets a match of their choosing. Will Radrick hop up at some point and join this match? Blake Christian drew No. 1 and Austin Luke (think Pac but taller) was No. 2. Luke has only appeared in GCW a few times but I’ve liked what I’ve seen of him in H20 Wrestling. Blake hit a clothesline to eliminate Luke before anyone else came out. Trevor Outlaw, a Chicago-based guy, was No. 3 at 2:00. The crowd didn’t react much to him. Blake eliminated him in under a minute; did Outlaw make that drive only to be eliminated in 40 or so seconds? Ciclope was No. 4 and he hit a spinebuster on Blake. John Wayne Murdoch was No. 5 at 4:30. Tara Zep was No. 6; she competed on the show last weekend in Seattle.
Lucky 13 was No. 7 at 7:00 and he got a pop; we have five in the ring. Tara hit a DDT on Lucky 13. However, she was tossed. Azrael was No. 8 and Griffin McCoy was No. 9 just seconds later, then Kerry Morton came in at No. 10, so they entered together. Ciclope was eliminated. Morton and McCoy worked together to toss Lucky 13. Grim Reefer was No. 11 at 11:30; I count six in the ring. Reefer tossed McCoy; Kerry tossed Reefer. Reefer and McCoy fought to the back. Kevin Ku was No. 12 at 13:00, and Dominic Garrini was No. 13. Alec Price was No. 14; he hit a double clothesline that eliminated both Ku and Garrini! They went to get back in but Cole grabbed them. Cole dove over the top rope onto Violence is Forever (eliminating himself in the process!) and those four fought to the back. Wes Barkley, a Cleveland-based guy, was No. 15 and he came out to crickets.
Blake superkicked Barkley. Frankie Pickard was No. 16 at 17:30; he’s a heavyset Black man and he had a cigarette in his mouth. 1 Called Manders was No. 17, and he immediately tossed Azrael. He squared off with Pickard and we got a “beef!” chant. Manders tossed Pickard! WWE ID prospect Sam Holloway was No. 18, and he stepped over the top rope and stood nose-to-nose with Manders. (I presume he traveled here with Barkley). Holloway hit a chokeslam on Manders. Broski Jimmy Lloyd was No. 19 at 20:00, but Holloway hit a chokeslam powerbomb on Lloyd. Sleepy Ed was No. 20, bringing his pillow with him into the ring. He laid down in the center of the ring and went to sleep, and the action just stopped. Blake walked over and hit a Stomp on Sleepy Ed, then eliminated him at 22:00.
Justin Finn was No. 21; he just had a big debut match against Joey Janela. Veda said he has five or less matches. Blake snapped the rookie’s arm. Blake and Finn fought on the ring apron and Blake speared him. Finn low-bridged the top rope, and Blake flew over the top rope and was eliminated at 26:00. (This isn’t quite Maven eliminating Undertaker, but it’s the same idea.) Blake held his head in disgust as he walked to the back. Tony Deppen was No. 22; he was seated in the crowd and acted like he was unaware he was in the match. He hugged Kerry Morton upon entering the match. A clock appeared on the screen, saying we are 2025 minutes until the New Year. (I am watching this on Wednesday morning, not live.) Finn was tossed.
Referee Dan Perch was No. 23, coming out to Prince’s “1999.” Funny. The crowd chanted “New champ!” He hit a headscissors takedown on Deppen, then a stunner! Everyone else was down on the mat. Perch tossed Deppen! Perch hit some jab punches on Barkley, then another stunner, and he clotheslined Barkley to the floor at 32:00. He hit a stunner on Lloyd, and he tossed Lloyd! He hit a stunner on Murdoch! Kerry hit Perch with a chair, then tossed Perch to eliminate him and was loudly booed. Good stuff all around. We have just four in the ring: Manders, Kerry, Murdoch and Holloway. Megan Bayne was No. 24 at 34:00 and she kicked Kerry to the floor, then she clotheslined Holloway to the floor! Dr. Redacted, still covered in blood, was No. 25; he tossed weapons at each of the other three in the ring.
Charlie Tiger was No. 26; I swear he looks heavier every time I see him lately. He hit a Death Valley Driver on Redacted and went for a cover; Veda said he’s deranged and doesn’t know the rules. Joey Janela was No. 27, also still covered in blood. “He’s missing part of his scalp!” Veda shouted. Redacted hit Bayne, so Joey hit Redacted. Tiger got tossed to the floor at 38:00. Tarzan Duran was No. 28; I don’t know him. He hit a twisting neckbreaker on Manders. Matt Tremont was No. 29. Tarzan was eliminated. Tremont tossed Dr. Redacted. Murdoch was eliminated, and we’re down to four again: Tremont, Manders, Janela and Bayne. Atticus Cogar was No. 30, and our final entrant. Cogar low-bridged the top rope, and Manders flew over the top rope to the floor.
Bayne battled Tremont while Joey battled Cogar. Bayne hit a backbody drop and eliminated Tremont at 42:00! Joey and Bayne teamed up and beat down Cogar. The clock re-appeared and we are 10 minutes to 2025! Cogar tossed Joey, so it’s down to Bayne vs. Cogar! They fought onto the ring apron. He hit a Lionsault on her as she was tied in the ropes at 45:00. He stabbed her hand with cooking skewers! They got back in the ring, where she hit a spear! She picked him up and hit an F5 over the top rope to the floor!
Megan Bayne won the Do or Die Rumble at 46:27.
* Cogar jumped back into the ring and attacked Bayne, which brought Joey back to the ring for the save. Otis Cogar (Atticus’ brother) jumped in the ring and brawled with Joey, and those two fought to the back. Atticus kept beating up Bayne.
* A video aired to preview Jan. 19, then we returned to the venue, where many of the wrestlers had returned to the ring with glasses of champagne to officially bring in the new year.
Final Thoughts: First and foremost, an entertaining, and well-planned-out, Rumble. I didn’t mind the Sleepy Ed comedy in the middle. The end gave us several possible candidates who I fully believed could win the match. I wouldn’t be surprised now if Mance Warner retains his title against Effy on Jan. 19, only to immediately lose it to Bayne, if she cashes in after that match. I also liked that down-on-his-luck Blake lost to a rooke who almost no one has seen. I’m a big fan of rumbles and that takes best match, ahead of Price-Ku, with Deppen-Manders for third. Fans of death matches will rave about Janela-Redacted, too, so if you like that style, make sure you check it out.
With neither Masha nor Mance Warner on this show, it was a great idea to show that match they had last weekend at intermission. I always advocate filling an intermission with a match rather than a blank screen.
I needled GCW for its excellent “Dream On” show at a New Jersey mall because it was so PG-rated, it hardly looked like a GCW show. Imagine a mom brought her young son to that show… and then to this one, only to see that violent Joey-Redacted match? She would feel like GCW lied to her about what type of product they offer, based on what was presented at “Dream On.” Point being, GCW’s ultra-violent tendencies are aimed at a niche market who loves these hardcore matches.
Beyond Wrestling also held a show that began at 8 p.m. EST in Massachusetts that also went past midnight; a Google Maps search shows these cities are about three hours apart even. I guess in theory someone could have participated in an early match in Worcester, Mass., and shocked us all by appearing here in the Rumble, but that didn’t happen. I point out the Beyond show because it meant the very best of the very best Northeast indy talent were all in action Tuesday.
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