Nick Gage and Matt Tremont retained the GCW Tag Team titles Sunday at Don’t Tell Me What To Do, the second of two straight nights of GCW pay-per-views in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Gage and Tremont (aka The H8 Club) defeated The Rejects (John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley) in a deathmatch to retain the belts. It was the first defense of the gold they won at The Wrld on GCW from The Briscoes.
The 56-year-old 2 Cold Scorpio returned for more GCW action, defeating Gringo Loco in singles action — his first win in the promotion since last September’s win over Effy at Highest In The Room.
Joey Janela and Marko Stunt are now 0-3 as a team in GCW with their loss to The Second Gear Crew of AJ Gray and Matthew Justice who, conversely, are 3-0 in GCW as a team.
One of the buzziest performances of the night was in a singles deathmatch between Orin Veidt and late fill-in Cole Radrick who replaced Ultraviolent Champion Alex Colon, picking up a bloody, upset victory.
Nick Gage has signed an exclusive, multi-year contract with GCW.
Fightful first reported the news Monday.
According to the report, the deal will reduce the amount of matches the 41-year-old Gage needs to work while also keeping him in GCW.
He is currently half of the company’s Tag Team titleholders along with Matt Tremont, winning the belts from The Briscoes at last month’s Wrld on GCW in a surprise appearance.
Company owner Brett Lauderdale told the website that he is against the idea of contracts in GCW, but made an exception.
“From day one, Nick has put his body and literally his life on the line for the fans inside the squared circle. He deserves, and has earned the right to be rewarded for 20+ years of hard work and sacrifice.
This historic contract will do just that, allowing him to continue his in-ring career at a pace that is beneficial to his health, while beginning to focus on opportunities that take him towards the next phase of his career.
GCW would not have achieved the level of success it has without Nick F’N Gage, and we are proud to be able to say that GCW will remain Nick’s home for the rest of his career,”
A pro dating back to 1999, Gage became a cult favorite with a rabid following, detailed on an episode of Dark Side of the Ring last year. He made news by appearing on AEW Dynamite last year in a match with Chris Jericho as part of the Five Labours of Jericho. The match saw Gage use a pizza cutter on Jericho’s head as a Domino’s ad coincidentally aired right after.
This is the first & likely the last contract GCW will ever offer.
Nick has earned the right to finish his career on his terms w/ dignity & a focus on the future he deserves. I'm proud GCW can give him that.
For the hard work, sacrifice & loyalty over 23+ years,
Join on-air personality Denise Salcedo and her special guest, ESPN’s very own Marc Raimondi as they review Game Changer Wrestling’s The WRLD on GCW! A lot of crazy stuff happened on the show, hear all about it!
Topics Rundown:
Overall thoughts
A crazy grab the brass ring ladder match
Match of the night: Team Gringo vs. Team Bandido
Lio Rush wrestles Blake Christian
A LOT happened During Matt Cardona vs. Joey Janela– multiple appearances
Nick Gage made his return to GCW, teaming with Matt Tremont.
The main event of The Wrld at GCW tonight had an open challenge, with The Briscoes challenging anyone for their GCW Tag Team titles. Matt Tremont first came out, then Nick Gage, making his first GCW appearance since October. The match lasted around five minutes, with Gage scoring the win for his team after a chokeslam into a backbreaker on Mark.
After the match, the entire GCW roster entered the ring as Gage cut a promo. He said he took time off to get himself healed both mentally and physically. He ended the show by getting the crowd to chant his catchphrase, saying that he loved his gang.
Gage last wrestled on October 23, where he lost to Minoru Suzuki at GCW War Ready.
Tremont and Gage ended The Briscoesâ run with the GCW Tag Team titles after 93 days. The Briscoes defeated The Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice), also back at War Ready back in October.
Minoru Suzuki’s U.S. tour continues as the night after taking on Chris Dickinson at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, he faces former GCW Champion Nick Gage for the very first time at War Ready.
The event is GCW’s second straight in Los Angeles, California.
Gage is coming off a loss to champion Jon Moxley in a death match at this month’s Fight Club show while Suzuki is 4-0 in GCW action the last two months.
The GCW Tag Team titles will be on the line as the Second Gear Crew of Mance Warner and Matthew Justice will face the debuting Jay and Mark Briscoe who made a surprise appearance at the Fight Club show to make the challenge.
In another debut, Mexican wrestling star Psycho Clown will take on EFFY.
The rest of the eight-match card will see former MLW Champion Jacob Fatu teaming with Juicy Finau vs. Chris Dickinson and Starboy Charlie; AJ Gray vs. Dark Sheik; Arez vs. Ninja Mack; Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne, and Jonathan Gresham vs. Alex Zayne.
Our live coverage begins at 11 PM Eastern.
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Eight-Way Scramble: Allie Katch defeated Gringo Loco, Lucas Riley, ASF, Matt Vandagriff, Gaston, JTG, and Eli Everfly
This match served as a shot of adrenaline to open the show, in this sense, a relatively usual GCW scramble. From bell to bell, this match was all gas, no breaks.
After all of the suspected competitors were announced, music played. Out walked Allie Katch, inserting herself in the match.
The match opened with Katch surrounded by all of her competitors. Katch went for a knife but was promptly interrupted by the rest of the wrestlers. This is where the match broke down into a typical GCW scrambleâthe eight-way featured tons of individual interactions and spectacular moves integrating into a digestible sequence. After plenty of dangerous and exciting moves, the ring was cleared for Katch to land a piledriver and secure the win.
Alex Zayne defeated Jonathan Gresham
Zayne and Gresham melded their styles into a cohesive match, it was quite fun.
The match opened with Gresham asking Zayne to arm wrestle. After Zayne rejected the offer, the match began at lightning pace. Almost as soon as it started, Zayne landed a dive on the outside. Zayne’s momentum was short-lived, however, as Gresham regained control after out wrestling Zayne from the mat.
On the mat, Gresham stretched and contorted Zayne, paying attention to multiple body parts. Zayne eventually fought to a standing position, where he gained spaced with a strike of his own. Zayne momentarily gained the advantage, but after his flipping kick, he lost control to Gresham on the mat once more.
Zayne fought under the ropes, escaping from a tight crossface. Gresham paused in his follow-up, allowing Zayne to connect with a strike. This initiated a back and forth that left both men grounded. Gresham capitalised on a prone
Zayne, landing a tope. Zayne quickly responded with a knee before the two tried for quick rollup wins. After multiple attempts, Gresham tried for a jackknife pin that Zayne stuffed, turning it into a pin of his own. Gresham was trapped, leaving Zayne with a sudden victory. Zayne outwrestled, at least in the last three seconds, the best pure wrestler on the planet.
AJ Gray defeated Dark Sheik
Gray is fantastic, this is clear every time he steps in a wrestling ring, but Sheikâs performance was also excellent in this match. Were there moments of questionable delivery? Sure, but Sheik fully delivered emotionally.
Gray opened the match with a headlock. From the mat, Gray lost control to Shiek but dropped her mere moments later. Gray tried for multiple strikes, but Shiek ducked them all, responding with quick kicks. Sheik then walked the top rope before delivering a rana.
A flapjack opened Shiek up for a nasty senton from Gray. Gray chopped Shiek to the ground, mocking her pain as she fell to the mat. A spinning kick sent Shiek to the outside. Shiek played possum, allowing her to land a quick move to slip back into control.
A leg drop from Sheik resulted in a near fall. Gray interrupted Sheikâs attempted follow-up with a chokeslam/powerbomb combination for a near fall of his own. Gray climbed to the top, where Sheik met him. Shiek landed a DDT and a pump handle, another near fall.
Sheik and Gray travelled to the top rope once more. This time Gray connected with a superplex, and again, Sheik kicked out. Gray hit his lariat; Sheik kicked out at one. Gray tried for another lariat, but was met with a groin punch. Gray responded with a spinebuster, lariat, and splash. This time Sheik failed to kick out.
Chris Dickinson and Starboy Charlie defeated Jacob Fatu and Juicy Fatu
This was up to the mark. A tag team match with all the fundamentals with an excellent feel-good ending followed by a brutal post-match beatdown. I.E. textbook pro wrestling.
This match started with a brawl before the bell. Charlie hit a dive, Dickenson a dropkick, Juicy a tackle. The opening moments were action-packed.
Carlie interrupted attempted interference with a rana to Jacob. Juicy responded with a double lariat. With Charlie and Juicy alone in the ring, Juicy was in total control; this continued after Jacob entered the fray.
After minutes of total domination, Charlie escaped a powerbomb to tag in Dickenson. Dickenson unloaded on Jacob and Juicy. Dickenson hoisted Jacob up and delivered a brainbuster for a near fall.
A fatigued Charlie tagged back into the match. A deadlift German suplex from Dickenson allowed Charlie to lock in a crossface that Juicy was forced to break up. This time, Dickenson didnât allow Charlie to be destroyed by his opponents; no, he had a door. Dickenson tried to fight off both Juicy and Jacob, but Jacob put him through his own door.
Jacob pulled Charlie onto his shoulders and delivered a Samoan drop; Charlie kicked out. Charlie was lined up for a chair shot but avoided the attack, allowing the chair to crash into Jacob. Charlie then grabbed the remnants of the table and levelled Juicy. Charlie then hooked the leg and pinned Juicy for an upset in his favour.
The victory celebration was cut short by Juicy and Jacob, who left the victors laid out before leaving the ring. Charlie was the focus of the attack; he required help out of the ring.
Jordan Oliver vs Nick Wayne
Oliver, in an untypical fashion, almost played the veteran in this match over his younger opponent. As Wayne tried to toy with Oliver, Oliver avoided the bait. Oliver also used his size to his advantage, delivering powerful moves on the smaller Wayne. A backbreaker/suplex combination left Oliver with a near fall.
After chopping Wayne across the ring, Wayne connected with a quick headbutt. A back elbow, enziguri, seated dropkick, and fisherman suplex lead to a two count for Wayne. Wayne, perhaps in desperation, climbed to the top rope. Enter Atticus Cogar.
Cogar pushed Wayne to the floor, but his main target was Oliver. Cogar dropped Oliver with a low blow before walking to the back. Cogar returned to the ring with barbed wire wrapped furniture. He flattened Oliver with the weapon before cutting a promo where he declared GCW was âbuilt on the blood of deathmatchâ, as opposed to the style of Oliver and Wayne. Cogar then announced his participation in the upcoming Nick Gage Invitational Tournament.
GCW Tag Team Championships: Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe defeated Mance Warner and Matthew Justice (c)
This was madness. The absolute insanity of this match makes it hard to evaluate. At the very least, it was high-intensity wrestling that one couldnât look away from.
Warner and Mark opened the match with back and forth striking. Jay tagged into the match and levelled Warner. Justice met a similar fate as the Briscoes connected with a double shoulder tackle.
After securing an early lead, the Briscoes went to the outside to toss chairs into the ring. Warner and Jay traded share strikes before the match broke down into a four-way chair war. Justice tried for a dive but missed; he took a disgusting fall into a chair. With their opponents down a man, the Briscoes destroyed Warner with a chair, now dawning a crimson mask.
Justice managed to interrupt the Briscoes only to receive an insane dive from Mark moments later. However, this was enough of a distraction as Jay was driven face-first into a chair moments later by Warner. Warner caught Mark with a chair on his way back into the ring, cornering him with a chair in a corner. Justice came off the top to deliver coast to coast. Very soon after, Justice landed a second cost to cost, this time with a flip.
Warner, now with a door, hoisted Jay to the top rope. A superplex drove Jay through the door just in time for a Justice splash. Mark broke up the pin that followed.
All four men rose to a standing position and began trading strikesâthe Briscoes connected with a powerbomb cutter on Justice after flattening Warner for a convincing near fall. The Briscoes then hoisted Warner to suplex him outside, but Justice interrupted the move with a spear. The spear sent Warner and the Briscoes into two doors propped up outside of the ring.
Justice grabbed a chair and tried to hit Jay. Jay avoided the move, and Justice flattened Warner with the chair instead. Jay hit his driver for another near fall. After the kickout, Jay hit another driver on a chair. Mark then lept from the top rope with an elbow. This time there was no kick out. The Briscoes are GCW Tag Team champions.
Effy defeated Psycho Clown
The ace of AAA, whoâs also a clown, against Effyâwhat a bizarre matchup. It definitely acted as a unique showcase of wrestling culture. This was action dense and silly, I.E. exactly what you would expect of a Clown/Effy match.
The match started with a playful back and forth. This ended when Clown threw Effy to the outside, where he landed a tope. Clown threw Effy again, this time into the front row of chairs.
Effy cut off Clownâs second attempt at a tope with a pump kick. Effy then tied Clown into the ropes and taunted him with erotic hip movements. Effy grabbed Clown with a double nipple twister before âdropping the bombâ for a two count. Clown responded with a spinning forearm that left Effy grounded.
A discus lariat from Clown allowed him to climb to the top rope. From the top, Clown delivered a springboard moonsault. Effy managed to escape a slam by securing a choke mid-move, but instead of following through with the choke, Effy tried to remove Clownâs mask. Clown fought Effy off, threw him to the outside, and landed another tope, deep in the crowd. Clown then split Effyâs legs and drove him into the ring post.
Back in the ring, Effy escaped a cradle and delivered a famouser before Clown could follow up. The two then climbed the top rope, where Clown regained control, landing a one-man Spanish fly. Clown then pulled out a strap and began to spank Effy; Effy liked it. Effy then tried to kiss Clown but missed, instead, kissing the referee. Effy then turned around and rolled up Clown for the win.
After the match, Clown thanked the fans in attendance.
Minoru Suzuki defeated Nick Gage
When Suzukiâs 2021 tour of the Americas was taking shape, and GCW was a more than prominent stop for him, one match stood out as a must happen. This is that match.
The match delivered in every conceivable way. It felt like something out of WWC circa the late 80s with the passion of a Nick Gage audience. It was a brutal, unpredictable, and dramatic war. It was a genuinely special outing to fill out Suzukiâs tour of the states.
Following the bell, Suzuki and Gage entered a staredown. Suzuki struck first, but Gage answered with a strike of his own. The pair traded blows; Suzuki won out. Gage travelled to the outside, where the men continued to trade blows, now amongst the crowd. Gage threw Suzuki into the chairs; Suzuki responded by initiating a back and forth with, not with forearms, but headbutts. Lost in the sea of fans, Suzuki hit Gage with a metal bucket.
Gage worked his way back to the ring, where he dug his fingers into the eyes of Suzuki. Gage then used the fans, having them hold chairs that he threw Suzuki into. Back in the ring, Suzuki gained advantage, locking in a heel hook that nearly rendered Gage unconscious. Gage fought into the bottom rope in defiance of Suzukiâs submission mastery.
Suzuki tried to flatten Gage with a chair, but Gage ducked; the chair hit the referee instead. Gage hit a choke breaker, resulting in a visible pin, but with no referee, the match continued. Gage threw a chair at Suzuki after propping up a door; Suzuki caught the chair and flattened Gage with it. Gage tried punching out Suzuki, but Suzuki avoided the strike and locked in the choke. Gage again avoided unconsciousness. Suzuki hoisted Gage on top of his own door/chair monstrosity, where he delivered the Gotch piledriver. The Gotch piledriver through the door was enough for Suzuki to pin Gage and secure the win.
After the final bell, Suzuki and Gage stared down, teasing a rematch.
Jon Moxley bested Nick Gage in a death match that took place at tonightâs GCW Fight Club event.
The match became violent before the bell even rang, with Gage busting Moxley open with a bundle of light tubes during ring introductions. That set the tone for the match, as barbed wire, glass panes, light tubes, and pizza cutters were all used, with Moxley taking a pizza cutter to the mouth at one point. The finish came when both men fought to the top rope. Gage went for a piledriver, but Moxley countered and hit the paradigm shift through glass for the win, retaining the GCW World Championship.
After the match, Gage told the crowd that he loved them, mentioning his head slammed against the mat at least 4 or 5 times during the match. He says that heâll keep doing this as long as people chant MDK. He promised that he would take back the GCW World title.
GCW made the announcement tonight that they will be running the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on January 23.
GCW will put one of their biggest events in company history Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, headlined by GCW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. former champion Nick Gage in a death match for the title.
Moxley made a surprise appearance at last month’s The Art of War Games, challenging then-champion Matt Cardona in an open challenge. Gage then came out to confront Moxley afterward and the challenge was made. Gage lost the title to Cardona in July. Mick Foley will be on hand to present the championship to the winner.
Cardona will be part of Saturday’s show, taking on Internet Champion Effy in a title vs. GCW career match. Effy defeated Cardona for the title
The show will also feature a six-man tag team match with AJ Gray, Mance Warner and Matthew Justice vs. AKIRA, Alex Colon and G-Raver; Chris Dickinson and Starboy Charlie against Joey Janela and Marko Stunt, and more.
Our live coverage kicks off at 8 PM Eastern.
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Show Report —
Alex Zayne defeated Ninja Mack & Lio Rush in a three-way (11:09)
Enjoyable spotfest and a nice showcase for Ninja, who is one of the fastest-rising talents in GCW. This match was originally supposed to be a singles match between Zayne and Ninja, but Rush’s music played before the match started and he joined the contest.
Rush used his quickness to take out both opponents with kicks right away. He landed a double back handspring elbow and followed it up with consecutive suicide dives on each opponent. He and Ninja had an awkward exchange on the floor, then Rush circled the ring to land a running boot onto a seated Ninja. He went for it again but ran into a chop from Zayne.
Zayne hit a nice headscissor takedown on Ninja before a second sent Ninja into a seated Rush in the corner. Ninja cut off a Zayne springboard with a Spanish Fly for two. He and Rush had a quick exchange leading to Ninja doing some acrobatics to the crowd’s pleasure. Ninja hit a series of kicks and atomic drops before a cyclone kick took down Rush for two.
Ninja and Rush got tangled in the corner, allowing Zayne to hit a great flipping hurricanrana on Ninja before hitting a German on Rush for two. Rush avoided a springboard on the outside, but then Ninja hit one of the more ridiculous move you’ll ever see, a back handspring into a sunset powerbomb to the floor. Rush then took out both opponents with a dive.
Rush leveled Ninja with a clothesline followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. They had a three-way kick exchange, and the triple dropkick led to the triple down. Zayne climbed the ropes and hit shooting star knees to Ninja. Rush tried to break it up, but didn’t get there in time, leading to the three count. That could have been the actual finish, but it came across as a botch.
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Chris Dickinson & Starboy Charlie defeated Joey Janela & Marko Stunt (16:44)
This was a fun tag match. All four wrestlers are really talented, and Janela and Stunt are far better than many people give them credit for.
Stunt and Charlie started off with some chain wrestling. They went to a stalemate, tagging in each partner. Dickinson bowled over Janela with a shoulder tackle and a soccer kick, but Janela popped up and landed strikes. Dickinson came back with strikes of his own and tagged in Charlie. They showed good teamwork with a double team dropkick.
Janela caught a hurricanrana attempt from Charlie and turned it into a powerbomb. He tagged in Stunt, who landed a German suplex on Charlie. Dickinson caught Stunt and went for the Pazuzu Bomb, but Stunt turned it into a hurricanrana and then a Shining Wizard. He then landed a dive on Charlie before following it up with a missile dropkick on Dickinson.
Stunt tagged out to Janela, who beat down Charlie. The official spent a long time checking on Stunt, who may have been knocked silly. Charlie fought back, but Janela cut him off and hit an atomic drop. Charlie surprised Janela with a snap hurricanrana. Eventually, Charlie bought himself enough time to reach Dickinson for the hot tag.
Dickinson caught a crossbody attempt from Stunt and turned it into a fallaway slam. He beat down both opponents with suplexes and throws. A snap overhead suplex on Janela got two. Dickinson transitioned to an armbar, but Stunt broke it up, so Dickinson applied a two-man single-leg crab on both opponents.
Janela pulled down the top rope to send Dickinson spilling to the floor. Charlie landed a running shooting star press and climbed the ropes, but was cut off by Janela. Stunt landed a dive on Dickinson as Janela hit Charlie with a Death Valley driver on the apron. He went for a cover, but Charlie wasn’t the legal man.
Dickinson crushed Janela with a German, but Janela fired up. All four men traded strikes as the bigger men hit piledrivers on their smaller partners. Janela hit a thrust kick, Dickinson hit a cyclone kick and then a Death Valley driver for a near fall. Dickinson then locked on an STF as Charlie applied a Scorpion Deathlock on Stunt. Stunt clawed over to lock a sleeper on Dickinson, forcing him to break the hold on Janela.
The larger partners continued to beat down on the smaller ones. Charlie fought off Janela before landing a tope con giro. Stunt hit a swinging DDT on Dickinson but was cut off with a boot. Dickinson hit an insane top-rope Pazuzu Bomb, sending Stunt into Janela. A brainbuster from Charlie on Stunt was enough to give their team the win.
â After the match, Janela put over his history with Dickinson. “Our beef is over, but our tag team is over as well.” He demanded that Dickinson help Charlie get that big contract one day.
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Jordan Oliver defeated Atticus Cogar (10:18)
Aside from that spectacular final high spot, this wasn’t very good. The crowd didn’t care at all. Cogar’s got lots of charisma but Oliver is still really limited at this point in his career.
Chain wrestling opened things off. Cogar played dirty to gain the advantage. Oliver caught a thrust kick and rolled Cogar up for two. Cogar dropkicked him to the floor and landed a double stomp to Oliver’s back for two. He pulled out some plunder, including doors and chairs, then tried to suplex Oliver through them. Oliver countered with an outside-in suplex for two. A Northern Lights suplex bridge got two more.
They battled on the top rope as Oliver landed a top-rope butterfly suplex for two. Another butterfly suplex allowed Oliver to transition directly into a cross armbreaker. Cogar rolled Oliver up to release the hold before they traded thrust kicks. A lariat from Cogar got two. They traded grounded strikes, then stood up and exchanged slaps. Oliver landed a slingshot cutter and went for the Clout Cutter, but Cogar countered it and pushed Oliver into the referee.
Cogar used the ref bump to hit a low blow, but Oliver kicked out for a good near fall. They fought on the top rope before Oliver hit a springboard Clout Cutter through the structure on the floor in a really great spot. He then rolled Cogar into the ring for the three-count, which happened during a replay.
â After the match, the two competitors shook hands, which was obviously a ruse, as Cogar immediately attacked Oliver and skewered his head. Oliver’s Young Dumb and Broke teammates ran out to chase Cogar to the back.
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GCW promoter Brett Lauderdale came out for an announcement. This show set an attendance record for the venue. Last year, Lauderdale was told by someone he respected that he’d seen a million GCWs come and go — and it would never last. Since then, they’ve been setting records.
He was about to make his major announcement, but Matt Cardona’s music played and he interrupted. Cardona asked who was here to see Mick Foley. “F**k Mick Foley.”
Unfortunately, the feed cut out for a moment. When it came back, Cardona told Lauderdale to get out of his ring. “I am GCW.”
Effy’s music played, and he came out for the match.
Internet Championship Title vs. GCW Career: Matt Cardona defeated Effy (c) (w/ Allie Katch) to win the championship and stay in GCW (13:40)
This was a spectacle, for better and for worse. Those chair shots were nasty.
If Cardona wins, he wins the Internet title. If Effy wins, Cardona must leave GCW forever.
Cardona hit the Sack Ryder, one of Effy’s signature moves, right away, but Effy rolled to the ropes. Effy tied Cardona up and hit a suplex and a senton for two. Cardona came back with forearms. Effy sent Cardona to the floor and landed a suicide dive. He pulled out a chair and repeatedly smacked Cardona with it. Effy perched Cardona on the chair and went for a cannonball senton, but Cardona rolled out of the way, sending Effy crashing into it. Cardona then DDTed Effy onto the floor.
A long beatdown ensued. Cardona whacked Effy with the chair repeatedly. Cardona hit a sickening unprotected steel chair shot to Effy’s head, busting him open. He choked Effy with a band, but Effy liked it and fired up with a Northern Lights suplex for two. A sitdown splash followed for two more, but Cardona got the chair again and tossed it at Effy to cut him off.
Effy came back with a TKO into a dragon sleeper. Cardona gouged at Effy’s eyes to break the hold, but Effy kept up the attack and hit Under the Rainbow for a good near fall. Cardona came back with a lungblower and a tiger driver for two. Effy cradled Cardona, but Cardona kept right back up with the attack.
Cardona grabbed the belt and hit the official with it. Effy got the belt and went to hit Cardona, but inadvertently hit Allie Katch with it. Effy hit Sack Ryder, but the official didn’t get there in time and was then pulled out of the ring by a masked woman. Effy took multiple low blows and then Cardona landed a top-rope Sack Ryder to win the championship and stay in GCW.
Seven-way Scramble: Jimmy Lloyd defeated ASF & Calvin Tankman & Gringo Loco & Dante Leon & Brayden Lee & Thunder Rosa (11:50)
There were a lot of things that happened in this match. AEW wrestler Thunder Rosa was a surprise entrant.
Tankman shrugged off attacks right away. He caught a dive from ASF and powerbombed them onto Gringo and Lloyd, but they sent ASF into Tankman for a hurricanrana. Gringo and ASF had a lucha exchange, which ASF eventually won with a headscissors and a springboard arm drag.
Rosa entered the fray and starched ASF with a slap. She kind of hit an arm drag and a dropkick before a tijeras took down Gringo. She then stepped up with a nice double arm drag on both opponents. Lee was next in, and Rosa landed a series of dropkicks for his trouble. Lee came back with one of his own and celebrated, but when he turned around, Tankman was there.
Tankman pounced Lee to hell before killing Gringo with a back elbow. He did the same with a pop-up version to ASF. Leon took Tankman out with a DDT and then hit Lloyd with a cutter. A tornillo followed to Tankman and Lloyd on the outside. Gringo followed it with an Orihara moonsault. Rosa then landed a spinning dive on the pile. Lee was next with a sky twister onto everyone. Tankman popped ASF up to the floor into somewhat of a hurricanrana.
ASF spiked Tankman with a DDT. He and Lee fought on the top rope, and Lee sent ASF flying into Gringo with a hurricanrana. Tankman flattened ASF with a backbreaker. Lee tried to stop Tankman’s attack with kicks before hitting kind of a delayed poisonrana. ASF landed a missile dropkick, Gringo hit a moonsault, but Tankman broke up the pin.
Gringo hit a destroyer on Tankman. Rosa came off the top with a double stomp. ASF landed a release German suplex on Rosa. Lloyd hit an assisted Styles Clash. Lee broke up the pin with a 630 senton. He went for a moonsault on Tankman on the outside, who caught it and tossed Lee onto the chairs with an overhead throw. Gringo wiped out Tankman with a tope con giro. Rosa landed a hurricanrana off the top rope on Gringo but ate a dive from ASF.
Lloyd spun around into an inverted Fire Thunder Driver for the win.
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AJ Gray, Mance Warner, & Matthew Justice defeated Alex Colon, G-Raver, & AKIRA (15:14)
This was terrible. I don’t know who laid out this match, but it was a mistake to start off with eight full minutes of plodding heat followed by seven minutes of hardcore spots to a silent crowd, concluded by a botched finish.
AKIRA fought off all three opponents at the start until Warner took him out with a spinebuster. The Second Gear Crew all worked together to isolate AKIRA with frequent tags. They eventually brought a chair into the equation and repeatedly whacked AKIRA with it. After legitimately a five-minute beatdown, AKIRA’s partners finally got involved as the match broke down.
Justice climbed the ropes with a chair. He just killed AKIRA with an unprotected doomsday chair shot to the top of AKIRA’s head. They set up more plunder. Over eight minutes into the match, AKIRA finally was able to tag in a partner in Colon. AKIRA, Colon, and Raver all landed dives to the outside.
Raver landed a diving knee into a German on Justice. Colon hit a diving DDT to the floor. Raver landed a Swanton Bomb on Gray before Colon hit a missile dropkick for two. AKIRA locked Gray in an inverted crab, leading to stereo dropkicks from Colon and Raver. AKIRA then locked on the Muta Lock. Colon and Raver tried to stop Justice and Warner from breaking up the hold, but Gray’s teammates eventually broke it up.
The match broke down. Second Gear Crew hit Total Elimination on AKIRA, then a double team chokeslam on Raver. Warner suplexed Raver through a board, Gray and Colon were sent crashing to the floor, and Justice and Warner hit… something…. for the win that the official mis-counted. No idea what happened.
â After the match, Warner said there weren’t any tag teams who could live up to him and Justice. Ring of Honor’s Briscoe brothers, Jay and Mark, showed up to answer the challenge.
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Shane Mercer defeated Yoya (14:59)
This was the best match of the night so far. They worked ridiculously hard to get the dead crowd back into things.
Early on, Mercer just tossed Yoya from inside the ring all the way into the crowd. He continued the beatdown all over the venue, but then Yoya kind of hit Sliced Bread off a support beam. Yoya was then able to hit a DDT to the floor. He followed it up with a diving dragonrana. Mercer caught Yoya on a pop-up, but Yoya turned it into a flying kimura. Mercer fought out with a suplex, but Yoya maintained the grip. Mercer finally escaped with an overhead throw.
Mercer laid in chops. He applied a Shock Arrow grip and somehow turned it into a powerslam. Yoya turned a torture rack into an arm drag, but Mercer caught a dive and clubbed Yoya with a lariat. Mercer climbed the ropes and hit a top-rope fire thunder driver, but he couldn’t cover in time. Yoya locked on a kneebar, but Mercer stomped his way out of it. He then hit — get this — a running springboard powerslam moonsault that would’ve gotten the win, but Yoya got his hand on the ropes.
Yoya landed a desperation slap. Mercer parted the crowd and went to throw him to the outside again, but Yoya turned it into a poisonrana and then a destroyer. Yoya then hit the brainbuster, his finish, for a near fall. He climbed the ropes, but Mercer hit an enziguiri and met him at the top. Yoya floated over into a rear naked choke. Mercer faded, but he climbed to the top rope and turned it into almost a backflip tombstone piledriver for the win.
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Brett Lauderdale came out once again for his big announcement. He played a video with all the GCW regulars talking about the negative comments they’ve received. They were standing in the historic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, with a show announced for next year on January 23.
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Mick Foley came out to a great reaction to introduce the main event. He said that the most memorable moment of his career was his last match in ECW. He shouted out Thunder Rosa. Some people call this style “garbage wrestling,” but one man’s garbage is another man’s art. “From the bottom of my heart, f**k Matt Cardona.” He then joined commentary.
GCW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Nick Gage
This was violent and bloody as expected. It didn’t have the same wild energy of Gage vs. Cardona but the crowd was happy to see Moxley retain — meaning he’s sticking around for longer.
As the ring announcer was going through the introductions, Gage busted a bundle of light tubes over Moxley’s head. Moxley was immediately busted open and he retaliated with a bundle of tubes of his own. They traded forearms before Moxley backdropped Gage through glass onto the floor.
Moxley pulled out a pizza cutter and ran it across Gage’s forehead. Gage sent Moxley to the floor and sent tubes crashing through Moxley with a baseball slide. They brawled into the crowd. Back in the ring, Gage hit a spinebuster and brought in a barbed wire board. Moxley dropped Gage onto the barbed wire with a release suplex.
The referee tried to cut Gage out of the barbed wire, but Moxley took his clippers and used it to cut off a piece of barbed wire and wrap it around his fist. He laid in strikes with the barbed wire fist. Moxley then hit a barbed wire-assisted neckbreaker for two.
Moxley turned his attention to the patterned glass panes in the ring. He looked to put Gage through it, but Gage fought out and speared Moxley through a glass pane. He propped a chair over Moxley and landed an elbow drop through it. Gage then busted open a light tube to use the jagged edge to stab at Moxley’s forehead.
Gage fired up the crowd. He turned the tables and used the pizza cutter on Moxley’s face. Moxley countered a piledriver attempt with a Saito suplex and a DDT, but Gage just kicked out at one. He then hit a cutter through light tubes for two. Moxley’s face had a ton of blood on it.
They fought to their feet. Gage hit a DDT and a chair shot in the corner. He propped a light bundle over Moxley’s face and hit the Otani face wash through the tubes. The piledriver followed for two. Gage went for a top-rope piledriver through glass, but Moxley countered and they fought up top. Moxley bit his way out of it and landed a Paradigm Shift through the glass for the win.
â After the match, Gage remained in the ring. He was distraught and stunned at his loss. He said that the crowd energy helps him keep going. Either his body’s going to give up on him, or somebody’s gotta put a bullet in his brain to get him to stop. He promised to bring the belt back to GCW.
Hardcore legend Mick Foley will be on hand when Game Changer Wrestling comes to Atlantic City for Jon Moxley vs. Nick Gage
It was announced tonight that Foley will present the GCW World Championship prior to Moxley and Gage’s title match on Saturday, October 9. The show is titled “GCW Fight Club: Mox vs. Gage.” It’s taking place at the Showboat Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Moxley defeated Matt Cardona to win the GCW World title at GCW’s The Art of War Games earlier this month. After the match, Gage came out to the ring to confront Moxley. Moxley told Gage that he knows where to find him if he wants a title shot. Gage said that the match would be taking place in GCW, and he announced that he’d be facing Moxley in a death match for the title in Atlantic City.
Gage lost the GCW World Championship to Cardona this July.
GCW Fight Club: Moxley vs. Gage will be available live via Fite TV.
Foley also appears in GCW’s countdown special for Moxley vs. Gage:
A match between Nick Gage and Minoru Suzuki was made for next monthâs GCW event in Los Angeles.
At tonightâs Highest in the Room event, Suzuki defeated Jonathan Gresham and was celebrating when Gage came out and confronted Suzuki. The two brawled, with Gage sending Suzuki out of the ring. He told Suzuki that he wanted to fight him. Suzuki acted like he was going to re-enter the ring, but instead accepted his challenge and left.
Announcers confirmed that the challenge was for their event on October 23 in Los Angeles. Bloodsport 7, which was also announced during tonightâs event, will take place the day prior at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, which was where tonightâs show took place.
Suzuki has spent September touring the United States. He has appeared on AEW television, losing to Jon Moxley on the September 8 edition of Dynamite. He will team with Lance Archer to take on Moxley and Eddie Kingston next week in a Lights Out match that will air as part of a special two-hour Grand Slam edition of AEW Rampage that will be held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.
AEW’s Jon Moxley is the new Game Changer Wrestling World Champion.
At GCW The Art of War Games on Saturday night, Moxley defeated Matt Cardona to win the GCW World title. It had been hyped going into the show that Cardona would be issuing an open challenge for the championship.
Cardona initially introduced Frank The Clown as his opponent. After hitting a belt shot, Cardona quickly defeated Frank The Clown to retain the title.
G-Raver then made his way out with a group of druids. Cardona took out a couple of the druids, then everyone in the ring left until there was only Cardona and one druid remaining. The druid hit a Paradigm Shift DDT and then revealed himself to be Moxley. Moxley gave Cardona a Paradigm Shift onto light tubes and pinned him to win the GCW World Championship.
After his title win, Moxley was confronted by former GCW World Champion Nick Gage. Moxley told Gage that he knows where to find him if he wants a title shot. Gage cut a promo saying that — since Moxley is GCW World Champion — their match will be happening in GCW. Gage announced that he’ll be facing Moxley in a death match for the title at GCW’s show in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, October 9.
Cardona defeated Gage to win the GCW World Championship this July. At tonight’s show, Cardona came out wearing “Death Match King” gear and with a spinner title belt. Cardona called himself the GCW Universal Champion.
Gage’s Team MDK defeated Rickey Shane Page’s 44OH! in the War Games match at tonight’s GCW show. The War Games cage was then left up for Cardona’s open challenge.
Earlier this year, GCW started building to a Moxley vs. Gage match with Moxley appearing twice and brawling with Gage.
The Art of War Games took place at the Grand Sports Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Moxley is facing Satoshi Kojima as All Out takes place at AEW All Out in Hoffman Estates this Sunday night.
Domino’s Pizza has issued a statement regarding a commercial for the company playing during last night’s AEW Dynamite main event immediately after Nick Gage used a pizza cutter on Chris Jericho’s forehead.
In a statement to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Domino’s denied any involvement with the pizza cutter spot and said that they did not know about it ahead of time.
Additionally, Domino’s is considering whether or not to continue advertising on Dynamite going forward, according to the Front Office Sports report.
âWe share the concerns expressed about this incident and the content of this TV-14 rated program, and are assessing our advertising presence on it going forward,â spokesperson Jenny Fouracre-Petko told McCarthy.
The pizza cutter incident took place during the second in a series of Five Labours of Jericho matches, where MJF lays out an opponent and a stipulation for Jericho to overcome. After defeating Shawn Spears and Gage, Jericho will take on Juventud Guerrera on next week’s AEW Dynamite.
Last night’s Dynamite averaged 1,108,000 viewers on TNT, the fourth-best number in the history of the series.
Matt Cardona is the new GCW World Heavyweight champion.
Cardona defeated Nick Gage on the first night of Game Changer Wrestlingâs Homecoming event at the Showboat in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The finish of the match had Ricky Shane Page come out and, at first, helped even things out by taking out the 44OH stable that had surrounded Gage at ringside.. However, RSP then turned on Gage, allowing Cardona to attack Gage with a light tube and pinned him following the Radio Silence.
After the match, the irate crowd began throwing garbage, striking Cardona as he held up the title. Gage had held the title since April 9, when he defeated Ricky Shane Page at a GCW event held during WrestleMania 37 weekend.
Cardona and Gage have been feuding for the last month, which started when Cardona made a surprise appearance at a GCW show back in June under a mask. He imitated Jon Moxley, who Gage is also feuding with, then attacked Gage and revealed himself. Gage later confronted Cardona during a live episode of the Major Wrestling Figure podcast, which set up tonightâs match.
Gage is set to face Chris Jericho in a no disqualification match on this weekâs episode of AEW Dynamite.
Nick Gage made a surprise appearance on AEW Fyter Fest Wednesday, setting up a no DQ match between he and Chris Jericho at next week’s Fight for the Fallen that is part of the Five Labours of Jericho.
Jericho defeated Shawn Spears in the first Labour of Jericho series, thanks to the help of Sammy Guevara. MJF appeared and said that if anyone helped Jericho in the future, the deal between himself and Jericho would be off. He then announced that Jericho would be facing someone next week in a no DQ match, eventually introducing Gage, who stared down Jericho.
In a backstage promo later in the show, Jericho said he was bringing back “The Painmaker” character to face Gage, the same character he used in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Gage is Game Changer Wrestling’s World Champion. In the last few months, he has established feuds with the likes of Jon Moxley and Matt Cardona. He was most recently profiled in a Dark Side of the Ring episode that aired in May.
Jericho defeated Spears Wednesday after Guevara came in and chased off Tully Blanchard, who had tried to interfere. Spears countered the liontamer with a chair shot, but Jericho threw Spears into a chair set up in the corner, pinning Spears following the Judas Effect. If Jericho completes all five labours, he will get a singles rematch with MJF.
A match between Nick Gage and Matt Cardona has officially been set.
Game Changer Wrestling announced that Cardona will face Gage for the GCW World Heavyweight title at GCWâs Homecoming event, which will take place on July 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This follows a confrontation that took place during a live podcast in Baltimore that was hosted by Cardona. Gage entered the room the podcast was being held at, looking for Cardona, but was eventually taken away by security.
This follows what happened at GCWâs Zombie Walk event on June 6, where a masked man attacked Nick Gage. The person appeared to have Jon Moxleyâs mannerisms, another person that Gage has been feuding with. The person laid out Gage with Moxley’s paradigm shift finisher, but when the person took off their mask, it was revealed to be Cardona.
GCW will hold two events at the Showboat in Atlantic City on July 24 and the following day on July 25.
Add Matt Cardona to the list of talents that want a piece of GCW Champion Nick Gage.
The Impact Wrestling star made a surprise appearance at GCW’s Zombie Walk show Sunday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and attacked Gage after his successful title defense against Jimmy Lloyd.
Gage was destroying light tubes and such that were left in the ring when a man dressed in a black hooded robe and mask entered the ring staggering like Jon Moxley. He then kicked Gage in the gut and delivered Moxley’s Paradigm Shift DDT, making fans think it was the former AEW Champion.
Instead, Cardona took off the mask and revealed himself to a thunderous ovation which eventually turned into some boos. Before he left, he grabbed Gage’s title belt and held it over his head.
Moxley recently made his own surprise appearance to confront Gage at last month’s GCW Draft Day and the two brawled to end the show.
