Jon Moxley appeared at the end of tonight’s GCW Draft Day event, but ended up being laid out by Nick Gage.
Gage had successfully defended the GCW World title at tonight’s show in Las Vegas against AJ Gray when Moxley came in and entered the ring as Gage was distracted. When Gage turned around, Moxley went to attack him, but Gage countered with a DDT. The two ended up brawling into the crowd as the show ended.
This isn’t the first time that Moxley has confronted Gage. Moxley appeared at the end of GCW’s Spring Break event back on April 10 after Gage had defeated Ricky Shane Page for the GCW World title. The two had a similar confrontation, but Moxley had the upper hand at that show, laying out Gage with two paradigm shifts.
Moxley has competed in GCW events in the past, including the Bloodsport event held during WrestleMania week, losing to Josh Barnett.
Jon Moxley appeared at last night’s GCW Spring Break, confronting Nick Gage.
Moxley appeared after Gage defeated Rickey Shane Page to win the GCW World Championship in the main event. That was when Moxley came out and the two confronted one another, meeting forehead to forehead. Moxley appeared to leave, but Gage gave him the middle finger. That resulted in Moxley laying out Gage with the paradigm shift, then another onto some light tubes. Gage eventually recovered and called out Moxley to end the show.
Gage defeated Page to win the GCW World title after a piledriver through glass panes and a chokebreaker. The story of the show had been that Page had taken over the show from Joey Janela after defeating him in a match for the rights to the show, renaming it rSpring Break.
Moxley appeared on Thursday night’s Bloodsport event, another GCW event, losing to Josh Barnett in a long-awaited match that was delayed due to COVID-19.
This year’s Spring Break will be a little different, starting with the name as GCW Champion Rickey Shane Page is now on the marquee after he defeated Joey Janela at a previous event for the rights. He also made some changes to the show including canceling the annual Clusterfu*ck Battle Royal and lifting the lifetime ban on Virgil.
Page will defend his belt against the returning Nick Gage in the main event, a rematch from last year’s Run Rickey Run event where Gage attempted to regain the title. The show will also feature Lee Moriarty vs. Impact World Champion Rich Swann in a non-title match; MLW Middleweight Champion Lio Rush vs. Jordan Oliver in a non-title match; Masada vs. Atticus Cogar, EFFY vs. Gregory Iron for the creative rights for EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch the next day; Gringo Loco, Black Taurus and Arez vs. Laredo Kid, Dragon Bane and Aramis, and Starboy Charlie vs. Billie Starkz.
Janela will be on the show as he goes up against Chris Dickinson.
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Kevin Gill and Emil Jay were the primary commentators, with Tony Deppen joining early on.
Former WCW and IMPACT ring announcer David Penzer was performed those duties for the first two matches.
Starboy Charlie defeated Billie Starkz
Starkz is 16 years old and Charlie is 18 –– both are fantastically gifted for their ages. They performed chain wrestling to start, with Starkz outwrestling her opponent. Starkz laid in kicks before a cradle exchange led to Charlie taking control. Charlie downed starks with a dropkick and a running shooting star press for two. Starkz fired back with a series of German suplexes, bridging for a two-count on the third.
After a reset, Starkz countered a corner hurricanrana into an ocean cyclone suplex for two. Charlie came back with a Cancun tornado for two. They exchanged forearms in the center of the ring until Charlie landed an exploder suplex. Starkz popped up with a Death Valley driver before a kick sequence led to the double down.
Charlie propped Starkz up in the tree of woe before nailing her with a running dropkick. He climed to the top rope, but Starkz got the knees up on the 450 splash attempt. Starkz then missed a senton atomico, allowing Charlie to spike her with a Michinoku driver for the win.
– After the match, members of 44OH (Rickey Shane Page’s stable) came out and beat down both Starkz and Charlie. Ironbeast, the team of KTB and Shane Mercer, ran out and made the save, leading to the next match.
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Ironbeast (KTB & Shane Mercer) defeated 44OH (Eric Ryan & Bobby Beverly)
Ironbeast killed their opponents right away with a double doomsday blockbuster. They continued to beat them down in and around the ring for minutes on end, bringing wooden doors into the match. 44OH took control after Ryan landed a low suicide dive on KTB, allowing them to isolate Mercer inside the ring. KTB tried to get involved but was met with a tiger driver from Ryan for two.
They tried to put Mercer through a door, but it didn’t break. They then tried to do the same to KTB, who countered and put Ryan through a door with a powerbomb. KTB then took out Beverly on the outside with a suicide dive. In an absolutely insane spot, Mercer pressed Ryan over his head at the top turnbuckle, then turned around for a moonsault powerslam. KTB followed it up with a powerbomb before tossing Ryan to Mercer, who seamlessly turned it into a German suplex bridge for the win.
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Laredo Kid, Dragon Bane and Aramis defeated Gringo Loco, Black Taurus and Arez
This was unbelievable, unquestionably the best match of Wrestlemania weekend so far.
Gringo and Kid started off with a technical lucha exchange. The former flipped off his opponents, establishing their team as the heels. The six faced off with each other, with the babyface team taking control. Kid followed it up with a crazy dive onto Arez, with Bane and Aramis landing tope con hilos of their own. Kid, Bane, and Aramis each hit 450 splashes upon re-entering the ring.
Arez fought off all three opponents with tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. Gringo then threw Aramis into a powerbomb from Taurus, who tossed Aramis into a powerbomb from Aramis. Kid entered the ring but was sprung eight feet into the air into a spear from Taurus. Gringo followed it up with a moonsault for two.
Bane tried to fight off his opponents but was overwhelmed by the numbers advantage. He used some athleticism to dispatch his opponents, taking Taurus out with a DDT and Arez out with a superkick. Bane set up for a dive but ran into a Taurus headbutt, leading to the big man beating down all three opponents.
Taurus perched Kid on the top rope, but Kid’s teammates saved him. All three hopped up to the top rope and took out their opponents with moonsaults. Arez and Bane exchanged strikes in the center of the ring, with Bane hitting a ushigoroshi. Taurus cut Bane off with an enziguiri and a huge backbreaker. Aramis took out Taurus with a Spanish Fly before climbing to the top rope, where Gringo took him down with an avalanche Falcon Arrow. Naturally, Kid was next, hitting a series of kicks and dives before being cut off by Arez.
Arez hit a slingshot dropkick and a lumbar check for two. Loco and Aramis joined the fray, with both Kid and Arez climbing the ropes to hit a hurricanrana. Gringo then cut off Kid with a springboard cutter, followed by a parade of big moves, including a picture-perfect reverse hurricanrana on Black Taurus.
The match reset with Arez and Aramis on the top rope, but Kid tried to back up his partner. Gringo perched Aramis on his shoulders with Kid on Aramis’s shoulders, taking him out with a cutter. The action was too fast to follow at this point, but it was incredible. Aramis took out Taurus with a crucifix bomb before crushing Arez with a spinning heel kick. He then picked Arez up for a long airplane spin as Kid landed a moonsault frog splash to the floor.
Bane took out the other opponents with a tornillo dive as Arez finally hit the airplane spin into a Blue Thunder Bomb for the win.
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Lio Rush defeated Jordan Oliver
Rush performed under his “Blackheart” persona, not dissimilar to Finn Bálor busting out the Demon. Oliver won GCW’s Acid Cup tournament earlier in the day.
Oliver downed Rush with a boot and took him out with a diving Clout Cutter on the outside. They brawled on the outside, but Oliver got cocky setting up a running attack, buying Rush enough time to surprise him with a jumping knee. Rush perched Oliver on a chair and took him out with a running cannonball.
Rush beat down Oliver in the ring, using his quickness to evade any comeback attempts. He brought out a wooden door and propped it up in the corner, but before he could use it, Oliver caught him with strikes. Oliver tried to powerbomb his opponent into the door, but Rush escaped and chopped him into it. Oliver crushed Rush with a chop but missed on the follow-up, letting Rush land his low spinning heel kick.
Oliver turned the tables once again, putting Rush through the door with a belly to belly suplex. He tried putting Rush through another door, but Rush turned it around with repeated German suplexes. Rush’s last German attempt was countered, but he changed his plans into an exploder through the door for two.
They traded running offense in the ring until Rush took Oliver down with a Spanish Fly. They fought on the second rope, hitting simultaneous strikes that sent the other crashing to the concrete. Both re-entered the ring and peppered each other with strikes until Oliver hit a stunner and a tiger driver for two. A running knee got another two count for Oliver.
Oliver grabbed more plunder, but he took forever, actually having to tell the referee to stop the countout so he could continue to set it up. Eventually, Rush screamed at Oliver to get back in the ring, leading to a discus forearm for two. Rush surprised Oliver with more German, but Oliver popped up and hit one of his own.
It looked as if Oliver was about to put Rush through his chairs and doors contraption on the floor, but Rush avoided a boot and suplexed him from the ring to the floor through the doors. Rush eventually brought Oliver back in the ring but took too long on a dive, leading Oliver to counter with a Clout Cutter. A springboard Clout Cutter from Oliver followed for a good near fall.
Oliver hit a third consecutive Clout Cutter on Rush on the apron, which only got two. He went for a top rope Clout Cutter, but Rush pushed him off and hit a frog splash, following it up with an over-the-shoulder crossface for the submission victory.
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There was a nice video package recapping the story behind the following match. This was Masada’s first match in three months.
Atticus Cogar defeated Masada in a deathmatch
These guys absolutely killed each other. It wasn’t the most energetic deathmatch I’ve ever seen, but it was appropriately brutal, and the skewer-focused offense was unique.
There were boards spiked with skewers set up in the corners of the ring. Cogar attacked before the bell but was immediately sent into a skewer board and smacked with a kendo stick. Masada went to the outside for more weapons, but Cogar stopped him with a moonsault. He tried to follow it up with a dive, but Masada caught him and walloped him with door shots to the head.
Cogar regained control with kendo stick shots. Masada grabbed a board spiked with toothpicks and drove it into Cogar’s back. There were dozens of toothpicks implanted in Cogar’s body, which was a great visual. Cogar was bleeding from the head and back at this point.
Masada then grabbed a bundle of carpet strips, whacking Cogar with them. He took a handful of skewers from the board and drove them into Cogar’s head. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker followed for two. Cogar bit at Masada’s head and dropkicked him into the skewer board. He picked up a handful of skewers and drove them into Masada’s head, which was another great shot. Cogar then repeatedly stabbed Masada’s head with the skewers, drawing lots of blood.
Cogar returned the favor with the toothpick board, sticking them in Masada’s back and arm. Masada came back by suplexing Cogar into the front row. A door and chairs were introduced to the fray, with Cogar laying in chair shots before propping them up. He then skewered Masada’s shoulder and arm, and they stuck.
Masada came back with more skewers, gridning them against Cogar’s forehead and driving them in. Blood was pouring down Cogar’s face. Masada followed it up with a powerbomb through a door for two. The attack continued with skewers inside Cogar’s mouth. Masada hit another powerbomb, stacking Cogar up for two, before transitioning into an STF. Cogar fought out by digging a sharp piece of wood into Masada’s hand.
Cogar laid in kicks before climbing to the top rope. He landed a mushroom stomp from the top, but Masada kicked out at one. Cogar perched Masada on a chair and went to the top again, but Masada popped up met him on the ropes. Cogar fought him off with an avalanche headlock driver through the chair for two.
Masada grabbed a gusset plate from under the ring and whacked Cogar with it before a Death Valley driver got two. He stabbed Cogar’s arm with the sharp part of the gusset board before grabbing more skewers, but Cogar took advantage with a low blow. He skewered Masada’s head yet again, hitting a skewer-assisted headlock driver for a close near fall.
Cogar impaled Masada with even more skewers and landed repeated thrust kicks through the skewers, hitting a third headlock driver for the win.
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Rich Swann defeated Lee Moriarty
This match was disappointing, as it was less than half as long as Rush vs. Oliver and had a tough time following the deathmatch.
Swann is the current IMPACT world champion, while Moriarty is one of the biggest and busiest names of this year’s Mania weekend.
They showed respect at the bell. Neither man could establish an advantage with chain wrestling until Swann landed a dropkick. Moriarty turned it around with an armbreaker. Swann’s arm was the target of Moriarty’s attack as he drove it into the concrete with arm wringers. The dismantling of Swann’s arm continued in the ring until Swann caught Moriarty with a lariat.
A Rolling Thunder from Swann followed for two. Moriarty came back with a double stomp on Swann’s arm and a hammerlock DDT. Swann hit a handspring cutter, using only one arm on the handspring, before climbing the ropes and landing a frog splash for two.
They traded strikes in the center of the ring until they hit simultaneous pump kicks for the double down. Once back up, they had a cradle exchange until Moriarty surprised Swann with a Fujiwara armbar. A hammerlock lariat followed for two.
Moriarty continued the attack on Swann’s arm on the top rope until Swann bit his way out of it and headbutted Moriarty to the map. Swann turned around and landed a phoenix splash to win.
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A video promo played where Chris Dickinson called out Joey Janela.
Joey Janela defeated Chris Dickinson in a grudge match
This match was something else. Both these men are out of their minds and took some of the most punishment I’ve seen in a match all year. All the crazy spots were excellent, and Dickinson is phenomenal at creating an intense enviroment, although the finish was a bit abrupt.
Dickinson immediately crushed Janela with a powerbomb, following it up with a second. He brought a door into the ring and ripped it apart, using the jagged edge to slice open Janela’s forehead. Dickinson then smacked the door across Janela’s head. He propped it over Janela’s body and dropkicked Janela through the door for two. Janela had a crimson mask.
Dickinson returned to carving up Janela’s forehead before crushing Janela with a half-and-half suplex for two. He brought Janela up to the top rope, but Janela fought Dickinson off and landed a superplex. Janela fired up with strikes, beating Dickinson down in the corner. He landed a German suplex, but Dickinson popped up and landed two Germans of his own. Janela fired up with a discus elbow for two.
Janela grabbed a door and broke it across Dickinson’s head. Dickinson fired back with a cyclone kick and a dragon suplex bridge for two. Dickinson threw a chair in the ring, so the crowd threw about 40 additional chairs in the ring. Dickinson repleatedly attacked Janela with the chairs before going for a Pazuzu Bomb, but Janela fought out and hit a thrust kick. Janela fought out of another suplex and hit a DDT, but Dickinson popped up with a lariat.
Dickinson set up for a superplex, but Janela fought his way out and hit an avalanche tornado DDT on the chairs. Dickinson rolled to the floor to blade, then Janela ran through the ropes with a diving dropkick. Dickinson bled more than anyone else on this show and fell victim to a diving double stomp through a chair for a near fall.
Janela picked up a chair and crushed it over Dickinson’s head with an unprotected chair shot. Dickinson demanded another, but baited Janela in with a low blow and a Death Valley driver, which only got one. They traded strikes in the center of the ring until Janela hit a Death Valley driver for a close near fall.
Dickinson prevented Janela from landing a top-rope move, transitioning into an avalanche Pazuzu Bomb for two. He pulled a ten-foot ladder out from under the ring and tossed it inside before landing a boot on Janela. Dickinson set up the ladder and a few chairs, but took too long, allowing Janela to hit a low blow.
Janela perched Dickinson on the door and chair structure and climbed the ladder, but Dickinson met him at the top, following it up with a Death Valley driver off the ladder through the structure for two. Dickinson caught a kick and hit repeated dragon screw leg whips, but Janela surprised Dickinson with a small package for two. Janela then locked on a Figure Four, leading to the submission.
– After the match, Janela wanted a show of respect, but Dickinson spat at him and stormed off. Janela grabbed a microphone and said he’s back in GCW.
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Before the match, Iron introduced Virgil as the newest member of 44OH.
Effy defeated Gregory Iron (w/ Virgil) to determine the rights to Big Gay Brunch
The winner of this match earns ownership rights to Effy’s Big Gay Brunch show. Virgil and Effy exchanged words before the match, allowing Iron to surprise Effy with a chair shot. They wrestled around with Iron beating down Effy until Effy came back with a boot for two.
Effy laid in strikes until Iron hit a facebreaker. Effy went for a sunset flip, pulling down Iron’s trunks, before following it up with a powerbomb and a senton for two. Effy spanked Iron but was distracted by Virgil, allowing Irons to hit a low blow. Virgil tried to strike Effy with a barrel of vodka, but Effy moved out of the way and Virgil inadvertantly struck Iron….or so we thought, as Virgil was revealed to be wearing an Effy shirt underneath his 44OH shirt. Effy then hit a powerbomb for the win.
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– A video played where Page spoofed Gage’s arrest for bank robbery.
GCW Championship Deathmatch: Nick Gage defeated Rickey Shane Page (c) to win the title
This was one of the most insane, spectacular, and bloody American deathmatches in years.
There were light tubes attached to the ropes and glass panes in the corners. Gage immediately sent Page into the tubes and broke one over his back. He followed it up by tossing Page through a glass pane and biting Page’s back. Page whipped Gage into the tubes, but Gage popped right back and downed Page with a lariat. Gage then hit a face wash through tubes.
Gage propped his opponent on a barbed wire board at ringside, putting him through it with a senton. Page was busted open badly on his face and back. Gage asked fans to prop up chairs and sent Page through them. Page fought back, repeatedly breaking light tubes across Gage’s back. Gage reversed a whip, sending Page through another glass pane.
Back in the ring, Gage smashed light tubes across Page’s head. Page came back with an enziguiri and light tube shots of his own. He suplexed Gage onto more tubes. After breaking even more tubes across Gage’s back, Gage fired back with chops but was dropped over the top rope through a glass pane to the concrete. That was an insane bump.
Page rolled Gage back into the ring but only got two. Gage was a bloody mess –– you could see literal pools of blood underneath him. Page set up to suplex Gage through a light tube structure at ringside and did so with a release ex-plex through tubes to the concrete. Back in the ring, the count was only two.
Gage fired back with forearms, but Page raked Gage’s eyes and threw glass in his face, Gage inadvertantly took out the referee but was able to take down Page with a spinebuster. Page climbed a scaffolding setup at ringside to escape, and his 44OH associate Gregory Iron tried to interfere, but Gage easily crushed him with a piledriver.
Effy came out to carry Iron to the back, but other 44OH members beat down Gage. Bobby Beverly and Eric Ryan set up a huge bundle of light tubes on a table, but Joey Janela, Matt Justice, and Mance Warner came out to take 44OH to the back.
It was just Gage and Page as the former pursued the latter to the top of the scaffolding. Gage tossed Page off the scaffolding; Page missed the table, but went through much of the glass. Gage smashed the bundle of tubes over Page before carving an “M” (as in MDK) into Page’s back using broken glass. Page hit a chokebreaker for a good near fall before doing the same to the official.
Atticus Cogar, another of Page’s associates, came out to assist. They set up more glass panes in the ring as Cogar drove wooden skewers into Gage’s head. Brett Lauderdale came out and smashed a bundle of tubes over Cogar’s head, allowing Gage to piledrive Page through the panes for a close near fall.
Gage then hit the chokebreaker to win.
– After the match, Gage spray-painted Page’s title with “MDK.”
While he posed with the championship, Jon Moxley came out. Moxley and Gage faced off until Moxley was about to leave the ring. Gage flipped him off, and Moxley snapped, beating Gage down and laying him out with a Paradigm Shift through a bundle of light tubes. Moxley posed in the corner and then slinked off.
Gage grabbed a mic and played to the crowd. He’s an ultra-babyface. He called Moxley a “pussy” and thanked everyone for supporting him throughout his injury. Gage led the crowd in “MDK all f**king day” chants to end the show. Just before the broadcast cut off, the commentator said Gage and Moxley would face off in a deathmatch some time in the future.
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Final Thoughts:
This was the best edition of Spring Break yet. Some may miss the more absurd and wacky aspects of Spring Break (especially the Clusterf**k), but this show featured three great matches and only one that I’d classify as “bad.” Coupled with the culmination of the year-long Nick Gage-44OH storyline and the surprise appearance of Jon Moxley, this easily contends for the best indie show of Mania weekend.
Once a year wasn’t enough as GCW brought back Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport for the second time in 2019 Saturday night, headlined by the former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett facing Chris Dickinson and also featuring former UFC star “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
The venue was the Showboat Atlantic City in Atlantic City, NJ, which visually was a lot brighter than White Eagle Hall in New Jersey which took away from the ambience a bit. The hard camera angle was also a bit lower than you see with most wrestling shows as well.
For those new to the format, fights can end by knockout or submission and there are no ropes on the ring, just a mat and ring posts. From what I understand, it’s closer to UWFi and Pancrase style than actual pro wrestling even though the matches all feature wrestlers albeit with MMA or martial arts backgrounds. Originally started with Matt Riddle as the namesake, Barnett and his name were added to the event this past April during Mania weekend.
The timing of the event will either be a blessing or curse as there are two big ESPN+ fights happening Saturday night with Donald Cerrone vs. Justin Gaethje (UFC) and Tyson Fury (boxing) following that.
Both the pre-show and PPV main card streamed on Fite.tv.
Pre-Show:
Matt Makowski def. Rory Gulak by knockout
Gulak was clad in a classic wrestling singlet while Makowski had shorts and kneepads in both of their JBB debuts. Makowski is a former MMA fighter who racked up a 6-2 record including bouts in Bellator, EliteXC, and ShoXC. Most of the match was worked on the ground with some nice transitions. Makowski hit a nice O’Connor roll into a belly to back suplex into an armbar attempt remiscent of former UFC flyweight champion Demetrous Johnson’s famous 2018 submission of Ray Borg. Makowski hit a head kick to a grounded Gulak for the knockout and win in a decent match.
Sumie Sakai submitted Lindsay Snow
Lawlor sat in on commentary for the first women’s match in Bloodsport history. Snow was billed as having some BJJ experience while Sakai is a long-time talent who has worked all over the place. Snow used her size to dominate early, but Sakai managed to hang there and eventually work for an armbar which got Snow to tap.
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The main show opened up with all the participants being introduced and brought out to the ring, Strikeforce/Bellator Grand Prix style. The crowd, while not huge, was very boisterous which made this feel like a fun event from the start.
Anthony Henry submitted Zachary Wentz
Wentz is part of Impact Wrestling’s Rascalz and is a former amateur fighter while Henry, also someone with an MMA past, is part of the talented Workhorsemen tag team with J.D. Drake. Both are making their JBB debuts.
Wentz started out fast with the Masvidal knee while Henry fired right back with a belly to back suplex. Both guys traded suplexes before Wentz started working for submission holds. Wentz hit a right hand that dropped Henry, but got caught in Henry’s guard and submitted to a seated triangle choke/armbar combo to end a fun match.
Erik Hammer submitted JR Kratos
The debuting Hammer is a teammate of Barnett’s and an accomplished catch wrestler with a history in IGF while Kratos is coming off a victory over Simon Grimm at JBB 1. Lawlor came back out for more commentary. Both guys are heavyweights and the action was a bit slower, so having Lawlor in was a big help, especially with details like Kratos having a kid two days ago. Things eventually broke down into a punch and slap contest which the fans loved. Hammer hit a belly to belly and transitoned into a reverse bulldog choke of sorts for the tap to end a hard-hitting match.
One thing missing on these shows: replays.
Allysin Kay def. Nicole Savoy by knockout
Both made their JBB debuts and Lawlor remained out on commentary. It took a while for the fans to get into this, but a slapfight on the mat helped things along. There was a lot of ground work and ref breaks as the two went to the edge of the apron. Kay nearly got a twister for a submission before Savoy got out of it. Savoy hit a suplex that rolled Kay out of the ring for a near countout. The end came when Kay snagged Savoy in a crucifix, landing a slew of elbows to her head for the knockout.
If you dislike mat wrestling, you probably aren’t loving this show. It would be interesting to see them allow for pins to finish matches given how much of these matches are spent on the ground.
Anthony Carelli submitted Simon Grimm
Carelli (the former Santino Marella) made his JBB debut while the heavily booed Grimm (the former Simon Gotch) was looking to avenge his debut loss to JR Kratos. Both have plenty of martial arts experience so this will be a lot different than any Marella-Gotch WWE fare for sure.
Again, lots of mat grappling and armbar attempts dominated the early action. One thing I’ve noticed in these first two JBB events is that it’s hard to really tell a story in this format. It’s possible, but there’s only so much you can do.
Carelli locked on a Dragon sleeper that Grimm got out of much to the fans’ dismay. Carelli eventually got a reversal into an armbar for the quick tap to end an ok match. He got a “Please come back” chant.
Timothy Thatcher submitted Ikuhisa Minowa
A former Pancrase and MMA fighter, Minowaman as he’s known to most wrestling and fight fans, is making his U.S. debut tonight while Thatcher is coming off a loss to Hideki Suzuki at JBB 1.
We got a dropkick, body slam, and uppercut elbows early which was a nice change of pace from the immediate mat work we’ve seen already. Thatcher showed some great facials when he and Minowa were locked together in leg locks on the mat. This was a match of armbars and leglocks that Thatcher won with a crossface while on Minowa’s back. If there’s anyone made for this format, it’s Thatcher.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. def. Tom Lawlor by knockout
This was a battle of MLW roster mates. Former MMA fighter Lawlor, who came out to NKOTB’s “Hangin’ Tough” was supposed to be on the first JBB show, but canceled due to fear while Smith submitted Killer Kross in a good match back in April. Lawlor got a huge “Filthy Tom” chant prior to the match.
Smith controlled much of the grappling early and landed some nasty looking side elbows while Lawlor was under him. ‘Filthy’ got his shots in, but got powerslammed after refusing to give up on a rear naked choke attempt. Both guys laid in some heavy forearm blows and Lawlor got hit with a belly to back suplex that looked to rattle him.
The action really picked up late as Smith tried to clamp on a Sharpshooter but couldn’t which led Lawlor to clothesline Smith out of the ring while on his knees. Forearms and Daniel Bryan-esque kicks followed which woke Smith up. Lawlor fired up an both men were laying in forearms, kicks, and knees. Smith won following a hard belly to back suplex and sitout powerbomb that knocked Lawlor out. Fans were really into this by the end thanks to the last few minutes.
Killer Kross submitted Nick Gage
From the minute Kross came out, the fans were chanting for “Nick F*cking Gage” so to say they were looking forward to this was an understatement. Kross was on the first show, submitting to Davey Boy Smith Jr. while this is GCW Champion Gage’s Bloodsport debut.
Gage went in for a Masvidal flying knee at the start, but Kross got it to the ground quick, locking on a brief heel hock after Gage slapped him in the face hard. Gage, playing the unrefined street fighter, hit a headbutt and landed a soccer kick, going for a type of rear naked choke before Kross reversed things. He got in his own rear naked choke and put Gage to sleep in a rather short match. The fans booed Kross and Gage wasn’t happy with the ref stopping the fight.
After the winner was announced, Gage grabbed the referee and tossed him out of the ring to the fans’ delight. Gage eventually shook Kross’ hand and took off, leaving Kross to get on the mic and call out Dave Batista to face him at Bloodsport. Fans chanted “Holy sh*t” and “Batista” before Kross said, “Give them what they want.”
Josh Barnett def. Chris Dickinson by knockout
On the first show, Barnett went to a draw with Minoru Suzuki while Dickinson submitted Andy Williams. For the tale of the tape, Barnett’s age was listed as “War is ageless”. Barnett was originally slated to face Jon Moxley, but the AEW star had to pull out due to his elbow injury.
The early portion of the match featured lots of mat grappling and ground and pound. Barnett gave the lesser known Dickinson a lot as the “Dirty Daddy” was in control for most of the early going. Barnett also had the Brock Lesnar reddish-purple skin going early on which was unusual to see. Dickinson would later wear some nasty welts on his side as did Barnett.
While he was continually working for an armbar, Barnett hit a nice double-underhook suplex to Dickinson. Dickinson later countered with a belly to back suplex of his own, but Barnett was not to be denied. The finish was Barnett landing a head kick to Dickinson while he was on his knees for the knockout, ending a great back-and-forth sequence and a fun match that took a while to get going.
Dickinson got on the mic and said he let a lot of people down including myself. He said Barnett was a childhood hero of his and put over the Bloodsport concept. Barnett put over Dickinson and got a lot of chants for himself. He said this isn’t the last Bloodsport show and said that Moxley wants to run it back with him. “If the office won’t let him, you let them know,” Barnett said.
The show aired Saturday from the White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ, and is available on Fite.tv.
Orange Cassidy came out to start the show. In the most Orange Cassidy way, he welcomed everyone to the show. He asked the fans for a ring announcer since he didn’t plan for one and found one by the name of Louden Noxious.
Allie Kat defeated Kris Stadtlander, Saraya Knight and Shotzi Blackheart in an elimination Swamp Monster Lumberjack Match to become the Queen of the Swamp
The match started with Allie Kat asking Saraya to pet her belly, but instead they all got a stiff kick in the back. Kat and Stadlander got thrown outside, but the Swamp Monsters aren’t doing their job. The Kat, the Wolf, and the Alien all ganged up on Saraya in order to get some offense in and managed to pin her when they all jumped on top of her.
Stadlander used her telekinesis powers to make Shotzi battle Kat. They all landed outside the ring again. Shotzi went for a dive, but got caught by the Swamp Monsters and instead used her as a battering ram. She did later get a chance to dive on Kat and Kris. Back in the ring, Shotzi hit a 619 on Stadlander and a top rope senton to eliminate her.
Kat and Shotzi started trading strikes before Kat started scratching Shotzi on the ropes. Kat faked out a dive because she got scared, but later gathered the bravery thanks to the chants of the fans. Kat went for the Pussy Piledriver, but Shotzi escaped. Shotzi hit a running punch and DDT combo for a two count. Shotzi went for the senton, but Kat moved and landed the iledriver to win the match.
This was a fun match, but the wrestling wasn’t much. Like I said, the Swamp Monsters never did their job.
Chris Brookes (w/Kid Lykos) defeated Logan Easton Laroux in a best 7-out-of-13 falls match, 7-6
It started with Brookes low blowing Laroux for the first fall by DQ. The second fall also went to Laroux when Lykos came in and low blowed him.
The third fall saw Brookes lock in the Calamari Stretch for the submission. Brookes then started chopping Laroux. The next seven falls were all roll up reversals in the same spot ending 6-6 as we went into sudden death.
Laroux hit a brainbuster for a two count and then Brookes hit a jumping senton for a two count. Laroux locked in an Octopus Stretch, but Lykos distracted the referee by putting a mask on him. With the distraction, Brookes went to low blow Laroux, but he caught it and hit a superkick for a ten count that the ref unfortunately didn’t see.
CCK went for the Sick F’n Tag Moves, but Laroux caught Lykos with a low blow as he was coming down. Laroux got rid of Lykos, the ef finally got the mask off, and Brookes faked a low blow. The ref didn’t go for it, but he did roll up Laroux for the pin, winning 7-6. This was fun.
Jigsaw defeated Sonny Defarge, Dan Champion, Jake Atlas, Tony Deppen, Lucky 13 and Air Wolf in the 3rd Inaugural Jansport Invitational Scramble to win a $16 Gift Card at Friendly’s
All men went after Champion to start the match, leaving Deppen and Atlas in the ring for a fast paced exchange of reversals and counters with Atlas looking like a superstar. They traded some lucha armdrags and pin attempts before coming to a standoff. Jigsaw and Air Wolf came in to try and submit them, who also got into a slap exchange while holding the submissions.
Jigsaw and Wolf did some lucha before Defarge and Lucky 13 came in for their turn. Lucky 13 got a quick two count after a moonsault knee. Defarge got a two count with an over the shoulder toss, but Champion returned and break the pin. Champion and Lucky 13 went at it with the former catching the latter in the middle of the air after a crossbody and dropping him with a flapjack. Champion went to get each other competitor one by one as they kept coming, at one point hitting a double chokeslam on Atlas and Wolf.
Champion went for a dive, but Deppen and Lucky 13 took him out. Deppen hit a huge tope suicida that landed in the fifth row. Lucky 13 hit a top rope tornillo into that same row and a growing pile of humans. Atlas was the next. Finally, Champion recovered and hit a plancha on top of everyone. There’s nothing left of the first six rows.
Back in the ring, Champion powerbombed Atlas, but Jigsaw broke up the pin. Jigsaw took out Deppen with a German, but Lucky 13 broke the pin with a Swanton. Deppen hit a jumping backstabber for a two count. Atlas hit Deppen with a cutter and a cartwheel DDT for a two count when Wolf broke it up.
Wolf hit a Spanish Fly on Atlas, but Defarge broke it up.
Champion and Defarge faced off, but Deppen came in and chopped them both, only to get tossed to the outside the hard way. Champion and Defarge went to do the same on Jigsaw, but he countered, took out Champion, superkicked Defarge, hit the Jig’n’Tonic and finally picked up the win. This was a great, fast paced, action packed match. Everyone embraced afterward.
Session Moth Martina and Nate “Spyder” Webb went to a double pin draw in a 5 o’Clock Somewhere last person standing match
The stipulation is that every 30 seconds, the participants need to chug a beer. Webb chugged his first beer during his entrance. Webb, Noxious, and referee Bryce all danced in the ring to Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. Session Moth has been chugging beers since Wednesday.
They chugged the first beer and went all Takayama vs. Frye on each other. They chugged the second beer and they’re already tipsy for a much slower Takayama vs Frye spot. After the third chug, they ran the ropes and they both fell down. After the fourth chug, Webb got out of the ring, so Martina recovered and started running the ropes. She got tired before actually going for the dive, so she did the fifth chug in between while running the ropes and just collapsed.
Webb set up chairs for a slapoff. They started trading forearms and chugs. Webb offered a cheers and took out Martina with the beer can. Martina recovered, spit the beer on Webb, and locked in a half Boston Crab. Another chug happened mid submission, so Webb used the beer to spit on Martina to release the lock.
Martina hit a Tornado DDT and a top rope codebreaker for a two count before chugging again. Webb hit a CrossRhodes and went for the top rope where they chugged again before Martina hits a superplex for a two count. Martina and Webb exchanged beer mists and collided in the ring after stereo lariats. They fell with each other’s arms on each other and Bryce called it a double pin draw to the chants of “AL-CO-HOL”.
They all danced after the match. Kudos to them for pulling a match while chugging beer every 30 seconds.
Team Blue (Faye Jackson, Jimmy Yuta, Terra Callaway, Arik Royal, & Red Eagle) defeated Team Red (Veda Scott, Shazza McKenzie, Jeff Cannonball, Daniel Makabe, & Sage Phillips) in a NOVA dodgeball challenge
Team captains were Veda Scott and Faye Jackson. Scott picked Shazza McKenzie, Jeff Cannonball, Daniel Makabe, and Sage Phillips whileJackson picked Jimmy Yuta, Terra Callaway, Arik Royal, Red Eagle.
All picks led to jokes on MJF never getting picked. He took the balls at the end, setting up a wrestling match instead. Fans booed the idea and started chanting ‘Wrestling Sucks!” and “Dodgeball is Real!”
Terra and Cannonball started with a good husband and wife battle. Terra got the upper hand early, which hurt Cannonball’s feelings. Yuta came in next and took on Shazza. They did a series of reversals and armdrags before Yuta took her out with a dropkick. Sage came in and hit a crucifix to take him out. The rest of the match kept building up to Scott vs Jackson.
Faye ran wild on Veda, hitting a series of running hip attacks. Veda took out Faye after going for the eyes and then hit a dive on top of everyone. Red Eagle hit a running cannonball on everyone. The rest of the wrestlers continued hitting dives one by one until Cannonball teased diving, but crashed and burned at the ropes. Terra came in and choked Cannonball. Yuta got a Gory Special on Shazza. Red Eagle locked in an octopus stretch on Makabe. Royal locked in Sage, and finally, Faye had a Boston Crab on Veda and all of Team Red tapped out at the same time. This was something for sure.
Teddy Hart’s Reading Rainbow
Teddy came out with Mr. Velvet and Caspian. He talked to the fans about going to jail and about what WrestleMania weekend means to the talent. He talked about fans supporting them even when they have dodgeball games and cats in the ring. He thanked the crowd. He put over GCW, the talent backstage, and especially Joey Janela. He talked about Orange Cassidy being one of the most unique wrestlers out there who he brought out to reconcile with Mr. Velvet.
Hart read a book called, “If I Was A Cat”. Fans popped huge for each page he read, getting “Read Forever” chants. This was a really nice heartfelt segment.
Shinjiro Otani defeated Jonathan Gresham
This was a great technical contest. It started with a battle for wrist control, but Otani quickly started going for the kneebar. Gresham chopped Otani, opening that door early on. Gresham started working over Otani’s left arm, manipulating the elbows, looking for flash pins in between. There was a great exchange were Gresham had the Kimura and wouldn’t release it even after Otani hit a scoop slam on him.
Otani hit a couple of bootwashes where he started taking out some of the staff outside the ring for some reason. Gresham hit a springboard moonsault to cut off Otani’s momentum and hit a couple of boots himself for a two count.
They started exchanging forearms with Gresham going for the left arm instead of the neck. Otani hit a Dragon Suplex for a near fall, followed with a spiral bomb to pick up the win.
Trent? defeated Chuck Taylor in overtime after a 60 second time limit draw
It started with both men locking up in the center of the ring and then it ended. Fans asked for five more seconds. Trent then rolled up Taylor to win via pinfall in overtime. This was great for the time it got. After the match, they hugged it out.
The roster came out to dance while the staff set up the props for the main event.
GCW Heavyweight Champion Nick Gage (w/Dewey Donovan) defeated Ultramantis Black in a non-title yuletide deathmatch
Ultramantis started with the upper hand as they started with a series of reversals, but he was then shotgun dropkicked into a barbed wire board and Gage completely turned the match around. Ultramantis got caught under the wire and ended up doing the next spots with the wire wrapped around him. He tossed Gage out and hit a rolling senton. Gage took Ultramantis around the venue, throwing him around before he grabbed a second barbed wire board which he slammed on top of Mantis.
Ultramantis recovered and went after Gage’s head. Back in the ring, Gage went for a Twisting Vader Bomb, but Mantis got the knees up and hit a bulldog into a chair. Mantis tossed Gage into the barbed wire Christmas tree for a two count. Mantis dropped thumbtacks in the center of the ring, but ended up getting a DDT on top of them for a two count. Gage went for another Vader Bomb, but this time with the Christmas tree on top. Once again, Mantis kicked out at two.
Gage hit a swinging neckbreaker on top of the tacks for a two count. Gage set up a table with tree ornaments and hit a superplex, but Mantis kept kicking out. Mantis started a comeback and went for an Angel’s Wings, but Gage reversed into a chokebreaker for the win. This was a good hardcore match that felt chaotic at points.
After the match, MJF came out and nailed Gage with a chair. He cut a promo saying he was mad for not being picked in the dodgeball game and called out the fans for liking this show, saying this is not what wrestling is.
Cassidy came out to confront him, hitting the Orange Mist on him and set him up for Gage and Mantis who took him out on top of the tacks. Cassidy gave Gage and Mantis sunglasses to close out the show.
This was a fun show to watch. Aside from the main event, it was all fun and games and the type of show that fans either love or hate.
David Arquette has issued a statement following a death match that left him injured during last week’s Joey Janela’s LA Confidential.
Arquette wrote a post on Twitter talking about what happened. He said that he got injured during the match because of his lack of experience.
“I knew it was violent and potentially bloody, but I truly did not know the extent of what I was participating in,” he wrote. “However, I take the responsibility for putting myself in that situation.”
He went on to say that he has been wrestling for the last six months as it is a passion of his.
“I also want to apologize to the professional wrestling world for any negative attention this might have brought forth over the weekend, and I have zero plans to be involved in a match like this again,” he continued. “I am looking forward to getting back to the ring, under much different circumstances – in the near future.”
Arquette was a replacement for Joey Ryan, who was scheduled to face Nick Gage for the GCW title. By the end of the match, Arquette was bloodied up, bleeding from his neck. The match ended awkwardly with Gage retaining the title as Arquette left the ring immediately after, holding his neck which later required stitches.
Another injury took place on the show as Marko Stunt broke his leg after banging it against a door that was propped up while taking a Canadian destroyer. He underwent successful surgery for the injury Sunday morning.
Game Changer Wrestling and Joey Janela’s LA Confidential took place at The Hi Hat in Los Angeles on Friday night.
– The Great Sasuke defeated DJZ
A fun opener. Sasuke was originally supposed to wrestle the Amazing Red, but Red got stranded at the airport due to the crazy weather in New York. We didn’t know who Sasuke’s new opponent would be. People went nuts for Sasuke when he came out, and DJZ got a good response.
They worked a good match, but DJZ didn’t do as much flying as he did at PWG. Sasuke missed a top rope somersault senton onto the apron. DJZ hit a flying DDT where he jumped off part of the stage/area with technical equipment into the ring. Sasuke won with a top rope dropkick to the arm.
– Tony Deppen defeated Jungle Boy
There was a huge response for Jungle Boy. Deppen played a great heel. There was lots of flying by Jungle Boy. They fought in and out of the ring, and the match built well and hit a crescendo when Jungle Boy hit a reverse rana for a near fall.
Unfortunately, it then had a few moments of lull near the end and a few awkward exchanges/botches. Deppen won via roll-up while grabbing Jungle Boy’s tights. There were big “please come back” chants for Jungle Boy after the match.
– Brody King defeated Hardcore Holly
They had a fun mean guy match. Holly looked very fit, but he was noticeably smaller than his WWE days. They set up a fun story early with Holly pushing King into the corners, but King would duck out of the way when Holly would wind up for a big chop. King would then laugh at Holly and played up being the cocky, young guy against the grizzled vet.
They exchanged suplexes and brawled around, building up to a long chop exchange that got a great reaction. Holly hit the Alabama Slam, but King kicked out at two. Holly went to set up a second Alabama Slam, but King rolled through and clubbed him with a lariat for the pin.
Holly got a good reaction afterwards. He asked for the mic and cut a good promo. He thanked all the fans and said he knew that he was smaller than his WWE days, but that was because he was on the gas then. He said that him being on the gas wasn’t a secret and that every big guy in wrestling was on the gas and anyone who said different was a liar.
There was a good reaction to this. He thanked all of the fans again to big cheers.
– Penelope Ford defeated The Human Tornado
Tornado got a great reaction as the returning star from early-mid era PWG. He worked heel almost immediately. He did it effectively, beating down Ford and repeatedly calling her a bitch. Ford would fight back — only to be cut off again. I feel like they might have lost the crowd a little bit with Ford getting beaten down so much.
Ford mounted a comeback, but she was again cut off and Human Tornado hit a flipping back-to-belly suplex. Instead of going for the cover, he gloated forever. He finally picked Ford up and put her on the turnbuckle so he could hit the suplex again, but she escaped and hit a tornado DDT to win.
– Ethan Page defeated D-Lo Brown
The stipulation for this match was that it was for Page’s soul. Brown got a good reception and Page worked heel by twice getting Brown in a side headlock and knocking him down with a shoulder tackle after Brown threw him into the ropes.
Page imitated Brown’s signature taunts to boos. Brown came back with a shoulder tackle and taunted back, then hit his standing leg drop in the ring. Page came back and went for a People’s Elbow — to a chorus of boos — but missed. Brown hit the Sky High for a near fall, then Page used the Rock Bottom for a near fall.
Page got a chair and smashed Brown over the back, but Brown no sold it and fired up. Page looked scared and went for a big swing, but Brown avoided and was even more fired up. Page looked frightened, said he gave up, and tossed the chair to Brown. Page then went to take a powder, but Brown grabbed him on the apron and went to give him a belly-to-back suplex into the ring. Page reversed in mid-air into a crossbody and a cover for the pin.
There were loud cheers and “you still got it” chants for Brown after the match.
– Jimmy Lloyd defeated Delilah Doom, Kikutaro, Facade, Chase Owens, Takashi Minamino, and Jake Atlas in a seven-person scramble match
This was a fun match where everyone got a chance to shine. Owens was a good base for a lot of people, Kikutaro got to do his comedy, and Doom had a great run suplexing almost everyone in the match.
– Jacob Fatu defeated KTB
They had a short match, but it was fun while it lasted. They started brawling and fought to the outside, with Fatu hitting an impressive Fosbury dive. He moves so well for a guy of his size.
Two doors/boards were brought into the match. Fatu got speared through one in the corner for a near fall. Fatu won with a top rope moonsault to a standing KTB, who smashed through the other door, which was set up in the ring, as Fatu landed on him.
– Eli Everfly defeated Marko Stunt by stoppage
Their insane sprint was cut short when Stunt was injured. Everfly attacked Stunt right as he was entering the ring. Everfly hit a dive to the outside, did a ton of reversals with nip ups in the ring. and they exchanged enzuigiris and ended up back outside.
Everfly hit a huge dive to the floor and landed hard. His side and back had an ugly mark on them. Everfly hit a brutal looking reverse rana in the ring for two.
The finish came when they fought outside near the stage. Everfly set up a door across two pieces of equipment and gave Stunt a Canadian Destroyer through it. This looked really bad and was the end of the match. I thought that Stunt got knocked out, but people a little closer to me said he was always responsive to the referee, who went to him immediately.
The ref called for the bell and then the announcer called for crew members to come out. They carried Stunt out and he was holding his leg. Stunt tweeted this morning: “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on me, or wished me a speedy recovery! Unfortunately I did suffer a bad break in my leg tonight. I have to have surgery in a few hours, and will keep everyone updated.” Stunt then noted that the surgery has been moved to tomorrow morning.
I hope Stunt is okay. He’s great and was super over here and his stuff looked crisp in the ring.
– Nick Gage defeated David Arquette
So, this match was crazy and I suspect that there will be a ton of accounts of what happened. They were having a crazy hardcore match with Gage taking about 90 percent of it. Arquette would have flurries, but Gage would beat him down quickly. They fought into the crowd, with Gage using beers and chairs as weapons. Arquette came back and tried two tope suicidas (while holding a chair) onto Gage. Neither looked great, but they worked okay.
They got out doors. Gage speared Arquette through one in the corner and beat him with another. Gage left and came back with a bunch of light tubes. He smashed one over Arquette’s head and Arquette was a bloody mess. He hit Arquette with another. Joey Ryan came out and gave Gage a superkick. Messiah then came out and got Ryan out of the ring.
Arquette used all of this to mount a comeback and gave Gage a Diamond Cutter across light tubes set up across chairs. There were good cheers for Arquette after this. Gage got out a pizza cutter and ran it across Arquette’s forehead. He took Arquette to three sides of the ring and cut him up with the pizza cutter on each side. On my side, he put the pizza cutter in Arquette’s mouth before running it over his forehead.
Gage smashed Arquette with another light tube. He took a piece of the light and jabbed it into Arquette’s forehead. He then did it again and Arquette was struggling. Somewhere in here, Arquette got a deep cut on his neck. Arquette immediately put a hand over the cut and it got quiet because the match just sort of stopped with both guys looking at each other.
It looked like they might have been about to rush to the finish, but they didn’t and Arquette just left and went to the side where no one could see him. After about 20 seconds, he came back. His face was more covered in blood and he was still holding his neck. He came back in the ring and rushed Gage in the corner.
It looked like Arquette was really trying to hit Gage and Gage gave him a judo shoulder throw and pinned him. Arquette just stared at him during the cover and immediately walked out holding his neck after the three count.
Gage got a mic and cut a promo. He put over the fans and then said something like “if you’re not willing to take my sh*t, don’t come into my world.” He kept talking, but Arquette came out from the back (still holding his neck) and yelled something at him and left. Gage never acknowledged him and continued his promo.
Gage put himself, the fans, and GCW over and never mentioned Arquette. It was a great promo and everyone was going nuts for Gage.
With Joey Ryan unable to wrestle at Joey Janela’s LA Confidential, Nick Gage has a new opponent for the show.
Janela and Game Changer Wrestling announced today that Gage will now defend his GCW World Championship against actor and former WCW World Champion David Arquette at the event. Arquette made his return to professional wrestling earlier this year.
Ryan, who potentially suffered a torn pec last week, tweeted an injury update today and noted that he’s still awaiting MRI results to learn the extent of the injury: “I’m still awaiting MRI results to know the extent. Unfortunately I have to pull off of @BarWrestling, @GCWrestling_ & @newwrestling1 this week. I will however still be on the @WSWWrestlingAUS Australia tour next week but likely in a meet & greet fashion only.”
Janela’s LA Confidential is taking place at The Hi Hat in Los Angeles, California this Friday, which is during Survivor Series weekend in the city. The show will air live on Fite TV.
