GCW Presents ‘Just Being Honest’
Live from the Ukranian Culture Center (aka the White Claw Cultural Center) in Los Angeles, CA
Streaming on FITE.tv
January 24, 2020
by Tiffany Rose
Just one week after their debut in Texas, the last outlaws of pro wrestling are back in Los Angeles for Just Being Honest. As explained by Kevin Gill at the start of the show (after a nice tribute and salute to the late Justice Pain), this show would be the opposite of the usual bullshit, run-arounds, and fakery you find in mainstream wrestling. What GCW offered this evening was the perfect alternative - wrestling at its most genuine and non-condescending to its audience.
Tonight’s Commentary: Ya Boy Kevin Gill and Hot Tub ‘2 Cents’ Shawn
We get 2 weeks back to back of KG and 2 Cents! Hopefully after last week and this week more fans have gotten accustomed to the unorthodox style of commentary that this pair brings; I think this is a team with a unique quality that keeps every match fun, as real as it could feel, and without all the heavy and vast terminology of grappling that tends to bog down and make matches seem slower when overdone.
Match 1: AJ Gray vs. Chris Bey
Last week in Austin we had Bey/Zane, and this week it’s Bey/Gray - 2020 is starting off just right for Chris Bey, who had his GCW debut in this very same venue late last year and absolutely fascinated me. As I expected, this match has a high rewatchability factor and was a fantastic choice to open the show, as both Gray and Bey had the support of a crowd who stayed divided over who they thought was the better of the two. Bey got to showcase his Big Dick Bey energy in this one and Grey showed off the wrestling skills and power moves that have taken him pretty damn far (even all the way to the GCW World Championship back in December); excellent match that ended with Gray getting the pinfall victory and both competitors receiving a lot of love from the appreciative crowd at the White Claw Cultural Center.
Match 2: Jimmy Lloyd vs. Joey Ryan
What we got to see in this next match was definitely not what I expected! First off, Joey Ryan came to the ring in his old-school gear (but still with the lollipop, of course) and announced that both he and Lloyd have been trained by the best in the business and therefore they’re both able to have a solid wrestling match. What starts out as a skillful technical match with first-rate spots somewhat devolved into the realm of the lewd and hardcore after Ryan’s penis inadvertently got involved in the match (LOL) and the two took to brawling outside of the ring once Jimmy went for a dive. The audience, however, got to enjoy these two on both sides of the coin here. The Different Boy Jimmy Lloyd got the pinfall win over Ryan after a strong superkick and a DDT to put him down for good in this match.
Match 3: Blake Christian vs. Arez
The matches on the first half of the card were absolute memorable bangers! It was good to see Arez go one-on-one with All Heart after being featured in GCW’s scramblefuck matches previously. Both guys put on a fantastic match with plenty of ‘holy shit’ moments (be sure to check out the ‘athletic chair surfer’ spot) and the sick spots we’ve all become accustomed to seeing from them. It was plenty clear to everyone that Blake Christian would use this chance to shine, much like last week, and call out Will Ospreay once again as a potential opponent at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 in Tampa. We know that Janela is listening, but how about Ospreay? All Heart gets the victory here over Arez with a nice delivery of Elia from the top rope and then a pinfall. Just like last week, Blake took to the mic after the match to once again send Ospreay a message - he wants him for Spring Break. I have to say I am strongly supportive of this match idea; as awesome as it would be to have Zayne/Ospreay at Spring Break 4, I think that Blake Christian deserves more of an opportunity to shine in 2020 - there’s no better way than to make this match happen on a big stage.
Match 4: Chris Dickinson vs. David Starr
Arguably this match should get the most attention for best of the entire show; I came in on this one knowing that there would be absolutely no quarter given and these two men would beat the fire out of one another just like the fans wanted to see. Believe me, these two delivered the goods! Starr, who is already known worldwide for his wrestling accomplishments, seemed to be the one who had less to prove in this match. Dickinson, who has recently traveled abroad to Australia and has wrestling dates coming soon in February when GCW debuts in Japan, could use a victory in this heavy-hitting match to put him in peak preparation for what he’s got to face in the upcoming weeks. Starr seems to be the better of the two when it comes to straight-up grappling, but it takes a LOT to out-match the raw power of the Dirty Daddy. This was a lengthy and classic war between Starr and Dickinson that ended when Dickinson took Starr out finally with a huge powerbomb and big clothesline combo. Excellent stuff here!
Match 5: Starboy Charlie vs. Matt Vandagriff vs. Slice Boogie vs. Eli Everfly vs. Gringo Loco vs. Adrian Quest (Scramblefuck)
There was no scramble match in Austin, but this one this week in LA most definitely made up for it. As is GCW’s style, the best of the West Coast are featured in these scrambles and on this show we have the debut of Starboy Charlie, who I’d seen a week before tear shit up at West Coast Pro’s show 17 Reasons. Awesome to know that GCW sees the talent in this very young kid as well, as Charlie had a chance to show off what he knows at only 16 years of age. I was also really glad to see Eli Everfly here displaying his finesse in another scramble after getting my attention last year in his GCW debut. New York’s own Slice Boogie did a great job here of getting himself over as the most hated heel in the match while at the same time proving he’s just as watchable as any of the other scramble competitors. Vandagriff and Quest were exceptional with death-defying spots off the top rope and on the ring apron, and Gringo Loco ultimately got the pinfall victory on Slice Boogie, making the LA crowd happy that the local boy put away the NY upstart. This one is worth a watch if you’re looking for new names on the West Coast scene who will be quite recognizable by the end of the year.
Match 6: Mance Warner vs. Tony Deppen
As much as I love and respect both Mancer and Deppen (even when Deppen’s being dirty), it sure is fun to watch them go to battle for the first time! We start off with Deppen on the attack on Mancer, sending him outside of the ring and following it up with a dive. Deppen stays on him while on the outside, launching himself right over a fan and into a seated Mancer and several other chairs nearby. Mancer’s not down for long outside the ring, coming back strong to pummel Deppen with beer cans. So many broken doors in this one, too! If you had any doubt about how strong the doors are that are used in these spots, this is a good match to watch to fully understand that these guys are beating the shit out of each other with pretty heavy duty equipment (and there’s also when someone gets launched off of the stage and straight through the door, of course). We go through just about everything in this match - chairs, beer bath beatings, doorbusters, a helmet head butt, and more doors. Dirty Deppen, however, takes the unfair victory here after distracting the referee long enough to hit a low blow on the Southern Psycho and then drive his elbow into the back of ol’ Mancer’s head to get a pinfall.
After the match Deppen takes the mic to remind us that he’s got his pick for an opponent and he’s got the best choice in mind for Spring Break 4 - it’s not Ospreay, but Alex Shelley himself! The match has officially been announced as well; we’ll see Deppen vs. Shelley in Tampa and the Spring Break card is starting to stack up with a lot more announcements to come in the weeks ahead.
Match 7: Effy vs. Rickey Shane Page
RSP continues to be the best at being the worst as we have yet another non-title match this week against someone who truly deserves a shot. Thankfully this week we weren’t subject to seeing the amount of straight-up cheating that we had from RSP and his gang of pussified friends in Austin. No, this was a one-on-one battle that had everybody’s favorite Daddy in a true battle against someone who’s just as talented as he is hated. RSP was on the offense for the majority of the match here despite Effy getting some clean wrestling in at the beginning and in the middle of the match. I will say this about RSP, though - for a guy his size, he’s scary quick. I mean the guy can move like a cruiserweight when he wants to. He also knows just how to piss a crowd off; an elaborate set-up of door and chairs that would normally lead to an impressive spot are promptly taken out of the equation by RSP, who’s not at all about making the fans happy. No, he’s all about the victory, which he got cleanly over Effy after delivering a powerful backbreaker and getting the pin. The crowd never stopped supporting Daddy, though, who to his credit did a damn good job going up against RSP with all intent to fight and no intent to quit.
Match 8: Matthew Justice vs. Nick Gage
It was such a bittersweet main event for this show after the news earlier in the day that Justice Pain, who was Nick Gage’s brother, died suddenly and tragically. There was the expectation of some that this match may not happen, but Gage proved he’s 100% dedicated to his craft and to his people by carrying on with this match in a time of mourning. The MDK faithful of LA was a fantastic crowd, showing Gage an overwhelming amount of love and support from the minute he stepped through the curtain and made his way to the ring. Both Justice and Gage gave us a variety of style in the main event, mixing wrestling with brawling and then throwing in some of the out and out fuckery that we know and love. Action stayed outside the ring for the most part but both competitors would return to the ring for some vicious spots in the match, including a dueling staple gun fight. Gage ends up getting the main event victory here after sending Justice through a crowd of chairs with a Pain Thriller as a tribute to his late brother. In his post-match comments Gage thanks the LA crowd for their support in such a tough time, and just as we’re all ready to reflect on the tragedy who else but RSPussy would arrive at the end of the show to start his own brand of bullshit?
That’s right, RSP came to the ring to attack Gage just as he was speaking to the audience about his late brother, who’d just passed away that same day. If there’s more of a dick move than this, then I don’t want to know about it. The heat that RSP got for this move, of course, was insane, and the entire GCW roster of talent on hand emptied and came to the ring in support of the King of Deathmatches. Gage looks to be fed up with RSP’s shit, though, as he challenged him to a deathmatch next month in New Jersey. Thank God, if this means we’ll finally get to see RSP bleed for Gage like he deserves then please - LET IT HAPPEN!
Post-Show Thoughts
I honestly didn’t think anything could top what I was there to experience live in Austin last week, but I need to remember that I’m watching GCW and what was awesome last week can possibly be topped by something even more incredible a week later. The LA crowd in attendance was a huge part of how excellent this show was overall; they stayed hot and hype from beginning to end and, in addition to the commentary team, gave each of the matches a particular ‘big match’ quality that I liked to see. After a full month of solid GCW shows including I Can’t Feel My Face and last week’s Take A Picture, I’d have to say that this third show of the month was the superior one. Very well done overall; watch this replay on FITE.tv if you haven’t done so yet!