Review: The Wrld on GCW (Part 2)


GCW Presents ‘The Wrld on GCW’ (Part  2)
Live from White River State Park in Indianapolis, IN
Replay Available on FITE.tv
June 20, 2020


That sure was a long-ass two months.


When GCW announced they’d make their debut in Indianapolis after going on hiatus since March, my reaction was a reflex more than an actual decision. Of course I’d be there. The eight and a half hour drive was nothing; in fact I enjoyed the ride up more than I did the seven-hour drive to Austin back in January for GCW’s Take A Picture. It’s strange to actually see myself express that in words. A year ago I would have been incredibly anxious to take big road trips like this. Now I’d be willing to drive anywhere to see the outlaws do their thing. I credit GCW for awakening that spirit of adventure I haven’t felt since I was a little kid. My confidence has been restored, and for that I give this promotion my unwavering support.


And the camaraderie! Never in my life have I felt this strong of a sense of belonging when it comes to wrestling. I’m at the age now where I freely pick and choose my family, whether it’s blood or bond. The GCW wrestlers, crew, and fans are my people, my squad, my gang, and my family. These are the ones I’ll ride for until the wheels fall off. It is absolutely inevitable that things happen with family that will let you down. You end up hearing or seeing something and you’re disappointed as hell because you know damn well your family can do better. You also have the choice to sever those ties, be it blood or bond. I had to make up my mind over the past 48 hours. 


For me...I choose to ride with all of this group of outlaws, come what may. I think when you consider someone as family, it’s possible to show enough grace to anyone willing to improve themselves and go on to do better. I’m one who gives that chance. Sure, others will disagree and that is their right. The decision to continue to support whomever I choose, though? That’s completely on me and nobody else.


How much shit can you try to throw at something ‘they’ call a mudshow anyway? GCW was bound to exceed expectations with the Indianapolis show because so many out there expected it to go sideways. People online feed off negativity like it’s junk food. They were craving something to bitch about and GCW served their asses up some healthy fare instead. I give thanks to the fans in attendance practicing better health guidelines than I’ve seen in my own home state over the past several weeks. Everybody knew the world was watching and so the world got to see that GCW fans can make this shit situation work to the best advantage. 


But yeah, damn it was a hell of a weekend. Let’s take a look at the actual show. :)


I think the fans watching the live stream were focused more on the COVID than the heat that the fans in attendance were experiencing outdoors. I think the wrestlers were focused more on ring rust and bumping than the actual heat itself. There really were a lot of factors that could have made this show go either way, and it’s pretty damn heartening to know that the matches delivered in spite of all this.


Didn’t J-Rose absolutely DO the damn thing when it came to announcing this show? Not even just announcing, either. I’m loath to use the term ‘emcee’ to describe what J-Rose was to this show in particular. No, in this case the full use of that term is to be used: J-Rose was the master of ceremonies. I mean that in every sense; he’s come a hell of a long way and I truly consider him a master of his craft.


Match 1: Alex Zayne vs. Jimmy Lloyd
The opening match would have to be a wild one; this was the first live match in front of fans after a two-month drought. If there was pressure, however, it definitely didn’t look like Zayne or Lloyd were affected much by it because they opened the show so well. This was fun to watch live; I like seeing Jimmy switch up his style depending on the matches he’s in. Zayne looks great in the ring too, if there was any ring rust then I didn’t detect much of it. Good to see that this match kicked off the show and set the right tone.


Match 2: Tony Deppen vs. Shane Mercer
We all knew that there would be water involved at some point in this show, it was just a matter of who would get launched, right? This match had everything I love about an outdoor show. It helps when you have Deppen going up against Mercer and without a doubt the action will go outside of the ring. I was really happy to see that the feud between Logan Stunt and Mercer is picking back up, too. Highlight of this match was definitely seeing Logan the one to get launched by the Iron Demon right into one of the White River park pools; I’m ready to see one more match with those two. Deppen finished the match solid with strikes that looked just as hard on camera as they did watching from ringside.


Match 3: KTB vs. AJ Gray
If you ever wonder how dedicated AJ Gray is to GCW, let this show remind you. He made it to Indy for this match despite a car accident he had on the way to the show. I’d say that’s pretty damn inspiring. Again, if there was any worry of ring rust I didn’t see much of a problem in this match either. I’d say if anything, the long-term break just made AJ Gray even more motivated. Both KTB and Gray put on a good big boy banger with Gray getting the well-earned win after sending the Beast through a door via death valley driver and going for the pin.


Match 4: Tre LaMar vs. Lee Moriarty
This debut for both of these talented guys was as awesome as I expected it to be! In my opinion, this was a career making match that served LaMar and Moriarty equally. Fans who are familiar with their skills got to see them shine on the big stage. I’m hoping this match drew a lot of new eyes to these names; both men deserve a shot at the mainstream leagues. Was glad to see Moriarty take the win but without a doubt, Tre looked amazing in this match and does a good job of showing off how accomplished he is.


Match 5: Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice & Mance Warner) vs. 44OH (Rickey Shane Page & Atticus Cogar)
One of the best reactions of the night was seeing good old Indy hometown favorite Levi Everett standing with the Second Gear Crew. Everybody was backing the SGC for this match and I loved the energy the live crowd had in this match. I think it’s because it’s a whole united front of people hating not just RSP and Cogar but the entire state of Ohio itself. 44OH didn’t do their state any favors either as far as looking like decent sportsmen. The dirty win that RSP and Cogar orchestrated didn’t surprise me one bit; Mance and Justice had the match won after that beautiful 3-D. Of course RSP was going to cheat after that and pull the ref out on the three count. What did surprise me that we were only subjected to two of the 44OH crew and the others were smart enough to stay away this time. Fuck 44OH (all of them) for cheating to win and we all still know SGC was the better team here, anyway.


Match 6: Gringo Loco vs. JJ Garrett vs. Calvin Tankman vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Cole Radrick vs. Benjamin Carter (6-Man Scramblefuck)
This was THE best scramble I’ve seen live to date. It could be that it was so much better because it was outside, or it’s most likely because Calvin Tankman came through looking like an absolute monster in his first GCW match. I’m most familiar with Tankman in Bizarro Lucha shows (and these shows I’d really like to see live once the promotion is ready to run again), so it was great to see him up against the GCW scramble match legends like Gringo Loco and newer faces like Benjamin Carter. Now that Tankman’s got his first win in the promotion I’d really like to see him in a singles match next, just pick the opponent and let him work.


Match 7: Manders vs. Chris Dickinson
I give all of the credit to Manders and Dickinson for going so hard in this match; I swear this was the hottest part of the day and these two hosses still went at it one hundred percent. In my opinion Dickinson is the reigning king of the meat slapping matches, but Manders gave him a damn good fight. The Dirty Daddy got the victory in the end with a very effective figure four leglock on Manders. I’ll be rewatching this one a lot, it’s a monster vs. monster classic.


Match 8: Myron Reed vs. Blake Christian
The scramble was truly great, but this match was the show stealer! You all know that I can never shut up about how great Blake Christian is, and to see him go up against Myron Reed live and in person was the highlight of my whole damn day. Reed was one more monumental debut on this show in a list of new names who made their impression on the card. With every great Blake Christian match I always end up wanting to see a sequel to it. This is one of those matches. I was excited when Blake got the win here, but can you blame me for wanting to see a part two to this classic match in any given promotion in the future?


Match 9: Allie Kat vs. Effy
Old gay vs. New gay is my jam! Allie Kat’s come back from the long break looking great, and everybody’s favorite Daddy was right back to taking those hard-ass bumps after this long break we’ve had. Loved this one, full of pride for both these two being in the semi-main event and pulling off a good match. Allie Kat is continuing to strengthen her name in GCW with her victory against Effy here. No one should question if there’s any place for our favorite new gay in GCW, she’s proven she’s got a home with the outlaws.


Match 10: Nick Gage vs. Spyder Nate Webb
The class and courtesy shown by everyone involved in this main event match was unforgettable. My good friend Shelby was right by me when she collapsed and injured her head as Nick Gage was on his way to the ring. This was a really frightening moment, but I have so much respect for everyone who kept calm around the confusion and let properly trained people and medics assess and assist the situation. J-Rose was incredibly professional in keeping everyone informed on the situation. Nick Gage is a damn good man, he came right out of the ring and was at Shelby’s side checking on her. Everyone in the main event handled the whole thing in the best way possible, and I’m glad that Shelby’s doing fine and that GCW is quick to handle things correctly.


And then there’s the main event itself! Yes, that was me you saw among others going crazy for the King at ringside. I did my best to socially distance myself and yet provide the hypebeast that this crazy main event deserved. This one went all around the damn park, too! There’s nothing like seeing Nick Gage slam Nate Webb through a door just a few feet away from you. God I love GCW. I don’t feel as if the main event went with any less energy despite the rough start, either. The crowd brought the energy and carried it all the way to the finish. It was, to say the least, a pleasure to see it all happen live.


Post-Show Thoughts

Wow. It feels fantastic to have these weekends back. I’d been dreading that Austin would end up being the only GCW show I’d see live this year. You have to understand how bad that depressed me; Take A Picture was a hell of a good time but I didn’t want it to be my only GCW live event. I was so ready to see everyone again. It really wasn’t just a craving to see live wrestling again. People I hadn’t seen in months, all of the awesome friends I’ve made. Can I just say how wonderful it was to see your (masked) faces again? All of the awesome people I met and partied with and talked to and leaned against a wall having deep (Deppen) conversations...you made it a really memorable weekend for me. I appreciate everybody for that and truly mean it when I say I can’t wait to see you again.

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