So Much Color: GCW Presents Jimmy Lloyd’s Jersey Shore
Live from the Boardwalk Garden Pier in Atlantic City, NJ
August 23, 2020
Available on FITE.tv
The weekend could not have ended more beautifully, and I mean this both in weather and in general atmosphere. Prior to that Sunday on the pier I’d been closely monitoring the clouds as if I were an accredited meteorologist. Storms are different on the shore and I’m a relatively landlocked Southern girl who only knows of tornados, mosquitoes, and hurricane parties rather than actual hurricanes. When the raindrops did fall that afternoon they only served to mercifully cool us all down and maybe give us all a little trepidation at dampened ring ropes. There would be no slowing this party down.
By the time Jersey Shore kicked off I was in my usual ‘wrestling show’ condition - well under the influence of quality bud and alcohol. Instead of taking a spot near the ring I enjoyed most of the action off to the corner of the Garden Pier, wandering out among the audience here and there throughout the show. I did this because I wanted to smoke weed (imagine that!) intermittently, but also because I wanted to get a look at things from a different perspective. It’s just so damn fun to stand off to the sidelines sometimes and see the event as one big picture playing out in front of you. This was something I’d noticed the day before at Tournament of Survival 5 just across the Boardwalk. For someone who loves being in the middle of everything and cheerleading matches, I found it equally nice to just hang back and really watch the show for once.
Where last month’s Homecoming came off in writing like a fun-filled hectic fever dream, Jersey Shore had a vibe that I can only describe as ‘celestial’. Maybe it was the way the setting sun reflected off the passing storm clouds and left us with accidental renaissance photography moments in the ring. Maybe it was the potent drops of THC tincture I tried for the first time thanks to my cozy smoking comrade. It put a delightful spin on the early evening nonetheless, and by the end of the show there was a palpable feeling of satisfaction that comes from having been a part of something worth watching.
That was one crazy weekend full of a hell of a lot of wrestling. I’m pretty confident when I say that I was there to witness the best parts of it all.
On Commentary: OG Kevin Gill & Emilio Sparks
Sparks was back at the table with KG for Jersey Shore, and when I watched the replay of both Saturday and Sunday’s shows after returning home I really did think that both nights of KG’s commentary (Saturday with Gage and Sunday with Sparks) were equally entertaining. Definitely more of a laid-back feel to the commentary on Sunday’s show, but I attribute that to not involving a series of deathmatches with escalating brutality and longstanding grudges.
Match 1: AR Fox vs. Cole Radrick
It wouldn’t be GCW if we didn’t start out with a crazy-ass opening match to set the tone. AR Fox made his debut the day before in the scramblefuck match at Tournament of Survival 5, and he followed up with a banger just 24 hours after the fact. It wasn’t that long ago that Cole Radrick was the new kid in the GCW ring, yet you wouldn’t think so when you’re watching him work. Raddy’s actually looking like a veteran these days, and that goes to show you the guy’s proven himself to be a worthy competitor. I still want to see Radrick vs. Gage somewhere soon when the King’s all healed up, too. Excellent way to start the show with Radrick getting a well-fought victory over Fox.
Match 2: Chris Dickinson vs. Lee Moriarty
Just when I had the nerve to ask how they were going to follow the opener up...out comes the Dirty Daddy and the Apex of Combat. Lee’s established himself as a GCW competitor this summer, but this match in particular could serve as a signal boost for his entire career. That’s how solid Dickinson/Moriarty was. Keep in mind that the Dirty Daddy did double duty on this particular occasion as well, having taken on Priscilla Kelly in the Beyond Wrestling main event prior to Jersey Shore and then going toe to toe with Lee. Props to both Dickinson and Moriarty for leaving it all in the ring here, too. Dickinson came through with the win but Lee didn’t make this an easy road to travel at all, having taken damn near everything his opponent had in his arsenal. Good shit!
Match 3: Blake Christian vs. Andrew Everett
Jersey Shore got increasingly wilder as the matches progressed. This match between Blake Christian and Andrew Everett was nuts! All Heart would not be denied as he’s established himself as one of the top competitors in GCW; a loss against newcomer Everett was not in his plans whatsoever. As glad as I am to see Andrew Everett in GCW, this match came off more like a showcase of the best of Blake Christian (which is not a problem at all) as Everett didn’t seem to get in much offense for too long before losing to Blake via pinfall. Amazing acrobatics in this one, however; Everett managed to impress with his time in the ring here. As for Blake Christian, he’s picked up right where we all left off with quarantine earlier this year without missing a beat in either GCW or in his recent New Japan debut.
Match 4: AJ Gray vs. Lucky 13 (w/Kelsey) (Deathmatch)
And if the first three matches didn’t knock you on your ass, this deathmatch very well may do so. I was pretty surprised at how Lucky 13 got down in this one, too - my mind is trained to see him as one of the better technical wrestlers on the independent scene, so when he switches over to deathmatch mode it’s something I can’t take my eyes away from. We all know what AJ Gray can do in these style of matches, though, and we especially know that he damn sure doesn’t play around. Both these guys got color early in the match, and I suppose Lucky’s valet saw the light tubes and steel chairs and the writing on the wall because she got the hell out of the way quick. Can’t blame her one bit, this shit went hard between these dudes. In the end I’d say AJ did a damn good job of fucking Lucky up here, as he ended up with the victory after going through a total war in this match.
Match 5: Injustice (Jordan Oliver & Myron Reed) vs. Shane Mercer & KTB
That’s twice in one day Injustice delivered in the ring. Along with several others on the card, they pulled double duty at both Jersey Shore and at the Beyond show Wear Sunscreen earlier that day. I wonder, though - would the outcome of this bout have been the same if Injustice were 100% fresh in the battle? Maybe not, because Mercer & KTB make a hell of a destructive and powerful tag team. That didn’t stop Injustice from going all out in their second match of the day, though. The outcome of this one, however, didn’t favor Jordan and Myron. Mercer & KTB were just too strong of a team for Injustice to take down, and they got the pinfall victory for the finish. For the record, I’m very much pro Team DemonBeast (yes I made that up).
Match 6: Elayna Black vs. Jimmy Lloyd (Deathmatch)
All hail Elayna Black as the newest deathmatch badass! Full disclosure, when I heard Elayna Black would be featured on this show I was glad because I thought initially we’d see her in a typical singles match for her debut or even a scramble match. I should know better by now - nothing is ever typical in GCW and it made perfect sense for Black’s debut to be a deathmatch with Jimmy fuckin’ Lloyd. If there were any doubts about this match on Sunday I guarantee they’re gone now. Elayna Black is that one, and I’m glad I got to see her make a name for herself in this match. We all know by now that Jimmy spared no mercy at any point in this match, but to see Elayna go through ten minutes of hell (and have her back busted with a flaming knee to finish the match) and give Jimmy a bit of her own style was encouraging, especially since at the moment we could do with a boost in the number of active women deathmatch wrestlers in the US. Jimmy got the win here, but Elayna gets just as much of the glory.
Match 7: EFFY vs. Sanchez
The weekend of Jersey Shore was clearly a busy one for everybody. If people weren’t pulling double duty then they were hauling ass to get to Atlantic City from one of the numerous other shows going on in the country last Saturday. This is why I have absolutely nothing but respect for both EFFY and Sanchez for going as hard as they did in this match since they’d spent the earlier part of the day either traveling or working another match. Both guys also had a lot of momentum going into this bout from their previous matches that weekend, too. I figure the excess of energy explains why the action in this one got fierce enough to knock our beloved Daddy loopy enough in the end for Sanchez to escape with the victory. Lucky break for El Presidente, in my opinion; I was solid behind EFFY here!
Match 8: Alex Zayne vs. Joey Janela
This main event was by far one of my favorite Janela matches I’ve ever seen. When I first started watching Joey Janela last year, I was more impressed with his wrestling matches than his deathmatches even though he’s shown how adept he is at both sides of the coin. I’ve come to realize that I enjoy Janela matches best when they’re against the high flying masters on the indie scene, and Alex Zayne has taken his spot among the best in the past year. Being there live and up front for this match was an absolute thrill. This one went for nearly 20 minutes and I didn’t feel one moment of down time passed throughout it. What’s more, this match was Alex Zayne in the damn main event! The man has come so far in a year and I’m glad that 2020 didn’t slow him down to a grinding halt; the hot sauce is still fire. I’ll continue to preach that Janela needs matches (and victories) like this in AEW. If that promotion is indeed watching like they say they are, then we’ll see more of this side of Joey more often. Ain’t a damn thing wrong with that at all.
Post-Show Thoughts
What a stacked-as-hell show. Fresh talent everywhere showing out. The real MVP of this event, though? The Garden Pier. Of all the places I’ve traveled to this summer (for GCW and otherwise), it’s the best venue I’ve visited. Between the streaks of red, orange, and pink in the sky above us and the deep blue sea behind us it couldn’t have been a prettier evening. It made the perfect symbolic backdrop for the show, too. Sure, there was a little rain. Yeah, there was the threat of a storm. But the outlaws rode it out and came through on the other side looking fantastic.