High Drama in the Carousel Room: GCW Presents So Much Fun

byThatRoseTattoo •
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High Drama in the Carousel Room: GCW Presents So Much Fun

Live from the Carousel Room at the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ

November 8, 2020

Available on IWTV.live

by Tiffany R. Merryhill


I’ve been in love with the Carousel Room ever since I’d first seen it back in September 2019 while watching the Bloodsport pay per view. It had its charm. It had a colorful ceiling that was reminiscent of a roll of Life Savers or Fruit Stripes gum. The chandeliers were beautiful. Back when I first saw this venue it was one of the last I’d think of for holding a wrestling show, but this was also back before I was also fully initiated into the GCW mentality. Here is where we see the most outrageous shows in the most memorable locations. 


I don’t think I’ve seen a bad show at the Carousel Room yet, actually. There was Bloodsport last September, and then there was Run Rickey Run back in February - both were exceptional events. So Much Fun would be the first show back inside the Showboat since earlier this year, and it lived up to the stacked card that was announced in the weeks prior to the show.


This show was also the first one I could fully enjoy from home since this past spring. I certainly longed to be a part of the crowd for a show like this; it was one of GCW’s all time best, in my opinion. However, there’s something cool about being home to kick back and watch the show, not just wander around the peripherals and try to maintain social distance while also maintaining a sick buzz. I made GIFs of So Much Fun and this time I’ll let the clips provide most of the words. I’ve said enough all summer long; this show speaks for itself!


On Commentary: OG Kevin Gill and ‘Bad Boy’ Joey Janela


Listening to KG and Joey at the commentary table is like sitting and shooting the shit with your friends at the lunch table. You know you’re gonna hear some gossip. You’re gonna hear someone tell it like it is without worrying about what anyone thinks, because you’re among friends. That sums up Janela’s commentary, and that’s why I enjoy it on a whole different wavelength than I do listening to commentators for AEW, WWE, or any indy promotion. I’ll listen to the other guys and girls when I want to hear hold for hold commentary with a lukewarm joke here and there, just like listening to a college lecture. Plenty of substance, but no seasoning. On the other hand, Joey’s time at the table with KG is way more fun.


Match 1: Juicy Finau vs. Jordan Oliver


Leave it to wrestling fans to focus on the veracity of one spot in this match when there were several other moments worth noting from both guys. I could get used to heavyweight hitter Jordan Oliver. Juicy is the man, and anyone who’s not convinced can just keep watching. He’s only gonna get better.


Match 2: AJ Gray vs. Ace Austin vs. Holidead vs. Aeroboy vs. Joe Keys vs. Levi Everett


AJ Gray got the win here after a damn war at NGI5 the previous day with MASADA. I was most impressed with Holidead making her GCW debut in this scramble, and Joe Keys is a beast who got his name out there in this one as well. Good showing from everybody, and I liked being shocked at the post-match turn of events at the end involving the new alliance between Matthew Justice and his one-time AIW rival Joshua Bishop.


Match 3: Cole Radrick vs. Atticus Cogar


I was rooting hard for my boy Raddy here, and I wasn’t let down at all. He went to war with Cogar and they tore it the hell up! The finish was insane and can only truly be appreciated in GIF form. Good stuff from both guys.


Match 4: Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush


Here’s the newest Instant Classic! This match lived up to and exceeded every expectation I had. In my opinion, Blake Christian is the peak of talent in GCW - and this was the match he had to have in order to put him in that position. Lio Rush would be the one to beat for that privilege. All Heart did just that, getting the victory in one of the best matches of the year in any promotion.


Match 5: IronBeast (Shane Mercer & KTB) vs. Ugly Ducklings (Rob Killjoy & Lance Lude)


Since the Ugly Ducklings survived this match (thankfully), can we please have them back for more GCW shows in the future? Killjoy & Lude are awesome! I was glad to see that they were able to get the crowd behind them halfway through their debut match; people need to find out how great this team is. IronBeast was a nice choice for the initial opponents, too - this was clearly a match where power would eventually overcome quickness (quackness?), but the Ducks hung in the ring long enough to prove their worth.


Match 6: Chris Dickinson vs. Eric Ryan


I’m sick of seeing 44OH! coming out on top, damn it. Yeah, Eric Ryan’s had his share of success in 2020 despite uncertain times. I’m ready, though, for Chris Dickinson to regain the position he had at the top of the world before times got hard. This match and this victory? That’s a good start for the Dirty Daddy.


Match 7: Alex Zayne vs. Tony Deppen


The last two matches of the show were full of emotion for me. I wasn’t ready for this to be Alex Zayne’s final independent wrestling match. It was something that came up unexpectedly and very last minute; otherwise I would have definitely been on hand to watch one of my absolute favorite guys on the indie scene kill it in the GCW ring for one last time. But...I couldn’t be there. It turned out okay, however, because this was an opportunity to get GIFs of what were sure to be some golden spots in this match. The gentlemen did not disappoint. Much respect and love to both Alex Zayne and Tony Deppen for setting this match on fire and burning it down. Wherever Zayne goes from here, the path is absolutely lit for him.


Main Event: Mance Warner vs. Rickey Shane Page (GCW World Heavyweight Championship match)


You know those butterflies you get when you’re way too emotionally invested in a wrestling match? I got them while watching this one. Yes, I was that ready to see RSP finally lose the GCW title, and I was just as ready to see Mancer win it. The great thing about it was the lead-in from the previous day’s NGI5 main event aftermath. 44OH! attacked Mance after he’d won the final round of the tournament and RSP thought he’d be cute and allow Mancer a shot at the GCW title at So Much Fun. That’s where, as a fan, your imagination starts to take off and you start to believe. Well damn, if Mancer can win the whole tournament...who says he can’t win the title?


Oh, how I love wrestling and how it catches you up like that. This match was all about the drama, and the suspense kept ramping up the longer it went. There’s ‘storytelling’ in wrestling with story arcs and long term planning and whatnot, and then there’s telling a story in the ring using however much time you’re given. This title match between Mance and RSP was a well told story with a nightmare finish. Seriously, your anxiety will be through the roof by the end.


Isn’t it great though that a match can still make you feel this way? RSP is still champ for now and that sucks, but we also found out near the close of this one that Nick Gage is well on his way back to the ring and he’s just as pissed off at RSP as ever. It’s only a matter of time now before that title changes hands with someone, right?


Post-Show Thoughts


I damn sure missed Atlantic City after seeing the NGI5 and So Much Fun this past weekend. Watching the shows at home and participating in the live tweet hashtag is still very entertaining for me, but the reality is that nothing holds up to actually being at a GCW show and experiencing everything going on around you. Fine, it’s time to make a social compromise. I’ll quarantine for the next two weeks but then it’s back to chasing the outlaws, next in Las Vegas for their debut and then back to AC to ring in 2021 with these lovely people I enjoy so much. It’s just too good to keep myself away from it all.
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