No Rest, No Chill: JCW and the Summer of Excess
Next Show: After Hours (June 5, 2021 at the Showboat in Atlantic City, NJ)
Available live and for free on GCW’s YouTube
Ok, so Tampa exhausted me. Craft beer, relentless sun, late nights, broken glass, thumbtacks, the smell of blood and rain in the air, ghosts in Ybor City, general debauchery, little sleep, Uber, Lyft, Uber, Lyft.
I landed back in Little Rock with a head full of memories but no will to capture it all in one review or a series of reviews. This was the worst time to endure a case of crippling writer’s block. Here’s the independent wrestling scene coming alive again right before our eyes, and for weeks I couldn’t put a sentence together to describe it. I attribute the exhaustion to a year’s worth of travel that culminated in four crazy days, three wild evenings, and one blackout night in Tampa. By the time I got home I was thankful to be walking upright let alone ready to write about anything that happened.
As a result, I needed a break from the break that I took in March from writing or publishing anything. During the extended time off I continued to travel to shows, making the trek up to the Showboat in Atlantic City the first weekend of May to see what was good after Mania. Damn was I glad I did, because Opening Day was what the indie scene needed to say ‘hey, the world’s turning again and here’s something fresh for you to wake up to’. Yes, GCW’s been known as a grand stage for featuring raw talent, but having the newest faces showcased in their own promotion really satisfies me as a fan.
If you saw Opening Day - hopefully you did because it’s easy as hell to watch JCW shows for free on GCW’s YouTube channel - you know that the card for that particular show famously stood out and stood up right there with GCW’s Ashes to Ashes also airing later that evening from the Showboat. Two solid cards that delivered all the entertainment. Names were made (Ninja Mack and Dante Leon, hello!) and the bar was set high for the next show. The old Jersey Championship Wrestling vibe returned with panache. JCW’s once again alive on the wrestling scene, and this time around I want to be there to see it all happen right there in front of me.
This weekend JCW’s running their second event from the Showboat, After Hours. I’ve taken two weeks away from my usual hectic travel schedule to rest my mind and body and prepare myself for what looks to be a summer that’s just as crazy as last year. This second JCW show is going to be a late nighter, too; I’m willing to wager that the entertaining afternoon we had that first day of May is going to become something out of control and chaotic now that the Carousel Room’s going to be open for business well into the wee hours of the morning. I don’t plan on spending one sober or restful moment at this show. In other words, I plan on having a wrestling weekend in Atlantic City.
Just as before, JCW is advertising a card for this weekend that is just as quality as anything else you’ll order on FITE.tv. A lot of the talent who appeared on Opening Day will thankfully be making a return for After Hours - Billie Starkz, Marcus Mathers, Everett Connors, Dyln McKay, and Yoya among others - names that we usually see on Paradigm or H2O shows making a step up on the East Coast scene. Commit these names to memory because they’re blowing up right before your eyes on social media. What they can do in the ring will hold your attention even further.
If After Hours turns out to be a strong indicator of how the rest of the summer will go for JCW, I’m down. Looking at the schedule for the weeks ahead I see GCW’s got the 4th of July holiday in their stomping grounds and Homecoming weekend back in Atlantic City as well; JCW’s sure to fit some stacked cards in these weekends too. Over the next few months I’d love to see the promotion bring in more names from Paradigm, H2O, and other notable wrestling academies with standout talent.
I’m prepared, in the meantime, to make it another summer of excess with shows here, there, and everywhere I can be. In fact, these last two weeks of retreating into my little world here in Little Rock will likely be the last restful moments I have for a while. Full disclosure, though? I haven’t gotten much rest at all. I’m constantly on the go, even when I’m too exhausted to write about my escapades. It’s just how my mind works, and thankfully the world (and the world of wrestling) is moving fast enough now to satisfy me.