PREVIEW: A night of pain, violence and tanlines? A stacked card sees Jon Moxley facing off against AJ Gray, The H8 Club taking on SGC & The Briscoes for the GCW Tag Titles, and GCW Spring Break’s first ever women’s match. Let’s check it out.
GREAT The H8 Club vs The Second Gear Crew & The Briscoes: Nick Gage comes out alone as Matt Tremont is unable to attend. The new belts are shown off and they look awesome. SGC & The Briscoes start things off with a brawl. The Briscoes wait no time in bringing doors into the ring. Justice gets double chair shots on the outside followed by a top rope knee to the skull set up on a steel chair. Warner throws Jay Briscoe through a door for the first 2 count of the evening. Nick gage returns the favour putting warner through another door. Gage stabs Warner in the head repeatedly with a piece of the door but its not working so Slade brings him the pizza cutter and Gage cuts him open. Slade has a cutter of his own and the two men hit stereo pizza cutters to the forehead of a very bloody warner. The Briscoes re-enter and clear house quickly followed by SGC with a symphony of chair shots. They set up the ring with doors and chairs preparing for more carnage. Gage returns with chair shots of his own and pulls out a stapler which he uses to staple Mance’s tongue to the door and follows up by putting Justice through said door, almost ripping out Warner’s tongue in the process. Gage hits a suplex to justice through a door on the outside. The Briscoes take full advantage and wail on Warner almost getting the 3 count but missing the mark. Slade faces both men alone and gets laid out with a lariat. Doomsday Device for the three count and The Briscoes are you new GCW Tag Team Champions. What a match. Slade was the perfect replacement and the right team went over.
Results: The Briscoes Win by Pinfall and are your new GCW Tag Team Champions
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 3.75
AMAZING Blake Christian vs AR Fox: great fluidity in the opening spot of this match and the stereo kip up at the end was well choreographed. A nice diving dropkick in the corner from Fox as he rolls over the ropes for a quick kiss. A fantastic dropkick and kip up form the hallmark Blake Christian. These too work so fluidly together. Fox clears the top rope landing across Christian on the outside. A knee strike from Blake changes the tide and back in the ring he manages an early two count. Super kick from Christian but fox manages to escape leading to the AEW special AKA the Tope Suicida. Legs sweep into an amazing twister from Fox for a very close two count but wow that was amazing. Fox attempts a 450 but Blake rolls out the way and hits a standing splash for a very close two count. They exchange kicks and both hit each other with an Ace Crusher. A second and third ace crusher from Fox almost seals the deal but Blake used resiliency at the last second. Blake hits a Three amigos followed by a Frog splash in honour of the late great Eddie Guerrero but to no avail as Fox kicks out. A Lo Main Pain from Fox followed by a 450 splash still isn’t enough to put Christian away. A Spanish fly and a Golden Trident finally does the job and The Hallmark Blake Christian goes over.
Results: Blake Christian wins by Pinfall after hitting the Golden Trident.
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 4
GOOD Mickie James vs Allie Katch: Mickie James is everywhere right now. From Impact to the Royal Rumble and now to the stepson of them all GCW Spring Break 6. Katch tidies up Mickie’s hair in the corner. Mickie has the advantage to start with taking Katch down to the mat almost immediately. Mickie James hits a nice big boot and falls into the splits for a two count. The two share a short ballad of chops. There’s some nice in-ring story telling going on with the two girls frequently taunting each other. Katch hits a trio and splashes to Mickie in the corner but only manages a two count for her efforts. Katch brings in a door and sets it up in the centre of the ring a trio of kicks and flapjacks and Mickie sends her through the door. A Thez press from the top gets her the two count. A piledriver from Katch only gets her a two count after the two share an.. *Ahem* intimate moment.. In the ring. Mickie then kisses Katch causing enough of a distraction for the DDT and wins her Debut GCW match. Katch gets mad at the crowd for booing Mickie James and puts her over after the match. She also reminds everyone this is the first women’s match on spring break and I for one hope it won’t be the last,
Results: Mickie James wins by Pinfall in her debut GCW match.
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 3.25
GREAT Spring Break Scramble Match – Nick Wayne vs Jordan Oliver vs Jimmy Lloyd vs Gringo Loco vs Alec Price vs Jack Cartwheel vs Ninja Mack: it’s an absolute spot fest to kick things off with a flurry of aerial assaults none of which land successfully. A nice dropkick from Price to Lloyd but gets a triple superkick for his efforts. Gringo gives a tope to the outside and clears house. Scramble matches are always so much fun and is a great way to showcase a lot of talent at once. Nick Wayne and Ninja Mack both work effortlessly solid futures in store for both of them. Wayne and Oliver shake hands then exchange chops with Oliver getting the upper hand before being taken out by Ninja Mack. Gringo hits a power bomb to Mack and flips over the ropes wiping out the rest of the competition on the outside. Nick Wayne almost gets a three count after a beautiful Code Red but it’s broken up by Lloyd. Price foils Lloyds pin attempt and then gets levelled by Cartwheel who cartwheels and flips over the ropes to the outside shortly followed by a 630 from Nick Wayne. One ace crusher and Nick Wayne gets the pinfall win.
Results: Nick Wayne wins by Pinfall after hitting an Ace Crusher.
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 3.5
AVERAGE Joey Janela vs X-Pac: Janela makes the controversial choice to wear Scott Hall-esque attire. I don’t know whether it was to pay homage to Scott or to Psych out X-Pac. Either way the crowd hate him. Janela rushes X-Pac as soon as the bells ring, attacking him in the corner. A solid power bomb from Waltman and a Bronco Buster attempt but Janela slithers out the way. Janela sends X-Pac into the ring post on the outside. Janela rearranges the furniture and struggles to get the door across the chairs on the outside. The two go back and forth for a while and not much of note happens until Pac finally hits the Bronco Buster and an attempt at the X Factor but Janela rolls away. The two duke it out for position on the apron, Janela getting the upper hand hitting a Fireman’s Carry slam on to the apron. Janela sets up a second door on the outside and X-Pac slingshots over the top rope sending both men through the door. Canadian Destroyer & X Factor from Waltman gets him the 2 count. X-Pac looks Gassed out at this point and the match slows to a back and forth of blows in the ring ending with a double lariat dropping both men to the canvas. Janela Locks in a crossface but Waltman gets to the ropes in time. A third door/chair setup makes its way into the ring with Janela. The two make their way to the top rope and Pac hits an X Factor from the top through the ropes but Joey gets a foot on the ropes breaking the count. I’m not a huge Janela fan but he’s the perfect heel in this match. Brainbuster off the top from Janela for a two count. Double stomp from the top through the door only bags him another two. Pac hits Janela with a chair sending him off the top turnbuckle through the table and to the floor on the outside. Chair shot to the head of Janela who hugs Pac and low blows him with a knee picking up the win. X-Pac gets emotional after his match and puts over GCW and says that he’s not done yet.
Results: Joey Janela Wins by Pinfall.
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 2.5
GOOD Jon Moxley(c) vs AJ Gray: The two men lock up and Gray takes the early advantage applying the side headlock followed by a flurry of clotheslines rebounding off the ropes. They exchange blows and AJ sends Mox to the outside and dives through the ropes wiping out Moxley. Mox takes it into the crowd and they brawl through the audience. It’s difficult to see the action for a while as the cameras just aren’t keeping up too well but we eventually get back to rinside and Mox enters the ring with a barbed wire board and sends Gray into it with a release Suplex kicking back and relaxing in the corner afterwards. He brutalises AJ with a pair of clippers and almost rips Grays leg open with some barbed wire. He wraps the barbed wire round his fist and starts laying it AJ repeatedly tearing into the flesh of Gray’s skull. He proceeds to whip AJ with the Barbed wire and wraps it round his neck for an assisted neckbreaker. Mox back drops AJ onto the barbed wire board again. This is an all out assault. Gray is getting absolutely decimated. Moxley sets up the board in the corner of the ring. AJ is finally able to turn the tide and send Mox through the table with a spear. An enziguri rocks Moxley and Gray follows it up with a power slam and a moonsault for the two count. An impressive display of endurance from both men. AJ pulls a ladder out from the ring and Moxley dropkicks it into his face through the bottom rope. Gray returns the favour sending Moxley through a steel chair. Gray lays Moxley across a door and jumps from the ladder through Mox to the floor below. The two men trade punches as they did at the start of the match bringing things full circle. A lariat from AJ gets him a cover but its not enough. Gray brings out the barbed wire light tubes and Moxley hits a cutter on to them but takes most of the impact himself. Death rider and Moxley retains the title. A bit of a botched ending and not much offence from AJ but a decent match overall.
Results: Jon Moxley wins by Pinfall retaining the GCW World Championship.
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 3
BELOW AVERAGE Alex Colon(c) vs John Wayne Murdoch: It’s time for your Main Event. It’s time for violence. Murdoch smashes Colon with a light tube to start the match early and seconds later Colon is sent flying off the top rope through the light tube covered table below and carves up his forehead with a knife. Colon retaliates by throwing a light tube at Murdoch and taking thighs back into the ring. Colon gets sent through yet another table and the red mask grows deeper. A light tube down the shirt and a strike to the back gets him a two count. Colon rolls through a pin attempt and kicks a lightube into Murdoch and proceeds to get some revenge butchering Murdoch with the knife. This didn’t look great to be honest. It looked like he was tickling him with it. Though violent, a lot of the shots in this match have looked very soft and safe. Notably the headbutts outside the ring which looked more like they were trying to kiss each other. The two brawl and Murdoch gets sent into a bundle of light tubes. A drop kick to a tube covered Murdoch only gets Colon a two count. Colon pops up/ no sells a pile driver and dives into Murdoch on the outside slamming him in the mouth with another tube. Colon hits the ring post and it seems as though Colon is injured. Colon gets his arm taped up but Murdoch keeps up his assault. Suplex on to the light tubes to Colon but a kick out at one. Murdoch hits him in the arm with a 2×4 and locks in an armbar for the Submission Victory and is your new GCW Ultraviolent Champion.
Results: John Wayne Murdoch wins by submission to become you new GCW Ultraviolent Champion.
Kofi Taylor WR Star Rating – 2
My match of the night has to go to AR Fox vs Blake Christian. The offence and innovation on display from both men in that match was next level. The scramble match was a pleasure to watch and I truly can’t wait to see Nick Wayne in AEW and Ninja Mack in NJPW. They both have extremely bright futures ahead of them, I can’t praise them enough. Seeing Slade join Nick Gage in the tag match made me excited for the possibility of them two working together some more in the future. I hope do as they both compliment each other well gimmick wise. If you love violence and Hardcore Wrestling though maybe skip the main event. The strikes looked soft and I think Colon may have actually injured himself? We shall soon find out.
Matches: 0.75/1 Stars
Show Structure: 1/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.25/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.25/5 Stars
