A Pay-Per-View by GCW

I had enough Fite.TV Credits to get another GCW two-pack, so here we are in February with a double shot of Texas-based carnage. The two events, Fight Club 2 Houston, and If I die First feature the notable flair of the Lucha Libre persuasion which makes me happy. This is apparently the second time GCW has partnered with a Texas company called Loko Wrestling, which was unknown to me. Though both promotions are known for hardcore wrestling, it’s fair to expect different styles represented here.

The event streamed live on FITE TV and was recorded at the arena used for Loko Wrestling shows from what I understand. Ahead of the show, GCW sadly announced that the card was forced to undergo changes due to flight delays, as Texas is being hit with yet another winter storm that probably has Ted Cruz packing a suitcase to Mexico. Most flights into Texas have been re-routed or canceled, and some guys like Gringo Loco actually drove like 10 hours to be at the show. As a sorry to the fans, it looks like GCW and Loko Wrestling made it up to the crowd. Without further ado, here’s my review of Game Changer Wrestling – Fight Club 2 – Houston.

For anyone wanting to watch this, I would recommend Fite.TV. you can get some FITE credits (10 dollars I believe) with the following code: “6m6lyyn”. I’m sure there are other ways to watch it, but FITE has a solid interface and has been worth it so far.

The Card:

• Jordan Oliver beat Chris Carter and Grim Reefer and Low Rider.
• Allie Katch beat Mysterious Q.
• Ninja Mack beat Nick Wayne.
• Loko Championship: Sam Stackhouse beat Dante Leon (c) to capture the title.
• Atticus Cogar beat Gino Medina.
• EFFY beat Bryan Keith.
• Blake Christian def. ASF and Gringo Loco and Mascara Dorada
• Steel Cage Deathmatch: Atticus Cogar beat Chris Carter and Jimmy Lloyd and Sadika.

My Thoughts:

As I’ve stated before, my methodology for this is to avoid giving arbitrary star ratings or anything resembling the typical ratings people give in wrestling reviews. I stopped awarding “grades” to things long ago, after my gig at a videogame site slid into them manipulating scores. I usually go through the show and pull a half-dozen or so things that I thought were significant or that I liked. You might think some of my choices are dumb and that’s okay – we all like different things!

Allie is Always a Treat:

I think Allie Katch was supposed to wrestle in the opening “scramble match”, but due to the travel issues most of the booked GCW people had, she was shifted in to fight Mysterious Q. It was a solid match with some great spots, solid psychology, and a cool finish involving multiple piledrivers. Allie is probably my favorite competitor in this company, and it always seems like she puts on a hell of a show.

Heel of the Night:

Step back “travel issues” as this janky Loko Wrestling ring takes the proverbial cake as one of the worst rings I’ve seen on a PPV. After watching multiple people almost wipe out getting on the ropes, there were multiple times when somebody had to come down a tape up some giant holes in the canvas. this wasted time, and looked rough on Pay-Per-View. Hopefully Loko Wrestling can get enough cash together to at least get a new canvas after this show. The whole thing reminded me of the time a local World League Wrestling show had to use a “back-up” ring that had the appearance of being in storage for years and folks damn near dies trying to climb onto it.

EFFY’s New Attitude:

After losing to Jeff Jarrett, it seems like EFFY has cranked up the intensity a LOT. He’s made it no mystery that he’s gunning for the World Title, and the absolute domination we witnessed in his match against Bryan Keith. I hadn’t started watching GCW back when EFFY was more of a gimmick wrestler, so I can’t compare to anything really, but it’s cool to see him really moving up the card – I’d love to see him be champ by the end of the year!

Atticus Cogar:

Speaking of intensity, maaaaan am I digging Cogar lately. The dude is insufferable, cuts promos that nearly cause the crowd to riot, and has a “no frills” way of getting into the ring and beating the crap out of people. If this dude keeps this up, he will print money.

The Master of the Ropes!

After escaping the sinking ship that is WWE 205 Live, Mascara Dorada aka Gran Metallik is back and ready to work! Luckily the dreaded Loko Wrestling second rope didn’t claim another victim, and he exited the match largely unscathed. He is apparently signed on to do multiple matched with GCW, so it will be great to see what he can do.

Cage Match:

Matt Tremont vs Sadika was supposed to be the main event, but Tremont’s plane was one of the many that got grounded, so that ended that real fast. After some re-arrangement, the match turned into a cage match with four opponents to appease the crowd. I’ve never seen Sadika, and enjoyed what I’ve seen of her here, here’s hoping GCW brings her back another time. Overall, not a spectacular match, but it seemed to send the crowd home happy.

Conclusion:

Game Changer Wrestling – Fight Club 2 – Houston is a step down from how big their last show was, but it was more of a full-on Pay-Per-View event whereas this is basically a house show that got recorded. If you saw my reviews of the last two double feature shows, Die 4 This and Til Infinity, this show is basically on the same level. Despite the travel issues and the ring being uncooperative, this was a solid show and put my eyes on Loko Wrestling, which I had never heard of until now. If you plan to watch this, I’d go for the double pack of two Texas events held over the weekend, it’s basically buy 1 get one 1/2 off. Until next time, stay tuned for more GCW coverage.