A Pay-Per-View by GCW

Another day, another chip off of wrestling backlog mountain. My quest this week is to try to get caught up on the last few GCW shows I bought not too long ago, which is no simple task. For an explanation of my predicament, see my previous review for more information. Now that I have moved past January 2022, I am on the first of two shows that happened in and around Valentine’s Day, with this one hailing from New Jersey at the Showboat Hotel. More than any venue, this colorful circus tent-like building is almost like GCW’s ECW Arena, and has proven to be nigh synonymous with the brand. The moment I see that rainbow ceiling, I know that this is GCW. So let’s step back in time one full month, and see what this show was all about.

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:

• The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) defeated The S.A.T. (Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo)
• Blake Christian defeated Jimmy Lloyd
• Nick Wayne defeated Jordan Oliver
• The Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice, AJ Gray, 1 Called Manders & Effy) defeated Gringo Loco, Jack Cartwheel, ASF & Kamikaze
• The Rejects (John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley) defeated Orin Veidt & G-Raver
• Intergender Match: Billie Starkz defeated Cole Radrick
• Mascara Dorada defeated Joey Janela
• Death Match: ‘Hoodfoot’ Mo Atlas defeated Matt Tremont

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!

THE S.A.T.!!!

Holy Smokes! It has been something like eighteen years since I’ve seen The S.A.T. wrestle. I recall that in the early days of Total Nonstop Action (TNA), they were a staple of the tag division along with Amazing Red and guys like The Flying Elvises. The brothers Jose and Joel Maximo were amazing, and I’ve often wondered what happened to them. As far as I can tell, they largely retired a while ago, but came back for this show! I hope they stick around!!

He’s Kamikaze Now:

I was confused at first when Ninja Mack was referred to as Kamikaze, but that is apparently his new name going forward. It looks like as he gets moving on and appearing in more markets, a silly indy name won’t cut it anymore and something like “Kamikaze” is far more marketable. Makes me wonder if Jack Cartwheel will get the same treatment? This tag match is similar to your traditional GCW Scramble Match, and every bit as awesome.

M.D.K. All F___ING Day!

Love him or hate him, it’s no mystery that Nick Gage is one of the most unlikely babyface heroes in all of professional wrestling. While C.M. Punk used to call himself “The Voice of The Voiceless”, it seems like Gage may have taken that mantle by being by showing that somebody with as many personal demons as him can be somebody. He talks about working hard, doing your best, never giving up, and loving your friends in such a way that you’d think Hulk Hogan was in the ring, but from a decidedly unlikely angle. He gives hope to the outcasts of the world, that no matter what happens you can be great. I’m not a big deathmatch guy, but I’ll give props to Mr. Gage.

Intergender Matches:

Intergender wrestling is one of those controversial things in wrestling that divide the fandom a lot. if you ever see a mixed match, you inevitably see a bunch of strawman arguments about spousal abuse, and how unfair it is, as if wrestling was a real sport. Then again, women have been participating in men’s high school and collegiate sports for a while now and succeeding so that’s a dumb argument either way. I am generally all for it as long as the matches aren’t sleezy and everyone is on a level playing field. For example, if there is a men’s belt and women’s belt, Id rather not see too much of it (Impact broke this rule with Tessa), but if it’s all one title (like Lucha Underground or GCW) I’m down. Radrick vs Starks presented a well-balanced match between two people that appeared to be of similar stature and skill, so it made it a believable and entertaining match. If GCW has balls, I’d like to see Allie Katch get something big soon.

I’m So Glad He Escaped:

While he was fine in WWE, I always felt like Mascara Dorada was mis-used and feel like he is doing an amazing job doing these indy circuits. He’s leaned up, looks happier, and is back to his old self. He and Janela put on the match of the night here, which is no surprise as Janela always gets some amazing opponents on GCW. I know some see Janela as a jobber, he is the heart and soul of this company and ALWAYS has these matches that steal the show. Can’t wait to see more of Mascara Dorada moving forward!

Conclusion:

While not a mind-blowing show, this was a solid Pay-Per-View that did a great job of showcasing some of the younger talent on the GCW roster. While I don’t think I saw anyone new, most of the wrestlers that get stuck in big scramble or tag matches got a bit of time to shine here, and I enjoyed it a lot. Best moments were the return of the S.A.T. and the Mascara Dorada match, and honestly any show where Kamikaze does some crazy nonsense is great in my book. Overall worth watching, but not a show that absolutely HAS to be seen. We’ll now see what GCW – Don’t Tell me What to Do has to offer. Stay tuned to Arcadiapod for more reviews, and if you are a wrestling fan check out the wrestling tab on the right side of the page!