Joey Janela’s Spring Break X
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Veda Scott, John Mosley, Jordan Castle

This has become the biggest independent show of the weekend (or at least close to it) and I kind of find myself looking forward to it. Unfortunately some of that is due to seeing how ridiculous the show can get. That might be what we’ll be seeing here, with the main event featuring Joey Janela vs. a fourteen year old. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at the show’s history (I still need to see the first one), which really has become a big deal over the years. And now it’s the tenth edition, which thankfully does use the Wrestlemania X logo.

Opening video, which seems to be a generic GCW video.

Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match

Vipress, Masato Tanaka, Gringo Loco, Shotzi Blackheart, Bear Bronson, 1 Called Manders, Man Like DeReiss, Sidney Akeem, Charles Manson, Terry Yaki, Vengador

For a guaranteed title shot and I’m sure this will be nice and orderly. DeReiss gets jumped during his entrance and the fight starts on the floor, meaning Loco has to moonsault onto everyone else. Akeem is taken up top for a Spanish Fly onto the pile and everyone is down again. Mason takes Yaki inside for…two, as I don’t think I quite get the rules. Mason stands up and some music plays as Tanaka joins us as the final entrant. DeReiss and Tanaka have a standoff and shout DeReiss’ 01-21 catchphrase until DeReiss grabs a cutter.

Vengador comes in to go after Akeem…and breaks the top rope on a flip attempt. Blackheart comes in and gets slammed by Loco, who goes…well as high up as he can. Tanaka hurricanranas him down but Blackheart dropkicks a ladder into Tanaka’s face. Bronson goes after Mason, who dropkicks him through a door in the corner for two. Tanaka and Bronson take turns blasting the other in the head with chairs (oh dear) and forearm it out until Bronson’s Black Hole Slam gets one.

The two of them brawl into the crowd as Blackheart sets up a ladder. The ring crew comes in to repair the top rope (fans: “SAFETY FIRST!”) and Blackheart climbs the ladder. Vipress joins her so Blackheart…kisses Vipress and removes her shirt before they both dive off. DeReiss goes up to the middle rope (still no top rope) for a 450 but Yaki kind of Angle Slam bombs him for two.

A regular ladder is bridged into the standing one…and Loco base bombs Vengador off one ladder and through the door for the huge crash. Vipress piledrives Mason off the apron and through a door but Christian Napier runs in to take Vipress out. Cue Matt Tremont to go after Napier and brawl with him to the back. Manders (hey he’s in this too) gets cuttered by Vengador, who goes up for a splash off the ladder for two. Manders lariats the heck out of Vengador for the pin at 21:42.

Rating: B-. Well it wasn’t boring. I’m not sure if it was good, but it wasn’t boring. This is their version of Money In The Bank, though they could have done a better job of explaining the rules. In short, a match with a ladder tends to have something to grab above the ring but this was just a weapons scramble match. It’s good enough, but with fifteen people involved, it was a bit much.

Post match San Francisco 49ers star and wrestling superfan George Kittle celebrates with Manders.

We get a video of GCW wrestlers who have passed away over the years. Well that’s depressing.

Atticus Cogar talks about everything he has done to get here and hates that someone is impersonating Hayabusa. This isn’t a game to him and he is the World Champion. The new Hayabusa is just an invader and the mask means nothing. The reality is scars carry rank and the fake Hayabusa is about to learn it. That’s an intense promo and I’m not surprised Cogar is the top heel around here after last year.

Rascalz vs. Marcus Mathers/Bustah And The Brain

Mathers and Reed start things off and miss kicks/clotheslines to start. A pinfall reversal sequence gets two each until Mathers kicks him into the corner. Reed misses a legsweep but comes back with a quick dropkick. Mathers is sent into the wrong corner and the Rascalz get in the rapid fire kicks for two. Price comes in and gets a running start into a jump to escape an early wristlock.

Oliver comes in to double team Xavier into the corner for some triple boots. Xavier is able to get up for a tag off to Wentz though and the unaware Mathers gets taken down. Wentz grabs a chinlock and kicks him down for two before it’s back to Reed. Some shots to the back keep Mathers down before it’s back to Wentz for a slingshot hilo.

Mathers fights up and brings Oliver in to clean house. A German suplex gets two on Wentz and cradles Reed at the same time, followed by an assisted Blockbuster for two. Wentz fights up and brings Reed back in for a slingshot belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination. Everything breaks down and Oliver hits a springboard clothesline to take over.

Xavier gets double teamed down and Price and Mathers hit a running dive each. Back in and Mathers’ 450 gets two on Xavier with Reed and Wentz making the save. Reed is back up with the running diving cutter and the Cardiac Kick hits Price. A Swanton into a 450 into Spiral Tap finishes Price at 16:04.

Rating: B+. This has been the week of the six man tags and this was yet another rather awesome edition. It’s a good example of a match that takes people and lets them do their thing from start to end, which was quite the treat. The Rascalz are great when they aren’t doing their comedy stuff and I like the other three more than enough for them to carry their side. Very entertaining match.

We get a video on Atticus Cogar vs. Hayabusa. Cogar is the big bad around here and Hayabusa is basically a tribute to the original. Cogar doesn’t think Hayabusa has the heart and scars though so it’s time for Hayabusa to earn them.

Game Changer Wrestling World Title: Hayabusa vs. Atticus Cogar

Cogar is defending. The fans seem to like Cogar a lot, despite him seemingly being the big villain. Cogar tries an early skewers shot so Hayabusa hammers away before avoiding a charge. Hayabusa’s Asai moonsault hits Cogar on the floor but Cogar ties him in the ropes for a moonsault back inside. The chinlock goes on and Hayabusa actually has to go to the ropes, meaning it’s time for the weapons.

Back in and Cogar starts chairing the knee down before getting the skewers for some stabbing. A back elbow gives Cogar two but Hayabusa knocks him off the top for a missile dropkick. Hayabusa’s suplex into a moonsault gets two and he grabs the Figure Four. The rope is grabbed and the fans are split between them, though the opt for Sabu after Hayabusa does one of his dives. Cogar is back up and kicks a chair into Hayabusa’s leg for two so it’s time to open a bunch of chairs.

Hayabusa is laid on the chairs but Cogar’s moonsault stomp only hits said chairs to leave him down. Back up and Hayabusa bridges a door over some chairs and a 450 drives Cogar through it for a slightly delayed two. Cogar pulls him off the top though and the Brain Hemorrhage (bulldog driver) gets two more. With that not working, Cogar grabs the skewers but Hayabusa takes them away and stabs him in the head instead. Hayabusa misses a moonsault (Cogar moved, but he was three feet from where Hayabusa landed anyway) and another Brain Hemorrhage retains at 13:35.

Rating: C+. I hate the skewers thing, but thankfully they didn’t go too crazy with them here. Instead it was more about chairs and the doors, though I never got to the point where I thought the title was in trouble. This felt more like a challenger of the month more than anything else, as they never got into the idea of hurting Hayabusa to cause the scars that Cogar talked about. It’s not a bad match, but I was hoping for more.

We recap Marko Stunt/Jack Perry vs. Sam Stackhouse/KJ Orso. Stunt announced his retirement and Orso attacked him. Orso’s former friend Stackhouse came out to save Stunt and then turned on him, joining Orso on the side of evil. Stunt wanted revenge and Perry was back to team with him, setting up the match.

Sam Stackhouse/KJ Orso vs. Marko Stunt/Jack Perry

Yes Perry arrives in his bus and yes Luchasaurus is still driving despite having one good…I guess it would be an arm. Stackhouse (who weights around 400lbs) is dressed as One Man Gang and Orso is in Ric Flair gear. We get a bunch of posing to start until Perry shoulders Orso down. With that not working, it’s off to Stackhouse, with Stunt wanting to come in as well. Stackhouse even drops to his knees before handing it back to Orso. They run the ropes a bit until Stunt grabs a rollup and scores with a basement dropkick.

Perry comes back in for a slam and has Stunt stand on his shoulders for a big splash. It’s back to Stackhouse for the spinwheel kick in the corner and Perry I knocked off the apron as well. Perry gets dropkicked off the apron as well but Stackhouse misses a charge, allowing Perry to get the tag. A quick sitout powerbomb gives Perry two and it’s already back to Stunt, who gets planted by Orso.

Stackhouse’s basement crossbody hits Stunt for two with Perry having to make the save. Orso dropkicks Stackhouse by mistake so he rakes Stunt in the eyes. Perry is back up with a poisonrana to Orso and a moonsault to the floor to drop Stackhouse. Back in and Stunt gives Orso a heck of a tornado Codebreaker but Stackhouse drops Stunt with ease. Perry is back in with a tornado DDT to Stackhouse, allowing Stunt to hit a 450. Stackhouse is ticked and clotheslines both of them and Stunt gets planted with a fire thunder driver.

Somehow Stunt pops up at two and slaps away at the monster Stackhouse and gives him a Codebreaker. Orso is back up to send Perry into Stunt in the corner and then kicks Perry low for a bonus. The Character Assassination (something like the House Call) gets two on Perry and it’s time to grab Perry’s title. Ring announcer Emil J grabs the title and gets pulled inside, with Perry having to make the save. Stunt dives onto Stackhouse on the floor and J gives Orso a tornado DDT. Perry picks Orso onto his shoulder for a top rope flipping cutter from Stunt and the pin at 16:14.

Rating: B. They played this one mostly straight, with Emil J’s deal being the only thing that was a bit silly. The idea here was to have the fans see Stunt get his revenge with help from his old friend. It’s a great example of a story where they didn’t screw it up and went with what they should have done. I liked this more than I expected to and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Post match Stunt says he’s back.

We recap The Sandman in his retirement match against…the Invisible Man. This involved Sandman on a talk show, attempting to run Invisible Man over, and Man winning matches on the way here. This has…I have no idea what it has really.

Sandman vs. The Invisible Man

Sandman gets to do the full Enter Sandman entrance, complete with beer and cigarettes, which will never stop being awesome. This of course takes its sweet time but hang on because here is Bill Alfonso…to be in Man’s corner. Man knocks the beer out of Sandman’s hand to start and knocks him down, with Sandman begging off to start. Sandman fights out of the corner, gives Man a kiss, and throws the left hands to drop him.

The Singapore cane shots connect but Man is back with a low blow. Sandman fights back but Alfonso gets in for a distraction…and a bunch of zombies come out for revenge of the ECW On Sci Fi debut (WOW that’s amazing and no I’m not being sarcastic). Cue the Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro to take out the zombies (the Outbreak) but the Man rams them together. Richard Holiday comes out to load up a low blow on Sandman, which brings out…someone in overalls named Guy Steel.

Holiday gets beaten up but Steel gets dropped by Man. A Canadian Destroyer takes Steel down so Sandman asks a woman at ringside named Kendra Lust to hand in the cane. Naturally she turns on Sandman, which brings out Missy Hyatt to beat Lust down with her own cane. The women fight off so Man spears Sandman through a door in the corner, only to hit the referee by mistake.

Another referee comes in and Sandman beats him up, which brings out a third referee, who gets beaten up by Man. Five more referees (WHY DO THEY HAVE SO MANY REFEREES???) get taken out and let’s just keep it going, with Sandman and Man pingponging one of them back and forth. Even Fonzie beats up a referee, leaving Sandman and the Man to slug it out. Sandman falls on him for….the biggest group near fall you’ll ever see, as about ten referees count two.

Man kicks a ladder into Sandman’s face…but INVISIBLE STAN is back! Somehow Fonzie gets them to work together….so MICK FOLEY IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY! After taking out Stan with a double arm DDT, Foley throws Mr. Socko to Sandman and we get a big hug. Stan and Man are back up though and a low blow gives Man the pin on Sandman at 20:49.

Rating: A+. If you don’t get why this was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a long time, you need to pay better attention. Where else are you going to see two invis ok never mind on that one. But it had Foley and Sandman, plus a horde of zombies and Bill Alfonso, with Sandman going out on his back. I’m sold.

Post match Man and Stan leave together and Foley says he’s here for free because he and Sandman may not have liked each other, but they meant a lot to each other’s careers. With that, Foley leaves and Sandman toasts the crowd and leaves a beer in the ring for a nice moment.

Sandman might not have been a polished in-ring star, but he was the perfect choice for ECW at that time in front of that audience. He has turned that into a heck of a post in-ring career and this was just goofy fun to wrap it up. I got to be in the ECW Arena for a Sandman entrance once and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Sandman deserves this and it’s awesome to see him get this big sendoff.

We recap Effy vs. Allie Katch. They were friends and partners, but Effy lost the World Title and snapped under the pressure, even turning on Katch. She can’t see him like this and now it’s time for them to fight one on one, loser leaves GCW. This is another case where building up characters and relationships makes things feel important. Yes their team was often silly, but this feels important and emotional and that’s great to see.

Effy vs. Allie Katch

Loser leaves GCW. Effy shows off his g-string to start and starts a BUSSY chant, earning him a shot to the face. Katch can’t bring herself to dive after getting hurt doing it before so instead she hits a baseball slide. They go up to the stage with Effy being sent to the floor and taken down with a dive. Back in and a piledriver gives Katch two but Effy is back with something like a full nelson with his legs in the ropes. That doesn’t last long so Effy grabs the chair, followed by a running boot in the corner.

Effy takes too long going up though and gets a chair pelted at him for two. A top rope Fameasser sends Effy’s face into the chair for two so Effy asks her to hit him with the chair. Since she can’t do that, it’s a TKO flipped over into a dragon sleeper to put Katch in more trouble. Effy curb stomps her face first into the chair, leaving Katch busted open. Some hips to the head and a running seated senton gives Effy two.

The door is thrown in and stomped onto Katch but she’s back up with a powerbomb. A Muta Lock has Effy in more trouble but it doesn’t last long. Effy drops his trunks and hits another hip attack to the face, only to get pulled into a Pele Kick. Back up and Effy hits a spear for two before breaking the door over her head. A chokeslam onto a bunch of stuff gives Effy two and it’s time for a screwdriver (which was used on both of them over the years).

Cue the 1 Called Manders so Effy stabs him instead. Katch is back with a splash but the Cannonball misses. Effy grabs the bell so here is Parrow, who gets hit with the bell and stabbed with the screwdriver. Katch is busted open but keeps fighting back so Effy grabs a turnbuckle. Now it’s Dark Sheik coming out to take the wrench from Effy and hit him in the head. She hands Katch the wrench and leaves, so Effy starts begging off. Katch throws it down and hugs him…so Effy headbutts her. The screwdriver to the head has Katch screaming and the piledriver finishes her off at 25:50.

Rating: B. This was all about the emotions and that works because these two have been built up as people we should care about. Yes you had stuff that wasn’t as serious like Effy with his trunks and the screwdriver which is so over the top that it’s hard to care about, but the relationship is there. It’s a case of “personal issues draw money” and that’s why this worked, just like it would anywhere if it was treated as something that mattered.

We recap Steph de Lander/Mance Warner vs. Megan Bayne/??? Bayne had attacked the injured de Lander so Warner made the save and issued the challenge for Spring Break. Naturally, game on.

Mance Warner/Steph de Lander vs. Megan Bayne/???

Warner and de Lander have Las Vegas showgirls with her due to…well we’re in Vegas at a show. Warner jumps Bayne from behind and de Lander hammer away as there’s no partner yet. Bayne is down…and it’s Nick Gage. The brawl is on with Gage taking Mancer out and then giving de Lander a DDT. The introduction goes on as Gage and Bayne beat Warner up, with Gage switching off to de Lander.

Warner is back up to cut Gage off and we settle down to de Lander and Warner taking turns beating on Bayne. That’s reversed and Bayne chops away at de Lander, only to get choked by Warner. Bayne gets back up to fire off the forearms to de Lander and they knock each other down. Gage gets the tag and spears Warner through a piece of a door, followed by stereo falcon arrows to give Gage and Bayne two each.

It’s time for the weapons (you knew they were coming), with Warner chairing Gage down but getting speared by Bayne. Back up and Warner slugs away at Gage, who gets tornado DDT…well not through a door as the thing doesn’t break. The four of them sit in the chairs and slug it out until Bayne is up with a double clothesline. A piledriver onto the chair gets two on Warner, with de Lander pulling the referee. The required pizza cutter sliced Warner up and Bayne powerbombs him into Gage’s piledriver for the pin at 15:00.

Rating: C+. Your mileage may vary here and that’s just how it’s going to work with stuff involving Gage. I’m not big on the guy, though I do appreciate the idea of Bayne and Gage talking backstage to set the team up. The match was the usual violent brawling, though I do still like Warner, even if he does some out there stuff in the ring.

We recap Joey Janela vs. 14 year old Brodie Lee Jr. Lee wanted to wrestle Janela, who wasn’t interested, at least until Lee called him “Megan Bayne’s b****”. That was enough as Janela went hard on him and beat him up. The match was set, with Janela invoking Lee’s father dying to get his mother to sign a waiver for the match. And yes, this is the main event.

Joey Janela vs. Brodie Lee Jr.

Lee has a bunch of wrestlers to fire him up and we’re ready to go. Janela backs him into the corner and then hits a running shoulder, allowing Janela to get in some mockery. Lee rolls out of a wristlock and trips Janela down, earning himself a sucker punch. A headscissors takes Janela down so he grabs a crucifix, only to get caught with a PK. Janela knocks him down again but Lee is back up with a jumping back elbow. The chase is on with Janela decking him on the way back inside.

Janela’s backbreaker connects as Lee is bleeding from the nose. They go outside again where Janela chops the post by mistake and Lee gets two off a sunset flip back inside. Janela knocks him down again and hits another backbreaker, only to miss the moonsault. Lee is back up to stomp away in the corner, followed by the clotheslines. A nice hurricanrana out of the corner brings Janela down and Lee hits a good looking jumping knee.

Lee’s high crossbody gets two and Janela bails out to the floor. That just earns him a diving tornado DDT off the apron and Lee grabs the papers (ala his father) to throw at Janela. A Heatseeker (which Lee says is for MJF) gets two but Janela gets in a chair to the knee. Janela even Pillmanizes the leg, followed by an ankle lock. Lee rolls out and gets two off a rollup before getting his own ankle lock.

Janela makes the rope so the referee starts the five count, despite commentary saying there are no DQ’s in GCW. Janela is back up with a Figure Four but Lee manages to turn it over. They get back up and slug it out, with Janela doing as Lee asks and hitting him harder. Janela’s tombstone attempt is countered into a headscissor driver for two. A Death Valley Driver gets two on Lee…but Janela won’t piledrive him.

Cue Chris Bey, who isn’t allowed at ringside (like everyone else), allowing Lee to roll him up for two. The Death Valley Driver onto the apron is countered into a DDT and they get back inside. The slugout results in them both knocking the other down, but Lee nips up. A sliding kick to the head looks gives Lee two but Janela drops him again.

Janela loads up Lee’s discus lariat, which is countered into a Sister Abigail for two. A cutter hits Janela, who is right back with a piledriver for two. Janela takes Lee up top but a dragon superplex is broken up. Lee rolls into a Cross Rhodes for two on Janela and his father’s discus lariat sets up…another discus lariat. Lee pulls him up at two though and grabs the Sharpshooter (as he was trained in the Dungeon) for the tap at 28:49.

Rating: C. Where in the world do I begin? First of all, no, of course I’m not grading this on a normal scale because Lee is 14 and not a regular wrestler and no I’m not going to say this was some embarrassment to wrestling as I was having a blast with the Sandman and the Invisible Man on the same show. That’s all fine. The problem is the charm of this match wore out its welcome WAY before they wrapped it up, as suspension of disbelief only got me so far. It’s Lee getting to honor his father and the company trying to help him deal with things, which is great, but this needed to be WAY shorter than Janela’s regular far too long matches.

Post match Lee’s mother comes in to hug him and his little brother comes in. Lee’s trainer gets in and the brother says he’s coming for Janela next. Janela’s eyes bug out to end the show (ok they made up for some of it there).

Overall Rating: B. I’m never going to be a full time GCW fan, as they’re a bit too all over the place for me. I’m not big on the death match stuff and a lot of their content is fairly low rent. That being said, every so often, when they’ve had the chance to put something together and have the right people and I’m in the right mood, it can be incredibly entertaining stuff.

I do like the Spring Break shows and they’re the kind of insane fun that only wrestling can provide. This might not be the best wrestling, but it’s some of the most entertaining at times and that’s worth quite a bit. You might love this or hate it, but they know their audience and that’s a good thing to see, as you can get fun nights like this one.

Results
1 Called Manders won the Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match
Rascalz b. Marcus Mathers/Bustah And The Brain – Spiral Tap to Price
Atticus Cogar b. Hayabusa – Brain Hemorrhage
Marko Stunt/Jack Perry b. Sam Stackhouse/KJ Orso – Elevated top rope twisting cutter
Invisible Man b. Sandman – Rollup
Effy b. Allie Katch – Piledriver
Nick Gage/Megan Bayne b. Mance Warner/Steph de Lander – Piledriver to Warner
Brodie Lee Jr. b. Joey Janela – Sharpshooter

 

 

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CWC vs. The World 2026
Date: April 15, 2026
Location: FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Chad Kalina, Rocco McSweets

This is the Colorado Wrestling Connection as I like to get in some of the smaller promotions as well. I have a grand total of no idea what this is going to include but that’s part of the point of this week. My money would be on the world in this kind of a battle but I’ve been surprised before. Let’s get to it.

There appear to be less than 100 people here.

The host welcomes the CWC owner, who hypes up all of the titles on the line, including many from outside of the CWC. He talks about a six man tag but a monster team called Stand On Business interrupt. One of them says they own the CWC and another wrestling promotion in Colorado, which brings out presumably their opponents to start fast.

Tag Team Titles: Stand On Business vs. Justin Andrews/Marlion Bishop

Business is defending. The camera is handheld and it feels like things are clipped a bit here and there. Andrews sends Dorian Maddox into the barricade but Andrews’ partner gets cut of, meaning Andrews is beaten down in the corner. Maddox’s partner (seems to be Papa Lypto) comes in to kick Andrews in the back of the head.

Maddox hits a Rock Bottom for two, followed by a spinebuster for…well not two as there’s no cover. Maddox’s Old School is blocked but he’s fine enough to hit an elbow to the face. Lypto grabs a choke, which is quickly broken up for the tag to Bishop. House is quickly cleaned and the rather muscular Bishop hits a Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin and the titles (with Andrews getting a pin of his own) at 7:30.

Rating: C. It was a very basic match but they played the formula well enough. The problem here comes down to I have pretty much no idea what is going on with these people or who they are, but I was able to pick up enough from commentary and what I could see. It’s not a great opener, but starting with a title change is often a smart way to go.

Reality Of Wrestling Women’s Title: Dani Mo vs. Lady Bird Monroe

Monroe is defending. They grapple around to start with Monroe grabbing a Sling Blade. A Regal Roll puts Mo down but Mo pulls her off the ropes for a crash. Mo’s backflip splash (not really a moonsault as it didn’t include any jumping) gets two and Mo slams her for two. There’s a fall away slam to Monroe and we hit the chinlock.

One heck of a clothesline sets up a leglock to keep Monroe in trouble but she’s back up for a double knockdown. Monroe wins a chop off and snaps off a powerslam, setting up a moonsault for two. Mo’s belly to belly into a Vader Bomb gets two but Monroe is back up with an AA. A Swanton retains at 7:31.

Rating: C+. It was better than the opener as you could keep track of what was going on as it’s a simple enough story. Monroe is the easy to cheer for heroine while Mo is more of the monster coming for the title. I liked this well enough and it was nice to have a guest star, with Monroe getting to showcase herself rather well.

Heritage Title: Manny Lemons vs. Ryzin

Lemons (with his two other belts) is defending and Ryzin is a ringmaster (complete with whip). Ryzin teases using the whip to start but settles for choking using Lemons’ own boa instead. Lemons fights up and hammers away in the corner, with the fans rather approving. A cheap shot out of the corner puts Lemons back down and Ryzin drops a leg for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a boot scrape across the eyes. Lemons avoids a moonsault though and fires back, only to get caught with a superkick. Ryzin gets crotched on top and slammed down, meaning the Lemon Drop (fireman’s carry slam) retains at 5:54.

Rating: C. I could go for seeing a bit more of Ryzin, as his gimmick and look are enough to stand out a bit. Lemons felt like a standard slightly silly star and that’s not a terrible way to go. Commentary suggested that these two had a lot of history together but you wouldn’t have imagined it here, as it felt like a pretty basic match.

United Wrestling Network Tag Team Titles: 5150 vs. Delta Jr./Toxin

5150 (Slice Boogie/Danny Limelight) is defending, at least after some confusion over which match was next, with the ring announcer saying the owner set her up for sabotage. The champs jump them to start fast but get knocked into the corner. Toxin grabs a chinlock but Boogie comes in for a cheap shot to take over.

Back up and Toxin is sent into the corner and a snapmare sets up a rolling knee. Toxin makes Limelight kick Boogie in the face and then helps Delta hit a kick to the floor. Commentary says they’re lost as everything breaks down. With Toxin sent outside, a piledriver/superkick combination gets two but Toxin runs in for the save. Delta grabs standing crossface kind of thing but Boogie rips his mask off and steals the retaining pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. The “heel takes the mask off and gets the pin” finish needs to go away for a long, long time. It’s just so cliched these days and that was the case again here. I don’t need a get out of a lucha match free spot like that and it doesn’t offer anything new. The match was ok, though neither team stood out for the most part.

CWC Women’s Title/CSW Women’s Title: Hussy Steele vs. Pixi Pulsing

Title for title. Steele (who has a bad ankle coming in) tackles her down to start fast but gets elbowed in the face. A running Downward Spiral sends Pulsing out to the floor so she charges back inside, where Steele grabs a backbreaker. Pulsing gets smart by going after the ankle and a brainbuster drops her again. A Vader Bomb gives Pulsing two but Steele manages a crane kick of all things.

They forearm it out from their knees until Pulsing knocks her into the corner, crushing the referee in the process. The referee is down and Pulsing grabs a studded belt to whip Steele. Pulsing goes up and calmly shoves off a Stratusfaction attempt. Steele grabs a German suplex for no count and hits something like a reverse Nightmare On Helm Street. A triangle choke makes Pulsing tap at 10:24.

Rating: C+. Neither of them tore the house down here but Steele working through the injury and fighting for the win was good stuff. Steele sold the leg well, though Pulsing didn’t feel like she was really going after the leg full blast. I do like the title changing hands though, as it actually feels like a big deal, which should be the case here.

Post match Steele is happy with her win.

Bret The Threat vs. Royce Isaacs

Tom Lawlor and Josh Barnett are here too, making the seconds more interesting than the wrestlers themselves. They go straight to the grappling (of course) with neither being able to get a hold so they get back up. Isaacs goes for the leg but Bret keeps spinning around to escape. Back up and Isaacs kicks at the leg before they trade some chops. A suplex sends Bret flying but he’s right back with a leglock to slow Isaacs down for a change.

An ankle lock sends Bret over to the rope but he escapes for a kick to the face. Isaacs is back up with a German suplex into a leglock, sending Bret back to the rope. Bret’s ankle lock works a bit better so Isaacs rolls him into a cradle for two. A brainbuster gives Isaacs the same but Bret flips out of a reverse dragon sleeper. Bret tries an armbar, which is reversed into a Texas Cloverleaf for the tap at 10:47.

Rating: B. I wasn’t expecting this but they wound up having a heck of a match and that’s a great thing to see. This was all about the grappling and striking with little in the way otherwise. It worked very well and felt so different than anything else on the show. Good stuff here, even with the biggest names on the floor.

Trios Titles: AMF vs. Hybrid Hit Squad

AMF (America’s Most Famous, the combined forces of Michael Avalon, Frankie Gonzalez and Audric Gallegos) is defending against Codah Alexander/Mikey O’Shea/Jack Moody…and we lose the signal. Commentary can be heard scrambling to get it back on and after about two and a half minutes away, we come back to a split screen and then the regular feed (commentary apologizes and fair enough as these things do happen) with the match joined in progress.

Moody rolls Avalon up for two and it’s off to the rather large O’Shea, who manages a knockdown. Avalon gets dropped with a suplex and it’s off to Gonzalez to knee away at Alexander. Three straight backsplashes give Gonzalez two but Alexander fights back, allowing Moody to go after the arm. Gonzalez comes back in to knee Alexander in the face and a double basement dropkick has him down again. Avalon rolls him around into an Angle Slam for two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same.

They clothesline each other down though and it’s a double breather. The camera gets knocked down as O’Shea (by far the biggest man in the match) is in to clean house. Everything breaks down and O’Shea teases a dive but opts for a drop down into a double spank instead. Alexander hits a top rope clothesline…and AMF steals the referee’s glasses. That means she can’t see Avalon bring in a belt (that’s kind of brilliant) but Moody takes it away, only to hit Alexander on purpose. Avalon gets the easy pin to retain at 13:52.

Rating: C+. The ending was a twist and felt like a surprise, though I was more impressed by the glasses stealing deal. That’s not something you often see and I can appreciate thinking outside of the box like that. The rest of the match wasn’t bad, with O’Shea being different enough to really sand out. Nice job with some good thinking.

Colorado Springs Wrestling Title: Niles Blood vs. Sam Stackhouse

Stackhouse (who has to weigh close to 500lbs) is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Apparently Stackhouse is some kind of a big traitor, with commentary hating him for something he has done. A spinwheel kick puts Blood down fast and the beating is on as commentary talks about Stackhouse being Blood’s former friend when Blood won the title and then turning on him.

Stackhouse sends him into the post and talks a lot of trash, with commentary hating him even more each time. Blood is already bleeding but beats the count so Stackhouse puts him in a chair in the corner. The Cannonball only hits (and crushes) the chair but Stackhouse is up again. Blood hammers him down in the corner again and hits him with a trashcan, followed by a DDT onto the trashcan for another near count.

A running dropkick drives a chair into Stackhouse’s head for nine but he gets a boot up in the corner. Stackhouse, also busted open, manages an ax kick and sits in the chair as Blood tries to get up. That’s quite the target so Blood is back up with a superkick to knock him out of the chair. Stackhouse tries to tie Blood in the corner but another wrestler, apparently out with an injury, runs in for a distraction. Blood grabs a Heatseeker onto a chair for nine so he uses the rope to choke Stackhouse out for the title at 15:16.

Rating: C+. Well, they didn’t go too insane with the weapons here and that helped a lot. I’ll take this kind of violence over the deathmatch nonsense any day, as this was more about two men that hated each other wanting to hurt the other. It might not have been great but there was a story to it and since they haven’t done this stuff all night, it had more of an impact.

Post match Blood grabs the mic and thanks the crowd.

CWC Title: Duke Lawrence vs. Lonnie Valdez

Valdez is defending but Lawrence (hometown star) has a title of his own, which might be some kind of interim thing. Lawrence low bridges him to the floor and hits a big running flip dive, only for the bigger Lawrence to grab a rather delayed vertical suplex back inside. A big toss sends Valdez flying and they go outside for some rather loud chops. Valdez’s comeback doesn’t last long but he’s able to send Lawrence into the post.

Back in and Valdez takes out the leg before starting in on the arm. The arm is sent into the mat and the Fujiwara armbar goes on. Lawrence fights up and hits a heck of a clothesline but Valdez knocks him down again. The Swanton gives Valdez two so he hits it again, only for a third to hit knees. A spinning powerslam gives Lawrence the pin and the title at 10:36.

Rating: C. The match was good enough, though I’m not entirely clear what is going on with the whole double titles thing. What matters is that they had a big moment in the main event, which is hard to do. I’m not sure what the story was supposed to be here either as neither of them felt like a villain, but Lawrence getting the win seemed to be a popular enough result.

The host (she was rather good and had a charm to her so nice find with her in this role) thanks us for coming out and tells us about another show next month.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t expecting much of anything and got an ok show here, which I’ll take. There are some weak points to this show but the good parts (Last Man Standing, the technical match and the host) were enough to put it just over the top. It needed some better commentary to explain some things (along with any kind of name graphics) but I did like the variety of things we saw. I can go with having all of the guest stars coming and CWC wrestlers fighting over various titles, as the roster can’t be that deep in the first place. I wouldn’t call it good, but I’d call it good enough all things considered.

 

 

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Jordan Castle, Veda Scott

Here we have the first half of what has become the biggest independent event of the weekend, featuring the wacky cast of GCW. That can mean just about anything in the way of oddball matches, but this time around the main event will see Joey Janela facing Sabu in the latter’s retirement match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is set to an old Rat Pack style song with various hardcore clips. That’s quite the dichotomy.

Tag Team Titles: Violence Is Forever vs. Alec Price/???

Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku) is defending and Price’s normal partner, Cole Radrick is injured and he needs a replacement. For now though, Price is fighting by himself and dives onto the champs to start fast. They go inside with Price hitting a top rope leg lariat and some running shots in the corner. A Blockbuster hits Garrini but Ku is back up with a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle.

Garrini kicks Price into a reverse capture suplex and Chasing The Dragon gets two. The titles are brought in but here is Cole Radrick (still injured) to bring out Jordan Oliver to be Price’s partner. The diving tag brings Oliver in to clean house and Radrick sends in the crutch. Everything breaks down and Oliver hits a kind of reverse powerbomb out of the corner to pin Garrini at 6:54.

Rating: C+. This was kind of two matches in one as Oliver was brought in the middle to change everything around. Before he showed up it was Price getting beaten up but after Oliver showed up it was basically a fast paced win. It’s a good way to open the show with the feel good return and title change so well done.

We recap Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego del Sol, which is quite the blood feud and now it’s mask vs. career, loser leaves GCW.

La Familia Wagner vs. Los Desperadoes

That would be Dr. Wagner Jr./El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr./Galleno del Mal vs. Arez/Gringo Loco/Jack Cartwheel. Hijo and Cartwheel start things off with Hijo spinning out of a wristlock to take him down. A basement crossbody puts Cartwheel down and they have a cartwheel off. Galleno and Arez (he’s weird) come in to run the ropes until the much bigger Galleno shoulders him down. With that going nowhere, it’s off to Loco vs. Wagner Jr. but first we need a hug between the Wagners.

They trade armdrags to no avail so Loco gets in some hip gyrations. Wagner Jr. takes off his mask and everything breaks down, with Cartwheel hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Galleno gets triple teamed in the corner and a double suplex puts him down. Loco drops the split legged moonsault for two but Galleno fights out of the corner. Hijo is in for the save as Wagner Jr. grabs a trashcan to start cleaning house.

Arez takes it away and hits Wagner Jr. instead, followed by an enziguri to drop him. Hijo hits Three Amigos (yes with dance) on Arez, setting up the frog splash for two. A running Codebreaker gives Arez two but Galleno makes the save. Loco catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly but Arez is right there for a running shooting star (one foot) onto the pile on the floor. Back in and Wagner Jr. powerbombs Cartwheel into la majistral for the pin at 17:04.

Rating: B-. This was a bunch of people having a good match with a family fighting three other stars. Wagner Jr. is an older guy but he certainly hasn’t lost it by any means. This is the kind of variety that can make a show feel more interesting and fun, which is what GCW seems to want to do. And it worked.

Bozilla vs. Megan Bayne

This is whatever the female version of a hoss fight would be. Bozilla powers her into the corner to start but Bayne tells her to run the ropes. That’s what Bozilla does, with a big shoulder running Bayne over. Bayne kicks her to the floor and a suicide dive connects. Back in and Bozilla catches her with a Samoan driver for two and the bearhug goes on. Bayne fights out and hits a running dropkick, followed by a belly to belly for two.

Bozilla comes back with a German suplex, only for Bayne to drop her with a clothesline. They go up top with Bozilla hitting a super fall away slam as something weird comes over the audio (seemed to be a glitch). A powerbomb puts Bayne down but she gets up for a sitout powerbomb of her own. They strike it out until Bozilla drops her with a clothesline into three straight powerbombs for two. Bozilla’s moonsault misses though and Bayne hits a flip dive off the top. Fate’s Descent and a tombstone finish Bozilla at 12:13.

Rating: B. There is something fun about two big, strong people beating the fire out of each other until one of them can’t get up. That’s exactly what we got here and it’s cool to see a hoss fight between two women for a change. Bayne felt like she was out to prove herself here and that made for a good story from the bigger star.

We recap 1 Called Manders vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Manders has finally started having some success, winning the WXW World Title. Now he wants to prove himself against Sabre (in theory, as there isn’t any talking).

1 Called Manders vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Non-title. They start slowly and go to a test of strength, which goes nowhere. An exchange of shoulders goes badly for Sabre but Manders makes the mistake of extending his arm. That’s all Sabre needs and he starts stomping away but gets dropped ribs first across the top rope.

Sabre starts in on the arm again and Manders bangs it up again on a chop. The arm is bent around the rope and a big kick to the chest gets two. Manders tries a comeback but gets spun around by the arm again. A single chop gives Manders two and the lariat, albeit a weakened one, gets two. Sabre pops back up and grabs the European clutch for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C+. This is a match that probably should have been better but just wasn’t. For one thing, they didn’t have a ton of time and it hurt things a good bit. How much can you do when you don’t even have eight minutes? Manders seemed to be trying to prove that he had gotten so much better, but that doesn’t have much of an impact when Sabre picks him apart, survives a finisher and then wins.

We recap Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego del Sol. Cogar doesn’t like del Sol for wearing the mask and thinks he’s hiding something. They have fought a few times now and this is mask vs. career.

Fuego del Sol vs. Atticus Cogar

Fuego comes to the ring with a bunch of masked people. They go right after each other to start and Cogar is already bringing in the weapons. Fuego gets in a chair shot for a breather and it’s time to bridge a door between the chairs. Cogar whips out some scissors to cut at the mask and stab at the head, because that’s something you see done. An Air Raid Crash off the stage sends Fuego through the doors to really leave him down.

They get back inside with Cogar bringing in more weapons but getting kicked down. Fuego gets crotched on top and Cogar bites the forehead. Cogar is tied in the Tree of Woe though, only for Cogar’s brother Otis to run in. Cue Fuego’s friend Sam Stackhouse for a (rather large) suicide dive to the Cogars. Atticus fights back with the chairs but Fuego Sun Fire Drivers him through the chair structure.

A German suplex sends Fuego onto an open chair and it’s time to jab some skewers into Fuego’s head. Otis chairs Stackhouse down for Fuego kicking out and it’s time for a 2×4 with gusset plates. Fuego uses the breather to hit a moonsault DDT for two and Stackhouse is back up to take out Otis. Fuego’s 630 sends Atticus through the door at ringside for two more, meaning it’s time to skewer Atticus. The 2×4 hits Atticus in the arm but he whips out a tazer to blast Fuego. A Brain Hemorrhage (bulldog driver) onto a trashcan finishes Fuego at 17:44.

Rating: B. This is a good illustration of what a story can do. The match itself was pretty much a garbage brawl, but I wanted to see Fuego beat Cogar. The story they had told set Cogar up as an evil that wanted to destroy Fuego for the simple reason of “Cogar doesn’t like him”. Fuego has done nothing wrong and that makes me want to see Cogar get what is coming to him. I was disappointed when Fuego lost and that’s a sign that they did something right. Nothing match, great storytelling, and the latter is more important.

Post match Fuego has Stackhouse remove the mask and he hands it to Atticus. That gives us a victory lap from Atticus who puts on the mask then throws it on the stage and steps on it. Fuego takes his boots off and leaves, seemingly ending his career.

We recap Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki, which is basically “two monsters are going to fight”.

Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki

They yell a lot and then strike it out with both of them wanting it brought. For some reason Suzuki thrusts his hips before they fight outside, where he bents Tremont’s fingers. Tremont is rammed into various things and is already busted open, which isn’t going to be a good thing. Suzuki slowly hammers away and bends the finger before going back inside to bend the finger even more.

More blood flows but Tremont manages a clothesline for two. The Death Valley Driver gets two but Suzuki comes back with a choke. They get to the ropes so the referee tries to break it up, earning himself a piledriver from Suzuki. More referees come out as the fight goes into the crowd. They both grab their titles for a staredown and it’s no contest at around 10:45.

Rating: D. So they had Suzuki do his thing, Tremont do his thing, and then they brawled off rather than have one of them do a job. Suzuki has had a rough stretch of matches over the weekend and this was another one on the pile. I’m sure this was a match that was supposed to sound great on paper but that didn’t exactly play out. It was more an extended brawl than a match and that’s not quite much to see.

Video on Joey Janela vs. Sabu, with Janela getting the Sabu that he wanted for Sabu’s final match.

JCW Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Suzu Suzuki

Slamovich is defending. Suzuki wins an early exchange of shoulders and a running knee to the back gets two. Back up and Slamovich grabs some hair mares to set up a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Suzuki hits a spear, followed by a missile dropkick for two.

Slamovich is back up with some running strikes in the corner but the White Knight Driver is broken up. Suzuki kicks her down again but stereo kicks to the head leave them both down. Back up and they trade more kicks to the head, with Slamovich’s being a bit more effective. The White Knight Driver retains the title at 9:48.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a ton of time here but it felt like a hard hitting fight and that’s what this needed to be. Slamovich has been working hard throughout this weekend with one of the busiest schedules of anyone. You can see why as well, as she hasn’t had anything close to a bad match all weekend, which is more than a lot of people can say.

We recap Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner, which is a rematch from earlier this year when they brawled so much that it had to be stopped.

Mance Warner vs. Gabe Kidd

Warner comes out swinging a screwdriver to start and gets knocked down, allowing Kidd to get said screwdriver. Veda Scott: “Are we going to have a shoot murder?” Warner is already busted open and it’s time to stab him in the head even more. The comeback is on in a hurry and Warner goes to get more weapons.

Back in and Warner gets the screwdriver, which he licks and uses to comb his hair, and then stabs Kidd. Naturally after the whole double stabbing thing, they sit in chairs and slug it out. Kidd drops him back first onto some open chairs, followed by a discus lariat for two. The (bloody) door is set up but Warner is back up with a springboard tornado DDT to send Warner through the door in a crash.

The big lariat gives Warner two and they both need a breather. Warner sets up a bridged door but Kidd is back up with a piledriver through said door. They trade forearms until Kidd hits a big right hand to knock Warner cold, with Kidd collapsing on top of him for the pin at 14:39.

Rating: C+. This was the violent spectacle that you knew was coming at some point on a GCW card, even though the barbed wire main event is still to come. What mattered here was having the two of them beat each other senseless, with the ending being more about both of them looking equal as Kidd just got lucky. Odds are that sets up a rematch, and I’m almost scared of what happens when they try to get more violent.

Senior Scramble

They’re all old and they’re having a match. We have Ricky Morton (68), Mike Jackson (75), George South (62) Damien 666 (63) and Robert Gibson (66). It’s a brawl to start (oh dear) and here is Kerry Morton (Ricky’s son) to complain about the collective erectile dysfunction he sees in the ring. He couldn’t get on the show because of “these old f******” and wants “Uncle Hoot” (Gibson) to get out of his ring (ignore that Gibson is on the floor).

Gibson chairs Kerry in the back and he gets inside for the big group beatdown. Jackson even goes Old School and Ricky adds a Canadian Destroyer. A triple team powerbomb sends Kerry through a door and it’s a quintuple pin at 6:15. Kerry: “I’M NOT A F****** JOBBER!”. Ok that was funny.

Rating: B. This was barely a match but dang I had fun with it. There’s something funny about a whiny young guy getting what is coming to him, especially with a bunch of veterans getting to give him a beating. It was the silliness that a show like this needs and found a way out of having a bunch of older people lose. On top of that, they even had a hot start, which made me wonder just how far they were going with this.

We recap Joey Janela vs. Sabu. Janela agreed to face Sabu in his retirement match but then got hurt. Then Janela started talking about how he wanted to give Sabu his Independent Wrestling Hall Of Fame induction plaque but that Sabu, the one that Janela grew up idolizing, was dead.

This brought out Sabu to stab Janela with his spike, which made Janela say he would face Sabu at Spring Break no matter what. Janela actually cut a heck of a promo, talking about how he got the Sabu that he wanted and promised to kill Sabu’s career. Then it was time to make it a bared wire match because that’s what Sabu likes to do.

Sabu vs. Joey Janela

The ropes have been replaced with barbed wire and there are various barbed wire accessories around the ring. Janela jumps him during the entrances and hammers away but Sabu fights back. A whip into the wire has Sabu in trouble but he comes back with the spike. Cue Bill Alfonso (with the whistle) as Sabu is sent into a barbed wire box. The already bleeding Sabu loses his jacket and is thrown through a barbed wire board. Cue the Cogars to beat up Janela and Alfonso…and the lights go out.

The Sandman does his full entrance through the crowd with the fans singing along (of course) and (of course) the Cogars just kind of stand around while Sandman takes his sweet time. Sandman comes in and clears out the Cogars with some one armed cane shots, leaving Sabu to send Janela through a barbed wire board. Sabu sends him into the barbed wire box before they take turns throwing chairs at each other. Janela gets planted onto a chair and the Arabian Facebuster gives Sabu the pin at 17:07.

Rating: D. Yeah what else were you expecting here? This was never going to be a quality match, but even then it wasn’t very good. The match was a bunch of violence with interference and about a five minute Sandman entrance. Those things were there to extend the time, mainly because there was pretty much no way Sabu could do much other than get thrown into things. Of course he won on his way out and I’m sure Janela would have it no other way, but dang this was not an easy watch. And Sabu couldn’t do this in Philadelphia the year before?

Post match Janela gives Sabu his Hall Of Fame plaque, even though he knows Sabu will probably sell it. Janela thanks Sabu for the house to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. You can definitely feel the effort on this show and they put together a good overall presentation. There is good action and only two bad matches, with Suzuki vs. Tremont and the main event not really working. On the other hand though, you had a nice selection of quality, plus the shockingly engaging Fuego vs. Cogar fight. Another solid show here, as GCW might not be my thing, but they know what they’re doing with a show like this.

Results
Alec Price/Jordan Oliver b. Violence Is Forever – Reverse powerbomb to Garrini
La Familia Wagner b. Los Desperadoes – La majistral to Cartwheel
Megan Bayne b. Bozilla – Tombstone
Zack Sabre Jr. b. 1 Called Manders – European clutch
Atticus Cogar b. Fuego del Sol – Super Brain Hemorrhage onto a trashcan
Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki went to a no contest
Masha Slamovich b. Suzu Suzuki – White Knight Driver
Gabe Kidd b. Mance Warner – Right hand
Ricky Morton/Mike Jackson/George South/Damien 666/Robert Gibson b. Kerry Morton – Triple powerbomb through a door
Sabu b. Joey Janela – Arabian Facebuster

 

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night Two
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kevin Gill

It’s the second half of the show and in this case, it needs to get a pretty big upgrade over the first half. Night one was a decent enough show, but it wasn’t memorable, which is the point of a show like this. Now that being being said, this show is built around the Clusterf*** Battle Royal, which could be quite the mess. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

We open with Joey Janela talking about beating Sean Waltman last night and wanting his flowers. He wonders why the fans hate him now but Spring Break needs a lethal dose of poison to turn it back into what it is supposed to be. This year, he is entering the Clusterf*** so he can end it once and for all. Maybe just don’t run it then?

Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona, who is currently the king, meaning yes he does have a Macho King crown. Green gets in an ALL HAIL THE DEATHMATCH KING and the fans are all over Cardona again. Cardona insults GCW and says they are the power couple of wrestling. Six years ago, he won the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania, but now he’s in this piece of garbage ring. If he was in WWE, like he should be, he would be celebrating his friend Mark Calaway, who he will see in the Hall of Fame one day.

Dickinson comes out with….MISSY HYATT to even things out, which is one of those names that makes this show feel fun. Both pairs share good luck kisses before the match, with Hyatt’s leaving Dickinson woozy. Dickinson wrestles him to the mat to start but Cardona is up to yell at Hyatt. That doesn’t work well for Dickinson, who grabs a cross armbreaker to send Cardona bailing to the floor.

Back in and Green grabs Dickinson’s foot for a distraction so Cardona can stomp away. After throwing his shirt at Hyatt, Cardona chokes with the wrist tape and then his hand for a bonus. The running forearm drops Dickinson again and a neckbreaker gives Cardona two. It’s already door time but Cardona spends too much time mocking the crowd, allowing Dickinson to backdrop him through the door in the corner.

The slugout is on with Cardona going to the eyes, only to get blasted with a running clothesline. The brainbuster gives Dickinson two but Green offers a distraction, allowing Cardona to nail a spear for two. Missy finally grabs Cardona’s boot and slaps Green, allowing Dickinson to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own.

Green offers another distraction so Cardona can hit a low blow into the Rough Ryder for two. Now it’s Green coming in and hitting Cardona with Missy’s loaded purse by mistake, allowing Dickinson to clothesline her down. The toss Razor’s Edge is enough for Dickinson to pin both of them at once at 12:43.

Rating: C+. You really can see why the GCW fans can’t stand Cardona in this run as he is one of the most annoying and obnoxious heels you could want to see. He is playing up the idea of being a big shot and that is one of the best ways to get heat from anyone. Dickinson is a decent power guy and looked good here, though Missy kind of disappeared for large chunks of the match.

Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen

Feeling out process to start with Deppen trying to go to the mat to little success. Back up and Busick goes to the armbar, which has Deppen bailing to the ropes. Busick chops the heck out of Deppen, whose chops back have no effect. They head outside with Busick uppercutting away but a chop only hits the post. With Busick trying to shake it off, Deppen hits a flip dive off the apron and they head back inside.

Busick is fine enough to knee him down and the figure four necklock sends Deppen to the ropes again. Back up and Busick gets a little more violent by holding Deppen in place for some slaps to the face. Deppen is smart enough to go after Busick’s bad hand but Busick hits a running uppercut to take him down again.

Busick misses a charge though and Deppen hits a suicide flip dive for two back inside. Back up and the slugout goes to Busick until Deppen goes for the hand and grabs a Kimura of all things. With that broken up, Busick wins another strike off but Deppen avoids a charge in the corner. A running knee finishes Busick at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two people to hit each other really hard and you got at least half of that here with Busick’s beating. Busick might not be a star in the making, but he’s an established hard hitter in the middle of the card and that should be enough to get him quite a few jobs. At the same time, you have Deppen as one of the better heels I’ve seen in a bit, as he is just straight up unlikable. Keep going with that and he’ll be fine.

Post match Deppen thanks Busick for the match but tells anyone who doesn’t believe in him what they can kiss.

Mike Bailey vs. Jordan Oliver

Bailey does his bow and they shake hands to start. Oliver does his pose so Bailey kicks him in the face and strikes away but Oliver is back up with chops of his own. Bailey’s leapfrog is countered into a faceplant and Oliver sends him outside for a big dive. Some kicks send Oliver through some chairs though and Bailey knees him in the chest.

Back in and Bailey kicks him in the chest for two, followed by the YES Kicks to make it worse. Bailey hits a running kick to the face in the corner and they strike it out again. Oliver snaps off a release German suplex and a sitout powerbomb for two but Bailey sends him outside. There’s the springboard moonsault to the floor and they strike it out on the apron.

Bailey gets the better of things and hits the moonsault knees, setting up the bouncing kicks back inside. The big kick to the head looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Oliver counters it with a cutter. A handspring cutter gets two so Oliver goes up, only to get pulled down with something like a One Winged Angel for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. As is usually the case with Bailey, the action was good but he continues to have such a punchable face that it is hard to get into his matches. The good thing here was he didn’t have the stupid no selling that drags down every good thing he does, making this slightly easier to watch than most of his matches. Oliver has come a long way but still has a good bit to go before he moves up to the next level.

Effy says he shouldn’t be here but tonight he’ll beat Minoru Suzuki, have his own show tomorrow, and then maybe he’ll come for some gold.

Effy vs. Minoru Suzuki

Allie Katch is here with Effy. They both stick their jaws out with offers of a free shot but Effy’s attempt at a kiss gets him slapped. Suzuki slaps him down and then a kick to the face puts Effy on the floor. They head outside with Effy telling him to chop as hard as he can. That’s fine with Suzuki, who mocks Effy’s return chops.

A big boot sends Effy through the chairs and Suzuki cranks on the arm back inside. Effy tries some forearms but gets dropped with a single one from Suzuki. Then Effy bites Suzuki’s nipple and northern lights suplexes him for two. The big kiss staggers Suzuki but it’s a slap to the face and the Gotch style piledriver to give Suzuki the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Effy’s stuff may or may not be your cup of tea but Suzuki more or less squashed him here in a match with little to no doubt about the outcome. Effy was doing little more than comedy here so it isn’t like there was much to get annoyed about. They were going for the “wouldn’t it be funny if these two wrestled” idea here and I’ve seen worse versions.

Greatest Clusterf***

So this is basically a Royal Rumble, but only in the very loosest of terms. There are no set time intervals and I don’t believe there is a set number of entrants. I’m not going to be able to keep track of all of the eliminations, as I’ve never seen a version of this where they are all announced. This is going to be about total chaos and some surprise entrants and nothing more. You can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, over the top, leaving the building and…death?

Joey Janela is in at #1 and Buff Bagwell is in at #2 for your first surprise. Granted Buff is on a crutch but he has the American Males theme so this could be a lot worse. Janela wants to strut with him but it’s a superkick to get rid of Buff very quickly. George Gatton, with an unidentified title, is in at #3 and it’s a superkick into a piledriver to get rid of him too. Judas Judd Cassidy (I think?) is in at #4 and gets thrown over the top just as fast.

Yoya is in at #5 and suplexes Janela but gets caught in a heck of a package piledriver for the pin. Billie Starkz is in at #6 and a Gory Bomb takes Janela down but he raises knees to block her Swanton. That’s it for Starkz and it’s Juicy Finau (a big guy) in at #7. Janela can’t suplex him so Finau does it to Janela instead and it’s the even larger Sam Stackhouse, in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear, in at #8.

That leaves Janela to get crushed in the corner by back to back splashes but Stackhouse misses an ugly moonsault. Janela tosses both of them and it’s Rhett Titus in at #9 as Janela keeps up his Brock Lesnar-esque run. Titus wrestles him down and hits the running boot in the corner until it’s the Invisible Man in at #10.

So we have the Invisible Man, Janela and Titus with Titus and the Man slugging it out. The Man gets the better of both of them but an elbow to the face lets Janela and Titus beat him down. A double suplex lets the two of them pose but Man is back with a double low blow. The Man throws out Titus but gets stomped down until Dante Leon is in at #11. They waste no time in the next entrant with Ninja Mack in at #12.

Leon and Mack are long time rivals so they pose at each other before superkicking Janela down. A shooting star piledriver drops Mack and it’s a sick looking Jimmy Lloyd in at #13. Janela and Lloyd put on masks and they rehash their Social Distancing match, meaning they punch from a safe distance. Mack isn’t having that and kicks Lloyd down, setting up the running flip dive to drop Janela on the floor. Back in and Lloyd runs Mack over for the pin and Early Morning Guy Steele is in at #14.

Steele doesn’t seem to know what he is doing and falls off the top as Janela and Lloyd watch from the middle of the ring. Then Steele gives them a running double Blockbuster and a Canadian Destroyer each. Then he goes up top for a 450 to Lloyd, only to get rolled up for the pin from Janela. That was a weird one and it’s Blake Christian in at #15. House is cleaned but the Invisible Man hits Christian low. That earns him a dropkick and it’s Kevin Blackwood in at #16.

Blackwood’s suplex gets two on Leon and stomps on Janela in the corner until Hoodfoot is in at #17. Hoodfoot and Blackwood slug it out until Slade is in at #18. Young Dumb And Broke (Charlie Tiger and Ellis Taylor) are in at #19 and #20, giving us Janela, Invisible Man, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Hoodfoot, Slade, Tiger and Taylor as this is far more organized than I was expecting. Everyone hits everyone until Deranged is in at #21 to clean house. With that going nowhere, Grim Reefer is in at #22 and has a smoke.

We now pause for everyone to partake, including Janela, who says he isn’t with AEW anymore and can do what he wants. Janela runs to the back (I don’t think he’s been eliminated but who can tell around here?) and Sandra Moone is in at #23. Reefer clotheslines her down and it’s Parrow in at #24. House is cleaned with Deranged and Reefer being eliminated almost immediately.

Big F’N Vin is in at #25 as Janela is having some Cheetos. Vin kicks Parrow out without much trouble as Janela wants to know his next spot. Nate Webb is in at #26 and comes through the crowd, who sings his theme music. Lloyd gets dropped by the Invisible Man, who hammers on Webb in the corner. Janela superkicks the Invisible Man though and tosses him out, much to the fans’ annoyance. Webb misses a charge and gets low bridged to the floor and Hoodfoot is tossed as well.

Shazza McKenzie is in at #27 and goes after Janela to start the beating. Janela gets in a shot to the face though and grabs a door, only to have McKenzie spear him through it. Janai Kai is in at #28 and Jazzy Yang (Jimmy Wang’s daughter) follows her at #29. The four women in the match stare each other down and it’s Edith Surreal in at #30. That gives us Janela, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Tiger, Ellis, Moone, Vin, McKenzie, Kai, Yang and Surreal, assuming I didn’t miss any random eliminations.

Dark Sheik, another woman, is in at #31 and we have a six woman showdown. Uh make that seven as LuFisto is in at #32. Some of the guys come in to go after the women, with Leon and Taylor being tossed out. The women all beat up Tiger and toss him out with Vin joining him. Then the women get into it, with Kai kicking out LuFisto. Moone is out as well and McKenzie hits a Stunner on Kai for the elimination. Janela comes back in to superkick McKenzie for the pin and it’s Maven of all people in at #33.

Everyone stops to look at him so Maven hits a bunch of dropkicks….and then walks out for an elimination. Fans: “THANK YOU MAVEN!” With everyone else pairing off, Sean Ross Sapp, yes the dirt sheet writer, is in at #34, drawing a WE WANT MELTZER chant. Sapp gets a mic and begs people to subscribe to Fightful Select so they can read about GCW wrestlers getting fired by AEW. Josh Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is in at #35 but fellow writer Denise Salcedo (not in the match) comes in to low blow Sapp and toss him out.

Nasty Leroy is in at #36 and Barnett blasts him with a clothesline as Jimmy Wang Yang is in at #37. Yang manages to take him down (not the prettiest but it worked) so Jazzy (remember, Yang’s daughter) comes in to grab the leg, which apparently counts as a submission to get rid of Barnett. Jazzy rolls up Lloyd for an elimination and it’s Alec Price in at #38. Price tosses Yang and dances a bit before getting kicked in the face by Jazzy. That’s enough for Price to toss her as well and it’s Cole Radrick in at #39.

Radrick and Price wind up on the apron and it’s a double elimination. Brandon Kirk is in at #40, giving us Janela, Christian, Blackwood, Slade, Surreal, Sheik, Leroy and Kirk (I think at least). Sheik hits Kirk low as we’re told Slade has left the building. Janela runs the ropes a lot until Lord Adrean (a Wal-Mart Guy) is in at #41. Adrean cleans house and Tombstones Kirk for the elimination, only to get Death Valley Drivered by Janela for another elimination. Kevin Matthews (you might remember him as KM in Impact) is in at #42 and stares it down with Leroy.

A not great looking Rock Bottom plants Matthews and a worse Rock Bottom sets up a leglock for the tap as Janela busts a gut laughing. Then Janela hits Leroy low and pins him and it’s Nick Wayne in at #43 for a brawl on the apron with Janela. Wayne superkicks Janela out for one heck of a pop and here is B-Boy to introduce Team LA Fights, which are six unnamed people. The team (Jai Vidal and Jack Cartwheel are two of them) clean house and something like a Styles Clash into a sitout powerbomb gets rid of Blackwood.

With those six in at #44-49, the Second City Crew (AJ Gray/Mance Warner/Matthew Justice/1 Called Manders and Levi Everett) are in #50-#54. The Crew cleans house with Matt Vandagriff (of LA Fights) being tossed. Damian Drake and Ju Dizz (I think) are both out with Hunter Freeman joining them. Cartwheel gets knocked out but walks on his hands until Manders chairs him down for the elimination. Vidal is tossed out and the Crew is left alone until the others still in the match come in.

Christian and Wayne get together to toss Everett and Manders. Somehow Christian and Wayne are the last two with Christian hitting a quick Downward Spiral for the pin…and never mind as yeah there are some people still left. Sheik comes in off the top with a spinwheel kick and the rest of the Crew pile onto her for the pin. Christian goes after the Crew but gets taken down and superplexed into a top rope legdrop for the pin….and that’s it at 1:23:57 (I guess Surreal was tossed somewhere in there).

Rating: C+. To be clear, this match is not about something coherent or anything more than having one name after another. That being said, this was WAY more coherent than the previous edition and that helped a lot. This felt more like a very indy Royal Rumble and, save for Surreal, no one was getting lost in the whole thing. I had a good time with this and it did fly by with some fun moments. It’s the kind of match that I was expecting from a Spring Break and it went well, especially with all of the insanity that came with it.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like the Spring Breaks of the past and it worked out pretty well all things considered. It was a collection of some fun matches before we got to the big main event and that wound up working well. Good stuff here and it didn’t feel like a regular GCW show. While those can be fun, it’s not what I came into this wanting. The main event is all that mattered here and the other four matches were a nice bonus so we’ll call this a success.

 

 

 

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