On The Scene: The Wrld on GCW at the Hammerstein Ballroom

The Hammerstein Ballroom has long been associated with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).

In the late ’90s and early 2000s, while WWE and WCW were battling for ratings dominance during the Monday Night Wars, ECW was seen as the gritty, rebellious alternative to the mainstream fair of Hulk Hogan or The Rock. Guys like Mike Awesome, Sabu, Sandman, RVD, Jazz, Justin Credible, New Jack, Taz, Raven, and Tommy Dreamer would tear it up in insane creative match-ups, along with drawing in influences from Japanese and Lucha Libre style wrestling. Their shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom are still discussed throughout their vast history. The stadium became so synonymous with ECW that even after getting bought out by WWE, they knew they had to host their ECW tribute shows, One Night Stand, at the Ballroom. 

Since WWE’s declining influence as a wrestling monopoly, the rise of AEW, and the independent wrestling boom of the 2010s, only one company today feels like it captured ECW’s essence while still building its own identity. That promotion is GCW. Combining deathmatches, a more progressive accessibility with diverse wrestlers, and just delivering great stories and matches, GCW cultivated a loyal fanbase as one of the most popular independent promotions today. You could hear “GCW” chants outside the Hammerstein; everyone was hyped for this show. 

Pre-Shows

The Wrld on GCW was sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, who supported two battle royals on YouTube before the PPV on FiteTV. The first battle royal included over 50 wrestlers from the indie circuit, all coming in every few minutes, including Janai Kai, Charles Mason, Dustin Thomas, “2Hot” Steve Scott, Psycho Clown, Dark Sheik, Parrow, Hoodfoot, Yoya, Big Vin, B-Boy, Thunder Rosa, and recently inducted Indie Wrestling Hall of Famers Lufisto and Ruckus. The battle royal was tremendously fun, as all of the competitors showcased their skills for the crowd. Big Vin took the victory, eliminating Charles Mason, as the crowd cheered the second-generation wrestler. The match ended with Charles Mason celebrating with his father, ECW original 911, who competed in the Hammerstein over 20 years ago.

The second battle royal was a six-man scramble match with Ninja Mack, Grim Reefer, Shane Mercer, Jack Cartwheel, Alex Zayne, and Dante Leon.

All the wrestlers beginning with the big spots, as the high flyers like Jack Cartwheel, Grim Reefer, Alex Zayne, and Ninja Mack, all showcased flying spots over the top ropes and off the top turnbuckle. The crowd cheered as each wrestler took to the sky, whether it’s the high-risk maneuvers of Alex Zayne, Grim Reefer taking a hit before sticking a landing (supported by a “Pass That Shit” chant from the crowd), or Ninja Mack especially delivering creative and innovative agility. Ninja Mack’s combination handspring and moonsaults are always a sight to behold. Former tag team partners Dante Leon and Ninja Mack had a great back and forth before Shane Mercer broke in, taking out both Leon and an incoming Alex Zayne at the same time. Zayne counter delivering a combination top rope hurricanrana on Ninja Mack, followed by a German suplex on Shane Mercer. Still, Shane Mercer relied on his strength to dominate the match, specifically against a resilient Jack Cartwheeler and knocking out Ninja Mack with a closeline. Grim Reefer tries to hold down Shane Mercer for a submission, but Jack Cartwheel attacks both with a beautiful Twisted Crest, followed by Dante Leon attacking Cartwheel with a cutter. Alex Zayne puts Dante Leon on his shoulders, setting him for Ninja Mack to leap off the top turnbuckle, hit Leon with a flying kick, but Leon still has enough strength to land a poison rana on Zayne. The crowd cheered for the beautiful combination from Ninja Mack and Dante Leon, but could barely catch their breath as Shane Mercer carried Ninja Mack to the top turnbuckle to land a devastating moonsault.

Shane Mercer continued to dominate the battle royal and even held Zayne through the ropes so Jack Cartwheel could deliver a shooting star press onto Zayne. Grim Reefer brought in a chair to deliver a DDT onto Shane Mercer, but Mercer blocked the attempt, grabbing Reefer and bringing him to the top turnbuckle. High in the sky, Reefer counters, finally delivering a top rope DDT to Shane Mercer through the chair, allowing him to take the three count, landing Grim Reefer the victory. 

The match was incredibly excited as a showcase for all of this talent. I liked the story having all of these high fliers needing to find ways to work around Shane Mercer’s strength, as he was booked like a monster throughout the fight. This match worked as a great introduction to the creativity GCW offers.

Grab the Brass Ring Ladder Match with G-Raver (replacing Lio Rush), Tony Deppen, Jordan Oliver, Jimmy Lloyd, PCO, Alex Colon, and AJ Gray

GCW tends to start their PPVs with multi-man matches to get the crowd hyped, and this match did precisely that. All the competitors came out to massive pops, especially PCO, Jordan Oliver, Jimmy Lloyd (coming out a roaring “Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Fuckin’ Lloyd” chant), and Alex Colon in a sea of Puerto Rican flags. AJ Gray also received a massive pop from his recent GCW Extreme Championship win over PCO’s 1,225-day reign. As all the wrestlers delivered impressive and terrifying leaps and bounds on the ladders, PCO impressed the most, as the 54-year-old wrestler wowed the audience with a bombastic ladder doomsday device on G-Raver and Alex Colone, his flight through the ropes, and an impressive top rope moonsault. I like the story they told with PCO, this older wrestler who lost this championship he had for all these years, only to be lost by AJ Grey, and now feeling like he’s got something to prove to the younger guys. Tony Deppen and Jordan Oliver impressed with their agility on the top rope, knocking larger competitors off the ladders like Jenga blocks. The crowd belted at Oliver delivering a wild cutter to Deppen, bouncing off the top ropes to the ladder. Unfortunately, not all the ladder spots landed smoothly, as both AJ Grey and G-Raver suffered some brutal high-risk botches off the ladders. Props to them for keeping up the momentum after such serious hits. Llyod delivered his Awesome Powerbomb on G-Raver onto a ladder that I swear the audience all the way in nosebleeds could feel. We see some potential story development as Jimmy Lloyd knocks Alex Colone out of the ring, who’s subsequently attacked by John Wayne Murdock out of nowhere, motivated by their feud over the past few months.

AJ Grey took the victory to thunderous applause. Despite some messiness here and there, the high risk every wrestler put in this fight paid off. With the new GCW Extreme Champion AJ Grey now having the brass right, I’m excited to see how his story unfolds.

Trios Match: Team Bandido (Bandido, Laredo Kid, and ASF) vs. Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Flamita Demonic, and Arez)

Treating us to some Lucha action, Team Gringo immediately walked into the ring disrespectfully, brandishing Laredo and Bandido’s masks. Meanwhile, Team Lucha received huge pops, especially Laredo Kid, for his amazing outfit. At first, the two teams were evenly matched with their high flying and energized spots. Bandido excited the crowd with a tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero, followed by some combination suplexes on Arez. ASF was particularly impressive with his speed, fight, and top rope bouncing arm drags on the much larger Gringo Loco. Suddenly, Flamita Demonic broke the rhythm, flipping off the crowd and bait-and-switching a top rope spot. It was hilarious. The match was filled with high-risk top rope dives, head-scissor rotations, flips, everything you’d want out of a fun Lucha match. The three-way Team Bandido superkicks, head-scissor rotations, and dives through the ring fired up the crowd. Team Gringo was similarly impressive, as Gringo and Arez grounded ASF and Loredo with leg submissions, leading to Flamita Demonic leaping onto Bandido’s shoulders, flipping off the crowd, and rolling to a pin. Team Bandido kicked out as the crowd applauded the match’s creativity. A well-earned “This is awesome” chant encircled the ring. Bandido got a massive pop for his tornado DDT on Gringo, leading to stiff back-and-fourth chops between the two. The two teams collided with an insane double-stacked electric chair spot, bringing both teams to the floor with rapturous applause. Of course, the luchadors weren’t done, as they threw their bodies at each other spot after spot.

Gringo Loco punished ASF with a spike piledriver, pinning him for the three counts, landing the win to Team Gringo. The whole fight felt like a character-filled style showcase. Everyone delivered, especially ASF and Flamita Demonic. The audience agreed, throwing dollars into the ring for the wrestlers, as is traditional in Lucha Libra, as a sign of respect for a great match.

Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush (Replacing Jonathan Gresham)

Building on their GCW rivalry, Black Christian and Lio Rush demonstrated impressive character work and in-ring storytelling. Rush proved how his speed and agility are unmatched, running circles around Christian. All the while, he taunts Christian in a sea of dueling chants from the audience between Rush and Christian. Still, Christian met his speed, following and correcting Rush’s evasions, demonstrating that he’s a worthy rival for The Man of the Hour. Christian landed a counter head kick, to which Rush responded by taking flight off the turnbuckle and landing kicks of his own. The in-ring storytelling on display is excellent, as the chemistry behind their fluid back-and-forth reflected their long-term rivalry. Their dueling styles communicate volumes, as Christian periodically would match Rush’s speed with his own punishing stiff hits. His chops and kicks would regularly get as big a pop as Rush’s velocity, knowing full well he’d be in trouble by Christian’s repeated grounding attempts.

As Christian used his strength to gain control, Rush’s freeing spears helped him gain momentum over the bout. But Christian came back with a springboard cronus heartbeat to the back of Lio’s head. The stellar back-and-forth continued was halted by Christian, delivering a fantastic Spanish fly and springboard 450 Spanish off the turnbuckle, but Lio kicked out anyway, amazing the crowd. Rush returned with biting poison rana and his Flying Hour, but Christian kicks out and responds with Fosbury Flop and a tombstone piledriver. 

The tombstone gave Christian the opportunity to pin Lio Rush for the three count, taking the victory in an incredible fight. The in-ring storytelling of their rivalry was compelling. Lio Rush and Blake Christian have fantastic chemistry, and I’m excited to see how far their rivalry will go. 

Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona

Acting off their Twitter feud where Matt Cardona’s wife, Chelsea Green, was implied to have had an affair with Joey Janela, Cardona continued to prove why he’s one of the hottest and most in touch heels on the indies. Entering in an homage to Sandman’s entrance, the self-proclaimed “Deathmatch King” Matt Cardona continued to flaunt his WWE credentials to the fury of the GCW audience. The boos swarmed like a swarm of hornets as a giant “If Cardona Wins we Riot” sign brandished the rafters. Cardona walked into the ring with a “Fuck Mick Foley” shirt and his wife Chelsea Green by his side. Meanwhile, “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela entered to a massive pop from the crowd as one of the most beloved figures on the indie circuit. I love the story told with this match-up, with Janela fighting for the honor of GCW against the sellout WWE superstar-reject Matt Cardona. 

The fight began evenly, with Cardona and Janela throwing their bodies at each other with dives and clotheslines. Janela was eager to break out the steel chairs, working Cardona with some stiff hits, gaining control of the bout before Cardona started using his size to do damage with some chair shots. Chelse Green seemingly turns on Cardona with a low blow but swerves and lands another low blow on Janela, granting Cardona control of the match while revealing a generously inconspicuous cup. Cardona’s big focus, however, is working the crowd, generating as much heat as possible, mocking the crowd while pummeling Janela. Janela definitely felt the effects of the chair, weary as he gained some steam, landing some punches and suplexes on Cardona. Over time, we’re treated to cameos from the likes of Smart Mark Sterling, Virgil, Swoggle, Sam Stackhouse, and Marko Stunt interfering with the match. Marko Stunt got the biggest pop of all the cameos, followed by immediate boos when Cardona delivers an inverted DDT on Stunt. The pace picks back up when Joey Janela brings out a door and delivers a flying big elbow on Cardona. When it looks like Janela’s coming back with some stiff chair shots to the back of Cardona’s neck, Chelsea Green interjects, hitting Janela with a kendo stick, leading to Janela delivering a spiked piledriver on Green.

Suddenly, a mysterious figure in a motorcycle helmet ran into the win and spears Janela through a door. He’s revealed to be Brian Myers, Cardona’s long-time friend and tag team partner from WWE and the indies. They join together for a Radio Silence smashing Janela to the door, as Cardona pins Janela for the three count delivering the win. 

The crowd showered the team with boos and trash, leading to an appearance by X-PAC attacking Cardona. 

I really enjoyed the match. The in-ring storytelling was solid, and Cardona knows how to draw heat from the crowd. His understanding of how to piss off the internet wrestling community is unlike any other. Joey Janela’s dedication to taking as much punishment as possible to tell his story and entertain the crowd is always worth commending. The cameos were fun, but outside of Brian Myers, they kind of disrupted the match’s pace, feeling out of nowhere. Still, the pacing picked up in the second half. Frankly, any match involving these two is guaranteed to be entertaining, and this one is no exception.

The match was immediately followed by an appearance by Mance Warner, still recovering from his leg injury. He praises the GCW locker room, crew, and fans to the praises of the crowd. His speech was interrupted by Atticus Cogar representing his stable 44OH!. He mocks Sam Warner and GCW, calling the show a “spot fest” echoing critique from older wrestling critics that see indie wrestling as big spots with no storytelling or psychology. The two begin to brawl, with Cogar stomping Warner to the ground. Mance Warner’s Second Gear Crew partner Matthew Justice arrived to attack Justice and Warner. The rest of Cogar’s 44OH! crew arrive, beating up Warner and Justice, with Cogar bringing out skewers getting ready to stab Justice and Warner. Suddenly, the lights went out, and when they came on, ECW wrestler Sabu and ECW ref Bill Alfonso appears in the ring. Sabu threw chairs at 44OH! as Alfonso blew his whistle, causing them all to scatter. Alfonso landed a DDT on 440H member, Gregory Iron, while Matthew Justice lands a top rope splash, as Alfonso delivers a three count. 

The segment was a fun way to keep up SGC’s momentum and feud with 44OH! while Mance Warner recovers from his injuries. Plus, it was a feel good moment seeing Sabu and Bill Alfonso in the Hammerstein once again.

Ruby Soho vs. Allie Katch

Allie Katch has been on a tear lately, going toe-to-toe modern greats like Mercedes Martinez, Kylie Rae, and Thunder Rosa on the indies, becoming a favorite of the GCW crowd. She entered with rapturous applause from the crowd, but so did Ruby Soho, still riding the high from her AEW debut. As dueling Ruby Soho and Allie Katch chants envelop the ring, the crowd felt split between the two. There’s clear respect between the two, as between a handshake and a smile, they were excited to duke it out. The back-and-forth chemistry between the two was evident, as Soho anticipated Katch’s piledriver demonstrates her familiarity with her work. Still, Katch was able to do some damage with a dropkick. Soho took control, knocking Katch into the ring post, but Katch countered, repeating Soho’s move, doing more damage with some hip attacks and a cannonball. Both women looked incredibly strong throughout the fight, with Katch’s strength and passion trying to match Soho’s experience. Every counter led to another counter; every hit was anticipated with another equally brutal hit. It was beautiful; even as Soho grounded Katch with a hurricanrana, she could only get a two count. As Soho wrestled for control, Katch kept fighting back, clearly desperate to keep her down as Ruby kept coming back. 

Katch went for a top rope suplex, but Ruby wriggled her way out for a powerbomb. Katch countered to go for a powerbomb, but Soho returned with a Riott kick, pinning Allie for the three count for the win. Ruby Soho won but was audibly booed by the crowd. Most of the public was on Katch’s side, even during the duel chants. The two embraced as Allie walked out with the crowd cheering her name. It was touching to see the crowd support one of their homegrown talents. Ruby Soho helped Allie Katch look incredibly strong; I’m confident her star will continue to shine.

Effy vs. Jeff Jarrett

This match has a pretty interesting story behind it. Effy’s made a name for himself as one of the most popular LGBT wrestlers today and a massive proponent of intergender matches. He’s also known for supporting LGBT wrestlers through his “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch” GCW shows. However over the past few months, he caught the eye of the acclaimed 10X world champion, Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett has been regularly attacking Effy and his partner, Allie Katch, alleging that he’s the true innovator of the more progressive wrestling styles that Effy represents. Meanwhile, Effy calls him a “clout vampire,” hiding behind his accolades to cover up his failures. His “Last Outlaw” character certainly has some intensity behind it and gives Effy a strong opponent. It’s a great approach to the traditional “youth vs. experience” story we usually get. At the same time, the announcer listing Jeff Jarrett’s resume still gives him the heel heat he needs. Effy walked in with the crowd’s love, as they threw pink and rainbow streamers into the ring.

While Effy started off confident, mocking Jeff Jarrett and getting in some serious hits, Jarrett slowly gained control of the match with his size and experience. Jarrett crushed the crowd’s hopes, wailing on Effy will brutal leather belt shots. Those shots hurt, scarring Effy’s body with bright red lashes like sunburn. He even whipped a GCW ref for getting in his face. The 10x world champion Jeff Jarrett immediately established himself in GCW as a force to be reckoned with. As he bound Effy to the turnbuckle, you could hear the crowd audibly concerned and cheering Effy on. Jarrett grabbed a chair, but Effy freed himself, punching and grinding on Jarrett, compelled to show himself in good spirits. As Effy seems to gain momentum, even delivering a hard-hitting low blow and slashing Jarrett’s face with his own fishnets, Jarrett took his guitar and bashed it straight in Effy’s face. Effy stood firm in defiance, but Jarrett crushed Effy’s face into the canvas, pinning him for the three count, taking the win. 

Great story, but this story is far from over. I wouldn’t be surprised, in fact, I’d be excited if this led to a match between Jeff Jarrett and Allie Katch. Effy went out strong, continuing to show why he’s one of the most popular wrestling in GCW.

GCW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley vs. Homicide

15 years after defeating Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Title and fresh off his induction into the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame, Homicide returned to the Hammerstein Ballroom. One week after returning to wrestling from rehab, Jon Moxley arrived in the Hammerstein Ballroom. The crowd cheered for these two heroes, well deserving for their struggles and accomplishments. As Moxley steps into the ring, the crowd chanted “Welcome back!” and “Fuck Bully Rey!” a response to Bully Rey’s grossly inappropriate real-life comments against Moxley going to rehab. The two wrestlers showed respect with a handshake, then stared daggers into each other’s eyes. This wasn’t going to be just a wrestling match, but a brawl. They two exchanged strikes, knees, elbows, chops, jabs, having the time of their life brutalizing the shit out of each other. Moxley landed a piledriver, but Homicide got back up. Homicide delivered a series of suplexes, but Moxley got back up. The fight carried over outside the ring, with Homicide launching through the ropes, not slowing down for a second. Homicide got in a cutter, but Moxley kicked back up fighting. The two felt evenly matched in skill, stamina, and endurance. Moxley landed a brutal double arm DDT, elbowing Homicide’s face, his mouth bloody as Moxley knocked out one of Homicide’s teeth. As Moxley threw some chairs into the ring, Homicide regained control with some strikes. 

In an act of desperation, Moxley bit Homicide’s ear and delivered another double arm DDT, this time on some chairs, but Homicide still kicked out of the pin attempt. As Moxley screamed, Homicide defiantly flipped off Moxley as he went in for a pin attempt, landing punches and a bite of his own at Moxley. Finally, Moxley put Homicide straight through a chair with a DDT, getting the 3 count for the win. The two men embraced, a sign of respect for the hard-fought battle. This match was a compelling celebration of Jon Moxley’s return and Homicide’s Hall of Fame induction. 

The Briscoe Brothers Open Challenge

Ever since brothers Mark and Jay Briscoe won the tag belts, they’ve defended them against tough teams like Alex Zayne & Blake Christian and Brody King & PCO. For months, they’ve said they’d be open to challenge anyone at any time. The Briscoes entered to cheers, but the crowd was clearly anticipating their challengers. The first entrant was the “The Bulldozer” Matt Tramont, as the crowd cheers for the return of the H2O wrestling founder and Grandslam winner of Tournament of Death, Masters of Pain, and the King of the Deathmatch. Then, a gong goes off, “For Whom The Bell Tolls” starts playing, and the stadium erupts in what can only be described as hero worship. Nick Gage, the ace of GCW, returned from his injury to compete for the belts alongside Tramont. The crowd swarmed Nick Gage, giving him hugs, fist bumps, and selfies, and Gage loved every second of it, celebrating his return lunging into the crowd. 

The match started with Gage immediately spearing Jay through a table while Matt Traimont exchanged strikes with Mark Briscoe, knocking him out of the ring. The Briscoes threw chairs and doors into the ring as Jay and Tremont exchanged chair shots. Meanwhile, Mark and Gage took two halves of a smashed door and bashed each other in the head. Gage took Mark off his feet, bringing him down with a DDT. As Gage looks like he’s gonna use his signature pizza cuter weapon, Jay threw a chair at Gage, bringing him to the ground. Mark lept off a chair over the top ropes, sending Matt Tramont through a door. 

The Briscoes seemed to have the upper hand as the ring was riddled with chairs and doors. The crowd cheered Gage on, shouting “MDK” at the top of their lungs, but Mark sent Gage through a door with a flying elbow. Tramont got back in the ring, exchanging stiff elbows with Jay Briscoe. Mark and Gage climbed to the top turnbuckle as Gage delivered a hard-hitting top rope piledriver. He followed that with a devastating choakbreaker, bringing Mark Briscoe to the ground for the three counts, winning the belts for himself and Matt Tramont.

The match was short, surprisingly short. Jay Briscoe revealed on Twitter the match was cut short due to time restraints with the PPV. It was disappointing, and I hope they handle their pacing better next time. While I would’ve wanted a longer match, it was still as hard-hitting and wild as a match like this should’ve been. The Briscoes looked incredibly strong in this fight against the deathmatch legends. Nick Gage closes out the night, giving a heartfelt speech to the crowd about how hard he worked on himself to get back into the ring. The GCW locker room gathered together in the ring to send off the crowd and wish them a good night, and heartwarming note to end an incredibly fun and passionate show.

The replay of The Wrld on GCW is available on FiteTV here