GCW Blood on the Hills: No Rope Barbed-Wire Match, Briscoes retain tag titles

Jon Pine reviews GCW's Blood on the Hills featuring a No Rope Barbed-Wire match, The Briscoes defend the tag titles, Cardona & Chelsea quit.

December 18, 2021 Jon Pine NEWS, RECOMMENDED, Show Reports
Photo Courtesy: Game Changer Wrestling

GCW: Blood on The Hills

By: Jon Pine

Friday, December 17, 2021, Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA

Coming off their two massive shows in Houston and Dallas, Texas, Game Changer Wrestling returns to Los Angeles for an action-packed night that saw the return of two former Ring of Honor stars, the newly crowned Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion, a first time ever No Rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch, and the Game Changer Wrestling Tag Team Championships being defended.

This is Game Changer’s fourth straight sell-out of the Ukrainian Cultural Center, which has become their de facto home in Los Angeles. The last time they were in Los Angeles we saw the historic matchup between Minoru Suzuki vs. Nick Gage, Jay, and Mark Briscoe won the GCW Tag Team Championships from the Second Gear Crew and the GCW debut of Psycho Clown.

GCW So High Results:

Dante Leon defeats Jack Cartwheel to retain the Loko Wrestling Title, Allie Katch defeats Gino Medina, Ninja Mack defeats Jimmy Lloyd, The Second Gear Crew defeats Bryan Keith and Mysterious Q, ASF, Chris Carter, Drago Kid defeat Gringo Loco, Low Rider, Demonic Flamita, Atticus Cogar defeats Nick Wayne, Bandido defeats Tony Deppen, Effy defeats Sadika.

GCW So Alive Results:

Joey Janela defeats ASF, Tony Deppen Defeats Demonic Flamita, Atticus Cogar vs. Jordan Oliver was a No Contest, Blake Christian defeats Jack Cartwheel, The Second Gear Crew defeats Alex Colon and Sadika, Fuego Del Sol defeats Deranged, Drago Kid, Gringo Loco, Nick Wayne, and Sam Stackhouse, The Briscoes retained the GCW Tag Team Titles, Thunder Rosa defeats Allie Katch, John Wayne Murdoch defeats Jimmy Lloyd. 

Spoiler Free Match Recommendations: 

  • GCW Tag Team Championship Match
  • Ring of Honor World Title Match
  • No Rope Barbed Wire

GCW Tag Team Title Match: PCO and Brody King vs. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark) (Champions)

These two teams are no strangers to each other as they have faced off against each other in hard-hitting action for Ring of Honor since 2018. PCO and Brody King make their triumphant returns to Game Changer Wrestling after a 4-year absence. PCO last appeared for GCW on December 29, 2018, at GCW The Dynasty, and for Brody King, his last GCW appearance was a World Title match against Nick Gage at GCW vs. SFP on November 17, 2018.

PCO’s career was pretty much dormant until he faced Walter at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2, and since then he has gone on to sign a multi-year deal with Ring of Honor. He captured their World Heavyweight Championship after he defeated RUSH at Final Battle 2019 and held the belt for 78 days. PCO is also the current reigning GCW Extreme Champion, holding that belt for 1,192 days, but it is unclear if that championship is still recognized by GCW officials.

PCO and Brody King are no strangers to tag team wrestling, capturing the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships at the 17th Anniversary show in March 2019. They also won the Ring of Honor World Six-Man Tag Championship in a match against Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, and Vinny Marseglia. They captured the NWA World Tag Team Titles from Royce Isaacs and Tom Latimer at the 2019 Crockett Cup. PCO and Brody King held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships for a total of 22 days, the Ring of Honor World Six-Man Tag Team Championships for a total of 301 days, and finally, they held the NWA Tag Team Championships for a total of 133 days.

This past weekend at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle 2021, the Briscoe Brothers made history once again capturing the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles for a record-setting 12th time. They defeated the OGK, Mike Bennett, and Matt Taven in what was considered the best match of the card. They return to the Ukrainian Cultural Center, the same place they won their very first GCW Tag Team Titles in a match that pits them against the team that once defeated them for the Ring of Honor World Tag Team titles.

Brody and Mark Briscoe start the match each landing some strikes on each other but the match breaks down and the teams pair off and go to battle on the floor. It’s sad watching PCO try and walk and especially so when he landed right on his back after hitting a tope suicida onto Jay Briscoe. That was just the beginning of cringe-worthy bumps from PCO. Brody King and Jay Briscoe pair off in the ring as they attempt a handful of near falls. For some reason, PCO asks his partner to chop him and fails to hit an assisted powerbomb onto Mark Briscoe. Mark Briscoe is busted open from a chairshot as PCO starts taking over the match working over both Briscoe brothers. PCO goes for a bulldog on both brothers and onto two open chairs but the brothers reverse and send PCO back first onto the back of the chairs. Brody King returns to the ring sporting a crimson mask as he starts taking out both Briscoes; Brody King writes Die in his blood on the door and spears Jay Briscoe through the door. PCO goes for a senton through the doors but misses completely and lands hard on the wood floor and comes up clutching his hip. King and the Briscoe Brothers are back in the ring and he starts beating both of them up, hitting a massive lariat, PCO climbs to the top rope, Jay Briscoe shoves him off the top rope through one of the doors on the outside of the ring. Jay Briscoe hits the J Driller followed by a Frog Splash as they pin Brody King to retain their titles.

It was a very solid hard-hitting match but I can do without a 50-year-old falling on his hip on a hardwood floor. The crowd didn’t care about his bumps either. Brody King was fantastic as were the Briscoe Brothers. Dem Boys got their win back from when they lost the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions to PCO and Brody King.

Briscoe Brothers Retain the GCW Tag Team Championships 

 

Singles Match: Nick Wayne vs. Tony Deppen

This past weekend saw Tony Deppen compete at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle in a victorious fashion when he teamed up with Rocky Romero, Brody King, and Homicide to defeat the team of EC3, Eli Isom, Taylor Rust, and Hot Sauce Tracy Williams.

At the last set of Game Changer Wrestling shows Tony Deppen was victorious in his effort against Demonic Flamita but was beaten by Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion Bandido in the second contest of that weekend. Every time Nick Wayne has entered a GCW ring he creates magic. Whether it be in a scramble match against Atticus Cogar or Jordan Oliver, this breakout star of 2021 has captured our attention and has raised the bar for all the young talent on the independent wrestling scene. This match against Tony Deppen could be his biggest challenge yet as Tony won’t play nice with the teenager from Washington.

The match gets off to a very fast start as they start running a fast sequence of reversals and high-flying offense that eventually ends with Deppen bailing to the floor. It’s remarkable how good Nick Wayne is at such a young age. He is a can’t miss prospect. Nick Wayne took the first portion of the match as Tony Deppen returned the favor and started working over Nick Wayne’s body.  Nick Wayne gets busted open as Tony Deppen continues to work over his shoulder; Nick Wayne attempts a handspring but his shoulder gives out leading to Deppen taking over the match once again. Wayne quickly recovers, sending Deppen to the floor hitting a massive dive followed by a Canadian Destroyer for a two count. Nick Wayne goes for a Swanton but Deppen gets his knees up; the pace of the match picks up as Nick Wayne hits a Spanish fly. Both competitors exchange hard slaps to the face with Deppen getting the better of the strike exchange but Nick Wayne’s quickness is too much for Deppen; as he’s able to land a superkick and more high-flying offense on the former Ring of Honor TV Champion. Tony Deppen has been wrestling for longer than Nick Wayne has been alive. Deppen hits a pair of massive knee strikes to the face but Wayne was able to speed his way out of the final strike hitting a Canadian Destroyer for a two count. Wayne does the WWE shocked face as Deppen catches him in a cattle mutilation rolled into a chokehold. Wayne tries to fight out once but he’s put away with a series of forearms strikes and a knee to the back of the head.

These two told a fantastic story of the young up-and-comer coming close time and time again against the Gatekeeper of Game Changer Wrestling. Nick Wayne put on another extremely impressive performance, he gets better and better with every single match.

Tony Deppen defeats Nick Wayne

Singles Match: Chelsea Green & Matt Cardona vs. BUSSY (Allie Katch & Effy)

“He was in a position where he could’ve really been the first person ever to go, hey this seems like the craziest idea but I think the future is in this direction, I’m going to tell this guy to suck it and I’m going to make Indy Wrestling crazy. Instead he bent at the knee and I understand, when that place is your childhood dream. Those glasses have a real good rose color, but Drew Galloway’s Wrestlemania moment was in a warehouse in Orlando like a lot of other custom matches I’ve seen.So lets not forget about objectivity and where wrestling truly is.”- Effy

Since September when Effy defeated Matt Cardona to become the Internet Champion, the entire GCW world has been consumed with Independent Wrestling’s hottest rivalry. We’ve been treated to numerous genuinely funny Twitter exchanges, Halloween costumes, and promo videos. PBR has gotten involved all in the lead-up to this tag team match. In October at GCW Fight Club these two men faced off in an Internet Title vs. Career Match, Matt Cardona was able to win the match after his fiance Chelsea Green interfered and cost Effy the victory. Following that tragic loss for Effy, Allie Katch was scheduled to face Chelsea Green in Detroit, at GCW Evil Deeds, this time Katch was able to secure the victory for her team, bringing the feud to a head and the challenge was laid for a tag team match in Los Angeles.

Effy did an interview with Ad Free Show’s Jon Alba and had the following to say regarding Matt Cardona: 

“Last thoughts on Cardona, because I think people get it confused, he did take the Internet Championship back from me but let’s summarize what’s really going on, let’s go back to Effy being a drug, a self reflection. Matt I took something from you that you made up for yourself, I made it a real thing, I made people forget how long Bruno held the belt because I took it away from you two years long, long reigning championship, and now you’ve got your girl involved, you’ve got my BUSS sister Allie Katch involved; let’s clear the air, I’m not going to work people, I’m not going to fuck around here, I’m going to tell you this: I am here to emotionally break you, I am here to make you look at wrestling like never seen it before, and you thought Nick Gage, Deathmatch, wild style, and you’re looking and going he hit you in the head with a chair and did a lot of mean moves keep doing the mean moves, Effy is unstoppable and Effy will not go away until you have to fucking face it Cardona. Until you have to look at yourself and go ‘Damn, I hate this guy but only because he’s doing what I didn’t have the balls to do 10 years ago,(mocking tone) because I have to have a guarantee to have food on my table. I make a lot of money Jon (Alba) and I don’t say that to brag. I say it to everyone out there, if you think you need a company’s elbow rub they are happy to find out that they don’t know that they need us so badly. Those shows don’t exist without us, and the people they’ve got doing creative, couldn’t get over in ‘96, ‘98, ‘99, 2001, couldn’t sell tickets because if you’re still here after that long, you didn’t make enough to retire so you aren’t that great. I don’t take advice from people who don’t sell tickets, you’ve got to restructure and you guys can come with me and make some money, it takes a lot of work, it takes a lot more than doing a 6 minute match every month but my God, I am pro wrestling baby and I find out every week by eating and eating and eating where I want.”-Effy

Chelsea and Allie start going at it but their partners pull them apart and start going to town on each other with Cardona hitting a beautiful dropkick. Effy kisses Matt Cardona. The crowd starts chanting one more kiss. Effy gets sent to the floor as the Cardona’s start going to work on Allie Katch and gloat. Cardona hits a DDT onto Effy on the floor and sends him back into the ring, isolating him in the corner as they trade tags taking turns beating up Effy. Cardona goes for his Woo Woo Woo boot scrape, Effy escapes and tries to make the tag to Allie but Cardona pulls her off the apron. Effy hits an under rainbow superplex and a suplex to the Cardona’s lays them both out and finally makes the hot tag to Allie Katch. Effy and Allie hit Matt Cardona with doomsday over the castle powerbomb but the pin gets broken up by Chelsea who comes back into the ring with a steel chair. Effy gets hit with a low blow and the rough ryder for a two-count. Cardona retrieves the Internet Championship and accidentally hits Chelsea Green in the head. Allie Katch tries to take advantage but gets backdropped by Matt Cardona. Chelsea Green is busted open as a result of being struck by the championship belt. Effy comes running in with the Internet Championship, Matt Cardona ducks, and Chelsea gets hit in the head again. Effy hits the sack ryder to Matt Cardona, Allie Katch hits the Bussy Piledriver onto Chelsea as they get stacked up for the victory.

Effy and Allie Katch (BUSSY) defeat The Cardona’s

Post Match:

Singles Match: Jonathan Gresham vs. AJ Gray – Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship Match (Pure Rules)

This is the first-time match-up between these two pillars of the independent wrestling world, this match took place six days after Jonathan Gresham faced off against Jay Lethal for the Ring of Honor World Title in which Jonathan Gresham was victorious. I have always been a fan of Pure Rules, during study hall in high school I’d search out as many Pure Title matches as I could find. Pure Rules and the Pure Title are synonymous with Nigel McGuinness as he is the longest-reigning champion in Title history with a 350 Day Title reign. He racked up legendary matches with the likes of Samoa Joe, Roderick Strong, Homicide, Christopher Daniels, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries, and finally his legendary series of matches with Bryan Danielson, culminating in one of the best matches ever at Unified in 2006. It is great that Jonathan Greshman is carrying on the legacy and prowess of the Pure Title, he was the first champion since Bryan Danielson vacated the title after he defeated Nigel McGuinness at Unified 2006.

This is the first time that the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship has been defended in Game Changer Wrestling, I hope this is how they keep the ROH lineage alive. Gresham goes for the Code of Honor but AJ neglects to shake the Champion’s hand. Gresham keeps reversing AJ Gray’s offense and extends his hand once again, AJ gets pissed and open hand slaps Gresham across the face. Gresham starts going to work on AJ Gray’s knee drop kicking it and quickly locking in a leg lock causing AJ Gray to use one of his three allowed rope breaks. AJ Gray starts dishing out his striking brutality onto Gresham but only gets a two count after hitting a moonsault. Gresham slaps Gray across the face, AJ follows that up with a massive strike to the face as he gets his first warning for using a closed fist. AJ bails to the floor and gets hit with a giant tope con hilo from Jonathan Gresham, Gresham throws Gray back into the ring and goes for a cover, Gray kicks out at two but Gresham holds onto his leg and locks in another leg lock, once again causing AJ Gray to use his second rope break of the match. The two start exchanging hard forearm strikes in the center of the ring with Gresham getting the advantage as he quickens the pace going for quick pin attempts only to get cut off by another lariat from AJ Gray.  AJ Gray keeps hitting lariats until Jonathan Gresham ducks under and ties Gray up in a submission hold and ends up knocking out Gray with a series of strikes.

This was a very fun match and one that forced AJ to change up his style a little bit as there were no closed fist strikes allowed. Jonathan Gresham continues to prove why he is one of the best wrestlers in the entire world and the right man to continue representing Ring of Honor. The two told a great story within the match, AJ’s strikes were vicious but not enough to put out the technical wizard.

Jonathan Gresham retains the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship

Emil Jay does a quick interview with the injured Starboy Charlie

Singles Match: Alex Zayne vs. Blake Christian

Every time these two meet they always steal the show with some innovative and creative high-flying sequence. This is a perfect warm-up for New Year’s Eve when these two team up against Ninja Mack and Dante Leon in a match that will surely please all the gif makers. These two had a singles match in this same arena which ended up leading to them getting signed by WWE NXT, we run this match back to once again capture the imagination of the wrestling world. The two hug as they start going crazy exchanging maneuvers and engaging in some breathtaking reversals. They wrestle to a stalemate as the crowd starts chanting for both of these guys, they once again wrestle to a stalemate. Alex Zayne can move his body in truly remarkable ways, he makes it look so easy as he takes control of the match, slowing the pace down and laying in the strikes onto Christian. The action spills to the floor after Christain took out Zayne with a tope, the two fight up a ramp through the mass of people; after he was done walking on the wall, Christian hits a double springboard off of a piece of wood taking out Alex Zayne. They reenter the ring as Zayne once again takes control of the match he goes for a 450 but lands on his feet as Christain takes him out with a lariat. Zayne hits the crunch wrap supreme for a two count as he searches for a way to put away his opponent. Blake Christian hits the hidden blade for the victory.

Blake Christian defeats Alex Zayne

These two delivered a match that was full of high flying, fluid hard-hitting sequences, and the pacing and timing of various spots made sense. These two told a different story than what they’ve done in the past, slowing the pace down at the right moments to emphasize the impact of their offense.

Post Match: Blake Christian calls out Jonathan Gresham for a Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship match for the Hammerstein

Singles Match: Matthew Justice vs. Jacob Fatu with Juicy Finau

This is Fatu’s fifth appearance in GCW with the first one coming in 2018 at GCW Joey Janela’s LA Confidential where he was victorious over KTB. His second appearance was in 2020 at GCW Slime Season in Las Vegas, Nevada where he was again victorious, this time over Matthew Justice.  His latest appearances have both been at the Ukrainian Cultural Center competing in a losing fashion– first to Chris Dickinson at GCW Highest in the Room and then again when he teamed up with Juicy Finau against Chris Dickinson and Starboy Charlie. Both of these men have a smash-mouth style and this match delivered on all of our hopes for a hard-hitting brutal match. In an attempt to level the playing field, Matthew Justice retrieves a pair of chairs. Justice sends Fatu to the floor and hits a tope onto Fatu and starts going to town on Fatu’s back with a chair. Juicy Finau picks up Justice and rams him into the ring posts as he sends Fatu back into the ring. Fatu has Justice down on the canvas as he goes for a double jump moonsault, but Justice can counter it and spears him through the door. Justice follows that up by going coast to coast with a dropkick. Kevin Gill notes that the first time Justice did that move wasn’t in practice, it was in the middle of a GCW match. Justice sets up a door on two chairs and spears Fatu off the apron through the door crashing and burning onto the floor. Juicy, who isn’t even in the match, hits a Samoan drop on the floor and rolls Justice back into the ring along with a piece of the broken door. The two giant men continue to beat up Justice, it’s unclear if the match was thrown out or not. Jacob Fatu grabs Starboy Charlie who is out with a broken leg, throws him into the ring, and hits a top rope splash on the injured child. Fatu and Juicy have tremendous heat with the crowd; the beat down went on for too long but it’s laying the seeds for when Starboy Charlie and Chris Dickinson are healthy to wrestle again.

No Rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch: Atticus Cogar vs. Jordan Oliver

Jordan Oliver and Atticus Cogar have been battling each other for the better part of the Fall of 2021. The feud began in September at GCW Get Lost A Lot, where Atticus Cogar picked up the victory,  Jordan Oliver would win their next match which took place in October at GCW Fight Club. 16-year-old wrestling prodigy Nick Wayne intersected into this feud after Cogar skewered him on a couple of occasions and Jordan Oliver would run out to make the save. Later in October, Nick Wayne and Jordan Oliver faced off but the match was ruled a No Contest after Atticus Cogar interfered in the match.

Following the No Contest in Los Angeles, Oliver and Wayne challenged Atticus to a tag team match with a partner of his choosing for November in Detroit, MI at GCW Evil Deeds. Atticus Cogar and Eddy Only defeated Nick Wayne and Jordan Oliver in a very fast-paced, hard-hitting match. Their feud escalated to epic proportions in Dallas, Texas at GCW So Alive; the match ended in a No Contest after Atticus Cogar threw a fireball GIFS into the eyes of Jordan Oliver, Cogar then challenged Oliver to a No Rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch for Los Angeles. Just when you thought it was finally safe for Jordan Oliver as he was being helped to the back, Atticus Cogar comes charging back out, retrieves the remote for the pyrotechnics, grabs Oliver in a headlock, and sets off the pyro into Oliver’s face.

This was Jordan Oliver and Atticus Cogar’s first-ever No Rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch and it was very interesting to see how he would be able to compete in a Deathmatch, let alone against the genre’s most promising star. This is both men’s first announced main event for the company and is a massive stage to truly prove their complete worth. No Rope Barbed Wire wise, GRaver and Jimmy Lloyd set a new standard for this match type but I do not doubt that Atticus and Jordan will rise to the occasion.

Weapons used: Barbed wire, Barbed wire chair, Barbed wire doors, skewers, chairs, fire, pane of glass

Oliver is wrestling with a bandage over his one eye as the two start the match teasing putting each other into the barbed wire but eventually cools back down into some chain wrestling, Oliver sends Cogar to the floor and follows it up with a giant dive over the barbed wire, wiping out Cogar on the floor. Oliver hits a pedigree on the chairs as he continues to beat down Cogar outside the ring. Cogar drop kicks Oliver into the barbed wire and then throws him again head over heels into the barbed wire. Atticus bails to the floor to scout for a gem of weapon to use on Jordan Oliver; he retrieves the skewers and repeatedly jabs Oliver in the forehead with them busting him open. Atticus grabs a barbed wire chair and starts laying in shots onto Oliver’s back, as he once again grabs the skewers and sticks them in the head of Oliver. Atticus has been controlling the entirety of the match so far, but that ends quickly as Oliver starts sending Atticus into the barbed wire ropes and chair. Jordan Oliver hits the clout cutter from the apron to the floor through the barbed wire doors. The issue with the wood floor is that when you land on the doors the chairs shoot back and your fall isn’t broken because the doors don’t break. Oliver lacerates one of his fingers on a barb and asks for some duct tape to help seal it up. Oliver starts carving up Cogar’s head with the barbed wire and closed fists as Atticus starts dripping blood from his forehead. The pace of the match picks up as the two start trading strikes and near falls, Atticus bails to the floor as he looks for more plunder. He gets a door and some lighter fluid and sets it up in the corner. As Oliver douses the door, Atticus Cogar was in the corner getting his stick of fire, blowing fire into the door lighting it ablaze.  Oliver hits a back suplex sending Atticus through the flaming door, he hits a tombstone for a two count. Oliver gets a pane of glass and sets it up in the ring, only for Atticus to send him through the glass with an Air Raid Crash for a 1 count. Cogar gets the skewers and sticks him in Oliver’s head for another two counts. Cogar hits a headlock driver onto the barbed wire chair for the victory.

Atticus Cogar defeats Jordan Oliver  

About Jon Pine 174 Articles
Living in Providence, Rhode Island; when Jon isn’t watching AEW or GCW with his dogs Dakota and Aurora, he’s probably watching the CSPAN feed of the Senate floor or listening to Bennington on SiriusXM.