GCW: The Way I Am
Harpo’s Concert Theatre
Saturday, May 20, 2023
Detroit, MI
Karem vs. Joey Janela
Due to travel issues, Ninja Mack was unable to compete, so taking his place against Joey Janela is Karem. Karem made a name for himself during this past year’sEFFY’s Big Gay Brunch where he took on Fred Rosser in a very impressive match. Karem used his size and strength advantage and tossed Joey across the ring, Joey responded with a shoulder block but was still unable to get the big man off of his feet, Joey tried one more time but was planted with a shoulder block of his own sending Joey crashing to the mat. Joey responded quickly with a tope to the floor, he rolled him back inside the ring and attempted a top rope double stomp but Karem moved out of the way and hit him with a side slam for a near fall. The two men exchanged chops in the center of the ring and Joey was sent to the floor with a single chop and had his face bounced off the apron before he was again tossed across the ring like a sack of potatoes. Joey was able to fire up and hit Karem with a sunset powerbomb, Joey connected with a series of punches followed by a swinging DDT. Joey hit Karem with a Michinoku driver, Karem kicked out at 1 and responded with a series of chops of his own. He kicked Joey in the gut but Joey reversed it and hit Karem with a deadlift German Suplex, they fought on the apron, Karem elevated Janela and hit him with a spinebuster but Joey was able to kick out at 2. Karem tried to fire up but Joey caught him with a superkick, Joey went for a rolling elbow but Karem leveled him with a slap. Joey connected with a forearm but ran into a vicious chop but followed it up with a brainbuster. Karem went to the top rope and went for a Vader bomb but Joey got his knees up and planted him with a Death Valley Driver followed by a top rope double stomp for the victory.
Joey Janela Defeated Karem
Charles Mason vs. Briar Wellington
Mason spat water in Wellington’s face which served as a distraction as he started to lay into Wellington with stiff right hands and chops. Wellington fired up and dropped Mason across his knee for a close nearfall, Briar went for another cover but Parrow pulled Wellington out of the ring. Mason wrapped his belt around the throat of Wellington and the ref called for the bell.
Charles Mason Defeated Briar Wellington
GCW Tag Team Title Match: Los Macizos vs. East West Express (Champions) vs. Motor City Machine Guns
The Machine Guns went to shake hands with Oliver and Wayne but Los Macizos jumped them from behind and started attacking the guns. Wayne lept back into the ring but was caught by the Macizo who hit him with a neckbreaker combination. The champions regained control of the match but were cut off by Alex Shelley who pulled him to the floor and was kicked in the face by Sabin. Shelley and Oliver paired off in the ring, Sabin hit Oliver with a Dragon Screw through the ropes, the Guns proceeded to hit everyone with a Dragon Screw Leg whip, and they tied the Macizo’s up in a tandem submission hold, Wayne made it back into the ring to make the save for his team as he drop kicked Sabin in the face. Wayne and Oliver took the match over and ran wild on the Machine Guns with various tag team offenses; Shelley connected with a forearm shot which gave them some separation from the champions, they attempted a double suplex but the champs wrenched back on their arms, and got them in stereo arm bars. Ciclope and Miedo came back into the ring and broke up the holds and then hit Oliver with a big flapjack followed by a series of dropkicks to Oliver’s face. Sabin took Los Macizos out with a big top rope crossbody followed by a forearm shot from Shelley, Wayne and Oliver sent everyone to the floor and took them out with big cross bodies, the Champs hit Miedo with a dropkick facebuster combination, and Miedo recovered and trapped Wayne’s arms behind his back as Ciclope came off the top rope with a dropkick to the back of his head. The Macizos and Oliver and Wayne faced off in the center of the ring, they connected with their high boot back elbow combination, followed by a tope from Nick Wayne. They had Miedo in position and hit him with a double cloutcutter for the victory.
The East West Express Retained the GCW Tag Team Championship
Tommy Vendetta vs. Mance Warner
Mance punched Vendetta in the face, Tommy returned fire but Mance bitch slapped him across the face which only fired Tommy up even more. Mance Sabu’d a chair into Tommy’s face and then hit him across the back with it for good measure. They brawled on the floor for a while, sending each other threw a couple of doors, the lighting in the arena was pretty terrible so you couldn’t see much of the action on the floor. They fought back inside the ring, Mance grabbed a staple gun but as he was about to use it on Tommy, Vendetta fought out of it and stapled a dollar to Mance’s shoulders and one to his head. Mance wrestled the gun away from Tommy and stapled a couple of dollars to Tommy’s body. Mance grabbed Tommy’s tongue but before he could do anything Tommy connected with a jumping knee. Tommy set up a barbed wire door in the corner but was caught with a chop from Mance followed by a headbutt. That didn’t matter as Tommy got Mance up on his shoulders and hit him with a Death Valley Driver through a door for a close nearfall. Tommy set up a couple of chairs inside the ring and attempted to piledrive Mance but Mance fought out of it and he chokeslammed Tommy onto the chairs, a brutal bump, but Tommy kicked out at 2. Tommy Sabu’d a chair into Mance’s face and hit him with an Ace Crusher but Mance kicked out. Tommy set up a barbed wire Door Bridge, put his hands on the barbed wire, which is a stupid spot, took way too much time getting to the top rope and was caught with a chair to the skull from Mance and was superplexed off the top through the barbed wire door for another near fall. Tommy retrieved a bundle of tubes from the back and placed them in front of the body of Mance Warner but Mance got up, threw them into Tommy’s face, and hit him with a DDT for the victory.
Mance Warner Defeated Tommy Vendetta
Crazy King vs. John Wayne Murdoch
They two exchanged some lucha holds before they eventually dropkicked a set of tubes into each other, King went for a dive but Murdoch threw a bundle of tubes into Crazy King’s face. Murdoch brought another bundle into the ring but Murdoch caught Crazy King with a Koji Clutch. Murdoch tossed King through a pane of glass and followed it up with a tube-assisted Lariat. Murdoch grabbed another tube but Crazy King responded with a bundle of his own, Crazy King placed a bundle over Murdoch’s chest but Murdoch responded and broke the tubes across King’s back and set up a door bridge in the center of the ring; Murdoch hammered a gusset into King’s head but King reversed and hit Murdoch with an FU off the top rope through the door for a close 2 count. King hit Murdoch with a tube-assisted piledriver for another very close near fall. Murdoch got King back up on the top rope and hit him with a Deep South Destroyer for the victory.
John Wayne Murdoch Defeated Crazy King
Scramble Match: Cole Radrick vs. Alec Price vs. August Matthews vs. Caleb Konley vs. Davey Bang
Everyone paired off, and the Bang Bros took control of the match, they attempted the Ride the Bus but Cole caught him with a forearm. Konley and Price paired off, Konley took Price off his feet with a cross body, and August Matthews tried to come in and was crotched on the top rope and took Bang out with a lariat. Alec Price ran wild until Konley cut him off but his advantage didn’t last long as Radrick took everyone out with a cross body followed by one from Alec Price from off the stage, Konley knocked Price to the floor but Radrick caught him with a butterfly suplex followed by Lil Sebastian’s Curse for the victory.
Cole Radrick won the Scramble Match
EFFY vs. Blake Christian
Christian out-wrestled EFFY to begin the match, they reset and Blake connected with a chop across EFFY’s chest, EFFY dropped to how knees, hit a Spinaroni, and hit Christian with an axe kick before he sent him into the corner and hit him with a series of back breakers. Christian kicked EFFY in the face as he got back on offense and started to beat EFFY up in the corner, EFFY caught Blake with the Gayrancula, EFFY broke the hold and hit him with a big backsplash for a close nearfall. Christian caught EFFY with a handspring kick followed by a dropkick to the floor, Christian connected with a baseball slide followed by crossbody to both the outside and inside Christian tied up EFFY in a submission move and kicked him at the top of his head for good measure, Christian tossed EFFY across the ring with a belly to back suplex followed by a stomp to the back of EFFY’s knees. Christian went for a top rope double stomp but EFFY moved out of the way, they fought on the apron and caught EFFY with a spear followed by a beautiful Fosbury Flop. Christian launched himself back into the ring with a moonsault press followed by a 450 but it still wasn’t enough as EFFY kicked out at 2. EFFY tried to roll Christian up but popped out and struck EFFY with a double knee to his face, EFFY and Christian traded big boots. Christian connected with a superkick but EFFY was able to hit him with an under-the-rainbow for another two count. EFFY set up a door bridge, and tried to go for the Sack Ryder but Christian caught him with a powerbomb but still managed to kick out at two. Christian Sabu’d a chair and it hit the ref in the face, EFFY hit Christian with a Sack Ryder for the visual pinfall. Christian hit EFFY in the face with a wrench and got the pinfall victory.
Blake Christian Defeated EFFY
GCW World Championship Match: Masha Slamovich (Champion) vs. Maki Itoh vs. LuFisto vs. Allysin Kay vs. Shazza McKenzie
All the ladies targeted Masha at the start of the match, Maki broke the pin up that LuFisto had on Masha; Maki Itoh hit a 4-way DDT and hit LuFisto with a running boot to the face but Masha broke the pin attempt up and started to target Maki Itoh. She kicked Maki in the face but Maki was able to kick out at 2, Masha took everyone out on the floor with a tope, which allowed Shazza McKenzie to gain the advantage in the match and lit up Allysin Kay with a series of kicks to the chest. LuFisto cut off the progress and beat down Shazza. The match broke down into your usual Scramble match offense with everyone getting a chance to shine, Maki Itoh ate a chair shot to the head but it only fired her up, and started to go to town on Shazza’s forehead with her pizza cutter that Nick Gage gifted her before the start of the match. Kay set up a door in the corner, and they all brawled on the floor, McKenzie and LuFisto fought to the center of the ring, they traded standing switches, McKenzie hit a tope to the floor, Maki hit Kay with a swinging DDT on the floor followed by a senton from Masha. Kay dropped Masha on her head but LuFisto broke the pin up with a knee. Maki Itoh, no relation, broke up the pin attempt and hit another DDT this time onto LuFisto. Shazza McKenzie was hit with a vertical suplex, Maki hit another swinging DDT and started to carve away at Shazza’s head with the pizza cutter, Kay dumped Maki on her head but was caught with a Death Valley Driver onto Kay through the door. Masha hit LuFisto with the White Knight Driver and choked out Shazza for the victory.
Masha Slamovich Retained the GCW Championship
GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Rina Yamashita (Champion) vs. Jimmy Lloyd
Both wrestlers grabbed tubes and swung at each other, Lloyd was able to make contact first but Rina didn’t waste any time in firing back with one of her own. They each grabbed a gusset, Jimmy was able to utilize the gusset place first, he went for a suplex but Rina blocked it with a kick to the back of his head. Jimmy Lloyd then felt the rather of the gusset plate as Rina smashed one in Jimmy’s forehead. Rina took a back bump on two tubes as the crowd chanted ‘You sick fuck’ Jimmy fell for the trap and took a bump on the tubes himself but Rina quickly tried to roll him up but Jimmy kicked out. Rina tried to get Jimmy up for a suplex but he reversed it with a DDT onto some tubes. Jimmy broke a tube over the champion’s head and started to carve away at her forehead with the broken end of the tube. They battled on the apron where Rina got Jimmy up on her shoulders and sent him off the apron with a Death Valley Driver to the floor through a door. Rina bounced off of Jimmy and landed in the second row. Back inside the ring, they exchanged forearms back and forth, RIna connected with a flurry of strikes and hit Jimmy over the head with a chair followed by a release German Suplex. Jimmy popped up and hit a dragon suplex followed by a forearm shot, Rina wouldn’t go down as he hit her over the head with a bundle of tubes. Jimmy planted Rina with a package piledriver but Rina kicked out; Jimmy set up a glass bridge in the corner and drove her through it with an Assault Driver but Rina kicked out at 1, Jimmy tried to powerbomb Rina through the glass pane in the corner but she blocked it and sent him through the pane with another Death Valley Driver. Jimmy kicked out at 2 and Rina placed a bundle across his chest and climbed to the top rope, she came off the top with a big splash but Jimmy was able to leverage the pin away from Rina. They reset as Rina set up two chairs in the center of the ring and set up a barbed wire door bridge and sent Jimmy through it with a Razor’s Edge for the victory.
Rina Yamashita Retained the GCW Ultraviolent Championship
