Tournament of Survival 9: John Wayne Murdoch beats Yuki Ishikawa in final

Photo Courtesy: GCW

Tournament of Survival 9
The Terminal
Showboat Hotel
Atlantic City, New Jersey

First Round House of Horrors Match: UltraMantis Black vs. Yuki Ishikawa

Both men had to navigate the hanging tubes early on as the sold-out crowd at the terminal cheered them on. Mantis took the first tube to his head, and they ended up breaking all the tubes, busting Kawa open. Mantis knocked Kawa off his feet and stomped him down in the corner. Mantis set up a series of tubes, then hung Kawa’s neck up on the ropes only to be slingshotted onto a pile of tubes. Kawa body slammed Mantis on a pile of broken glass for a near fall. Mantis hit a tube-assisted sliding lariat for a near fall of his own, and they traded shots in the center of the ring. Kawa took Mantis off his feet with a lariat followed by a second rope dropkick for a two count. Kawa set up a barbed wire door in the center of the ring, but Mantis fought out of it and drove Kawa through the wire, though it was only good for a two count. Mantis grabbed a black bundle of tubes and set them in the center of the ring. Kawa fought out of it and broke the bundle of tubes across Mantis’s chest. Kawa landed a knee strike, but it still wasn’t enough. Kawa set up a tube door and sent Mantis through it for the victory.

Yuki Ishikawa Defeated UltraMantis Black

First Round Match: Swinging for the Fences Deathmatch: Big F’n Joe vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani

The two locked up, and Big Joe dropped a bag of tacks in the ring. Joe grabbed tubes and broke them over each other’s heads. Joe grabbed a giant bundle and broke it over Kami’s head, but it had no effect. Kami took Joe off his feet with a shoulder block and cut him off as he went for the ropes. They tussled around ringside with Kami kicking the snot out of Joe. Joe ran behind Kami and busted tubes over his head. Unfazed, Kami responded with a piece of plywood across Joe’s head and sent him into the fans. They each swung at each other with tubes around ringside. Hideyoshi grabbed a tube, but Joe hit him over the head with another tube. Hideyoshi no-sold it, planted Joe in the center of the ring, and hit him with a frog splash for a two count. He went back up to the top, but Joe hit him over the head with tubes and slammed him off the ropes into a giant TV. Joe hit him with a Regal Plex onto the broken tubes and tacks. The two traded strikes in the center of the ring. Joe grabbed a cut can board and set it up in the corner. They grabbed lemon juice and squirted it at each other at the same time. Joe no-sold it and was sent through a pane of glass with a backdrop driver, giving Hideyoshi the victory.

Hideyoshi Kamitani Defearwd Big Fb Joe

First Round Match: DDT Deathmatch: Shunma Katsumata vs. Brandon Kirk

hey went to kick off, but Shunma offered him a rubber chicken instead. Brandon took Shunma off his feet with a shoulder tackle but was quickly sent to the floor and taken out with a big tope. Shunma went to hit Kirk with a baseball bat with a rubber chicken on it, but Kirk threw it into the crowd and broke a series of tubes over Shunma’s head. He then used the broken shards to carve Shunma’s skull. Shunma was power-slammed onto an open chair, but he popped up and kicked the chair into Kirk’s face. Kirk was suplexed on a bunch of Legos. Shunma pulled off Kirk’s shoes and socks and slammed him feet-first onto the Legos. Shunma climbed to the top rope and came off with a splash, but Kirk moved out of the way, causing Shunma to land on the pile of Legos. Kirk drove him down into a pile of broken glass and Legos.

Kirk was blasted over the head with a tube and climbed on top of a ladder. He set up a bundle of tubes in the center of the ring. Shunma came off the top with a sunset bomb through the tubes, but Kirk kicked out at two. Shunma set up a pane of glass and placed Kirk under it. Kirk got up but was hit with a Meteora through the pane, yet still managed to kick out. The crowd was firmly behind Kirk as Shunma set up plastic containers and placed one with tubes over the top of Kirk. Shunma came off the top with a splash, but Kirk kicked out at one, and the crowd went crazy. Shunma tried again with a driver, and Kirk again kicked out to an even louder pop. Kirk set Shunma up for the psycho driver through chairs and tubes for the victory. There were monstrous pops for Brandon Kirk throughout the match.

Brandon Kirk Defeated Shunma

First Round Match: Slice and Dice Deathmatch: John Wayne Murdoch vs. SLADE

Broski Jimmy cut a promo about how Cardona put him in the tournament. SLADE came out and started taking the fight to Murdoch by sticking gussets all over his body. SLADE set up a door with tubes on it, but Murdoch pulled him up and slammed him through the door, then started breaking tubes all over his body. SLADE kicked out at one as he was dragged back first through the broken glass. Murdoch broke an entire box on SLADE’s back and suplexed him into the broken glass.

Murdoch was firmly in control as SLADE was bleeding all over the ring. Murdoch set up a barbed wire door and dumped broken glass all over SLADE’s body. Murdoch tried to spear SLADE through a door, but it didn’t break. Instead, SLADE chokeslammed Murdoch through the barbed wire door. SLADE was losing a lot of blood as he stalked Murdoch around the ring. SLADE threatened the referee with a tube, which allowed Murdoch to get the roll-up victory.

Both of these guys worked their asses off. SLADE got a massive reaction as the surprise entrant and came out looking strong despite the loss.

John Wayne Murdoch Defeated SLADE

Semi-Final Match: Made in Japan Deathmatch: Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Yuki Ishikawa

They each threw each other into the tower of tubes in opposite corners. Kami slammed Ishikawa down onto the broken glass, hit him with a 10-foot tube, and then used the jagged edges to cut into Ishikawa’s forehead. Hideyoshi dropped an elbow for a tepid near fall. Ishikawa was able to fire up and dropped Hideyoshi with an elbow, followed by a bulldog into the broken glass for a near fall of his own.

Ishikawa went to the top and looked for a double stomp but was met with an STO onto the broken glass, followed by an attempted dive. However, Ishikawa met him up there and took him over with a superplex. They ran into each other with light tube crosses, followed by a giant bundle each. Hideyoshi leveled Ishikawa with a lariat, but Ishikawa kicked out at one. Ishikawa then got the surprise roll-up victory to advance to the finals.

Yuki Ishikawa Defeated Hideyoshi Kamitani

Semi Finals: Contraptions of Deathmatch: John Wayne Murdoch vs. Brandon Kirk

Both men entered the battle wearing the wounds from their first-round matches. They started trading fists in the center of the ring. Murdoch dropped Kirk with a right hand and began stabbing him with the broken ends of tubes. Murdoch set up a pane of glass and drove Kirk face-first into it with a running knee. Murdoch slammed a series of gussets into Kirk’s arms, followed by a kenzan. Kirk got caught with a top rope flatliner into a Koji clutch. He broke the hold and placed a cactus board in the center of the ring. Kirk fired up and hit Murdoch with a backdrop onto the cactus board.

Murdoch set up another pane of glass in the corner, and they blasted each other with tube shots as glass flew everywhere. They settled on the apron over a barbed wire net. Murdoch took the brunt and came flying out of the ring with a ripe, sending them both smashing into the tangled web below. Murdoch had to be cut out of the wire but still managed to kick out at the last second. Kirk brought a trellis filled with tubes into the center of the ring and went to the top rope, but Murdoch cut him off and superplexed him through the tube-covered trellis. Kirk somehow managed to kick out, only to be locked in the koji clutch as the crowd chanted his name. The ref called for the bell.

John Wayne Murdoch defeated Brandon Kirk

Tournament of Survival 9 Finals: Yuki Ishikawa vs. John Wayne Murdoch

They started by breaking tubes over their heads right away, working their way around the ring, and smashing every tube in sight. Ishikawa fired up with a lariat that took Murdoch down, but Murdoch popped back up and sent Ishikawa headfirst into a pane of glass, sending him tumbling to the floor. They continued hitting each other with more tubes as Murdoch sent Ishikawa face-first into another pane of glass.

Murdoch called for a destroyer from the apron to the floor, but Ishikawa blocked it and sent Murdoch off the apron through a giant bundle of tubes on the floor. Ishikawa climbed to the top of the scaffolding, and they battled there, trading punches. Ishikawa threw Murdoch off into a pane and a door, but Murdoch kicked out at one. He fired up with a brainbuster, but Ishikawa also kicked out.

Two tables were brought into the ring, and they climbed back up on the scaffolding as the tables were doused with lighter fluid. Murdoch took Ishikawa off the top with a swinging neckbreaker through the flaming tables to win his first Tournament of Survival.

About Jon Pine 168 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.