GCW The Art of War Games 3 Night 2
Sunday, October 8, 2023
The Terminal
Showboat Hotel
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Another incredible weekend of shows, this entire show was worth checking out, every match was different. Mercer and Deppen had the non-Deathmatch match of the night.
Singles Match: Jack Cartwheel vs. Masha Slamovich
Masha and Jack exchanged strikes, with Jack evading some of Masha’s offense using a series of cartwheels. However, when he attempted a move on the apron, Masha caught him with a basement dropkick that sent him crashing to the floor. Masha then dragged Jack back into the ring, snapmaring him a couple of times before kicking him in the back, resulting in the first nearfall of the night.
They grappled on the mat, and Cartwheel managed to lock in a crossface variation. Masha eventually made her way to the ropes, forcing the break of the hold. Jack responded by punching her in the face a couple of times in an attempt to maintain his advantage. Cartwheel hit the ropes and executed a German Suplex, but Masha quickly popped back up and delivered one of her own. However, Jack caught her with a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb. They retreated to opposite corners, and Masha kicked a charging Jack Cartwheel in the face before leveling him with a spin kick to the head, resulting in another near fall.
Cartwheel took Masha down with a Dragon Screw Legwhip and attempted a Death Valley Driver, but Masha reversed it into a Destroyer. Jack managed to get his shoulders up at the last second. Masha was the first to get back up, and Jack blocked an attempt at the Air Raid Crash, but Masha powered out of it and hit Jack with a spike piledriver. Jack once again kicked out at two.
Cartwheel hit Masha with the Death Valley Driver and followed up with a cartwheel back elbow. He attempted another one, but Masha moved out of the way, kicked him in the face, and then hit her own cartwheel back elbow followed by a sit-out powerbomb for another near fall. Jack stacked her up for a series of near falls but eventually managed to hit her with a crucifix bomb. However, Masha popped back up and hit him with a piledriver, but he once again kicked out.
Jack leveled Masha with a series of forearms, and Masha responded with a couple of her own but got hit with a neckbreaker. He then dragged Masha into the corner and attempted the Spiral Tap, but Masha moved out of the way and spiked him on the head for the victory.
Masha Slamovich Defeated Jack Cartwheel
Singles Match: Shane Mercer vs. Tony Deppen
Shane initially took control with a side headlock followed by a drop toe-hold, choosing to showcase his technical skills rather than relying solely on power. Deppen, needing a moment to regroup, went to the floor, and they locked up once more, with Mercer gaining an advantage with a wrist lock. Deppen tried to counter but found it challenging as Mercer’s grip strength held him in the hold. Although Tony attempted a side suplex, Mercer countered with a side slam and maintained the wrist lock. Deppen reacted by slapping Mercer across the face and then tossing him into the corner. Deppen continued his attack, focusing on Mercer’s arm, delivering a senton and a series of stomps to the shoulder and arm.
Deppen got Mercer back on his feet and dropped him shoulder-first on the mat, proceeding with a double stomp attempt off the top rope. However, Mercer evaded the move and brought Deppen down with repeated shoulder blocks and a lariat. Mercer hoisted Deppen up for a delayed vertical suplex and executed a suplex, showcasing his power. He then performed a one-handed military press and tossed Deppen back to the mat.
Mercer set Deppen up on the top rope for a Moonsault and Battery, but Deppen managed to escape and resumed targeting Mercer’s arm. Deppen hung Mercer up in the corner, hitting him with a double stomp to the back of his head and a running double knee to the face in the corner, nearly securing the victory.
Mercer fought back with a forearm strike, once again placing Deppen on the top rope for Moonsault and Battery. However, Deppen escaped once more and continued to work on Mercer’s arm. Deppen hung Mercer up in the corner and executed a double stomp to the back of his head, followed by a running double knee to the face in the corner, resulting in a close near fall.
Mercer retaliated with a forearm strike and placed Deppen back on the top rope for the Moonsault and Battery. This time, Mercer caused more damage to his shoulder on the way down. Deppen pulled the referee onto himself, then kicked Mercer in the groin, followed by a kick to the back of Mercer’s head, securing the victory.
Tony Deppen Defeated Shane Mercer
Tag Team Match: GCW World Champion Blake Christian and Charles Mason vs. BUSSY
EFFY and Blake began the match by trading waistlocks. Christian evaded a knee strike from EFFY and connected with a kick to the gut. EFFY attempted to run the ropes, but Christian stopped him by dropping to his knees. EFFY backed him up into the corner, where he and Allie unleashed a series of punches on him. EFFY was then driven face-first into the turnbuckle.
Allie entered the match, along with Charles Mason. They engaged in a fistfight in the center of the ring, evading each other’s offense. Mason was eventually taken down with a big lariat followed by an atomic drop from BUSSY. Blake tried to come to his partner’s aid but was grounded as the two members of BUSSY hit them with repeated hip thrusts. EFFY was dragged to the floor, where Parrow sent him into the chairs, while Mason and Christian continued to work on Allie inside the ring.
As they attempted to put a bag over Allie’s head, Rina’s music began playing, and she cleared the ring. Rina attacked Parrow and sent him to the floor, while Mason locked in a choke sleeper. However, Rina managed to free herself and connected with a head kick. It was announced by Emil Jay that the match would become a six-person tag team match.
Rina tagged Allie in, but Allie was caught with water in her face and then had her head planted on the ring apron by Parrow, who also chokeslammed Rina on the apron. Christian flew outside of the ring, overshot EFFY and Parrow, and landed in the third row. Mason retrieved Christian, and they continued to work on Allie inside the ring.
EFFY made his way back onto the apron and pleaded with Allie to make a tag, but Parrow continued to beat her down in the corner behind the ref’s back. Katch ate a big dropkick to his already injured arm and responded by flipping off Rina and EFFY. Katch stunned Blake with a kick to his head and eventually made the hot tag to EFFY.
EFFY ran wild on Mason and Christian with a blockbuster and delivered repeated facewashes in opposite corners, followed by an Under the Rainbow on Mason. Parrow returned to the ring and hit EFFY with a big chokeslam, followed by a bucklebomb. Mason then hit EFFY with a double knee strike, a boot, and a 450, but Rina and Katch made the save for EFFY.
Rina planted Christian with a Gin and Tonic, but Mason broke up the pin and hit her with a piledriver. Mason and Parrow attempted to hold Allie in place while Christian tried to place the bag over Katch’s head again. However, Rina cleared the ring with repeated chair shots to Parrow and Mason. EFFY returned to the ring, and as Blake Christian ran to the back with his belt, Rina and EFFY worked over Parrow. Rina and Allie hoisted Parrow up, and EFFY hit a Super Sack Ryder for the victory.
BUSSY and GCW Ultraviolent Champion Rina Yamashita Defeated GCW World Champion Blake Christian, Charles Mason, and Parrow
Six-Person Tag Team Deathmatch: Takashi Sasaki, Toru Sugirua, and Violento Jack vs. Jimmy Lloyd, Joey Janela, and Sawyer Wreck
Before the bell rang, everyone attacked each other. Jimmy paired off with Sasaki, while Joey propped a door up in the corner. Joey attempted to put Violento Jack on his shoulders, but Toru pulled him off, and together, they sent Joey back-first through the door. Jack repeatedly slammed Joey’s head onto a steel chair in the center of the ring, while Toru and Sasaki placed a door over Joey’s back and struck it with a steel chair for a near fall.
Joey retaliated with a series of chops and strikes, but Toru decided to have some fun and forced Joey’s hand into some barbed wire. Jack returned to the ring and delivered a slingshot elbow, while Sasaki continued to target Joey’s injured arm. Despite the odds, Joey managed to rally and hit a moonsault press. He then made the hot tag to Sawyer Wreck, who took charge with a flurry of forearm strikes and punches aimed at Violento Jack and Sasaki.
Toru reentered the fray but suffered the same fate as his partners, as Sawyer unleashed a series of headbutts and stacked them up in the corner before striking them with a chair to their sensitive areas. Jack hit Sawyer with a chair-assisted body slam for a close near fall. He set up a barbed wire door bridge in the center of the ring and stacked Sawyer in the corner. Joey came to her aid, and together, they executed a chokeslam off the top rope through the barbed wire door.
Toru ran into Sawyer while holding the barbed wire door, and Janela planted Sasaki and Toru on their heads on the barbed wire door with two suplexes. Toru dropkicked a barbed wire chair into Jimmy’s face, and then Jack planted Jimmy on a barbed wire door. Sasaki kicked the barbed wire into Jimmy, sandwiching him. Toru then chokeslammed Joey on top of Jimmy to secure the victory.
Toru Sugirua, Violento Jack, Takashi Sasaki Defeated Jimmy Lloyd, Joey Janela, and Sawyer Wreck
Tag Team Match: Garbage Daddies (Alec Price and Cole Radrick) vs. East-West Express
Price and Oliver initiated the match, engaging in a back-and-forth exchange of holds, resulting in a stalemate as neither man gained the upper hand. Wayne and Cole were tagged in, each striving for an advantage. Wayne managed to sweep Cole’s legs and executed a head scissors takedown. Oliver entered the fray with a double axe handle across Radrick’s arm, and Cole tagged Alec Price back in. East West continued to target Price with their double-team maneuvers. Oliver followed up by focusing on Price’s arm with another double axe handle and then skillfully tied him up on the mat, applying pressure to Price’s arm.
Price found his momentum and executed a springboard crossbody, leading to Radrick being tagged in. Cole landed a belly-to-back suplex on Oliver, but it resulted in only a one-count. Cole unleashed a series of knee strikes to Oliver’s back, attempting to wear him down. Eventually, Oliver fought his way out, but he was sent into the corner and subjected to a series of stomps to his back. After some time, Oliver rallied, making the hot tag to Nick Wayne. Wayne unleashed a barrage of forearms and dropkicks, following up with a sliced bread maneuver on Cole Radrick, narrowly missing a pinfall.
Both Wayne and Radrick delivered blistering chops to each other. Oliver returned to the ring, and East-West Express executed their trademark double-team offense. They attempted a double kick to the midsection, followed by a double team cloutcutter, but Price intervened by knocking them off the ropes. He then hit Oliver with a springboard tornado DDT.
Price and Radrick unleashed a flurry of offense, with Radrick nearly pinning Nick Wayne after a Senton Bomb. Wayne and Radrick grappled on the top rope, with Radrick attempting the Pepsi Plunge. However, Wayne countered with a backdrop off the top rope but was met with a leaping double stomp from Price. Oliver and Radrick exchanged strikes in the center of the ring. Oliver landed a flurry of strikes, dropping Radrick. Price and Wayne battled on the apron with forearm strikes, and both East-West Express members attempted a double cloutcutter. However, Radrick and Price thwarted their efforts with suplexes.
Oliver executed an Acid Kid on Price, but Radrick responded with a Pedigree. Wayne took Radrick out with a Moonsault to the floor, and Price was hit with a double boot. Radrick managed to break up the pin attempt at the last second. East West Express secured the victory with a double cloutcutter on Alec Price, potentially marking Nick Wayne’s final match in GCW, the promotion that played a pivotal role in his career.
East West Express Defeated Garbage Daddies
Post Match: The crowd chanted Thank You Nick as Oliver and Wayne hugged inside the ring. I am forever grateful that I got to see Nick Wayne vs. Will Ospreay in their first-ever singles match.
Deathmatch: Masashi Takeda vs. Mance Warner
They both halted their momentum just before colliding with the pane of glass set up in the corner. Takeda seized a tube and smashed it over his own head. In response, Mance delivered a boot to the chest, followed by a powerful lariat. However, during the exchange, Mance got a small piece of glass in his eye, and he had to flush it out with some water before resuming his assault on Takeda, attacking him with a series of tube shots. Mance utilized the broken end of a light tube to inflict damage on Takeda’s scarred forehead. Takeda retaliated by executing a tube-assisted spear on Warner and breaking another tube across Mance Warner’s mouth. He then grabbed a pair of giant scissors and jabbed them into Warner’s head, slicing and dicing him with them, causing Mancer to start bleeding.
Takeda set up a door bridge in the corner and placed a glass pane on top of it. He climbed to the top rope, but Mance countered with a scissor jab to Takeda’s head and took him off the top with a suplex through the double-decker contraption in the ring. Takeda managed to kick out at 2 but emerged from the move holding his back. Mance set up another pane of glass with tubes across two chairs and headbutted Takeda. Mance went for a lariat, but Takeda sneaked behind him and sent Mance through the pane of glass with a suplex. In response, Mance unleashed a series of jabs and attempted to hit Takeda with a bundle of tubes. However, Takeda quickly recovered and leveled Mance with a dropkick.
Both men then traded punches while on their knees. Mance connected with a powerful knee strike, but Takeda somehow managed to get his shoulder up at the last second. Takeda responded with a tube-assisted backfist, but Mance once again kicked out. Takeda set up a glass bridge over Mance Warner and climbed to the top rope, hitting a Swanton through the glass. Remarkably, Mance still got his shoulder up at the very last moment. Finally, Takeda grabbed a door and set it on fire, sending Warner crashing through the flaming door with an inverted Brainbuster to secure the victory.
Masashi Takeda Defeated Mance Warner
Deathmatch: Jun Kasai vs. Matt Tremont
Tremont and Kasai each attempted to force the other into the barbed wire strung across the ropes. Eventually, they grabbed tubes and started smashing them over each other’s heads. Tremont managed to take Kasai off his feet and struck him across the chest with a bundle of tubes. Tremont went for a quick cover, but Kasai kicked out. Tremont broke another tube over Kasai’s head and used the broken end of the tube to carve into Kasai’s head, finishing with a headbutt to the remaining tube. Kasai went for a slam, but Tremont blocked it and countered with a slam of his own, following up with a tube-assisted elbow across Kasai’s chest. Tremont fell back first into the barbed wire on the ropes, and Kasai responded by breaking a bundle across Tremont’s chest.
Kasai then sliced open his own chest and placed tubes inside Tremont’s shirt, hitting him with a sliding lariat. They exchanged brutal headbutts, with Kasai gaining the upper hand, but Tremont sent him crashing into a giant bundle of tubes in the corner. Their battle continued on the apron, where Tremont got Kasai on his shoulders and delivered a Death Valley Driver through another tube-covered door on the floor. They crawled on the glass-covered canvas to exchange more headbutts, and Kasai emerged as the victor, with Tremont bleeding even more heavily.
Tremont emptied an entire box of tubes as they continued breaking tubes over each other’s heads. Tremont managed to lift Kasai for another tube-assisted Death Valley Driver, but Kasai once again kicked out. Tremont collided with a tube-covered ladder, and Kasai attempted to bring Tremont down with repeated lariats. He eventually succeeded in grounding the big man, but Tremont still kicked out at two.
Kasai repositioned the ladder and placed a bundle of tubes across Tremont’s chest. Climbing to the top of the ladder, Kasai came off with a big splash, but Tremont kicked out at one. The crowd erupted as Kasai launched countless bundles of tubes at Tremont’s head. He then planted Tremont with an STO and got him back up to his feet as they continued to fight on the ladder. Kasai skewered Tremont’s head and hit him with another big splash to secure the victory.
Jun Kasai Defeated Matt Tremont
