As promised, I wanted to write a column about the experience of Game Changer Wrestling live from last weekend, when I attended Summer Slam in Cleveland with the great Pat Maclaughlin. I follow GCW on a regular basis, watching most of their main shows online, but didn’t get a chance to see the brand in person. Pat, who got permission from his boss, Mrs. Mac to take a weekend wrestling trip to pro wrestling prosperity, made the suggestion to pick up GCW tickets. So, as I mentioned in the write-up about Summer Slam earlier this week, we departed western Pennsylvania early Friday afternoon to venture into enemy territory that night.
GCW is in somewhat of an odd position on the totem pole of the pro wrestling landscape, as it tours and draws crowds throughout different parts of the country, albeit on a smaller scale, but the brand still manages to draw fans on both coasts. I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to say that Game Changer Wrestling is the top independent group in the United States, especially since PWG has been dormant for more than a year. At the same time, it’s still a very indy league and all things considered, I’m not sure how much further up the ladder the group could move in terms of influence or drawing power. In some ways, the Hammerstein event from early-2022 put a ceiling on the company’s progress, as the mixed reviews and timing issues almost implied that the stage was too big for the organization.
None of that is meant as a knock, I’m just not sure of the stain power or influence the group will continue to have throughout the rest of 2024. Three years ago, Matt Cardona’s foray into death matches got people talking, and beyond just the violence, it was an intriguing scenario. Rickey Shane Page, who is a vastly underrated talent, had a very memorable feud with Nick Gage that again, gave context to the violence. Furthermore, Jon Moxley’s involvement in GCW, especially when he clearly wasn’t doing it from the money, considering he was All Elite Wrestling champion at the time, was another interesting draw to the product. Cardona is technically still on the injured list, RSP parted ways with Game Changer Wrestling a few years ago, and Moxley was a temporary drawing card for the company, given his schedule.
I’m not really sure GCW has been able to recapture that spark since the Hammerstein show, despite solid events with entertaining wrestling. I’m also not sure if a potential retread of a Cardona/Gage bout, which was theoretically set up at the conclusion of this Cleveland event, will bring a boost with it unless there’s some type of swerve to add a new element into the mix, which is possible.
The event was held at the Cleveland Masonic Temple, which made me think of The Simpsons episode with a catchy tune about the existence of the New World Order in Springfield. As I mentioned in the prior write-up, the venue looks rather nondescript on the outside, but after you go through the main entrance, there’s a really neat lobby and a cool set up with a stage and balcony seating for what usually runs as a concert hall. Before the show, I didn’t see any evidence of the Illuminati, but had the chance to meet Cardona, Matt Hardy, and Maki Ithoh. Everyone was very polite. Cardona, who is almost as famous, if not more famous for his action figure collection than his wrestling, got a laugh when I told him that my young nephew has tried to open some of my signed figures before. Thankfully, I was able to make the save before any of the autographs were destroyed by the toddler. Matt Hardy was impressed with the rare 1 of 500 AEW figure I had for him to sign, and Maki was very thankful that the fans wanted to meet her.
I could write a match-by-match breakdown on the show, but that would be a repetitive read, mostly because, while a very fun night of live wrestling, the presentation of the event itself had some very repetitive moments. Perhaps it was the regulations of the state of Ohio, but for whatever reason, there were nearly a dozen doors used and a myriad of chairs throughout most of the matches, even for the bouts that didn’t need either of those gimmicks. Furthermore, the ring crew stuffed the same chairs back under the ring throughout the show so when a chair was going to be used later in the night, it was often already destroyed and it led to a few flat moments when the talent had to search for another chair to set up the spot.
In terms of quality, the show was a mixed bag, but overall, it was a very fun night experience. Sonny Kiss made a surprise appearance to have a short, but solid match against Allie Katch. Sonny’s athleticism was very impressive, and I’m not sure if a return to AEW will be in the cards because she would probably just get lost in the shuffle again, but she definitely has the talent to perform on a national stage. The former Reggie of WWE fame, Sidney Akeem beat GCW mainstay, Gringo Loco in a 10-minute lucha sprint that was very entertaining. This wasn’t exactly my cup of tea since it had a few of the spots that looked way too choreographed, but again, the pure athleticism and skill were very impressive. Speaking of lucha, there was a six man tag later in the night that was fun, but it was very similar to the standard tag match that opened the show so as the night progressed, the presentation became more homogenized.
Zilla Fatu, the son of the late, great Umaga, beat Ohio standout, Josh Bishop in a very physical match. There were some hard-hitting strike exchanges and some brutal shots to the head with pieces of doors throughout this contest. Zilla is a puppy with big paws so to speak, and while there are no guarantees, especially this early in his career, he definitely looks to have potential for a bright future. The former Jinder Mahal, Raj Dhesi worked a match against GCW favorite, Effy. This segment was fine for what it was, but it wasn’t anything too spectacular. This was an example of Dhesi being put through a door that didn’t really add anything to the match. It was a DQ finish when the Bollywood Boyz reunionited with Mahal. I’m guessing this segment had more to do with the set up of a future storyline than anything else, which is fine because as mentioned, angles have been rather sparse in GCW. There was a four-way big man bout that was fine, but if it wasn’t on the show, it wouldn’t have made a major difference.
At one point, Matt Cardona, who is currently the General Manager, trolled the audience, implying that Chelsea Green was going to be a surprise appearence for the company. It was very well done because the diehard GCW fan base knew that Green was in town with the WWE and they bought it. I’ve never seen Pat more thrilled than in the moment when he thought he would get the chance to see Chelsea in person. Joey Janela was scheduled to compete against a mystery opponent, but couldn’t appear on the card. On the flip side, GCW champion, Mance Warner, who is a very good performer that is really evolving in the role, was also scheduled to compete against a mystery opponent. Matt Justice, a former staple of the company, was the competitor to answer the open challenge. While Justice is a wild man that fits the GCW brand, he didn’t work for the company is over a year before this so I don’t know how invested the live crowd was when they knew that there wasn’t a chance that there was going to be a title switch. Speaking of GCW’s diehard audience, this is where it came back to bite the group somewhat, as Justice has used Rob Van Dam’s ECW theme in the past to pay homage to the company that inspired him, but it was out of sight, out of mind so to speak since Justice had an extended absence from GCW. Again, the fans knew that RVD was in Cleveland for the Wrestle Con convention, and when the music hit, I think most assumed it was going to be the former ECW champion.
The Mance/Justice bout was fine, but this was the point in the show where all the doors and chairs just got rather bland after they were already used numerous times earlier in the night. Mance retained the belt. Blake Christian and Shane Mercer beat Los Macizos in a six-minute tag match. Similar to the big man bout, this tag match was fine, but if it would’ve been scrapped from the card, there wouldn’t have been a major difference in the overall quality of the show. Maki Itoh is very over with the audience, but there’s not much to say about the five-minute match against John Wayne Murdoch, as it simply didn’t have enough time to get to second gear or build to the conclusion.
Nick Gage has some rightfully critics, but there’s absolutely no denying how over he is with the GCW fan base. He got one of the biggest reactions of the night and the audience was legitimately invested in him as the face of the company. That said, he was very limited in what he did in this match, especially without a variety of gimmicks to use to enhance his character. Matt Hardy is in great shape, and given TNA’s working relationship with NXT, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he resurfaces there. There wasn’t much too this match and the finish was somewhat flat when interference from Cardona caused it to be declared a no contest. In a post-match promo, a tag match between Gage and Hardy vs. Cardona and Jimmy Lloyd was set up for an event later this month.
Overall, it was definitely worth attending the show live and the atmosphere adds a lot to the experience. The only downside is, similar to the conflicting nature of GCW’s status among the wrestling landscape, the event had a somewhat conflicting presentation. There were a variety of styles booked for the card, but there were a lot of repetitive weapons used throughout those matches.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
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