Earlier this week, well-known independent organization, Game Changer Wrestling announced that the company plans to return to The Hammerstein Ballroom, the famous venue that ECW ran in its latter years and a building that also hosted Ring Of Honor events during the Sinclair era, on January 19, 2025. The rabid atmosphere of the venue gave it a place among pro wrestling lore, and as the saying goes, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. It was also the site of the legendary One Night Stand pay-per-view in 2005 that exposed an entirely different audience to how organic the environment can be for a pro wrestling event.
Given the level of regard that the Hammerstein Ballroom has, both for its ROH and ECW history, a successful event there could definitely move the perception of an organization up a notch among the landscape of sports entertainment. On the surface, it makes sense as to why an organization would want to plant a flag there, especially if they looked to attempt to solidify themselves as the alternative to pro wrestling television in the modern era.
In many ways, within the past several years since GCW has been on the scene, they’ve been able to build themselves into that spot, knowing their position and there audience with an ambitious level of expansion, but still wise enough to avoid some of the pitfalls of trying to grow too fast. First and foremost, as much as Matt Cardona used GCW to completely reinvent himself and rejuvenate his career, his involvement in a death match group really allowed the independent league to stand out from the pack of indies. Zack Ryder, the prototypical WWE guy was going to wrestle a light tube match against Nick Gage, a former ex-con that almost accidentally stabbed David Arquette?
To go along with the intrigue of what was going to happen when someone that had nothing to do with a death match style got in the ring with one of the most notorious death match wrestlers of the past two decades, GCW served a buffet of pro wrestling with lucha libre, physical striking, and of course the signature grittiness expected on the independent level. Plus, say what you want about Gage, the guy is over with the GCW audience. Thankfully, he seems to have been able to clean his life up and has found a level of peace. The combination of the styles showcased and the intriguing storytelling around the GCW championship made it a fun product to follow. I’m not sure of the backstage drama that led to Rickey Shane Page’s exit from the organization, but his feud with Gage was very well done in terms of how it built to a crescendo for an eventual Gage victory. Furthermore, the ability to use Jon Moxley as the GCW champion at the same time that he was the All Elite Wrestling world champion was another fun aspect. Of course, Cardona’s involvement in the title picture was entertaining stuff because it was such a counterpoint to what’s expected from the brand.
Speaking of the brand, as much as some of the production even today is very indy and somewhat sloppy, one of the biggest successes for Game Changer Wrestling is that they’ve been able to establish the brand itself as a draw. The group runs events across the country most weekends and usually draws at least a decent audience, which speaks volumes to how important streaming is for continued visibility to the product, as well as the analytics that can show what regions are a specific draw for the product and thus can sustain live events. I’d say that during its peak as an independent, Ring Of Honor had more value as a brand, but lacked the same level of brand awareness because the distribution channels simply weren’t a realistic option in the early-2000s.
It can’t be understated how valuable it is to be able to deliver an event live as it happens, as opposed to trying to sell DVDs of the show after the results are known, it’s just not the same viewing experience. Again, it made sense for GCW to venture to Hammerstein, especially if they saw themselves as trying to reach that semi-national spot that ECW had in the late-90s.
However, their Hammerstein event in January of 2022 was a line in the sand, and in my ways, provided an example as to why the group wasn’t ready for the next level. To parse details on a show from two and a half years ago would be moot, but even the organization recognized the mixed reviews in its promo material for their return in 2025. For whatever reason, their Hammerstein event was offered on traditional pay-per-view through cable providers to go along with the standard internet distribution, which might seem like a way to provide more access to the PPV, but there was literally no advertisements or commercials that let viewers know that the show could be purchased through their cable providers so it was essential a zero gain, while it put the strict time constraints on the broadcast since it was being shown on the traditional PPV time slot at the same time as its usual online platforms. One of the first matches, a lucha scramble ran long, and at one point, a go home cue was sent over the house mic. As a result of one of the matches running long at the start of the show, the card became a logjam and resulted in a very underwhelming five-minute main event because they had simply run out of time on pay-per-view. Outside of that, it’s well-known that the New York State Athletic Commission is one of the strictest in the country so many of the wilder aspects that the organization was known for were off the table. Finally, the booking of the event was almost a downer because many of the GCW mainstays lost and looked secondary to outside talent. Jeff Jarrett supposedly got the finish of his match with Effy changed with the pitch that he wins at Hammerstein to build up for a rematch where Jarrett returns the favor to put Effy over. Apparently, the savvy veteran did the Tennessee two-step to AEW before the rematch could be booked so he didn’t have to lose to Effy.
The first question I have is, does GCW actually have to return to Hammerstein? Is it truly going to make a difference in their standing in 2025? Honestly, I don’t think it’s a critical piece of the puzzle, as GCW has found itself a profitable niche and could probably stay in that profitable, albeit small niche for several years. At the same time, it might be an attempt to spark a fresh chapter for the organization, which would make sense given the almost natural decline it had in terms of hype after being the most talked about independent for a few years. Still, I’m not sure what the overall goal is for GCW, as some of their small shows are still very indy, which is fine because that’s part of the package, but at the same time, even with a successful Hammerstein show, the product isn’t made for TV, with that being part of the charm so where exactly would there be in terms of expansion? I don’t have the answers, but as much as GCW has provided a “bridge” so to speak for released talent to showcase themselves between organizations the way that Extreme Championship Wrestling did, it’s a very difficult balancing act since attempting to expand too fast can be disastrous, which was one of the many the lessons of ECW.
Most importantly, GCW can’t make the same mistakes again, not with the production or the booking. It should go without saying that ultimately what set Game Changer Wrestling a part a few years ago from the typical smash and slash indy was the storytelling involved in the product. You can only break some many tables, light tubes, and chairs before it becomes cannon fodder. The story behind the violence is still key to success, especially if the group looks to boost its profile.
It was a very wise strategy for GCW to acknowledge the previous blunder because the audience and thus the consumers of the product can appreciate honesty rather than an attempt to con them. Sure, that sounds counterproductive to the work of the industry, but it provides a level of goodwill with the fans, which makes it much easier to get the fans to invest in tickets and event orders online.
Again, I’m not sure if Hammerstein is really a necessity or if even a successful event is the key to a bigger piece of the pie for them in the current crowded pro wrestling market, but with the modern technology of streaming and the distribution channels available, GCW has at least a solid chance of continued success within its niche demographic. It will be interesting to see the eventual line-up for the event and if the Hammerstein show will be a part of an expansion for the company next year.
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
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
