Opinion: THPOTR Reviews Wrld of GCW
by: Javon Stith
GCW! GCW! GCW!
The second son of the maniacal father, that was ECW had their first PPV, live from Hammerstein Ballroom. The buzz around Game Changer Wrestling's PPV debut was reminiscent to the buzz that had surrounded ECW Barely Legal, many moons ago.
The lineup featuring AEW stars Jon Moxley and Ruby Soho, the legend Jeff Jarrett plus the lure of whoever would answer the open challenge of The Briscoes, got me to pull the trigger on ordering The Wrld on GCW 2022 Sunday night.
Did it deliver? Yes… but not without some issues.
Match of the Night: ASF, Bandido & Laredo Kid v. Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez
This was CRAZY!! This was flirting with a MOTYC at times and it was basically an incredibly fun Nitro lucha match, as promised. Bandido is fucking unreal. If I'm Vince or Tony, I'm doing what it takes to get Bandido.
There was a moment where ASF goes up and Flamita trips him up, as they set up a DOUBLE TOWER OF DOOM CHICKENFIGHT. And then ASF does a freakin' destroyer off the stack. Move of the Year so far. Go out your way to see this match, an easy ****½
Production & Time Issues
It's clear the PPV had to be done by 11pm, so by the time we got to the two biggest matches of the show (Mox vs. Homicide & the Briscoes open challenge), they were up against the clock. The Mox match felt rushed and didn't feel as big as it should of.
And the Briscoes open challenge, which was answered by deathmatch legends Matt Tremont & Nick FUCKIN’ Gage, ended after about 5 minutes, after spending about that amount of time with a video package and entrances alone.
I'm not gonna hit them hard on that because it's the first PPV. Hopefully on their next PPV, they're time management is better. Start with not giving Cardona & Janela twenty minutes.
As far as production goes, the look and feel were amazing. The audio for commentary though, was in & out all night. Also, the announce team didn’t do a good job updating us on adjustments to the card, particularly the medical protocol issue that kept Ring of Honor champ Jonathan Gresham off the card.
Again, all issues that can be easily fixed for when they have their next PPV.
Homegrown Stars Losing
Let me start by saying, I'm a fan of Jeff Jarrett & Ruby Soho. I get why they were used for this show as they both have a level of star power higher than both members of Bussy.
But in my opinion, there's no reason why both should have went over on Effy & Allie Katch. And the fans in attendance seemed to agree as both Jarrett & Soho got booed after winning. For all the hard work Effy & especially Allie have put in (they're arguably the most beloved members of GCW next to Gage), this should have been the night to put the spotlight on them.
Elephant in the Room
If you watched the show, you noticed that there was no deathmatch action, at all. For a lot of fans who may have been tuning in for the first time, they probably would have like to see a good deathmatch.
I understand that the NY State Athletic Commission wouldn't let them, but then maybe NYC wasn't the best place for the show. Here's hoping their Dallas show brings it.
Overall Thoughts
I really enjoyed the show. It had its issues, but it was a good way to spend a Sunday night. Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush was a great wrestling match, and they never disappoint when they're together. Janela vs. Cardona was a throwback ECW clusterfuck with lots of run-ins & swerves with appearances from the likes of “Smart” Mark Sterling, Marko Stunt, Virgil, Swoggle, Brian Myers (in a spot reminiscent of Edge’s run-in in the John Cena-Rob Van Dam WWE vs. ECW match in 2005) and Sean Waltman. Just needed to be about 10-15 minutes instead of twenty. The Grab the Brass Ring ladder match is what it was… happy to see AJ Gray have his moment since his match with Eddie Kingston had to be changed.
I will say that I'm not sure this show will produce new fans to the product because they didn't do a good job of explaining the characters and the ins & outs of the matches. But all in all, go ahead and spend $24.99 to watch the replay on FITE TV and give it a chance. You'll probably get something on the show that will have you sports entertained.
Image Source:
Google Search, Google, https://www.google.com/search?q=wrld%2Bon%2Bgcw%2Bcard&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS766US766&sxsrf=AOaemvJn_nxVkJ0ZReCnFlc3nFK20gqLpw%3A1643087090685&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwia0_-ykMz1AhXiYt8KHYBXAqIQ_AUoA3oECAEQBQ&biw=1421&bih=673&dpr=2#imgrc=nt0vmp8th3GoGM.
