The Pandemic, while a quite taxing, brought out loads of fantastic wrestling matches and talents into the consciousness of the fans. This era of wrestling has seen numerous stars made all across the Independent Wrestling landscape; some even finding their way onto television. This period is one I’m quite fond of as wrestling was a very welcome distraction to the uncertain world around me. It also allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation and knowledge of Independent Wrestling. Undoubtedly the powerhouse during The Pandemic Era of Wrestling has been Game Changer Wrestling.
I had been following Game Changer Wrestling since around 2018 and had grown to be quite the big fan of their brand of Independent Wrestling. Luckily for me, GCW was one of the few companies that was able to run at a semi-normal rate during the height of The Pandemic. While other companies opted to run behind closed doors or pre-tape shows to air episodically, GCW would run outdoors with cards full of great talents as you’d expect. Now, with regulations and restrictions on shows reduced to pre-COVID levels, GCW is touring around the world with a schedule most companies would dream of having. While the debate on whether or not their inflated schedule is too much to keep up with is there, this schedule has also allowed various new markets to get their taste of GCW’s brand of action. And on July 8th, Hartford, Connecticut would get just that.
I was originally on the fence about getting a ticket for GCW’s Hartford debut; titled Clean Up Man. I knew that it would be a late night, hour-and-a-half drive home from Hartford, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts. And I’ve reached a point where I’m in my pajamas and ready for bed by eight o’clock. However, when the leadoff announcement for GCW’s Clean Up Man was Psycho Clown vs Nick Gage, I knew I had to dive on a ticket. So, I justified splurging on a Front Row seat as an early birthday gift to myself, and soon enough, it was show day.
When first stepping inside the venue, The Webster Theater seems like a small, grungy rock venue. Surprisingly, The Webster actually dates back to the 1930s as a movie theater before finding new life as a music venue; primarily becoming known for Hard Rock and Metal shows in the modern day. On this night, Game Changer Wrestling would be putting on a show in the same space where groups like Slipknot, Megadeth, Deftones and Static-X have played. The floor may have been scuffed from years of moshing and stomping, but it honestly stands befitting of GCW’s outlaw underground image. So I grabbed myself a cider, took my seat and buckled in for GCW’s offerings of the evening.
Alec Price vs Brogan Finlay vs Grim Reefer vs Dustin Waller
The show began with an unannounced Four-Way Match; filling in that Scramble spot on the card perfectly. All four men had their share of the action, with Brogan playing the asshole for nailing Reefer with a Superkick while passing off his joint. The four commenced to put on an onslaught of offensive maneuvers: Reefer escalating the ropes for a Diving Plancha to the outside. Waller diving over the corner post inches away from me to nail the other three on the outside. Brogan routinely slowing things down with stiff strikes. And Price ultimately ending things victoriously with a series of signatures.
This being Alex Price’s home turf (and coming out in a Hartford Whalers jersey), the room absolutely lost it for him winning the match. Waller also got love from his native New England crowd. While I love seeing home territory guys kill it on a stage like this, it was Brogan and Reefer that I was most excited to see. I missed out on Brogan’s short stint in New England through 2021. And with Reefer being based out of the Tri-State, its harder for me to see him wrestle regularly. All of this culminated in a hot opener for the night to come.
Wasted Youth (Marcus Mathers & Dyln McKay) & Jimmy Lloyd vs The S.A.T. (Joel, Jose & Wil Maximo)
On one hand, I’ve been following Wasted Youth since they were still H2O students. And I consider myself the biggest Jimmy Lloyd fan in the world (I will fight you if you disagree). On the other, you have The S.A.T.: a team that I was not really familiar with for a while. As someone who became a fan of Independent Wrestling in the past decade, and much like in High School, I wasn’t too knowledgeable about The S.A.T. Though between these current day bangers they’ve been putting on, and dipping into their classic matches, I’ve become quite a fan of The Maximos. With all of this in my mind, this had the makings of a show stealer.
This match had it all. Jimmy, Marcus and Dyln taking the fight to three Independent Wrestling trailblazers. The Maximos showing the Game Changer WRLD that they never lost it. Literal Spot Monkeys posted up at ringside. What completely blew my mind was seeing Joel Maximo absolutely turn Marcus Mathers inside out from the top rope with a Lariat. Wasted Youth & Jimmy Lloyd would regain control and hit a Shooting Star Indie-Taker that would make The Young Bucks eat their hearts out for the three and the win over The S.A.T. Absolute bell-to-bell chaos from two fantastic teams, capped off with the youngsters paying respect to their veterans.
EFFY vs John Wayne Murdoch vs Cole Radrick
Before the next match was set to commence, EFFY would come out to make Hartford gayer, as he does everywhere he goes (and I love him for it). EFFY would validly complain that GCW had nothing for him for the night. So rather than sulking, EFFY opted to take it into his own hands and call anybody out for a match. Answering the challenge of EFFY was John Wayne Murdoch; originally set to face Cole Radrick on this night. While I was initially confused on whether Cole Radrick couldn’t make it to Hartford or not, he too would come out to take the fight to his original opponent. And thus, the Singles Match would turn into a Triple Threat Match; or a threesome if you will.
As always, matches featuring multiple men and no disqualifications in GCW will descend into madness; naturally spilling in and out of the ring at will. And with EFFY added to the mix, you knew it was only a matter of time until he locked lips with one of his combatants; his target tonight: Cole Radrick. Though Radrick would get even with a kiss before hitting a Running Cannonball into EFFY seated on a chair. Murdoch would take things to the extreme and it would pay off greatly. John would first hit the Deep South Destroyer from the top rope on Radrick through a door, before EFFY cut him off with a Sack Ryder. Finally, he’d steal a win out from under EFFY; taking him out of the ring and hitting Cole with a nasty Brainbuster through a chair for the win.
While in retrospect, this match felt like it came and went so fast, it was definitely due in part to how star struck I felt while watching. This was my first time getting to experience EFFY live, despite following him since around 2019 when I really began to sink my teeth into Independent Wrestling. The same can absolutely be said of Cole Radrick and getting to watch him treat his own body like a derby car. And while of course, I’ve seen John Wayne Murdoch live before, I still enjoy the Hell out of watching one of the best in American Deathmatch Wrestling any chance I get. A fun brawl to bring us towards the middle of the show.
Joey Janela vs Charles Mason (w/ Parrow)
This match was the first time I had seen Janela wrestle live since he faced Kenny Omega in their Lights Out Street Fight in AEW back in 2019. Since then, Joey has of course departed from AEW and come back to being the full embodiment of Independent Wrestling that we love him for being. This match was also marked my first time seeing Charles Mason and Parrow period, which I of course was looking forward to. Janela and Mason have had their share of problems with each other for the better part of the past month or so, and now the two would finally come to a head at The Webster.
Despite Joey having control of the early onset of the match, Mason would take control with a series of shortcuts. With the help of Parrow, Mason would continue to attack both Janela’s throat, and generally Janela. These two had The Webster crowd eating out of their hands as Joey would mount comebacks only to be cut off by Parrow and Mason. Things would come to a fever pitch as Joey would counter Mason on the top rope and send him through a propped up door with a Superplex. With the assistance of an exposed turnbuckle and Parrow, Charles Mason would hit a Twisting Tombstone for the win. Post-match, Mason and Parrow would hang Janela over the top rope by Parrow’s chain, before none other than former ECW Champion, Justin Credible made the save; absolutely shattering a Singapore Cane over Parrow to clean house. Even with only around a month’s build, Janela, Mason and Parrow put on a matchup that had everyone at The Webster on the edge of their seats.
GCW World Championship: Blake Christian (c) vs Richard Holliday
Pre-match, Richard Holliday hit the ring first, greeting his former Consumers as he finally found himself in a Game Changer Wrestling ring. Blake Christian however, while giving due credit to the road Holliday pushed through to make it to this match, still came off at the smug jerk of a Champion that he is. The match itself was very emotional, with Richard having the home state advantage, and the admiration of the crowd over the much despised GCW World Champion. Holliday would use his size over Blake through most of the match; landing a variety of slams to the mat to slow down the agile Christian. Blake, however would continue to outmaneuver Richard; at one point, springing from the stage to the top rope for a Springboard 450 Splash. Towards the end, Richard encountered a moral conundrum: he had the opportunity to deck Blake with the belt while the referee was down. While at first he choked up, Richard would Low Blow Blake and nail him with the belt; unfortunately only yielding a two count. Finally, Blake would hit a Low Blow of his own, leveling Richard with a Forearm and finishing him with a Curb Stomp to retain his GCW World Championship.
Seeing Richard Holliday in remission and back in a wrestling ring where he belongs felt great. The man is an absolute natural who should be killing it and making thousands of dollars anywhere that offers contracts. In the interim, if we are only able to see him on the Independent scene, then we’re very lucky. And in the case of Blake Christian, while I always thought he was a great athlete, he’s become even more fun to watch now that he’s embraced being an asshole. You can tell that he really enjoys the negative reaction that the crowd throws at him and it makes it all the better to watch. And with that match in the books, it was time for Intermission.
Waves & Curls (Traevon Jordan & Jaylen Brandyn) vs YoKai (Yoya & Janai Kai) vs Los Macizos (Ciclope vs Miedo Extremo)
Following intermission, we have three way Tag Team action! Waves & Curls, the New England favorites, got an incredible ovation from this Hartford crowd. This match felt like another blink and you’ll miss it affair as the match was a flurry of each tag team taking the fight to each other both inside and outside of the ring. The most brutal spot of the match was definitely Los Macizos hitting Yoya with a Doomsday Device through a propped up door for the three count victory. While the New England faithful may have been let down about Waves & Curls losing, I was pretty happy about Los Macizos coming out with the win; getting to see yet another duo that I’ve been following for some time.
GCW Tag Team Championships: The East West Express (Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne) vs Gringo Loco & Jack Cartwheel
With title match two-of-two happening here, it was going to be athleticism on full display for the GCW Tag Team Championships. These two teams slowly worked their way through the early goings of the match, with East West Express cutting the ring in half and keeping Jack Cartwheel from getting the tag on Gringo. The Lucha duo would eventually pick up some steam and mount up a strong comeback. Gringo would get the tag and clean house on Jordan and Nick. Gaining some control, Gring and Cartwheel would hit a Springboard Moonsault & Twister Combo on the young Nick Wayne, though for a two count. Miscommunication would become Gringo and Cartwheel’s undoing as Jack hit Gringo with a Superkick on accident; allowing East West to take advantage and finish Cartwheel with a Double Clout Cutter for the victory and to retain their titles. Post-match, Nick Wayne commented on his upcoming AEW debut; declaring that as long as he and Jordan are Champions, he won’t be leaving Game Changer Wrestling.
While I’ve been high on Jordan Oliver for quite some time, getting to see Nick Wayne ahead of such a big debut in his young career, let alone live for the first time at all, was an absolute treat. If he shows off even a shred of what he’s been doing on the Independents, he’ll be going far, fast. Right up there with him in terms of talent in my opinion is Jack Cartwheel. Jack is such a consistently entertaining wrestler with some absolutely unnatural speed to boot. And of course getting to see the Lucha Libre Godfather of GCW in Gringo Loco was something I always wanted and lived up to all the hype in my head. A solid Tag Team performance all around in this one!
Billie Starkz vs Utami Hayashishita
The big fight atmosphere filled The Webster for this matchup. Here we have yet another in a string of big time matchups for the young Billie Starkz as she takes on a former World of Stardom Champion in twenty-four year old Utami Hayashishita. The Hartford crowd gave Utami a warm welcome and a storm of streamers before the match got underway. These two women came out to work, and work they did as they brought a hard fight to the ring. Even through the early technical onset, this match was an exciting back and forth affair. Both Billie and Utami would trade stiff German Suplexes in succession in the middle of the ring. Taking things up a notch, Utami took Billie to the top rope and hit a Superplex. Billie would in turn reply with a Brainbuster onto her knee in sickening fashion. Being the aggressor, Billie would scrape Utami’s head with her boot before landing a Tombstone Piledriver for a two count. Utami would finish things off with a Sit Out Torture Rack Bomb for the three and the win. I had never seen any of Utami’s matches before this matchup as I’ve never really followed any Joshi companies. But that being said, I was absolutely impressed with Utami and hope to see her brought back to the United States soon after her current stint is over.
Psycho Clown vs Nick Gage
The stage was set for the Main Event. One of Lucha Libre’s most beloved Luchadors would face off against Game Changer Wrestling’s biggest icon. This match went out of control right away as Gage and Psycho Clown brawled their way through the crowd (though being a five-foot-six fan, I couldn’t see too much of it). From what I saw, Gage ran Psycho Clown’s head into a chair held up by a fan, and Psycho Clown would slam a chair over a trash can draped Gage. Back in the ring, Gage would do something I didn’t think he’d be able to do in this match: slicing Psycho Clown with a pizza cutter through the eye hole of his mask. Psycho Clown would have his revenge as he sent Gage through a Barbed Wire Door, but that would not be enough to finish the God of this shit. Gage would counter Psycho Clown out of the air into a Spinebuster for a three count fall and the flash finish. Post-match, Gage and Psycho Clown would share their admiration and talk about a rematch down the line before sending the crowd home.
It was nice to see Nick Gage wrestle live once again as the last time I got to see him was all the way back on New Year’s Eve 2019. While he’s been wrestling a much looser schedule in the latter days of his career, he’s been put in the big marquee matches whenever he’s on the GCW card. And getting to see Psycho Clown after being exposed to him through GCW’s Lucha invasion was a fantastic way to end a great Hartford debut.
Overall, GCW’s Clean Up Man lived up to the excitement I always felt about wanting to go to a GCW show. My experience really felt like a culmination of my fandom for GCW since I started regularly following the company back in 2018. As you can probably tell by now, the running theme from match to match has been me finally getting to see the company and wrestlers that I’ve so greatly enjoyed over the past five or so years. And that is really what made the night for me; getting to fully let my fan flag fly as I got to watch wrestlers I greatly enjoy in person instead of behind a screen for once.
Despite there not being a Deathmatch on the card, each match was great and offered something different from the last. I would say The SAT vs Wasted Youth & Jimmy Lloyd was my favorite match of the night as both teams went all out physically in a way that I’ve gone back and watched two more times in the writing of this piece. And with Emil Jay proclaiming Hartford as an A Town, I look forward to whenever GCW confirms their return to New England.
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