We start the GCW deathmatch weekend with Tournament of Survival 11. The entrants in the tournament are Vipress, Anakin Murphy, Mr. Danger, Dr. Redacted, Jonathan Gresham, Masashi Takeda, Nino Extremo and Lil Sicko.
We start the show with light tubes hanging around the ring. Vipress comes to the ring, followed by Anakin Murphy. Both who are big fan favorites. Pure violence from the start, with the light tubes, some barbed wire and a tennis racket with gusset plates. There was contraption that they were not quite sure how to use it, but Vipress got suplexed through the light tubes connected to it eventually. These are not the biggest wrestlers in the tournament, but they are willing to take as much punishment as anyone. Really cool step up senton from Anakin using a light tube, as some contraption is being put together in the ring. Vipress chokeslams Anakin into this contraption, which is boards, filled with barbed wire and light tubes. After this, she is able to pin Anakin for the win.
The second opening round match up is Mr. Danger, who is the high flyer of the tournament and Dr. Redacted, who is just simply insane. Redacted takes two gussets to the head and starts bleeding early in the match. This only seems to fire him up. Redacted keeps an almost surgical pace on how he dissects his opponents. Danger gets the advantage and uses his aerial offense. Redacted goes off a chair through a pane of glass into Danger, who was hung up in the corner. Impressive senton from Danger onto Redacted, who had some tubes on top of him. He then hits a 450 through a pane of glass onto Redacted for the win. This was a great match and one that I would have to say is an upset, as I would consider Redacted one of the best deathmatch wrestlers in America.
Technical wrestler, Jonathan Gresham, enters the ring to take on one of the best deathmatch wrestlers in the world, Masashi Takeda. This is not a pure rules match, this is a match with no rules at all. This is a deathmatch. Gresham tries to start the match as a technical match, but that does not last long, as Takeda smashes light tubes in the ring. Takeda hits Gresham with some tubes, then stabs him with the scissors, drawing a river of blood. Gresham stabbed Takeda’s knee, then locks him into a submission. Gresham is taking what usually works for him and putting it into a deathmatch landscape. Takeda drives Gresham head first through a box of tubes for the win. This was a very entertaining match, as Gresham earned the respect of Takeda and the deathmatch fans.
We have ladders and doors around the ring as Lil Sicko AKA Sicko the Clown and Nino Extremo face off. Nino starts the match by jumping off a scaffold onto Sicko. Both of these men are extremely athletic and can take a lot of abuse. The crowd is chanting for Nino Extremo and he gets a big smile on his face, as he is covered in blood. Really cool spot where they come off the ropes on opposite sides of the ring, they clothesline each other over a pane of glass and crash through it.
So many cool, innovative moves in this match, that I have never seen before. Sicko jumps off the scaffold, but Nino is not done yet. Huge Spanish Fly off the scaffold, and I don’t know who got the worst of that. Sicko gets thrown into a toothpick board and has toothpicks sticking out of his back. Sicko climbs a ladder and for some reason there was a weedwhacker hanging from the ceiling. Nino grabbed it from Sicko, used it on him. Nino drove Sico from the top of the ladder through the light tube cabin for the win. This was an incredible match, the match of the tournament so far and possibly a match of the year contender.
As we come back from a break, we have lots of tubes in the ring and Vipress welcomes Mr. Danger to the match with a flurry of light tubes. Lots of light tubes are being exchanged and the ring is covered with broken glass. Mr. Danger hits an incredible dive off the top rope onto a tower of light tubes that are on top of Vipress, and he picks up the win. Mr. Danger and the fans show love to Vipress.
The second semi-finals match is Nino Extremo and Masashi Takeda. Nino gets the advantage and brings in a light tube building with carpet strips into the ring. However, he is the one that gets thrown thru it. The veteran, Takeda is getting his second wind and is destroying some light tubes on Nino. Some huge moves from Nino off the top rope onto tubes on Takeda. Nino gets thrown onto a contraption on the outside of the ring, through glass, onto barbed wire. The crowd is on their feet for both of these wrestlers as they are trading shots. Takeda hits Nino with a driver through glass for the win. Takeda may have advanced, but Nino Extremo became a star today.
Fetty Wap came to the ring, then was interrupted by Tony Deppen and out came Nick Gage, who gave a light tube bundle to Fetty Wap, who smashed it over Tony Deppen’s head.
The finals of TOS 11 are Mr. Danger and Masashi Takeda. The mats are removed from the ring and it is down to the bare wood. The ropes are lined with light tubes, there are glass panes in the corners and there are barbed wire boards in the ring. Takeda draws first blood using a gusset plate and two giant scissors. Danger hits an incredible swanton off of the scaffold. Then it is Takeda’s turn to come off the scaffold, as Danger was underneath a barbed wire board. Danger kept surviving the onslaught from Takeda until eventually he could not. Takeda had three incredible matches and truly deserved the tournament win, but Mr. Danger also proved that he is one of the top deathmatch wrestlers in the world.
Day 2 is Cage of Survival 5, which should be interesting as one of the only two matches that have been announced is Matt Tremont’s Cage of Survival Gauntlet for the GCW UltraViolent Championship.
We start with a scramble match, which has been a staple of GCW weekends. First out is Tony Deppen, a night removed from being taken down by Fetty Wap. Next out is Flying Ryan O’Neill, followed by Devious Cass, who is one of my favorite young stars. Then Logan Cavazos and Sturdy Sal Mistretta. This was a very fun, fast paced match whenever Tony Deppen was not in the ring, as he just slowed everything down and acted like a jerk. Lots of near falls after high impact maneuvers, but Tony Deppen gets the win when he pins Logan after hitting him with a knee.
Nino Extremo came out to celebrate his amazing experience at TOS. He got the adulation of the crowd. He says that he can’t fight tonight, but will be back. This brought out Charles Mason, who attacked Nino, and Mr. Danger, who was still hurt, made the save. Mason acted like he was going to leave, but then attacked both of them. This brought out Joey Janela, who Mason was scheduled to fight for the JCW World Championship. Janela did not make the save, but joined in Mason in beating up Danger and Nino. This brought out Busta and the Brain and we have a GCW tag team title match between Mason and Janela versus Price and Oliver. I’m not sure that I get the logic of the match, but the crowd seems to be excited about the title match, so we will go with it.
Though they did not know they were going to be teaming together today and thought they were going to be opponents, Mason and Janela are working very well as a team. They finally have a miscommunication when Janela hits Mason with a double stomp as he was trying to break up a pin. Then Busta and the Brain hit a double Styles Clash for the win.
Juni Underwood, who has been climbing the ranks of GCW this past year, faces the WWEID star Marcus Mathers. Juni is quick and athletic, but he also has incredible strikes. Marcus is giving Juni everything he has and Juni kicks out, which seems to frustrate Marcus. Juni gets hit with a hook kick through a chair, but Juni then sends Marcus through the door. Marcus hits a 450 putting Juni through a door bridge. Marcus gets the win, but Juni shows that he deserves to be in the ring with the best.
It looks like we have some weapons in the ring for our next match, so it may be our first deathmatch of the day, and out comes Iceman and his son Jack Harlop. Next, we hear the bell and in my opinion the best entrance in wrestling, Nick Gage in Atlantic City. The energy is unmatched. Gage is teaming with Dysfunction, who was inducted into the GCW Deathmatch Hall of Fame the prior night, as was Iceman. Jack and Iceman start bleeding very early into the match. The Harlops team up to put Dysfunction through a pane of glass. The crowd is loving it as Gage uses his pizza cutter on Jack. Gage hits a choke breaker and a pile driver for the win. The crowd goes crazy for Nick Gage, as always.
We now have the Cage of Survival set up, which looks absolutely insane. There are 13 people in the match, a new person will enter at random intervals. Eliminations can occur by pinfall, submission and being thrown from the cage. It is going to be tough for Matt Tremont to retain his title, as he is the first one out. The next out is Vipress. This is a big size advantage for Tremont, but Vipress is not afraid of anything. They exchange light tube shots, when Lucky 13 comes out. The fourth person out is Conor Claxton with a cart full of weapons. Claxton drives Lucky 13 off the top of the cage through and pane of glass and gets the pin to eliminate Lucky. Lil Sicko it out next and is flying off the cage as he makes his way in the ring. Sicko tries to drive his knees through Vipress as he comes off the cage, but Vipress moves, he is then thrown off the cage into a barbed wire spider web, then hits a destroyer off the cage, eliminating himself and Claxton. Out next is Jimmy Lloyd and then Anakin Murphy. Anakin takes a lift to the ring. Himself and Vipress fight on it. Vipress jumps off of it onto Jimmy Lloyd to eliminate him. Jameson Shook is out next. Anakin and Shook eliminate themselves as they fall off a ladder through the size of a cage.
Jeffery John is next for some reason. John is quickly eliminated by Tremont. The next entrant is going to be a little tougher to eliminate, as it is TOS 11 winner, Masashi Takeda. Next up is everyone’s favorite gnomie, Gabby Forza, and the crowd goes crazy for her. Takeda dropkicks a bundle of tubes into Gabby, then drops her headfirst on tubes to eliminate her. Out next is Dr. Redacted, who brings a lot of violence, but makes a mistake when he puts the trashcan over him to jump off the top of the cage, as he gets a chair thrown at him and he falls off the cage. Vipress eliminates Takeda after hitting him with a light tube fan. The final participant was to be Nick Gage, but someone attacked him in the back, so it is down to the original two, Tremont and Vipress.
An incredible exchange of light tube shots. These two respect each other, but really want to win. They go to the top of the scaffold. Vipress is thrown off the scaffold, through panes of glass, onto the floor and Tremont retains. Or does he? Otis Cougar appears as the 13th entrant. He throws Tremont off of the scaffold, then dives off the scaffold with a bundle of tubes onto Tremont, to pin him and win the GCW Ultraviolent Championship.
That was a really crazy match with lots of insane spots. I think this was the best that I have seen Vipress in a deathmatch atmosphere. I also thought Sicko continued to impress and should be booked more regularly in GCW.
As far as the weekend goes, I thought the actual TOS tournament was one of the best tournaments that they have had in years and I think this had to do with a lot of new blood in the tournament. I was not sure about Gresham being in the tournament, but I thought he had a really good match and it is interesting to hear that he would like to do some more deathmatches. The match of the weekend was obviously Nino against Sicko. I think it was one of the best matches of the year so far and would love to see them run it back.
The second night, it kind of seemed like they had the COS set and then just added matches. Some of these matches worked, and some of them seemed to be just there. I really liked seeing Juni Underwood against Marcus Mathers. I can see Juni becoming one of GCW’s top stars.
Overall, I thought it was a good weekend for GCW, they made a few new stars, paid tribute to some veterans and had some crazy death matches and moments.
