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By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

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GCW “Fight Club – Night One” Streamed on FITE TV October 8, 2022 in Atlantic City, N.J. at The Showboat

Luckily, it appears to be a beautiful night to be outdoors. The crowd is perhaps 400. In a pleasant surprise, the seats are not packed up next to the ring; there is actually room on the floor for wrestlers to work.

Dave Prazak and Emil Jay provided commentary. This show culminates a storyline of GCW champion Jon Moxley defending his title against ultraviolent hero Nick Gage, but Gage has agreed to put his career on the line. (Unfortunately, I presume that Tony Khan’s announcement that Moxley won’t be doing U.S. indy shows anymore has given away the outcome of this match, not that I ever thought Gage was losing and going to actually retire.)

1. Lio Rush defeated Blake Christian, Gringo Loco, Shane Mercer, Jimmy Lloyd, and B-Boy in a six-way scramble at 11:44. We started with just five wrestlers. The muscular Mercer quickly tossed around Blake. At 2:00, Lio Rush hit the ring as a surprise sixth member of the match. B-Boy and Lloyd traded blows. Lio and Blake got in and traded faster offense. Loco hit a top-rope Spanish Fly on Blake, then a flip dive to the floor at 7:00.

Mercer hit an incredible second-rope fallaway slam on Lloyd. Loco hit a top-rope Cloud Cutter on B-Boy. Blake hit an Arabian Press to the floor, the a springboard 450 Splash on Lloyd for a nearfall. Lloyd nailed a piledriver on Blake for a nearfall. Lio got in the ring and hit a stunner, then his top-rope frogsplash on Lloyd for the pin. Blake hopped in the ring and stood toe-to-toe with Rush, then he mockingly clapped for the winner. I love everything aout this. While no one was in the ring very long, of what I saw of Rush, he appears healthy, in good shape, and ready to go.

2. Shun Skywalker defeated Nick Wayne at 10:41. I just saw Shun for the first time on a Deadlock Pro Show a couple weeks ago; he wears a tight black mask and looks like NJPW’s Bushi. Wayne hit a head-scissors takedown. They fought to the floor, where Shun rammed Wayne’s head into the ring post at 2:00. Shun took control in the ring. They hit simultaneous Mafia kicks and were both down at 6:30.

They traded mid-ring forearm shots. Shun hit a nice butterfly suplex for a nearfall. Wayne hit a Dragon Suplex and a Code Red for a nearfall at 9:00. Shun went for a Razor’s Edge, but Wayne turned it into a huracanrana. Wayne went for a Cloud Cutter, but Shun caught him and hit a German Suplex. Shun nailed a swinging Blue Thunder Bomb for the pin. That was excellent, as expected.

3. Sawyer Wreck defeated Allie Katch at 8:08. Katch, of course, just had a showing on Impact wrestling two weeks ago. I have noted this before, but Wreck is really tall, perhaps 6’1″ so she towers over her female competitors. With the black leather and shaved haircut, she is looking more like Rhea Ripley every time I see her. Wreck hip-tossed her across the ring and hit a big bodyslam, then stood on her chest in the corner at 2:30. Allie hit her Stinger Splash and rolling cannonball in the corner.

Allie hit a spin kick to the head, then a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. She hit a mid-ring piledriver for a nearfall, and she was stunned it didn’t get the pin. She went under the ring and got a few doors and set up a bridge in the ring. They fought on the ropes in the corner. However, Sawyer kissed Allie on the lips, then chokeslammed her through the door and scored the pin. Decent action and a much-needed win for Wreck.

4. Tony Deppen defeated Yamato at 8:37. With his thick curly hair, Yamato looks a bit like Shinsuke Nakamara. They opened with intense mat reversals. (The sun has really started to set and the lighting so far remains good.) They began trading stiffer forearms at 2:30. Deppen tied up Yamato on the mat. Yamato hit a dropkick in the corner. Deppen hit a Northern Lights suplex at 6:00. Yamato hit a grazing enzuigiri, and Deppen quickly recovered and hit a German suplex for a nearfall.

They traded forearm shots from on their knees, then from the standing position. Yamato snapped off a good mid-ring Frankensteiner. Deppen nailed a tombstone piledriver and a Shining Wizard running knee for the clean pin. That was good but I wish it had been given more time.

5. “Los Macizos” Ciclope and Extremo Miedo defeated.Joey Janela and Cole Radrick at 10:50. Janela and Radrick are not regular tag partners, so (kayfabe) that puts them at a huge disadvantage. Janela smoked a cigarette on his way to ringside and is acting quite heelish. Radrick is the James Ellsworth-looking dork who is wildly popular here. All four brawled at the bell. Radrick hit a flip dive from the apron to the floor, and they immediately got some doors from under the ring. All four brawled on the floor, and I must reiterate it’s nice that GCW actually hs room at ringside for them here.

Janela is bleeding from the forehead. Los Macizos tossed a table onto Janela that bounced off him and struck fans in the front row. Yes, it was a glancing blow, but still, GCW likes to flirt with the possibility of injuring their fans. I don’t get it. In the ring, Miedo hit a German suplex on Janela, and Ciclope speared Janela through the door. Miedo hit a top-rope 450 Splash for a nearfall. (It is now pitch black but the ring is really well lit; this tops all expectations for an outdoor indy show.)

Janela hit a piledriver on Ciclope at 8:00. A door was set up between two tables. A mechanical lift was driven to ringside. Janela got in the lift, which ws raised 15 to 20 feet. Janela then leapt from the scaffolding and hit an elbow drop on Ciclope for a nearfall. That was an insane bump. Radrick went for a springboard cutter, but he accidentally hit his partner, Janela! Ciclope got a schoolboy rollup for the pin. Janela got angry, and he attacked Radrick. They brawled on the floor.

NOTE: Prazak said at the end that Miedo got injured in the match, but I don’t note anything he did after that 450 Splash. I don’t recall seeing any move that stood out where he got hurt. That match may have wrapped up earlier than planned if it was a 2-on-1 situation. Hopefully the injury isn’t too bad.

6. Jonathan Gresham defeated Jordan Oliver at 9:57. Oliver is significantly taller, at perhaps 6’2″. They shook hands and traded standing reversals. Oliver hit a snap suplex at 2:00. They traded chops and Gresham hit a dropkick. They traded mat reversals and Oliver hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall at 7:30. They traded chops. Oliver caught him with a Superkick, a butterfly suplex and his jumping sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:30. Oliver hit a dive through the ropes, then a slingshot stunner into the ring for a nearfall. Greshan then nailed a roaring forearm to the jaw for the pin. The last two minutes was a fun sprint; this also should have been longer. They again shook hands.

* The rolls of light tubes are brought to ringside. Sigh. At least the fans are a bit farther from the ring today…

7. Rina Yamashita and Drew Parker defeated Matt Tremont & Alex Colon at 14:24. I despise hardcore matches, and that is only compounded when a woman is in the ring against bigger, stronger men. Tremont replaced John Wayne Murdoch. Everyone got bloody and light tubes were broken. Late in the match, Rina hit a superplex on Tremont through a pile of light tubes. Rina put a pile of light tubes on Tremont’s stomach, then she hit  top-rope frogsplash on him for the pin. This was gross. Short break to remove the glass debris.

8. Effy defeted Shota at 4:37. Just to be clear, this is NOT NJPW’s Shota Umino. Shota is a short Asian man in tan pans and shirt, and Effy has a huge height and weight advantage. Effy hit a Helluva kick in the corner. Effy hit a backbreaker over his knee at 3:00, then a gut-wrench suplex. Effy hit a spear and was fired up. Effy then hit a Fameasser legdrop for the pin. That was shockingly one-sided; you just don’t see singles matches on indy shows that short.

* A really good video montage aired before the next match. GCW is doing all the little things right for this big show.

9. Nick Gage defeated Jon Moxley to win the GCW heavyweight title at 21:08 (Gage would have retired had he lost). Moxley got a lukewarm reaction, not really hated, but not really cheered either; this crowd loves Gage. The hard camera has pulled back, showing the large crowd, and it is evident it is cold out; everyone is wearing jackets and hoodies. Gage got mobbed by fans on the way to the ring. We have the usually-long pre-match intros in a Gage match. They immediately traded forearm shot, and the crowd chanted, “f–k Ohio!” Gage pulled out a pizza cutter at 3:00, and he grabbed bundles of light tubes from under the ring. Moxley hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor that caused the tubes to explode in Gage’s arms. Moxley certainly is exhibiting heelish mannerisms, showing the boos are annoying him.

In the ring, Moxley hit Gage over the head with light tubes, and he jabbed a shard of glass into the head, and Gage was bleeding. Moxley applied a Sharpshooter at 7:00. Moxley hit a piledriver for a nearfall, and this has been one-sided so far. Moxley kept stabbing him with light tubes. Gage fired up and hit a running back elbow in the corner at 11:00, then a Flatliner. He set up for a Vader Bomb but turned it into an elow drop, onto a pile of light tubes on Moxley’s chest for a nearfall. Gage used the pizza cutter across Moxley’s forehead at 12:30. As expected, Moxley was really bleeding a lot now.

Moxley nailed a stunner at 16:00 and the crowd booed. He set up a pane of glass in the corner of the ring. Moxley sidestepped a spear and Gage crashed through the glass pane, with Moxley getting a nearfall. Moxley hit a butterfly suplex for a nearfall. Moxley held Gage’s wrists and he repeatedly stomped on Gage’s chest. Moxley set up another glass pane, but this one was covered in barbed wire. He gave the middle finger to the crowd.

At 19:30, W. Morrissey (with Stokely Hathaway) hit the ring, and Morrissey chokeslammed Moxley through the glass pane! Gage rolled in the ring and got a nearfall at 20:30. “I thought that was going to be it!” Prazak shouted. Gage hit two piledrivers, then a chokeslam for the pin.

* The GCW roster hit the ring to celebrate with Gage. Gage got on the mic and praised Moxley.

Final Thoughts: As I noted at the top of the show, Tony Khan gave away the finish here two days ago, so that’s disappointing. And while fans didn’t want to see Gage lose, he sure didn’t look like a champion here. Moxley dominated most of the match, and outside interference directly led to the title change. I am not a fan of the blood loss, the pizza cutter, the light tubes and the glass panes.

So, I’ll go with Shun-Wayne for best match. That was a fun show-opening scramble with top-notch talent, and that earns second-best. Mercer has the frame and muscular size that I’m surprised he hasn’t been signed by a major wrestling company. I love the return of Lio Rush, and I love they immediately imply we are going to get a singles match against Blake Christian. Yes, please.

Deppen always delivers in the ring, and I’ll give his match against Yamato third-place.

Effy-Shota played out like the popcorn match it truly was; giving the crowd a breather between the hardcore match and the main event. The show clocked in at about three hours even.

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