GCW is currently presenting The Wrld on GCW tonight live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York.

One of the more anticipated matches on the night would’ve seen Jonathan Gresham defend his Ring of Honor Championship against Blake Christian.

Unfortunately, Gresham was unable to appear on the night, and soon to be released AEW star Lio Rush took his place.

Lio Rush at The Wrld on GCW

Blake Christian confirmed before the match that Jonathan Gresham was unable to make it to the arena, but there was no further information given beyond that.

Fightful Select confirmed just before the show went live that Gresham would not be appearing.

They wrote: “Jonathan Gresham is not at tonight’s show. We’re told that Lio Rush was expected to replace him as of this weekend, which is why G-Raver took Lio’s spot in the ladder match.”

• GCW World Championship Match – Jon Moxley (c) vs. Homicide
• Ring of Honor World Championship Match – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Blake Christian
• Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez vs. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid
• Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY
• Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho
• Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
• GCW Tag Team Championship Match – The Briscoes (c) vs TBA
• Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match – Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen
• PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show)
• PBR Kickoff Scramble: Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Grim Reefer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)

The show is available to watch now via FITE TV for $14.99.

AEW star Thunder Rosa made a surprise appearance at The Wrld on GCW PPV event tonight from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Rosa appeared during the PBR Kickoff Battle Royal, appearing as an entrant late into the match to a huge pop from the crowd.

A number of independent wrestling stars appeared during the match, including some Hall of Famers such as Rukus and B-Boy.

Thunder Rosa appeared following the appearance of LuFisto in the match, and the two women worked in tandem towards the end of the match against the two remaining male competitors.

Thunder Rosa at The Wrld on GCW

The AEW star was able to eliminate the huge Parrow during the match, and this got one of the biggest pops of the entire kickoff show.

Rosa was finally eliminated by JCW star Charles Mason, who was one of the final two competitors in the ring alongside Big Vin.

Here is the full card for the PPV event tonight:

• GCW World Championship Match – Jon Moxley (c) vs. Homicide
• Ring of Honor World Championship Match – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Blake Christian
• Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez vs. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid
• Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY
• Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho
• Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
• GCW Tag Team Championship Match – The Briscoes (c) vs TBA
• Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match – Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen
• PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show)
• PBR Kickoff Scramble: Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Grim Reefer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)

The show is available to watch now via FITE TV for $14.99.

GCW presented The Wrld on GCW Sunday night live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York.

Here are the results:

• GCW Tag Team Championship Match – Matt Tremont and Nick Gage b. The Briscoes (c) – NEW CHAMPIONS
• GCW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) b. Homicide – Moxley took the win after hitting the Deathrider on a chair
• Jeff Jarrett b. EFFY – Jarrett took the win after hitting Effy with a guitar and then the Stroke
• Ruby Soho b. Allie Katch – The crowd were not happy that Allie lost
• Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green b. Joey Janela – Cardona hit a Ruff Rider through a door after a million people interfered including Marko Stunt, Hornswoggle, Virgil, Brian Myers and X-Pac
• Blake Christian b. Lio Rush – Christian took the win after hitting the 450 footstomp. Jonathan Gresham had to be replaced due to a medical precaution
• Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez b. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid – Gringo Loco took the win after hitting a Gotch style piledriver on ASF
• Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match: AJ Gray b. Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen – Gray was a last minute addition to the match after Eddie Kingston was unable to make the event and their match was cancelled
• PBR Kickoff Scramble: Grim Reefer b. Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)
• PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show): Big Vin won after eliminating Charles Mason

Former WWE superstar Matt Cardona has shared that he’s open to returning to the company. However, he still wants to be able to do his podcast.

Cardona appeared on Busted Open with Bully Ray and Dave LaGreca to promote The WRLD on the GCW event on January 23. Ray asked Cardona if WWE called him to appear the following night on Monday Night Raw, would he listen. Cardona responded that he’d be open to talking about a return, but WWE can’t prevent his podcast business.

“…I’d definitely would listen, but I tell you right now if one of things were you can’t do your podcast, I’ll say thanks but no thanks,” said Cardona. He continued, “That would be a deal-breaker, no way. If there were going to just take away everything that I’ve built with Brian Myers, like something we tried to do in WWE. The Major Wrestling Figures Podcast, they didn’t want it. We pitched it to them. They didn’t want podcasts. They didn’t want anything to do with collectibles. I think they’ve since had a failing podcast network, and they tried something with collectibles, but I’ve had so much fun with this, and this is setting me up for life after wrestling where I would never sacrifice that.”

Matt Cardona on Leaving WWE

After more than ten years with the company, the WWE released Cardona on April 15, 2020. However, leaving WWE helped him reinvent himself, and Cardona may be having more success since he became an independent wrestler. In the interview with Busted Open, he shared that he appreciates his time with the company.

“…I’ve said this, and I don’t mean this as an insult. WWE was my developmental. That’s not a shot a WWE, that is that everything that I learned there the good and the bad I’m using it to make me succeed,” said Cardona. He also shares he has no animosity towards the company.

Cardona is enjoying his professional wrestling career working outside of the WWE. This Sunday, he has a match with Joey Janela at The WRLD on GCW. Regarding the WWE, the company will have the Royal Rumble on January 29. Based on Cardona’s comments, he could be open to the idea if the WWE asked Cardona to appear.

Former WWE star Mascara Dorada better known to WWE fans as Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik has been announced for his GCW debut next month.

The promotion confirmed the former WWE star’s debut for their upcoming show from Houston on February 4 on Twitter.

They also announced him for a couple of other shows on February 19 from Atlantic City and February 26 from Los Angeles. Though as seen below, the company didn’t reveal his opponent for any of the events:

After competing for promotions such as CMLL and NJPW, Gran Metalik was brought in for the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016. He made it to the finals before losing to TJ Perkins.

The high-flying star was one of the first names to be signed for the cruiserweight division. He later joined the Lucha House Party stable.

Though Metalik wasn’t given much to do during his stint with the promotion. After being unhappy with his position within the company for a while, the luchador asked for his release in September last year.

Gran Metalik was released from his contract in November. He is still under the non-compete clause and the announced GCW dates are going to be his first post WWE appearances.

Jeff Jarrett will battle Effy at this weekend’s The WRLD on GCW pay-per-view from New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom.

GCW announced the match Monday evening:

The WRLD on GCW Card

Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy rounds out an incredible card for GCW’s biggest show ever.

The following matches are signed for The WRLD on GCW. The event is now available for purchase at FITE and streams live Sunday, January 23rd.

• GCW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. Homicide
• ROH World ChampionJonathan Gresham vs. Blake Christian
• GCW Tag Team Championship Open Challenge: Briscoe Brothers vs. ???
• Team Bandido (Bandido, Laredo Kid & ASF) vs. Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Arez & Demonic Flamita)
• Ruby Soho vs. Allie Katch
• Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY
• Matt Cardona (with Chelsea Green) vs. Joey Janela
• Eddie Kingston vs. AJ Gray

Jon Moxley is back. Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) has announced Mox is ready to handle business inside the ring again.

Moxley will put his GCW World Championship on the line against Homicide. The match will headline THE WRLD ON GCW, the company’s upcoming show from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City (Jan. 23).

This is encouraging news and hopefully means that Moxley’s health is in a better place than it was when he took a hiatus from wrestling back in November.

The WRLD ON GCW card also features:

• Janela vs Cardona
• Allie vs Ruby
• Gresham vs Blake
• Team Bandido vs Team Gringo

Jon Moxley’s Hiatus

Moxley has been away from the wrestling business as he checked himself into an alcohol treatment program. The announcement was made by AEW boss Tony Khan back in early November.

“Jon Moxley has allowed me to share with you that he is entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program,” Khan said. “Jon is a beloved member of the AEW family. We all stand with him and Renee, and all of his family and friends, as he shifts his focus to recovery.”

“Jon is making a very brave choice to get help, and we’re embracing his choice and supporting him however we can.”

The former AEW and WWE Champion had been promoting his book titled, “MOX.” He planned to go on tour but this matter was simply more important.

Joey Janela is saying “She was mine before she was yours” about Chelsea Green to Matt Cardona. The 3 appear to be recreating a famous angle between Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth and Ric Flair to potentially play out in GCW.

The angle between Flair and Savage took place in the build-up to WrestleMania VIII. Flair was the WWF Champion after having won the vacant title in the 1992 Royal Rumble. Flair then began claiming that he had pictures of the lovely Miss Elizabeth that would prove Flair and her had once been an item. Keep in mind this was before editing photos could be done by anyone other than a professional photographer.

Flair eventually released the photos that showed him with Miss Elizabeth. Joey Janela has now done the same only with him and Chelsea Green.

It turns out that package contained compromising (by early 1990s standards) photographs of Janela and Green. The photographs sure do look a lot like the ones Flair had of Elizabeth.

Cardona now wants a chance to get at Janela in a GCW ring. He had previously quit the promotion but this appears to be motivating him to return.

Cardona appears to now realize the photos were fake (but were they???).

For those interested in the original angle, there is a WWE Timeline documentary on the WWE Network titled “She Was Mine Before She Was Yours” which covers it.

Jeff Jarrett made an unadvertised appearance on GCW’s Die For This PPV. Effy was in the ring when the lights went out. When the lights came back on there was a masked figure wearing a cowboy hat in the ring. The person then hit Effy with a guitar and took off the mask to reveal that it was Jeff Jarrett.

Jarrett hasn’t wrestled an official match since the spring of 2019.

GCW Die For This PPV Results

The PPV emanated from the Carousel Room At Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It aired as a PPV on FITE TV.

1. GCW Tag Team Championships
   The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (c) defeated Alex Zayne & Blake Christian 
2. Calvin Tankman defeated Yoya
3. Joey Janela defeated Scotty 2 Hotty 
4. GCW World Title #1 Contendership Rumble Match
   Homicide defeated AJ Gray and Allie Katch and Atticus Cogar and Billie Starkz and Colby Corino and Cole Radrick and Dante Leon and Dark Sheik and Effy and G-Raver and Grim Reefer and Homicide and Jack Cartwheel and Jimmy Lloyd and Jordan Oliver and Matthew Justice and Nick Wayne and Ninja Mack and PCO and Shane Mercer 
5. GCW Ultraviolent Championship
   Alex Colon (c) defeated John Wayne Murdoch 

The wrestling world has lost Markus Crane.

Early this morning (Dec. 27, 2021), Freelance Wrestling announced that Crane had died. No cause of death has been revealed at this time.

Crane competed for the likes of GCW, Big Japan, and FREEDOMS. He was based in Illinois.

Back in late 2019, Crane had to undergo emergency surgery after suffering a near-fatal brain issue. Doctors discovered an infection in Crane’s skull and he had to have a piece of his skull removed.

Not only did Crane survive but he eventually made his return to the ring. He defeated Kit Osbourne back in April in a short match. Crane had been training for a full-time comeback.

GCW issued the following statement on Crane’s passing.

“With sadness, GCW mourns the loss of Markus Crane. As a performer, Markus embodied the spirit of GCW. He was an underdog and an outlaw. He was fearless in the ring and determined to succeed against the odds. He played a major role in GCW’s early success and was part of the heart and soul of our roster from day one.

“Markus was passionate about GCW and Deathmatch Wrestling. We were proud to have him represent GCW at Korauken Hall during our inaugural tour of Japan.
In 2019, Markus suffered a traumatic brain injury that nearly took his life. We were all inspired but not surprised as he made a miraculous recovery and worked tirelessly to make his eventual return to the ring.

“Most recently, Markus returned home to his family with a commitment to focusing his energy towards a healthier lifestyle. He had celebrated a series of milestones in his sobriety which he was proud to show off and left us all excited for his future.

“As a friend, Markus was caring and loyal. He was quick to smile, or bring a smile to your face. We were all lucky to know him.

“Rest in Peace, Markus.

“We will miss you.”

Here are some reactions from the rest of the wrestling world.

We at SEScoops send our condolences to the family and friends of Markus Crane.

The ROH World Championship will be defended on tonight’s Game Changer Wrestling show from Los Angeles. Not only that, Gresham’s match against AJ Gray will be contested under “Pure rules”.

The show is available on a pay-per-view basis on FITE.

GCW: Blood On The Hills Lineup:

• Gringo Loco vs. Arez vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Matt Vandagriffvs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Ninja Mack
• No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match
  Atticus Cogar vs. Jordan Oliver
• Chelsea Green & Matt Cardona vs. BUSSY (Allie Katch & Effy)
• Blake Christian vs. Alex Zayne
• Tony Deppen vs. Nick Wayne
• Matthew Justice vs. Jacob Fatu
• ROH World Championship
  Pure Rules
  Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. AJ Gray
• GCW Tag Team Championships
  The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (c) vs. Brody King & PCO

Shortly after winning the ROH Championship at Final Battle, Gresham spoke to Sports Illustrated. He said that it’s up to him to keep the spirit of ROH alive. Gresham also noted that he wants to defend the title against CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.

“As champion, it is up to me to keep the spirit and the essence of Ring of Honor alive,” Gresham said. “I will preserve and protect Pure wrestling as Ring of Honor world champion.”

Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) Brett Lauderdale was our guest on this week’s Business of the Business podcast, the official business podcast of SEScoops.

Lauderdale spoke about his promotion selling out the Hammerstein Ballroom. ”The Wrld on GCW” will take place January 23rd, 2022 from the famed venue.

With the big sellout of Hammerstein Ballroom, Lauderdale was asked about GCW possibly being the #3 promotion in the United States right now.

“I’m very confident in our product and I think that what we do is special and unique and entertaining and fun and all that stuff. As far as numbers go, #3, #2 or #1 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7, I don’t really feel like we’re competing with anyone,” Lauderdale said.

“We’re just focussed on what we’re doing and trying to be the best at what we do.”

The Briscoe Brothers

Lauderdale also spoke about some of the talent that will be appearing on the show including the Briscoe Brothers.

“The Briscoes are awesome and it’s not secret that they are awesome and that they are one of the best tag-teams of all time. Obviously, they were under contract with Ring of Honor, which was great for them,” Lauderdale said.

“Unless you were a hardcore Ring of Honor fan, you don’t really see the Briscoes as much.”

“There’s so many matchup and so many people that have never had the chance to work with them. It’s exciting for the fans and I can also tell you it’s exciting for the Briscoes.”

PCO Working With GCW

Lauderdale was asked about bring PCO into the promotion. He noted that there were articles out there stating PCO had signed on for 40 dates but Lauderdale noted that is not true.

“It’s possible he could do that many but I don’t have 40 dates lined up right now and obviously we don’t have contracts or anything,” he said.

“Certainly PCO is a guy we like to have around as often as he can.”

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Lauderdale also spoke about working with Pabst Blue Ribbon. He wouldn’t necessarily call them a sponsor but they will be working together often in the future.

“I hate the term sponsor. We’ve talked about this with PBR. We like to consider what we do to be more of a partnership,” Lauderdale said.

“We’re kind of signed on to work together for the duration of 2022. We’ve got several events lined up that we’re going to partner on. A lot of ideas that we’re working on and developing.

PBR is a very cool brand and I think a lot of people don’t fully understand the history of that brand and what they’re doing now. From a cultural standpoint, they match up with us, they are a good match with GCW. We kind of have the same demo.”

The full podcast can be listened to in the player below:

GCW’s debut in the Hammerstein Ballroom for “The Wrld On GCW” has officially sold out. The show will take place on January 23rd, 2022.

2,025 tickets have been sold to the event. Over 800 tickets were sold during the pre-sale event. Tickets went on-sale to the general public earlier this week.

The Twitter account @WrestleTix has been keeping track of ticket sales.

Eddie Kingston and the Briscoes have been announced for the show. There will also be a “Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame” ceremony the night before the event. So far, GCW has announced that the first two inductees will be Jerry Lynn and Homicide.

Upcoming GCW Matches

GCW’s next show will be “So High” from Houston, Texas on December 3rd. The show will air on FITE. The following matches have been booked thus far:

• Alex Zayne vs Ninja Mack
• Bryan Keith & Mysterious Q vs. The Second Gear Crew (AJ Gray & Matthew Justice)
• Sadika vs Effy
• Allie Katch vs Gino Medina
• Loko Championship
  Dante Leon (c) vs Jack Cartwheel

The following night on December 4th GCW will be in Dallas. The show will air on FITE. The following matches have been booked:

• Thunder Rosa vs Allie Katch
• Tony Deppend vs Bandido
• Joey Janela vs ASF

GCW will present a show from the famed Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on January 23rd, 2022. So far, pre-sales for the event are off to a strong start. Tickets went on-sale to the general public earlier today.

The Twitter account, @WrestleTix, has been tracking ticket sales to the event. The estimated capacity for the show is just over 2000. 840 tickets have been distributed thus far after a strong pre-sale showing.

Hammerstein Ballroom – History of Events

The Hammerstein Ballroom is the original home of the early Monday Night RAW tapings in 1993. ECW then started taping in the venue in 2000, eventually hosting their big Massacre on 34th Street show there on December 3rd of that year.

In 2005 and 2006, the Hammerstein Ballroom hosted the ECW: One Night Stand reunion shows. It would also host a taping for WWE’s ECW brand in August of 2006.

Ring of Honor would begin running shows in the venue beginning with Final Battle 2006. They have continued to run shows there ever since. TNA once held a house show there in 2010. NJPW ran a show independent of ROH for the first time in 2019 as well.

The owner of GCW gets the impression that Bray Wyatt doesn’t want to dabble in the indie scene.

Wyatt recently saw his non-compete clause expire. He was released from his WWE contract back in late July. He is now free to sign with any promotion who is willing to make him offers.

Bray Wyatt Not Focused On Indies?

Brett Lauderdale, the owner of GCW, had an interview with Wrestling Inc and expressed his belief that Wyatt isn’t thinking about spending time on the independent circuit.

“I have never talked to Bray Wyatt, but my understanding is that I don’t know that our world is very appealing to Bray Wyatt.

“There’s no secret message there. I think that he’s not interested in making the rounds on the indies. That’s my understanding. I don’t mean any negative implication that he said anything because I’ve never spoken to him. From people I know, that he knows and whatever, it just doesn’t seem like it’s something that’s on his to-do list anytime soon.”

AEW President Tony Khan has said he’d like to have a conversation with Wyatt “when the time is right.” Fightful Select reported that while Wyatt and Impact Wrestling has had talks, the two have never been close to coming to terms on a deal.

Wyatt was recently spotted in Los Angeles. He was seen at gate 4 in Warner Bros. studio. Fightful brought word that Bray Wyatt has been showing interest in Hollywood.

SEScoops will keep you posted on Bray Wyatt’s future.

GCW star Ninja Mack recently discussed his role in Game Changer Wrestling, the overall locker room morale and a whole lot more.

Speaking to PWInsider, the talented high-flyer revealed how grateful he is to be part of the GCW locker room:

“Everyone’s got to make sure they’re hitting their roles” Ninja Mack began. “If you’re opening match, you got to be very exciting. If you’re the finishing match, you got to bring that energy to close the show. 

“And if you’re in the middle of the card you got to find ways to keep that crowd alive for over three hours, because those GCW shows are not short” Mack continued. 

“We have such good performers that we’re all interchangeable and everyone can perform and get the best out of that crowd. You can put those tag matches with the Briscoes and the Second Gear Crew, and you can put any of them anywhere and you’re going to have a great match. 

Ninja Mack on GCW Locker Room

“You can put AJ Gray anywhere on the card, and it’s going to be a great match. They find ways to get energy out of all these people, so everyone is stepping up” Ninja Mack added. “The young guys are stepping up. 

“I’m very new to GCW.  I’ve only been rolling with GCW for four or five months, and I’m grateful that they let me into their locker room, but they’ve been there and know each other” Mack noted. 

“I’m trying to know these guys and get to meet them. But they’ve been nothing but great to me. They’ve welcomed me. Then sometimes they hit me in the head with matches and chairs, but besides that, it’s been pretty good” the GCW star concluded.

The Briscoes made their shock debut for GCW recently and then went on to win the GCW Tag Team Championships at the War Ready event.

It was believed that GCW would be sending talent over to Ring of Honor to try and win the titles back, with matches taking place at the November tapings for ROH.

With the recent news that ROH is going on hiatus, the situation is now back up in the air regarding the GCW Tag Team titles and whether or not Game Changer Wrestling would be working with the promotion going forward.

PWInsider recently confirmed the latest on the situation, saying: “There had been plans to bring in several GCW talents to wrestle The Briscoes at the TV tapings in Baltimore as a way to extend the storyline where the Briscoes won the GCW Tag Team titles but there is no word whether that is still happening.”

The Briscoes GCW Tag Champions

There has been no word from GCW as to whether they will be continuing the storyline with the promotion.

However, with the November tapings still taking place for Ring of Honor and the announcement that they will be shutting up shop for a while there might be a few more eyeballs on the ‘final’ few events in ROH’s 2021, so it would probably be in GCW’s best interests to do a crossover.

GCW has been making waves in the wrestling industry and The Briscoes have taken notice.

For years, Mark and Jay Briscoe have left their mark in Ring of Honor. After all, they have amassed 11 ROH World Tag Team Title reigns. Along the way, Jay was even able to capture the ROH World Championship twice. Don’t forget, The Briscoes also teamed with Bully Ray to win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles.

The Briscoes are one of the most accomplished tag teams in the business and they’re bringing their talents to GCW. Speaking to the folks at Bodyslam.net, Jay said that he and Mark are gunning for Second Gear Crew’s GCW Tag Team Titles.

“We comin’. We coming’. We here to take the titles. We need to get strapped up, and that’s what we gonna do.”

The Briscoes will be challenging Second Gear Crew for the gold on Oct. 23. The title match will be a part of GCW’s War Ready event. The action will be held inside the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California.

Mark reminded fans that he and his brother are OGs of GCW. The two competed for the promotion when it was called JCW almost 20 years ago.

“What we do is tag team rasslin’. 21 years now, tag team rasslin’, tag team action baby. And GCW.. little known.. formerly known as JCW. You lookin’ at the former JCW Light Heavyweight Champion.. We was in Garfield, NJ back in 2002.. Shoot.. talkin’ bout their neighborhood.. shoot. I understand that, but we talkin’ bout the North East indies.”

Mark went on to say that GCW has been giving him ECW vibes.

“This is North East Indies, and I like how GCW get down. They got that flame ya know what I mean? That old ECW.. that flame.” 

GCW has gotten a slew of attention as of late. From Matt Cardona’s run as the “Deathmatch King,” to Jon Moxley’s surprise title victory, and Minoru Suzuki’s appearance, GCW is about as red hot as you can be for a smaller promotion.

Game Changer Wrestling/GCW has confirmed that they will be heading to the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom in 2022.

GCW owner Brett Lauderdale confirmed that Game Changer Wrestling will run the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on January 23, 2022.

A new vignette aired that featured the GCW roster members standing in the Hammerstein Ballroom. Several notable names gave reasons why they would ‘never make it big in wrestling.’

GCW Heading To Hammerstein Ballroom

The Hammerstein Ballroom is of course a major part of Extreme Championship Wrestling’s past, with the iconic venue having hosted events there in the late 90s to early 2000s.

Both WWE One Night Stand 2005 and 2006 were also held at the Ballroom, as part of WWE’s attempt to bring back the ECW brand.

No names have officially been confirmed for the event, however the usual crop of talent in Game Changer such as Joey Janela, Effy, Nick Gage, Ninja Mack, Rickey Shane Page and AJ Gray.

Check out the full hype video below:

Major League Wrestling/MLW owner Court Bauer has confirmed that he and the company were in talks with WWE earlier this year.

That had been rumors of talks between the two parties after the ‘Forbidden Door’ concept really took off with AEW, IMPACT, New Japan, AAA, GCW and more all working together.

Bauer confirmed the rumors during a media call for MLW Fightland:

“We’re talking with different offices about bringing their talent in and doing some international title matches. As for domestic partnerships, that’s where it gets a little tricky.

Court Bauer on WWE Conversations

“We’ve had talks, people are probably aware, we talked with WWE earlier this year. You have these conversations, try to see how it would work, and the biggest concern you have, at least for me, is you’re kind of inviting tortious interference and allowing it to happen if you go down that road and if you don’t feel like you’re getting enough in return to even take that risk, what are you doing? What’s the strategy there?

“It can be very complicated, whether it’s WWE or another company. It can be risky because often the talent, when they come through, you’re not going to now be able to control the creative for.

“These guys you spent a lot of time building up are now not in your system and now they are main event stars in MLW, but they go over there for a cameo and they’re not treated like top guys, you’re doing a disservice to them and your fans that have invested in their journey.

“It’s a really delicate thing and every conversation with every company is different. It’s a bit of a dance and sometimes it’s the forbidden dance.“

New Japan Pro Wrestling star and overall Japanese megastar Minoru Suzuki recently spoke to NJPW English language site NJPW1972.com.

The former NEVER Openweight Champion discussed several topics ahead of his New York City match against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston alongside Lance Archer.

Suzuki stated that he was excited about his ongoing ‘excursion,’ the longest in his career. “No doubt. You know they say as you get older, you stop taking on two things- adventures and challenges.

“People get old and think it’s for the young to be doing. But I’m the opposite. I have to move on, have to challenge myself. That’s where my motivation comes from” Suzuki revealed.

Minoru Suzuki on American Tour

The Japanese ‘legend’ would then discuss how he hates being called a ‘legend,’ as that is a term he describes as being used for has been.

“Whether you’re in Japan or anywhere else, don’t treat me like one of those ‘legends’” the Suzuki-gun leader stated. “When it comes to my speed in the ring, how hard I train, the way I put my body together, I’m the measure of anyone 20, 30 years younger than me.

“But some people want to put me on that legend pedestal. Well, I’m kicking that pedestal down and smashing you over the head with it. You don’t get to choose for me” the Japanese….erm….living legend concluded.

Minoru Suzuki has been appearing for the likes of GCW, AEW and will be taking part in Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport.

MLW has announced that Warhorse will make his promotional debut at October 2nd’s Fightland event. The show will take place from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. The event will air as a 1-hour special on Vice TV October 7th following a new episode of Dark Side of the Ring.

“It’s time to bang heads and crack skulls as Warhorse makes his MLW debut Saturday October 2 in Philadelphia at FIGHTLAND,” an MLW press release reads.

The heavy metal wrestler performs with GCW, Warrior Wrestling and many independent promotions but also wrestled Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship on an episode of AEW Dynamite last year.

MLW Fightland Lineup

Alex Shelley, Tom Lawlor, Bobby Fish, Lee Moriarty Davey Richards, TJP, Matt Cross, and Calvin Tankman have all been announced for the Opera Cup tournament.

• MLW Heavyweight Championship
  Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Alex Hammerstone
• MLW Middleweight Championship
  Myron Reed (c) vs. Tajiri vs. Aramis vs. Arez 
• Nicole Savoy vs. Holidead.
• Opera Cup Quarter-Finals
• Opera Cup Semi-Finals

MLW Fusion Alpha Debuts September 22nd

MLW returns tonight with a special episode of the miniseries “Fusion Alpha.” The show will focus on Cesar Duran, the former Dario Cueto from Lucha Underground. A lot of mystery surrounds the show.

Minoru Suzuki is taking full advantage of his time in the United States.

The Japanese wrestling legend has appeared for AEW and GCW. He’s fresh off a victory over Jonathan Gresham and is scheduled to compete on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage. He will team with Lance Archer to take on Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston in a Lights Out match.

Suzuki has added another date to his calendar. It has been announced that he will be a part of the upcoming Bloodsport 7 event on Oct. 22. Here’s what Josh Barnett had to say on the addition of Suzuki.

“My brother in Gotch-ism. Fellow ‘King of Pancrase,’ Minoru Suzuki is coming back to the hardest-hitting event in professional wrestling. This is where you will see Suzuki-san thrive above all others. This is Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport.”

Minoru Suzuki joins the likes of Killer Kelly, Marina Shafir, and Calvin Tankman as the names announced for the show. It’s yet another GCW date for the “King of Pancrase.” He worked the Sept. 17 show and is due to meet Nick Gage on Sept. 24 in New York City. He also has GCW dates lined up for Oct. 10 and Oct. 23.

Suzuki has been penciled in for the Sept. 25 and 26 NJPW Strong Autumn Attack tapings.

Matt Cardona’s run as the “deathmatch king” has quickly come to an end.

Cardona took the wrestling world by storm with his polarizing victory over Nick Gage back in July. With the win, Cardona captured the GCW Championship. Fans pelted the ring with garbage as Cardona celebrated and flipped the bird at the crowd.

At the time, Matt Cardona labeled himself as the new gold standard of deathmatches. Here’s what he told Sports Illustrated.

“Tasting my own blood and hearing those boos, I knew we had something special, but it was all worth it. I’m the new deathmatch king.

“Originally, I thought we could have a little celebration in the ring after I won. I have the Major Wrestling Figure podcast and we have a sponsorship with Pabst Blue Ribbon, so I wanted to do a toast in the ring after I won with Pabst Blue Ribbon. But I couldn’t even get to the beer because they were throwing so much crap at me. It wasn’t like it was a water bottle here or there. That stuff was coming at me. It was crazy.”

Now that he’s lost the GCW gold to Jon Moxley, Cardona claims to be done with deathmatches.

“I have retired from Death Match Wrestling.”

Matt Cardona followed up with this post.

“That was my last deathmatch. I will always love and respect that style. Thanks for all the years of support from the DM fans. I appreciate you.”

This is the same tweet that Rickey Shane Page put out weeks ago and he responded with the following.

“You know……I….I respect it.”

The Sept. 17 edition of GCW Highest in the Room has come to a close and the results are in.

This event was held inside the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California. Highest in the Room saw Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki take on former ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham. Suzuki won the match and afterward, he found himself in a brawl with Nick Gage.

Fans also got to witness comedian Ron Funches in action. He took on Tony Deppen in a losing effort.

It wouldn’t be GCW without a deathmatch and the promotion didn’t disappoint here. Alex Colon defeated G-Rave in the special death match for the night.

MLW World Champion Jacob Fatu was in action as well. He lost to Chris Dickinson by way of disqualification.

Here’s a look at the rest of the GCW Highest in the Room results from Sept. 17.

• ASF def. Arez, Eli Everfly, Everett Connors, Gringo Loco, & Jimmy Lloyd
• 2 Cold Scorpio def. Effy
• Alex Zayne def. Jordan Oliver
• Atticus Cogar def. Ninja Mack
• The Second Gear Crew def. Lucas Riley, Nick Wayne & Starboy Charlie
• Death Match: Alex Colon def. G-Raver
• Chris Dickinson def. Jacob Fatu via DQ
• Tony Deppen def. Ron Funches
• Minoru Suzuki def. Jonathan Gresham