GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9
April 18, 2025
By: John Siino
Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentary: Dave Prazak, Jordan Castle, Veda Scott & Emil Jay
RESULTS
- GCW Tag Team Title: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver over Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini (c) via pinfall, to become the new champions (6:51)
- Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno Del Mal over Gringo Loco, Arez & Jack Cartwheel via pinfall (17:04) (RECOMMENDED)
- Megan Bayne over Bozilla via pinfall (12:12) (RECOMMENDED)
- Zack Sabre Jr. over 1 Called Manders via pinfall (7:56)
- Mask Vs. GCW Career: Atticus Cogar over Fuego Del Sol via pinfall (17:47) (RECOMMENDED)
- Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki ends in a no contest (10:47)
- JCW World Title: Masha Slamovich (c) over Suzu Suzuki via pinfall (9:52)
- Gabe Kidd over Mance Warner via pinfall (14:38)
- Senior Scramble: Ricky Morton, Mike Jackson, George South, Damian 666 & Robert Gibson over Kerry Morton via pinfall (6:14)
- No Rope Barbed Wire: Sabu over Joey Janela via pinfall (17:07)
Mania Week Friday Highlights
- Mizuki vs. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW Live in Las Vegas). The last couple of years for WrestleMania week, I have always gone out of my way to catch the Tokyo Joshi shows, and every time they deliver, and this was no exception. Excellent defense of the Princess of Princess Championship from Mizuki, as she hit the Beautiful Bridge on Yamashita (fresh off her Bloodsport appearance) for the pin. This was preceded by Masha Slamovich defending the TNA Knockouts World Championship against Miu Watanabe in another great match, finishing her off with the White Knight Driver. This entire event was enjoyable from top to bottom, and reminds me that I need to watch more TJPW than just once a year.
- Luke Jacobs vs. Michael Oku (PROGRESS Chapter 179: PROGRESS Las Vegas). Yes, I know this show technically took place on Thursday, but it aired at 3 am on Friday my time, so I’m counting it here. Jacobs & Oku are two names that consistently get brought up in discussions over the last couple of years when BritWres is discussed, and it’s with good reason, as these two had one of the top matches I have seen this week. Amira Blair is so embedded as a part of Oku’s act that I don’t think I could ever see him without her going forward. Jacobs retained the world title after hitting a pair of lariats, ending Oku’s 4-match day at 0-4 (0-5 if you count the ROH match that aired against Nick Wayne earlier that day).
- Minoru Suzuki vs. Yoshihiko (DDT Goes Las Vegas). After his monumental battle with Butterbean, which occurred less than 24 hours earlier, some wondered how Suzuki would fare against one of his toughest challengers yet, Yoshihiko. The match exceeded expectations, surpassing even the Suzuki/Butterbean barnburner. It left fans with more questions than answers, such as: How will Yoshihiko recover after being repeatedly bashed head-first into a brick wall and a steel post, with its limbs twisted in ways some might call ‘inhumanly possible,’ and suffering blood loss that left it dazed for the remainder of the bout? Ultimately, Suzuki deflated any momentum Yoshihiko was pumping up and finished it off with the Gotch-style piledriver. Following this encounter, you might as well keep the stream going for Konosuke Takeshita vs. MAO.
GCW Tag Team Championship: Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku) (c) vs. Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (w/ Cole Radrick)
The story going into this is that Violence Is Forever had injured Cole Radrick before taking the titles from him and Alec Price, the Gahbage Daddies. Going into this, Price had no partner, and that’s how the match started as Price ran in on his own and went after Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku as the bell rings with the two-on-one handicap. Ku is busted open from his forehead as he stops Price with a brainbuster from the corner. VIF follows with Chasing the Dragon, but Price kicks out at two. We hear the Gahbage Daddies’ music as Radrick comes out on crutches, just to bring out Price’s actual partner for the night, in a returning Jordan Oliver, who is coming back from a torn ACL, the same injury Radrick has suffered. This is Oliver’s first match back since July 2024. Radrick passes one of his crutches to Price, who takes out both Ku & Garrini with it. Price takes out Ku with a 720 DDT, while Oliver drops Garrini face-first from the corner as he and Price cover him for the pin and the win.
Winners: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver by pinfall at 6:51, to become NEW GCW Tag Team Champions
The Wagner Family (Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno Del Mal) vs. Los Desperados (Gringo Loco, Jack Cartwheel & Arez)
The crowd starts the match with a ‘We want Cartwheels’, and that’s exactly how Jack Cartwheel starts, before The Wagner Family all do a pose together. Cartwheel & El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. start the match and have a bit of a cartwheel-off, as the crowd boos the ones from Hijo. Arez & Galeno Del Mal tag in next, and no cartwheels here. Dr. Wagner Jr. & Gringo Loco go at it next, but both teams stall a bit by giving each other kisses and hugs, but this packed crowd is reacting to it all. It picks up here with them trading arm drags until Wagner takes off his mask and asks who from the crowd wants it, but instead passes it to Hijo. Cartwheel takes Galeno with a Sasuke Special on the outside before Los Desperados start triple-teaming on Hijo before suplexing the big Galeno as Gringo hits him with a split-legged moonsault. The Wagner Family gains the advantage now including Wagner hitting a cannonball to Gringo on the outside. Wagner starts attacking Gringo against the venue’s walls, as you can still see the blood from Yoshihiko from the DDT show which happened prior this one event. They start using a plastic trash can on each other, upon re-entering the ring, that commentary compares to a Paul London match. Hijo does some Eddie Guerrero spots with the Three Amigos and Frog Splash on Arez, but he kicks out at two. Gringo & Galeno head to the top rope, where Gringo hits a Spanish Fly followed by a tope to the outside. Hijo walks the ropes for a dive while Arez follows with a triangle moonsault. Wagner & Cartwheel go at it before Wagner hits a butterfly powerbomb and traps on the Magistral Cradle for the pin and the win.
Winners: The Wagner Family (Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., & Galeno Del Mal) by pinfall at 17:04
Bozilla vs. Megan Bayne
With this match, Marigold’s Bozilla is making her wrestling debut in the United States against Megan Bayne, who is pretty much the same height as her. They start fighting on the apron, where Bozilla drops Bayne back inside with ease, but gets knocked to the outside by a boot from Bayne, who then follows with a tope suicida. Bozilla stays in control, catching Bayne’s cross-body attempt into a fall-away slam. Bayne breaks out of a bear hug and lands splashes to Bozilla in the corners before landing a belly-to-belly suplex for a two-count. Bozilla stays in control, but when she hits a German Suplex, Bayne lands on her feet and hits a diving lariat. Bayne heads to the top rope, as Bozilla joins and hits an avalanche fall-away slam. The match gets interrupted by some guy in a creepy mask as it says ‘Game Changer Report’ on the screen. No clue what that was. (Sii-note: Upon some research, it looks to be something Atticus Cogar-related that he’s been doing online.) Bayne continues here, hitting a sit-out powerbomb, but Bozilla gets right back up as they start trading slaps. Bozilla hits a pair of sit-out powerbombs herself, but Bayne kicks out at two. Bayne comes back with a flipping senton, before lifting up Bozilla for Faith’s Descent. Bozilla flips her off as Bayen picks up before delivering the Tombstone to pick up the win.
Winner: Megan Bayne by pinfall at 12:12
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. 1 Called Manders
They start the match testing each other, as 1 Called Manders offers Zack Sabre Jr. to try and take him down, but upon flipping him off, Sabre grabs it and starts attacking his finger, then his arm. Manders knocks Sabre down before calling him a bloke, as Sabre responds by calling him a ‘bald cunt’. Manders asks if that’s the best Sabre got, before getting his chest kicked in. Manders comes back with a huge lariat, as both men are now laid out. They slowly get up before trading attacks, as Manders hits a giant chop and gets a two-count as Veda Scott screams about the fact that someone had a near fall after a chop. Manders takes off his elbow pad and tries a lariat, but Sabre kicks him and traps him in the bridging back pin to pick up the win.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. by pinfall at 7:56
Mask Vs. GCW Career: Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego Del Sol
We now see the Game Changer Report video that accidentally played earlier, which looks like a podcast with this masked Atticus Cogar asking Fuego Del Sol questions. This transitions into the actual Cogar talking down Fuego. Fuego’s entrance has six men all wearing versions of his mask and doing his Tornado DDT taunt. As soon as the bell rings, they start going after other fast, but as they take it to the outside, Cogar starts sliding chairs right into Fuego’s face. They continue fighting into the crowd, as Cogar sets up two doors on top of chairs, before joining Fuego on top of this huge entrance ramp. Cogar grabs scissors and starts cutting off Fuego’s mask before stabbing him with it. Cogar picks up Fuego and sends him through the doors with an Air Raid Crash. They take it back into the ring, as Cogar starts tossing chairs & trash cans into the ring. Fuego comes back with a flurry of kicks before heading to the top rope, but Cogar stops him with a step-up kick. They head to the top rope, but Fuego traps Cogar in the Tree of Woe and hits a double foot stomp. Fuego puts a trash can onto Cogar, who’s still in that position and and teases hitting Coast to Coast, but Otis Cogar comes out and takes him out. Sam Stackhouse runs out and takes out Otis. Stackhouse sends the Cogars to the outside and hits his version of a dive onto them. Atticus takes out Stackhouse with a chair shot before setting up four chairs and tries to put Fuego through them, but Fuego reverses and puts Cogar through them instead with a Sun Fire Driver, but only gets a two. Fuego tries to walk the ropes, but Cogar pulls him down. We get a ‘Fuck you Fuego/Let’s go Fuego’ duel chant, before Cogar sends Fuego right into a chair with it’s legs up, as Fuego screams with pain. Otis keeps Stackhouse down on the outside with a chair, as Atticus tells Fuego that every time he kicks out, Stackhouse will suffer. Atticus jams the skewers into Fuego’s head before hitting him with a kick with the chair in between, and getting a two-count, as Otis attacks Stackhouse as promised. Atticus follows with the Brain Hemorrhage, but Fuego kicks out again. (Chair shot). Otis hands Atticus a wooden board that has metal attached to it, but Fuego dodges it and hits a backflip off the ropes into a DDT, but Atticus kicks out. Otis pulls Fuego to the outside, and Stackhouse & Otis then end up in the ring. On the outside. Fuego puts Atticus on top of a door held up by chairs, as Stackhouse hits a second rope moonsault to Otis, followed by Fuego hitting a wild-looking 630 to Atticus on the outside, but this only gets a two-count. Fuego then puts skewers into Atticus’ forehead and hits him with the metal-plated (called gusset plates) wooden board, as it shatters on Atticus. Otis hands Atticus a taser, as Atticus puts Fuego through a trash can with another Brain Hemorrhage. Stackhouse tries to stop the pin, but it’s too late as Atticus gets the win and Fuego must lose his mask.
Winner: Atticus Cogar by pinfall at 17:47
Fuego tells Stackhouse to help him take off his mask, which he does and hands over to Atticus. As the Cogars leave, Fuego starts taking off his boots as commentary, the crowd and Stackhouse all know what this means. Stackhouse tries to tell Fuego that he doesn’t have to do this and he can keep going without the mask, but Fuego continues, leaves his boots in the middle of the ring, and says goodbye to the fans.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Tremont
Both men get sing-offs for their entrances here. They start the match chopping away at each other, before Matt Tremont tries headbutts on Minoru Suzuki to no effect, as Suzuki’s headbutt works better. They go back to a chop exchange, before Tremont sends Suzuki to the outside with a flying tackle. They start fighting on the outside, as Suzuki dodges a headbutt with Tremont connecting directly with the steel post, which makes him bust open immediately. Back in the ring, Tremont flips off Suzuki, but Suzuki grabs it and pulls it back, ala ZSJ. Suzuki starts digging into the bloody forehead of Tremont, as they go right back to chops and headbutts. Tremont comes back with a Death Valley Driver for a two-count. Suzuki puts on a chokehold against the ropes, but after repeated stop attempts from the referee, Suzuki takes him out with a Gotch-style piledriver. More referees enter the ring to keep Suzuki & Tremont separated, but they continue to fight. They take it to the outside and start fighting through the crowd, where they both grab their respective DDT and GCW titles and have a stand-off. They both head to the back as it looks like the match has been thrown out.
Winners: The match ends in a no-contest at 10:47
JCW World Championship: Masha Slamovich (c) vs. Suzu Suzuki
Veda Scott mentions how Masha Slamovich had 11 matches scheduled, which included defending both her JCW & TNA Knockouts Championships, with the possibility of more matches happening. Suzu Suzuki starts the match in control, until Masha stops her in the corner with a stomp. Masha stays on top with clotheslines and kicks, but Suzuki bounces back with a spear. Suzuki traps Masha on the bottom rope and lands a running kick to the head. Back in the ring, Masha lands a Capo kick for two, a flurry of strikes and kicks before they both knock each other down with kicks to the head. More back and forth before Suzuki hits a Tequila Shot for a very close two-count. Suzuki heads to the top rope, but Masha stops her and hits a power bomb, followed by a running knee strike for two. They trade kicks before Masha lands the White Knight Driver to pick up the pin.
Winner: Masha Slamovich by pinfall at 9:52, to retain
Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner
This is a rematch from their February 16th match at the Jersey J-Cup that ended in a no-contest. Mance Warner is all scarred & bandaged up from his Barbed Wire Massacre match from last night’s TNA Unbreakable. Right away, Warner pulls out a screwdriver, but Gabe Kidd takes it away and drives it into Warner’s forehead, as he’s already leaking like a faucet. Kidd continues digging into him, as Warner is squirting blood from his forehead. Kidd stays on the attack until Warner stops him with a low blow. Warner starts pulling doors and chairs from under the ring that he launches into the ring, with each one connecting with Kidd. Warner starts using the screwdriver on Kidd, before licking it and pretending to comb his hair back with it. Kidd is now covered in blood, either his own or Warner’s, as they both take seats on chairs and start trading punches. Kidd gains control and sets up a door in a corner, tries to piledriver Warner into it, but instead, Warner jumps off a chair and sends Kidd through it with a DDT. Warner sets up a door onto chairs and heads to the top rope, but Kidd stops him and hits him with a piledriver through the door. They start trading punches, before Kidd hits a big one and collapses on top of Warner for the unexpected pin and win.
Winner: Gabe Kidd by pinfall at 14:38
Senior Scramble Match: Ricky Morton vs. Mike Jackson vs. George South vs. Damian 666 vs. Robert Gibson
This match gets a huge pop when announced, with every entrant getting their age announced, with Ricky Morton (68), Mike Jackson (75), George South (62), Damian 666 (63), and Robert Gibson (66). The Warlord was advertised but didn’t appear. As soon as the match starts, Kerry Morton comes out on the mic and asks what is this shit and says all he sees in the ring is erectile dysfunction and they don’t get hard anymore, while he stays hard. Veda Scott leaves commentary and gets replaced by Emil Jay. Kerry continues about how he doesn’t have a spot on this show but these ‘old fuckers’ do. Kerry says Gibson is family to him, but tells him to get out of his ring before addressing the young whipper-snapper in South, and Damian tells them to leave as well. He addresses his father, as Damian cusses Kerry out, as Gibson attacks Kerry from behind with a chair. Emil takes credit for suggesting this match. They all start taking turns attacking Kerry, including Jackson’s rope walk, but he gets pulled down by Kerry. Ricky hits the Destroyer on Kerry before they set up a door bridge and hit a team powerbomb on Kerry and all pin him, as Emil announces Kerry the loser, while the seniors are the winners.
Winners: Ricky Morton, Mike Jackson, George South, Damian 666 & Robert Gibson by pinfall at 6:14
No Rope Barbed Wire Match: Joey Janela vs. Sabu
There is a bit of time in between matches, as they have to set up the ring with the barbed wire, so they show video packages and stall by going over the upcoming GCW schedule again. Veda Scott doesn’t name names, but mentions being able to see legends in attendance to see potentially Sabu’s final match. Sabu comes out in an all white suit and starts to survey the ring and chairs to make sure everything is up to par for him. During the introductions, Joey Janela attacks Sabu from behind to start the match. Sabu takes down Janela and pulls a spike from his shoe that he stabs Janela in the head with. We hear a familiar whistle as Bill Alfonso shows up on the ramp. Janela is bleeding from the forehead, as Alfonso tosses Sabu a chair that teases launching off before tossing the chair into Janela’s face, leaping off the chair, and going face-first into the barbed wire net on the outside. Sabu is bleeding now, as the barbed wire is wrapped all over him, so Janela rips Sabu’s jacket off. Janela places a wooden board against the barbed wire rope and whips Sabu into it as Sabu viciously goes flying to the outside. Atticus Cogar runs into the ring, attacks Janela before putting Alfonso through a barbed wire board in the corner. The lights go out as we hear Enter Sandman, which can only mean one man as we see The Sandman appear in the crowd and Veda asks ‘What fucking year is it?’ We go back to the ring as The Cogar Brothers are attacking Janela with skewers and a chair. As The Sandman is making his way through the crowd, Sabu is on his feet and gets involved with The Cogars. Sandman eventually enters the ring as the crowd chants ECW. Sandman takes out Otis & Atticus with the kendo stick, which sends them packing. Janela takes out The Sandman, as Sabu re-enters and launches Janela into two barbed wire doors. Janela enters, as Sabu fakes a handshake just to launch Janela onto the barbed wire net and launches a chair into his face. They start trading punches before they go into a chair duel, launch chairs into each other, but Sabu hugs Janela. They go back into punches and chairs as the crowd chants ‘This is awesome’. Sabu starts hammering the chair down on Janela’s head and hits an Arabian Facebuster before making the cover and getting the win.
Winner: Sabu by pinfall at 17:07
Janela gets on the mic and says that up to a couple of hours ago, he didn’t know if this match was going to happen, but Sabu showed up. Janela brings up how Sabu didn’t show up at the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame, so he hands him his plaque there and says he’s on his Mount Rushmore of wrestlers and his favorite wrestler of all time, and the reason why there are 2,000 people there today. They pose together to end this 3 and a half hour plus show.
