Review: GCW The People vs GCW 2025

It’s a special extra review for the premium subs! I might do tonight’s TNA show sometime this week, but more likely will nab a pick-and-choose couple of matches, or possibly will do nothing with it because it is TNA.

But the head-to-head tonight is this show, which comes with a Triller+ subscription I already have, or a $40 PPV headlined by Nemeth vs Hendry 2, and it wasn’t too tough a call to make. I did want to do one or the other, so here we are, as GCW takes a second pass at running the Hammerstein after whiffing pretty hard the first go-round with a show that came off like they didn’t really trust the people who got them there in the first place.

This lineup is built entirely to showcase that they do trust the people who got them here in the second place.

1 Called Manders vs Blake Christian vs Rich Swann vs Fuego Del Sol vs Marcus Mathers vs Mr. Danger

Free portion match. This is a scramble, which is my favorite thing, can’t get enough of these ever. Never have, never will. Since I love these matches so much I’m just going string of thoughts:

• “Mr. Danger”

• This Blake Christian sure is a cad here in GCW, I tell you what.

• Manders apparently going abroad for several months after this match. Good for him! I hope he wins this one for the momentum.

• People say 205 Live “didn’t matter” and “nobody watched it” and “who cares,” but 40% of this GCW pre-show scramble competed repeatedly on the show, so eat your words, pals.

• Moves, moves, moves. Now I’m back, now I’m out, now I’m back, now I’m out.

• Fuego hits a 630! Apparently for the first time. It lands on “Mr. Danger,” who knows that’s the time to roll out to the floor and it’s Manders’ turn to come back in. Manders holds Fuego on his shoulders a while waiting for Mathers to come back in and do a big highspot. Veda predicts that’s it for Fuego, who rolls out to the floor.

• Mathers vs Manders. Two similar names, two very different wrestlers.

• Manders hits the lariat and the right guy wins. I probably would have had “Mr. Danger” take the fall but that’s me. Swann raises Manders’ hand after the match so that people see him one more time. Veteran savvy!

• Manders also bumps fist with Mathers, a show of respect. Best of luck to Big 1 Called in Europe or wherever.

Kickoff Rumble

A bunch of God knows who’s in this match to start. Oh wait, there is a Rumble aspect in that it starts with like 20 dudes and then Crowbar comes in, followed by Zayda Steel. Crowbar has a crowbar these days, so that you know it’s Crowbar. Here comes Starboy Charlie.

Now we’ve got a Juggalo Championshit¹ Wrestling crew with 2 Tuff Tony, Violent J (he isn’t in the match), and the Backseat Boyz. Here is Sam Stackhouse, then Shane Mercer, then Brooke Havok, then CPA, then Big Vin. This isn’t meant to have, like, any form or shape or actually be a match, even a battle royal or Rumble. And now it’s PCO as the final participant, returning to GCW for the first time in nearly three years exactly, since the first Hammerstein show.

“That’s a matchup, PCO and Stackhouse.” It sure is. 2 Tuff Tony throwing nice dropkicks, what the fuck. Final four is Stackhouse, PCO, Mercer, and Brooke Havok. The small lady eliminates the enormous man. This is woke. Then Mercher launches her from the ring a great distance, and we’re down to Mercer and PCO. They stand on the apron trading shots. Mercer gets clumsily chokeslammed off and the senior citizen wins. Post-match, PCO says he’s been working in TNA and now since he doesn’t, he takes a sledgehammer to the TNA “Digital Media” belt he still holds. On the third and fourth and fifth attempts he actually hits it. They cut him off as he starts yelling about TNA because he’s SHOOTING! This is a dangerous outlaw situation here, folks.