Game Changer Wrestling (GCW)‘s next event in the Joey Janela series (that includes the WrestleMania week staple, Joey Janela’s Spring Bash, and this past summers, Joey Janela’s Lost in New York) continues this coming Friday when GCW makes it’s California debut in Los Angeles with Joey Janela’s LA Confidential. Like previous Janela-branded events, it features unique dream match-ups and inter-generational showdowns and is sure to be another can’t miss event with big moments and top notch performances. The event is now officially sold out, but it can be watched live on Fite.tv. Here’s a rundown of Friday’s card.
GCW Joey Janela LA Confidential
Tony Deppen vs. “Jungle Boy” Nate Coy
Tony Deppen is a 5-year pro who has really emerged as one of GCW’s top guys the past two years, as well as seeing his star rise quickly within the ranks of other promotions like Beyond Wrestling and CHIKARA this year. He’s facing one of the West Coast indie scene’s best-kept secrets in the acrobatic “Jungle Boy” Nate Coy, who is getting his first big opportunity on a national scale. Jungle Boy has the chance of being the third breakout star of 2018 to emerge from a Joey Janela event, following in the footsteps of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2 comeback star PCO and Joey Janela’s Lost in New York viral sensation Marko Stunt.
Scramble Match: Jimmy Lloyd vs. Kikutaro vs. Facade vs. Chase Owens vs. Eli Everfly vs. Delilah Doom
It wouldn’t be a proper Joey Janela card with at least one “random AF” match and this is it. Six wrestlers with differing styles will meet in one heckuva Scramble match out in Los Angeles on Friday night. Jimmy Lloyd is one of the new faces of American hardcore, cutting his teeth (and busting his body) in GCW and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW); Japanese comedic wrestling legend Kikutaro is always entertaining in group situations; Midwest indie star Facade is on a comeback and no better place than on a Janela special event; the former “Crown Jewel” of Bullet Club, Chase Owens, adds some spice to the mix; Eli Everfly is an aerial daredevil that needs to be seen to be believed; and Delilah Doom is one of the top emerging stars in women’s wrestling and is a former SHIMMER Tag Team Champion with Leva Bates and the current reigning Inspire Pro Undefinable Champion (she unified the Inspire XX Division title with the Inspire Pro Junior Crown titles this past May). She’s also no stranger to intergender wrestling, as she tags with fellow Scramble competitor Eli Everly in DoomFly.
KTB vs. “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu
KTB (or Kyle The Beast) has been a GCW regular since he debuted in 2013 (it was still Jersey Championship Wrestling when he began with the company), and is a former GCW World Heavyweight Champion and GCW Tag Team Champion with Monsta Mack in The Beast Squad. Since his 2013 debut, he’s also gone on to work with many top level indies, including EVOLVE, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Beyond Wrestling, IWA Mid South and more. At Joey Janela’s Lost in New York, it was KTB’s open challenge that resulted in the GCW debut of Marko Stunt and the moment that made the diminutive aerialist a viral overnight sensation. His opponent is a West Coast indie veteran and member of the famed Anoa’i family, “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu. The son of former WWE Superstar Tonga Kid (aka Tama, one of The Islanders with Haku), he was trained by his uncle Rikishi at the Knokx Pro Academy in California in 2012. He’s a singles star with All Pro Wrestling (APW), where he’s the newly crowned APW Universal Heavyweight Champion and also works with PCW ULTRA, where he holds the tag titles alongside Josef The Almighty Sheik.
Penelope Ford vs. Human Tornado
While Joey Janela won’t be able to compete at his namesake event due to his injury, his better half is bringing the fight. Penelope Ford, Janela’s tag partner in Janelope, is no slouch herself and one of the hardest hitting women on the circuit today. She recently faced Jazz for the NWA Women’s Championship at the NWA 70th PPV, and has been working the likes of Beyond Wrestling, Women’s Wrestling Revolution, Queens of Combat, Shine, GCW and much more. She’s facing off against a West Coast indie legend in Human Tornado, who debuted in the early 2000s as an early star for West Coast promotions like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF), Revolution Pro Wrestling USA (RPW), and Alternative Wrestling Show (AWS). The former 2x PWG World Heavyweight Champion had recently retired from the business but is coming out for one more showcase.
Marko Stunt vs. DJ Z
Marko Stunt returns to GCW for this third appearance for the company that helped propel him to internet darling at Lost in New York. He won his last GCW match, a Fatal Four Way against Gringo Loco, KTB and Matt Travis, at September’s Live Fast, Die Young event, but now he’s returning to California for the first time since competing in a #1 Contenders match for the PCW ULTRA Light Heavyweight title at PCW ULTRA Possessed a few weeks back. He’ll get a huge opportunity to compare his high flying ability with one of the best of the past few years in that category, IMPACT Wrestling‘s former 2x X-Division Champion DJ Z. The LA native is a 14-year veteran of the indies, as well as spending the last seven with IMPACT Wrestling. A great match-up that could be match of the night.
“All Ego” Ethan Page vs. D’Lo Brown
Another inter-generational match-up, “All Ego” Ethan Page – who captured two championships last week – will be returning in his never ending battle with the mind games of Joey Janela. Ever since he wrestled at the first Joey Janela’s Spring Break in the Clusterf**k Battle Royale, Janela has been trying to mentally break Janela. This time, in a “Battle for Ethan’s Soul”, Page will be facing off against a former WWE legend and 4x WWF European Champion D’Lo Brown, a man who actually beat Janela himself earlier this year at Black Label Pro‘s National Slampoon’s Wrestling Vacation in August.
Hardcore Holly vs. Brody King
One of the toughest men of the Attitude Era takes on one of the toughest men in the indie circuit today in what’s sure to be a hard hitting affair. Hardcore Holly has remained busy on the indie circuit around the world since departing the WWE in 2008, working with the likes of All American Wrestling (AAW), Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), MCW Pro, and many more. He’s also worked the UK indies for several years now as well, working with Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), Southside Wrestling Entertainment (SWE), and Preston City Wrestling (PCW) among others. The former 3x WWE Tag Team Champion and 6x WWE Hardcore Champion is in for a tough fight, as he faces one of the West Coast’s breakout indie stars in big man Brody King. King is only three years into the business – he was a successful metal musician in the band God’s Hate prior – but he’s become one of the most in-demand big men and breakout stars of 2018. An athletic talent for a man his size, he was trained in California at the Santino Bros. School, and cut his teeth on the West Coast indie circuit with EWF, Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, APW, Bar Wrestling and more, making his PWG debut earlier this year. This will be intense and an absolute slobber knocker.
GCW World Championship: Nick Gage (c) vs. David Arquette
A match so unimaginable that it was perfect. On one side, was one of the most insane and violent men in the history of pro wrestling, an icon of American hardcore, the GCW World Champion Nick Gage. A 4x CZW World Champion and a sadistic ring warrior who has won CZW’s Tournament of Death (2006), GCW’s Tournament of Survial (2017), and IWA Mid South’s King of Death Matches (2018). The lord of the ultraviolence was as serious as they come, with no time for tomfoolery or comedy – he came for blood. On the other side, it’s the most scorned WCW World Champion of all time. That’s right, Hollywood actor David Arquette will be lacing up the boots against Nick F’n Gage. This time though, Arquette has been learning his craft, working the indies in a tag team with RJ City and doing a pretty admirable job at it – he’s even appearing on the IMPACT One Night Only: BCW XXV that premiers this Friday as well on the GWN App. Regardless, Arquette was a fun replacement for original opponent Joey Ryan, who had to pull out to a suspected torn pectoral muscle.
The main event is another of the generational dream matches that the Janela series – and GCW in general – have become famous for. Japanese icon (and Michinoku Pro co-founder) The Great Sasuke returns to GCW following his loss to Joey Janela at this year’s Spring Break event, and the near 30-year veteran will be facing another innovator in his own right. His opponent on Friday is US indie pioneer Amazing Red. Although born in Puerto Rico, Red was raised in New York and has become synonymous with the New York indie scene – one of his first companies he worked for in 2001 was actually JCW (GCW’s former identity). A 3x IMPACT X-Division Champion, Amazing Red was one of the early indie stars who signed with TNA in its infancy, alongside other stars like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. In 2012, Red gave back to the community that developed him, co-founding House of Glory (HOG), a promotion considered one of the elite indie promotions in the New York area. A generational dream match of the highest calibre, this will be a match that will have people talking all weekend.
GCW Joey Janela LA Confidential
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