Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) has launched multiple talent-run franchises under its banner, following on the wildly successful Joey Janela’s Spring Break first launched during WrestleMania Week in 2017. Since then we’ve seen several recurring themed events from GCW, including Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, Effy’s Big Gay Brunch, Allie Kat’s Real Hot Girl Sh*t, and For The Culture (ran by AJ Gray). GCW veteran Jimmy Lloyd also has had a few of his own events, but it’s Jimmy Lloyd’s D-Generation F that has become his own franchise within the GCW community. Showcasing some of the best young talents on the indie scene, it was supposed to debut last WrestleMania Week until Covid shut everything down. Instead, it debuted at last October’s Collective, and now it returns to its WrestleMania Week slot for the second edition, kicking off the Thursday block of The Collective at 11 am EST on FITE.tv. Here’s a look at this year’s card and what to expect.
Scramble: Conan Lycan vs. Gabriel Skye vs. American Beetle vs. Hunter Drake vs. Levi Everett vs. Ninja Mack
Six young stars looking to increase their presence in 2021 will get a chance to show their stuff in a six-man scramble at D-Generation F. Conan Lycan was trained by WWE Superstar Seth Rollins at The Black & The Brave Wrestling Academy and made a name for himself with Iowa’s SCW Pro, as well as in New York with New York Championship Wrestling (NYCW), where he’s part of The Family of Freaks stable. He made his GCW debut this past January at GCW Fight Forever during the After Hours block and now returns for WrestleMania Week. Gabriel Skye is another young prospect who spent a couple of years at the CZW Dojo before breaking with the main company in 2019. He’s also worked with VxS and Beyond Wrestling and, like Lycan, debuted for GCW at GCW Fight Forever. Kaiju Big Battel‘s main baddy, Dr. Cube, is wrestling at WrestleMania Week this week, but he isn’t the only KBB star in Tampa. The Kaiju Southern Division Champion American Beetle is arriving and making his GCW debut at D-Generation F. Hunter Drake is one of IWA Mid-South’s emerging young superstars – he recently faced Jake Crist for the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship this past February. Levi Everett has become a cult favorite on the U.S. indies in a way that is reminiscent of Orange Cassidy about five years ago. The Amish grappler has found an incredibly unique and well-performed gimmick that has struck a real chord with indie fans – like Cassidy, his charisma often overshadows just how really good he is in the ring. Everett has been an Indiana indie favorite since 2017, but he really started taking off in 2019 and his pandemic year in 2020 really blew him up with many national fans. Ninja Mack is a sleeper – he’s been working with Loko Wrestling in Texas, where he’s quietly had big bangers with Mexican luchadors like Aramis, Dragon Bane, and Aéreo de Juárez.
Skye Blue vs. Billie Starkz vs. Rok-C
A huge match-up featuring three young women who are poised to become major players in the U.S. indie in the years to come. Skye Blue has been working her way amidst the Chicago area scene, where she’s competed for the likes of AAW Pro, Zelo Pro, Pro Wrestling ZERO1 USA, and Chicago Style Wrestling (CSW), and other Midwest indies like Minnesota’s F1rst Wrestling, Pennsylvania’s International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), and MPW in Texas. She recently made her National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) debut on NWA Powerrr. Billie Starkz is an absolute workhorse who has not only put in the work, but made a name for herself with the likes of Paradigm Pro Wrestling, St. Louis Anarchy, Black Label Pro, ACTION Wrestling, New Texas Pro, and GCW. Starkz is poised to be one of the breakout stars of 2021 and she’s still a teenager. Rok-C is the latest starlet to emerge from the vibrant Texas indie scene, where she’s a former Diamonds Champion with Booker T‘s Reality of Wrestling, as well as New Texas Pro, and she’s already made her debut with SHIMMER in her young career. Three explosive young stars who will undoubtedly be leaders of the scene in no time.
Atticus Cogar vs. Tre LaMar
44OH is easily one of the most hated factions in the U.S. indies right now, and aside from their leader, GCW World Champion Rickey Shane Page, Atticus Cogar is arguably the most despised face on the squad. But regardless of your thoughts on his actions, Atticus Cogar remains a vicious competitor in the ring, who has the ability to shift from deathmatch assassin to in-ring technician as the circumstances change. At D-Generation F, Atticus Cogar will be leaning more towards the latter, as he faces off against an incredible athlete in Ohio’s Tre LaMar. LaMar has his own crew he runs with, alongside PB Smooth and AJ Gray in 40 Acres, but this match appears to be a simple one-on-one encounter, as these two young studs go to war against each other. But like any match involving members of 44OH – and considering the entire crew will be in Tampa this week – it wouldn’t be a surprise to see at least one member meander down to the ring to watch over Cogar.
Juicy Finau vs. 1 Called Manders
Now this will be a Hoss fight. California’s Juicy Finau became a viral sensation last year at The Collective when he flew himself to Indiana to be part of GCW’s ring crew and ended up getting booked in the process. Since then, the lovable big man has become a regular fighter with GCW, showing surprising athleticism for a man his size. At D-Generation F, he’ll be going one-on-one with another of GCW’s studs in the “Cornfed Cowboy” 1 Called Manders, one of the members of the Second Gear Crew. Manders has been fighting all over the place the past year, with Black Label Pro, SCW Pro, Glory Pro, AAW Pro, Southern Underground Pro (SUP), No Peace Underground, and much more, taking on all challenges. This one will make the ring shake.
Jordan Oliver vs. Everett Connors
Still a young man in comparison to a lot of his peers, Jordan Oliver had an incredibly strong 2020 despite the pandemic, picking up huge wins over the likes of Nick Gage, Myron Reed, 2 Cold Scorpio, Ace Austin, ACH, AJ Gray, and Daniel Garcia. At last year’s Collective, he beat Tony Deppen in a two-hour Iron Match, and recently challenged Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at Major League Wrestling. He emerged from the pandemic era as one of the U.S. indies new aces, and at D-Generation F, he’ll be facing a name that many are already calling Oliver’s heir apparent. A regular star with St. Louis Anarchy, Everett Connors exploded earlier this year when he faced Joey Janela in his GCW debut at GCW Fight Forever. Despite taking the loss, a whole new audience saw just the kind of potential Connors has. This has all the makings for the match of the night.
The Unguided (Matt Vandagriff & Damian Drake) vs. Young Dumb N’ Broke (Charlie Tiger & Ellis Taylor)
Fans of tag team wrestling are in for a treat, as two of the indies’ best collide! The Unguided is a new team from the West Coast who are only a week away from winning the FSW Tag Team titles with Future Stars of Wrestling (FSW) in Las Vegas. While the tag team is a new unit, the two members are veterans of the Vegas indie scene. “Ace of Knaves” Matt Vandagriff has been a West Coast staple since 2017, competing in Vegas and California, where he competes for FSW, Ground Zero Pro, and more. His partner, “Harlequin of Hate” Damian Drake is a former FSW No Limits Champion who has also been a major force on the West Coast scene since 2015. These two strong singles competitors united together in early 2020, but the pandemic cut off most of their opportunities for the year. With 2021 opening up, they’ve won tag team gold and are now hungry to prove their might against the best in the country. They’re facing off against one of the U.S. indies more underrated teams in Young Dumb N’ Broke (YDNB), a faction that also features Jordan Oliver in its camp. The two representing the group will be the duo of Charlie Tiger and Ellis Taylor, who are tag team champs in their own right – the two are the current reigning AWE Tag Team Champions out of Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment (AWE). This one will be explosive.
Gino Medina vs. El Hijo de Canis Lupus
D-Generation F promises a diverse card of styles and competitors, and this match will be a true showcase of Mexican lucha libre. Gino Medina is a former 3x ROW Heavyweight Champion in Reality of Wrestling, who dominated the Texas indies over the past six years, who made the jump to MLW in 2019. Medina is a second generation luchador, as he is the son of 80s and 90s lucha star El Sanguinario, a star with the Monterrey, Mexico-based promotion Federación Internacional de Lucha Libre (FILL), who also appeared for AAA and CMLL. He also wrestled as Máscara Sagrada and Máscara Maligna on occasion. El Hijo de Canis Lupis is arriving from Mexico, where he’s a regular competitor for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and former IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and IWRG Junior de Juniors Champion. The luchador has also been a regular competitor in Japan since 2019, where he does tours with Pro Wrestling NOAH.
JJ Garrett vs. Marcus Mathers
JJ Garrett is a near 10-year pro, starting out in his home state of Iowa before breaking out into promotions like IWA Mid-South, Beyond Wrestling, and AAW Pro. Over the next few years, he became a staple on the Midwest indie circuit, adding the likes of DREAMWAVE, Freelance Wrestling, Pro Wrestling ZERO1 USA, Glory Pro, and Zelo Pro Wrestling to his travels. Long considered an underrated talent, the past couple of years has seen his profile finally reach a national audience, capped off by his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut on AEW DARK this past February. If you’re not familiar with the name Marcus Mathers yet, don’t worry – you soon will be. Mathers is a student out of Matt Tremont‘s Hardcore Hustle Organization (H2O), and over the past year has emerged as one of H2O’s star pupils. He’s a part of the stable Wasted Youth in H2O with Austin Luke and Dyln McKay, and it’s only a matter of time before Mathers becomes a breakout star nationally. This showcase against Garrett is the first step in achieving just that.
Myron Reed vs. Dante Leon
Jordan Oliver isn’t the only member of the MLW stable Injustice fighting on the card. “Hot Fire” Myron Reed is slated to compete on Thursday at D-Generation F, and the young phenom is a walking trophy case and he’s only 23 years old. The reigning Paradigm Pro Wrestling Champion, he’s also a former MLW Middleweight Champion and Glory Pro Crown of Glory Champion, who is just as adept in tag team situations as he is an explosive singles force – he’s held tag team gold in AAW Pro, Glory Pro, IWA Mid-South, and Rockstar Pro. There is very little that Reed can’t do. Dante Leon is another Texas product and pupil of Seth Rollins at The Black & The Brave Academy, and has been a rising star in the Iowa scene over the past few years. He’s reawho was trained by WWE Superstar Seth Rollins at The Black & The Brave Wrestling Academylly starting to bust out nationally, working for AAW Pro, Freelance Wrestling, and Violence x Suffering (VxS), and this match-up against Myron Reed is arguably the biggest match of his young career.
Jimmy Lloyd vs. Starboy Charlie
This match-up was originally slated for last year’s WrestleMania Week edition of D-Generation F, but the pandemic wiped that one out. While Starboy Charlie did return for the rescheduled one in October, he instead faced off against Blake Christian instead. But now “The Different Boy” and the Starboy will finally get the chance to have that match that was already anticipated a year ago. Jimmy Lloyd has gone from one of GCW’s rising prospects to one of its greatest gatekeepers over the past five years, and has proven time and time again he has the capabilities to keep up with any type of match. While he thrives amongst the blood and broken glass of the deathmatch environment, he’ll have to switch gears just a bit to contain someone like Starboy Charlie. Starboy is only 18 years old, but he’s already a near 10-year veteran – he started training when he was only 11, and as a 16-year old, he scored huge wins over Jake Atlas and West Coast legend B-Boy on his native West Coast circuit. This is truly a David vs Goliath match in many ways, as the ultraviolence of “The Different Boy” faces off against the much smaller high flyer, but it should be a fantastic match with an even better story.
Nolan Edward vs. Daniel Garcia
Arguably the most eagerly anticipated match-up of the card, this not only has Match of the Night makings, but Match of the Week. Michigan’s Nolan Edward had an absolutely explosive 2020, with a fearless style in the ring that has made him an instant star with the likes of ICW No Holds Barred, PPW, ACTION Wrestling, No Peace Underground, and many more. He’s even competed on recent editions of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport. Daniel Garcia has cemented himself as one of the great young stars in Pure wrestling, all while returning from a catastrophic injury that made many wonder if he’d wrestle again. Since his return to the ring in June 2019, Garcia has been a machine in the ring, and now holds the top title in three different promotions in two countries – he’s the Empire State Wrestling (ESW) Heavyweight Champion in his home town of Buffalo, the C4 Champion for Capital City Championship Combat (C4) in Ottawa, Canada, and he just recently won the Limitless World Championship in Maine. In the past year, he’s also made his debut with AEW on several episodes of AEW DARK as well as debuting with WWE on an episode of NXT. The sky is the limit for both of these men, but on Thursday April 8, it will be a dogfight of the highest degree.
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Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch GCW ‘Jimmy Lloyd’s D-Generation F’ on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 11am EST on FITE.tv, either individually or as part of the FITE Collective Bundle.
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