Live from The Showboat in Atlantic City, it’s GCW Homecoming Part 1! Game Changer Wrestling is set to return to its home of New Jersey with a show spanning the entire weekend. Anyone that has ever seen or attended GCW Homecoming Weekend last year will attest to the sheer volume of talent involved. These are where many of GCW’s most prolific matches take place. It has also showcased well-known, up-and-coming, and underrated talent alike. This show has shaped up to become perhaps the best yet. Without any further delay, here is what to expect heading into GCW Homecoming Part 1.
Full GCW Homecoming Part 1 Card
- Scramble Match: Dante Leon vs. Atticus Cogar vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Brayden Lee vs. Jordan Oliver vs. Shane Mercer
- 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Grim Reefer
- Marko Stunt vs. Starboy Charlie
- AJ Gray vs. Nolan Edward
- GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Alex Colon (c) vs. Drew Parker
- GCW Tag Team Championship: G-Raver and Jimmy Lloyd (c) vs. Second Gear Crew (Matthew Justice and Mance Warner)
- GCW World Championship: Nick Gage (c) vs. Matt Cardona
A First-Time Bout Between Two Veterans
In one of the first matches announced for GCW Homecoming Part 1, two pro wrestling veterans will square off for the first time. 2 Cold Scorpio is a man who needs no introduction. From Extreme Championship Wrestling to the World Wrestling Federation to the independent wrestling world at large, Scorpio’s body of work is nothing short of impressive. He’s also been a semiregular competitor for GCW, most recently taking on Chris Dickinson at the promotion’s Outlaw Mudshow event. Scorpio has been touted as an innovator, due to his high-flying, fast-paced offense. The fact that he continues to wrestle at the pace he does, at 55 years of age no less, speaks to his legendary status.
At GCW Homecoming Part 1, Scorpio will face, for the first time, an indie wrestling stalwart in Grim Reefer. Though not as well-known by the wrestling masses as the 4x ECW World Television Champion, Reefer has been a mainstay of the Northeast wrestling scene for over two decades. Reefer trained under Homicide and began wrestling in the late 1990s, earning multiple accolades along the way. These have been especially prevalent in Fight the World Wrestling, based in Long Island, New York; it was here where Reefer became a 5x FTW Gen-X Champion and 3x World Heavyweight Champion; as of this writing, he holds the most reigns for each title. As his name suggests, this NY native isn’t shy about lighting one up during a match. However, he’ll have to be at the top of his game if he plans on picking up a victory over Scorpio.
Ultraviolent Mayhem at GCW Homecoming Part 1
Another match to keep an eye on will see the GCW Ultraviolent Championship put on the line. Alex Colon is among the most popular wrestlers in Game Changer Wrestling. He is the only threepeat Tournament of Survival winner, having won it in 2019, 2020, and earlier this year. Furthermore, he is the current reigning GCW Ultraviolent Champion. Colon won the title at GCW Planet Death this past April, besting Lucky 13 in a match to declare the first-ever titleholder. Since then, the self-proclaimed “Best of the Best” has kept a stranglehold on the title, most recently defending it against AJ Gray at GCW’s You Only Die Once event. At Homecoming Part 1, Colon will, once again, put the belt on the line. His opponent is a deathmatch enthusiast, in his own right, that will be wrestling his first GCW match in over a year.
For those that watch puroresu, specifically Big Japan Pro-Wrestling, Drew Parker should be a familiar name. From boards wrapped in barbed wire to light tubes, along with various other foreign objects, Parker’s work overseas must be seen to be believed. Not unlike his GCW Homecoming Part 1 opponent, Parker has his own deathmatch tournament experience. Earlier this year, he won BJW’s Ikkitousen Death Match Survivor tournament, besting 7x Death Match Heavyweight Champion Ryuji Ito in the finals. Simply put, Homecoming Part 1 won’t be “The Urchin Prince’s” first foray into the more sadistic side of wrestling. Nonetheless, a win over a seasoned deathmatch wrestler the likes of Colon would be monumental for the young Parker. In other words, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
A Major Main Event Title Encounter
A bitter feud that began during the spring will finally reach its tipping point at GCW Homecoming Part 1. To say that the feud between GCW World Champion Nick Gage and “Always Ready” Matt Cardona has been heated would be an understatement. What began as social media interactions quickly spiraled into real-world altercations. Whether at the conclusion of GCW Zombie Walk or a potential fistfight at a live podcast event, Gage and Cardona showed that they were not fans of one another. Cardona hasn’t helped matters, either, stoking the flames by calling GCW fans “The GCW Universe.” Gage wasn’t exactly innocent by referring to Cardona by his WWE ring name; a sore spot, one would assume. It could be argued that their feud, leading up to Homecoming Part 1, is worthy of a column all its own.
Of all the opponents that Nick Gage has defended the GCW World Championship against, Matt Cardona may be the most interesting. In the eyes of many independent wrestling fans, Cardona is as far removed from the heart of GCW as a wrestler could be. To loyal fans of the company, he’s less of a traditional pro wrestler and more of a “sports entertainment” character. This would make the idea of a GCW World title win for Cardona all the more perplexing. Will Gage leave Atlantic City still the GCW World Champion? If not – and if Cardona manages to pry the belt “The King of Ultraviolence” holds so dear – don’t be surprised to see a riot break out at The Showboat. It all comes down to this at Homecoming Part 1.
GCW Homecoming Part 1 will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 24, 2021.
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. GCW Homecoming Part 1 is set to air Saturday at 8 PM EST on FITE. Tickets for the event are also available via Eventbrite.
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