This Saturday, Game Changer Wrestling returns to the Detroit area with GCW The Old Me. The action set to take place at Harpos Concert Theatre is nothing short of stacked, featuring not only the company’s rising stars but legendary names that have much to prove in the fast-moving environment of independent wrestling. Simply put, this will be a show to keep an eye on. Said action can be seen live in person, but for those that can’t make the trip, rest easy knowing that the entire show will air live on FITE. Without any further delay, let’s dive into the action set for the show.
GCW The Old Me – Full Card
- John Wayne Murdoch vs. Hoodfoot
- Alex Shelley vs. Nick Wayne
- Chris Dickinson vs. ACH
- Bandido vs. Joey Janela
- Minoru Suzuki vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
- The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe) vs. Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice)
- GCW Tag Team Championship: BUSSY (Allie Katch and EFFY) vs. Gringo Loco and ASF
- GCW Extreme Championship: AJ Gray (c) vs. Alex Colon
A Supercharged Encounter
For the first time in over 4 years, Chris Dickinson and ACH will share the ring. For those that don’t know, these men met numerous times in Absolute Intense Wrestling and, to a larger extent, EVOLVE Wrestling. It was in EVOLVE where they faced each other for tag team gold. Case and point, in September of 2017, Dickinson and then-tag team partner Jaka successfully defended the EVOLVE Tag Team Championship against ACH and current All Elite Wrestling star Ethan Page. At GCW The Old Me, Dickinson and ACH will wrestle their latest singles match and it’s fair to say that they’ll enter Harpos as, pardon the pun, evolved competitors.
Chris Dickinson is coming into this show with residual momentum from WrestleMania Weekend. He saw two major victories during this period, overcoming Minoru Suzuki at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8 and, the day after, Matt Cardona at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6. That particular weekend was nothing short of a showcase for “The Dirty Daddy” and it’s difficult to argue with this sentiment. Meanwhile, ACH has kept busy across the independent scene, including Major League Wrestling, where he recently contested for the MLW National Openweight Championship. ACH’s work on the indies continues to grow, and at The Old Me, he has the opportunity to pick up a sizable victory over Dickinson.
The Bad Boy Faces a World Champion
Joey Janela has been less than proactive in regard to endearing himself to the GCW faithful as of late. This dates back to February, at Welcome to Heartbreak, when he teamed with WWE Hall of Famer X-Pac to face Brian Myers and Matt Cardona. Janela and X-Pac emerged victorious, though “The Bad Boy” wasn’t content to share the spotlight with anyone. Janela proceeded to attack X-Pac, which elicited shock and jeers from the crowd in attendance. The following month, at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6, Janela picked up a victory over his former partner in their grudge match. It’s easy, as well as fair, to assume that he’ll enter Harpos Concert Theatre with those very jeers following him to the ring and back again.
Janela’s night won’t be an easy one, as he’ll take on the incomparable Bandido in singles action. Currently, Bandido holds the distinction of being Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s world titleholder, an achievement he earned back in December 2019. Additionally, he’s a former world titleholder in Ring of Honor, where he established himself as one of the company’s top stars. Whether domestically or internationally, this star luchador has been nothing short of busy throughout 2022, putting on matches against a variety of opponents. At GCW The Old Me, Bandido and Janela face off for the first time in over 3 years; their last match took place at the 2018 PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament, Bandido defeating Janela in the semifinals. Can “The Bad Boy” emerge victorious here and balance the proverbial ledger?
Two Legends Clash in Detroit
When looking at the respective careers of Minoru Suzuki and 2 Cold Scorpio, they share roughly the same length of in-ring experience. Furthermore, they’ve wrestled in not only their home countries but around the world, showcasing their unique skill sets in different platforms and capturing various championships. It may surprise people to know, then, that they’ve never wrestled in a singles contest. In fact, the only times they shared the ring were during the mid-2000s, primarily for Pro Wrestling NOAH. These were multi-man tag team contests, meaning that the spotlight wasn’t on them. Several years later, they are still wrestling. Just as importantly, they’re doing so at high levels. At GCW The Old Me, these legends will finally meet one on one.
From a stylistic standpoint, Suzuki and Scorpio are different performers. Suzuki’s in-ring approach is equal parts methodical and punishment, “The King” taking great pleasure at homing in on specific areas of the body and wearing them down. Meanwhile, Scorpio possesses a more technical approach that’s accented by high-flying techniques. For this reason alone, it will be interesting to see how they match up as opponents. Keep in mind that Suzuki’s time in America is limited, so for him to be positioned in must-see matches is vital. Scorpio is an opponent that provides a similar level of experience, as mentioned earlier, and wrestling style that’s unique enough to make this contest worth tuning in for.
GCW The Old Me will take place in Detroit, Michigan on April 23, 2022.
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 Find You Again is set to air Saturday at 8 PM EDT on FITE. Tickets are also available via Eventbrite.
