Less than two weeks removed from their Curtain Call for Joey Janela, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) is back home in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Saturday, October 12 with No Sleep. Another stacked card featuring a plethora of GCW regulars with some returning faces, all airing live on FITE.tv on PPV.
Jimmy Lloyd vs. Blake Christian vs. Shane Mercer vs. Jordan Oliver vs. KTB vs. Jon Silver
A six man match that has a bit of everything. “The Different Boy” Jimmy Lloyd is coming off a strong showing against Joey Janela at Janela’s Curtain Call last month and is really progressing from being “just a deathmatch” guy. Blake Christian was one of GCW’s gem discoveries of 2019 and has been tearing it up ever since his debut. Shane Mercer has immense power and hits hard, while Jordan Oliver is a reckless daredevil with attitude. KTB is a veteran big hoss and Jon Silver is a master in the ring. Should make for a fun combination of styles.
Jake Atlas vs. Ophidian
West Coast indie sensation Jake Atlas has been on a meteoric rise since debuting in 2016. He rose through such West Coast indies as All Pro Wrestling (APW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Bar Wrestling, and PCW ULTRA and got his first national exposure with GCW’s Joey Janela’s LA Confidential last November. Now he’s exploding in the US indies, working with AAW, RISE, Glory Pro, as well as in the UK and Ireland with Fight Club: PRO and Over the Top (OTT) Wrestling. He’s also worked several IMPACT events the past year as well as a recent appearance in Ring of Honor. He faces a legend of the US indies in CHIKARA‘s Ophidian. Ophidian is coming in hot from captaining the winning trio at King of Trios and he’s become a regular combatant with GCW of late as well. Now that the CHIKARA veteran is working far more promotions, he’s set to prove himself as one of the best in the world.
Tony Deppen vs. SHLAK
It’s a David vs Goliath battle, but Tony Deppen has more tricks in his bag than just a slingshot. Deppen has been a soldier for GCW for ages now and might be their most reliable worker – he’s faced a lot of diverse talent in his tenure with the promotion. That versatility was probably a reason he was selected for his first Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) Battle of Los Angeles this year. He’s facing another longtime GCW veteran in the monster SHLAK. SHLAK is an angry man who likes to break things. And people.
Alex Zayne vs. Zachary Wentz
Another of GCW’s independent discoveries, Alex Zayne is exploding in the US indies (and is preparing to head to Europe and China). A gifted aerialist who is innovative and thrill-seeking, Zayne is in for a huge 2020. He’s facing off against a pretty good flyer himself, in The Rascalz‘ Zachary Wentz. Wentz is making his regular GCW show debut, although he made his first mark with GCW as part of Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport II, where he lost to Anthony Henry. This could be the match of the night.
Alex Colon vs. Rich Swann
Alex Colon could be GCW’s MVP of 2019 so far. The man has had some absolute wars in GCW for the past year, against the likes of Nick Gage, Joe Gacy, Jimmy Lloyd and an army of some of the toughest Japanese deathmatchers like Jun Kusai, Daisuke Masaoka, Masashi Takeda and Toshiyuki Sakuda. He also won this year’s GCW Tournament of Survival in a battle against G-Raver. On Saturday night, you’ll see just how good a wrestler Alex Colon is, when he faces off against former IMPACT X-Division Champion and WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann. Swann has really refound himself since leaving the WWE, both with IMPACT Wrestling and the high profile indie matches he’s been having like this.
Chris Dickinson vs. EFFY
Two of the hottest US indie stars of 2019, clash for the first time! Chris Dickinson has had a long and reputable career in the US indies, starting out in the early 2000s, but it really feels like he’s peaking this past year. A longtime veteran of Beyond Wrestling and EVOLVE Wrestling, he was a tag team specialist with Jaka in Doom Patrol. Since the team quietly dissolved, Dickinson has had a monster year with classics against Wheeler YUTA, Josh Barnett, Kris Statlander, Timothy Thatcher, and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, to name a few. His opponent, EFFY, has had a meteoric 2019 – even more so considering how vilified he was last year when he made headlines when he wrestled Bayley/NXT “Superfan” Izzy. Originally out of the Florida indie circuit, EFFY made a huge national jump in the past year, working for the likes of GCW, Freelance Wrestling, Black Label Pro, RISE and Premiere Wrestling eXperience (PWX). EFFY has also been given his own hosting show for next year’s WrestleMania week, EFFY’S Big Gay Brunch.
Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Tremont
Now national television star Orange Cassidy of All Elite Wrestling, Cassidy still has several independent dates left. The Clown Prince of Lethargy was originally slated to face Mance Warner, but recent health issues have forced him to withdraw. In his place, is former GCW and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) World Champion Matt Tremont. “The Bulldozer” is one of the new Kings of American hardcore and the ultraviolence.
GCW World Championship: Nick Gage (c) vs. Matthew Justice
While Rickey Shane Page travels the world with Nick Gage‘s stolen world championship belt, Gage continues to defend his absent crown. On Saturday, it will be his 666th day as GCW World Champion, so its something he’s defended handidly. The challenger on Saturday is Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) Intense Champion Matthew Justice. Justice is a veteran of the East Coast and Midwest indies, having also spent time with New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) and Pennsylvania’s International Wrestling Cartel (IWC). This past year has seen him debut with new promotions, like GCW, Black Label Pro and IWA Mid South, as he continues to build momentum.
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 No Sleep live on Saturday, October 12 at 8pm EST on FITE.tv.
