GCW The Art of War Games 3 Night 1: Team GCW vs. Team FREEDOMS

Originally published at GCW The Art of War Games 3 Night 1: Team GCW vs. Team FREEDOMS

GCW The Art of War Games 3 Night 1

Saturday, October 7, 2023

The Terminal 

Showboat Hotel

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Singles Match: Alec Price vs. Tony Deppen 

The match began with each man evading the other’s incoming offense. Alec used his quickness and agility to evade some of Tony’s moves before they went into the fish-out-of-water spot. Tony went to the floor after successfully ducking a superkick attempt from Alec Price. Deppen then booted Price in the gut and beat him down in the corners of the ring. Tony sent Price into the corner, but Price managed to get his boot up and took Deppen off his feet with a big springboard crossbody. Price followed up with a running knee, but he got caught in the ring ropes, where Deppen kneed him in the face. Deppen hit Price with a snap brainbuster, but it only resulted in a two-count. Tony tied Price up on the canvas with various submission moves, but Price managed to fire up and hit Tony with a snap dragon suplex, followed by an attempted dive to the floor. Deppen was able to break up the momentum, but Price responded with a springboard DDT for a close near fall.

Deppen was once again hit with a series of running knees, followed by a big leg lariat off the top for another close near fall. Deppen blocked a strike and locked Price in the crossface chicken wing, stomped on his arm, and kicked him in the face. He then planted him with a brainbuster, but Price once again kicked out. Deppen attempted to lock in the crossface chicken wing again, but Price backed him up into the corner and hit him with a series of elbows. Price rushed in for another strike, but Deppen elevated him to the apron. Price tried to come back with a springboard maneuver, but Deppen pushed him to the floor and hit him with a powerbomb on the apron. Deppen rolled Price back into the ring and connected with a top-rope double stomp, but Price kicked out again.

Deppen lowered his knee pad and called for a running knee, but Price moved out of the way and connected with a superkick, followed by a ripcord head kick. Deppen pushed the referee in the way as Price rushed in, using that as a distraction to low blow Price and hit him with a shining wizard, but it still wasn’t enough to put Price away. Deppen connected with another head kick, followed by a top-rope rana, but Price countered with a big rebound lariat. Price went for a dropkick, but Deppen moved out of the way, only to be hit with a rope walk head kick, followed by the surprise kick for the victory.

Alec Price Defeated Tony Deppen 

Non-Title Four Way Match: Jack Cartwheel vs. Joey Janela vs. Masha Slamovich vs. JCW Champion Jordan Oliver 

Jack evaded everyone’s offense with a series of cartwheels. However, when he attempted a celebratory cartwheel, they all countered with a basement dropkick. Joey leveled Masha with two dropkicks, sending her to the apron. Oliver and Janela started to work each other over. Joey was tossed with a big hip toss, followed by a lariat that sent him to the floor.

Oliver and Cartwheel paired off, with Oliver taking a high-impact neckbreaker. Cartwheel’s momentum was abruptly halted when Masha Slamovich turned him inside out with a lariat. Masha then hit him with a series of snap suplexes and transitioned into a cross-arm breaker. Oliver broke it up, only to find himself locked in an ankle lock. Joey returned to the ring and ducked a lariat but was tripped up and caught in a cross-arm breaker as well.

Cartwheel hit Masha with a cartwheel powerslam and then launched himself to the floor with a Sasuke special, only to be met with double superkicks from Janela and Oliver. Masha leveled Joey with a Capo kick, but she couldn’t attempt a pin as Oliver broke it up and lit her up with a series of chops. Masha was positioned in the opposite corner, and as Oliver rushed in, he ate a kick from Masha. He quickly recovered and hit her with a boot, followed by the Acid Bomb, but Cartwheel broke the pin-up.

Cartwheel hit Oliver with a rolling Death Valley Driver and climbed to the top rope. Masha cut him off, and Joey used her back as a base to hit Oliver with a Spiral Tap. Joey broke the pin attempt up with a Death Valley Driver onto the entire pile but was quickly met with an air raid crash in the corner from Masha. Cartwheel sent Masha into the opposite corner and hit her with a double cartwheel back elbow. He went for it again, but Masha moved out of the way, and Oliver hit him with a cloutcutter. Oliver went for the cover, but Masha broke it up. Joey then spiked her with a piledriver, and Oliver leveled Joey with an Acid Kick. Cartwheel hit Oliver with a crucifix bomb as everyone was laid out on the mat.

Masha and Cartwheel traded fists in the center of the ring, with Oliver joining the fray. Joey took everyone out with a series of clotheslines. He launched all three of them into the corner and hit each of them with running uppercuts. Cartwheel was planted with a brainbuster. Joey placed Cartwheel on the top rope, and Oliver powerbombed Joey, following it up with a leaping Acid Kick onto Cartwheel. Oliver climbed to the top rope and hit Cartwheel with a rana, while Joey caught Jack in mid-air and powerbombed him on the way down. Joey finished off Cartwheel with a big top rope double stomp for the victory. This match was an absolute sprint, packing a lot of action into a short amount of time.

Joey Janela Defeated Jack Cartwheel, Masha Slamovich, and Jordan Oliver 

Singles Match: Charles Mason vs. Richard Holliday 

Richard attacked Mason before the bell rang and pummeled him with a series of punches. Mason managed to regain his footing and retaliated with a chop to Richard’s throat, temporarily slowing down Richard’s assault. As the bell rang, Richard bounced Mason’s face off the top turnbuckle and followed up with a powerful slam. He continued his attack with repeated forearm strikes to the back of Mason’s neck and took him down with another lariat.

Richard then sent Mason to the floor and attempted a dive, but Parrow intervened. Richard punched Parrow in the face and tried the dive again, only for Mason to spit water in his face and execute a DDT on the apron. Parrow capitalized on the opportunity and delivered a powerbomb on the ring frame. Mason controlled the match, battering Richard around ringside, before bringing him back into the ring and connecting with a ripcord lariat. He unleashed a flurry of chops on Richard and locked in a sleeper hold, but Richard escaped by twisting Mason’s ankle.

Parrow sent Richard into the ring post and offered him up to Mason, who choked Richard with his tie. Mason executed a top rope Death Valley Driver, but Richard miraculously kicked out at the last second. Mason, frustrated, focused on Richard’s neck with a series of punishing lariats. Richard rallied and answered with a barrage of chops, followed by a powerful spinebuster. He subjected Mason to repeated corner splashes and locked him in a torture rack.

Parrow hopped onto the apron, creating a distraction. Mason dismounted from Richard’s shoulders, bit him in the face, and then stacked him up on the top rope. For some inexplicable reason, Parrow knocked Mason out of the way and suffered a second rope powerbomb from Richard. This spot seemed to serve primarily as a showcase of Richard’s strength.

Richard continued his offense with a spinning neckbreaker, but the referee’s slow count frustrated him. In a surprising turn, Mason secured a roll-up victory after the referee performed a fast count.

Charles Mason Defeated Richard Holliday 

10-Person Tag: SG(Super)Cunt (Manders, Mance Warner, BUSSY, Sawyer Wreck) vs. Cole Radrick, Brayden Toon, Marcus Mathers, Dylan McKay, Shane Mercer 

Everyone began brawling around ringside, and SG (Super) Cunt’s members all entered the ring wearing shirts that said “Cunt”, which was a great bit. Manders and Warner teamed up to target Toon in the ring, but Toon managed to rally briefly and delivered a series of lariats to the former tag team champions. Cole attacked Katch on the floor with a broom, while Mathers and McKay took down Mancer with a double dropkick, clearing the ring. They attempted dives, but BUSSY interrupted with their running hip attack combinations. Radrick tried to cut BUSSY off, but EFFY thwarted him with a spear.

Mercer returned to the ring and faced off with Sawyer Wreck, with both taking each other down with a double clothesline. EFFY also reentered the ring and landed a big boot, followed by the “Under the Rainbow” move. Katch placed Mercer on her shoulders, but he countered with a rana, and EFFY followed with the “Moonsault and Battery.” Manders broke up the pin attempt but was taken off his feet with a moonsault from Toon. Mathers and McKay hit Katch with a Meltzer Driver, but EFFY returned just in time to break up the pin.

“Wasted Youth” struck EFFY with a double superkick, and Sawyer returned to the ring to deliver forearm shots and headbutts to them. Cole attempted to take on Sawyer, but she cut him off and goozled him. SGC executed a “Sabu’d” move on Wasted Youth, while Katch hit Radrick with a “Heatseeker.” McKay managed to take Wreck and Manders off their feet with a Moonsault Press but was quickly hit with the “Sack Ryder” from EFFY for the victory.

SG(Super)Cunt Defated Cole Radrick, Brayden Toon, Marcus Mathers, Dyln McKay, and Shane Mercer

GCW Championship Match: GCW Champion Blake Christian vs. Jimmy Lloyd 

Jimmy attacked Blake before the bell rang, hitting him with a piledriver and immediately going for a pin attempt. However, Blake managed to kick out. Jimmy then went under the ring and retrieved a door, but Blake intercepted him, slid the door out of the ring, and unleashed a flurry of punches on Jimmy.

Blake skillfully evaded some of Jimmy’s offense and sent him flying into the corner with a big dropkick, followed by a running crossbody. Blake attempted a curb stomp, but Jimmy moved out of the way and took Blake out with a dive to the floor. Jimmy picked up the door, but Blake launched himself to the outside, colliding with Jimmy and the door. Blake bounced Jimmy’s head off the door on the floor and proceeded to drag him around ringside.

Inside the ring, Blake continued his beatdown with a series of chops and forearms. He followed up with a rolling thunder and more stomps and kicks. Jimmy, however, managed to counter with an STO and a leaping neckbreaker. Jimmy then introduced another door into the ring.

As Matt Cardona’s music played, Jimmy went to the floor, where Blake hit him with a big Fosbury Flop followed by a springboard hip attack, nearly securing the victory. Finally, Blake nailed Jimmy with the curb stomp to claim the win.

Blake Christian Retained the GCW World Championship

Art of War Games Match: Team GCW (GCW Ultraviolent Champion RIna Yamashita, NIck Gage, Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, and John Wayne Murdoch). Vs. Team FREEDOMS (Jun Kasai, Masashi Takeda, Takashi Sasaki, Toru Sugiura, Violento Jack)

Rules: Traditional War Games rules, eliminations can occur via pinfall, submission, ref stoppage, getting thrown off the scaffold 

Takeda and Yamashita were the first two entrants for their teams. This match was contested under traditional War Games rules, with Team FREEDOMs winning the coin toss before the broadcast. Takeda threw a bundle of tubes at Rina and then took a bump on a bunch of tubes for good measure. He grabbed his giant scissors and started to stab away at the champion’s forehead. Rina wrestled the scissors away from Takeda and stabbed him in the head, starting to carve away at his forehead. Rina broke a tube over her head and proceeded to eat some of the glass. Takeda then hit Rina over the head with an unprotected chairshot and continued to cut away at her forehead with a broken end of a tube.

Toru was the next man in, running wild on Rina with more tube shots, causing the champion to bleed even more. Rina was repeatedly rammed headfirst into the cage as she tried to fire up on Takeda and Toru with palm strikes. However, Toru grabbed hold of her and drove her down into the mat with a suplex.

John Wayne Murdoch was the next man in, running wild on both members of Team FREEDOMs with a bundle of tubes to their heads. Takeda and Murdoch paired off in one of the rings, trading tube shots. Murdoch continued to work over Takeda’s forehead with repeated punches. Toru tried to come to his partner’s aid but was met with a bundle over his head for his efforts.

Violento Jack was the next man in, marching right over to the second ring and planting Murdoch with a tube-assisted STO. He then placed both Murdoch and Rina on his shoulders and hit them with a tandem Samoan Drop.

Miedo Extremo was in next, climbing up the scaffold and coming off the top with a big senton onto Team FREEDOMs. He planted Takeda with a brainbuster onto a pile of broken glass and hit Toru with a suplex. Rina came off the top rope and splashed Toru for good measure. Miedo and Violento paired off in the first ring, with Miedo working over Violento’s forehead with a barbed wire baseball bat. Toru fired up and took Rina and Murdoch out with repeated chairshots, while Takeda hit them with a bundle of tubes.

Takashi Sasaki made his way into the double cage, playing with the crowd as Miedo and Rina waited for him. Despite the advantage, Sasaki took them both out with spinning wheel kicks and a running lariat to Rina. Murdoch went to town on Sasaki’s forehead with repeated tube shots. Takeda came to his partner’s aid and beat Murdoch down with a combination of kicks and broken glass.

Miedo was hit in the stomach with the barbed wire bat as Ciclope made his way into the ring, grabbed a bundle of tubes, and threw them at Takeda’s head. He then gave Sasaki a spinebuster into the glass for good measure. Los Macizos put Toru through a pane of glass with a Doomsday Device, and then they turned their attention to Sasaki.

Jun Kasai’s music hit, and the roof blew off the Showboat. Jun smashed a tube over his head, ran through a bundle of tubes that Los Macizos were holding, and took them both out with a double clothesline. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a bundle of skewers, driving them into Miedo and Ciclope’s heads and giving them a double DDT. Toru set up a pane of glass in the corner.

Prazak: Look at that blood on that beautiful shower door

Pause

Emil Jay: If you’ve heard that sentence before man (Prazak laughs), you’ve lived a life

Toru’s back was badly torn up as he continued to work over Rina in the corner. The crowd was buzzing, chanting MDK, as we all waited in anticipation for the arrival of the God. Miedo fired up and hit everyone with an unprotected chairshot, but Violento Jack responded with one of his own, giving Jun the opening to hit Miedo with a DDT onto a pile of glass. Ciclope threw a giant bundle at Toru as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” rang out in the terminal.

Dewey Donovan entered first as Gage was mobbed by the GCW universe. Gage made his way into the ring, officially starting The Art of War Games. Everyone started throwing fists as the match officially began. Gage was backdropped into a pane of glass in the corner, and Takeda came off the top rope with a somersault senton, going for a pin on Gage, but Ciclope broke it up. Murdoch set up a bundle in the center of the ring and hit Takeda with a Deep South Destroyer, but Violento Jack broke up the pin attempt. Rina grabbed her title belt and hit Kasai over the head with it, while Murdoch hit Violento Jack with a running knee that sent him through a pane of glass. Murdoch was clutching his arm as he went for the pin on Jack, but Jack was able to kick out at the last second. Jack leveled Murdoch with a lariat, followed by a package piledriver for the first elimination of the match.

Takeda worked over Gage’s forehead with a broken piece of tube, while Sasaki and Violento Jack hit Ciclope with a double suplex in the center of the ring, which was covered with broken glass. Jack splashed Los Macizo’s in the corner as Sasaki kicked a bunch of tubes into Miedo’s midsection. Sasaki and Jack hit Ciclope with the Power and Glory, but Ciclope was able to kick out. Gage was sent face-first into the steel cage, and Sasaki placed a bundle of tubes across Ciclope’s chest but took too much time as Miedo grabbed the bundle and broke it over Sasaki’s head. Ciclope went to the top and hit Sasaki with a tube-assisted moonsault for the second elimination.

Jack and Ciclope climbed up to the scaffold and both went off through a contraption of tubes and doors on the floor for the next series of eliminations. Takeda set up a glass bridge in the center of the ring and drove Miedo headfirst through the pane of glass, but Miedo kicked out. Takeda picked Miedo up again and dumped him on the back of his head onto a pile of tubes for another elimination.

Rina hit Takeda with a Gin and Tonic, but Toru broke the pin up with a tube across her head. Toru tried to get Rina up, but she fought out of it and sent him through the door with an Air Raid crash. Ciclope had to be helped to the back. Rina climbed to the top of the scaffold, and Toru met her up there. They traded fists, and Rina locked in the testicular claw, hitting Toru over the head with a tube which sent him crashing off the top through doors covered in tubes for another elimination.

Kasai met Rina up on top of the scaffolding, and Rina locked in the claw once again, but Kasai tossed her off the top back into the ring and hit her with a big splash off the top for the elimination. Gage hit Takeda with a big DDT, grabbed the pizza cutter, and started to carve away at Takeda’s forehead. Takeda fired up, grabbed the cutter, and cut himself with it. Gage picked up a bundle but was caught with a shotgun dropkick followed by a tube-assisted knee strike. However, Gage was able to kick out. He set Takeda up in the corner and hit him with a tube-assisted face wash, placing a tube and chair across Takeda and hitting him with a twisting elbow drop for the elimination.

Jun Kasai and Nick Gage were the final two wrestlers left in the Art of War Games 3. The crowd was chanting “holy shit” as they unleashed on each other with bundles of tubes. Gage took a bundle from Kasai and struck him over the head with one of his own. Kasai inserted a fork into his own head and brought Gage down with a series of repeated clotheslines. Gage managed to kick out at two.

Kasai planted Gage in the center of the ring and ascended to the top rope, hitting Gage with another big splash, but Gage kicked out at one. Gage quickly got back to his feet, and they traded forearms in the center of the ring. Kasai faked out Gage and then kicked him in the gut. Gage retaliated with a chokebreaker followed by a piledriver, but Kasai kicked out at one.

Kasai set up a glass bridge over Nick Gage’s body, but Gage managed to recover and struck Kasai over the head with a bundle of tubes. Gage then took Kasai off the top rope with a piledriver through the pane of glass, securing the victory.

Team GCW Defeated Team FREEDOMS

Nick Gage is the sole survivor