After a controversial outing at the Hammerstein Ballroom, GCW returned to action for a doubleheader events in Texas this weekend. The first show, that was on Friday, February 4th, emanated from the Houston Premier Arena in Houston, Texas. The event was co-hosted by popular Houston indie Loko Wrestling.
The show’s card ended up being vastly different than what was regularly scheduled due to nationwide travel issues and because of that, the entire feel/vibe of the show was off. Nonetheless, I enjoyed some of the wrestling on the show so let’s dive into the review.
GCW/Loko Fight Club 2: Houston Recap/Review
Jordan Oliver vs. Low Rider vs. Chris Carter vs. Grim Reefer
The show kicked off with a fun, yet short four way scramble match. Reefer and Oliver got their high spots in on the other two guys before coming face to face, which led to some great moments. Reefer did most of his stuff with a joint in his mouth per usual. Like I said, this was fun but maybe a bit too short for an opener.
Rating: 2/5
Allie Katch vs. Mysterious Q
This match was supposed to be Mysterious Q vs. AJ Gray, but Gray couldn’t make it due to travel issues. Q treated Katch like an afterthought early on, which put the crowd’s momentum behind Katch’s offense. Katch tried to string some offense (which didn’t look great) together, but was cut off by Q nearly every time.
The final minute or two of this match really put it together and saved it from being a downright awful encounter. Katch hit a superplex but instead of pinning, she attempted to roll through but was caught with a piledriver from Q. Katch kicked out of that piledriver at the last second before going on to hit two of her own, which secured her the victory.
Rating: 1.25/5
Nick Wayne vs. Ninja Mack
Nick Wayne fought this match with intention after his Hammerstein incident. Yet again though, I had issue with the timing. This only had around six minutes, while the previous match had fourteen minutes. You have to give the better wrestlers the longer matches here, it’s really that simple.
Mack and Wayne went back and forth for much of the bout with nobody really getting the advantage. Lots of dives and high flying spots, which Wayne showed out more on. Mack would eventually find a point in the chaos where he rolled up Wayne for the win.
Rating: 3/5
Sam Stackhouse vs. Dante Leon (c) – LOKO World Title Match
Despite not knowing too much about both of these competitors, this was a good showcase of some of the best talent that Loko Wrestling has to offer.
This was the first bout of the night to get weapons involved, including some doors and chairs. The highlight spot of the match was when Leon hit a running bulldog on Stackhouse onto two doors that were propped up by chairs. Samhouse’s specialty is that he’s a big man who can do athletic moves, but he doesn’t really do them that well in my opinion.
Samhouse ended up pinning Leon in about twelve minutes to become the new LOKO Champion. There wasn’t much here aside from the high spots, which don’t always make a match.
Rating: 1.75/5
Atticus Cogar defeated Gino Medina
Cogar is THE highlight of GCW programming at the moment. The guy is clearly being groomed for a major role in 2o22, a role that will probably see him dethrone Jon Moxley as the GCW World Champion. Time will tell, but that’s the right move in my opinion.
This was yet another short match, but I didn’t mind it because Cogar didn’t need to toy around with Medina for a unnecessary amount of time, especially when he isn’t a part of regular GCW programming.
Cogar won in about four minutes after delivering a front-facing DDT to Medina on a chair.
Rating: 3/5
Effy vs. Bryan Keith
Bryan Keith is the highlight of independent wrestling in Texas. Although he is beginning to get more bookings in other states, a lot of his buzz comes from his work in New Texas Pro Wrestling and Reality Of Wrestling.
This was originally supposed to be Keith vs. Tony Deppen, but Deppen rightfully pulled out of the show after his daughter was born.
SUPER BLOCKBUSTER TO THE FLOOR! @EFFYlives @bountykeith #GCWvsLoko2 @GCWrestling_ @LokoWrestling
▶️https://t.co/dTiAT6tud8 pic.twitter.com/j7iGucznLo— Rob (@HeyImRob) February 5, 2022
A great contest here with two dudes just beating each other up nonstop. Effy’s striking ability, which can be underrated at times, really showed here. At about the nine-minute mark, Keith nailed Effy with a sit out power bomb, but Effy turned it into his own pinning maneuver for the surprise win.
Rating: 3.25/5
Blake Christian vs. ASF vs. Gringo Loco vs. Mascara Dorada
Eight-man matches are rare in wrestling, but I think the whole structure of the card would have benefitted from combining this bout with the opening four-man contest.
If you look at the names here, you know exactly what type of match you’re getting. Just an insane display of athleticism all packed into a compact match that doesn’t overstay its welcome. This was also Mascara Dorada’s first match after his departure from WWE, where he was known as Gran Metalik.
Dorada was also undoubtedly the king of this match. He got all of his spots in, and more. The fans gave him a very warm welcome too, which was nice to see.
Christian ended up winning the bout though after rolling up ASF. This was the THIRD surprise-pin finish of the night, which had grown tired on me at this point.
Rating: 3/5
Atticus Cogar vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Chris Carter vs. Sadika: Steel Cage Deathmatch
This originally started out as a singles bout between Lloyd and Sadika. Carter crashed the match before the match could start, climbing the cage and inserting himself into the match. Shortly after, Atticus Cogar comes out with a microphone and runs down the arena and Houston. Cogar said that if Carter was going to insert himself into the match, he was going to do the same.
What happened from that promo on was an absolute car crash of a deathmatch. Cogar introduced lighttubes rather quickly, blasting them over the head of Sadika. The favor was returned quickly after Sadika delivered a pair of running knees in the corner to Cogar with another bundle of light tubes pressed against his face. Lloyd had a great spot where Sadika put lighttubes in the back of his shirt and dropkicked him.
https://twitter.com/AshDabbath/status/1489825627796488192
Cogar would go on to win in about ten minutes after skewering the head of Carter and then delivering the same front facing DDT that he used to beat Medina.
Rating: 3.75/5
Overall thoughts:
There wasn’t much on this card that stood out other than the main event and Effy vs. Bryan Keith. Some other matches (both four ways, Wayne vs. Mack) would have been better if they were given more time and had more structure on the card as a whole. It wasn’t the best GCW show I’ve ever seen, but it sure wasn’t the worst either.
Recommended Matches: Atticus Cogar vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Chris Carter vs. Sadika // Bryan Keith vs. Effy
Overall grade: C-