It's only fitting that this Friday evening, Game Changer Wrestling will close out the first evening of Starrcast at the Nashville Fairgrounds, following the Roast of Ric Flair. GCW proclaims they are the last outlaws of professional wrestling for a reason - they are the dive bar of combat sports, that dark, seedy place that feels like home to you but to the first time visitor, might be the most intimidating, disgusting venue they might ever fearfully visit.
Game Changer Wrestling is all snot and piss and vinegar, highlighting the darkest and most emotional recesses of professional wrestling brutality as well as the balls to the wall, out of control environment that has rocketed careers from the fringes of professional wrestling to the center of the conversation and international exposure.
GCW is where new stars go to be born by fighting their hearts out, fist by fist and kick by kick. It's where older stars go to prove they still have it, evolving before the eyes of the most die-hard, shot calling audience members anywhere in the world. If you can impress these denizens of the GCW realm, you can conquer any opposition on God's Green Earth.
The Game Changers have come to Nashville to stake their claim and prove themselves and to spit in the eye and bloody any haters who stand in their way. GCW and FITE once again team to take over the world and leave bloody footprints in its wake, because it's always The People vs. GCW.
The main event of The People vs. GCW will feature Game Changer Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley defending the title against the high-flying might of Blake Christian, someone who has been calling his shot for a title bout against Moxley for some time. Since returning to GCW from WWE NXT, Christian has endeared himself as one of GCW's true stalwarts, diving high into the air and fighting with all his heart. There is no doubt he is beloved for his work ethic and his aerial insanity, but Jon Moxley is on another level altogether when it comes to competition. That said, for Moxley, Christian presents a unique challenge as well. Moxley is well versed in all the blood and mud brawling that permeates the world of GCW, but Christian slides more into the pure wrestling and high flying side of the roster, something Moxley isn't usually tasked with competing against in GCW. This will be a true style clash with two very different personalities clashing to hold the ultimate Game Changer Championship.
Another unique meeting of two different styles will go down at The People vs. GCW live on FITE when one of Mexico's most popular and violent brawlers heads into battle with The Bad Boy Joey Janela. While Janela's embittered attitude in the ring antagonizes many of the GCW faithful, Psycho Clown has found himself a welcome and beloved addition to Game Changer Wrestling events. This meeting of the minds should lead to a hard-hitting brawl that may as well be an international incident!
Another battle that holds international implications is the first-ever meeting of Jordan Oliver, who has steadily risen in the ranks of GCW as he continuously improves and evolves as a competitor, taking on one of the biggest opponents in his career in former Ring of Honor World Champion Bandido. While Jordan is no stranger to taking his life into his own hands with spectacular dives, he has shifted his in-ring style as he has bulked up inside the ring. That provides an interesting chemistry against Bandido, who has some of the most explosive lucha-centric offensive maneuvers and a lightning-fast pacing in the ring to execute them. Should Oliver stand strong against someone with so much global experience, much less score a victory, he will have ascended yet again to another level as he pursues GCW greatness.
Speedball Mike Bailey, the reigning Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion, is in the midst of a career year and returns to GCW to face the hard-hitting Tony Deppen, who is beloved for his rough work ethic and no-nonsense in-ring brutality. Bailey has captured the imagination of fans across the world with his Ultimate Weapon Karate-infused aerial hybrid style, but as Mike Tyson has famously said, "Everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face." Deppen is the guy that punches people in the face and shatters their strategies and jaws alike. This will be a true test of two premiere fighters with two very different skill sets, live on FITE.
The GCW Tag Team Championships are on the line in what promises to be an insane brawl. The Second City Crew, Matthew Justice and Mance Warner, aren't afraid to fight and bleed against anyone, but Los Mazisos, Miedo Extreme and Ciclope, have very much proven to be their equal in launching mayhem against anyone and everyone. Their recent wars have decimated arenas across the country and now, GCW's beloved BUSSY, Effy and Allie Katch, find themselves embroiled in the middle of this insanity, their Tag Team Championships at stake in what may prove to be one of the most violent undertakings of their championship run. If they can retain their titles, they will have to exit one hell of a war in order to do so, but if the past has proven anything, it's to never underestimate BUSSY, not ever, especially not live on FITE.
Another woman who should never be underestimated is the Russian Dynamo, Masha Slamovich, who has run roughshod through Impact Wrestling and beyond. This Friday, she brings her violent ways back to the darkness of Game Changer Wrestling, battling Kevin Blackwood, who is very much willing and able to absorb and fire back with the same explosive fury that Mashowich delivers inside the ring. In GCW, a promotion with no restraints and barriers, this unique inter-gender battle elsewhere is commonplace, but the level of competition and rage each of these competitors wield is anything but common.
GCW will also bring the insanity in the form of a six man tag team bout that promises to shatter the atmosphere and melt the Internet faster than you can Google WTF! Black Taurus & Gringo Loco & Jack Cartwheel will take to the mat, the ropes, the air and beyond in a lucha style extravaganza, taking on Laredo Kid & ASF & Komander in a battle that will shock and awe all of your senses and leave your wondering what they could potentially do next to top themselves while trying to topple their opponents. This mix of some of the best luchadors from Mexico and high-flying stars from America is sure to bring Nashville down to its knees.
Rounding out the People vs. GCW is another main event in the making in Alex Zayne vs. Nick Wayne. Wayne has become the most talked about young competitor in the world and he's not even out of High School yet! He has stood toe to toe with some of the best athletes across the world and fought with all his heart and soul, earning fans every single week with his relentless work ethic and technical finesse. In Alex Zayne, Wayne has yet another world traveled veteran before him, trying to blunt his upward trajectory and score yet another big victory for himself. If GCW is the place where dreams and careers are made at once, we are looking at a pivotal moment for Nick Wayne, one that could easily slide into the nightmare realm if Zayne has his way.
In the case of The People vs. GCW, FITE pleads guilty. Very guilty, of delivering some of the best professional wrestling styles on the planet to viewers across the world, all on the same event. There will be no better place to hang this Friday night than GCW, because the greatest and most dangerous things happen after dark - even if you are watching them from the relative safety of your own devices!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.
