In this review, I take a look at GCW Slime Language from November 8th, 2019. Featuring Nick Gage vs. Jake Atlas, Effy vs. Eddie Kingston, B-Boy vs. Chris Dickinson, and more.
Blake Christian defeated Jimmy Lloyd, Eli Everfly, Arez, Jordan Oliver, and Alex Zayne in a Scramble Match
I really enjoy GCW’s scramble matches, and this was a good way to kick off GCW Slime Language. They’re usually crazy sprints full of dudes going wild and doing insane shit. The scramble ladder match from their Chicago show this past September was probably their wildest, and the one from the last LA show in August was lots of fun. This match wasn’t as good as those two, but it was still pretty entertaining. I was disappointed Alex Zayne and Blake Christian weren’t showcased in separate singles matches, as they are two of the brightest up-and-coming performers in GCW right now.
Still, this was an entertaining scramble match. Eli Everfly and Arez had some really fun sequences together. Their interactions were the highlight of the match. There was a spot where Eli did a Canadian Destroyer on Jordan Oliver to the floor as Oliver was on the ring apron and onto the other wrestlers in the match. Blake Christian got the win with a twisting splash from the top rope. This match was mostly spots and action, which I enjoyed. The pacing was good, and there was a lot of cool shit in this. Even if this wasn’t as strong as other GCW scramble matches, this was still better than most matches we’ll see in SoCal this year.
Rating: ***1/2
Mance Warner defeated Matthew Justice
While I didn’t think this was a “good match” when it comes to what makes a “good pro wrestling match” per se, I did feel like it was a fun match. Both guys displayed a complete disregard for their physical health and the wellbeing of their bodies by doing tons of crazy spots. I hated the way this was paced and structured though, as there were so many dull moments in the match. It felt like both guys were just going from spot to spot. Because of that, I didn’t think this was a very “good” match.
That said, I liked this. Sure, it had several moments where it dragged, but it had a certain charm to it. It was charming in a way where watching a dude (Matthew Justice) use a DeWalt Heavy-Duty Staple Gun on another dude’s (Mance Warner) tongue on a door is charming. Then the charm went through the roof when said dude jumped off a 15-foot ladder through that door. Warner got the win here after hitting a running knee strike on Justice. Even though I didn’t think this match was good, I really appreciated the amount of punishment both guys took in this. They really busted their asses and put on a fun spectacle. Even if the rating doesn’t reflect it, this was really entertaining to watch.
Rating: **1/2
Chris Bey defeated Tony Deppen
When it comes to Chris Bey, I don’t think he comes close to living up to the hype people give him. He’s got tons of athleticism, and might even be in the Top 5 when it comes to most athletic people in pro wrestling these days. Personality-wise, he’s got a good amount of charisma. Outside of that, I don’t think he’s living up to his potential. He’s got the right tools to be a great overall pro wrestler, but he’s nowhere close to tapping into that potential. Still, he’s capable of being carried to good matches with the right workers. I was hoping this would be one of those cases, as Tony Deppen might be the best pro wrestler on the independent scene right now.
While this match was better than a typical Chris Bey match, it was just an okay match overall. Bey got a lot of offense in this while Deppen did a bunch of heel work. The coolest spot of the match was Bey countering Deppen’s running senton attempt by sticking legs straight up and into Deppen’s back. Aside from that, there weren’t many memorable highlights that came to mind. Bey got the win after hitting Deppen with a slingshot Ace Crusher. ZandigFans/GCWFans board member Julian made a comment about how he felt the match went long, and I sort of agree with him. It wasn’t bad by any means. This would’ve been better if it were a few minutes shorter.
Rating: **3/4
Toshiyuki Sakuda defeated Orin Veidt in a Deathmatch
This was my first time seeing both men perform. Toshiyuki Sakuda works for Big Japan Pro Wrestling. Orin Veidt has performed for Insane Championship Wrestling, DTU in Mexico, and IWA-Mid South. I didn’t have any expectations for this match going into it. That was mostly because I didn’t know what either worker is capable of.
The match itself was really good for a deathmatch. There was a good amount of psychology, and the ring work was very solid. The deathmatch stuff was also pretty cool. The craziest spot in the match saw Sakuda get his mouth impaled with a long needle. I really enjoyed the final moments of the match when both guys started to bash each other with light tubes. That really got the crowd going. Sakuda got the win after hitting a Crucifix Bomb on Veidt. If you’re a fan of the deathmatch style of wrestling, you’ll really enjoy this. This match had good action and some pretty brutal moments. Up to this point, this has been the best match on the show.
Rating: ***1/2
After the match, Sakuda asked Veidt if he wanted to come to Japan for another match. The two embraced and Sakuda bowed to the fans out of respect as the show went to intermission.
Effy defeated Eddie Kingston
Effy is someone who has been getting hyped by a lot of people online. His match with Nick Gage earlier this year was good, but I’ve been underwhelmed by his work in other matches. While I didn’t think his past performances were great, it was the best Effy match I’ve seen yet. Most of it was because of how strong Eddie Kingston’s performance was. He’s always been a guy who looks to have been inspired by 1990s AJPW stuff, and that was the vibe that this match had.
Most of this match saw Kingston hitting Effy with some nice suplex variations. Effy would mount comebacks a few times during the match, but Kingston kept cutting him off. Effy eventually mounted a final comeback and submitted Kingston with a modified Dragon Sleeper. Both guys had good showings in this. This had solid storytelling and good psychology. Eddie Kingston really shined here. He’s a guy who would do great in AEW if given the opportunity. Effy also deserves some credit for taking some nasty looking head drops. It really helped make the match better.
Rating: ***1/2
Chris Dickinson defeated B-Boy
When this match was announced, I thought it would be one of the better matches on the card. Both guys have similar hard-hitting styles, so I had a feeling they’d have some good chemistry in this match. This ended up being a pretty solid match, and both guys did end up meshing well. The match went back-and-forth and saw some striking exchanges and both guys trading suplexes. The highlight of this match was Dickinson giving B-Boy a brainbuster through a door that was placed in the corner. Dickinson got the win after hitting B-Boy with a lariat.
While I thought it was a solid match, I felt like they could’ve had a much better match. Their performances weren’t bad, and the match itself was good but I don’t think this match lived up to its full potential. Maybe GCW can run this back on the east coast and have better results.
Rating: **3/4
Human Tornado defeated Kikutaro
This was a pretty disappointing match. I felt like it should’ve taken place earlier on the card. Kikutaro is the best comedy wrestler of all time, but I wasn’t into this match. There were some signature Kikutaro moments in this, but the match fell flat. It didn’t help that the commentary was ruining the show. Tornado got the win after hitting Kikutaro with an elbow drop after running up to the middle rope. There’s not much else to say about this match other than it happened.
Rating: *1/2
Nick Gage defeated Jake Atlas to retain the GCW World Championship.
When this match was announced, I was wondering how it’d go. Jake Atlas works a style that is full of athleticism and spots that need really good bases for him to pull off. Nick Gage is mostly a brawler who has some decent in-ring skills and can do a few cool spots here and there. Part of me wondered if this was going to be a total clash of styles. Another part of me wondered if this was going to be a hardcore match with Jake Atlas getting the majority of the offense and Gage taking most of the punishment. It was an interesting match on paper. I wasn’t expecting much, but it ended up being better than I expected.
Despite being local and on his way to WWE, Jake Atlas got some boos from the crowd. Nick Gage was loved by the fans. When he came out, he was mobbed by a bunch of fans. There is nobody in pro wrestling more over than Gage at the moment. The responses he gets from fans is not like any other. He’s got an aura no independent wrestler has had since Super Dragon or Samoa Joe during his ROH run.
Gage and Atlas worked well with each other and seemed to have had good chemistry. They were able to adapt to each other’s styles and had a pretty fun brawl. It wasn’t different from most of Gage’s matches though. If you’ve seen a bunch of Nick Gage matches, you can skip this. The highlight of this was Atlas dropping Gage off the ring apron through a door set up on chairs on the floor. Gage got the win after hitting Atlas with a few Piledrivers. As I said, the match ended up being better than I expected. Both guys blended well with each other and had a fun match.
Rating: ***1/4
After the match, Gage cut a promo putting over Jake Atlas. Then he made a comment about how “GCW runs fucking Cali” and told the other promotions here that “GCW runs shit.” I’m sure he said this in character, but it was stupid. A few fans chanted “PWG” after his comment, which made me laugh. Gage then put over the fans, said he loves them, and the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts
GCW Slime Language was the weakest show GCW has done in LA so far. It was still okay though. The matches ranged from lackluster-to-good, but nothing really matched up to the promotion’s previous visits to Los Angeles. Tornado/Kikutaro was the worst match of the show, but it wasn’t terrible.
The only real lowlight of GCW Slime Language was the commentary. I get why he’s used by GCW, but Shawn Scoville is awful on commentary. There’s not much else to say other than he’s inexperienced and doesn’t know what he’s doing. There are more hardworking people who deserve chances to call prolific shows like this one, but GCW using him is what it is. I get it. Kevin Gill is worse though. He is extremely intolerable on commentary. I can’t stand listening to him call pro wrestling, and his commentary always ruins shows for me. He could be the nicest guy in the world, but the dude sucks at commentary.
The rest of GCW Slime Language was solid overall. While most of the matches had the same rating, I thought Effy/Kingston and Veidt/Sakuda were the two best matches on the show. If I had to pick between the two, I’d say Effy/Kingston was the better match overall. Eddie Kingston really brought it, and Effy was able to hang with the hard-hitting veteran. The opening scramble was fun as well. The interactions between Arez and Eli Everfly made me want to see a singles match between the two. Gage/Atlas was also a fun match, and it was a good display of how both guys can adapt to working with performers who have different in-ring styles.
As I said, GCW Slime Language was okay. It wasn’t as strong as the other GCW shows in LA, but it was still solid. With that said, GCW has put on better shows (2 Cups Stuffed, for example) and there’s so much wrestling out there. If you skip GCW Slime Language, you wouldn’t be missing much.
