AEW’s Blood & Guts – My Experience with WarGames

By Ryan Joy
Updated: April 23, 2021
Featured Ticker

Body Slam Brigade April 23, 2021

BSB #51 – AEW’s Blood & Guts – My Experience with WarGames

Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your email each week.

Blood and Guts.

AEW announced on television this week that the May 5th Blood and Guts edition of Dynamite will be a one match show. We know the match is a modified 10 man tag, 2 ring, steel cage with a top match. It’s WAR GAMES!

AEW will put their own spin on the match, but one has to assume that given the match’s historical attribution to Dusty Rhodes, AEW will attempt to utilize the original rules and structure.

It seems to be a big risk to center the entire show around one match because if people aren’t interested in the Pinnacle v. Inner Circle feud, will they even watch? AEW must think so!

No matter how AEW plans the show, The Blood and Guts match would have to take up at least one hour. Considering the standard, it will be at least 40 minutes into the match before either team is eligible to attempt a pin or submission.

All of this is subject to AEW’s spin, but the match goes like this:

A coin flip is used to determine which team gets the advantage.
A man from each team enters the cage for start of the match.
The team that wins the coin toss will send in a new member of their team at the end of the first interval. That team will have a 2 on 1 advantage until the end of the next interval.
At the end of the interval, the team that lost the coin flip sends someone into the match. It will now be 2 on 2.
The match proceeds in this manner until all members of both teams have entered. At that point, we enter “The Match Beyond” where a team can win by pinfall or submission.

Those are the basic rules, but there have been a million variations over time.

Origins of War Games

The “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is credited with the invention of the War Games concept with the first War Games match occurring on July 4, 1987 at the Omni in Atlanta, GA. Finding a good replay of that match isn’t easy, but I found one on Daily Motion if you’re interested in watching it. Otherwise, most of the (non-house show) War Games matches are included in the DVD set pictured above that WWE released in 2013.WCW used War Games consistently from 1987 through 2000. According to wikipedia, there were 11 War Games matches in 1988, but WCW did skip some years (1990 and 1999). Sadly, after the purchase of WCW, WWE left War Games dormant for close to two decades.

WWE brought it back in 2017, updated the rules, and has made it part of NXT TakeOver during Survivor Series Weekend. WWE removed the top of the cage and made it a 4 on 4 match. We already know that AEW will go back to 5 on 5, and I suspect they’ll put a top on the cage too.

Since the resurrection in 2017, War Games matches have been some of the best WWE matches each year. Of the six matches since 2017, five have earned a minimum of 4 and a quarter stars from Dave Meltzer. Of course War Games has always been a top performing match. The second match in 1987 earned 5 stars and so did the WCW WrestleWar matches in 1991 and 1992.

My Own Experience

I feel extremely lucky to have been in attendance for the 2019 NXT TakeOver War Games event in Chicago. This show included the first Women’s War Games match. While I have always loved wrestling, I am forever changed by witnessing Io Shirai moonsaulting off the cage.There have of course been many spectacular leaps in wrestling, but for some reason this felt like such an important moment. This was the height of NXT’s rivalry with the main roster. Interest was at an all time high. Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley were on a collision course for the NXT Women’s Championship, and this match was getting us ready for that huge December show when Rhea would win the title.

At some point in the match, Io quietly climbed the cage. As we noticed Io standing up, I swear people walking the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago could hear that Rosemont crowd go into a complete frenzy. My photo below.

The War Games Match has a rich legacy, and I can’t wait to see AEW’s version of the event.

Have a Great Weekend!

Ryan Joy

CHECK OUT THE Bell Time Club SHIRT!

The Dropkick is our featured shirt this month.At $20, this shirt is a STEAL of a Deal.

Super Soft Material – ✅
Comes in Multiple Colors – ✅
NO UP-CHARGE for Sizes Above XL ✅
Free Shipping ✅

CLICK HERE TO BUY!!!!!

Coastal Championship Wrestling

I had a detailed interview with Nelio Cuomo Costa about Coastal Championship Wrestling and everything CCW has going on in South Florida (a link to the interview is below). It’s an incredibly interesting interview where Nelio opens up about a serious hostage situation that occurred in Nashville while they were running a show.

He talks about working with Brian Cage, King Mo, Low Ki, and others as they prepare for their near term shows.

Coastal Championship Wrestling is very much a regional promotion in South Florida, but they have built a home for themselves outside of Florida in Tennessee and they have plans to expand into other states too.

By the time this story breaks, I will also have completed an interview with Coastal Championship Wrestling’s new Cruiserweight Champion Chris Farrow. You can access that interview here.

I will continue to talk with more CCW talent in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Click Above for the interview with CCW’s Nelio Cuomo Costa!

The above represents each viewership number for the week of April 12 – April 16.

At press time, we know:

The A&E Biography on Steve Austin did 1,062,000 viewers
The A&E Most Wanted Treasures did 766,000 viewers
Raw from 4/19 did 1,907,000 viewers
NXT from 4/20 did 841,000 viewers
Dynamite from 4/21 did 1,104,000 viewers

Sasha Banks by Elbow Drop Art

General News

The WWE and A&E collaborative biography episode covering the life of Steve Austin got 1,062,000 viewers. The first episode of Most Wanted Treasures brought in 766,000 viewers.
- I noticed in the trailer for the rest of the season that current AEW Talent Jake “the Snake” Roberts is featured in a future episode.
Despite the success of these programs, NBC News wrote a fairly scorching review of the biography series. Considering how tightly connected NBC and WWE are from a content creation and distribution standpoint, the negativity of this piece was striking to me. The entire article can be read here, but here’s one quote:
- “Despite award-winning producers and directors, each profile feels like a more sophisticated version of WWE’s own bio packages. Each follows a similar narrative: An oddball follows a passion, gets well beaten and poorly paid, finally makes money, is consumed by the life, overcomes trauma and then his body commences total orthopedic collapse.”
WWE failed to delivered the advertised Braun Strowman v. Randy Orton match on Monday Night Raw. The match was first advertised during Friday Night Smackdown in commercial spots and was also listed on WWE’s website on the day of the show. Instead of the advertised match, Randy Orton lost to Matt Riddle and Braun Strowman saved and then teamed with Drew McIntyre against T-Bar and Mace.
After Charlotte Flair attacked a referee at the end of Monday Night Raw, she was fined $100,000 in storyline and indefinitely suspended (again in storyline). In real life, Charlotte Flair is undergoing dental surgery. She will be out for a short time.
Former Retribution members Mace and T-Bar were unmasked on Monday Night Raw this week. The unmasking revealed what everyone already knew . . . Mace is Dao Madden and T-Bar is Dominik Dijakovic.
Japanese wrestler The Warrior of the Sun Sarray made her debut on NXT this week in a great match against Zoey Stark.
After the conclusion of his feud with Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly has undergone a character change. O’Reilly now has new music, wears a jean jacket and fedora, and is much happier. It’s weird.
PW Insider reports that Slapjack (Shane Thorne) and Reckoning (Mia Yim) are moving to the Smackdown brand.
John Cena’s Peacemaker character from Suicide Squad is getting a Hallmark Ornament
Drew McIntyre’s book “A Chosen Desting: My Story” comes out next week May 4th.
Chelsea Green filed to trademark her name. WWE also has an application for the name.
Gerald Briscoe is recovering from knee surgery. Best wishes to Gerry.
WWE is releasing the next iteration of their Untold series on May 2nd. The episode is titled Two Dudes with Attitude and features Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash. The show will air on Peacock and the WWE Network.
Ronda Rousey is expecting the birth of her first child. She is currently four months pregnant.
The extended Confidential version of the Owen Hart Dark Side of the Ring episode aired on 4/22.
Following her release on 4/14, Mickie James received a package from WWE. Inside the cardboard box, the contents of the package were contained within a garbage bag. Mickie James went to twitter, “Dear Vince McMahon, Im not sure if you’re aware, I did receive my WWE care package today. Thank you. #AlwaysBlessedandGrateful WomensWrestlingMatters.”
- Stephanie McMahon and HHH responded with confirmation that the person responsible is no longer with WWE.
- That person turned out to be Head of Talent Relations Mark Carrano.
Per WWE’s earning’s call,
- WrestleMania 37 was the most watched live event in Peacock’s history. No numbers given.
- WWE does not plan to return to live events until later in the Summer.
- WWE signed a deal with CrunchyRoll to produce an Anime Series.

Upcoming:

WrestleMania Backlash on 5/16

The next major WWE Show will be WrestleMania Backlash on 5/16

Drew McIntyre v. Bobby Lashley (c) – WWE Championship Match

NXT on 4/27

Austin Theory v. Bronson Reed – If Bronson wins, he gets a North American Championship Opportunity.
Dakota Kai v. Mercedes Martinez
Kushida and MSK v. Legado del Fantasma

NXT UK on 4/28

Primate, Eddie Dennis, T-Bone v. Gallus
Meiko Satomura v. Aoife Valkyrie
Rohan Raja v. Teoman

Results:

Smackdown Results from 4/16

Cesaro challenged Roman Reigns, but Paul Heyman said Cesaro can have a match with Main Event Uso.
Rey Mysterio defeats Otis – 02:58
Kevin Owens defeats Sami Zayn – 09:34
Bianca Belair had a celebration in the ring. Banks is speechless in the back. Bayley makes a challenge in the back.
Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler defeats Street Profits – 10:39
Natalya defeats Shayna Baszler – 02:25
Cesaro defeats Jey Uso – 10:50 by disqualification – Seth Rollins jumped in to cause the DQ.

Raw Results from 4/19

Viking Raiders defeats Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin – 05:12
Matt Riddle defeats Randy Orton – 13:31
Elias defeats Kofi Kingston – 04:40
Adam Pearce talks Sheamus into doing an open challenge. Humberto Carillo tried to accept the open challenge, but Sheamus beat him up before the bell.
Lana and Naomi defeat Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler – 04:14 – Mandy and Dana distracted Nia. Shayna Baszler told Nia to get her head in the game.
Drew McIntyre defeats Mace and T-Bar Ends by DQ – 05:56
Mace and T-Bar defeat Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman – 06:20 by Disqualification. Strowman and McIntyre ripped off Mace and T-Bar’s masks.
Damian Priest defeats The Miz – 05:03
Asuka defeats Charlotte – 09:14 – Rhea Ripley interfered and Charlotte beat up the referee after the match.

NXT Results from 4/20

Kyle O’Reilly debuted new music and a new wardrobe. He got in a confrontation with Cameron Grimes. Cameron Grimes was later shown backstage. Grimes was upset because Ted Dibiase outbid him on an NFT auction.
LA Knight defeats Dexter Lumis – 09:52
Franky Monet interrupted Io Shirai’s Promo. Io told Monet that she prefers cats.
Grizzled Young Veterans defeat Breezango – 09:05
Sarray defeats Zoey Stark – 07:11
Kushida defeats Oney Lorcan – Cruiserweight Championship – 09:22
The Way had issues with both Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell throughout the show. Apparently Mr. Regal did authorize a tag title match for Indi and Candice.
Mercedes Martinez says she’ll beat up Dakota Kai on her way to Raquel Gonzalez.
Kyle O’Reilly defeats Cameron Grimes – 13:25

NXT UK Results from 4/22

Joe Coffey defeats Eddie Dennis – 08:27
Sam Gradwell defeats Dave Mastiff – 04:51
Jinny defeats Dani Luna – 04:05
Bate and Seven defeat Dar and Samuels – 12:50

Wins and Losses Book Now Available

My 1,360 page e-book has the 2020 win-loss data for over 400 wrestlers that competed in AEW, WWE, ROH, Impact, and NXT. Every page is in full color, and I’ve also included a bunch of retrospective articles and top 10 lists.

Purchase Here: www.TheWinsandLosses.com

One customer printed out several pages and has been getting them signed by wrestlers. That’s a really fun use for this reference book.

I have this massive collection of wrestling stats and articles priced at $20, but I want people to see my work. If you email me ([email protected]), I’ll happily give you a discount code for 50% off.

If you have a wrestling podcast or if you write for a wrestling website, this could be a valuable tool when discussing professional wrestling in the year 2020.

Kenny Omega by My Ill Gotten Brain

AEW News

AEW announced that Blood and Guts on May 5th will be a one match show.
As noted above, AEW did 1,104,000 viewers this week.

Upcoming on AEW Dynamite on 4/21

Kris Statlander v. Penelope Ford
Young Bucks v. Mike and Matt Sydal
Dustin, Billy, Lee Johnson v. QT Marshall, Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solow
Brian Cage v. Hangman Page
Inner Circle and Pinnacle Parlay

AEW Dark Elevation Results from 4/19

Hangman Page defeats Spencer Slade – 01:20
Britt Baker v. Tesha Price – 05:26
Jurassic Express defeats Midas Black and Jay Lyon 01:51
TH2 defeats Vary Morales and Andre Montoya – 04:51
Cage and Starks defeat Mike Magnum and Stone Rockwell – 03:18
Abadon defeats Skye Blue – 02:50
Orange Cassidy v. Prince Kai – 00:04
Private Party defeats Reynolds and Colt Cabana – 08:23
Thunder Rosa defeats Shawna Reed – 04:20
Best Friends defeat Kit Sackett and Hayden Backlund – 02:00
Leyla Hirsch and Ryo Mizunami defeats Nyla Rose and Madi Wrenkowski
Austin Gunn defeats Aaron Solow – 04:15
Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page defeats Dean Alexander and Carlie Bravo – 03:18
Kenny Omega, Nakazawa, Konosuke Takeshita defeats Danny Limelight, Mike Sydal, Matt Sydal – 13:06

AEW Dark Results from 4/20

Joey Janela defeats Will Allday – 05:32
SCU defeats Ryzin and John Skyler – 06:55
Big Swole and KiLynn King defeat Ashley and Steff MK – 05:26
The Butcher and The Blade defeat Brick Aldridge and Cole Karter – 03:41
Sonny Kiss defeats Jake Manning – 00:54
Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, 10 defeat Jay Lyon, Midas Black, Ken Broadway – 05:21
Billy Gunn defeats Andrew Palace – 01:49
Dante Martin defeats Fuego del Sol – 04:46
Diamante defeats Queen Aminata – 03:18
Varsity Blonds defeats Hayden Backlund and Kit Sackett – 04:44
Max Caster defeats Alan Angels – 08:21
Powerhouse Hobbs defeats Baron Black – 1:54
Pac defeats Dean Alexander – 00:42

AEW Dynamite from 4/21

Hangman Page defeats Ricky Starks – 08:50
Penta El Zero Miedo defeats Trent – 10:44
Hikaru Shida defeats Tay Conti – 12:17 – AEW Women’s Championship Retained
QT Marshall defeats Billy Gunn – 05:14
Christian Cage defeats Will Hobbs – 10:28
Pinnacle and Inner Circle both had promos. They’re going to have a face to face strategy sessions next week.
The Bullet Club had their own trailer. . .until Moxley and Kingston ran into the side of it.
Darby Allin defeats Jungle Boy – TNT Championship – 14:48

Introducing the Daily Wrestling News Show

The Body Slam Brigade Newsletter comes out on Friday, but if you want news closer to real-time, Body Slam Brigade author Ryan Joy is hosting a new podcast called the Daily Wrestling News Show!

The show is live every day at 10 AM on Facebook and You Tube or you can subscribe to the audio version on Apple, Spotify, or pretty much anywhere else you get podcasts. Use the links below to find the show!

Subscribe on Apple Podcast: Click Here
Subscribe Spotify: Click Here
Watch Live on Facebook: Click Here
Watch Live on You Tube: Click Here

Jon Moxley by My Ill Gotten Brain

New Japan Cup USA Tournament Bracket

Tom Lawlor and Brody King have advanced to the finals of the New Japan Cup USA. The winner will be come the New Japan Strong Openweight Champion.

Upcoming Show Lineups

Upcoming on New Japan Strong on 4/23

Finals of New Japan Cup
- Brody King v. Tom Lawlor
Also on the Show
- Rocky Romero v. Wheeler Yuta
- Clark Connors and TJP v. Chris Dickinson and JR Kratos

Upcoming Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni – 4/28

The 4/28 show includes 4 preliminary matches plus

Toru Yano v. Evil – KOPW Provisional Championship Match – Creation of Darkness Blindfold Match – Four blindfolds will be put on each cornerpost, and an opponent must be blindfolded in order for a decision to be rendered.
Sho and Yoh v. Kanemaru and Desperado – IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships

Upcoming Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni – 4/29

The 4/29 show includes 3 preliminary matches plus

Zack Sabre Jr. v. Tanga Loa – If Sabre wins, Sabre and Taichi get a Tag Team Title Match
Taichi v. Tama Tonga – Iron Finger From Hell Ladder Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) v. Jay White – NEVER Openweight Championship

Upcoming Wrestling Dontaku – 5/3

The 5/3 show includes 4 preliminary matches followed by two special tag team matches

Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi v. Great-O-Khan and Will Ospreay
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi v. Aaron Henare and Jeff Cobb

Upcoming Wrestle Grand Slam in Yokohama Stadium – 5/3

No Matches Announced Yet

Upcoming Wrestle Grand Slam in Yokohama Stadium – 5/29

IWGP Champion v. Kazuchika Okada – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match

Major Show Results –

New Japan Strong Results from 4/9

New Japan Cup USA Opening Round Matches
- Jordan Clearwater, Adrian Quest, Barrett Brown, Misterioso defeat DKC, Kevin Knight, Alex Coughlin, Karl Fredericks – 10:37
- Tom Lawlor defeats Hikuleo – New Japan Cup USA Semi Final Match – 08:58
- Brody King defeats Lio Rush – New Japan Cup USA Semi Final Match – 07:38

Tommy Dreamer by My Ill Gotten Brain

General News

Rachael Ellering was revealed to be Jordynne Grace’s mystery partner for this weekend’s Tag Title Match at Rebellion.

Impact Rebellion – 4/25

The next major Impact Show is the Rebellion PPV on April 25th.

Matches Announced:
- Kenny Omega v. Rich Swann – AEW Title for Impact Title (Mauro Ranallo on commentary)
- FinJuice (c) v. The Good Brothers – Impact World Tag Team Champions
- Deonna Purrazzo (c) v. Tenille Dashwood – Knockouts Championship
- Brian Myers v. Matt Cardona
- TJP v. Ace Austin (c) v. Josh Alexander – X-Division Championship
- Sami Callihan v. Trey – Last Man Standing
- Violent by Design v. Willie Mack, Eddie Edwards, James Storm, and Chris Sabin
- Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz (c) v. Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering – Knockouts Tag Team Championships

Show Results –

Impact Wrestling from 4/22

Good Brothers defeat Decay – 05:12
Tenille Dashwood defeats Susan – 10:20
Shera defeats Jake Something – 03:19
Jordynne Grace defeats Kiera Hogan – 01:56
Eric Young defeats Eddie Edwards – 15:10
Rich Swann cut a promo, but was intrrupted by a Kenny Omega pre tape. After the Omega tape was over, Moose came out. He told Swann not to lose the titles at Rebellion.

Essential Wrestling Podcast Episode 50 – Click Here

The Essential Wrestling Podcast airs every Tuesday at 6:00 PM. Join Al Karl, John D’Aconti, John Smith, Gary Mehafy, and Minutes to Bell Time’s Ryan Joy as they take you through the latest in Pro Wrestling. Find out and get the rationale behind who they think wins the week’s matches.

General MLW News

MLW announced that the brand has signed a Television deal with Vice TV. The Vice TV channel currently runs the successful Dark Side of the Ring wrestling documentary franchise, which has garnered great ratings for the station. MLW’s announcement just said “this Spring,” so the exact timing of this launch is unknown.
MLW also announced that they will take a break after the May 5th episode. When they return, there will be fans. It starts with a July 10th show in Philadelphia, PA at the 2300 Arena.

Upcoming

Next Week: Lawlor v. Marshall Von Erich
May 5: Lio Rush v. Myron Reed – Middleweight Championship
July 10: New Season

MLW Fusion Results from 4/21

Rocky Romero defeats Gino Medina – 08:58
King Mo defeats Robert Martyr – 01:17
Bu Ku Dao defeats TJP – 13:38

ONLY SUBSCRIBERS ALLOWED!

As a subscriber, you can join the private Body Slam Brigade Facebook Group. Click the image above to be taken to the group.

ROH News

Ring of Honor announced Women’s Division Wednesday, so they’ll be airing new women’s matches each Wednesday on You Tube. This is ahead of their Women’s Tournament set to begin this Summer
EC3 has been hospitalized. He said that it is a result of an infection that he did not address.
Ian Riccoboni announced on twitter that he signed a new contract with ROH during the pandemic. He is now on pace to call more episodes of ROH TV than anyone else ever.

Upcoming on ROH TV Episode 501

VLNCE UNLTD v. LFI
Eli Isom v. Dak Draper

ROH TV 500 Results

Jonathan Gresham defeats Jay Lethal – Pure Championship Match – 16:43
Mark Briscoe defeats Jay Briscoe – 15:01

NWA

NWA Powerr Results – 4/13

Sal Rinauro and Tim Storm defeat JR Kratos and Aron Stevens – 06:08
Tyrus defeats Matt Cross and Marshe Rocket – 03:47 – Tyrus earns a TV Championship Match
Kamille defeats Jennacide – 05:58
Nick Aldis and Jordan Clearwater Ends in a No Contest – 00:33

Coastal Championship Wrestling (South Florida)

Breakout at the CCW Arena takes place on Friday April 23rd
- Alex Ocean v. El Jefe Santos – CCW Championship
- Larry Lane v. Cha Cha Charlie – If Lane loses, he retires. If he wins, he will receive a CCW Heavyweight Title Match.
- Vic Arson v. Andy English
- Stefan Rivers v. Chris Farrow
- Jackal Stevens v. Nick Turner
- Miami Mike v. Logan Taylor
Unleashed featuring King Mo takes place on April 24th in Port Saint Lucie.
- El Jefe Santos defends the CCW Championship against Cha Cha Charlie and Agony in a triple threat match.
- Jackal Stevens defends the CCW Southeastern Championship against Juice James
- Anthony Catena v. Andy English
- Jackal Stevens v. Juice James
- King Mo v. Heddi Karaui
CCW’s Bash at the Brew 4 takes place on May 1 at Unbranded Brewery in Hialeah, FL.
- South American Alliance v. Cha Cha Juggernauts – CCW Tag Team Championships
- Midnight Tribe v. Guadalupe Brothers
- Alex Ocean v. Will Austin – NO DQ
- Marina Tucker v. Yaide
Cinco de Mayo takes place at the Boca Black Box on May 5th
- South American Alliance (c) v. Cha Cha Juggernauts – CCW Tag Team Championships
Luchamania 2 takes place in Nashville, TN on May 15th
- Santos v. Bram – CCW Heavyweight Championship
Bash at the Brew 5 takes place on June 5th at Unbranded Brewery in Hialeah, FL.
CCW’s Summer Glory featuring Brian Cage takes place on June 19th at Xtreme Action Park.

Ignite Wrestling (Vero Beach, Florida)

Ignite previously announced their “Fierce” show will take place on May 15th at Walking Tree Brewery.
Leon the Terrible (Ignite Champion) will face “Mr. Everything” Victor Andrews
The show will also include a “Women’s Tag Team Tournament” to crown new champions.
Kelsey Raegan, Chelsea Durden, Dale Springs, Victor Andrews, Aspyn Rose, Hawlee Cromwell, Sahara Seven, Savannah Thorne, Task Force, and Storm Thomas have all been announced for the show

MCW Pro Wrestling (Joppa, Maryland)

On this week’s MCW Cast, regular hosts Dan McDevitt, Lary Legend, and Tara Myers welcome The Holy Rollers & Platinum Nat

Game Changer Wrestling

Game Changer Wrestling’s next major event is Ashes to Ashes in Atlantic City, NJ on May 1. Announced so far:
- Jimmy Lloyd v. G-Raver
- Atticus Cogar v. Tony Deppen
- Bussy v. Iron Beast
- Joey Janela v. Lee Moriarty
- Also Announced for the show: Nolan Edward, Nick Gage, Jordan Oliver,
Also on May 1st, GCW relaunches the JCW brand and runs Opening Day in Atlantic City NJ in the same venue. Announced so far:
- Dante Leon v. Ninja Mack
- Charles Mason v. Steve Scott
- Edith Surreal v. Everett Connors
- Joey Janela v. Slayer
- Alson Announced: Conan Lycan
GCW runs Draft Day from Las Vegas on May 15th. Announced so far:
- Ricky Marvin v. Jordan Oliver
- Lio Rush returns to GCW
- Jack Cartwheel makes his GCW debut

Other General News

WOW – Women of Wrestling hopes to hold tapings and commence distribution this Fall.
Kenny from the Spirit Squad Announced his Retirement: “When I started at 13 I thought I’d retire at 40. But smart investments overtime have allowed me to be done now. I’m in my prime, and that will go towards my family and being a father. Thanks to the fans who stuck by me.”
Sangria Park in Pittsburg will be renamed after Bruno Sammartino.