Joey Janela’s Lost In New York Wins SummerSlam Weekend for GCW

Game Changer Wrestling and Joey Janela continue their successful themed-shows. Lost In NY was an exciting show all about creating unforgettable moments. Read more on those moments here.

It’s 5:45 PM on a Friday evening in Queens, days before WWE takes over NYC with the SummerSlam festivities. The line outside of the Melrose Ballroom has already wrapped around the block for Joey Janela’s Lost in New York. A tweet, sent out the night before, reveals doors are opening earlier to accommodate and situate those attending the sold-out show.

On the exterior, things seem civil and organized. No innocent bystander could suspect the mass of black t-shirt-clad fans were about to witness Wheatus’ lead singer hit a DDT onto a steel chair or a mad scientist use shock therapy to revive his “patient.” To be fair, even the most loyal of GCW’s disciples couldn’t have predicted the surprising debuts, returns, and moments that were in store for them. But it’s those unforgettable moments that made this show so special.

Game Changer Wrestling is more than just three words that make up an acronym. Promoters Brett Lauderdale and Danny Demanto are actively changing the industry. Together they collaborate with top indie star, Joey Janela, and vignette producer, Giancarlo Dittamo, to create a genuinely diverse experience for wrestling fans.

This philosophy is part of what inspired Joey Janela’s Spring Break, a booze-fueled spectacle that got the company national notoriety and has since become part of the WrestleMania Weekend tradition.

Lost in New York was the first Bad Boy-themed show to take place outside of Mania weekend, didn’t mean things were going to be any different. Giancarlo Dittamo continued his stellar vignette work as a way of announcing matches, and the marquee match was another one of 15-year-old Joey’s dreams — Japanese wrestling legend Jinsei Shinzaki (who wrestled as Hakushi in the WWF roughly twenty years ago) against Janela himself.

With an advertised performance by Wheatus and a first-time bout between the hottest name on the indies, PCO, and new NXT signee, Matt Riddle, it’s no surprise it sold out. The event, itself though, was filled with surprises at every turn.

To say this show had a hot opener would be an understatement. Things kicked off with a performance of “Teenage Dirtbag” from Wheatus as they played indie wrestling legend “Spyder” Nate Webb down to the ring. For Webb, it was a dream come true to have his theme song played live. Meanwhile, his opponent, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, was extraordinarily vocal about his distaste for the band he believed was a one-hit wonder.

Friedman would even threaten their lead singer, Brendan B. Brown, as a way to get the upper hand. He cheated all match.  But, Wheatus would get revenge on that dirtbag when BBB hit MJF with a DDT onto a steel chair. The crowd became unglued after that. The MLW Middleweight champion might have won the match, but the real winners were Wheatus, who gave the fans the performance of a lifetime.

Most shows would have slowed things down a bit to let the fans cool off, but this wasn’t “most shows.” Next up, Kyle The Beast came down to the ring for an open challenge. He didn’t really care who his opponent was. He just wanted to maul puny humans. Out from the crowd came wrestling’s next “big” thing. Standing no taller than 5 feet, a baby-faced rookie named Marko Stunt accepted the challenge.

Before the bell rang, KTB asked Stunt how old he was. This site’s family-friendly, so I’m not allowed to quote his response, but it was essentially the Ruthless Aggression of Your Mom jokes – and it got a massive reaction from the crowd.

What followed, was perhaps, one of, if not the most impressive debuts in the history of pro wrestling. It can be tough for debuting wrestlers to get the crowd on their side, especially one like GCW. All it took was an unbelievable feat of athleticism and Marko was a made man — he’s already been booked for the All In Over Budget Battle Royal.

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As is always the case with pro wrestling shows, the card is subject to change. Unfortunately, due to the passing of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Nick Gage’s opponent, Haku, understandably dropped out to pay his respects. Teddy Hart, however, paid a nice tribute to his late uncle, Jim Neidhart, in an unbelievably hard-hitting fight with Chris Dickinson. The GCW Champion, though, was left without an opponent. While the company planned to announce the replacement, they later opted for it to be a surprise. And boy, was it.

As it turns out, Sabu is one of the reasons Nick Gage started wrestling in the first place. So it’s pretty neat that GCW booked a dream match for the champ on such short notice. Besides, it wouldn’t have been a big GCW show without a cameo from an ECW legend, and it appeared that we already hit our quota earlier in the night. By the time this chair-throwing contest concluded, it was just about time for intermission before the fans in attendance (myself included) realized they’d criminally underpaid for their tickets.

If the first half didn’t half enough moments for fans to remember the rest of their life, the second half sure did. Opening with a “Grab The Brass Ring” ladder match, GCW’s young guns and Orange Cassidy all fought for the opportunity to earn their dream match at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3.

No. Seriously, they fought. I’m surprised no one died. Eli Everfly, Tony Deppen, Gringo Loco, G-Raver, and Jimmy Lloyd left it all in the ring. This paragraph won’t do the match justice, it’s something you need to see on your own, and you can do so here.

I’ll leave you with this GIF, in case you’re still on the fence.

This show saw Ethan Page start a series of 3 matches, where if he loses, Joey Janela keeps his soul. But if he wins, he doesn’t have to agent Spring Break’s annual Cluster-you-know-what (hey, family-friendly, remember?). If that’s not different, I don’t know what is! Page wrestled Janela’s girlfriend, Penelope Ford. Intergender wrestling is becoming more prevalent on the indie scene, and this match served as an effective showcase for both the Bad Girl and All Ego.

If this was the first time you watched Jinsei Shinzaki wrestle, you might not have realized that he’s 51-years-old. He doesn’t look it. He certainly doesn’t move like it either. Of all of Janela’s dream matches, this is perhaps the best one yet. Veterans like Marty Jannetty and The Great Sasuke may have shown signs of ring rust when working the Bad Boy, but Shinzaki was right there hanging with him. The White Angel is still relatively active in Japan, so it will be interesting to see if GCW bring him around again. For now, you can enjoy this awesome GIF of him cat-walking the ropes.

The main event featured PCO headlining against Matt Riddle, in one of the latter’s last matches on the indies. For Riddle, it was a truly fitting sendoff. The former Quebecer and the King of Bros took each other to the limit. The new NXT signee lit Oullett up.

But it was the French Canadian Frankenstein’s trainer, Destro, who really lit things up. The mad scientist shockingly revived his patient with – like with actual electricity. It was insane. There’s no disputing that it’s one of the most original ideas for a comeback in the history of pro wrestling, and it might as well be the best one ever. It’s a moment fans in attendance and watching iPPV will not soon forget.

Joey Janela’s Lost In New York was, from start to finish, filled with a series of unforgettable moments. From the rise of Marko Stunt to the return of Sabu, all the way to that electric main event. There might not have been any seven-star matches, but it sure as hell was a fun reminder of how wonderful pro wrestling can be. When it comes down to it, chances are you won’t remember every spot in each match, but you will remember the moments that made you laugh, that made you pop, and of course, that made you scream.