Yesterday, I wrote about some of the matches during the first day of the Collective that everyone should take the time out of and watch. If you missed it, you can read that part, here. If not, welcome back! Hope you took a bit of time and watched some of the matches from the first night that I thought were worth watching. We’re back at it again with Day 2 of The Collective, another four shows filled with wrestling up and down the card.
LA Fights vs. JCW – 11AM CST 4/1
The GCW-lite promotions on the respective coasts went head-to-head with one another here. This is a great way to watch some GCW favorites, take on some of the up-and-coming stars from their respective coasts.
Billie Starkz vs. Sandra Moone Two talents that are on the rise on their respective coasts. Billie on the east, and Sandra on the west. This was just a good showcase of rising talent in the independent ranks. This also showed the continuous rise that Billie is having from last year's Collective in Tampa. That Billie to now are two totally different Billie’s. She’s becoming comfortable with the performer she’s become, and it was just excellent to see here.
Marcus Mathers vs. Nick Wayne These two, just like Sandra and Billie, are on the rise in their respective coasts. With Nick, recently signed to AEW, it’s good to see just how great he’s become in such a short time. Nick has a strong support system around him, as he’s continuing his growth as a wrestler. It’s also nice seeing Marcus get some more opportunities as he’s starting to get away from the shadows of Matt Tremont’s H2O.
GCW – For the Culture – 3PM CST 4/1
A great way to get insight on some great talent, that is super undervalued here not only by the independents but GCW in general. Fun, lighthearted commentary backed some real heavy action.
HitmakerZ vs. Shane Taylor Promotions This was a total clash of styles. The hard-hitting action that comes from being on the independent circuit, and the sports entertainment styling that HitmakerZ (fka. Hit Row in WWE) are used to. They also told a great story as these two teams really showcased why they were strongly recognized, whether it being Ring of Honor for Shane Taylor Promotions, or WWE for HitmakerZ.
Billy Dixon vs. Hoodfoot – Deathmatch This match made history. First deathmatch main event in For the Culture history. First deathmatch involving two African American talents in wrestling. This was just a story that culminated after years of hatred towards one another. Getting a stage as big as this show to tell that story, the absolute brutality they brought one another, just something that I don’t think a lot of us would forget.
GCW – The Wrld on Lucha – 7:30PM CST 4/1
From the brainchild of Gringo Loco presents to you the Wrld on Lucha, giving you a bit of the Lucha flavor that only Gringo could give you.
Scramble Match Shane Mercer, Chris Carter, Octagon Jr., Drago Kid, Golden Dragon and Aeroboy took center stage here and had such a good scramble that highlighted everyone strengths very well here. Really was impressed with what each competitor brought, and I thought that this was a very exciting and great showcase in this style match.
Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Demonic Flamita & Abismo Negro Jr.) vs. Team Laredo Kid (Laredo Kid, ASF & Rey Horus) Excellent match here that was nothing short of a spectacle. Really good back and forth with spots a plenty ad they really kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Just a strong showcase for all the talent involved here, while its just a staple of a Lucha style show. Really impressive showcase here for ASF as well, who has been nothing short of spectacular for GCW.
GCW – Joey Janela’s Spring Break Part 2: The Greatest Clusterfuck 11:59PM CST 4/1
The second half of the Spring Break shows this Collective spotlighted by the infamous Clusterfuck match that confuses the hell out of everyone involved. Four strong matches opened the show before the Clusterfuck, but let’s talk about the two that stood out.
Tony Deppen vs. Biff Busick Deppen is known as the gatekeeper of GCW. Anyone new or trying to push themselves in GCW goes through Tony. For Biff’s first foray into GCW, it made sense for Biff to go through Deppen. Though I didn’t think Deppen or Busick expected the outcome, the hard hitting back and forth isn’t something to forget here. Deppen is a star and should be treated as such.
Jordan Oliver vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey Speedball was expected to originally face PCO in at Spring Break Part 2, but due to injury, he had to be replaced. Enter the “East Coast Ace” Jordan Oliver, who has proven since COVID all started that he wanted to get serious and improve his conditioning and appearance. Speedball has just taken over the American independents since his ban in America ended. This was just a classic between two guys with upwards trajectories.
Be on the lookout of what to watch for on Day 3 in the coming days. If you're interested in watching any of these shows, FITE still has the package up and available for purchase, which you can find here.