| GCW 2001 YEAR IN REVIEW - PART ONE |
| The Old School Warriors began 2001 in the audience rather than in the ring. A 3-week suspension by commissioner Chris Giacin was currently in effect. The next couple of weeks on GCW TV, Keith Smith and Chaz Wesson would be silent observers, watching the action from ringside with tickets pruchased at the door. Once the suspension was lifted, the OSW went into full effect, as Smith and Wesson jumped from the audience and proceeded to run into the ring to hand Billy McNeil and Ryan Ash and brutal beating. This incident would result in a tag-team feud between the two teams, which would span three months. At the signature card at Aggie's in January, Ash and McNeil would get the victory but .the OSW would get the last laugh, inflicting harm to valet Sugar in the process. Also at Aggie's, Kevin Sharp became the new top challenger to Heavyweight Champion Big Bad Ben's title. Ben would hold on to the strap via disqualification. The Toxic Trinity, Pete Madden and Nikki Strychnine along with Sindy, offically splits up as the duo become at-odds with "philosophical differences." Strychnine blames Madden for getting soft and breaks from the group. This would lead to a serious feud between the two. Ryan Ash loses his #1 contendership for the Light-Heavyweight Championship on GCW TV to Mike Sharona. Sharona now enters a feud with champion Makaze. GCW wins "Best Local Promotion" in the annual Stranglehold Awards, as voted by the listeners. Pete Madden wins "Best Local Wrestler." New to GCW: Jimmy Austin, Super Castaldi 3 |
| JANUARY |
| The on-going battle for the GCW titles continue at Aggie's. Big Bad Ben retains the Heavyweight strap over Kevin Sharp via a double countout, while Makaze bests Mike Sharona for the Light-Heavyweight strap. Both would have return matches the following month. On GCW TV, a brutal hardcore battle between Pete Madden and Nikki Strychnine takes place. In a shocking scene, Strychnine crucifies Madden by taping his hands to the ringropes and proceeds to cut Madden's hair. The audience was speechless to the site. Sindy, disgusted by the brutality and apparant breakup of her former tag-team, looks for a new wrestler to manage. She begins a weeks-long evaluation of talent, ranging from Billy McNeil and the Old School Warriors, to Kevin Sharp and Jack Adonis. On Valentine's Day, female GCW fans present Ratboy with chocolates and a teddy bear. Ratboy proceeds to scarf down the confections and rip the head off the animal. The head-less bear would become Ratboy's "good luck charm" in his next series of matches. Returning to GCW: Deno Blade following wrist surgery. |
| FEBURARY |
| March marks the one year anniversary for GCW and is celebrated by the now-famous "First Anniversary Bash," redubbed the "Whole F'N Anniversary." The card, held on March 30th in Florissant, resulted in GCW's biggest draw to date. Some 450 wrestling fans witnessed a top-notch card featuring an Alaskan Death match featuring Jack Adonis and Billy McNeil, an all-over the building brawl with Jack Miller and Nikki Strychnine, a six man lucha style bout, and of course, the main event, with Rob Van Dam (w/ Manager Bill Alfonzo) defeating Nova. Earlier in the month, GCW presents St. Patrick Day Hijinks in Desoto, featuring Billy McNeil defeating Diamondabck Dingo in a best of 3 tables dance. Kevin Sharp defeats Big Bad Ben to become the GCW Heavyweight Champion at Aggie's on March 2. Followng the match, Sindy becomes Sharp's new manager. Also that night, Pete Madden loses a "loser-leaves-GCW" to Nikki Strychnine and Makaze retains the Light-Heavyweight Title with a victory over Mike Sharona in a ladder match. New to GCW: The OuTtkasT, Jack Miller, The All-Americans (Johnny Jett and The Drill Instructor). |
| MARCH |
| Diamondback Dingo defeats Makaze to become the GCW Light-Heavyweight Champion at GCW's debut in Overland on April 29th. In the process, Dingo drives Makaze head-first into a steel chair, sending the former champ into retirement. Also on the show, Super Castaldi wins a battle royal, and the evening is punctuated with a dance of YMCA by the Castladis, Ninja and Ratboy. On GCW TV, the promotion celebrates its first anniversary with a brithday party. The cheeerful mood was ruined by a drunken Sam Bacardi, who proceeded to squash the Ninja with a brithday cake. Also involved in the fracas were the Castaldis and Ratboy. A video clip of this scene is avilable in the "videoclips" section of the website. Kevin Sharp retains the GCW Heavyweight title at Aggie's over Nikki Strychnine. GCW celebrates Fan Appreciation night in Desoto. Kevin Sharp and Makaze defeat Jack Adonis and Diamondback Dingo in the main event. New to GCW: Adam Raw |
| APRIL |
| May saw Kevin Sharp hold on to the GCW Heavyweight Title with a win over Jack Adonis at "Cinco de Mayo" struggle at Aggie's. In other matches, Diamondback Dingo and Adam Raw defeated Sex, Charms and Rock-n-Roll, while Sam Bacardi got an upset victory over Big Bad Ben. On GCW TV, Sam Bacardi's alcohol addiction continues to hurt his performance, resulting a television loss to the Ninja. A long lost friend, Coach Chuck Farley, emerges from the crowd and proceeds to take over Sam's career in an effort to get the heavyweight to recover from his demons. Referee Sean Vicnet begins to take his authority too seriously, as he begins to call matches with slighted vision. He blames the fans for his sudden change in attitude. His counts become more one-sided, in favor of rulebreakers. Sugar becomes the "property" of Jack Adonis following a win over Billy McNeil. The woman becomes Adonis' personal servant, continuously recieving verbal abuse from the Alaskan Heartthrob. New to GCW: Coach Chuck Farley |
| MAY |
| June was one of GCW's busiest months, with momentum swinging towards "Summer Heat," the monthly signature card at Aggie's. GCW had feature stories that appeared on KPLR's "WB 11 News" and KTVI's "Fox 2 News this Morning" leading up to the event. The event saw the Aggie's attendance go up by 120 people from the previous month. In the main event, Kevin Sharp defeated Chaz Wesson to retain the GCW Heavyweight Championship. Diamondback Dingo retained the Light-Heavyweight strap with a win over Matt in a best-of-3-falls match-up. Sean Vincent become the GCW Head Official with a win over CJ McManus. June also marked GCW's debut in Butler, MO. The tag-team main event saw Sex, Charms and Rock-n-Roll defeat the Synidicate in a tag-team tables match. Kevin Sharp defeated Jack Adonis to retain the Heavyweight Title while Diamondback Dingo retained the Light-Heavyweight Title with a win over Matt. The show also marks the debut of GCW's first female wrestler, as Christine defeats Super Castaldi 1. GCW wrestlers make an appearance at Wrestlezone show in Peoria, IL on June 2. The show, featuring numerous former ECW stars, saw Balls Mahoney defeat Big Bad Ben, while Billy McNeil defeated Jack Adonis and Diamondback Dingo defeated Ryan Ash. After winning numerous matches sober, Sam Bacardi falls off the wagon when Coach Chuck Farley leaves town on business for a week. His drinking leads to a losing streak. New to GCW: Christine |
| JUNE |
| NEXT WEEK: GCW 2001 YEAR IN REVIEW - PART TWO |