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Great Canadian Wrestling (GCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion company based in
Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the G ...
, Ontario. GCW was founded in 2005 and promotes shows throughout Southern Ontario. The company also hosts since 2005 an annual Great Canadian Wrestling Expo that takes place over several days and brings together a large group of wrestlers. Currently, four
championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
are defended at GCW events. GCW events featured a roster of wrestlers who compete regularly for the promotion as well as occasional appearances by wrestlers currently signed with major promotions. In addition, a group of "legends", or veteran wrestlers from other promotions, also would compete on occasion for GCW. On February 18, 2009, GCW began an online broadcast titled GCWtv. In November 2015, GCW rebranded itself as Infinity Wrestling.


History

GCW gives out the
Ontario Indy Wrestling Awards Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Can ...
annually, which is eligible to all wrestling promotions and wrestlers who perform in Ontario.


Wrestling Expo

Beginning in 2005, the promotion's first year, GCW has assembled a group of wrestlers from various promotions to compete in a multi-day event known as the Great Canadian Wrestling Expo. The first Expo attracted 600 visitors and included merchandise sales from a wide variety of vendors, an auction, and opportunities to meet with the wrestlers for autographs and photographs. Ed the Sock was named commissioner for the event and proceeds from the weekend were donated to the Sick Kids Foundation. In 2006, the event was combined with the 10th Annual Anime North Convention. The event featured primarily traditional wrestling matches but also included gimmick matches such as one between wrestlers competing as the Green Power Ranger and the Red Power Ranger for leadership of the Power Rangers, as well as an encounter between Team
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
and Team Rocket. This cross-promotional event attracted 11,286 paid attendees. Since 2006, GCW has continued to promote a series of shows along with Anime North.


Wrestlers

Although GCW promotes matches with many wrestlers who have not appeared in major promotions, the organization also has an agreement with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that facilitates events titled TNmAyhem, in which wrestlers from TNA compete. The first of these cards took place on May 24, 2007, and features appearances by such wrestlers as
Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
,
Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...
, and A.J. Styles. GCW events also feature wrestlers who have gained fame in major American promotions, such as Billy Gunn, The Honky Tonk Man, and Koko B. Ware.


Roster

GCW had a regular group of wrestlers that competed for the promotion; this includes both male and female wrestlers. In addition, many wrestlers made sporadic appearances for the company. On the company roster, GCW divides these occasional performers into two groups: legends (longtime wrestlers, many of whom are semi-retired) and superstars (wrestlers who currently compete, or have recently competed, for major promotions).


Regular roster

GCW's regular roster consisted of wrestlers who competed for the promotion on a regular basis:


W.I.L.D. Division

The W.I.L.D. Division consisted of GCW's female wrestlers:


Championships


GCW National Championship

The GCW National Championship was a professional wrestling championship that serves as the major championship for Great Canadian Wrestling.


GCW Interim Heavyweight Championship

In 2007, GCW National Champion Jake O'Reilly was injured but unwilling to vacate his title. As a result, an eight-man tournament was held to determine the first holder of the newly created GCW Interim Heavyweight Championship. O'Reilly, still holding his National Championship, returned in February 2008, and the two titles were unified when Otis Idol defeated O'Reilly in October 2008.


GCW Ontario Independent Championship

The GCW Ontario Independent Championship is a secondary title in the Great Canadian Wrestling promotion. It was created in May 2006, and a four-man tournament was held to determine the initial champion.


GCW Tag Team Championship

The GCW Tag Team Championship was a championship that serves as the major tag team championship in the Great Canadian Wrestling promotion.


GCW WILD Championship

The GCW WILD Championship is a professional wrestling championship that serves as the major women's championship in the Great Canadian Wrestling promotion.


References


External links


GCWE.ca
– official website
CanadianWrestlingExpo.com
– official website (old URL)
Event results
at Online World of Wrestling
Ontario Indy Wrestling
Photos and current news at Ontario Indy Wrestling {{Professional wrestling in Canada Canadian professional wrestling promotions Professional wrestling in Ontario