Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
based in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. The promotion was originally founded by Ricky Otazu in 1999, it was rebranded under its current name in 2015, after a sale to Danny Demanto and current owner Brett Lauderdale. The promotion specializes in
hardcore and "death matches", as well as
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
-inspired
shoot style
Shoot wrestling is a combat sport that originated in Japan's professional wrestling circuit of the 1970s. Professional wrestlers of that era attempted to use more realistic or even "full contact" moves in their matches to increase their exciteme ...
matches.
GCW has since grown from running shows based in New Jersey, to holding events across the United States, as well as internationally in Japan and Mexico. Annual events include "Backyard Wrestling",
Bloodsport
A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities characte ...
,
Joey Janela's Spring Break
Joey Janela's Spring Break is a professional wrestling event held by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling
Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American independent professional wrest ...
, the
Nick Gage
Nicholas William Wilson (born September 22, 1980), better known by his ring name Nick Gage, is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is the current GCW World Champion i ...
Invitational, and the Tournament of Survival.
History
As Jersey Championship Wrestling
Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW) was founded by independent wrestler Ricky Otazu, also known by his
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
of Ricky O, in January 1999 in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
.
JCW ran their first show on January 29, 2000, in
Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Lyndhurst is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 20,554, reflecting an increase of 1,171 (+6.0%) from the 19,383 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in tur ...
. Later that year, JCW hosted the inaugural
Jersey J-Cup
The Jersey J Cup, also known as the Chris Candido Memorial J-Cup Tournament, is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by Funkdafied Wrestling Federation (FwF), typically between April and June. Modeled after the Super J-Cup by New Japan ...
, which featured many of the top independent wrestlers of that period. They would continue to host the tournament until 2004, when JCW was sold to rival company National Wrestling Superstars (NWS).
The promotion would remain dormant for nearly a decade until September 2013 when, after the closure of National Wrestling Superstars, Otazu reclaimed the rights to JCW and reopened the promotion.
In April 2014, JCW opened its own training school in
North Bergen
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 63,361. The township was founded in 1843. It was much diminished in territory by a ...
. Later that year, JCW would return to hosting the Jersey J-Cup.
2015–present: Rebranding as Game Changer Wrestling
In June 2015, Jersey Championship Wrestling rebranded itself to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW)
after being purchased by Brett Lauderdale and Danny Demanto. Since the buyout, GCW began to predominantly feature
hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...
and continued to enjoy success in the New Jersey Wrestling scene. GCW became known for producing several tournaments featuring independent wrestlers; including the Nick Gage Invitational Ultraviolent Tournament, the Tournament of Survival and the Acid Cup.
In March 2017, GCW produced
Joey Janela
Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler. Janela is most known for his work with promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW ...
's Spring Break show in
Fern Park, Florida
Fern Park is a census-designated place and a suburban unincorporated community in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,318 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geogr ...
. This would become an annual tradition for the company. GCW would begin to expand throughout the United States and hosted its first show in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in November 2018, titled To Live and Die in
LA. In April 2018, GCW partnered with
Matt Riddle
Matthew Fredrick Riddle (born January 14, 1986, in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand, but is currently inactive due t ...
to produce
Matt Riddle's Bloodsport, a show that fused professional wrestling and mixed-martial arts rules. Bloodsport would take place twice more in 2019, this time with the partnership of
Josh Barnett
Joshua Lawrence Barnett (born November 10, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist, submission grappler, professional wrestler and color commentator currently signed to Bellator MMA, where he competes in their Heavyweight division. Barnett p ...
. In August 2019, GCW embarked on a two-day tour of Japan.
In December 2020, GCW attempted to end their partnership with streaming platform Independent Wrestling TV (IWTV), later moving their content to
FITE TV
Fite (stylized as FITE by Triller) is an American digital video streaming service launched on May 20, 2012, that is dedicated to combat sports-related programming (including boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling). The network dist ...
. In 2021, IWTV sued GCW for breach of contract.
On January 23, 2022, GCW held the sold out
The Wrld on GCW event, their debut at the
Hammerstein Ballroom
The Hammerstein Ballroom is a ballroom located within the Manhattan Center at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The capacity of the ballroom is dependent on the configuration of the room; it seats 2,500 people for theat ...
. The event marked the first GCW event to air on traditional pay-per-view outlets.
On February 7, 2022, GCW had signed Nick Gage to a contract which is the first & only contract that GCW will offer. The contract was only offered to Gage because he has been a huge part for the rise of GCW. "This is a major milestone moment for both Nick and GCW. I have always been against the idea of contracts in GCW but there are exceptions to every rule.
From day 1, Nick has put his body, and literally his life on the line for the fans inside the squared circle. He deserves, and has earned the right to be rewarded for 20+ years of hard work and sacrifice. This historic contract will do just that, allowing him to continue his in-ring career at a pace that is beneficial to his health, while beginning to focus on opportunities that take him towards the next phase of his career. GCW would not have achieved the level of success it has without Nick F'N Gage, and we are proud to be able to say that GCW will remain Nick's home for the rest of his career," Lauderdale said.
Roster
![山下りな2020](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AA2020.jpg)
Game Changer Wrestling's roster consists mainly of independent
freelancers
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
.
Wrestlers
Championships and accomplishments
Current championship
As of ,
Former championships
Championship history
GCW Extreme Championship
GCW Ultraviolent Championship
Reigns
Combined reigns
As of , .
References
External links
Fite TV page*
YouTube channel
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{{Professional wrestling in the United States
American professional wrestling promotions
American independent professional wrestling promotions based in New Jersey
American companies established in 1999