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In the SPOTLIGHT!
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FWrestling.com - Circuit News and Info
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Fwrestling.com news
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Throwbacks Find GCW Tougher Than Ever
A three-time GCW World Heavyweight Champion, the only one in history. A Hall of Fame member. The original "greatest of all time."
Buried alive.
For Octavian, a return to GCW was meant to be a return to glory. Instead it was one set of setbacks after another, culminating with an unceremonious end. This week Octavian was put six feet under by fellow GCW original Bryan Mayhem, and he is not expected to surface.
Things have been easier for Mayhem, current GCW Tag Team Champion as part of Oblivion, but his size gives him considerable staying power. Mayhem has managed to elevate his game over the years, and his return to the company resulted in a World Title reign in 2007. Since then Mayhem has struggled to recapture the magic, but the fact remains that Mayhem has adapted to the new era of GCW better than some of his counterparts.
Wrestling fans have notoriously short memories, despite the fact that GCW is a company deeply committed to remembering its rich history. For a company that opened in 2001 and has roots going back a year earlier, history is a vital part of the present. And while the current generation of GCW wrestlers and fans may not be fully aware of it, they cannot escape the hints of the company's past.
And the company's past lingers because of the incredible commitment to the brand GCW seems to instill.
Nobody knows it better than Mr. Danger. Danger, whose attitude has certainly soured lately (with his self-titled "Mr. Danger Appreciation Day" on tap for this week), dates all the way back to 2000 when he served as Steven Caldera's first boss. Danger recruited Caldera out of the training circuit and made him a star, and eight months later GCW was born.
Caldera's meteoric rise to power certainly caused friction with his former employer. The tables quickly turned, and for the better part of the last decade it's been Danger working for Caldera. Danger is an incredibly proud individual who is still considered to be a top-notch promoter in some circles, but when he decided to return to the business he returned with GCW. It is impossible to decipher their complicated relationship, but it is clear that, despite their long rivalry, Danger feels a bond to GCW that cannot be broken.
Danger, who declined to comment for this story, is fond of telling anyone who listens of his role in the development of GCW. His guidance of Caldera no doubt aided in the creation of the company. But, while GCW has always been synonymous with Caldera's name, the pride in the company stems from the incredible talent that has graced its rings. The history is so rich, the list of alumni so deep and talented, that to step into a GCW ring is to brush elbows with some of the best of all time.
On that list is Jason Dread. The Hall of Famer returned at WorldWide 100 to challenge Jay Terror for the World Title, and very nearly left with the belt. Dread has shown that his skills have not diminished, and still make him a threat in the current era. Dread has spanned two generations of GCW, perhaps the only man to do so; he won his first World Title in 2002, and his second when the company reopened in 2005.
For his part, Dread resisted offers to return to GCW for nearly a year. The company pursued him hard for some time before he finally relented when offered the shot at Terror. What started as a one-night contract turned into a full time deal when Dread became hooked on the spotlight once again.
But Dread is one of the few wrestlers capable of being successful over the years. GCW has evolved at a torrid pace, to the point that this incarnation of the company is hardly comparable to the original. Current stars such as Andy Murray, Vivica J. Valentine, Chris Bagwell and Digital Mortality have replaced such legendary names as Octavian, Toxic, Luke Hanson and The Jhub. And long-tenured stars such as LeStatt Knight, Vivica J. Valentine and Lia Ambrosi are finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace. GCW has become a magnet for top-tier talent, and the result is the most competitive environment in wrestling.
That magnetism, however, is often attributed by those at Caldera Enterprises to the contributions of those hallowed names. Though current fans are unlikely to have seen the exploits of the first generation, their names remain an integral part of this company. And there have been those who have bridged the gap. Twizzy, World Champion in 2002, returned in 2005. Michael Stevens, United States Champion in 2002, won the World Title in 2005. Rich Rollins, two-time World Champion in 2001, returned to the company twice, and ultimately died hours after competing in a GCW ring. And, of course, LeStatt Knight, who debuted in 2001, just won Dangerous Games 2008.
Most of GCW is populated with the young stars of today, and they are the ones who will become the legends of tomorrow. But for now, though they may never fully appreciate the careers of those that came before them, and though they may see former stars try to return and fail, they owe their current success, in part, to those great names.
With the fifth edition of NC-17 approaching and GCW billing it as the biggest Pay-Per-View of all time, GCW is planning to dedicate much of the following month to the history of the company. Each week WorldWide will re-air classic NC-17 matches and moments, and cameos are expected from past stars. But most importantly, NC-17 2008 will be a night where generations will collide, as Jason Dread, LeStatt Knight and Bryan Mayhem go up against the stars of today, with possession of GCW's future on the line.
Link:
http://www.gcwonline.net
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