GCW
Jimmy Lloyd’s D-Generation F 2023
March 31, 2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center
Los Angeles, California

Watch: FITE+

Scramble Match
Terry Yaki def. Lucas Riley, Brogan Finlay, MBM, Man Like Dereiss, Bobby Flacco, and Midas Creed (7:08)

It was a GCW scramble. Everyone did dives. Man Like Dereiss rapped his intro, which might have been a bit too much for the crowd at 11AM. It was cool to see Brogan Finlay from ACTION and Midas Creed from West Coast Pro. Lucas Riley probably did the best. Joe Gagne called MBM “Baron Corbincito.” That pretty much covers everything. 

Cole Radrick def. Titus Alexander (8:47)

Titus has made appearances in GCW before, but not since he became the official stud of West Coast Pro Wrestling and made it to the second round of BOLA. Cole Radrick is a GCW regular whose profile has grown with recent, successful ventures into deathmatch. 

This match was a good reminder of Radrick’s old rep as a grappling specialist in Paradigm Pro. Paired with someone as talented as Alexander, Radrick was able to show off the more conventional, hard-hitting facets of his skillset. This wasn’t either guy’s best work but, still, a brisk and sharp match that saw Radrick win with his Sebastian’s Curse. 

I thought Radrick winning was a weird choice. Yes, he’s the hometeam guy, but it’s for an audience of hardcores that has to at least SORT OF know what Titus has been up to and why it’s cool that he’s on this card. When you bring in guys who are on hot runs elsewhere and have them lose to your midcard regulars, it just diminishes the impact of the booking and further insulates GCW from the rest of the independent sphere. 

Jack Cartwheel def. Hunter Drake (9:52)

Hunter Drake is a New South product that looks like Steven Tyler if you squint enough. Everyone knows Jack Cartwheel and his brand of acrobatics, and that cleverly became a part of the match’s story. After springboarding into an impressive-looking Code Red, Hunter Drake sat up and shouted to the crowd that Jack Cartwheel wouldn’t be doing any more flips. Drake’s attempts to ground Cartwheel made for fun heel fare in front of a crowd who wanted him airborne. It all paid off when Cartwheel finally reeled off a Sasuke Special and Shooting Star Press in succession for the win.  

Sandra Moone def. Kenzie Paige (6:15)

Sandra Moone’s size and charisma are always promising, and when her offense is clicking, it looks real nasty. This match’s best moments came when Moone was clobbering Paige with strike combos. That finishing gut-wrench driver was killer, too. Unfortunately, most of the match felt clunky and didn’t really land. To their credit, both had the crowd on their side and have a ton of great things coming down the pipe. I just wasn’t really feeling it here. 

Jimmy Lloyd def. Bodhi Young Prodigy (5:12)

Look, 15-year-old Bodhi Young Prodigy did a great job here. And I’m on record, all over this website, enjoying watching Jimmy Lloyd leap into poisonranas from dudes half his size. I’m just really burnt out on Game Changer rolling out teenagers who look exactly like that and do those exact moves. 

Starboy Charlie def. Alec Price (11:25)

And here’s the original GCW flippy teen, Starboy Charlie. To his credit, Starboy’s filled out a ton and looks great. I don’t love the overalls, but I appreciate them being something different. I’ve had this match circled for a while. Both guys are among the most talented on the indies, and this was either’s best shot at making an impact this weekend. 

From the outset, this felt like a step-up from the rest of the show. Charlie’s gotten more reserved with his acrobatics, both men are hyper-athletic, and the result was a flowy, well-paced match. Alec Price was really hamming it up out there, and it warmed my heart to see a GCW crowd shouting along with his catchphrases (“…because he’s TRASH!”). 

This was a strong match that could have been a real stand-out with a hotter closing stretch. Starboy Charlie secured the win with a Sky Twister Press followed by a Crossface. 

Sawyer Wreck def. Bobby Orlando (9:24)

I know wrestling can take all sorts of forms, and everything doesn’t have to look like a Tomohiro Ishii match. But, I mean, this is supposed to be a showcase of future stars, right? I’ve watched Bobby Orlando turn it on when the bell rings. Sawyer Wreck is 6’2, looks cool, and comes out to “Oh Bondage Up Yours!” Why am I watching these two play with a stuffed goat in the semi-main event? 

Things picked up a little when they dragged out the doors, but for me, this fell totally flat.  

Wasted Youth (Marcus Mathers & Dyln McKay) def. Bang Bros. (Austin Matthews & Davey Bang), Best Bros. (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga), and CPF (Joe Lando & Danny Black) (19:30)

I was pretty sour on this match from the opening bell. It was promoted, as recently as just before bell time in a GCW tweet, as featuring the East West Express team of Jordan Oliver and Nick Wayne. Wayne and Oliver might be the current crown jewels of GCW, and I thought they were why this was the main event. Instead, we got Bang Bros. Alright!

After that switcheroo, I wasn’t really in the mood for the antics of Best Bros., but I’ll admit the crowd came alive for most of their comedy bits. Unfortunately, Akki and Suruga could only sustain them for so long, and this match went on FOREVER. Even Emil Jay on commentary sounded like he had somewhere else to be by the time Wasted Youth finally won the match. 

On a positive note, I’d never seen CPF representatives Lando and Black before, and I thought they looked really sharp here. Their control periods were the match’s strongest moments. 

Overall Thoughts

Jimmy Lloyd’s D-Generation F, in the end, was a fitting showcase of the independent youth scene. It was uneven, and it took a close eye to find glimmers of hope. Price/Charlie, Cartwheel/Drake, and Titus/Radrick were the highlights. 

I don’t want to be too negative, though. Lloyd’s show, as it is every year, was a comforting enough early-afternoon appetizer for another long day of Wrestlemania Weekend events.