Wrestling Review // Garden State Pro Wrestling "Duality" January 15th, 2023 Ridgefield Park, NJ

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This was the fourth Garden State Pro Wrestling show overall but seeing as how it was at the Knights of Columbus in Ridgefield Park, NJ it was also our first GSPW show.   We had not been to this particular KOC- the Mecca if you will- since September of 2021.  We spent a lot of time going north into MA and in the past year realized that if you want to see certain wrestlers you have to go to NJ because they don't come up to MA as often.

There were two other things which made me really want to go to this show and I should get them out there right from the start.  First off, up and down this card, from when we bought tickets to when it was finalized, there was not a single wrestler on this show that I didn't want to see.   Sometimes I'll go to a show wanting to see certain wrestlers but then others are added that I don't really care about and are just kind of there.  This show did not have that problem.

The second and perhaps biggest part of going to this that I like is that the talent was very diverse in terms of where they came from.   Typically, a wrestling promotion in the northeast would book someone like Bryan Keith as their main outside attraction and then just add on mostly local talent from the area.   Which isn't always bad because I do love seeing the locals as well, but you have to think of the names on here from NJ and then someone like Alec Price from MA, Jordan Blade from the DMV, Titus Alexander as a west coast guy, Hunter Drake is from Alabama, Bryan Keith and Culture Inc are from Texas and Best Bros came from Japan!

We were told this show would be streaming live on YouTube for free so I didn't really think about it but every time I saw it was at 2pm I had just planned on getting there at 2pm- forgetting doors opened earlier.   Something in the last fifteen months has happened in Ridgefield Park, as parking on the streets near this KOC isn't as easy as it used to be.   When we got there, we drove by the KOC and all the fans were outside waiting to get in.  But by the time we finally parked and got there everyone was inside so we had no lines and no waiting.  It worked out pretty well that way.

The show opened with a dark match between Jay Mesias and Pat Fitzpatrick, who are both from Create A Pro (I believe) but I'll always think of them as Victory Pro Wrestling now.  They had a good match but the way this show moved so quickly with starting and all, we were at the bar getting water when it started also.

Officially the show had ten matches so I had planned on five-intermission-five and that's how it went.   The first match was a little confusing because Culture Inc came out first, then introduced Kiah Dream.   This brought out Ace Of Space, which made it feel like this was going to somehow turn into a three v three match with GKM and Kiah Dream in it.  This was a two on two tag team match which was really good and highlighted the skills of Culture Inc, which let's face it, more promotions should.

Culture Inc are like master painters.   You just give them the canvas and they're going to paint you something nice.   I was excited to see them so this was a good way to kick off the show.  They also shot off this confetti type gun (like Waves N Curls uses) which had little $100 bills come out of it.   Quentin gathered up at least ten of them and was playing with them throughout the night.  

This went right into the Ruthless Lala vs Kiah Dream match and Lala just seems unstoppable right now.   This all ended up breaking down as well into Prolific vs Culture Inc and one day, somehow, this all will hopefully get settled in that ring and possibly at the KOC too so I can be there to witness it.

Perhaps one of the most emotional matches on the show was up next as Kevin Blackwood took on Bobby Orlando.  I'm not sure it had ever crossed my mind that these two wrestlers should be across the ring from each other, but this match just worked and if you're not willing to watch Bobby Orlando fight his heart out for the love of Bobby Jr then perhaps you need to get your own emotions in check.

GSPW is having a Tag Team Title Tournament and the next match saw Young Dumb N Broke take on AKIRA and Masha Slamovich.   I used to see Masha Slamovich wrestle at least twice a month and it's been a while so this was good.  It was needed.  The Young Dumb N Broke guys are funny because I told Charlie Tiger he wasn't a real tiger and he got mad at me.  He said "Do you know how I got this scar?" and I said "From a real tiger?" and he got even more mad.  Sometimes I wish I was a tiger.

One of my favorite parts of this match and just the entire show was that the crowd was hot throughout and there was at least one chant during this match for "violence".   That's it.  The people simply wanted violence from AKIRA and Masha Slamovich.  This made me happy as well and it really can just feel like the simple things sometimes.

Alec Price challenged Alan Angels for the GSPW Openweight Title next.   I'm never sure when I see Alec Price if he's going to be cheered or booed when he comes out because he can play to the crowd in both ways just so well, but here, for this show, he was hugely over and cheered.   There were chants of "Northeast Beast" and Quentin was happy because he got to say "One more time... 'cause he's trash".   Alan Angels is really a perfect heel wrestler too because something about him just makes me want to boo him.

We went to intermission and this was the first time I've ever seen AKIRA set up merch so we went to him, got a picture with him, got a flag and then I had to eat a pretzel because it was nearing 4pm and I hadn't eaten anything yet.  I do love that the KOC here always has food at the bar as well.   

After intermission we went into the battle of the cowboys as Manders took on Bryan Keith.   This was my first time seeing Bryan Keith wrestle live but I've seen him all over IWTV and such, so I was really excited about it.   And just this match being between two real cowboys made me feel like it was going to be something special and it was.   This was one of the matches on the show that I'd say I would've gone out of my way for this show just for this match, but every match delivered in the end.

Speaking of matches I went to this show to see, I really saw GSPW from afar because I'd see match graphics and what not last year about shows but then look them up and feel like it was too far in NJ to go.  The first match graphic I actually saw for this show was Edith Surreal vs Jordan Blade and that made me want to go to this show.  When I realized where it was, I knew it was time to go back because who in CT or MA is going to book this match for me?  And it's fine because CT and MA book matches that NJ won't so it all evens out.

I think people look at Edith Surreal in an arsty way and forget where she comes from and the type of matches she's had, so this one just very much became a technical classic and I really did enjoy that about it.   This was that real wrestling part of wrestling and it also kind of gave a different style than any other match on the show so I enjoyed that.   Jordan Blade should be everywhere and so should Edith Surreal.

We went into the fourway match next which really felt like this showcase of who's who in the area and beyond.  We have Hunter Blake from Alabama, Allie Katch from Texas, Jordan Oliver is from NY and I learned Marcus Mathers is from Philly because I just assumed NJ because of H2O (but to be fair H2O is really close to PA)  I was really interested in seeing Hunter Drake during this match as well because I've seen him in New South and think he's got a bright future.

In the end, everyone kind of hit a big move on the person before them and then Marcus Mathers hit the last one so that gave him the win.  It is smart but it feels like anyone else could've just waited at the end of the line and won and that's what makes it kind of weird at the same time.  But this is also why fourways are hard unless they're elimination.   I'm also not used to Jordan Oliver with his hair down.

The first half of our main event saw Best Bros take on YoKai as part of the Tag Team Title Tournament.   YoKai came out first and were super over- like I felt the place was going to explode.  But then when Best Bros came out, they somehow got even louder and more intense.  Certain people on this show are definitive heels, but for the most part the crowd seemed to respect everyone who showed them respect and I liked that about it too.  The crowd had trouble picking sides and so did I.

This match was really fun and my first time seeing Best Bros live.  I will say that if you have the chance to see Best Bros in person you really should as there is just this energy unlike anything else I have ever felt.  And the match was just so good.  Both of these teams worked so well together and played off of each other with counters and moves the likes of which I've not seen before.   I definitely came to this show to see Best Bros (one of my big reasons) and they definitely delivered.

In the main event, Robert Martyr took on Titus Alexander.  At first, Titus Alexander was being booed because he was from the west coast.  But then he did do some heel-ish stuff so I felt like he was leaning into it.   I was actually excited to see Titus Alexander because he's a big west coast stand out and this match was really up there among the best matches I've ever seen and both of these wrestlers just left everything out there.

Robert Martyr is such a rare talent and if he doesn't have all the gold by the end of 2023 I'm going to be upset.   From a technical standpoint, Robert Martyr has that Bret Hart way about him where he can hit you with a submission or reverse your move.  But at the same time he has this kind of wreckless style where it reminds me of Mick Foley because he's not opposed to using his own body as a weapon if it gets the job done.  Robert Martyr really feels like a once-in-a-generation type of wrestler and the way he connects with that crowd just proves it as well.

After the show the merch line was already long for Best Bros so I figured we'd see who else was out and then go back and it'd be shorter.   We found Bryan Keith so Quentin took a picture with him and we bought all six of his trading cards.    We then went back to the Best Bros line and it was even longer than before!

In all of my years as a wrestling fan, in all of the shows I've gone to, I don't think I've seen a larger merch line than Best Bros had on this night.   And the thing was, the line got pretty far back when Quentin and I got into it, but then other fans kept getting into it behind us.  I don't know how many people were in the KOC on this day but I'd say at least 80% of them (or more) were in line afterwards for Best Bros.