Wrestling Onlooker Newsletter – GMP64 High Stakes

Issue 46 May  2022

GMP64 followed up last month’s highly praised Pay-Per-View “Reloaded” with the eagerly anticipated “High Stakes PPV” earlier this month. But did they deliver on fan’s expectations? Read on to find out!

Perhaps one of the biggest stories coming out of High Stakes is the conundrum that AIF Head of Creative Phillip Cardigan found himself in. Cardigan was unable to gain access to the arena, reportedly having lost his credentials. Throughout the night, Cardigan attempted to sneak into the arena, and was successful in doing so a number of times. Cardigan was spotted on-camera walking amongst the crowd, only to be tackled and escorted out by venue security. It is unclear what impact this may have had on AIF’s booking of this show, if any. WON reached out to Cardigan after the show, and Cardigan confirmed he has located his credentials, and hopes for no further issues in the future.

High Stakes opened with a Tag Team Championship match between The Dangerous Weapons and The Bone Street Krew, which started the show with a bang, despite some hiccups along the way. The match was halted midway, either due to miscommunication or possibly a botched call from the referee that resulted in a disqualification. With some quick thinking from production folks backstage, the match was restarted as a Tornado Tag match. Each of the performers were able to overcome the issues and put on a great match that really highlighted Ken Shamrock’s submission skills.

In one of the more surprising twists of the night, Raven dropped the Hardcore Championship to Shane Douglas in a Triple Threat match with Burberry Dudley. Sources had indicated that the division was going to be built around Raven, so to see him lose the belt in his first title defense was unexpected. We’re told that Raven is still meant to be a focal point of the Hardcore Championship scene, so perhaps GMP64 creative believes that the real money is in the chase.

There are questions about the health of one of the top stars on the CLASHED brand, Shawn Michaels. Michaels was attacked backstage by Bret Hart during the show, preventing him from wrestling on the PPV. This is the second show where Shawn Michaels will not be performing in-ring. Sources within the company tell us that The Heartbreak Kid has been dealing with a number of nagging injuries, so CLASHED has been keeping him out of the ring while he heals. It’s expected that he will be ready to compete in time for the next GMP64 PPV. 

After last month’s “Reloaded” show, rumors swirled of an “attitude problem” with Mary-Jane backstage, with many saying that AIF had soured on the young star. AIF seemed to fire-back against those rumors, with Mary-Jane securing the #1 Contender spot for the Women’s Championship in a match with Lita and The Kat. The Kat stepped up her game, playing a vital part in a match much better than what is normally expected from her. Sources within the company state that she has been “putting in the work” at the Create-A-Pro Wrestling Academy, which is clearly paying off. Despite this, don’t expect her to be coming near the Women’s title anytime soon. The debuting Ronda Rousey is poised to run the division, after making quick work of Trish Stratus. Expect her to bulldoze her way through a number of competitors before challenging for the title at the August PPV. 

Backlash from Andre The Giant appearing in a Light Heavyweight match apparently did not fall on deaf ears, and GMP64 execs made up for it in a big way with an 8-Man Elimination match to determine the #1 Contender for Essa Rios’ Light Heavyweight Championship. This was the showcase of the division that was desperately needed after Andre nearly killed the division at Reloaded. X-Pac, having won this match, is now  set to face Rios at the upcoming PPV event.

Surprisingly, TK Wylde, who many anticipated would be a surprise entry in the Light Heavyweight match, was not present at the event and hints of his arrival were more sparse than they were previously. Though there were previous reports of a contract being signed months ago, we have been unable to verify this information with either brand. 

Big Boss Man was eliminated in short order in a match with JBL, Test, and Jeff Jarrett. This was seen by many as a direct shot at the Spork Family, who previously funded the company before selling it at the end of Season One. Boss Man was said to be “one of the Spork’s guys,” and people in the locker room speculate that this was an intentional burial of Boss Man to “send a message.”

The Shield debuted for AIF and defeated CLASHED’s Bullet Club, in what can only be described as a “confusing” move. One would think that a match of this magnitude would be announced weeks in advance to increase the amount of PPV buys. Perhaps there is a lack of faith in a Bullet Club consisting of A-Train and Bull Buchanon actually popping a number. The Shield defeated the Bullet Club C-Squad, ensuring that Roman Reigns looked strong in the process. 

The main event featured a World Heavyweight Championship match between The Rock and Perry Saturn, who were both fresh off of wins in the Semi-Finals of the King of the Ring tournament. This was a much slower, more methodical match than we saw from either wrestler in the past, and went a long way to show why Perry Saturn deserves more of the spotlight. He was able to hang with the more established star, and occasionally outshine him. The match had the potential to be an all-time classic, if not for the finish.

Brock Lesnar returned once again to cause havoc and destruction, which resulted in the second straight PPV main event that ends without a satisfying conclusion. Fans in attendance who were promised they’d see the crowning of a new champion were disgusted, and showed that with a chorus of boos and a barrage of garbage in the ring. A much-hyped tournament with no pay-off overshadowed the exciting news that followed.

After last month’s PPV ended with the surprise debut of Brock Lesnar, we were left with more questions than answers. GMP64, and more specifically CLASHED President Johnny Clash, were able to provide these answers. Announced at the conclusion of the show and confirmed independently by WON, Brock Lesnar has officially signed with the CLASHED brand in the largest single contract GMP64 has seen. It’s believed that the new PPV-only model was seen as a major reason Lesnar signed on. Lesnar’s next appearance will be at the May PPV event.

As reported in the last newsletter, Atsushi Onita has been in talks with the CLASHED brand, but it sounds like the deal is not as close as once believed. Reportedly, talks nearly ceased after CLASHED representatives appeared on a podcast and made some bold claims regarding Onita’s past work. The relationship is not dead, but certainly strained at this point. 

Could we see Onita or TK Wylde at the upcoming GMP64 Pay-Per-View ‘Ladder Wars’? We aren’t counting it out. But we can guarantee you’ll see Brock Lesnar face off against Perry Saturn and The Rock when GMP64 presents “Ladder Wars” exclusively on PPV/Twitch on May 22nd at 8PM EST.

Results

Reloaded

• Tag Team Championship Match: The Dangerous Weapons ( Shamrock & Blackman) def. The Bone Street Krew (Undertaker & Rikishi) …☆☆☆☆
• King Of The Ring Semi-finals: Saturn def  AJ Styles…☆
• Hardcore Championship Triple Threat: Shane Douglas def. Raven & B.Dudley to win the Hardcore Championship … ☆☆
• Women’s #1 Contender Triple Threat: Mary-Jane def.  Lita, & The Kat… ☆☆☆
• King Of The Ring Semi-finals: The Rock def. Billy Gunn…☆☆☆.5
• Singles Match: Ronda Rousey def. Trish Stratus …☆☆
• Light Heavyweight #1 Contender Elimination Match: X-Pac defeats 7 others…☆☆☆☆.5
• Reverend D’von & Kane def. The Godfather & D’lo Brown…☆
• Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match: JBL def. Big boss Man, Jeff Jarrett, & Test… ☆☆☆.5
• 6-Man Tag Match: The Shield (Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns) def. The Bullet Club (AJ Styles, A-Train, Bullet Bull)…☆☆.5
• King Of The Ring Final: The Rock vs. Perry Saturn ends in a No Contest…☆☆☆

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