January 23, 2022, will go down as a momentous day in independent wrestling history, the day that The Wrld on GCW emanated from the center of the wrestling universe, the Hammerstein Ballroom. In the days since, a lot has been said on the show's production, the winners, the losers, and the overall quality of the show, with and without a star rating. No professional wrestling show is without its faults, and although GCW's debut in the Manhattan Center certainly had its fair share of issues, The Wrld on GCW still managed to be an independent wrestling spectacular.

With the cards dealt to promoter Brett Lauderdale in the minutes leading towards bell time, GCW still managed to put together one hell of a show. From key talent unable to make the show to the New York State Athletic Commission throwing even more restrictions beyond their pre-existing bar on deathmatches, The Wrld on GCW rolled with the punches and made necessary changes to broadcast an event that lived up to the bill of goods sold; a celebration of all things Game Changer Wrestling.

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The Hammerstein Ballroom Show Was Unapologetically GCW

Lio Rush and Christian Blake at the Hammerstein Ballroom

Whatever detractors might saw about the Hammerstein Ballroom show, there is one thing that is absolutely undeniable — The Wrld on GCW was full of the anti-establishment, alternative spirit that GCW has made its name on over the past few years. The message had been clear since the opening vignettes announcing the show months prior. This was always going to be a show imbued with the GCW creed and philosophies, regardless of whether wrestling fans yet to dip their toes into GCW's rebellious waters would come along for the ride or not.

Whilst there were several imported talents placed in marquee matches, most notably the opponents for GCW's premier double act, Bussy, with Effy and Allie Katch squaring off with Jeff Jarrett and Ruby Soho respectively, GCW regulars populated the entirety of the card. That is part of the appeal of GCW, seeing the band of misfits and outcasts coming together in a punk rock spirit across the various venues they visit across the United States. The preshow rumble and scramble match might not have been the cleanest multi-person matches in company history, but it allowed faithful talent that might have missed out on GCW's landmark event and gave fans a chance to cheer for some of their favorite names, like The Dark Sheik, Grim Reefer, Ninja Mack and beyond.

The same can be said about the moments with the Second Gear Crew getting their chance to brawl with the hated faction 44OH! with the assistance of Sabu and Bill Alfonso, as well as the tag team reveal in the main event. Whilst speculation was running rampant of who might answer The Briscoes' open challenge, the result was a kind of Occam's razor. This was GCW's biggest show yet, so the pair of their cult deathmatch heroes, Matt Tremont and Nick Gage, was fairly obvious in retrospect. GCW in the Hammerstein Ballroom was always going to be 'GCW in the Hammerstein Ballroom'. They made it here, they were always going to relish in the moment.

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The Wrld On GCW Had Genuine Quality Up And Down The Card

Matt Cardona Hits an FU on Joey Janela
Photo by Chris Grasso @Ringsideguy

Regardless of what you might hear Dave Meltzer say, The Wrld on GCW had some genuine match quality when it came to the card they created. The opening ladder match was the exact kind of frenetic chaos that needed to start things off. It definitely wasn't the slickest, but nothing in GCW is ever supposed to be, let alone a multi-person ladder match featuring PCO. Then, the lucha libre six-man tag was perhaps the best of the batch, blowing all expectations out of the water, such that GCW have already announced The Wrld on Lucha as part of The Collective for WrestleMania Weekend. Then, Blake Christian and Lio Rush put on a great match in substitute for Jonathan Gresham's ROH Title defense, making the absolute best of a bad situation. Then, for fans inclined for something more old school, Effy versus Jeff Jarrett was a great brawl, with Jarrett looking the best he has in years in his new outlaw persona.

Perhaps the most contentious match on the card that has been debated back and forth all over social media is Matt Cardona versus Joey Janela. This match was always going to be the zany, run-in filled soap-opera that was presented to us, with the build-up being a straight-up love triangle between the competitors and Chelsea Green ripped straight from the pages of Randy Savage and Ric Flair in the lead to WrestleMania VIII. Cardona's character work has been at the very heart of his independent run, his first months in GCW culminating here in this frenzy full of callbacks, references, and tributes to the past, rewarding the invested GCW fans.

What this comes down to at the very essence is how fun the show was. Raw in-ring quality is one way to judge a wrestling show, and whether the outcomes were the most pleasing ones, but from start to finish, what makes a show live up to the hype is just that; hype. Seeing a ballroom full of fans going crazy for AJ Gray entering the ladder match, to Effy eating a guitar shot to the head like a warrior, to the place erupting for Nick Gage's triumphant return after an extended period of time away, there were plenty of moments that had the fans on their feet sending the energy levels through the Hammerstein's artistically decorated roof. In terms of delivering a celebration of all things GCW that their fans will remember, Lauderdale and the team certainly did just that.