It was a true homecoming for Joseph Sawyer on Saturday night.
The former WWE star, then known as Joe Gacy, made his return to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) as the company held Homecoming Night 1 at the Showboat Resort Atlantic City in New Jersey. Sawyer survived a bloody affair to capture the GCW World Championship in a victory over Atticus Cogar.
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"What a f---ing Homecoming," he told the crowd after winning the title.
Indeed it was.
It was Sawyer’s first match in GCW since 2020 when he went by Psycho Joe. The Franklin, New Jersey, native went to war with Cogar. The match featured brutal chair shots and multiple attempts at putting Cogar through a door set up in the corner of the ring.
It was also a night that featured tributes to the late Bray Wyatt. Cogar’s entrance music was a nod to the former WWE star who died unexpectedly in August 2023. Cogar also wore a jacket and a mask in tribute.
Sawyer hit a Sister Abigail DDT to finish off Cogar. The GCW crowd that packed the event space at the Showboat went wild. Fans started to bang on the apron of the ring as Sawyer celebrated.
The violence portrayed in the ring only scratched the surface of what occurred throughout the night. Light tubes, chains, scaffolds, chairs and a barbed wire table all made an appearance.
Otis Cogar retained the GCW Ultraviolent Championship against Anakin Murphy, who played into the New Jersey crowd coming out in gear inspired by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way.
Cogar pulled out all the stops to finish off a resilient Murphy, who told Cogar to "f---ing end it" before the champion hit him with a brutal chair shot. Murphy tried to get Cogar down the best he could, even taking a fan’s Buffalo Bills helmet to use it as a weapon. Regardless, it was Cogar’s night but he learned later he would have a new challenger for his championship.
Vipress and Christian Napier battled in a brutal Chola Chain Match. The competitors were connected to each other by a chain tied to their wrists. Once Napier threw Vipress into a chair that was placed in between turnbuckles, she was busted wide open.
With blood dripping down her face, Vipress was able to power through. She took back control of the match when Napier got tied up in the ropes. She found some light tubes and smashed them over Napier’s head.
Vipress was able to wrap the chain around Napier’s face to make him tap out and secure the win.
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She took the mic after the match and called out Cogar to challenge for the GCW Ultraviolent Championship.
In one of the scarier moments of the night, Nick Gage, Nino Extremo and Sicko The Clown defeated Conor Claxton, Dr. Redacted and Jimmy Lloyd in a six-man deathmatch.
Claxton was attempting to end the match when he followed Sicko The Clown to the top of a scaffold that was set up on the side of the ring. Claxton had already prepared to do some damage, setting up a bundle of light tubes on the match. Extremo followed them both to the top of the scaffold and it allowed Sicko The Clown to regain control.
Sicko The Clown hit a Spanish fly on Claxton through the light tubes. Sicko The Clown pinned Claxton, who appeared to be bleeding profusely from his arm. Claxton was taken to the hospital and appeared to be OK.
Elsewhere, KJ Orso and Sam Stackhouse defeated Alec Price and Jordan Oliver to become the new GCW tag team champions. Bobby Flaco, Hunter Drake, Jay Lucas and Terry Yaki defeated Leedz Lewis, Ryan O’Neill, Sal Mistretta and Tarzan Duran in an eight-man tag match.
Joey Janela staved off the possibility of retirement when he defeated Marko Stunt with the help of O’Neill. Bear Bronson and Gabby Forza defeated Charles Mason and Slade.
GCW Homecoming Night 2 is set for Sunday at the Showboat once again. Pro wrestling fans can watch the event on Triller TV+.