Perhaps the most anticipated match of the year, the Dangerous Games match routinely steals headlines during this part of the calendar. But threatening to steal some of the hype is the monstrous showdown for the GCW World Heavyweight Championship to take place at the Pay-Per-View this week. In what has become a bitterly personal and intense rivalry, Jordan White gets what many consider to be his final shot at the gold against "The Established" Jay Terror in an ACWF Match.
For the uninitiated, the term ACWF is a reference back to the promotion that gave The Jhub, along with Steven Caldera, Mike Hardy and Octavian, his start. (Incidentally, the ACWF was run by current GCW star Mr. Danger.) In a stroke of violent genius, the acronym came to stand for Asphalt, Chains, Wrenches and Forklifts. The original idea? Fight where there's no padding in a ring made of chains, armed with wrenches, and use the forklift to raise yourself up to claim the title belt. The result is the bloodiest and most physically punishing match in wrestling.
The ACWF Match is perhaps even more legendary than Dangerous Games itself. The very first ACWF match took place in GCW's predecessor, the CWU. The original innovators were The Jhub and Khan, the former claiming the match as his own for posterity. Khan won the first match, but The Jhub claimed the rematch a few months later at GCW's Annihilation. The Jhub returned to ACWF at NC-17 2001 against the late Rich 'The Renegade' Rollins, a match that saw another Jhub victory and what appeared to be the end of the career of Rollins.
After his first ACWF experience, Rollins was out of the ring for four years.
ACWF returned at Shockwave the following year, which was the first time the GCW World Title was defended in such an environment. It was also the first and only triple threat ACWF match; there Octavian won his record third World Title by defeating Badger Benandanti and The Jhub.
When GCW returned in 2005, there was only one way to crown a new champion. ACWF returned not only as a match but as its own Pay-Per-View event, in a six-man match featuring Mike Hardy, The Jhub, Toad, Twizzy, Octavian and eventual winner Jason Dread.
The most recent ACWF match took place at NC-17 2007, where President Caldera teamed with Seymour Almasy to take on Rich Rollins and Angelo Deville of PRIME. Caldera defeated Rollins to win the match for GCW, but with the exception of Deville, none of the participants were the same again. Caldera hasn't wrestled since. Almasy has hardly been heard from. Rollins died three months later.
The ramifications of this match cannot be understated. Making things all the more dramatic is the fact that both participants may have their careers on the line. For Jordan White, who for years has been considered GCW's most purely talented wrestler, this marks what could be his final chance to win the big match. His first opportunity came at Dangerous Games last year, when he fell short against Lia Ambrosi. He has now come full circle, and one year later, White must prove that his evolution is complete and he is now capable of winning it all. After losing to Vivica J. Valentine at Tsunami and coming up empty handed in a triple threat match with Valentine and Terror at Warpath, White's next wait might be even longer if he falls short again.
Jay Terror has been undergoing an evolution of his own. He considers himself to be the best in the world, and with good cause: he is the GCW World Champion. But much of the praise has been heaped on White, or on Terror's predecessor Valentine. For Terror, this match is his opportunity to put to end much of the negative publicity that has been aimed his way since joining The Establishment. And then there's the memory of Jordan White, then-Establishment leader, leaving The Establishment after failing in his quest for the title. What will become of Terror if he should lose the belt at Dangerous Games?
Underscoring all of this is the very real threat that injury could end someone's career for good.
For Jordan White and Jay Terror, their careers climax in the most brutal match wrestling has to offer. On a night where thirty wrestlers will compete for the right to challenge for the World Title, two men have the chance to leave their marks on the belt forever. And any time ACWF is involved, an entirely separate set of history is involved. The winner will not only see his World Title legacy defined, he will also go down on the very short list of wrestlers with the physical ability to withstand the asphalt, chains, wrenches and forklifts.
Don't miss this brutal World Title showdown. There's never been this much at stake.
For the uninitiated, the term ACWF is a reference back to the promotion that gave The Jhub, along with Steven Caldera, Mike Hardy and Octavian, his start. (Incidentally, the ACWF was run by current GCW star Mr. Danger.) In a stroke of violent genius, the acronym came to stand for Asphalt, Chains, Wrenches and Forklifts. The original idea? Fight where there's no padding in a ring made of chains, armed with wrenches, and use the forklift to raise yourself up to claim the title belt. The result is the bloodiest and most physically punishing match in wrestling.
The ACWF Match is perhaps even more legendary than Dangerous Games itself. The very first ACWF match took place in GCW's predecessor, the CWU. The original innovators were The Jhub and Khan, the former claiming the match as his own for posterity. Khan won the first match, but The Jhub claimed the rematch a few months later at GCW's Annihilation. The Jhub returned to ACWF at NC-17 2001 against the late Rich 'The Renegade' Rollins, a match that saw another Jhub victory and what appeared to be the end of the career of Rollins.
After his first ACWF experience, Rollins was out of the ring for four years.
ACWF returned at Shockwave the following year, which was the first time the GCW World Title was defended in such an environment. It was also the first and only triple threat ACWF match; there Octavian won his record third World Title by defeating Badger Benandanti and The Jhub.
When GCW returned in 2005, there was only one way to crown a new champion. ACWF returned not only as a match but as its own Pay-Per-View event, in a six-man match featuring Mike Hardy, The Jhub, Toad, Twizzy, Octavian and eventual winner Jason Dread.
The most recent ACWF match took place at NC-17 2007, where President Caldera teamed with Seymour Almasy to take on Rich Rollins and Angelo Deville of PRIME. Caldera defeated Rollins to win the match for GCW, but with the exception of Deville, none of the participants were the same again. Caldera hasn't wrestled since. Almasy has hardly been heard from. Rollins died three months later.
The ramifications of this match cannot be understated. Making things all the more dramatic is the fact that both participants may have their careers on the line. For Jordan White, who for years has been considered GCW's most purely talented wrestler, this marks what could be his final chance to win the big match. His first opportunity came at Dangerous Games last year, when he fell short against Lia Ambrosi. He has now come full circle, and one year later, White must prove that his evolution is complete and he is now capable of winning it all. After losing to Vivica J. Valentine at Tsunami and coming up empty handed in a triple threat match with Valentine and Terror at Warpath, White's next wait might be even longer if he falls short again.
Jay Terror has been undergoing an evolution of his own. He considers himself to be the best in the world, and with good cause: he is the GCW World Champion. But much of the praise has been heaped on White, or on Terror's predecessor Valentine. For Terror, this match is his opportunity to put to end much of the negative publicity that has been aimed his way since joining The Establishment. And then there's the memory of Jordan White, then-Establishment leader, leaving The Establishment after failing in his quest for the title. What will become of Terror if he should lose the belt at Dangerous Games?
Underscoring all of this is the very real threat that injury could end someone's career for good.
For Jordan White and Jay Terror, their careers climax in the most brutal match wrestling has to offer. On a night where thirty wrestlers will compete for the right to challenge for the World Title, two men have the chance to leave their marks on the belt forever. And any time ACWF is involved, an entirely separate set of history is involved. The winner will not only see his World Title legacy defined, he will also go down on the very short list of wrestlers with the physical ability to withstand the asphalt, chains, wrenches and forklifts.
Don't miss this brutal World Title showdown. There's never been this much at stake.