I have been with this company since its inception, nearly ten years ago. We're nearing yet another edition of Dangerous Games, perhaps our most anticipated event of the year. This time of year is always special for me, because I had the privilege of calling the very first Dangerous Games in 2001. In the nine years since that event we've had some amazing and memorable moments, and made some superstars in the process. But, for me, nothing will ever match the excitement of that first one in 2001, despite the fact that it went down as one of the most infamous moments in GCW history.
In June of 2001, GCW was just four months old. Of course, its roster had plenty of history together, but the GCW brand was just beginning to take shape. We had opened to a tremendous reception and the audience continued to grow each week. Led by President Steven Caldera's aggressive business plan, GCW began to generate significant buzz almost immediately. Despite the rave reviews of GCW's first two Pay-Per-View events, President Caldera wasn't satisfied. Seeking a catalyst for something event bigger, Caldera brought in former mentor Mr. Danger.
Danger never quite gets the credit he deserves for inventing Dangerous Games, but the event carries his name even if modern fans don't remember who it's named for. President Caldera has certainly left his stamp on the event since its inception, but Danger must be credited as the event's father.
One could also argue that Danger had created Caldera himself, though Caldera had very quickly grown into his own man. Caldera and Danger had long since ceased to see eye to eye, but, perhaps out of loyalty, Caldera allowed Danger a voice in the direction of his new company. Danger looked at the exciting but young roster and decided that GCW needed a way to stratify its cluttered ranks. Though some of the top names had been well established during their CWU days, GCW was primarily built out of exciting but unproven talent.
Danger's plan: put the entire GCW roster in the ring together and let them battle it out for superiority.
Thirty of the world's most hungry wrestlers were in line for the match. There was a buzz in the locker room from the moment Dangerous Games was announced. Everyone knew the stakes right away. Remember, in 2001 the professional wrestling landscape was dramatically different. This was a time when there were literally thousands of hopeful wrestlers dotting the landscape, most of whom would never make it big. For that matter, there were scores of hopeful wrestling promotions trying to scrape together enough talent to make a mark and hit the big time. We knew that giving these talented youngsters this opportunity was our best bet to create the new generation of stars needed to break through and challenge the established companies.
With a shot at the GCW World Title on the line, and with major stars The Jhub and Rich Rollins locked in a war for the gold, the winner was guaranteed an opportunity to become a major player. There were a few favorites going in, though it was anyone's guess who would emerge from the pack. I thought Luke Hanson had a great chance; at 19 years old he was extremely raw, but at over seven feet he had the size and skill to pull it off. He was a real freak of nature, but more than that, he was a genuinely good kid. He was loved by the fans, admired by his peers and we couldn't have asked for a better representative for GCW's future.
And then there was Shane Lane.
Lane was a little older, he'd been around for a while, and he'd become a big name on the independent circuit. When he started touring with GCW, it became clear that he had the skill to compete with the best. But there were plenty of talented wrestlers in GCW; what made Lane stand out was his personality. He demanded the spotlight. He demanded the respect of his peers, but rarely got it. He had this inexplicable chip on his shoulder, but despite his abrasiveness he was truly magnetic. The fans hated him, but he always drew them in.
When the night arrived, I took my place at ringside and waited through some excellent matches. Despite the high quality of the wrestling, it seemed like the reactions were more muted than usual. GCW had developed a devoted and vocal fanbase, but on this night they seemed subdued. Dave and I began to feel a bit of panic, but once we came to the battle royal, we realized what had happened. Caldera and Danger had done such a tremendous job building the anticipation for the Dangerous Games match that nothing else the fans saw that night would get them going.
The match was a tremendous success. Hanson and Lane had developed an intense rivalry, and they had battled it out for the United States Title earlier in the night. Hanson had retained the belt, giving him the momentum coming into the match. It came down to the first final four: Hanson, Lane, John Reed and Trash. Reed and Trash, who would later change his name to Twizzy, were both future stars, but this night was about Lane and Hanson. But the match ended in what some consider to be a fluke; Hanson seemed to have Reed eliminated, but a desperate Lane was able to intercede and eliminate them both. Lane captured the match and the win. What followed was one of the most bizarre and infamous sequence of events in GCW history--events that shaped President Caldera's approach to GCW for years.
Lane had been characteristically vocal about what he thought to be his proper spot in GCW before the Dangerous Games match. Lane's victory was a body blow to locker room morale, but some became optimistic that he might dial down the rhetoric now that he'd hit the jackpot. Instead, Lane did the exact opposite; even with a guaranteed title shot in his pocket for the following month's Pay-Per-View, Annihilation, Lane wasn't satisfied. He began making demands, and threatened to leave the company unless he received his shot the very next week.
This put President Caldera in a bind. The Jhub had just won the title from Rollins, and Caldera had hoped to spend several weeks building the anticipation for what surely would have been a top selling Pay-Per-View main event. However, he had just spent many millions of dollars promoting Dangerous Games as the event that would allow a new star to emerge; if that star were to depart the company without appearing again, it would have been disastrous. Combined with pressure from Mr. Danger, Caldera was forced to relent and serve The Jhub up on Meltdown.
The Jhub was game, but after a brutal war with Rollins he was perhaps even more tired than the young and excited Lane. Caldera tried to insert himself into the match on The Jhub's behalf, but found himself neutralized by Danger. To the shock of the GCW World, Shane Lane defeated The Jhub and won the GCW World Title just four days after surging into the spotlight for the first time.
And then, just like that, Lane seemed to check out. He began mailing in his performances, showed up late and left early every night, and became even more insufferable than before. The only reason he survived with the company despite his attitude was his work ethic, but that seemed to evaporate once he won the title.
Caldera booked a six-man title match for Annihilation to stack the odds against Lane, who ultimately lost the belt to Rich Rollins. But significant damage had been done to the image of the belt, and only through the brilliance of Rollins did it recover. It was a blow that could have crippled GCW's rise, and we were lucky to have survived it.
Still, Dangerous Games itself remained a staggering success, and the event propelled GCW's name further into the ranks of the renowned. It did leave a scar, however; I truly believe that this event was the real motivator behind Caldera's creation of The Establishment. True, The Establishment had been created on the very first Meltdown, but the Lane incident spurred Caldera to become even more militant about protecting his investment. The GCW World Title was everything to him, the ultimate symbol of the success of his company. Lane's Dangerous Games win and title reign remain a black mark on the history of GCW, and Caldera resolved never to allow it to happen again.
Since then, the stakes have continued to grow around Dangerous Games time. Even now, working behind the scenes, Caldera vets each and every wrestler before they're even allowed to compete in Dangerous Games. Anyone who has ever participated in Dangerous Games knows that there are many hoops to jump through before they are allowed to enter. And the hype machine that revs up before each event is such to motivate the top players in the game to the point that the competition is almost crushing.
Seven more Dangerous Games events have come and passed since 2001, but none have been quite as important as the first one. For my money, Dangerous Games 2001 was the landmark moment of GCW's initial run. We'll take a look back at each of the Dangerous Games matches between now and Dangerous Games 2010, but none quite stick in my memory like the first one.
In June of 2001, GCW was just four months old. Of course, its roster had plenty of history together, but the GCW brand was just beginning to take shape. We had opened to a tremendous reception and the audience continued to grow each week. Led by President Steven Caldera's aggressive business plan, GCW began to generate significant buzz almost immediately. Despite the rave reviews of GCW's first two Pay-Per-View events, President Caldera wasn't satisfied. Seeking a catalyst for something event bigger, Caldera brought in former mentor Mr. Danger.
Danger never quite gets the credit he deserves for inventing Dangerous Games, but the event carries his name even if modern fans don't remember who it's named for. President Caldera has certainly left his stamp on the event since its inception, but Danger must be credited as the event's father.
One could also argue that Danger had created Caldera himself, though Caldera had very quickly grown into his own man. Caldera and Danger had long since ceased to see eye to eye, but, perhaps out of loyalty, Caldera allowed Danger a voice in the direction of his new company. Danger looked at the exciting but young roster and decided that GCW needed a way to stratify its cluttered ranks. Though some of the top names had been well established during their CWU days, GCW was primarily built out of exciting but unproven talent.
Danger's plan: put the entire GCW roster in the ring together and let them battle it out for superiority.
Thirty of the world's most hungry wrestlers were in line for the match. There was a buzz in the locker room from the moment Dangerous Games was announced. Everyone knew the stakes right away. Remember, in 2001 the professional wrestling landscape was dramatically different. This was a time when there were literally thousands of hopeful wrestlers dotting the landscape, most of whom would never make it big. For that matter, there were scores of hopeful wrestling promotions trying to scrape together enough talent to make a mark and hit the big time. We knew that giving these talented youngsters this opportunity was our best bet to create the new generation of stars needed to break through and challenge the established companies.
With a shot at the GCW World Title on the line, and with major stars The Jhub and Rich Rollins locked in a war for the gold, the winner was guaranteed an opportunity to become a major player. There were a few favorites going in, though it was anyone's guess who would emerge from the pack. I thought Luke Hanson had a great chance; at 19 years old he was extremely raw, but at over seven feet he had the size and skill to pull it off. He was a real freak of nature, but more than that, he was a genuinely good kid. He was loved by the fans, admired by his peers and we couldn't have asked for a better representative for GCW's future.
And then there was Shane Lane.
Lane was a little older, he'd been around for a while, and he'd become a big name on the independent circuit. When he started touring with GCW, it became clear that he had the skill to compete with the best. But there were plenty of talented wrestlers in GCW; what made Lane stand out was his personality. He demanded the spotlight. He demanded the respect of his peers, but rarely got it. He had this inexplicable chip on his shoulder, but despite his abrasiveness he was truly magnetic. The fans hated him, but he always drew them in.
When the night arrived, I took my place at ringside and waited through some excellent matches. Despite the high quality of the wrestling, it seemed like the reactions were more muted than usual. GCW had developed a devoted and vocal fanbase, but on this night they seemed subdued. Dave and I began to feel a bit of panic, but once we came to the battle royal, we realized what had happened. Caldera and Danger had done such a tremendous job building the anticipation for the Dangerous Games match that nothing else the fans saw that night would get them going.
The match was a tremendous success. Hanson and Lane had developed an intense rivalry, and they had battled it out for the United States Title earlier in the night. Hanson had retained the belt, giving him the momentum coming into the match. It came down to the first final four: Hanson, Lane, John Reed and Trash. Reed and Trash, who would later change his name to Twizzy, were both future stars, but this night was about Lane and Hanson. But the match ended in what some consider to be a fluke; Hanson seemed to have Reed eliminated, but a desperate Lane was able to intercede and eliminate them both. Lane captured the match and the win. What followed was one of the most bizarre and infamous sequence of events in GCW history--events that shaped President Caldera's approach to GCW for years.
Lane had been characteristically vocal about what he thought to be his proper spot in GCW before the Dangerous Games match. Lane's victory was a body blow to locker room morale, but some became optimistic that he might dial down the rhetoric now that he'd hit the jackpot. Instead, Lane did the exact opposite; even with a guaranteed title shot in his pocket for the following month's Pay-Per-View, Annihilation, Lane wasn't satisfied. He began making demands, and threatened to leave the company unless he received his shot the very next week.
This put President Caldera in a bind. The Jhub had just won the title from Rollins, and Caldera had hoped to spend several weeks building the anticipation for what surely would have been a top selling Pay-Per-View main event. However, he had just spent many millions of dollars promoting Dangerous Games as the event that would allow a new star to emerge; if that star were to depart the company without appearing again, it would have been disastrous. Combined with pressure from Mr. Danger, Caldera was forced to relent and serve The Jhub up on Meltdown.
The Jhub was game, but after a brutal war with Rollins he was perhaps even more tired than the young and excited Lane. Caldera tried to insert himself into the match on The Jhub's behalf, but found himself neutralized by Danger. To the shock of the GCW World, Shane Lane defeated The Jhub and won the GCW World Title just four days after surging into the spotlight for the first time.
And then, just like that, Lane seemed to check out. He began mailing in his performances, showed up late and left early every night, and became even more insufferable than before. The only reason he survived with the company despite his attitude was his work ethic, but that seemed to evaporate once he won the title.
Caldera booked a six-man title match for Annihilation to stack the odds against Lane, who ultimately lost the belt to Rich Rollins. But significant damage had been done to the image of the belt, and only through the brilliance of Rollins did it recover. It was a blow that could have crippled GCW's rise, and we were lucky to have survived it.
Still, Dangerous Games itself remained a staggering success, and the event propelled GCW's name further into the ranks of the renowned. It did leave a scar, however; I truly believe that this event was the real motivator behind Caldera's creation of The Establishment. True, The Establishment had been created on the very first Meltdown, but the Lane incident spurred Caldera to become even more militant about protecting his investment. The GCW World Title was everything to him, the ultimate symbol of the success of his company. Lane's Dangerous Games win and title reign remain a black mark on the history of GCW, and Caldera resolved never to allow it to happen again.
Since then, the stakes have continued to grow around Dangerous Games time. Even now, working behind the scenes, Caldera vets each and every wrestler before they're even allowed to compete in Dangerous Games. Anyone who has ever participated in Dangerous Games knows that there are many hoops to jump through before they are allowed to enter. And the hype machine that revs up before each event is such to motivate the top players in the game to the point that the competition is almost crushing.
Seven more Dangerous Games events have come and passed since 2001, but none have been quite as important as the first one. For my money, Dangerous Games 2001 was the landmark moment of GCW's initial run. We'll take a look back at each of the Dangerous Games matches between now and Dangerous Games 2010, but none quite stick in my memory like the first one.