We’re dropping into the Celebration Plaza Amphitheatre in Indianapolis to take a look at the opener from GCW this past weekend.
Quick Result
Jordan Oliver pinned Benjamin Carter in 16:20 (***½)
Jordan Oliver vs. Benjamin Carter
Originally this was meant to have been Carter vs. Alex Zayne, but this got changed close to show time. Truth be told, this was a show I’d have covered in full had I had the time before it became “old news”…
Oliver’s not in any rush to get going as he starts the match sitting on the top buckle, before he scarpered outside as Carter went looking for a handshake. After some stretching, he returns, before a wristlock from Oliver ended with him taking a dropkick and a headlock takedown as Carter wasn’t in the mood to mess around.
Oliver stands up and pushes free, before a back elbow took Carter down. Ben’s back with an Irish whip, before hiptosses were blocked as Oliver took him down briefly. A float over out of the corner sees Carter flip from corner-to-corner before he spun into an enziguiri on Oliver. Jordan rolls outside, and eats a tope suicida, then somersault plancha as they landed hard on the grass outside. Chops follow around the distanced crowd, before Oliver was thrown into the post as they returned to the ring. Hiding behind the ref, Oliver cheapshots Carter and followed up with a Tiger suplex for a two-count. Oliver aims for Carter’s legs with kicks, then booted him away in the corner as some choking in the ropes followed.
A chinlock keeps Carter down as Oliver wore down the Jersey native… an attempt to get free only resulted in Carter getting taken down with a back body drop for a two-count, before following up in the corner with some chops. Carter switches around and replies with some Machine Gun chops, slowing down… and picking up again, only for Oliver to lift him into the ropes, and chop him into an unusual take on a Tree of Woe.
Oliver follows up with a nice baseball slide clothesline that flipped Carter back to the mat, before a running stomp off the apron left both men laying. Jordan returns to the ring, looking for a count out, but Carter dives back in in the nick of time. He kicks away at Oliver’s legs in the corner, but it barely fazes Jordan who lifts Carter up top for a superplex… but instead goes for a dropkick after getting shoved down.
Still on the top rope, Carter has to fight back once more but ends up taking the superplex, with Oliver rolling through… only to get caught in a small package as his search for more suplexes came up short. Carter fires back with a kip-up as the pair went for clotheslines, before duelling big boots dumped both men.
Back to their feet, they resume with chops and elbows before a flurry from Carter misses. Oliver went for a Boston crab, but slingshots Carter onto the apron… from where Ben returned with a Quebrada into a reverse DDT. A running shooting star press is next for a two-count. They head to the apron, where Carter hits a kick before lifting Oliver up top for a springboard ‘rana that took Oliver into a front row that didn’t move!
Another count-out tease starts as Carter got back into the ring, measuring up for a springboard kick as Oliver slid back in… but it’s not enough! Carter keeps going with a trip up top for a Phoenix Splash, but Oliver rolls away and came back in with a spinning tombstone for a near-fall!
Oliver took his time climbing the ropes and was caught with a Spanish fly and a stomp… Carter’s similarly wasteful as he misses a frog splash, before Oliver rebounded with a cutter for a near-fall, as he then finished off Carter with a sit-out side-pumphandle driver for the win. These two got time and showed off more than just flips and dives here – and while Benjamin Carter’s still waiting for his first win in GCW, it’s another solid performance as the buzz continues to grow. ***½