Game Changer Wrestling
Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was originally founded by Ricky Otazu in 1999 as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW). It was rebranded under its current name in 2015, after a sale to Danny Demanto and current owner Brett Lauderdale. The promotion specializes in hardcore and "death matches", as well as mixed martial arts-inspired shoot style matches. GCW has since grown from running shows based in New Jersey, to holding events across the United States, as well as internationally in Japan and Mexico. Annual events include  Backyard Wrestling, Bloodsport, Joey Janela's Spring Break, the Nick Gage Invitational, and the "Tournament of Survival". History. As Jersey Championship Wrestling. Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW) was founded by independent wrestler Ricky Otazu, also known by his ring name of Ricky O, in January 1999 in New Jersey. JCW ran their first show on January 29, 2000 in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Later that year, JCW hosted the inaugural Jersey J-Cup, which featured many of the top independent wrestlers of that period. They would continue to host the tournament until 2004, when JCW was sold to rival company National Wrestling  Superstars (NWS). The promotion would remain dormant for nearly a decade until September 2013 when, after the closure of National Wrestling Superstars, Otazu reclaimed the rights to JCW and reopened the promotion. In April 2014, JCW opened its own training school in North Bergen. Later that year, JCW would return to hosting the Jersey J-Cup. 2015–present: Rebranding as Game Changer Wrestling. In June 2015, Jersey Championship Wrestling rebranded itself to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) after being purchased by Brett Lauderdale and Danny Demanto. Since the buyout, GCW began to predominantly feature hardcore wrestling and continued to enjoy success  in the New Jersey Wrestling scene. GCW became known for producing several tournaments featuring independent wrestlers; including the Nick Gage Invitational Ultraviolent Tournament, the Tournament of Survival and the Acid Cup. In March 2017, GCW produced Joey Janela's Spring Break show in Fern Park, Florida. This would become an annual tradition for the company. GCW would begin to expand throughout the United States and hosted its first show in Los Angeles in November 2018, titled To Live and Die in LA. In April 2018, GCW partnered with Matt Riddle to produce Matt Riddle's Bloodsport, a show that fused  professional wrestling and mixed-martial arts rules. Bloodsport would take place twice more in 2019, this time with the partnership of Josh Barnett. In August 2019, GCW embarked on a two-day tour of Japan. In December 2020, GCW attempted to end their partnership with streaming platform Independent Wrestling TV (IWTV), later moving their content to FITE TV. In 2021, IWTV sued GCW for breach of contract. On January 23, 2022 GCW held the sold out The Wrld on GCW event, their debut at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The event marked the first GCW event to air on traditional pay-per -view outlets. Roster. Game Changer Wrestling's roster consists mainly of independent freelancers. Championships. As of 10, 2022 Championship history. GCW Tag Team Championship. The GCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling. The titles were created on April 1, 1999 acting by the name of JCW Tag Team Championship by the time in which the promotion was known as Jersey Championship Wrestling. After the promotion changed its name to Game Changer Wrestling in June 2015, the titles began being known as the GCW Tag Team  Championship.There have been a total of 26 reigns and 5 vacancies shared between 23 different teams consisting of 42 distinctive champions. The current champions are The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) who are in their second reign as a team as well as individual.