Time for everyone’s second favorite game (after work or shoot), is this professional wrestling?
Jordan Oliver and Blake Christian had a match against one another in Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). The bout began with a sequence that has taken the internet by storm. Some applaud the athletic efforts, while others claim it is not pro wrestling.
Here is the sequence to judge for yourself.
| Christian Vs Oliver |@GCWrestling_ @Air_Blake2234 pic.twitter.com/KPRMTNX55m
— Jordan Oliver (@TheJordanOliver) December 27, 2019
Wrestling personalities weighed in with praise or criticism. For the sake of not spamming the original video in quote-tweets, some of these responses will be in text form.
Of course, Jim Cornette was not a fan.
Jim Cornette: Wrestling in 2019--12 foot ring with two 150 pound kids doing a choreographed dance routine & 84 “fans” reacting like they’re watching Ali vs. Frazier. I’m sorry for the people who like this hot garbage but I’ll continue pointing out how this is an embarrassment to the sport.
Will Ospreay was on the positive side of the fence, especially given that he has experienced similar split reactions.
Will Ospreay: Lot of people just tearing it, why don’t people of more experience side of wrestling just message these guys and offer advice. They clearly have the ability to be game changers in Jr Heavyweight wrestling. When me & Rico had the same backlash it stirred so much controversy
I’m tired of seeing people just rip into each other. Positives are GCW got a hell of a lot of publicity as well as Blake & Oliver.
— ᵂⁱˡˡ ᴼˢᵖʳᵉᵃʸ • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) December 29, 2019
Just needs someone with the right eye, mind & patience to guide.
Trust me. Both of these lads will be worth it in the future.
Joey Ryan offered advice. He knows all about controversial wrestling sequences.
Joey Ryan: The best advice I ever got was from Matt Jackson. “When you’re over, the normal rules don’t apply.” You & @Air_Blake2234 have obviously struck a chord in the industry. Keep experimenting, keep pushing boundaries, keeping moving forward. If you can get it over, it’s never wrong.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. applauded their effort in trying something different.
You know I give these two kids credit, at least what they’re doing shows some athleticism and imagination and they’re not trying to be goofy, silly or perverted.
— Davey Boy Smith Jr. (@DBSmithjr) December 30, 2019
Michael Elgin offered support to Christian.
Keep doing your thing. At any level there will be people who want to bash the new stars on the rise. It’s a jealous thing, too many people want to coast and keep their spot. You keep killing it, so I have to constantly evolve and get better. I want you coming after my spot. https://t.co/UQJdehiIdy
— BigMike (@MichaelElgin25) December 28, 2019
Big Mike had more to say here about vets crapping on them instead of offering critiques. He put Oliver and Christian over for taking up his offer for advice.
Justin Credible’s anti reaction was met with an interesting comparison involving ECW veterans.
Justin Credible: All I’m saying is Wrestling is supposed to be a simulated fight Not a stunt show. Yes these young men are very talented. But it is not professional wrestling
A fan responded to Credible with a clip of RVD vs Jerry Lynn.
I remember hearing the same shit back in '99. It was pro wrestling then and its pro wrestling now. pic.twitter.com/ZnQFFdtvQa
— of the ᗪᗩᖇK Oᖇᗪᙓᖇ (@HailDarkOrder) December 29, 2019
To which RVD had this to say.
One is a fight and one is a dance in my opinion. If you don’t see the difference, your subconscious does. https://t.co/jMXdjsyIU0
— Rob Van Dam (@TherealRVD) December 30, 2019
My favorite take is from Lucha Underground pizza connoisseur Vinnie Massaro. He really puts it in perspective.
The problem is that now everything is televised or giffed and everything is judged. Let these young guys try new stuff. If everything gets looked at under a microscope everyone is gonna do the same stuff from fear of being made fun of. Go out there and try something different
— Vinnie Massaro (@snoringelbow) December 28, 2019
The reply that made me laugh the most came from Jim Cornette. You’ll have to listen the video from his quote tweet to get the joke.
I apologize for criticizing this exchange yesterday--I saw it without the audio. Watching AND listening to this full clip it makes much more sense now.#IWasWrong https://t.co/wgJZjWPJeJ
— Jim Cornette (@TheJimCornette) December 29, 2019
As for my personal fan opinion, it’s not my cup of tea. The sequence doesn’t live up to awesome praise, but it also isn’t terrible. It is what it is for today’s modern wrestling product. One tweak I would make is at the end. Their faces are too close to each other when they stop to preen for the crowd’s reaction. I would have had Oliver blast Christian in the face when Christian stops a touch too early. That would have at least added a feeling that they were in a fight to hit the pay window.
What’s your take? Did it thrill you? Or was it hokey? Should the sequence from Jordan Oliver and Blake Christian be considered professional wrestling or professional dance?