The heart of Indianapolis pulsed with the sounds of slamming mat and roaring fans as GCW Rumble on the River took over White River State Park on September 13, 2025. Under a sky that couldn’t quite make up its mind—drizzling one moment, letting the sun peek through the next—roughly 300 die-hard wrestling fans gathered, some perched atop a bridge for a bird’s-eye view, others clustered ringside, braving the unpredictable weather for an afternoon of high-flying, hard-hitting action. The event, streamed live on TrillerTV+, delivered a wild card of matches, surprise twists, and a main event that left everyone talking.
From the outset, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation. Dave Prazak and Nick Maniwa, voices familiar to GCW loyalists, called the action, noting early on that the rain had only just let up. The outdoor setting, with the river and bridge as a dramatic backdrop, lent the show a festival-like energy. As Prazak wryly observed, “At least he didn’t throw her in the river,” after Shane Mercer hurled the diminutive Rachel Armstrong several rows deep during the opening scramble match. It was that kind of night—unpredictable, a little wild, and wholly GCW.
The opening Scramble Match set the tone, featuring Rachel Armstrong, Brayden Toon, Ron Bass Jr., Dex Royal, Jamie Lynn Senegal, Jeffrey John, and Shane Mercer. Armstrong, barely five feet tall but all heart, stood toe-to-toe with the much larger Bass Jr., even managing a headscissors takedown and the shortest World’s Strongest Slam you’ll ever see. The action spilled everywhere, with Dex Royal nailing a top-rope Shooting Star Press onto the grass outside the ring. In the end, Armstrong soared with a top-rope 450 Splash to pin Bass Jr., claiming the win in a wild nine-minute contest.
Next up, KJ Orso—formerly known as Fuego Del Sol—locked up with Gary Jay in a hard-hitting singles bout. Jay, drawing comparisons to a red-headed Brodie Lee, threw thunderous chops, but Orso’s aggression and a brutal piledriver on the apron turned the tide. Orso finished Jay with a leaping double stomp to the back of the head, drawing loud boos from the crowd for his ruthless style.
The tag team division brought its own fireworks as YDNP, the duo of Alec Price and Jordan Oliver, squared off against Boisterous Behaviour (Leon Slater and Man Like DeReiss). The match was a technical showcase, with tempers flaring and high spots galore. Slater and DeReiss controlled much of the bout, but a miscue—Slater accidentally taking out his own partner—opened the door for YDNP. Oliver and Price capitalized, hitting their signature team DDT to secure the pin after a thrilling 15-minute battle.
Fan-favorite Nate Webb made his return from a year-long shoulder injury to face Matt Cardona, who wasted no time antagonizing the Indianapolis crowd. Cardona’s cockiness backfired spectacularly when local hero Cole Radrick, still recovering from ACL surgery, distracted him at ringside. Webb took advantage, rolling up Cardona for a quick pin as the crowd erupted. The post-match celebration, set to Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag,” lasted nearly as long as the five-minute match itself.
The Falls Count Anywhere match between Bobby Beverly and Dr. Redacted lived up to its chaotic billing. The action spilled around the park, into the port-a-potties, and even involved a barbed-wire-covered door. At one point, Beverly emerged from the port-a-potty covered in blue liquid, a sight that had the crowd both laughing and wincing. Beverly ultimately suplexed Dr. Redacted through the barbed-wire door for the pin, ending a wild 10-minute brawl that Maniwa noted would have been even bloodier if not for the family-friendly outdoor setting.
Six-person tag action followed, with Joey Janela, Megan Bayne, and Marcus Mathers taking on Gringo Loco, Davey Bang, and August Matthews. The match was a showcase for Bayne’s power—her double German suplex on Bang and Matthews drew gasps from the crowd. Mathers delivered a fadeaway double stunner, and Janela hit a package piledriver on Bang. Bayne sealed the deal with an F5 faceplant on Davey Bang, securing victory for her team after 13 minutes of high-octane action.
The three-way clash between 1 Called Manders, Calvin Tankman, and Mance Warner was as hard-hitting as advertised. Chairs, trash can lids, and doors all entered the fray as the three big men battered each other. Manders and Tankman, sharing a ring for the first time since 2021, traded brutal forearm shots. The finish came when Manders hit a clothesline on Mance, who landed atop Tankman for a flash pin—a creative end to an 11-minute slugfest.
But it was the main event that had everyone buzzing. Originally scheduled to feature Billie Starkz versus Effy for the GCW Ultraviolent Championship, a last-minute change was forced when Effy was sidelined by a swollen knee. Starkz addressed the crowd: “I came for a fight tonight. I came for titles.” Enter Matt Tremont, a deathmatch legend, who stepped in as her replacement. The match quickly devolved into chaos when the Cogar Brothers, Otis and Atticus, stormed the ring, attacking Starkz and forcing a no-contest after just under three minutes.
Not to be denied, Tremont grabbed the mic and turned the melee into a tag match—himself and Starkz against the Cogar Brothers. The impromptu bout was wild, with doors introduced as weapons, Atticus accidentally tasing his own brother, and Tremont delivering a Death Valley Driver through a table for the pinfall. The crowd roared as Starkz and Tremont stood tall, a fitting capstone to a night defined by resilience and improvisation.
Throughout the show, the weather threatened to steal the spotlight, but the wrestlers and fans persevered. As commentator Emil Jay noted, “We have persevered the weather, and the sun is even coming out.” The event’s outdoor setting, the spontaneous main event, and the raucous crowd energy combined to create a uniquely memorable GCW experience. For those in attendance and those watching on TrillerTV+, Rumble on the River was a testament to the unpredictable, unbreakable spirit of independent wrestling.
With the sun finally setting on White River State Park, the GCW faithful filed out, still buzzing from a night where nothing went quite as planned—and that’s exactly how they like it.
