GCW held its biggest show ever on January 23 when they came to the Hammerstein Ballroom for The WRLD on GCW.
The show featured GCW regulars such as Nick Gage, Effy, Joey Janela, and Allie Katch along with names from other promotions like The Briscoe Brothers, Ruby Soho, Jeff Jarrett, and more.
Reviews for the show were mixed as many fans were disappointed that it wasn't a "traditional" GCW show and too many GCW regulars ended up losing or weren't put in prominent positions.
Speaking on the GCW Podcast on Patreon, GCW Owner Brett Lauderdale commented on the complaints.
"The Hammerstein show, believe it or not, I know everyone thinks it's so easy. 'Should have done this, should have done that.' That was a major endeavor in all facets. There were so many factors at play, all intermingled, both creatively and production-wise and business-wise, all things that had to be considered. It wasn't as simple as 'who deserves what and how many spots are available.' That was a unique show for GCW where it was not specifically for our normal audience. This was a show that had to cater to and had to be promoted and marketed to a much broader audience outside of our bubble. I did my best, with the amount of time we had to run the show, given the production that had to go into it, timing on promos and match times and segments, satisfying pay-per-view partners, streaming partners, broadcast partners, doing all of this on that scale for the first time and doing it all in house and by ourselves and, ultimately, all by myself as the decision-maker at the end of the day. It was, believe it or not, not easy. It was a learning experience," he said.
Lauderdale continued by explaining how shows like Hammerstein and Spring Break vary from the normal GCW events.
"In hindsight, of course, I wish I could have done certain things differently. At the end of the day, I did my best to get everybody involved as best I could and get everyone in as good a position as best I could. I wish I could have done more for some people, but at the end of the day, you have to weigh all the factors out, stuff that is not just 'who deserves what,' but what is best for business. Show like Hammerstein or Spring Break, those are business first shows that drive the rest of GCW's schedule for the rest of the year. GCW is dependent on the success of those shows to make everything else we do possible," he stated. "That means, sometimes, we have to put business first, ahead of our heart or what we want to do, it's what we need to do or should do. It's not easy, but it's how GCW became successful from day one. Spring Break has always been marketed towards an outside that is outside of our bubble and our success is dependent on bringing in new fans and appealing to those fans and getting money from fans outside of our bubble. There are people who are not regulars who are in featured positions. It's not because I don't care about GCW guys or girls, it's because you have to do what's literally best for business. By all accounts, all measurements, all scales, every chart possible, The WRLD on GCW, the things we did that were best for business were 100% best for business. Were there things I wish I could have done differently? Absolutely. At the end of the day, we did what was best for business and business was best. It's a learning experience."
FITE TV COO Mike Weber stated after the show that The WRLD on GCW was the biggest GCW show ever on FITE.
Lauderdale closed by saying, "I think all signs point to there being another round and a shot at doing some things a little differently, things we may have learned from the first time around."
A second show at Hammerstein Ballroom has not been announced. GCW will hold its annual Spring Break event during WrestleMania weekend in Dallas.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Lauderdale responded to Atticus Cogar leaving the promotion. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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