Look, I’m not going to pretend that I watched every minute of GCW’s The Collective 2022, although there are those who did. I’m also willing to admit I didn’t like everything. However, the event’s existence was weird proof there is hope for the world.
For those who may be unfamiliar with it, GCW’s The Collective 2022 is three days of independent wrestling organized by Game Changer Wrestling. There are four shows daily with festivities starting at 11am and ending around 3am the next day.
Every genre and subsect of professional wrestling is on display. But it some ways, it is also a microcosm for society as a whole. GCW’s The Collective 2022 was a celebration of diversity on a scale that Hollywood could only dream of.
And that provides some weird proof there may be hope for the world. Race, gender, sexual orientation and all the other things that create our identity cannot be ignored. But at the same time, what we are isn’t who we are. The Collective was one of the few forms of entertainment that I’ve ever witnessed to understand the concept.
The what was not only acknowledged but celebrated throughout the three days while the who was also recognized. Most importantly, everyone was given a chance based on merit. Good luck finding that just about anywhere else.
It is easy to look at things through the lens of “I like this” and “I don’t like that”. However, the latter has become problematic. Too many people have now equated their dislike of something for that thing not needing to exist. This is a narrow and crippling worldview that sees merit pushed to the wayside for individual preferences.
GCW’s The Collective 2022 was a platform for everyone. Not just wrestlers, but fans and even society as a whole. As I have admitted before, I did not like everything I watched during the event. But I saw its value. And it all had value. Me not being entertained doesn’t take away from that.
At the end of the day, wrestling is an industry known for unscrupulous individuals, toxic fans and antiquated ideas on identity. But if the messed up world of pro wrestling can come together, even on the smaller scale of GCW’s The Collective 2022, to champion the idea of everyone being equal without prejudice, then there is no reason we as society can’t do the same.
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3 awesome things about GCW’s The Collective 2022
1) The clusterf*ck
Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Part 2 was my favorite show of the three days. All of the matches were good, but the clusterf*ck was outstanding.
2) Wrestlers all over the places
There were a number of wrestlers who popped up all over Dallas on the same day. Mike Bailey, Effy, Allie Katch and Blake Christian were just a few pulling triple and even quadruple shifts. That’s impressive.
3) BLP keeps the show going
Black Label Pro Wrestling had the worst timeslot starting at midnight on day three. The promotion also had to change its card due to injuries. But everyone on who performed on Norm went really hard and that must be commended.
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