Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
As the pro wrestling world prepares to descend on Las Vegas for Wrestlemania 41, there’s another spectacle of chaos, innovation, and passion waiting just down the Strip.
Game Changer Wrestling’s The Collective returns in 2025 for its most ambitious, exhausting, and explosive iteration yet. With 13 events across four days—including Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, the WWE ID Championship Tournament, and the farewell match of hardcore legend Sabu—the event is the culmination of years of grind from GCW patriarch Brett Lauderdale.
“It’s certainly been the busiest and most stressful year,” Lauderdale admits, speaking with the same energy he brings to booking the impossible during a conversation with PWInsiderElite.com. “For some reason, we made the silly decision to add an extra day and two more events this year. I don’t know whose idea that was.”
Lauderdale says it half-laughing, half-resigned, but it’s clear the added pressure is self-inflicted with purpose. The Collective has evolved from a rogue celebration of independent wrestling into a global convergence point for styles, stories, and subcultures. Promotions from Japan, Europe, Mexico, and the United States are sharing the stage in Las Vegas—and Lauderdale’s GCW sits at the center.
“There’s a formula now. We’ve been doing this for several years. We’re usually prepared to put out fires if they appear,” he explains. “We’ve got great partners. These are professionals running professional operations. That makes all the difference.”
This year’s Collective brings with it unique challenges. The glitz of Las Vegas hides the logistical gauntlet that independent wrestling has to endure. “Las Vegas 2025 is not the Las Vegas of years past,” Lauderdale says. “It’s expensive. There’s taxes on everything—and taxes on the taxes. WWE’s events are all high-priced. Fans just don’t have the same disposable income this year.”
Still, Lauderdale and GCW press on, constructing a labyrinth of wrestling cards that includes Tokyo Joshi Pro, DDT, Progress Wrestling, DEFY, Dragon Gate USA, and high-profile GCW events like Joey Janela’s Spring Break and For The Culture. TrillerTV+ will stream nearly every show under one subscription, offering perhaps the best value of WrestleMania week.
“I’ve told Triller a dozen times they should raise the price. $7.99 is a steal. It’s beyond a good deal at this point,” he says. “But they’re committed to growing their base, and I respect that.”
The emotional heart of this year’s lineup may be Friday night’s no-rope barbed wire match between Joey Janela and the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal Sabu—a living legend whose promised ast match is being promoted under the GCW banner.
“It means a lot,” Lauderdale says. “Sabu shaped my teenage years. He inspired me. I watched him and Terry Funk and all the ECW guys. To be able to do this—to celebrate him before it’s too late—it’s important.”
Lauderdale reveals that Sabu has taken this farewell seriously, even if his body may not allow him to go full tilt. “He told me, ‘It’s gonna be better than Born to Be Wired' [the legendary ECW battle with the late Terry Funk.] That’s what he said. I wasn’t expecting that—but if that’s how he’s going into it, then we’re all in for something special.”
He adds, “He’s not an old man, but he’s not a young man either. He takes his legacy seriously. He takes his bloodline seriously. He doesn’t want to go out with anything less than his best.”
While Sabu’s retirement brings the emotion, it’s the wide diversity of shows that reflects Lauderdale’s vision. From Effy’s Big Gay Brunch to the Senior Scramble featuring George South and Ricky Morton, there’s something for every kind of fan. If pro wrestling is a variety of styles, Lauderdale is placing the buffet table before everyone to sample.
This year also marks a major new partnership: the official inclusion of the WrestleCon Supershow, The 2025 Mark Hitchcock Memorial Show, into The Collective. “I’ve always considered me and Michael Bochicchio from Highspots to be friendly competitors,” says Lauderdale. “This was years in the making. Now we’re not in different bubbles anymore—we’re on the same page, and the fans win.”
The dream? One day hosting WrestleCon and The Collective in the same physical venue. “We’ve tried. We did walkthroughs together this year in Vegas,” Lauderdale says. “It’ll take the right building with the right footprint. But that’s the end goal.”
Lauderdale doesn’t try to hide the toll the job takes. With GCW running more shows than in a calendar year then just about every other promotion and no corporate safety net, burnout is inevitable. But he keeps pushing forward.
“Of course there are nights I just pass out, exhausted. But I love GCW. I’m proud of what we’ve built. This summer marks 10 years. That’s not nothing.”
At its core, Lauderdale sees GCW as part of the same lineage as ECW, early Ring of Honor, or Combat Zone Wrestling—a punk rock heartbeat that refuses to fade.
“There’s no guarantees in wrestling. If you don’t love this, you shouldn’t be doing it. But when a fan comes up and says GCW made them fall in love with wrestling again—that reminds me why I do this."
GCW’s openness to collaboration has drawn criticism this year, specifically the involvement of WWE’s ID tournament as part ofThe Collective. Lauderdale shrugs it off.
“This is a 4 PM Wednesday show. There are 12 other shows that have nothing to do with WWE. No funding, no oversight, nothing,” he says. “Honestly, there's just as much AEW influence on the collective as WWE. The name is 'The Collective' for a reason. It’s everyone coming together.”
That openness is what allows a show like DDT vs. GCW vs. Tokyo Joshi Pro to even happen—a feat of international coordination. “Yes, there’s language and time zone differences,” Lauderdale says. “But at the end of the day, everyone’s professional. And we all want the same thing: a great show.”
The conversation ends where it began: passion. Brett Lauderdale lives and breathes wrestling. Whether it’s putting together cards at 3 AM, fielding calls from Sabu at the airport, or watching GCW wrestlers bring a crowd to its feet in Cork, Ireland or Jersey City, New Jersey, Lauderdale’s heart is always in the fight.
“The Collective is our WrestleMania,” he says. “Not just for GCW—for indie wrestling. Everyone’s in Las Vegas next week. If you’re there, you’ll feel it. If you’re not, tune in. Support what we do. You’ll get your money’s worth, and then some.”
For the full schedule, visit GCWTheCollective.com, and watch live on TrillerTV+.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
