Jordan Oliver Comes Of Age At GSI 2020
Victorious in defeat, the MLW star silenced his critics.
Even though Tony Deppen took home the coveted GSI trophy, Jordan Oliver emerged victorious in defeat at the 2020 Garden State Invitational.
At the dawn of the year, Oliver was the talk of the wrestling world due to a 52-second clip of his bout with Blake Christian at GCW’s Jimmy All The Way that went viral, sparking outrage from traditionalists over the acrobatics on display.
“There’s a huge misconception of what I am,” Oliver told The Wrestling Estate in January. “They see this one spot in a match, which yes, is new age high flyery, but they’re judging me off that when they haven’t seen me go out there and grasp a crowd. They take this one 50-second clip of me and say I’m a spot monkey, but they don’t really know me. They think I’m just this one thing, but really I’m a hybrid of all the wrestling I love.”
On July 25, the 21-year-old made headlines again, converting his critics into believers after a grueling performance at Synergy Pro Wrestling.
Heading into the one-night tournament, Oliver was a heavy favorite. Despite his villainous persona on MLW Fusion, the cocky high flyer has become quite popular at the Polish Falcons Nest in Hillsborough, NJ. After defeating LSG two weeks prior to qualify for the GSI, Oliver (beefier coming out of lockdown) was slated to meet MLW Middleweight Champion Myron Reed in the first round. Easily the most anticipated match of the tournament, the Injustice brethren lived up to expectations and stole the show.
In a nod to the viral clip, Oliver and Reed opened with a lightning quick sequence that dazzled the capacity crowd (55 people as per the venue’s social distancing guidelines). As Oliver gained his composure on the outside, Reed pounced with a suicide dive that sent Oliver crashing into a chair. At this point, Oliver’s left shoulder was seemingly injured as he tucked it between his legs and tried to yank it back into place. Even though they’re brothers from another mother, Reed showed no mercy, immediately attacking the wounded body part. Wailing in agony, Oliver shouldn’t have expected any less from an Injustice member.
As the action continued, the masked crowd realized they were witnessing something special, chanting “This Is Awesome” and “Both These Guys” – acknowledgements not ubiquitous at Synergy. With adrenaline flowing, Oliver demanded Reed “man up” and take his chest protector off. Reed acquiesced and a chop battle ensued, ricocheting throughout the Garden State. Then, they knocked each other down with a roundhouse kick, only to kip up simultaneously and turn the heat up another notch. Drawing a rare “Holy Shit!” chant, Reed leapt over the ropes and RKO’ed Oliver from the apron to the floor. Tossing his dazed opponent back into the ring, Reed went for a 450 splash, but Oliver blocked with his knees and snatched Reed for the pin.
It’s a match of the year contender and possibly sets up a rematch with the MLW Middleweight Title on the line. Both men embraced afterward in a sign of respect, and then Oliver had to get his shoulder taped up before the semi-finals. As if dealing with an injury wasn’t enough, any strategy went out the window because Matt Cross was replaced right before his scheduled match with the inaugural GSI winner – “Retrosexual” Anthony Greene. Looking for a repeat, Greene put Gary Jay away with his signature Unprettier up the turnbuckle, similar to a Dudley Dog.
While the “Uncle Jesse of Pro Wrestling” is clearly a fan favorite, Greene went full Stavros and targeted Oliver’s shoulder, smashing it into the ring post and on the floor. As the fans rallied behind Oliver, he mounted a comeback with a Rock Bottom from his good arm. He also tried cattle mutilation, but his shoulder gave out. Greene went right back to his game plan, dropping Oliver with a single arm DDT. Sensing the end was near, Greene told him “You can’t win.” Ever resilient, Oliver rebounded off the ropes with a well-placed boot and hit Lost in the Sauce (his springboard cutter) for the win. Even Greene was impressed with Oliver’s heart, giving him his seal of approval and pre-congratulating him on winning the tournament.
Of course, that was for naught. Deppen proved even hungrier than Oliver, absorbing everything Gregory Iron dished out before rolling him up with a handful of tights and then knocking KTB – another favorite – out cold in the semifinals. Somehow just as energized as three hours earlier, Deppen was willing to do whatever it took to win the tournament and cement himself as the new face of independent wrestling. Wise beyond his years, Oliver played possum, leaving his back turned for Deppen to rush him, only to duck and hit a cutter for a two count. Trying to end it early due to his injury, Oliver followed up with a suplex for another near fall.
Deppen took control after that, dissecting Oliver and locking in as many submissions as possible, trying to tear the shoulder out of its socket. Despite a couple Hail Mary attempts, including a Pedigree of the top rope, Oliver just couldn’t endure any more abuse. Finally, he tapped out to the crossface.
Oliver was young, dumb and broke going into GSI 2020, but he left that ring wiser, battle-tested and rich with love from the Synergy faithful and those watching from around the world on FITE TV.
Full Results
GSI First Round: KTB def. Simon Gotch
GSI First Round: Tony Deppen def. Gregory Iron
GSI First Round: Jordan Oliver def. Myron Reed
GSI First Round: Anthony Greene def. Gary Jay
TJ Crawford def. Ellis Taylor to become first Synergy Cruiserweight Crown Champion
GSI Semi-Final: Tony Deppen def. KTB
GSI Semi-Final: Jordan Oliver def. Anthony Greene
Synergy Pro Wrestling Championship: Frightmare (c) def. DeSean Pratt
Charles Mason def. Joey Silver and Joshua Wells
GSI Final: Tony Deppen def. Jordan Oliver
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