GCW Nick Gage Invitational 7 HOT TAKE

"Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red." - Clive Barker

This Saturday November 12th, the great social experiment known as Game Changer Wrestling will premiere its first live event as part of its new alliance with FITE+, bringing the latest iteration of the Nick Gage Invitational forth for the world to witness in all of its crimson red, skewed, fractured glory.

Emanating live from Summit, Illinois, GCW will assemble a true army of some of the most rugged, fearless fighters willing to submerge their body, heart and soul into one of the most menacing, maddening tournament of attrition that has ever been devised, with the winner emerging as not only the ultimate victor, but truly, the ultimate survivor, all in the name of proving themselves as one of the most ferocious death match competitors since the namesake of this tournament, Nick FN' Gage himself.

For Nick Gage, Death Match Wrestling is everything. From his earliest days in CZW to his iconic status as the leader of The Murder Death Kill crew in GCW, there may never be a more magnetic, dangerous fighter who has ever lived beyond Nick Gage. His blood drips with pride. His scars rise in defiance. There is no peaceful moment of reflection from this modern day Ronon. There is nothing but the next fight, the next victim, the next victory. Whether it be broken glass or broken knuckles, bleed or be bled, it's win by any means necessary when you are Nick Gage.

"The blood jet is poetry, There is no stopping it." - Sylvia Plath, Ariel

Win or perish. That is the mantra - and it is with that mindset in place that Gage has inspired the next generation of defiant daredevils, seeking their own moment of glory as they ascend from a hellscape they have chosen to compete in, against opponents and weapons known and unknown.

Win or lose, they know there will be injuries, physical and mental. They know scars will dig deep into the skin and into the psyche, but these unique, pugnacious souls cannot turn back. They are driven in a skewed, twisted way that no normal person can ever truly comprehend, obsessed with victory, respect and triumph.

Barbed wire, light tubes, doors, steel chairs, tables, knifeboards, skewers, glass panes and more instruments of destruction will accentuate the arsenal of weaponry fans bring to the Nick Gage Invitational, but the most frightening implements of doom the NGI competitors will carry to the ring will be the black hearts within that conspire and imagine the most demented ways to ravage and defeat their opposition as they seek to advance to the next level of competition.

The first round of the Nick Gage Invitational this Saturday November 12th on FITE+ will feature:

John Wayne Murdoch - Arguably the shining star of Southern style violence in the world of professional wrestling, is just as adept at throwing haymakers as he is smashing glass over the heads of his hapless victims. A fearless competitor who is willing to endure endless punishment yet able to rebound from the most insane brutality. If there is one man destined to claim a legacy alongside the likes of Nick Mondo, Wifebeater, Zandig and Nick Gage, it may very well be the twisted likes of John Wayne Murdoch, who has become one of the most celebrated death match fighters in recent years.

Big Joe - The demented brawler from the UK who just weeks ago, took down The infamous Necro Butcher, one of the most celebrated Death Match competitors of all time, in a Tapei Fists of Death Match. That alone is enough to take Joe and elevate him into the pole position of the most dangerous competitor in the NGI, much less the many years he's carved a path of destruction across Europe and back. Joe seeks to raise the flag of Europe and wave it over the bodies that fall before him at the Nick Gage Invitational, but to embrace that magic moment, he'll have to face and defeat all the horrors that await in the subsequent rounds…

Toshiyuki Sakuda - This valiant warrior seen in FREEDOMS and Big Japan Wrestling has, for years, charged head-first into combat with a reckless abandon, creating chaos for the audience while ripping apart his opponents inside and beyond the ring. Having taken part in Game Changer Wrestling's events in Japan earlier this year, Sakuda is looking to rebound from some major losses, including one to Joey Janela. Having endured and survived some of the most twisted, frightening matches that have ever taken place in Japan, Sakura intends to showcase his mighty fighting spirit in all of its bloody, victorious glory at the Nick Gage Invitational 7.

Sawyer Wreck - The Nick Gage Invitational may not be for the weak of heart, but it will always welcome those who carry their fearless souls on their sleeves. For Sawyer Wreck, the self proclaimed Matriarch of Mayhem, she will become the latest woman to enter the unholy stage that is the NGI, seeking to achieve the same level of violence and insanity she brought against Rina Yamashita while challenging for the GCW Ultraviolent Championship this past summer. The infamous Wreck holds victories over Charli Evans and Allie Katch, but the opportunity to emerge victorious at the NGI represents the perfect, ultimate moment to truly become enshrined in the GCW time capsule forever.

Ciclope - This international star has built a resounding and loyal fan base internationally in Japan, Mexico and The United States due to his relentless ability to perform an all-out insane style, putting his own well being on the line in order to achieve his ultimate goal of wiping out all of his enemies in the ring. One half of Los Maizsos with Miedo Extemo, Ciclope already holds Tag Team gold in GCW. He has taken the elusive art of combining weaponry into his signature maneuvers to a new level, unlocking a new dimension of offensive strategy that has brought many competitors to their knees. Rising from the Zona 23 and DTU promotions to international acclaim, Ciclope has survived GCW's War Games and the most brutal tag team brawls in recent memory, but at the Nick Gage Invitational, he'll stand alone, perhaps even against his most trusted ally, Miedo Extremo, in an attempt to achieve his greatest GCW singles victory to date.

Hunter Freeman - The pride of Soperton, Georgia, the 33-year old Hunter Freeman comes to the Nick Gage Invitational with everything to prove to the world and some major momentum following a big victory in Los Angeles over Jimmy Lloyd. The Backwoods Brawler has brawled his way across the Golden State with major victories in L.A. Fights, the UWN and beyond. Seeking to find his fortune with his fighting fists this weekend at the NGI, Freeman is looking to go from being one of California's best kept secrets and evolving into the next big thing in death match wrestling. Having fought the likes of Alex Colon and Mance Warner in the past, Freeman is looking to take that hardcore education and walk out of the NGI with a doctorate in violence and victory.

Miedo Extremo - This veteran of the Mexican Death Match wars is no stranger to the Nick Gage Invitational, first competing in the second incarnation of the NGI. One half of Los Mazisos alongside Ciclope, the former GCW Tag Team Champion is also a multi-time DTU World Extreme Champion who has masterfully melded the worlds of high flying above the ring, technical finesse on the mat and violent brawling across the arena. Miedo Extremo has brought all sorts of insanity over the years to GCW but live on FITE+ on November 12th, he has the ability to bring the legacy of the Mexican Death Match style to an entirely new level of infamy, perhaps even at the expense of Ciclope, his own partner. Extremo has lived through the humiliation of losing his mask in the past, but at the NGI, he has a chance to carve an entirely new, blood chapter in his life and career.

Alex Colon - Perhaps the most lethal competitor in all of GCW, Alex Colon spawns respect and fear when he walks into a room. His brawling, beyond comparison. Colon's ability to absorb and dish out punishment is super-human, like Marvel's Wolverine coming to life, except even Wolverine has a conscience. Colon, however, does not. A three-time GCW Ultraviolent Champion, Colon has raised the bloody artistry of death match wrestling to a new peak, shocking fans across the world with his intensity and badassery. Colon has clashed with everyone from Jun Kasai to the late Danny Havoc over the course of his career, leaving vibrant images of violence and victory in his wake and if there is one fighter that perhaps even this insane menagerie of competitors should worry about, it's Alex Colon. As last year's victor in The Nick Gage Invitational, this year's tournament is his to lose.

"It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood." - William Shakespeare

Indeed, there shall be violence. There will be mayhem. There will, of course, be blood, each ruby red drop intermingled more and more, as the evening progresses, with courage, insanity, tenacity, until a victor emerges, beaten, exhausted, just jubilant in victory.

As if you expected anything less?

This Saturday November 12th, FITE+ will paint the town red with anger, rage and blood as the one competitor will emerge victorious, rising up as the seventh victor in the Nick Gage Invitational, yet achieving the greatest NGI victory to date as they ring in the GCW-FITE era in the criminal way possible.

Nick Gage would have it no other way and if you're going to be truly honest, neither would you.

The Nick Gage Invitational, live on FITE+!

Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.