It's a shite title. I know. I'm heavy shite at titles. You get the gist though, this will contain words about how Insane Championship Wrestling took 2014, shined it up real nice, turned it sideways and pumped it rotten. This will go down as the year that ICW made it known that they were taking over Britain, Europe, the World. One step at a fucking time.
2014 kicked off with one of the biggest heartbreaks in wrestling history, at the third annual Square Go in January. After doing what he does best in overcoming the odds, Grado won the Square Go match fair and square, leaving everyone in attendance in a state of euphoria. That was until they realized that no official had seen Grado put Chris Renfrew over the top rope. Everyone, including Renfrew himself, who jumped back in the ring, put Grado over the top rope, and stole the Square Go contract for himself. The night would also see Joe Coffey start a snowball effect on his career when he defeated James Scott to win the Iron Man title. After the 30 minutes couldn't separate the two, Mark Dallas announced that it would go to sudden death rules, and within seconds, Coffey had hit Scott with his discus lariat to claim victory. This was supposed to be the first ever ICW show I attended, but those who know me well are aware that I am the preeminent shitebag. My mate pulled out last minute, and I was too feart to go into town myself without knowing where I was going or how I was getting hame. Pure pathetic, but aye. Moving on.
Probably the next big thing to happen for ICW was the airing of Insane Fight Club on the BBC. It was unreal, a Scottish wrestling promotion on mainstream TV? It was nothing I had ever heard of, and the documentary was fantastic. Following Mark Dallas, Jack Jester and Grado in the lead up to their biggest show of 2013 - Fear and Loathing 6. As well as going down a treat with the then ICW regulars, it opened the doors to countless numbers of new fans, and made ICW a worldwide phenomenon. Everywhere you go now, you'll bump into someone who knows of ICW, and if not that, the words "Grado" and "It's Yersel" will be recognized in some capacity. All eyes were on ICW, and that, I believe, was part and partial to ICW kicking it clean out the park this year. Shows began to sell out weeks and months in advance. In one particular instance, Show Me Your Lizard had sold out before a single match had even been announced for the night. After dramatically returning to ICW at Still Smokin', the man we all now know as Finn Balor won the ICW Zero-G championship from Mark Coffey, but would lose it in a triple threat against Coffey and Noam Dar at Show Me Your Lizard, where Coffey would regain the title.
Then ICW went on a road trip for the first time this year, taking their shit all the way to London, for a show aptly named... A SHOW IN LONDON. This show would include such things as a triple threat tag team title match between NAK, Sumerian Death Squad and the Bucky Boys, and the Coffey brothers reuniting for the first time in a while to take on locals The London Riots, where Joe accidentaly lariatoed the heid clean aff his younger brother, thus costing them the win. The main event was Jack Jester vs Jimmy Havoc for the Heavyweight championship, and it was fucking brutal. As hardcore a match you're likely to get. From thumbtacks to barbed wire, you name it, they hut each other with it. Jester would prevail, thus bringing a close to a successful first show down South. Then came Jimmy Nails Revenge in Newcastle, where we saw Fergal Devitt in an ICW ring for the final time, in a losing effort for Jack Jester's Heavyweight championship. He cut a promo telling ICW that he didn't want to go, but this was it. It's not goodbye, it's just see ya later. I really hope he sticks to that. Another trip to England was in order when London felt the wrath of ICW for the second time at What's Your Boggle. The most vicious heel turn in recent memory took place there, when Jimmy Havoc decided that having the adulation of the ICW faithful was no longer enough. He needed hatred. He thrives off being the most hated cunt in the room. To achieve that, he near enough killed Jack Jester. His pal and tag partner for the night, Jester didn't see it coming. Havoc told everyone that would listen that he couldn't give the smallest flying fuck about them, and expressed his intent in becoming ICW Champion, joining a long list of people who want to either kill Jester, take his title, or a healthy dose of both. Among this madness, something special began to happen. That something special was the first match of the year between Joe Coffey and Noam Dar, and even though I haven't seen it yet, word is it was the match of the year. Considering they had four other matches after this, all of which were fantastic, is saying something. Joe would win the match, before the two agreed that it was fitting to have a best of 5 series.
I apologize if this is erratic as fuck, but there's too many things that have happened to have them all in nice, pristine order.
The night came that I would FINALLY attend my first ICW show, and how fitting that it would be a hoose party. Not just any hoose party but... this was SHUG'S HOOSE PARTY MATE. This was billed as ICW's biggest show to date, and it didn't disappoint, with the cast of Still Game making an appearance to provide hauners to the returning Lionheart, taking out Jackie Polo's band of This Is Your Life misfits. Something else big also happened... To provide some context, I was in Magaluf a few weeks prior to this show, when I heard the news that Drew McIntyre had been released from WWE. It kind of fucked me off, as even though he was in the position he was in at the time, I held out for that big push. It was coming. It really was. But then it wasn't, and I didn't even consider the implications of his release at the time. A promo video had been circulating on youtube, seemingly hinting at a huge return at Shugs. Most people had guessed before the night, but even I was doubtful until it happened. When the lights went back up, and the ABC went fucking bananas as Drew Galloway was back in an ICW ring. He saved Jack Jester from the NAK and then attacked him himself, stating that he was back to take ICW to the next level, back onto television and kick-starting a revolution to take over the world of professional wrestling. It got noticed as well. People from all corners of the wrestling world had ICW on the tip of their tongues. Mick Foley even had some nice words to say about them, and then we were on a fast track to Fear and Loathing 7, which was revealed on the night to be taking place at the fucking BARRAS.
No rest for the wicked though, there was only one way to help build for the biggest event in the company's history, and that was by having a wee tour or two. During the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ICW made Studio 24 their home, and duly had shows every Sunday for four weeks. This run would see the rise of the greatest tag team in history - IRN-JEW, as Grado and Colt Cabana teamed up to win the ICW Tag Team Championships at You Have The Right To Remain Dead in week two. Darkside also won the right to face Jack Jester for the Heavyweight title, but Jester no-showed, leaving Darkside with a title shot and no champion to face. A big return was on the cards for this tour, and it came in the form of the Franchise of ICW - Wolfgang. Now it's time for another tangent as this was feud of the year and deserves a bit of time of it's own. Don't worry, I'll be back to Edinburgh in NAE TIME.
Wolfgang and BT Gunn are cousins. They were the best of pals until BT decided that being a scissors wielding psycho is where it's at, and Wolfgang wanted nothing to do with it. BT would not take no for an answer though, and badgered Wolfy to "open his eyes" and join the New Age Kliq. Wolfgang has the heart of the fans, you see, and joining the NAK was never an option, so he almost paid the price with his career. After BT cut his famous long blonde hair off, Wolfgang knew it had been made personal, and since then, these two have been incapable of being in the same building as each other. Constantly attacking one another at every opportunity, including when Wolfy tossed Gunn off the top of a stage at Still Smokin'. It would be taken to a whole other level in London though, when they were set to square off one on one. Rob Cage was used as a doppelganger, allowing Gunn to viciously attack his cousin with a steel chair, delivering Killer Boots onto it and causing a severe concussion. On top of that, they would attack Wolfgang at his pub, keeping him out of commission even longer. After numerous ruses, where the NAK would play Wolfgang's music, and then have BT Gunn or Renfrew come out to it, Wolfgang finally made his return in Edinburgh, coming down to even the odds and ensure that the NAK lost the Tag Team Championships. That wouldn't be the end of their saga, but we'll get to that in due course, my children. Patience is a virtue.
Back to Edinburgh. The fourth and final show of the Fringe run was a landmark in a couple of ways for ICW. First and foremost, it was their 50th ever show, and as such we were treated to a party as the show came to a close, with Colt Cabana stating that he would be in ICW every year for the Fringe run for as long as he's wrestling. A nice touch that one of the most widely known wrestlers on the planet thinks so much of the company that he considers himself a part of the family. The second reason was that it was the first time ever that a female wrestler had main evented in ICW. That female was Kay Lee Ray, who was involved in a brilliant three way dance tag team match, teaming with Stevie Boy to take on the NAK and champs Irn-Jew. It wasn't to be her night as the Kliq won back the tag titles, but such has been the story of her career, Kay Lee was breaking down more barriers.
Then it was time to go back home, as a return to the Garage was in order for 1.21 Gigawatts, Great Scott! This would see the returning Drew Galloway back in action in ICW against Darkside, with Darkside's title shot on the line - the winner going on to face Jack Jester at Fear and Loathing. In an epic battle, Galloway would stake his claim as number 1 contender, eventually putting Darkside away with the Futureshock DDT. That wasn't the end of his night though, as Jester would come out and attack Drew, going as far as threatening to set him on fire. The next chapter was written in BT Gunn and Wolfgang's story when they face off in a dog collar match. After a hard fought scrap, which saw both men defy their own safety on more than one occasion, Gunn would pick up the win thanks to the interference of his NAK brothers. After the match, BT would offer his hand to Wolfgang, seemingly putting an end to the bitter rivalry. Wolfy accepted, before the NAK would again attack him. In that moment, it looked as though Gunn was standing up for his cousin, squaring up to Divers and Renfrew, before turning around and laying Wolfgang out with another punch to the head - his fist wrapped in the dog collar chain. With the best of five series tied at 1-1 by now, this show would play host to the third leg. It was corker as well. Early on, the ropes would come undone, but that didn't stop Joe Coffey and Noam Dar from doing their thing. Dar would hint at bashing Coffey's heid in with a claw hammer, but upon thinking twice about it, Coffey would lock in the No Mercy submission, thus taking the lead yet again in the series. Guess wit, there's another tangent coming up... this time about Kenny fucking Williams.
Kenny was always the black sheep in the Kennedy Administration. Not that he didn't have the talent or charisma of Joe Hendry, nor the drive for success that James R. Kennedy installs in his pool of talent. He just didny like them. Simple as that. He wanted out, and he wanted out pronto. The only problem was that to leave the Administration, he would need to leave ICW. Constantly defiant of his manager, Kenny became "The Bollocks" and unlike his faction, became a fan's favorite. That only made Kennedy more stubborn in letting Kenny go though, and would force him to help Joe Hendry in any way possible, and even personally beat down Kenny at one point. That would all change at 1.21 Gigawatts, when Kenny pinned Hendry in a four way match, also involving Damo and Kid Fite, to become number one contender for the Zero-G championship. He had his eyes on the title for a while, but his aspirations came to reality at the first ever Spacebaws event, when he defeated Mark Coffey to become the Zero-G Champion. An accolade that is well deserved, he continues his reign as champ to this day, heading into the new year with an even bigger and brighter future ahead.
Then we were back on the road as ICW embarked on a Magical Mystery Tour. The first UK wide tour of many I hope. Not that I made it to any of the shows, because I was beyond any boundary of skint, but you get the picture. Newcastle, Dundee, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham. Davey Boy, despite his in-ring absence, made it a personal goal to impregnate at least 3 burds from each town. (That's total speculation btw, don't believe a fucking word I say, I just think it'd be quality if he did make that goal.) It was a pretty big deal. Each town visited got royally pumped, and we saw the ICW debuts of "Party" Marty Scurll and Rampage Brown, who squared off against Kenny Williams and Kid Fite respectively. Helter Skelter in Newcastle would see Paul London and Brian Kendrick capture the tag team titles from the NAK, to a thunderous pop, and Liam Thomson and Damo take on Jester in a triple threat for the Heavyweight title, which Jester won after a brilliant match. Sgt. Wolgang's in Dundee would see Drew Galloway take on Wolfgang in a Scottish dream match, with BT Gunn again getting involved in Wolfgang's business, not allowing him to get on with his career. If I went through the ins and out of every single show, I'd be here until next year, so here's some other things - in short. Over the course of the tour, Drew Galloway would take on BT Gunn in yet another dream match, London and Kendrick would face the Sumerian Death Squad and the NAK again. Jimmy Corkhill came out and knocked out Jackie Polo in Liverpool after Polo Promotions had faced Jester and his mentor Frankie Sloan. Jack Gallagher would take on Kid Fite, Danny Hope would compete in a triple threat against Kenny Williams and Stevie Boy for the Zero-G title, and various wrestling moves were thrown between Wolfgang and at least one member of the NAK at any given show. HOWEVER. Probably the biggest and most intriguing thing to happen was when Dallas, in an attempt at stopping the chaos, organized a tag team match, where Jester and Galloway would face BT Gunn and Wolfgang. That was never going to end well, and it didn't end well, havoc broke out, the locker room emptied to separate the four men, and we were truly geared up for Fear and Loathing. It was almost there! All in all though, the tour was a blistering success, with each town taking to the ICW ways, and especially Liverpool supposedly making the sons of insanity feel right at home. They're going back on tour, but more on that later... now it's time for the biggest event in ICW's history, it was time for...
FEAR AND LOATHING 7 AT THE FUCKING BARROWLANDS.
It sold out too soon lads. I was too complacent. I fucked it. The biggest night in ICW history. Filled to the brim with returns, surprises, title changes, and some immense video packages. From Mark Dallas opening the show and shooting on Vince McMahon, to the four way for the Zero-G title, in which Kenny yet again pinned Joe Hendry to retain, to Liam Thomson and Carmel defeating Stevie Boy and Kay Lee Ray in a 2 out of 3 falls match, only for the master of pumping yer maws himself - Davey Boy - to return and hit Carmel with a 3D alongside his cousin, and that was only the show getting warmed up really! After that came the moment that made a 1600 strong crowd of rowdy ICW fans explode with confused delight, as the Sumerian Death Squad revealed they had enlisted the help of Mikey fucking Whiplash to take on the New Age Kliq. Of course, it could only be Divers faced with the task of... well... losing, as Whippy gave Legion the win with a full nelson suplex. Nothing away from Divers though, he has my heart. Always and forever. The idea is usually to wrap up the main storylines in wrestling at the showcase of the year. That was what was assumed between BT and Wolfy. As I mentioned earlier, they really dislike each other, so when they came out for their match at Fear and Loathing, they must have been delighted to discover that it had been officially made a Last Man Standing match. That means the loser has to be beaten so badly that they can't answer a ten count, so when you consider how much these two hate each other, you knew this was going to be the match of the year before the bell rang. Wolfy signaled his intent in battering clean fuck out his cousin by entering on his motorbike, like a gladiator riding his stallion into battle. After stealing the show and ripping the Barras a new arse, it was too much for both men. Neither answered the ten count when Wolfy powerbombed Gunn from the top rope, and the match was called a draw. There's life left yet in this rivalry, and it will be continued at Square Go in January when they go one on one yet again inside a fucking STEEL CAGE. Another big surprise came after Londrick dropped the tag belts to Polo Promotions, when Jackie boy got on the mic and continued his slandering of Lionheart. Hearto was having none of it though, coming out and cutting an impassioned promo about the things Polo could have used against him but hasn't, before revealing that he had lied about not being cleared, attacking Polo and hitting the Final Moment. The best of five series came to a close also, with the series level at 2-2, there was no bigger stage for two of the best wrestlers on the planet to settle their little competition. After the 5th technical masterpiece in a row between the two, Iron Patriot Joe Coffey overcame the power of the force held by Noam Dar and his master Toalda, hitting his discus lariat to add another feather in his already bulging cap. Grado would face bitter rival Sha Samuels in a classic Scotland vs England bout, that ended with The Guv'nor himself, Martin Stone, interfering to cost Grado the match, stating his intent to take over ICW, alongside his pal Sha, starting with the poster boy Grado, and anyone else who wants to help him. Then it was time for the main event, and the biggest match in Scottish wrestling history, as Jack Jester defended the ICW Heavyweight Championship against his former best friend Drew Galloway. All that it was billed to be and more, both men took each other to the absolute limits, and when it was all said and done, Drew Galloway stood among the carnage as the new ICW Champion. The match was over, so they rightfully shared an embrace, brothers bonded by their passion for wrestling. A bond that no matter what happens, it remains unbreakable. We haven't seen Jack Jester since though, so who knows when he'll pop up again. A memorable night that is now available on...
ICW On Demand. That's right people, the next big thing was the launch of ICW's very own online streaming service, featuring original content and every show in full after the event has happened. They are working all the time to back date past shows and the very first show that went live was Fear and Loathing 7, for anyone who missed out on tickets for the show itself, including me. It went up the very next day, and each show since has been added in full, as well as regular additions from over the past year or so. If you haven't already, you should consider where you are in your life, and go subscribe right fucking now, for the low price of only £3.75 per month, or you can elect for a year long membership with a special discount added to the price. It's a bargain people, and a must have for the diehard, the casual, or even the fan that hasn't the foggiest what's going on. Buy On Demand, attend ICW shows, and let more people know of the best wrestling company on the fucking planet. Easy as pie lads.
Fear and Lothian 2 was the next show to take place, and it featured the hometown boy Joe Hendry yet again try to win the Zero-G championship from Kenny Williams. Yet again, it would end it failure, as a lapse of concentration led to Kenny kneeing him square in the face to retain the Zero-G gold. The new entity of Mikey Whiplash took on Darkside in a spine-tingling rasslin match. Aw the rasslin. It was really really good ken. Whippy would pick up the win and put another notch in the win column for the new group known as Legion. A number one contenders match for the ICW Heavyweight Championship would also take place between Kid Fite and the man mountain known as Johnny Moss. Fito would come out victorious, moving on to face Drew Galloway at Brush Your Goose, which we'll get to in a wee minute. The main event of the show was set to be Grado vs Martin Stone, but the big bastardin' butcher from the EAST. EAST. EAST. End of London, Sha Samuels, got involved, making it a 2-on-1 situation, situation. Grado would find help in the form of a Bucky Boy or two. Stevie would partner Grado but they would be on the sore end of defeat, as Martin Stone hit Stevie with the London Bridge to keep the momentum rolling with the two big scary Englishmen.
Many a goose was brushed at the start of December as ICW returned to the Garage for a good eld fashioned Christmas party. Last full roster show of the year, and they wanted it to go out in style. They achieved that by having BT Gunn and Wolfgang sign the Square Go Steel Cage contract, which descended into a scrap. Chris Renfrew's claim to being the most hardcore fucker in the world was put to the test by none other than Hardcore Holly, who admitted he got the reaction of his career from us at ICW. Joe Coffey channeled his inner Winter Soldier in a losing effort against Liam Thomson, a match that played host to the creation of catchiest chant of all time. I'm not going to sing it mate. Naw am no.
HE'S A WRESTLER, A MIGHTY WRESTLER, HIS NAME IS JOOOOOOOE COFFEEEEEEEEEY.
Another four way match took place for the Zero-G title, with yer man Kenny already the epitome of fighting champ, he defends against all comers. All yer Bucky Boys, and a mysteriously beautiful man by the name of Paul London, who hugged everyone in the Garage before entering the ring. Why? Because he's fucking Paul London, that's why. I met him in Catty afterwards and he stood and chatted with us for a solid 20 or so minutes. I cried real tears, he's one of my childhood heroes, and he was standing talking away to me. Starstruck wasn't the word. An absolute gent and one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Onto the match though, and Kenny of course retained after a fast-paced stoater, after London took a sore looking landing off his Shooting Star. Mikey Whiplash was set to take on Noam Dar here, which made everyone spunk at the thought of it, but unfortunately Noam was injured and couldn't make it. Darkside was injured as well, meaning he and Divers had to withdraw from their tag title match. No what that meant? That meant Whiplash vs Divers. It was fucking beautiful. You know Mikey Whiplash must be enjoying himself when he breaks out into a wee dance mid-match. Smooth as fuck to watch. Easy on the eyes. Whiplash would seal yet another win, remaining undefeated since his triumphant return. Drew defended the ICW championship against Kid Fite in a match that I genuinely thought Fito may win. He hit the brainbuster, the ref was nowhere. HE SHOULD HAVE WON DAMMIT. But he didny, and one Futureshock later, Galloway was on a collision course with the Square Go, where Renfrew will officially cash in his title shot. Renfrew had him where he wanted him here, a post-match beatdown meant he could have cashed in then and there and became champ, but that won't be good enough. He's cashing in on his terms, and it will be Renfrew vs Galloway one-on-one in January.
That wouldn't be the end of the year for ICW though, as they had one more stop before 2015, and that was Spacebaws V - Bill Murray Strikes Back. We had some awfully good shit to end the year on, including some Layla Rose action, where she defeated Sammii Jayne. Lou King Sharp gained the respect of Chris Renfrew when he refused to give up during their I Quit match, forcing Renfrew to leave the ring, saying "welcome to ICW, kid" as he left. I feel as thought there was some skepticism about Sharp prior to the match, with Renfrew clearly being favored by the majority of the fans, but the self professed sexiest man in professional wrestling proved his worth, getting everyone on side by the end. The Gatecrashers defeated fierce rival David The Beloved and his new follower Euan G. Mackie, Nathan Black would be victorious in a mini Square Go to decide who from the Spacebaws roster would be entered into the real Square Go in January, and Yum Yum managed to pick up yet another win when he defeated Jamie Feerick. The Zero-G title was again on the line as Kenny Williams defended against Joe Hendry in a title vs career match, a stipulation added by Hendry's manager James R. Kennedy. Again, these two proved why they're the two names everyone should be talking about when they think ahead in pro wrestling. These two are the future. I think everyone had just accepted that Hendry would win. No way would he be leaving ICW already. It happened though, Kenny retained, and it appears Joe Hendry's face won't be in ICW again. James R. Kennedy doesn't like failure though, and duly slapped Joe Hendry in the face. Not a bright idea when there's a particularly huge man backstage that has some major beef with ye. Out rolls Damo, battering the Administration and sharing a hug with someone who's been a great adversary to him this year in Hendry. While all this was going on, the boldest of the bold, Lewis Girvan, had come to the stage and started to watch the match. During Kenny's celebration, he came to the ring and congratulated him, before hitting Kenny from behind and getting on the mic. Girvan was serious about his challenge to Drew Galloway, but Drew isn't even in the country so the match won't be happening. Cue Red Lightning. The Spacebaws GM came out to tell Lewis that he respects that he's a young guy trying to find success, but he should be careful what he wishes for. There's Drew Galloway. All of a sudden, the look of smug confidence on Lewis Girvan's face came slithering out his arse. I can only imagine the thing running through his mind was "so that's why they call me Mini Drew". Fair play to him though, he was thrown heid first into an ICW Heavyweight title match and more than held his own. In fact, this match went down an absolute treat. Lewis Girvan is no joke folks. He might make all the hilarious videos he wants, getting the band back together and all that jazz, but this guy is a top notch, bonafide, pro wrestler. He'll give Drew Galloway everything he has, and make it look, even for a brief moment, that he may actually beat him. Drew came out on top, but he was heavily impressed with Girvan, and it was time for evdy to be pals again. It was a party atmosphere. Know the best way to end a party though? It's obvious enough. Have Red Lightning sing Big Show's theme music. That does the trick. After some goading on the part of Drew, he eventually breaks, and everyone in the Garage sang along... WEEEEEEEELL IT'S THE BIG SHOW. A proper fun end to the year, and with 2015 already shaping up to match this year, the only way truly is up for ICW now. Already confirmed for the start of the year is Square Go, the return to the Barras in March for Barramania, as well as a brand new UK tour, stopping in Dundee, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield and then back to Glesga just in time for last calls at the Catty. More dates to be announced as well, so already, show wise, 2015 is looking to reach even further heights. On top of all that, Insane Fight Club 2 will be airing in the next few weeks, so we have that to look forward to.
In conclusion, 2014 was the year that ICW began to take over. The revolution will continue to grow until Insane Championship Wrestling conquers the fucking world mate. It's going to happen. It's just a matter of when. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy New Year when it comes.
2015.
HERE WE. HERE WE. HERE WE FUCKING GO.