The second stop on the Insane Entertainment System Tour is a wee trip to the nation's capital. Truth be told, this is probably the most gutted I've been about missing an ICW show, because see every match on the card? They make me want to squeal like a pig. Too much brawness for one show, it'll be bloody delightful. I won't waste time doing a pure long intro, so here's some of the quick details. This is at the City Nightclub in Edinburgh, be there for 7 sharpish, tickets are still available (I think, dinny shoot me if I'm wrong). If you have the means to be at this show and you've been mulling over the idea of going - dae it. If you've decided not to go and reading this right now - don't be daft, and dae it. Aye, Edinburgh. This will be a cracker. Lets get on with the matches.
Lou King Sharp vs Stevie Boy
This year's Square Go saw Lou King Sharp prove just how much of a tough wee bastard he is, as if going two rounds with Chris Renfrew wasn't already enough. I believe he lasted longer than anyone else in the Square Go match, eliminating some big names along the way. He's proved that he deserves a spot on the main shows at ICW, and as reward, he gets a Bucky Boy. Seriously though man, this has the potential to be a cracking match. Call me ridiculous, but it seems a bit odd that Stevie Boy is back in singles action when Davey Boy is fit as a fiddle. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think if the Buckies were to ever break up, this may be the show it happened at. Or maybe Stevie and Lou will put on a classic, take a swig of their respective drinks of choice, get Davey and The Wee Man down for some post-match banter, and swagger up the road together to make a night of it. Either way, this is one match I'm buzzing to catch On Demand. Prediction wise, I'm going for Lou King Sharp. He's gathering a load of momentum in ICW and you must believe he has a Zero-G title shot on the horizon, this may be his match to lose.
Sammii Jayne vs Viper
Loving that Sammii Jayne is getting a lot of time in ICW recently, and I love even more that Viper is back here. Jayne came up short against Nikki Storm in Dundee last week, and if you watched the first ever episode of Friday Night Fight Club, you'll have seen that Storm approached her after the match and offered her the chance to be her intern. It appears Jayne was open to the idea, so I have a suspicious feeling that we may see this new alliance in effect here. Last time we saw Viper in one fall to a finish action (she's been in a battle royal and the Square Go since), it was back at the inaugural Spacebaws event, when she and Bete Noire (She-X) were on the wrong end of a vicious attack at the hands of the Owens Twins, who displayed a drastic change in attitude that night. With those wounds surely still fresh in Viper's mind, she'll be looking to get back some momentum in ICW, and a win here would put her right back on the front foot. As I said though, you can be guaranteed that Nikki Storm will be somewhere at ringside, waiting to perhaps lend a hand to her newest ally. It's a tough choice, but I'll have to say I give the edge to Sammii Jayne on this one.
The 55 (Martin Kirby & Kid Fite) w/James R Kennedy vs Kenny Williams & Joe Hendry
James R Kennedy has some new troops for his cause. Martin Kirby arrived in ICW at Square Go and instantly made an impact, joining forces with Timm Wylie and Sha Samuels. He was joined shortly after by Kid Fite, who feigned a knee injury and attacked Grado, aligning himself with this new group, known as The 55. This will be no walk in the park however, as Kirby and Fite take on Kennedy's two former clients. A pair of guys who have a massive bone to pick with Kennedy, and will be more than willing to go through his new clients in order to get their hands on him. Joe Hendry is seething that Kennedy dared put his hands on him at Bill Murray Strikes Back, along with the fact that by the stipulation that JRK made, his contract with the Kennedy Administration was terminated. He's since signed an ICW contract, and has revenge on his mind. Kenny Williams is the reigning Zero-G Champion, who left the Administration upon winning the belt, after months of physical and mental torment from Kennedy. These two have legit gripes and together may stand as good a chance as anyone against this formidable new stable. With that being said though, these guys are just getting started, and given that Timm Wylie and Sha Samuels will likely be in the vicinity, it may be another successful payday for The 55.
Liam Thomson w/Carmel vs Tommy End
Another late announcement for the show, this is another match that really stands out. The fact that LT and Carmel are in their hometown doesn't even remotely mean they have the hometown advantage here. They're just as loathed by their own as anywhere else, and they honestly couldn't give the smallest fuck about that. They're out for themselves and don't really give a fuck who they have to go through to get what they want. The problem with this match here is that they don't have any other man to go through, they have the single scariest man on the planet. Tommy End came up short against Dickie Divers in Dundee, and he'll not be best pleased about that. He needs something to kick, and LT will have a target on just about all of his limbs for End to aim those lethal feet at. Down to the very basics of it, these two are excellent wrestlers, and this may make for one of the soundest technical matches you're likely to see. Thomson has been looking to break into main event status in ICW since disbanding Fight Club and setting out on his own, and it looks to always be nearing him, but I feel that here he may have to settle for second place, because Tommy End will be baying for blood, and may just prove that wee bit too difficult to deal with.
Dickie Divers vs Davey Boy
I thought it was a tad weird that Divers wasn't booked on this show up until now, and was pretty raging about that in all honesty. HOWEVER... our hero has arrived. The 2015 Square Go winner looks to stay on a roll by supplementing that Square Go win and his victory over Tommy End in Dundee by defeating former tag team champion and professional shagger of of wives, Davey Boy. When he returned to an ear-shattering ovation at Fear & Loathing 7, he made it clear that he was back to make an impact, and after an unsuccessful tilt at the 4th annual Square Go match, Davey Boy is looking to get back to winning ways. Also, Divers tried to batter Davey's cousin, The Wee Man, at Square Go, so he'll be looking to administer a spear or two in Dickie's direction. He may still be wearing the shirt and throwing up the N, but Divers can't be sure that he still has the NAK as backup. Chris Renfrew doesn't forgive or forget, so Divers eliminating him last to become the holder of the briefcase (with the Divers face) will be sticking in his craw something awful. Renfrew has said questions will be answered at this show, and you must assume the new Square Go champion won't be far from the back of his mind. As for the match, it'll be as solid as it looks on paper, and will no doubt be a close contest. Pressed for a prediction, I think Divers wins. Because Divers ALWAYS wins.
Polo Promotions (c) vs The Models (Joey Hayes & Danny Hope) (ICW Tag Team Championship Match)
Another new tag team (to ICW at least) get an opportunity at Polo Promotions' tag team titles here, in the form of Joey Hayes and Danny Hope. We've seen Hope before, when he challenged for the Zero-G championship in Liverpool on the last tour, putting up a great performance in the process. Joey Hayes is a prolific performer down south, performing for some of the biggest English promotions, but he makes his ICW debut here, and that's a whole other kettle of fish! Serious question here... does anyone actually dislike Polo Promotions? I mean, what's not to love? They shake hands to tag each other in, they've got matching jackets, and they do HUNNERS of scoop slams. I won't be happy until they start doing Polo Promotions merch, and it appears it'll never happen, so I'll need to settle for being eternally sad. It's a new tag division in ICW, and with these four fine performers, we should have a cracker on our hands. Could we see The Models pick up the gold in their collective ICW debut? Probably not, but anything is possible. Stick with the safe bet, Polo Promotions for the win.
POLO PROMOTIONS!
*CLAP CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP*
Wolfgang vs Lewis Girvan
Well what else was he expecting? Lewis Girvan continued his quest to get more recognition in ICW by going to the Asylum and confronting Dallas about not booking him on a show for the tour. He got his wish. Wolfgang in Edinburgh. Not feeling so clever now Lewis ma man. However, we are talking about the guy who gave as good as he got in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Drew Galloway in December. He's forever being touted as the future of Scottish wrestling, and has the confidence to back it up. He took the news of this match in his stride (kind of) and he'll no doubt get stuck in head first. On the other hand, the old Wolfgang is back and raring to get in among some new competition in ICW. Now that he's dealt with his pesky cousin, his eyes are fixed directly on that World title. He's coming for it, and god help anyone who serve as roadblocks. He won't be taking Lewis Girvan lightly, but a win here would see Wolfgang another step closer to the title picture, and that's what it's all about. Another outstanding addition to what is a stacked card. Who to win though? Girvan's big win in ICW is coming, but I think Wolfgang comes out on top here.
Joe Coffey vs Mikey Whiplash
Here's a bit of a history lesson. Before I turned 18 and could go to ICW, I saw these two wrestle each other. It was SWA Clan Wars in Motherwell, and it was Whippy defending his SWA title against Joe inside a steel cage. Maybe you were also there, and if you were you'll know why it's important. That particular match is easily one of my all-time favorites, and with good reason. Simply put, it was spectacular. Joe Coffey won that night, and Whippy was applauded out of the cage while the place was beginning to empty. Everyone was exhausted. I mentioned in the intro how gutted I was to be missing this show, and as great as all the other matches will be - this is the reason for it. These two could main event anywhere in the world and tear the house down, and this seems like the obvious contender for main event here, even if I am a wee bit biased. Coffey has a World Heavyweight title shot at Barramania and is looking to keep the momentum going after successfully defending his Iron Man title at Square Go. Whiplash lost to Joe Hendry in Dundee, when the same video package that caused him to be eliminated from the Square Go match played on the big screen again, allowing Joe to hit the Christmas Gift to seal the win. With someone continuing to torment the former Heavyweight champion, he'll be even more determined to pick up the win here. They are unarguably two of the very best wrestlers the UK has to offer, and having seen them work that wonderful match last year, I'm confident that this will be of the same standard, if not better. Obvious main event. Obvious match of the night. This will be a belter. On that note though, it'd be daft to assume that Whippy's pursuer won't make their presence felt yet again, and because of that my prediction for the match is Joe Coffey.
What Else?
- Chris Renfrew hinted on facebook that questions will be answered at this show. It seems we'll get some promo time from Renfrew, which is always a good thing.
- Divers face on a case. We've all seen his briefcase by now, and it's nothing short of excellent. This may end up tying in with the first point, as Divers is still to feel the wrath of his NAK leader.
- Red Lightning being Red Lightning. He wasn't chuffed that Noam Dar vs Kenny Williams was booked in Dundee despite him saying that they weren't going to be wrestling each other in the company. He also still hates Joe Coffey and Wolfgang. The GM will be involved in some capacity, but at who's expense?
- Drew Galloway may or may not be there. The world champion has prior engagements all over the place so if he finds a spare minute he might pop in to smash a cunt or two. Always nice to see big Drew.
There you have it then. A preview of ICW in Edinburgh. If any other matches are added, as per I'll be quick to put them in here, and I'll be doing my best to provide live results, should someone who's at the show be kind enough to help a brother out. If you are able to help, give me a shout on the twitter or the facebook. Enjoy this show, it will be beautiful.
Cheeri-bye!