What happens when brothers go to war? What happens when two tag teams who just about murdered each other a few months ago get another chance to murder each other? What happens when SIX tag teams most likely DO murder each other in a mad TLC stramash? What happens when you need make a choice between a the king of Benidorm and his jetsettin back elba-in former best pal? What happens when 3 of Scotlands finest exports take on 3 ‘big strong bois’ with even bigger reputations? What happens when the boss sends in the prestigious one to end a legends career? What happens when two of the finest female wrestlers on this planet fight for the right to be queen? What happens when a man will do ANYTHING to get his sink back (again) ? What happens when when a returning hero goes to war with an unhinged cowboy? What happens when one of the very best feuds this country has ever seen finally comes to an end with the companies biggest prize on the line? What happens when you throw all that in the melting pot, mix it up real nice, and pour in to a big fucker of a building? You get the strongest card ICW have ever ran (in my opinion) at The Hydro. A stone cold stoater of a show that you should make a point of being at.
Grado vs James Storm – Jeff Jarret Special Guest Referee
It was weird last year without him eh? A great show but just not the very best an ICW show can be, simply because he wasn’t there. Grado doesn’t make ICW on his own, but when he’s firing, at his brilliant, charismatic, passionate best, he makes it unique. A place where wrestling isn’t the same as all yer other big time “indy” companies. No disrespect to anyone but it feels like ICW have made a real effort to set themselves apart again this year and inject that passion in to what happens in the ring. That wee bit of humour. Seeing Grado back at his vibrant best has been a pleasure but not as much as a pleasure as it’ll be seeing him leather James Storm aw err that Hydro. He’s been cuttin about bottling folk and being a vicious bastard for too long now and he’s unleashed the beast. No Brock Lesnar, but ICWs version of Grado. The guy who usurped Drew Galloway in front of 4 thousand folk at the SECC. The guy who has took numerous scuddings off a plethora of big, angry, bulldug chewin a wasp faced bastards and kept on coming back for more. Doesn’t do him any harm that the ref is his best pal but there’s always some scope for that to change. One guitar shot could shock the world. I don’t see it, but if Shawn Michaels can throw Marty Jannetty through a windae, anything’s possible.
Prediction – Several cowboy hats
Aaron Echo vs Kenny Williams
It’s a shame this hasn’t had as much build between the two guys as it could have but hats off to Kenny. Opportunities are there to make this wrestling thing a full time gig and he’s taking them and making the very most of them. Also hat’s off to both Aaron Echo and Red Lightning for building this well in Kennys absence. Red has been brilliant on the mic and has lit a fire in Aaron Echo. A fire that will be aimed squarely at his former best pals jaw. Massive opportunity for Echo to have an outstanding singles match on such a huge stage and I think he’ll take it and this one will be a barn burnin belter. Kenny is undefeated at Fear and Loathing so the weight of an Aaron Echo win and what it would mean going forward shouldn’t be underestimated.
Prediction – Flying back elba’s and lots of them my friend
The Kinky Party (c) vs Alpha/Evil (Iestyn Rees and Bram)
Thought this match on the Shug’s weekender was a standout, one of the matches of the weekend easily. Folk go on about various tag teams across the UK and I get it. They do the big eye-catching double team stuff and folk love it. It’s a certain style and can be great to watch. At the same time, there’s nothing wrong with it all happening at a slower, more violent pace. It’s all storytelling and they told an outstanding story between the four of them on that occasion. A story told through two absolute monsters trying to viciously beat the humour out of two ICW legends having the absolute time of their lives together. It wasn’t the time for a laugh in Bram and Iestyns minds and The Kinky Party quickly got that All the laughs, the crowdsurfing, the patter was nowhere to be seen. They just left that match thankful to still be champions and I imagine it’ll be the same again if they can overcome Bram and Iestyn once more. No matter what they’ll push each other the limit once again.
Prediction – Plenty of beer after the 1,2,3
The Briscoes vs The Fite Network vs Haskins and Havoc vs The Kings Of Catch vs The Purge vs P.O.D
Hard to preview a match with so many moving parts. If we’re going by momentum then Kings Of Catch have to be the favourites but the competition is….well…..some would say fierce. I’d personally say “certifiably insane” would be more apt, but aye. Some scary bastards. The Briscoes might have some rotten personal opinions and about 3 and a half teeth between them but they are an outstanding tag team and a couple of dudes who thrive in amongst chaos. Rampage and Ashton were so impressive in their short reign as tag champions and are about as dangerous a tag team as you’ll get in the UK. Haskins and Havoc absolutely slayed it with The Kings Of Catch the last time they were up here and are two of the most talented guys out there. The Purge are on a decent run of form after a dodgy patch with the odd domestic dispute thrown in and do not fuckin sleep on ma boys Lou King and Krieger. If its entertainment you’re after on the Scottish scene, they’re yer main boys but their abilities as a tag team should not be undersold. PBW tag champs for…well forever seemingly, and a team that know how to get the job done. It’ll be a big messy affair that’ll no doubt go all over the Hydro but its hard to look past The Kings Of Catch despite the stiff competition. They have the crowd with and rightly so after a year of turning in tremendous performances.
Prediction – Jay Briscoe walks under 40 sets of ladders and lives the rest of his life standing in dug shite, looking at his shoe and going “fuck sake”
Viper vs Kay Lee Ray – Queen Of Insanity Match For The ICW Womens Title
This could quite easily main event this, or any show in Europe. Two of the finest talents in the world, colliding in an environment where there’s no rules. Nothing technically stopping them from killing each other (apart from being best pals n that but kayfabe m8…sshhhh) and the title on the line. The build for it has been perfect and has largely kept them away from each other in terms of matches aside from that hilarious 6 person tag at the Glasgow Uni show, but still very much had them in each others faces on the mic, and in physical confrontations. That scrap they had at The Garage was one of the best segments on the show and it wasn’t even a match. It was just two women brutalising each other for the sake of that shiny belt and the right to be called “Queen Of Insanity” . Will Kay Lee join King Stevie and make their future wedding a bit more royal or will Viper add the Queen Of Insanity to her growing list of accolades?
Prediction – Bloody women!
Mikey Whiplash vs Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry is one victory away from finally grabbing the brass ring. Dallas finally on side, and charged with the task of vanquishing his newest enemy, he wins this and he gets all the silver. The troublesome thing about that is he’s going at it with a guy who’s stopped giving a fuck. When you’re directly going head to head with the boss and defying his orders, you’ve officially stopped giving anything resembling a fuck. Especially when you’re too good at your job to sack, so instead Dallas is sending Joe Hendry in to end Mikey Whiplashes career. I think this will be Joe’s best ICW match and could sneak and in and steal the show. Especially if Kieran Kelly and Leyton Buzzard have a part to play which I suspect they will after they tear the roof off The Garage the night before.
Prediction – Joe Hendry sharpens the top of Leyton Buzzards dome and launches him at Whiplash like a dart
Wolfgang, Noam Dar and BT Gunn vs British Strong Style
Couldn’t give a monkeys about that half sleeping promo the big strong boisies cut about how Scottish Wrestling is pish or whatever the fuck it was meant to be saying. You’re all great wrestlers and that guys, Pete Dunne arguably one of the very best in the world right now, but that was some phoned in nonsense and the IYT (ICDUB YUNG TEAM) are coming to ram they tired sounding words down your complacent throats. Wolfgang and BT Gunn joined together once more for the common good and throw a slice of NOAM FUCKIN DAR on top and its the very definition of a dream team. BT Gunn was the man at The Hydro last year and has had a tremendous couple of years wrestling at the very highest level in ICW, and Wolfgang could have a decent match with a mop pail (literally) so It can’t fail to be a good match really, 6 of the very best the UK has produced in the one match, but hopefully BSS give us a bit more in the ring than they did in that promo. Hashtag save Scottish Wrestling…or whatever
Prediction – Noam comes out, we all have a wee cry…or maybe just I have a wee cry
Mark Coffey (c) vs Joe Coffey – ICW Zero-G Championship Match
This needs no words but I’ll type some anyway. A match I personally wanted to see from the first moment I saw them both wrestle. A match we have seen in some family companies but with the greatest of respects to them, it needs a stage like this to be at its very best. It needs a stage like this for that contrast in styles to set the world alight. Not to hype it up too much or anything, but its going to be fucking terrific. I’d put my house on that. It’s for a title but even without that at stake, it would still be a highlight. Another match very much worthy of the main event spot and if a match of such significance wasn’t taking place for the ICW Title I suspect that’s where it would have wound up, giving Joe Coffey The Hydro main event hat-trick. Very hard one to call. Impossible really. All I can really say for sure is that they’ll hit each other really hard and it’ll be a treat for anyone lucky enough to see it
Prediction – Their maw giving them a right good telling aff for fighting
Jackie Polo (c) vs Lionheart – ICW World Championship Match
I’m planning on writing an article about this rivalry tomorrow so I’ll keep it relatively short here. It’s a monumental match. One of the biggest main events in the company’s history. Simple as that. No rivalry has had as much bitterness as this one has. No rivalry has had as much genuine hatred as this one has. No rivalry has ever felt as authentic as this one has. Their first match was really just two guys who fuckin hated each others guts trying to stop themselves having a real life fist fight and the end result was…..well, we’ve all seen it, but the two matches this year? Two absolute stormers from two men at the very top of their game. Performances that earned them this spot at the very top of the card. Performances that will see this match go down in ICW history no matter how it ends. Even if it means another retirement looms, or you’re saying Lionhearts name after he makes history.
Prediction – CAPTAIN JACK is back
Have a great time no matter what. That’s what the wrestling is for and we have a smashing weekend of it coming up starting off with The Secret Show at The Asylum tomorrow night. It’s a smashing card from top to bottom and the fact that it’s almost become the norm for ICW to run this massive building is absurd. Help them fill it up and buy tickets.
https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/icw-fear-loathing-xi-glasgow-02-12-2018/event/3600549BDD333A82
BONUS CONTENT – LIAM THOMSON VS KID FITE – SINK OR….WELL SINK
Nae way on this earth this sink situation doesn’t get its conclusion at The Hydro in some way or another. Even if it’s not an official match, you’ll see them in that building somewhere and that sink will be central to any/all shenanigans that may be afoot. Liam Thomson has been faultless since his return and Kid Fite hasn’t missed a Fear and Loathing in ICW’s history so you’ll see them and it’ll no doubt be fuckin’ great.
Insert real conclusion here….wrestling n that. Thanks to David Wilson for the photos as per.
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