Insane Championship Wrestling

Insane Championship Wrestling
Acronym ICW
Founded 2006
Style Professional wrestling
Sports entertainment
Hardcore wrestling
Headquarters Glasgow, Scotland
Founder(s) Mark Dallas
Owner(s) Mark Dallas & Duncan Gray
Website InsaneWrestling.co.uk

Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) is a Scottish wrestling promotion based in Glasgow, founded by Mark Dallas in 2006.[1] The promotion mixes elements of traditional Sports Entertainment with Hardcore wrestling, thus attendances at events are restricted to those aged over 18-years-old. Some performers incorporate zany gimmicks and play up Scottish stereotypes such as references to Irn-Bru.

The company began expanding across the UK,[2] and it was featured in a Vice Magazine documentary in 2012 and BBC documentary in 2014.[3][4] The promotion was named UK Promotion of the Year by Fighting Spirit Magazine in 2012, 2013 and 2014.[5][6]

ICW formerly aired on cable television station MyChannel across Europe. ICW records and releases the majority of their shows on limited edition DVD as well as producing series of their own YouTube show, ICW Worldwide.[7] In 2015, ICW launched their On Demand service (ICW On Demand), which has become the company's primary source of distribution of content.

History

2006–2012

The Barrowland Ballroom, venue of ICW Fear & Loathing VII[8]

Mark Dallas founded the promotion while living with his girlfriend in Glasgow's Red Road Flats in 2006.[9] After attending wrestling training to learn the business from the inside, he ran his first shows at Maryhill Community Centre. Drew Galloway was crowned the company's inaugural Heavyweight Champion on 15 October 2006 after defeating Darkside and Allan Grogan in a three-way match at ICW: Fear & Loathing.[10] Galloway held the title until 22 July 2007 when he was defeated by Darkside.[11] After an almost 2-year hiatus, ICW returned on 9 May 2009 with ICW: Fear & Loathing,[12] however, after another brief hiatus, the company began running shows every other month beginning with ICW: Payback on 28 February 2010.[13]

On 5 June 2010, ICW: Menace 2 Society, a new ICW Heavyweight Champion was crowned for the first time in over three years as BT Gunn won the vacant title in a 4-way match against Wolfgang, Liam Thomson and Johnny Moss. The event also kicked off a tournament for a secondary title, the ICW Zero-G Championship.[14] Another title change occurred on 4 September 2010 at ICW: Dazed and Confused when moments after defeating Red Lightning, BT Gunn was challenged by James Scott who won the match and joined the villainous Gold Label faction.[15]

ICW: Fear & Loathing 3 signaled ICW's first venture into Glasgow City Center with the event taking place at Apollo 23 nightclub on 21 November 2010. The finals of the Zero-G Championship Tournament took place with Noam Dar defeating Andy Wild, Falcon and Rob Cage in a four-way elimination match. The Zero-G Championship was briefly dropped by Dar to Lionheart at ICW: Summerbam on 14 August 2011 before winning the title back at ICW: Fear & Loathing 4 on 23 November.[16][17]

2012–present

2012 saw the introduction of a new event on 22 January, Square Go!. This event was headlined by an over-the-top-rope battle royal granting the winner a shot at the ICW Heavyweight Championship at a time of their choosing.[18] ICW's next event, ICW: Smells like Teen Spirit, took place in The Garage venue, in Glasgow; the venue would later host many ICW shows.[19] The beginning of the year saw ICW gain TV exposure through MyChannel, although their tenure on the station was short-lived as they were removed from programming after one of their shows was shown at an inappropriate time.

During the summer, the ICW Tag Team Championship was introduced and, after a series of elimination matches, STI (Dickie Divers & William Grange) defeated The Bucky Boys (Davie Boy & Stevie Boy) for the titles at ICW: Hadouken!.[20]

After the airing of an in-house mockumentary and his prominent role in the Vice documentary, Grado became prominent in the promotion of ICW. At the 2nd Annual Square Go!, Mikey Whiplash secured his opportunity at the Heavyweight Championship while ICW ventured out of Glasgow for the first time with a show at Studio 24 in Edinburgh.[21] In Edinburgh at ICW: Tramspotting, qualifying matches would begin for the new ICW Fierce Females Championship.[22] The Tag Team Championship changed hands for the first time with STI losing their titles to The Bucky Boys in a ladder match at ICW: Get To Da Choppa.[23] At ICW: Reservoir Dogs, ICW announced that they were being filmed as the subject of a BBC documentary.[24]

On 7 February 2015, the ICW Heavyweight Championship was renamed the ICW World Heavyweight Championship following title defenses in England, Denmark and the United States by Drew Galloway.[25] On 27 February 2016, ICW had their first show in Ireland named The Big Elbowski, where Big Damo defeated Chris Renfrew for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship.

On 5 November 2017, on a Road to Fear and Loathing X tour show in Cardiff, Triple H and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne made a special guest appearance.[26]

Events

The promotion currently books most of its events in Glasgow with occasional events in Edinburgh. As the company grows, it has expanded to the rest of the UK, having held events in London and Newcastle with shows in Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham booked in the future as part of a working relationship with O2 Academy venues. ICW runs shows in Glasgow's The Garage and Studio 24 in Edinburgh as well as ABC Glasgow.

As Fear & Loathing got bigger, ICW went on to host events at SEC Centre, and in 2016 held the biggest event in European wrestling history in Glasgow’s SSE Hydro with over 6000 attendees.

2 December 2018 sees ICW returning to the SSE Hydro for the third year in a row.

In July 2018 after a recent fire that caused damage to O2 ABC Glasgow ICW had to reschedule their 2 day summer event Shugs Hoose Party 5 to Glasgow’s O2 Academy for the first time ever..[27]

ICW On Demand

ICW On Demand is a video-on-demand service owned by Insane Championship Wrestling. All major ICW events are uploaded on the service shortly after taking place. The service also features matches from the promotion's archives, dating back to 2012.[28] Retrospectives of pre-2012 events, shoot interviews and documentaries are also available.

Music

In addition to being a wrestling promotion, ICW actively promotes the music of local artists by use of their music in ICW events and by hosting live music events at Box in Glasgow. The theme song of the promotion is 'Crank' by Glasgow band Psyko Dalek.[29]

Current champions

Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held		 Location Notes
ICW World Heavyweight Championship "Just Justice" Jackie Polo 1 23 September 2018 24+ Glasgow, Scotland Defeated DCT at ICW Fight Club: Bravehearto.
ICW Zero-G Championship Mark Coffey 3 29 April 2018 171+ Glasgow, Scotland Defeated Rampage Brown, DCT, Andy Wild, Jordan Devlin and Aaron Echo in a gauntlet match at Barramania 4.
ICW Tag Team Championship The Kinky Party
(Jack Jester and Sha Samuels)		 1 15 April 2018 185+ Newcastle, England Defeated Ashton Smith and Rampage Brown at ICW: Jimmy's Revenge 2.
ICW Women's Championship Viper 2 12 February 2018 247+ Glasgow, Scotland Defeated Martina at ICW: The Biggest Fight Club Taping EVER!.

Square Go! Briefcase Holders

In a combination of WWE's Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches, the competitors compete in a 30-man over-the-top-rope battle royal, the Square Go!, with the winner earning the Square Go Briefcase. This gives the holder an opportunity to cash-in the briefcase for an ICW World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of their choosing for up to one year.[30]

Holder Date Won Event Match Type Location Cash-In Date Notes
Red Lightning 22 January 2012 1st Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Glasgow, Scotland 3 June 2012 Cashed in and defeated then champion BT Gunn, who had just successfully defended the ICW Heavyweight Championship against Lionheart, to win the championship at In Your Gaff.
Mikey Whiplash 27 January 2013 2nd Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Glasgow, Scotland 5 May 2013 After having announced his intention to cash-in at the next show, Whiplash would go on to defeat Red Lightning at Reservoir Dogs to win the ICW Heavyweight Championship.
Chris Renfrew 26 January 2014 3rd Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Glasgow, Scotland 25 January 2015 Successfully defended the briefcase against Grado at 1.21 Gigawatts, Great Scott! on 31 August 2014. Unsuccessfully cashed-in against champion, Drew Galloway, at the 4th Annual Square Go! on 25 January 2015.
Dickie Divers 25 January 2015 4th Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Glasgow, Scotland N/A
Chris Renfrew (2) 26 July 2015 Shug's Hoose Party II Ladder Glasgow, Scotland 24 January 2016 Won the briefcase from Dickie Divers in a ladder match at Shug's Hoose Party II on 26 July 2015.
On 20 December 2015, Renfrew announced that he would be cashing in against World Heavyweight Champion, Grado, on 24 January 2016 at The Fifth Annual Square Go. At the event, Renfrew successfully cashed-in and defeated Grado via pinfall to win the ICW World Heavyweight Championship.
Wolfgang 24 January 2016 Fifth Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Glasgow, Scotland 31 July 2016 Successfully cashed in on Joe Coffey (who had just prior, won the championship from Big Damo) defeating him via pinfall to win the ICW World Heavyweight Championship at Shug's Hoose Party 3.
Joe Coffey 5 February 2017 Sixth Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Newcastle, England 16 April 2017 Announced his intention to cash in at Barramania III on the 14 April episode of Fight Club (recorded 19 March), and successfully defeated Trent Seven by submission to win the ICW World Heavyweight Championship.
Stevie Boy 11 February 2018 Seventh Annual Square Go! 30 Man Square Go! Match Glasgow, Scotland 29 April 2018 At Barramania 4, Stevie retained his Square Go contract in a ladder match against Kenny Williams. He then successfully cashed it in the main event between Mikey Whiplash and BT Gunn, defeating Whiplash via pinfall to win the ICW World Heavyweight Championship.

Hall of Fame

Year Image Ring name
(Real name)		 ICW recognized accolades
2016 N/A Carmel
(Carmel Jacob)		 One-time ICW Women's Champion.[31][32]
2017 Drew McIntyre
(Drew Galloway)		 Inaugural and two-time ICW Heavyweight Champion.[33]

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ Biggs, Chris. "Insane Championship Wrestling: 'Wrestling's pish, I just kid on it's good because I don't want Jack Jester the Molester t me.' says founder Mark Dallas". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
    2. ↑ Docking, Neil (12 August 2014). "Insane Championship Wrestling comes to Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
    3. ↑ "The British Wrestler". www.vice.com. Vice Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
    4. ↑ Brocklehurst, Steven. "Insane fight club: Reinventing wrestling for a new generation". BBC. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
    5. ↑ Whiplash, Mickey. "UK Promotion of the Year". Fighting Spirit Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
    6. ↑ "ICW: ICW Wins FSM UK Promotion Of The Year For Third Year Running". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015.
    7. ↑ "ICW: Worldwide". www.insanewrestling.co.uk. insanewrestling.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
    8. ↑ Kennedy, Jamie. "Fear & Loathing VII Location Announced!". www.insanewrestling.co.uk. Insane Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    9. ↑ Fulton, Rachael. "Insane Championship Wrestling lays the smack down across the city". www.stv.tv. STV. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
    10. ↑ "ICW Fear & Loathing – Debut Show". www.cagematch.net. Cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    11. ↑ ICW. "Galloway Goes for Gold". www.insanewrestling.co.uk. Insane Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    12. ↑ "ICW Fear & Loathing 2". www.cagematch.ne. Cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    13. ↑ "ICW Payback". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    14. ↑ "ICW Menace 2 Society". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    15. ↑ "ICW Dazed And Confused". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    16. ↑ "ICW SummerBam". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    17. ↑ "ICW Fear & Loathing 4". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    18. ↑ "ICW 1st Annual Square Go!". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    19. ↑ "ICW Smells Like Teen Spirit". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    20. ↑ "ICW Hadouken!". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    21. ↑ "ICW 2nd Annual Square Go!". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    22. ↑ "ICW Tramspotting". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    23. ↑ "ICW Get To Da Choppa". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    24. ↑ "ICW Reservoir Dogs". www.cagematch.net. cagematch.net. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
    25. ↑ "ICW: ICW world heavyweight championship to be defended in New York!". Archived from the original on 17 January 2016.
    26. ↑ Docking, Neil (5 November 2017). "Watch moment WWE legend Triple H shocks fans at ICW show in Cardiff". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017.
    27. ↑ "ICW Events". www.insanewrestling.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
    28. ↑ http://www.insanewrestling.co.uk/OnDemand
    29. ↑ "Psyko Dalek". www.kingtuts.co.uk. kingtuts.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
    30. ↑ "ICW Square Go Winner". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015.
    31. ↑ http://www.insanewrestling.co.uk/videos.php?v=gc1N_G54XA8
    32. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1N_G54XA8
    33. ↑ "Drew McIntyre to be inducted into ICW Hall of Fame". WWE. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
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