Review of ICW’s “Insane in the Membrane” by James Wilson
Date: September 30th, 2012
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2217
-Hey everybody. James Wilson here with another Indy wrestling review for you eager beavers! This time, I have a copy of Insane Championship Wrestling’s debut show, “Insane in the Membrane” which featured Drake Younger taking Shane Douglas (who is the booker of the company, for those of you not in the know) in the main event. The show took place on Sept. 30 and had a good sized crowd of 2,217, which is impressive considering that this was the company’s debut show. Let’s see what the company has to offer in its first outing.
-The venue that the show is being held in is somewhat unique as the whole building is dimly lit. In addition to this, the guardrail and the ring are a very dark color. In fact, the ring is so dark that the only splash of color on it is the white colored letters “ICW” placed in the middle of the ring. The ring apron appears to be torn in several places and is as dark as the ring with the only color on it being the white letters “ICW”. Even the curtain used for the entrance way has holes in it. It’s unique, I’ll give them that much.’
- The show starts out with a…somewhat familiar face as
Todd Grisham, of all people, is standing in the ring with a mic in his hand. He introduces himself as the commentator for the show tonight and thanks the crowd for showing up to ICW’s debut show. He claims that it is fitting that ICW hold its first show in Philly since Philadelphia is one, if not, the premier wrestling (“And I don’t mean Sports Entertainment! I mean honest to god WRESTLING!”, Grisham specifies. BECAUSE BEING ANTI-WWE IS COOL! HYUCK!) cities in the world! Of course, this gets a cheap pop from the crowd and even starts up a minor “E-C-Dub!” from the diehard ECW fans in the crowd that just can’t let it go. Grisham says that, contrary to popular belief, this new promotion was not trying to be just another ECW knock off (Really? You’re running in Philly, there are several deathmatch/ultraviolent/garbage wrestlers on the roster, you even have Shane fu**ing Douglas booking the shows and appearing in the main event. Sure as hell sounds like an ECW knock-off to me). No, Grisham states, ICW will be carving their own path in wrestling world and making their own headlines!
Grisham goes onto to say that tonight’s show has a stacked card and will see “The Franchise” Shane Douglas (Mixed reaction from the crowd with some cheering for the former ECW Champion while others boo after remembering all of the heinous things Douglas has done throughout his career) take on “The Ultraviolent Golden Boy” Drake Younger (BIG pop for Drake’s name since he’s seems to have gained quite a following in Philly due to his work in CZW)! “It’s gonna be a hell of a night!”, Grisham proclaims. “I can’t wait to see all of the craziness, all of the INSANITY that will take place…”
“EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME!”
Grisham is suddenly cut off by a voice that is very familiar to the Philly crowd. Wearing a crisp suit and carrying a mic in his hand,
Don Callis walks out through the curtain to boos from the crowd. Upon entering the ring, Callis continues to speak. “Stop your shallow shilling, you blithering mouth breather and let someone of actual importance do the talking!” This gains TAFKA Cyrus even more boos from the crowd. Apparently, people actually care about Todd Grisham. Who knew? After some reluctance, Grisham exits the ring and heads to the commentary table, allowing Callis to have center stage.
“Now that I have everybody’s attention, I have a few announcements to make so shut those gaping holes of ignorance that you all call mouths and listen!” To the surprise of no one, the boos are almost deafening by this point. A not so small “Fuck you, Cyrus!” chant gets started up. Callis appears to be infuriated by the crowd’s response. “Fuck me, huh? Fuck me?! Well, you all better get used to saying that because I’m gonna be around for a long while. Do you insolent tape worms know why? BECAUSE I’M THE COMMISSIONER OF ICW!”
“WHAT?!”, Grisham yells from his post at the commentary table. The crowd reacts very negatively to this news but Callis seems to be soaking up the boos by this point. After allowing the heat from the crowd to die down, Callis begins speaking again. He says that he was appointed as commissioner of ICW by the mystery investors of the company due to his “impeccable record” when it comes to being in an authoritative role. Callis says that he is out here to make a few announcements regarding the company. Since the company is in it’s infancy, TAFKA Cyrus says, it’s important to lay down some ground rules now before the company falls into complete and utter anarchy. “I won’t allow this company to be like some other promotions that used to run in Philadelphia!”, the Canadian Commissioner says. The ground rules that Callis states are:
1. Every match in ICW, unless noted as otherwise, can be won by Pinfall, Submission, Knockout, Count Out, or Disqualification.
2. All ICW officials reserve the right to stop a match if they feel that one competitor is unable to continue.
3. Should a wrestler spend 20 seconds outside of the ring during a match, he will be counted out and the match will be awarded to his opponent.
4. Unless otherwise noted, every match will have a 30 minute time limit. The only exception to this is the main event of any given show, which will have a 60 minute time limit unless otherwise noted.
“And finally”, Callis says after running down the rules, “my word is LAW! I will not let the inmates run the asylum. Anything I say, goes. If this company was a church, I would be GOD! As long as everybody understands that, it should be smooth sailing for everybody. Now, let’s all enjoy what looks to be a stupendous evening!”
After his monologue, the ICW commissioner makes his way over the commentary table and sits next to Todd Grisham. It looks like he will be Grisham’s commentating partner for this show.
- Before I start covering the actual show, I feel the need to talk about the promo that was done exclusively for the DVD. It’s a pretaped promo that seems to have been taped in the locker room featuring a man that goes by the name of
Franky the Mobster (which is indicated by a graphic that appears on the bottom of the screen). Apparently, he’s very upset that he wasn’t booked on the debut show. I’m basing this off of the fact that the first words out of his mouth are “THIS IS BULLSHIT!” With his eyes wide, Franky proceeds to rant and rave (and scream. Boy, is he screaming) about how it’s asinine that he was left off of ICW’s debuts show. Franky expands on this by saying, “THERE ARE THREE THINGS I LOVE IN THIS WORLD! COCAINE, STERIODS, AND BREAKING BACKS! BECAUSE I AIN’T BOOKED, I AIN’T GOT NO BACKS TO BREAK! THANKS TO ICW, I HAD TO TAKE A DOUBLE DOSE OF COCAINE AND A TRIPLE DOSE OF STEROIDS JUST TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY!” Breathing heavily, he continues to ramble on like a madman before screaming out, “HOW THE FUCK AM I NOT BOOKED?! I AM THE EMPEROR OF CANADA! I’M THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA! …
I’M THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH!!!” He then proceeds to Big Boot a locker, leaving a massive dent in it! He then lets out an animalistic roar before stomping out of the view of the camera. I honestly have no idea what the hell I just watched…but I like it. If people didn’t know who Franky was before this promo, they sure as hell know him now. He made ME disappointed that he wasn’t on the actual show.
[62%]-Now, onto the in-ring action.
Match #1
ACH V. Alex Kozlov
The first match in ICW history is an interesting one as it pits the young high-flying Texan, ACH, against a man who is somewhat of a veteran of the sport by now, “The Russian Hooligan” Alex Kozlov. While ACH comes out in classic smiling baby face fashion, slapping hands with any fan that will let him, Kozlov really plays up the Russian part of his gimmick as he comes out to the Russian National Anthem and proclaims that he will win this match “for his comrades in the Motherland”.
The match starts with Kozlov offering the young rookie a handshake. When ACH goes to accept the handshake, however, Alex arrogantly pulls his hand away and runs it through his hair to the boos of the crowd! ACH doesn’t take kindly to this gesture and proceeds to tackle the Russian and lay into him with punches! This burst of offense allows ACH to control the opening minutes of the match as he wows the crowd with his insane and innovative offense. Seriously, everything he does looks like it came straight out of a video game. Any attempts at offense by Kozlov are countered by ACH’s unorthodox style. At one point, ACH manages to catch the veteran with a running hurricarana that sends Kozlov sprawling to the outside. The rookie then plays to the crowd a bit, bounces off the opposite set of ropes, and hits a suicide dive onto Kozlov, sending both men crashing into the guardrail! The crowd pops huge for this and a small “ACH!” chant gets started up.
ACH’s constant pandering to the crowd ends up costing him as he spends too much preparing to hit Kozlov with a running elbow strike in the corner dubbed the “M.J. Elbow”. When the Texan goes for the elbow, he gets hit with a VICIOUS Yakuza kick from Kozlov that just rocks his jaw! The arrogant Russian quickly follows up on this by damn near destroying the rookie’s jaw with a Discus Elbow Strike! ACH drops like a stone but is able to get his shoulder up on Kozlov’s subsequent pin attempt. Perhaps feeling embarrassed because he was shown up by the rookie, Kozlov spends the next several minutes punishing ACH with several vicious strikes (“ACH’s chest is turning blood red from all of those chops!” proclaims Grisham) and many painful submission maneuvers. To the young high-flyer’s credit, he doesn’t wilt under Kozlov’s offense and seemingly keeps coming back for more. A highlight of the match is when Kozlov is repeatedly kicking ACH in the chest while he’s standing but the Texan refuses to go down. After being hit with 6 or 7 rapid fire kicks to the chest, ACH spits right in The Hooligan’s face and gives him the middle finger, begging him to kick him harder!
It’s this “never-say-die” attitude that allows ACH to turn the tide of the match as he is able to counter an Irish-Whip attempt into the corner by Kozlov by doing a headstand on the turnbuckle! The Russia native tries to charge ACH but the youngster manages to catch his opponent with a Tilt A Whirl Headscissors! As Alex gets back to his feet, ACH kicks him in the stomach, bounces off the ropes, and nails Kozlov with a Scissors Kick! ACH immediately drops down and hooks Kozlov’s legs! “1…2… thr” NO! Kozlov kicks at 2 & ¾.
Although ACH was able to get in a few more near falls after this, his heart and determination just wasn’t enough on this night as he eventually got locked in the Red Scare (Russian legsweep floated over into a bridging cobra clutch)! ACH held on as long as he could but, after failing to get to the ropes, was forced to submit! Kozlov celebrates his decisive victory as he poses much to the displeasure of the crowd. As he is exiting the ring, he stops and spits on the fallen ACH, which causes many profanities from the crowd to be directed at him! After being helped to his feet, ACH is given a standing ovation by the crowd as he walks to the back.
My thoughts: The crowd was dead for most of this match (mainly because they didn’t know who ACH was and were cheering his moves, not him) but they were into ACH’s comeback and the finish, which leads me to believe that he left a positive impression on the tough Philly crowd.
[60%]
- The show now cuts to a dimly lit room backstage where
Kevin Fertig (better known as Kevin Thorn/Mordecai) is standing. He goes off on a somewhat odd speech about his life. Fertig says that he has suffered much pain during his life. Being labeled as an outcast, a freak, as…different. He’s been blacklisted by wrestling companies and has been ignored by most of society. He’s been adrift in the wind with no purpose and without a true voice to speak in this world. He’s even been called a monster. Why? Because he doesn’t fit the mold that people have created. “All of my life, society has treated me like dirt. Now, it’s time for me to pay society back. It’s time make the world pay and let them know that they have made a grave mistake. Soon, the monster that society has created will destroy them and people will have no-one to blame but themselves.”
My thoughts: A short and somewhat vague promo but it accomplished its goal of introducing Fertig’s character. His delivery was very good and shows that he may be one of the stronger promo men in the company.
[70%]Match #2
Tag Team Showcase
Aeroform (Flip Kendrick & Louis Lyndon) V. The BLK OUT (Ruckus & The BLK Jeez)
The second match of the evening has all of the potential to be a complete spot-fest as the flip-tastic team of Aeroform takes on the more experienced team of Ruckus and The BLK Jeez (is he able to turn water into Hennessy?), collectively known as The BLK OUT (and yes, it is spelled exactly like that). The opening minutes of this match are very fast paced as both teams make quick tags and seem to be feeling each other out. Due to this, the action is pretty even as neither team can get a clear advantage over the other. The stalemate is finally broken when Ruckus (who was not the legal man for his team and was standing on the apron) kicks Kendrick (the legal man for Aeroform) in the back when Flip was trying to run the ropes! Flip turns around and takes a swing at Ruckus (who ducks it) which allows Jeez to attack Flip from behind!
From there, the match slows down significantly as The BLKOUT cut the ring in half and work over Flip, not allowing him to make a tag to Lyndon. Flip has a few hope spots here and there, even managing to put Ruckus in a small package after countering a clothesline from him but the former CZW World Champ is able to kick out before an upset took place. Despite his best efforts, the young baby face just can’t find the right opening to tag his partner in and continues to get beat down by the more experienced team. Finally, after being worked over for nearly ten minutes and having to kick out of numerous pin attempts, Flip is able to backflip out of a Saito Suplex attempt and makes the tag to Lyndon! Lyndon, in classic tag-team wrestling form, comes in as a house of fire and begins to turn the tide of the match into the favor of the young team from Michigan.
To the surprise of…well, no one, the match breaks down into complete chaos when a pinfall attempt by Lyndon on Ruckus following a moonsault is broken up by Jeez! Flip immediately enters the ring and comes to the defense of his partner. Soon enough, the match devolves into a series of MOVES!~ as both teams hit a variety of high spots and tag team maneuvers on one another. To be honest, it’s not that great. In fact, some of it is MIGHTY sloppy but the crowd is eating it up. After about 5 minutes of non-stop moves, it boils down to Kendrick and Jeez being the legal men for their respective teams. After Lyndon takes out Ruckus with an INSANE looking no-hands somersault to the outside, Flip catches TAFKA Sabian with a springboard dropkick that damn near costs the CZW star some teeth! Feeding off the energy of the crowd, Flip then ascends to the top rope and nails a breathtaking Shooting Star Leg Drop! It looked like it SUCKED for Jeez to take but the crowd went nuts for it. The subsequent pin attempt by Flip is able to get the 3-count and Aeroform win the first tag match in ICW history!
After the match is over, the babyfaces briefly celebrate their win in the ring before heading to the back, happy with their hard fought victory. Meanwhile, Ruckus helps his downed partner up and the two sulk to the back together, cursing out any fan that they make eye contact with.
My thoughts: Although there were too many high spots for my taste and the work was sloppy at times, the crowd was very into the last 5 minutes of the match. Certainly not a bad match (in fact, I would even say that it was “fun”) but there is definitely room for improvement. Still, not a bad start for tag teams in ICW.
[65%] Match #3
Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Matt Tremont V. Jun Kasai
There is no rest for the wicked as we go right into the next match, which looks to be a Deathmatch collision as Matt Tremont takes on Jun Kasai in in a Fans Bring the Weapons Match! This is gonna be bloody. Tremont, with a large metal fork hanging around his neck on a chain, comes out to a sizeable reaction due to the fact that he has been making waves in CZW as one of the breakout deathmatch wrestlers in the company. Kasai comes out to a somewhat smaller reaction, which is understandable considering that he does most of his work in Japan.
To quote a Southern, BBQ sauce lovin’ announcer, from the second the bell rings, this is a good ol’ fashioned “Slobber Knocker”. Both men hold nothing back as they absolutely brutalize each other to the delight of the fans. As the rules of the match stipulate, both men use various weapons from the crowd including an old school NES console (which Tremont smashes over Kasai’s head), a cookie sheet (which Kasai creates a large dent in when he drive it into the Bulldozer’s face), and a Japanese flag (which Kasai comically stops and salutes to…before wrapping it around Tremont’s throat and chocking him with it)! Those aren’t the only weapons used as Tremont digs his signature fork right into the forehead of the “Crazy Monkey”, causing the blood to flow from his head like wine!
After damn near 15 minutes of both men killing each other and causing one another to bleed buckets, Tremont sets up a table in the ring with the intention of putting Kasai through it. He turns around in order to put the Japanese Deathmatch Superstar onto the table but is only met by a steel chair crashing into his head! Kasai takes this opportunity to nail the dazed Bulldozer with his signature “Sudden Impact” (High Angle Impact DDT) move!
Instead of trying to pin the 22 year old, Kasai heads to the outside where he digs under the ring, looking for something. After a few seconds, he finds what he’s looking for and shows it to the crowd…some fluorescent light tubes! He goes back into the ring and, after shoving Tremont onto the table and placing the light tubes on top of him, heads to the top rope. He lets out a warrior’s cry…and jumps off the top rope, putting Tremont through the table (and driving the light tubes into his chest) with a Pearl Harbor Splash! The oh-so familiar chants of “HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!” ring throughout the building as Kasai crawls over to Tremont and drapes his arm over him. “1…2…3!” “The Crazy Monkey” picks up the win!
After the match, both men lie on the mat in exhaustion as the crowd shows their appreciation for the Ultraviolent war they just witnessed. Slowly, both men make it up to their feet and have a tense standoff. The standoff is broken when Tremont steps forward and sticks his hand out, inviting Kasai to shake it! The BJW star first looks at Bulldozer, then looks at the crowd (all of whom are yelling for him to accept the handshake), and finally looks back at Tremont. He sticks his hand out…and flips Tremont off! The crowd shows their displeasure with this action as they rain boos down on Kasai as he bails from the ring before Tremont can attack him for his extremely disrespectful action. “The Crazy Monkey” doesn’t seem too fazed by the crowd’s reaction as he proceeds to tell Tremont and the crowd to “kiss [his] yellow ass” as he goes up the ramp way!
My thoughts: While this type of match certainly isn’t for everyone, if you like deathmatch wrestling, you’ll like this match. Simple as that. Kasai’s actions after the match really helped establish him as a heel and could be used as fuel for a Kasai/Tremont feud in the coming months.
[60%] - The DVD now cuts to a short pretaped promo featuring former WWE Superstar,
Paul Burchill. The Brit is standing in front of the “INDY BRICK WALL OF DOOM~!” Burchill states that he’s not here in ICW to coast off his past accomplishments in other companies. No, he’s ready to fight for his opportunities. He’s had to do it his entire life and he’s ready to do it in ICW! “The Ripper” states that he is going to qualify for the ICW Championship match in December and prove that, beyond a shadow of doubt, he is the best damn wrestler in the world. Burchill concludes his promo by saying, “And if anybody disagrees with that… you’ll see firsthand why they call me ‘The Ripper’”
My thoughts: A nice little promo that sets the stage for Burchill and lets the audience know what his goals are.
[73%]Match #4
ICW Championship Qualifying Match
The Amazing Red V. Michael Knight
The second to last match of the night is the first qualifying match for the ICW Championship match set to be held in December. It pits former WWE star Michael Knight (better known to fans as Mike Knox) taking on former TNA star and multiple time X-Division champion, The Amazing Red. While Red comes out to a nice pop from the crowd, Knight comes out to jeers and boos as he stalks his way down to the ring.
This encounter is reminiscent of “David V. Goliath” as Knight absolutely towers over Red. What he’s lacking in size and strength, however, Red makes up for it in speed and tenacity as he immediately goes after Knight as soon the bell rings. Although he’s able to stay out of TAFKA Knox’s hands for the first two minutes or so of the match, an absolutely devastating clothesline from Knight almost decapitates the former TNA star and puts the big man in control. From there, Knight dominates the majority of the match, throwing Red around as if he was a rag doll and basically having his way with the high-flyer. While Red is able to get in the occasional offensive move, it’s token at best and Knight is able to swat him away before long.
At one point, the former X-Division champ attempted to hit Knight with a Crossbody from the top rope. Knight, showing off his impressive strength, caught Red and proceeded to hurl Red over the top rope onto the cold padded floor on the outside! Somehow, the New York native managed to get in the ring just before the ref’s count hit 20. Despite getting dominated for a long period of time, Red is able to get his shoulder up (albeit barely) before three on every pin attempt that Michael makes.
Finally, Red catches a huge break when he is able to duck out of the way of a clothesline attempt from Knight into the corner, causing Knight to go chest first into the turnbuckle. Seeing that Michael is momentarily stunned, Red seized the moment and began hitting a variety of breathtaking high-risk moves. During this flurry of offense, Red is even able to nail the former WWE star with a Tiger Feint Kick (AKA, a 619 for the uninformed) and follows it up with a springboard spinning wheel kick to the standing Knight! He climbs on top of Knight for a pin attempt but Knight TOSSES Red off of him before 3!
After being in control of the match for a short while, Red’s momentum is cut short when Knight is able to toss a running Red up in the air and cause him to land face first on the top turnbuckle! Stunned, Red stumbled out of the corner…right into a HUGE Running Big Boot from the big man! The former TNA star got turned inside out from that! Knight makes the cover for what should be the academic victory. “1…2…thre”
NO! Red just barely gets his shoulder up before the ref’s hand hits the mat for a third time. The look on Knight’s face shows his surprise but he quickly shakes it off and pulls the younger man back up. He then lifts Red up and brings him crashing back down on the mat with a huge Spinebuster! He hooks Red’s legs in a pin attempt…and Red just barely kicks out once again! Knight is shocked! After threatening the ref for supposedly making a slow count, TAFKA Mike Knox angrily drags the smaller man back to his feet and puts him in position for the “Knight Light” (Standing Reverse STO), as Grisham calls it on commentary (what an awful name). Red, however, manages to somehow use his amazing body control to lock his legs around Michael’s waist and get the big man in a Rollup! “1…2…3!!!” Knight got his shoulders off the mat a split second after the ref counted to 3! Red picks a huge victory in what has to be considered an upset!
As soon as the bell rings, Knight pops up to his feet. With a murderous look in his eyes, he tries to attack Red but the smaller man bails from the ring before Knight can get his hands on him. Red goes into crowd to celebrate his victory, elated that he is the first man to earn a spot in the ICW Championship match. Meanwhile, in the ring, Knight is FURIOUS that he lost the match after being so dominant for most of it. He kicks turnbuckles and repeatedly screams, “THAT WASN’T THREE!” Timidly, the ref informs him that his count did, in fact, reach three. Knight sensibly responds to the ref’s call…by knocking him down with a big clothesline! He drags the zebra to his feet, lifts him up in a Crucifix Powerbomb position…and throws him to the outside, with the ref bouncing off the padded floor on his head and neck! He might be dead!!
The crowd goes into the obligatory “HOLY SHIT!” chants as Michael, still upset with his loss, heads to back. While he is going up the ramp, medical personnel run out and check on the fallen ref. One of them puts up the infamous “X” signal with their arms and a stretcher is quickly brought out. The zebra is placed on the stretcher and taken out of the building as the crowd pours out their sympathy for the hurt man. And by pouring out sympathy, I mean that they chanted the “Na, Na, Na, Na” goodbye song. Gotta love Philly.
My thoughts: Very fun match that told a good “Big Man/Little Man” story. Thanks to the post match angle, Knight came out looking like a complete beast despite his loss.
[65%] - Before the main event takes place, some weird futuristic sounding music starts playing over the sound system. The crowd is confused at first but pop big time when
“Intrepid Traveler” Paul London walks through the curtain! London is wearing some…odd attire to say the least. He is wearing an orange spaceman suit, complete with a helmet on his head. He slowly makes his way down to the ring and gets a microphone when he enters it. He takes the helmet on his head off before speaking. “Hello, I’m Paul London and I’ve just traveled through 5 galaxies.” London then begins to tell a story about how he not only traveled through the galaxies but also traveled through several dimensions and even traveled through time! Well, that’s the jist of it, at least. What took me 10 seconds to type took London almost ten minutes to say. He just keeps on rambling and rambling and very little of it makes any sense. London takes forever talking about how he met a space owl called “Finnegan”. Dude must have been hitting the hookah pipe HARD before coming out here.
This segment is going on WAY too long. Apparently, I’m not the only one that thinks so as the crowd begins shitting all over the promo and chanting for London to “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” London doesn’t let it faze him, however, as he continues talking about how he became the ruler of the Glorft people for a short time.
Finally, after rambling on for a long time, London finally gets to the point. “A little while ago, I received an intergalactic message stating that next month, I shall compete in a qualifying match for the Championship of Insanity. I was informed that my opponent was, get this, A WOMAN! I was very confused. After all, there are no wrestling rings in the kitchen.” London says that this is a very foolish decision made by the gods (I’m guessing he’s referring to ICW management but who knows?) and it was up to him to right the wrong and make sure that this woman knows her place. “The Universe is a dark and scary place that only a man can handle travelling”, the former WWE star states. Suddenly, the lights go off in the building (“Did somebody not pay the light bill for this craphole?!”, Callis says on commentary). When they come back, the crowd starts going berserk and Paul can’t figure out why. The “Intrepid Travler” soon finds out why as he turns around and sees…
Grisham: “OH MY GOD! THAT’S
AWESOME KONG!!!”
Indeed, it is Awesome Kong standing behind London and she. Looks. PISSED! London stares up in shock at the large woman who has almost a hundred pounds on him. Finally, London gains some courage and yells, “What the hell do you want?!” Well, that’s what I think he was going to say. It’s kind of hard to tell since Kong backfisted him before he could finish speaking! That might have left an imprint on London’s face! Kong isn’t done though as she picks the TWA graduate up and puts his head in-between her legs (Not like THAT, you pervs!). The crowd continues to go nuts as Kong lifts London up…and nearly drives him through the mat with a thunderous Awesome Bomb! Kong stares down at her fallen foe as the crowd breaks out into very loud “KONG! KONG! KONG!” chants. Kong looks around the building and raises her fist high to deafening cheers! It looks like Awesome Kong will be Paul London’s opponent at the next ICW show!
My thoughts: This segment definitely dragged on too long (which was the point but still) but…my god. DAT POP when Kong appeared in the ring. She, honest to god, might have gotten the biggest reaction out of anybody on the show so far. Nice way to build a match for the next show.
[67%]
Match Number #5
MAIN EVENT!
ICW Championship Qualifying Match
Shane Douglas V. Drake Younger
Its main event time as the second ICW Championship Qualifying match is set to take place as “The Franchise” Shane Douglas goes up against “The Ultraviolent Golden Boy” Drake Younger. “The Franchise” comes out first and he has a mic in hand as he is walking through the curtain and down the ramp. “The king of Philly is back!” After briefly hyping the city of Philadelphia as the place where he made his name, he begins insulting the city. Franchise says that he made wrestling in Philly what it was today and that he carried ECW on his back. “Now, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it’s time for the Franchise to reestablish himself!”
Douglas states that he is going to win this match, go on to become the first ICW Champion and becomes the face of this damn company! Douglas goes on to say that his opponent tonight calls himself the “Ultraviolent Golden Boy”. Franchise calls Younger a pretender and claims that he (Franchise) was the original Golden Boy of hardcore! “So Drake, go ahead and walk on out here so I can FRANCHISE your ass!”
“A Warriors Call” by Volbeat plays over the speakers as Drake Younger walks out through the curtain to a big reaction. The crowd chants “DRAKE! DRAKE!” as The Ultraviolent Golden Boy enters the ring and gets a microphone of his own. Younger starts off by saying that he respects the hell out of Shane Douglas and appreciates what he and the rest of the ECW crew did, not just for hardcore wrestling, but for wrestling in general. Younger then says that, despite the respect he has for the old ECW guard, it’s time for the new generation of deathmatch wrestlers to take center stage and prove that they are every bit as good as the hardcore wrestlers of the past. “It starts tonight with me beating your ass all over this city! You know, we’re both known as hardcore wrestlers and this IS the main event of ICW’s first show. So, what do you say that we go out with a bang and make this a Falls Count Anywhere, Anything Goes match?”
Douglas puts the mic up to his mouth, pauses…then nails Drake in the head with the mic! He then tells the ref to “ring the fucking bell”! It looks like this match is Falls Count Anywhere!
Douglas uses his cheap shot to work Drake over during the initial moments of the match. The Franchise doesn’t give his younger opponent a chance to breathe as he stomps on him repeatedly and occasionally chokes him by pressing his foot down on Drake’s throat! The former CZW World Heavyweight Champ is able to quickly turn the tide, however, by pulling the ring rope down when Douglas runs at him with a clothesline and sending the veteran to the outside. As Douglas is recovering on the outside, Drake heads out onto the apron and runs off it, nailing a standing Franchise with a running Cannonball off the apron! Both men go down in a heap as the crowd once again breaks into “DRAKE!” chants!
For the next few minutes, Younger is able to take control of the match as he beats Douglas around the ringside area. The Ultraviolent Golden Boy throws Douglas into the guardrail multiple times and even suplexs him onto the padded floor (probably not the best idea considering that Douglas’ back can’t be in great shape at his age)! Shane, being the wily veteran that he is, is able to bring the match back under his control with a little underhandness. When Drake tries to pick him up after the suplex, Douglas rakes his thumb into Younger’s eye! As Drake is temporarily blinded, Douglas crawls around the ringside area, seemingly trying to escape the beating that the younger man was putting on him. Once Younger regains his eyesight, he goes after the Franchise but is met by a steel chair bouncing off of his skull courtesy of the former ECW champion! What a dirty trick!
For the next several minutes, Douglas has his way with the Golden Boy, hitting him with several weapons including the chair that he used earlier, a Singapore Cane and a beer from a fan in the front row, which he disrespectfully threw in Younger’s face! To Drake’s credit, however, he is able to get his shoulder up on any pin attempts that Douglas makes, frustrating the Franchise. Finally, Franchise decides that he wants to end the match and places a dazed Younger’s head against the ring post on the outside. He then swings for the fences with the chair…but hits nothing but post as Younger is able to move out of the way! The vibrations caused by the chair hitting the post causes Douglas to drop the chair as he tries to get feeling back into his arms. Naturally, Younger grabs the fallen chair and gives Douglas a taste of his own medicine by bringing the chair down on his head!
It’s now Younger’s turn to be in control as he absolutely brutalizes the former Dean with various weapon shots to the back and to the head. Somewhere along the line, Douglas bladed and begins to bleed all over the place. Honestly, I’m shocked that he did that at his age. Franchise shows that he’s not all hype though by kicking out of several pin attempts by Younger including an insane Frog Splash that Drake did from the top rope all the way to the outside!
Eventually, the match makes its way back inside the ring as a frustrated Younger tosses Douglas into it. The former CZW champ then dug under the ring…and pulled out a barbwire covered board!!! The building begins to rumble in anticipation as Drake goes into the ring, throwing the board in before him. He then lifts Douglas, putting him in position for his signature “Drake N’ Bake” (Death Valley Bomb)! Franchise, almost instinctively, is able to weasel out of the move and quickly nails Drake with a huge clothesline that almost turns the Golden Boy inside out!
Shane doesn’t go for a cover, however, as he instead rolls outside the ring and grabs another chair from ringside. He tosses it into the ring, rolls in after it, and then stalks the fallen Younger. Once the Golden Boy is back to his feet, Franchise grabs him and nails him with the Pittsburgh Plunge (Fisherman Buster) right onto the steel chair! Douglas hooks both of Drake’s legs. “1…2…”
NO!!! Drake kicks out at 2.75! Shock doesn’t even begin to describe the look on the former ECW champion’s face after seeing that his signature move (on a chair, no less!) was not enough to put the resilient young man from Indiana away. The Franchise slowly rises to his feet, screaming at Drake to “JUST STAY DOWN, YOU STUPID BASTARD”! After thinking for a second, Franchise decides his next move as he picks the dented chair up, places it in a sitting position and drags Younger to his feet. It looks like Shane is going to hit the Golden Boy with the Pittsburgh Plunge on the upright chair! That may break Younger’s neck! Fortunately for the former CZW champ, before Douglas lifts him up for the move, Drake is able to lift Douglas and, in one swift motion, bringing the Franchise crashing down onto the standing chair with the Drake N’ Bake!!! Drake scrambles over Franchise and covers him! “1…2…”
HOW IN THE HELL DID SHANE KICK OUT OF THAT?! Both Drake and the crowd are in disbelief at the Franchise’s refusal to accept defeat. After considering his options for a moment, Drake looks back at the Barbwire covered board and realizes how he can win. He slowly picks Shane up, who is all but dead weight, and drags him over to the board. He then hooks both of the Pittsburgh native’s arms and muscles him up, putting him in perfect position for “Drake’s Landing” (Back to Belly Double Underhook Piledriver AKA Vertabreaker)! Somehow, Douglas is able to get off a swift kick to the nuts of Younger as he is being lifted up for the move! Younger drops Douglas, too concerned with the pain of his throbbing sack. This ends up being his downfall as Douglas turns him around, hooks both his arms around his waist…and brings him crashing down onto the barbwire board with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex!!! Douglas immediately makes the cover! “1…2…”
“…3!!!” Douglas picks up the win in this hellacious main event! Douglas celebrates as if he’s just won the World Series, understanding that he was lucky to come out victorious in that war. He quickly retreats up the ramp way, telling any fan that will listen “I TOLD ALL OF YOU THAT I WOULD WIN! NEVER BET AGAINST THE FRANCHISE, BABY!”
Meanwhile, in the ring, Drake slowly gets to his feet as he is met by a standing ovation from the Philly crowd for an extremely hard fought match. After basking in the applause, he gets on the house mic and thanks the crowd for showing up. He says that tonight was only a preview of what this company will bring in the future. Drake admits that he has no real idea how long this company is gonna last. “BUT”, Drake says in his final statement, “You can bet your asses that me and every other person in the back are gonna keep going until the wheels fall off this motherfucker!” This draws a big pop as the show ends with crowd chanting “I-C-DUB! I-C-DUB” as Drake nods his head in approval inside the ring.
My thoughts: Damn good main event to end the debut show with. It was, by far and away, the best match on the show, which is saying something considering that it had a broken down Shane Douglas in it. The crowd was with the match the entire way and, although the heel won, was just happy to see a good match.
[70%]Final thoughts: So, that was ICW’s debut show. While I certainly wouldn’t call it amazing (in fact, there were quite a few problems with the show), it wasn’t bad considering that it was the company’s first show. Who knows? Maybe, in a few years, this really could be the next big thing in wrestling. This is James Wilson signing off. Until next time, stay smarmy everyone.
Overall Show Rating: 66%