WARNING STRONG LANGUAGE AND STRONG VIOLENCE AHEAD
Welcome back ICW No Holds Barred. It’s time for another duo on monstrously gory shows and wrestling action. First off, we travel back to the pit for another round of cage-fighting x deathmatch action. On the card tonight is the ICW NHB debut of Neil Diamond Cutter as he takes on Eric Ryan, a double debut for some new faces as Nolan Edward takes on Justin Kyle, Brett Ison vs Alex Ocean, Alex Colon vs Orin Veidt, AKIRA against Casanova Valentine and the main event that would see Eddy Only try to square up to John Wayne Murdoch. Let’s get into the violence.
Fights, Camera, Action!
Eric Ryan defeated Neil Diamond Cutter via Half-Crab Head Stomps
The show started with Eric Ryan, the 2020 King of the deathmatch taking on the debuting honey badger of deathmatches, Neil Diamond Cutter. No one can prepare for NDC and Ryan was no different. He was agitated by Sweet Caroline and caught off-guard by NDC’s unorthodox style of fighting. After some opening jabs, Ryan threw NDC into the cage and cut him up with a fork. NDC tripped him onto a chair and rammed him throat-first into the cage and floor, then hit a chair-trapped step-up senton. He attacked Ryan with a plastic fork bat and cut into him with a cheese grater. Ryan broke free and hammered NDC with the fork bat, then stuck a carpet strip into his shoulders. He then hammered a gusset plate into NDC’s forehead and dislodged it with a bicycle kick. The fork returned and he gave NDC another blast from a bat, this time one covered in cans. NDC fought back with a barrage of headbutts and hit Ryan with a straight-jacket lungblower and kept the Jacket applied. Ryan broke free but got suplexed through a cut-can board. Ryan trapped a leg, hit some mounted ground and pound, then threw NDC through a fork-covered door. He set up some chairs and perched NDC atop the cage. NDC knocked Ryan off the cage into the chairs and followed him down with an elbow drop. NDC lost his temper and went for a chair but Ryan picked a leg, curb-stomped him on the chair, and won with the half-crab head stomps. I think Ryan paid a bit of a price here for not taking NDC seriously but as always, the resourceful Ryan pulled out the win in a brilliant opening match. Fuck 44OH! count: 1
Justin Kyle defeated Nolan Edward via KO
Next up was a proving ground match. Both guys were new to the company and both would have to work to impress Danny Demanto, who would potentially offer one of them more ICW opportunities. Edward was hot off some big showings at the Collective whilst Kyle was a bit of an unknown to me. There was a very distinct height disadvantage at play for Edward so it would be interesting to see how he would adapt. They opened with a series of strike exchanges and nearly scored some early knockout blows. Edward attacked Kyle with the cage door and called for some fuckery. Kyle choked him out and tossed him the full length of the cage into one of the walls twice. Kyle choked him out again, then threw him through a door. They both fired up and slugged it out. Kyle threw more bombs so Edward dumped him on his head with a backdrop driver and drove him onto some chairs with a DVD. Edward pelted him with chairs and started a slap fight. Kyle won that and lunched Edward again with an overhead belly to belly. He ground Edward into the cage and tossed him onto a door fragment. Kyle bludgeoned a defiant Edward with door parts, then threw him with another Underhook Suplex. Edward struck back with a flurry of strikes and kicks but was cut off by a gut kick and thrown over the cage and through some barbed-wire doors on the outside. He dragged Edward back inside and pummelled the still-defiant Edward with forearms until the ref called for the bell. Kyle won by knockout but I feel like both men won something here. This was an absolute fucking riot. Talk about giving it your all. Edward got given another match as part of tomorrow’s Deathmatch Horror Story show.
Brett Ison defeated Alex Ocean via Knock-Out Knee strike
Saito suplex through a steel chair bridge contraption from @KOBK4ever! #ICWNHB #PFX2 @ICWNHB @indiewrestling
▶️https://t.co/RBra3jA7PC pic.twitter.com/HbHyrfLOJQ— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 17, 2020
After one hell of a proving ground match, Brett Ison and Alex Ocean were on next. It would be the Kings Road Kill or be Killed style of Ison taking on the high-flying, death-defying style of Ocean. Ison is no-frills, all fucking violence so I was hyped to see what he’d do in the pit. Ocean threw out the fuckery and brought the fight to Ison with a series of stiff strikes and kicks. Ison fired back with a KO punch and clubbed him with hammer-blows and the cage wall. Ocean kept trying to strike back but Ison kept knocking him back down. Ison continued to pummel with Suplexes and cross-faces until Ocean whacked him with a bat. This seemed to just piss off Ison more as he grabbed a chair and smashed it into Ocean’s back. They slugged it out and Ocean finally took Ison down with some low kicks into the shadow kick. Ocean put him in an armbar, then transitioned into a gusset plate triangle. Ison hammered the gusset into Ocean’s forehead and bloodied his knuckles punching the wound. Ocean returned fire with some chair shots and set up some fuckery. He cracked Ison across the back with a kendo stick, then took a Saito onto his chair contraption. Ison hit a second into the crumpled chairs and then ate a DDT into the floor. Ocean hammered him down onto some more chairs and climbed to the top of the cage via a staff member’s ladder. He nailed Ison with a double stomp and lapped up the crowd response. Ison wouldn’t stay down and put Ocean through a door with a Joker Driver, then took his jaw off with a ripcord back-fist. He then KO’ed Ocean with a duo of cage trapped running knees. Ocean put up one hell of a fight against Ison but couldn’t quite put him down. this was just an excellent all-around match from both guys.
AKIRA defeated Casanova Valentine (w/Riley Madison) via Scorpion Kick/Elbows combo
Fuck Off Black Thunder Bomb?⚡️? @ICWNHB #pfx2 pic.twitter.com/v7mcftnJyt
— Casanova Valentine?? (@CasanovaVal666) October 17, 2020
After those two physical wars, it was time to up the ante. Death Samurai, Brooklyn Black Death, one no-ring deathmatch pit fight. This was going to be bloody. It looked like we were going to start with a sanitised handshake but Valentine kicked AKIRA in the balls and threw him through a barbed-wire door. He crushed AKIRA under the door and took several kicks to the leg into a kneebar from AKIRA. Valentine broke free with a garden weasel to the hamstring and lower back. He then whipped the downed death samurai with a bundle of barbed-wire and dug it into his face. They traded strikes, then AKIRA sunk his teeth into Valentine’s forehead and attacked him with the barbed-wire. AKIRA gave him an axe kick to the back and wrapped him up like Terry Funk in the wire for a painful double stomp. AKIRA tried to give Valentine a barbed-wire halo but Valentine hit him in the balls again. He pelted AKIRA with a chair and tried for the Stage 5 Clinger but AKIRA kicked his leg out and tripped him into a chair, then Sentoned him across it. Valentine tanked this and put AKIRA through the chair with a Black Thunder Bomb. He attacked AKIRA with gussets and stabbed into AKIRA with a knife. AKIRA held on and pulled Valentine into a sunset flip Dragon Screw. He hit a second and locked in a heel hook. That moved to a Figure-Four but Valentine broke free with a shot of broken door. AKIRA avoided getting gusseted and rolled through Valentine to hammer one into his forehead. Valentine clubbed him into the cage and gave a warning to the camera. He pulled the gusset out of his head and put together some plunder. He waited for a chair from Riley but she missed so AKIRA scooped it up and pelted Valentine with it. He threw Valentine into a gusset door and pelted him with more chairs. That was followed by another double stomp and ended the fight with a Scorpion Kick/Elbow strike combo. This match fucking ruled. Hybrid fighting vs hack and slash fighting. What’s not to love?
Alex Colon defeated Orin Veidt via Knife Door Double Stomp
JESUS! Double stomp off the top of the cage from @thealexocean! #ICWNHB #PFX2 @ICWNHB @indiewrestling
▶️https://t.co/RBra3jA7PC pic.twitter.com/UciMio3zKg— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 17, 2020
Oh, this one could get ugly. Veidt and Colon both know how to go in the ring and in the glass. We were in for something fun here. They started with some back and forth jabbing and technical exchanges before getting a bit snugger with the striking. Veidt kicked down Colon and cut into him with a saw blade. The gussets came next as both guys got them embedded in their flesh. They went into a bar fight and hammered each other with headbutts and forearms. Colon went to the eyes and threw his chair at Veidt. He drove another gusset into Veidt and carved him up with a duo of sawblade cuts. They fought around a chair until Veidt put Colon through a chair with a Falcon Arrow. He set up a door and took double knees into the cage wall. They traded around the door, then took the fight up to the top of the cage. They traded more slugs, then Veidt threw Colon off the top, through the door, and followed him down with a crossbody. They duelled with broken door parts and Colon basically KO’ed Veidt. He set up a knife door and took another sawblade to Veidt. He set Veidt over the knife board and drove him through it with a diving double stomp. The ref called for the bell before Colon could do anything else. This was every bit as brutal as I’d hoped. It was a nice combo of striking and brutality that led to the most manic finish of the night so far.
John Wayne Murdoch defeated Eddy Only via Cigarette Board and Chair Brainbuster
JESUS! Brainbuster onto an open steel chair covered in lit cigarettes from @TheDukeJWM! #ICWNHB #PFX2 @ICWNHB @indiewrestling
▶️https://t.co/RBra3jA7PC pic.twitter.com/6VZ2ZImi82— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 17, 2020
Last but not least, the main event. Eddy Only, the smoking outlaw of 44OH! against the king of ICW, John Wayne Murdoch. Only is quite adept at being technical and controlling when the time comes but would he be able to control Murdoch? He certainly didn’t have the crowd on his side as after 5 minutes with a microphone they all hated his guts. Murdoch brought the fight to Only but got caught in a headlock. Murdoch wrung the arm and scared off Only with a gusset. Murdoch put him through a railing, then attacked Only with gusset plates. Next came cuts from sawblades and another gusset. He then threw Only through a knife board and knifed him in the hand. Only fired back and hammered Murdoch with strikes, then gave him a gusset to the shoulder. He took the gusset to Murdoch’s head and taped his hands together with electrical tape. Murdoch tried to fight back but Only kicked him down and took a saw to his head. He put Only in a chin lock but Only drove both of them into a can door. Only gave Murdoch a superkick and set up a door outside. Murdoch gave chase but was knocked down onto the door. Only went to the rafters and teased the crowd with a dive, only to light a cigarette and tell them all to fuck off. Murdoch was cut free by the ref and pelted Only with broken door fragments. He retrieved a special type of board and took a knee to the balls. Only burnt Murdoch with a cigarette, then lit Murdoch’s cigarette board on fire. He took too much time so Murdoch kicked him in the balls and hit the chair brainbuster with the cigarette board on top for the win. He put away Only and added yet another win to his reign as the king of ICW. To his credit, Only tried to bring the fight to Murdoch but as always, his shit-heel nature bit him in the ass. 44OH! Fucked Count: 1
Best of the Bloodletting
- Putting aside the faction bullshit for a second. I have mad props for Eric Ryan’s charity drive and gear. He had pink attire to represent Breast Cancer Awareness and he and the 44OH! guys are selling shirts to raise money for Breast Cancer charities. That is a class move regardless of whether you like them or not. Plus, Ryan made NDC look amazing in his debut so a double class act.
We’re live at https://t.co/xvuYThmtQP !
All profits are being donated to ABCF’s 5,000 mammograms. Only 50 shirts will be available on the big cartel and I will also have various sizes with me at shows.
???????????https://t.co/de82YwfBDg pic.twitter.com/v7APQ30Fz0
— Eric Ryan (@Ericryanpro) October 14, 2020
- Nolan Edward and Justin Kyle put on an absolute war in the pit tonight. Both guys deserve more shots at ICW and I feel both of them will get that. Their match probably had the least hype yet delivered the most. Pair this with Ison/Ocean and it’s great to see compelling big guy vs little guy fights.
- Casanova Valentine and AKIRA had one hell of a competitive kill fest, didn’t they? I love the hybrid deathmatch style of AKIRA and it seems that it meshes well with anyone. Valentine played off it perfectly and the crowd ate it all up. A genuinely fun fight to watch and one of the most creative pit matches to date.
- Alex Colon seems to be getting even crazier. The things he was pulling off in the pit. He is going to murder AKIRA tomorrow if he continues like this. I’m not complaining in the slightest, it’s nice to see the fire is still there with him. That finish to his match with Veidt was insane.
- Once again, Eddy Only proves to be ICW NHB’s best villain. He acts the part, sounds the part, and fights the part. He worked Murdoch way better than most people thought he would have and put on a nice little match. Plus, we now have a full-on 44OH! and Rejects war now following a faction brawl to end the show.
.@TheDukeJWM sends Only through a knife door!#ICWNHB #PFX2 @ICWNHB @indiewrestling
▶️https://t.co/RBra3jA7PC pic.twitter.com/ZO1bTldfgO— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 17, 2020
What to Watch Out For
- Neil Diamond Cutter may have lost tonight but he looked like the ultimate unhinged and unorthodox opponent for Derek Drexl whom he fights at Deathmatch Horror Story.
- Nolan Edward is back tomorrow for a match we aren’t certain of yet; we’ll see if he fairs any better there.
- The crowd really gave it to Alex Ocean tonight. Is the neck-break kid losing his lustre from the crowd or is something darker brewing under the surface?
- AKIRA has to take on Alex Colon tomorrow. After that war with Valentine will he be in any shape to pull out the victory against one of America’s best. Especially since Colon came out a lot more unscathed from his match with Veidt. Plus, it seems Valentine is sick of losing now. something is going to change and I’m intrigued to see what it’ll be.
- Both of our main eventers are in retirement matches tomorrow. Only is Matt Tremont’s opponent and Murdoch has the honour of being Homicide’s last opponent in ICW. How will both fair after the beating they took tonight? Plus, what part will this new faction war play into both men’s matches?
Enjoy this GIF of @CasanovaVal666 pulling a gusset plate out of his head.#ICWNHB #PFX2 @ICWNHB @indiewrestling
▶️https://t.co/RBra3jA7PC pic.twitter.com/NuKnPdZxrQ— Rob (@HeyyImRob) October 17, 2020
So, there you have it, ICW Pitfighter X2 reviewed for your reading pleasure. Once again this turned out to be a fun show. I love seeing what the guys will bring when they’re put into a cage of plunder. There are so many creative fights and interesting ideas that it’s always worth the hour and forty-five they give it. They fly by with a whole host of fun fights, feuds, and surprise endings. I cannot wait to see how it all plays into Deathmatch Horror Story. See you all tomorrow for that.
All images courtesy of Wrestlebrook Photo, Casanova Valentine Twitter, ICW NHB Twitter, MrsScaper, HeyyImRob, Eric Ryan Twitter,