WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD

Welcome back to ICW as the company of chains and violence brought its brand of chaos to the Windy City of Chicago. We were in the home of Galli Lucha, Villa Park Illinois and the company had brought some of the best from around the world to fight. On the cards tonight, AKIRA would get another rematch with the King of the Deathmatch Eric Ryan, Mickie Knuckles would battle Randi West, Aeroboy took on Neil Diamond Cutter, Big F’N Joe went to war with Dale Patricks, SHLAK gave Hoodfoot the fight of his life and much much more leading to the four-way main event where Reed Bentley had to defend his title against Tommy Vendetta, Justin Kyle and Jake Crist at the same time. We were in for one hell of a ride.

Fights, Camera, Action

Eric Ryan defeated AKIRA via Snowplough into Bundle

First up tonight, we had two of the most technically-gifted deathmatch wrestlers going one-on-one again. AKIRA and Ryan have met before but every time they do, they always put on something special. This was going to be no different. Ryan was back after getting surgery so he was better than ever and ready to get forking. He made up for lost time by quickly jumping AKIRA and unleashing the forks and the stomps. AKIRA shanked back and hung Ryan out to dry on the chains for a bundle stomp. The bundles kept breaking and AKIRA channelled Shibata with a Hesitation Dropkick. AKIRA’s hot streak for cut off with a slam into the chains as Ryan gave AKIRA a taste of the tubes, slowing the match to his pace. We even saw a flail of forks come into play as Ryan punished the Death Samurai for trying to spoil his return. He got too complacent and AKIRA dropped him on his head with a Tiger Suplex. Ryan popped right back up and dumped AKIRA with a Dragon. AKIRA tried to stay strong but Ryan just kneed and kicked tube after tube into his chest. AKIRA powered up off of a bundle cannonball and fought off the Snuff stomps to land a deadlift German. He clubbed Ryan into a Crossface and broke another bundle with the Kappu Kick. He hit a pop-up knee and prepared the Death Penalty but Ryan countered and dropped him through the bundle with the Snowplough. These two had opened the show right and put on a wrestling extravaganza with added fuckery. A great way to get people fired up. Welcome back Ryan, you haven’t missed a step. The King is back.

Satu Jinn defeated Mad Man Pondo via Glass Pane Cannonball

Next, we had a deathmatch hoss fight as the Legendary Mad Man Pondo continued his ICW tour of destruction with a bloodbath against the Deathmatch Genie, Satu Jinn. It was going to be a bloody battle of the big guys (congrats on the weight loss Pondo) as saw bat met cane knife. They opened with heavy hands and Jinn got the blood flowing with a bundle headbutt. The signature blade came out and met Pondo’s forehead but a low blow turned the tables and Jinn was being led around the ring with a knife in his head. That escalated to the saw bat but he couldn’t use the other stabbing implement he wanted as Jinn Sabu’ed him and stabbed it in him. The back-and-forth stabbing continued with Pondo stabbing Jinn’s balls and taint with a bundle dick kick. We even got a bit of fan interaction as a child got to staple a dollar to Jinn’s head. Pondo stapled another down low and punished the plums further with the cinderblock smash. Despite the damage, Jinn dodged the stop sign and kneed it into Pondo then murdered him with a snap bat to the head. The glass pane cannonball followed and Jinn was declared the winner. Pondo had taken Jinn through hell but the deathmatch djinn had found his way back into the fight and put down a legend. The win streak continues with Jinn proving to be one of the toughest and most violent men in the company. These two had a fun fuckery fest that upped the gore counter and kept the crowd’s blood pumping too.

Mickie Knuckles defeated Randi West via Tube Door Muscle Buster

It was time to get wild. Mickie Knuckles was back in the chains and ready to kill. We’d seen her get mean with Sadika and Ludark Shaitan, now it was the time of Randi West. The baddest broad in the business was going to have to stand by that moniker if she was going to get the best of the deathmatch godmother. Win or lose, these two were going to tear the fucking house down as the best of friends make for better enemies. They opened with a light-hearted slugfest and things escalated rapidly as Knuckles went headbutt wild. The tubes came out and West took control with a barbed-wire bat to the gut and back and one of the coolest bundle breaker moves I’ve ever seen. Knuckles tried to blast back but West cut her off with a gusset to the chest and multiple in the arm. Knuckles muscled West up and threw her point-blank into a bare ring-post. She charged with the battle-axe but West cut her off with another bundle to the brain. West took the axe to Knuckles’ forehead and dropkicked her barbed-wire bat right into Knuckles’ crotch before ripping it right back out. Once again, Knuckles tried to bring it back but West snapped her into a barbed-wire door. West got headbutt crazy with a wired halo and Knuckles just headbutted right back. Nothing was stopping either fighter. Knuckles wrangled West into position and broke even more tubes with a Pumphandle Slam. They duelled with more tubes and Knuckles nearly took the win with a Russian Leg Sweep. West tried to get creative with a tube up the ass but Knuckles seemed to be enjoying it and supped a beer as West kept plunging. In some attempt to return the favour, Knuckles grabbed her axe and carved at her ass. In an act of desperation, West broke free by biting Knuckles’ crotch. They kept brawling and West scored big with a senton but it still wasn’t enough. West went for broke from the top but Knuckles cut her off and took the win with a Muscle Buster through a tube door. These two had put on an absolute war. They were ferocious, bloodthirsty and pushed the limits of what they’d do to win. This one seriously threatened to steal the show. Both earned the respect shown their way.

Neil Diamond Cutter defeated Aeroboy via Ladder Perch Honey Badger Splash

The returns kept coming as we had the grand reunion of the Honey Badger Neil Diamond Cutter with the chains of ICW. After some time away, he was ready to get back into the fight and what better way to do so than against one of Galli Lucha’s biggest stars, the debuting Aeroboy. We were in for some good old Lucha Extrema. We even saw Cutter give his foe a hug and squeeze, he was that happy to be back. It started badly for the badger as Aeroboy ducked a bundle and booted it into him for a Michinoku Driver. Aeroboy kept up the beatdown and destroyed Cutter with whatever he had to hand. Cutter took it all and asked for more, throwing up the one-finger salute in defiance. Aeroboy obliged with interest and worked over old injuries alongside creating new ones. Aeroboy got too cocky and Cutter started striking back, winding him with a senton. He used BOB to staple Aeroboy’s mask to his face and took the tubes to him before getting slammed onto more himself. Aeroboy went back after the arm and tried to perch Cutter on the top but got dropped with a Rana. Aeroboy bailed and Cutter followed with a Tope Suicida. Aeroboy returned the favour and hammered more fuckery into Cutter’s head before flying back over the chains with a slingshot senton. Cutter stalled his momentum with a Cutter and set up a gigantic ladder. Aeroboy hit low and broke more tubes with an Inverted DDT. He kept the pressure up with a Tube Door-VD and missed a Swanton from the chains. They kept trading as Aeroboy decapitated Cutter with a kick and Cutter crushed his spine with a Michinoku. The Badger Bomb followed and Cutter ended things with the highest of Honey Badger Splashes from the top of the ladder. Holy shit did these two tear the house down. Aeroboy wasn’t letting Cutter off easy on his trip to his arena and this led to one hell of a compelling bloodbath. We need more Aeroboy in ICW. What a return for Cutter and what a win for everyone who got to see it. Cutter got his dream match and it definitely delivered.

Big F’N Joe defeated Dale Patricks via Tombstone

The British Invasion continues. Big F’N Joe threw a new bomb into ICW’s scene when he succeeded in his debut against Hoodfoot. Now, he was back and about to crush another fan favourite in the Deathmatch Gambit Dale Patricks. This was going to be a massacre as Joe had already taken one big win that day and was ready to do it again. They barely waited for the introductions to be over before smashing each other with bundles. Joe overwhelmed Patricks with punches and tubes and hit the corner cannonball early. He dropped Patricks on his face with a DDT and broke Patricks’ ankle with a U-tube stomp. He kept working that wonky ankle with more tubes and chairs, showing he’d done his homework. Things just kept getting worse for Patricks as Joe taped a gusset to his head and drilled it in with another chair shot. Joe was just having his way with Patricks, locking in a tube shot Cloverleaf and a bundle breaking Abdominal Stretch. Patricks finally got his revenge with a Fire-Thunder Driver and started unleashing the fuckery on Joe, breaking tubes on Joe’s head and exposed legs. They duelled it out with chairs and Joe used a chair to relax into a pin. Patricks kicked out so Joe just threw him through a tube door. It was no fucks given violence as Joe just kicked back in the chains as Patricks had to be pried free. The pair regrouped with some beers and chairs so it was time for a good old-fashioned barfight. Well, it would have been but Patricks kicked Joe’s chair away in the ultimate fuck you move. They still slugged it out though. Joe tentatively agreed to a smoke break but it was a ruse so Patricks could put a cigarette out on his head and land a Cutter. He kept pummelling Joe with a trashcan and landed the Chokeslam but still couldn’t stop Joe. Neither could a snap bat to the head. Patricks went to the top but Joe cut him off and powerbombed him onto a door then stomped his skull in. Patricks retorted by throwing him through a table and eating shit on a Swanton. He tried to recover but Joe caught him into a Tombstone and took the win. The British invasion had claimed another victim but hadn’t been easy. These two meshed incredibly well and gave us a humour-tinged no fucks given massacre. What was not to love? Joe keeps racking up the wins and showing ICW what British deathmatch is all about.

SHLAK defeated Hoodfoot via Choke Out

Here comes the carnage. Hoodfoot has fought a whos who of the deathmatch world as of late and now he was dealing with the kaiju of chaos, SHLAK. The sheriff was back and he was going to put Hoodfoot through one of the nastiest fights he’d faced so far. They opened with chops and started breaking tubes. They started off duelling and resorted to just throwing mass amounts of tubes at each other. Hoodfoot made SHLAK fly with a German and SHLAK did the same with a Backdrop. They kept lobbing each other with ease and staggered into a double clothesline. They both rolled out and took their fight into the crowd, hijacking chairs to break on each other and for a barfight. Back in-ring, Hoodfoot kept whipping SHLAK around but the crafty vet threw him through a door. As Hoodfoot lay in the rubble, SHLAK whipped out the plastic bag and tried to suffocate his opponent. He kept mashing glass into Hoodfoot’s wounds and loving every minute of it. SHLAK was back and madder than ever. As SHLAK was rearranging furniture, Hoodfoot got his breath back, smashed SHLAK with a bundle and brought out the Saitos. They kept whaling on each other and SHLAK took flight again after another German. SHLAK hammered back again and dazed Hoodfoot with more bundles before throwing him into chairs. He leapt onto Hoodfoot and choked him out, forcing the ref to stop the match. No one was happy with the decision so who knows, we might get a rematch down the line with even more insanity. Hoodfoot held his own incredibly well against a deathmatch veteran and deserves every opportunity.

John Wayne Murdoch defeated Bobby Beverly via Tube Chair Brainbuster

Goddamnit ICW why have you got to make me choose between two of my favourites. I love John Wayne Murdoch and The Bev so seeing them fight always splits me. One thing is always for certain though, they tear the fucking house down each time. Both love nothing more than a good fight and that’s what they were about to do here. That’s exactly how it went down. Murdoch went right for Bev with tubes and a knife, drawing blood instantly. Murdoch dropped Beverly on a knife-board with a leg sweep and tanked a corner bundle to deliver a Dragon. He drove Beverly into another corner bundle with a Shotgun Dropkick and the pair brawled around the outside, Murdoch chasing a bailing Bev. This was where Beverly got his own back and took multiple tubes to the dome of Murdoch, even making a whole box disappear with a Backdrop. They slugged it out and once Murdoch got back to the ring, he chucked a glass pane at Beverly. Murdoch looked to break another pane with a Brainbuster but Beverly reversed it into a Suplex. Murdoch kicked out so Beverly wrecked him with a chair and smashed another with a Saito. Bodies and fists kept flying until Murdoch could regain his composure and launch Beverly into yet another pane. The duke had a bumper tube bat primed but Beverly kamikazed his way through it and almost took the win. He went bundle wild on Murdoch and tried to end things with a bundle chair but Murdoch countered into the Brainbuster and took the win. This was one of those joyously physical wars where the fists were just as deadly as the tubes. Beverly and Murdoch could fight forever and we’d all still be cheering it on. Whilst the winner may have been a tad predictable, I cannot complain at getting to see more of these two fight.

ICW American Deathmatch Champion: Reed Bentley defeated Tommy Vendetta, Justin Kyle & Jake Crist via Pepsi Plunge on Vendetta

 

Last but not least, the main event. We had the new American Deathmatch Champ Reed Bentley getting his bucket list of opponents all at once. He’d wanted these guys separately but ICW management had given him the Loveable Psycho Tommy Vendetta, the Super-Fight Beast Justin Kyle and the Artist Jake Crist in one maddening four-way. This would be pure anarchy. It opened with everyone killing Vendetta and Bentley working with Crist to rid the match of Kyle. Crist feigned friendship and went right for Bentley once the ring was clear, managing to catch Vendetta again with a bundle wrapped around Bentley’s throat. He repeatedly took flight and got swept up in the brawl occurring on the outside. Everyone took their shots at Crist and Kyle found himself caught in a sea of chairs, suffering further as Bentley suplexed a barbed-wire door onto him. Bentley was in full control and kept braining people with plunder, taking offence when Vendetta hit him with a tube. This was a continuous Pulp-Fiction style trip around a ring of fuckery and everyone in the match breaking it. They even had a double screen presentation to keep up at times. Multiple fans got to be Bentley’s weapon and Vendetta went for everyone with a ladder splash. Crist tried to do the same but Kyle went Hulk mode and threw him around the ring. Vendetta tried to interfere, got tripped into a pane and became a crash pad for the thrown Crist. Kyle was on top of the world until Bentley pie-faced him with a glass pane, forcing him to take a powder.

 

Vendetta and Bentley both killed each other with snap bats and duelled it out with glass and carpet strips. Tacks also entered the equation as the other competitors came back to the fight, no longer able to stand by as Vendetta and Bentley hit finishers. Crist flew at Bentley but couldn’t get the win and ate the Regal-Plex then got dropped on his head with the Tiger Driller. Kyle made the save and Speared Bentley out of his boots. Vendetta came back to life and filled the ring with LEGO©, dropping Kyle onto it with a Piledriver. Vendetta and Bentley were the last two standing and kept slugging it out. They fought to the top and Bentley shook off another snap bat to deliver a Pepsi Plunge. That got him the win but you could see it had taken a lot out of the champ. That lunacy ended the show strong as everyone brought their A-Game for this absolute clusterfuck. It was fun as hell, violent as hell and a strong test for the new champion. He had stood tall amongst the mountains of fuckery and broken bodies. Come and get him, if you think you can.

Best of the Bloodletting

  • Welcome back, Eric Ryan. The King of the Deathmatch got a warm return to action and to flew his repaired hands against a repeat rival, the Death Samurai. They started the show right by showing you can have bundles and proper wrestling.
  • Randi West and Mickie Knuckles really managed to make deathmatch fans uncomfortable. It’s rare to think about vaginal trauma in deathmatches so they managed to have several horrifying impacts around it and blow some minds. It made for a disturbingly fun match that arguably stole the early half of the show.
  • Aeroboy fit right in with the chain gang of ICW and further proves that most people ICW bring into the fold help it get better. He welcomed Cutter back to action with a horrifying bout of bloodletting and gave the Honey Badger the dream match he’d desired. It was hard not to enjoy as you watched the pair smash each other and the fuckery to pieces.
  • There’s something so enjoyable about watching your deathmatch scene take another by storm. That’s how it feels watching Big F’N Joe come in and fuck up ICW favourites. Dale Patricks gave Joe a hell of a fight but just like Hoodfoot before him, fell to the might of the Don. ICW is his fucking town now.
  • Four-way fights often have a habit of being really good or an exercise in overshadowing. Thankfully everyone in the main event tonight understood the assignment and picked their moments to keep themselves relevant to the fight and in the spotlight. Tommy Vendetta went from whipping boy to whipping ass as he dragged himself into the fight and made sure he was treated better than a joke. Kyle and Crist also made sure their efforts weren’t ignored and helped craft one hell of a kingmaking performance for Bentley.

What Happens Next?

  • Eric Ryan is back and is bound to be going for that ICW American Deathmatch Title. 44OH! and the Rejects are still heated so it’s bound to mean that he will cross paths with Reed Bentley somewhere down the line.
  • As per usual with these reviews, I always state that any new blood brought in should be brought back. This remains the same for Aeroboy and Randi West. Both filled their roles perfectly and even if West was a last-minute addition, she fucking nailed it and proved she can hang with the best when the need arises. The toughest broad in the business should be given the chance to be the toughest broad in ICW.
  • Just who can stop Big F’N Joe? The Don of British Deathmatch just laid waste to another challenge and remains one of the new challenges for the roster to overcome.
  • Lastly, we now know Bentley is only working one night in Chattanooga. He laid down the gauntlet for anyone to pick up but considering he’s just put three challengers in one burst, just who will accept the challenge. With the wealth of talent that’s present for those shows in March, who knows what will be our next American Deathmatch Title match. Oh, that’s right, it’s DMDU Boss Joel Bateman in the Pit. Shit is going to get messy.

All images courtesy of ICW, FREEBIRDS Shop, JpegJosh, IsThisWrestling

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