WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD

Welcome back to ICW NHB and to the wild Arena of Tennessee. The chains were back and the company prepared to put them to maximum use with another super-card. Monsters and men were going to collide in some truly tremendous fights in front of one of the most rabid crowds ICW gets. On the card tonight, AKIRA vs Joel Bateman for the American Deathmatch Title, Krule vs SHLAK, Dominic Garrini vs Isaiah Broner, Satu Jinn vs Dale Patricks, and Brandon Kirk vs Tank in the build-up to one hell of a main event to decide the next number one contender between the long-time enemies Eric Ryan and John Wayne Murdoch. Let’s get into the carnage.

Fights, Camera, Action

ICW American Deathmatch Title: Joel Bateman defeated AKIRA via Exploding Wire Superplex

Up first tonight was the much-anticipated newly dubbed title fight between Joel Bateman and AKIRA. After shocking the world with his win last night, the Smash Hit was putting his title on the line against the Death Samurai. These two were going to have a war regardless, the title was just going to make them fight even harder. It started with some competitive chain wrestling as AKIRA took Bateman on a wrist-lock ride. Bateman wanted to give the fans a show so the tubes came out and AKIRA broke them into him with a series of kicks. Bateman rolled out but AKIRA followed and continued to kick the shit out of him, running half the venue for the Ole. He got too cocky though and Bateman launched him through a can-board with an overhead belly-to-belly. Bateman kept on cutting with shards and began to break AKIRA’s neck and back over broken glass and some angled chairs. He reached for a pillowcase and socked AKIRA with it before upending it into the ring, revealing it was full of hinges and doorknobs.

They danced around the fuckery before Bateman got the Suplex off into the pile. Bateman tried to recreate the Swanton with a door part but AKIRA caused a crash and dumped him on it again with Sudden Death. AKIRA cracked him with more cans and frantic strikes but it seemed to just be bringing Bateman to life. Just as Bateman began firing up, AKIRA knocked him right back down with the Kappu Kick. More tubes broke and AKIRA tried desperately to tap Bateman out. He kept breaking bundles but the Shatter Star Bomb was cut off as AKIRA was dropped on the platform, taking the bundle he’d brought to the chest. Bateman followed him up and after a brief struggle, killed off AKIRA with a Superplex onto an exploding wire board. Bateman had retained but he’d been left a bloody mess by AKIRA. There’d been weird fuckery, masses of glass and so much blood and physicality. It was a strong showing for the champ and a stronger showing for AKIRA. Both had started the show off right and Danny Demanto came to congratulate them both, praise AKIRA then unleashed some more good news by announcing a special ICW tour, they were going down under. That’s right, ICW was heading to Australia.

Dominic Garrini defeated Isaiah Broner via Piledriver Symphony

LARIATOOOOOO #NHB23 @indiewrestling @ICWNHB @IsaiahBroner
▶️https://t.co/56gePMThDn pic.twitter.com/DdFFGfstTy

— Kayden/ケイデン?? (@KVR216) March 13, 2022

This match hadn’t even started and I could already feel the pain in my jaw. The Bone Collector was looking to continue the momentum on his return run by taking down the 7 Mile Destroyer, Isaiah Broner. Much like his fight last night, this was going to be a physical experience for both fighters. It started out with some attempted power games and turned into a battle of how many kicks can you absorb? Broner was tanking back kicks like no one’s business and popped up to chop the shit out of Garrini for trying. Just as Garrini was back in control with front kicks, Broner speared him right out of his boots. That didn’t stop Garrini though and the pair rose up to continue delivering hellish shots to the other. Garrini went wild with chops and Kawada kicks but again, Broner fought through to drop him with a lariat. It was just bomb after bomb, back-and-forth across the chains. Neither man was giving an inch. Garrini tried to play it smart and put Broner to sleep but even then, Broner fought up and slammed him into the mat. Just as it seemed the end was near for Garrini, he dodged a lariat, kneed Broner in the face, and started doling out snap Piledrivers. After four deadly head drops, the ref stopped the match because Broner was out. That is what it had taken to put Broner down. Fucking hell this was awesome. Two guys just knocking lumps out of each other. No fuckery required, just pure striking horror.

Dale Patricks defeated Satu Jinn via Chair Piledriver

Deathmatch Gambit was back again and this time he was coming for the Deathmatch Genie, Satu Jinn. These two love nothing more than a bit of chaos and I’m sure the fans in attendance were going to be very happy to see it. Patricks was merciless from the jump, ambushing Jinn with a chair and unravelling the chain for weighted punches. He switched tac and started railing on Jinn’s knee, trying to weaken his foe’s base. Jinn fell to the outside and brawled through the crowd, using ice and soda to get back at Patricks and Suplexed him through a table. He broke a bottle a fan had given him and started cutting into Patricks, using a fan as a seat to do so. Patricks slugged free and launched himself into a crossbody across Jinn and the sea of chairs. Patricks just kept whaling on Jinn, stopping temporarily for a smoke break then using the said cigarette to burn Jinn for a concrete slam. Back in-ring, Jinn started fighting back and crushed Patricks with a belly-to-belly before unleashing the cane knife. After a bloody tour of the ring, Patricks was able to fight free and drove Jinn face-first into the mat. He followed up with a Chokeslam through a chair bridge and had to vanish to get more fuckery as Jinn wouldn’t stay down. He got distracted setting up another table so Jinn assaulted him with a trashcan and prepared to take him to hell. Patricks swung back again and put Jinn through the table with a Swanton but still only got two. Jinn reversed the White River Plunge but couldn’t put Patricks away with the Uranage. The pair both bounced off a Japanese door and after one final strike-out over a chair, Patricks took the win with a Piledriver. It had been a bloody as fuck battle for Patricks but that mean streak had come in handy once again. He was back and ready to take some skulls, starting with Jinn’s. It hadn’t been easy, Jinn had cut several strips off him and almost won on multiple occasions but tonight was one for the Gambit.

Tank (w/Reverend Dan “The Dragon” Wilson) defeated Brandon Kirk (w/Kasey Kirk) via Strong Style Saito

.@ItsBrandonKirk busts the light tube walker on Tank! #NHB23 @indiewrestling @ICWNHB
▶️https://t.co/56gePMThDn pic.twitter.com/jx7IoKJkKb

— Kayden/ケイデン?? (@KVR216) March 13, 2022

Oh, Brandon Kirk. ICW just loves to try and kill you. I’ve made it no secret that I love the Kirks but they were very much poking a bear here. Normally people are fearful when it comes to facing the Bloodbath Behemoth, these two were actively taunting him with old people deathmatch paraphernalia. It was going to get ugly. The Reverend ran the pair down during the introductions so Kasey took him out of the equation with a super bundle to the spine. The Reverend crawled away and Tank began to smash up Brandon with his fists and the fuckery. Tank made sure Kirk felt the sting of firecrackers to his head back and crack, breaking multiple bats in the process. That gave way to chairs and gussets as Tank just mauled Kirk. Brandon finally got some licks in by crushing Tank’s windpipe and braining him with a bundle and tubed-up Zimmer-frame. Tank kept kicking back but Kirk just had more tubes to break. Tank did the same to Kirk and crushed more glass into his head with a DDT. Kirk wasn’t out though and kept delivering hard strikes to the Strong Style Psycho. Tank also wouldn’t quit so Kirk kept breaking fuckery on him and started fighting with a table. Brandon dumped Tank on it and Kasey prepared to fly but Tank scooped them both up and broke the table with a double Samoan Drop. Kasey saved Brandon from sickling and went for the kill but the Reverend got his revenge with a bundle to Kasey. Tank took the advantage with the Strong Style Saito and took the win. The deathmatch veteran of violence had overcome the odds and bested the Kirks at their own game. Had the Reverend not intervened we could have been looking at a totally different outcome. It was a wild ride of a match and an enjoyable plunder fest. The Kirks remain the most entertaining part of ICW and Tank’s return run keeps delivering some great hits.

Bobby Beverly defeated Tommy Vendetta via Bundle Sword Superkick

Much like last night, a last-minute addition had formed one hell of a fight. Whilst I hope to see Beverly and Hoodfoot go to hell and back in a deathmatch war in the future, I was more than happy to see the Loveable Psychopath Tommy Vendetta as the replacement. The owner of the most punchable face was going to put the Deathmatch Enforcer through his paces. There were a lot of tubes in that ring that needed breaking. They went right to the tubes and after some heavy hands, Vendetta was on the mat taking more glass across the back. After taking multiple hard kicks and tubes down the shirt, Vendetta grazed Beverly with a bundle and went for a tube sword. Beverly was prepared though and bulldozed through the sword and Vendetta, creating a massive explosion of glass. They both fell outside and Vendetta continued to break tubes, hitting Beverly and himself in the sport of psychotic fair play. Beverly wasn’t quite so nice and just bludgeoned Vendetta down the second he got a chance. It was a never-ending storm of glass and blood as they both kept colliding on the outside. Even then, if Vendetta was on top, he willed Beverly up to give him a proper fight. Who said chivalry is dead? Beverly continued to oblige but Vendetta was just feeding on each blow to the skull. They both took the apron tube drop and had a barfight in the crowd chairs. Beverly won the exchange but it was right back to trading tubes once they returned to the ring. Beverly got the upper hand with a pop-up knee and launched Vendetta through a door with a deep arm-drag. Vendetta avoided the Saitos and got some vengeance with a sit-out Bundle DVD. They both popped up, Beverly throwing out Suplexes and Vendetta delivering kicks until Vendetta was stunned and Beverly ended him with a Bundle Sword Superkick. This was anarchy. Again, I am in amazement at how cool a match these two made on the fly. Talking about matching of psychotics. It was fun as fuck, brutal as fuck, and just cool as fuck. Vendetta and Beverly just cannot disappoint at the moment. Beverly is living up to the Deathmatch enforcer moniker.

Krule defeated SHLAK via Spine-Snapper Chair Suplex

Bring on the monsters. Krule has continuously cut a swathe of destruction through anyone he faces. Win or lose, his opponents know they’ve gone through a car wreck. Now, it was time to put him against the ultimate deathmatch monster, no God only SHLAK. Nothing was going to prepare anything for the carnage that was to come. There wasn’t even time for introductions. SHLAK threw Larry Legend aside and went right for Krule. The pair proceeded to spend a solid minute just tossing each other in a battle to be the Alpha. SHLAK cut off the Superman dive with a chair to the head and just dragged Krule through the chains and onto the concrete. They created a hurricane of fury throughout the crowd with SHLAK breaking what looked like a bottle over Krule’s head and blindsiding the Heathen with a bundle. Despite taking glass in the back, Krule kept on walking and pelted a bundle into SHLAK. The glass kept breaking as both guys just teed off with masses of tubes. No matter what, Krule remained standing and lobbed SHLAK through the fan seats. Fists flew, bodies flew and headbutts were thrown as these two just kept blitzing around the venue. Krule flew into a chair pile and SHLAK just piled on more, recklessly throwing heavy chairs at his foe and snapping a leg off for more stabbing. Krule came back from the dead only to be met again by SHLAK and drilled through a table. SHLAK kept smashing and passed Krule a bundle for the Polish Hammer. It was not looking good for the Heathen. They finally returned to the ring and SHLAK pulled off more daredevil shit with a flying bundle leg drop. SHLAK brought out the carrier bag but Krule fought it off and snapped SHLAK’s spine with a chair Suplex. That was the end of SHLAK and the end of the match. Krule had claimed another victim after absorbing an inhuman amount of punishment. This might have been Krule’s hardest fight yet and it had taken them everywhere, turning the venue into an ultraviolent minefield. They didn’t stop fighting after the bell either as Krule and SHLAK brained each other with doors. I get the feeling this ain’t over.

Number 1 Contender Deathmatch: Eric Ryan defeated John Wayne Murdoch via Snuff Stomps

???? #NHB23 @indiewrestling @ICWNHB @TheDukeJWM
▶️https://t.co/56gePMThDn pic.twitter.com/L8KEQxjbui

— Kayden/ケイデン?? (@KVR216) March 13, 2022

Last but not least, the main event. Eric Ryan and John Wayne Murdoch are the Batman and Joker of the company as they’re doomed to meet forever. As the top two of the company, it was time for them to do battle again to claim the contender spot. Eric Ryan has just gotten back into the swing of things but he was looking better than ever and ready to stick it to the duke. The canvas was gone, the chains were tubed up, it was time to get violent. Murdoch went straight for the kill, jumping Ryan and getting the bundles breaking early. The trend continued as Murdoch found more bundles and more ways to break them on Ryan. Murdoch was past taking Ryan lightly and wasn’t going to give him the chance to strike. It was pure viciousness from the duke as the former champ took out every frustration on his nemesis. He finally threw Ryan into the ring and kept bouncing him off tubes, this time the ones that were lurking on the chains. It was just crash after crash for the King of the Deathmatch. If that wasn’t bad enough, Murdoch took to the mic to berate him too, getting a “not my king” chant on the go. He found a knife again and took a break from the glass to cut Ryan with that instead. That quickly ceased though and we returned to our regularly scheduled glassing as Murdoch pelted another super bundle into Ryan’s back. There was no escape as any momentary break in the barrage was quashed and Murdoch was right back on the attack. It was non-stop. Ryan kept kicking out so Murdoch just broke even more tubes. He finally got his moment to strike as Murdoch tried to charge with another bundle and Ryan smashed it into him with a shotgun dropkick, also sending him flying through a table. Murdoch cut him off again with a Sick Kick and broke another bundle with a Brainbuster but Ryan rolled out. They both scored more bundle hits and wreaked havoc with their fists. Murdoch got on the Koji Clutch but Ryan escaped, got Murdoch to the chains, and KO’ed him with Snuff Stomps. The ref had no choice but to stop the match. Ryan was the new number one contender, playing it smart and toughing out the worst assault of the night. He got the better of Murdoch here and now had his next shot.

ICW American Deathmatch Title: Eric Ryan defeated Joel Bateman via Snuff Stomps

One thing I neglected to mention during the main event was that Joel Bateman had come out to watch. He’d seen Murdoch carve up Ryan throughout the match and had enjoyed the show. He knew his next contender but before he could leave, Ryan called him out. Bateman wasn’t going to ignore the challenge. On paper, it was going to be an easy defence. Ryan had just spent ten minutes being completely devastated by the duke. It was the best way to get rid of the challenger. The second Bateman said yes, he ate a tube dive. Ryan railed him with a bunch of leftover tubes and bundles, hitting every degree of power move he could. Bateman fought off the Snuff Stomps to land the headbutt but it didn’t achieve the same victory as last time. Bateman brought out the skinny Australian tubes and the pair got breaking them. Ryan broke the remainder with a Suplex and ended Bateman with the Snuff Stomps. Just like that, Ryan was the new American Deathmatch Champion. Hubris has ended Bateman’s reign early and now; he was returning to Australia sans gold. This is how you make a statement. It was very smart and now, after so long, Ryan had the title he deserved.

Best of the Bloodletting

jesus christ #NHB23 @indiewrestling @ICWNHB
▶️https://t.co/56gePMThDn pic.twitter.com/Pvu277TI08

— Kayden/ケイデン?? (@KVR216) March 13, 2022

• Well fuck, it might be over but Joel Bateman had a nice little reign. He won it in a top-tier match and it ended with a shock loss. In-between, he put on one hell of a kickass match with AKIRA and now, will be having the company visit Australia. That’s a lot of positivity.
• Normally, I’d do a match-by-match rundown but once again, it’s hard to pinpoint the best of it from such a solid show. Pretty much, everyone brought their best efforts for this one and win or lose, got their shine. ICW on the whole is really kicking into another gear and through their regulars, new blood and guests, keep putting on high-calibre, hard-hitting shows. Between the strong style and death, they’re starting to take what they have and push it to the next level. It isn’t for everybody but I’m finding them to be one of the strongest companies out there in terms of overall quality and product. Kirk vs Tank, Krule vs SHLAK, Broner vs Garrini were some of my favourites of the night but nothing ever dragged or felt stale. Everyone is bringing something different and it helps that they have such a passionate fanbase too.

What Happens Next?

• Surely it has to be AKIRA’s time soon. The Death Samurai keeps putting on the most diverse matches of the night and keeps just falling short of the title. He’s one of the company’s favourites and has the belief of everyone around. Hopefully, that means more glory soon.
• It’s hard to work out what’s next for the Rejects on the whole. It’s been a losing weekend for ICW’s favourite faction as Bentley, Murdoch, AKIRA and Jinn all ended up swallowing losses. Murdoch isn’t used to losing this often so I can only imagine it’s eating at him. It’s hard to guess what he’s going to do next. Even going on the aggro couldn’t nail him the win.
• I hope it’s not the end of Krule vs SHLAK. That was pure madness from start to finish with massive throws and massive damage to all involved. Clearly, that end wasn’t satisfactory to both fighters and the best way to resolve that is to let them fight again. Maybe under last man standing rules…
• ICW is going to Australia. The Chains are going down under and there is a wealth of dream matches and opportunities awaiting the ICW roster and the deathmatch stars over there. It’s going to be exciting to follow that news and see just who gets announced for their time in the chains. The only caveat is that it won’t be kicked off with Bateman as champ, Eric Ryan spoiled that. Now, it’ll be a matter of seeing who comes for the title next.

THAT’S RIGHT!!

AUSTRALIA, GET READY FOR THR CHAINS!! ???

ICW NO HOLDS BARRED: DOWN UNDER!! #NHB23

Watch LIVE only on IWTV! pic.twitter.com/IBkbFk48HD

— ⛓ ICW: No Holds Barred ⛓ (@ICWNHB) March 13, 2022

All images courtesy of ICW, Kayden