WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD

Roll up, roll up one and all to see sights and sounds you’ve never experienced before. A show of monsters, murderers, and bloodletters all converging between the chains and into the Pit for your entertainment. ICW was putting on three shows of sadism to celebrate the return of the Deathmatch Circus. We start our coverage with the day one shows as ICW put on NHB Volume 27 and a Pit Show to kick things off. For Volume 27 we’d see, SHLAK vs AKIRA, AIW’s Kaplan debuting in the chains against Bobby Beverly, Joshua Bishop coming to ICW to try and break Tommy Vendetta, Krule vs the Kirks, and much much more leading to the main event title rematch between Eric Ryan and Bobby Beverly. Following that super show, we’d indulge in The Pit VII where The Carver, Aaron Williams, and Isaiah Broner returned to action and we’d see the debut of Malcolm Monroe III alongside other high-impact fights. Please note, that the Pit was called off early as ICW Staff and paramedics dealt with a horrific incident outside the venue. With all that being said, let’s get into the madness.

Volume 27

SHLAK defeated AKIRA via Glass Pile SHLAK Bomb

Up first, we had a match that had been a long time coming. AKIRA is always hungry for the biggest and the best when it comes to competition. He was supposed to go through the human meat grinder last year but COVID fucked it up. Now, it was time to fight one of the most recognisable and most feared men in deathmatch, SHLAK against a beautiful sunset. Yep, this worked nicely as an opening match. It had some unintentional cinematography as they fought against the sunset and AKIRA definitely made SHLAK work. It was equal parts brawl and equal parts technical match as the pair went from throwing chairs and fans at each other to dishing out Suplexes and Ganso Bombs against the beautiful backdrop. It was all quite nice with SHLAK racking up another win as he burns up the ranks, destroying anything in his path. AKIRA wanted this and he got the full meat grinder treatment, leaving with a bloodied up and glass-filled back. One day, we’ll see him win again and everyone is going to go wild.

Bobby Beverly defeated Kaplan via Barbed-wire Door Saito

KAPLAN IS LEAKING @KaplanAIW @BobbyBeverly #NHB27 pic.twitter.com/hgN8UlRbgf

— Logan (@marth555) July 2, 2022

Following that we had our first debut of the night. Kaplan has been killing it and himself in AIW and now, he was getting a chance to impress within the chains. He wasn’t getting a nice, friendly welcome though, he was going to have to take on the Enforcer, Bobby Beverly. We were about to some big guys throwing hands, bleeding buckets, and launching bodies. It was going to be fun. Surprise, surprise, it was. The pair also took the brawl approach and laid in heavy hands amidst the chair shots and fuckery spots. Both guys ended the match bloody and gave it everything across this sprint. Kaplan got his shit in and poured his blood and sweat into making the most of the time he had. He might have lost but people were happy to have seen him and I hope we get to see him in action again. This was quite the simple but no less effective fight to watch. Sometimes you just want to see two bruisers smack the shit out of each other.

Tommy Vendetta defeated Joshua Bishop via Door Smashed Piledriver

The third fight of the night brought us our other debut of the show, one-half of the Rip City Shooters, Joshua Bishop. Now let me explain, Bishop is one of the scariest types of psychopath. He’s built like a brick shithouse, completely unhinged, and has more fun than most inflicting pain and causing chaos. I’ve seen him in some wars and Tommy Vendetta was about to show him how it was done in the chains. Goddamn, sometimes you don’t need excessive fuckery to get the point across. Bishop knew he wasn’t going to make any friends in Michigan so he tried to get everyone to hate him by murdering their favourite son. This was a back-and-forth of heavy shots, power games, and people going through doors and tables. It didn’t need the glass or the blood, it was just all impact with the only crimson coming from Bishop’s back from all the splinters he was getting. This was awesome because it felt like another David vs Goliath fight despite both fighters being the same height near enough, Bishop is just that big. I hope ICW keeps booking Bishop he’s going to be a nice fit with the other big guys who enjoy tossing bodies. As for this one, it made for an excellent introduction and gave Vendetta another big victory on his trip up the ranks.

Danny Demanto defeated Randi West via Avalanche Can Board Demanto Driver

talk shit get hit #NHB27 @RanWestWrestlin @dannydemanto pic.twitter.com/2cWQLZQktf

— Logan (@marth555) July 2, 2022

The boss always loves to get a match in when he can and tonight, he was helping to grant a request. Randi West, the toughest broad in the business, had requested a return to the company and Demanto was going to grant that personally. This was not going to be a fight for the faint of heart since we all know how brutal Demanto gets when he’s in the zone. West never backs down from a fight though so this was going to go hard. We already knew Demanto was in a party mood as he’d come out to, We Found Love. Things started playfully enough but Demanto started shit-talking and the fuckery came out. This went out from a punch-out into an all-out fuckery-fuelled bloodbath. This was brutal as the pair took each other to the limits with tack and firecracker bats, tubes, gussets, and multiple types of doors on their journey to victory. West continually proved she lived up to her moniker by kicking out of almost every Demanto hit her with. It was violent, gory, and full of shocks as West refused to die until she was smashed through a can door from a great height. It had taken all of Demanto’s tools to stop West and she’d more than left her mark on him. Demanto had liked what he’d seen and experienced so I’d like to think we’re going to see more Randi West in the future.

Krule defeated Brandon & Kasey Kirk via Atrocity Driver on Brandon

It was time for a monster mash. Krule is probably the most dominant force in ICW right now. Nearly 7ft tall, immune to pain, and more relentless than the fucking Terminator. It was down to ICW to keep finding ways to keep this heathen entertained. This time it wasn’t one but two opponents as Krule took on both Kirks. Brandon and Kasey were in for the fight of their lives. This was fucking awesome. I love it when matches play out like horror movies. Kasey tried early on to charm Krule and it seemed to be working but Brandon kept fucking it up by attacking before the magic could work. Eventually, the monster snapped and just laid waste to both Kirks, absorbing everything they hit him with like it was nothing. Hell, the Heathen got to live up to his name as he was hung up like Christ and pierced by gusset plates. The Kirks tried to admire their handiwork but he just ripped free and kept wreaking havoc on both foes. Even the Chair Platform Psycho Driver couldn’t stop him. In the end, Brandon stopped Kasey from getting hurt further and ended up planted on his face for the three-count. Post-match, Krule once again seemed transfixed on Kasey and spared her further harm. It seems even when it comes to monsters sparing you, Kasey is the more popular Kirk. Talk about a final girl, eh? I seriously can’t get enough of Krule and the purely unstoppable nature of the beast.

John Wayne Murdoch defeated Dale Patricks via Jack-Knife Pin

#NHB27 @TheDukeJWM gets stabbed infront of the @DalePatricks fan club @Thatmouthycunt @morbid_tails @kerrington87 pic.twitter.com/jipSDo5vsH

— Logan (@marth555) July 2, 2022

The big hits kept on coming as the former king of the company John Wayne Murdoch prepared to step into the chains for another brutality fest. We were getting a proper rematch within the chains of a Pit classic as he took on Dale Patricks once again. Deathmatch Gambit has changed and grown a lot since that first fight so Murdoch had better be prepared. Well damn, these two had quite the belter. This was another nice mix of smash and grab deathmatch paired with the brawling and power we know both men are capable of. It became a continuous barrage of tube shots, gussets, tables, and knives as the pair duelled with them all and kept kicking out. Both Patricks and Murdoch couldn’t believe the other was kicking out the bombs being dropped and just kept hitting harder and nastier the longer the match went on. Despite the resilience, all it took to end things was a basic wrestling pin. Murdoch rolled over into a Jack-Knife and Patricks couldn’t kick out in time. This felt like the catharsis Patricks had craved since his first title match got screwed up and the Gambit was born. He’d pushed Murdoch to the limit and barely lost in the grand scheme of things. I do hope there’s more to come from these two.

ICW American Deathmatch Title: Joel Bateman defeated Eric Ryan via Death by Knee strikes

Last but not least for the first show, The American Deathmatch Title fight. Joel Bateman had cashed in his rematch clause and was about to try and reclaim the crown he won and lost on his last tour. This was the chance to get some revenge and bank himself some gold to take back with him down under. All he had to do was get through Eric Ryan. Easier said than done… but holy shit he did it. This started technically enough with the pair trying to feel the other out and get under the other’s skin. Soon the glass came out for some prickly mat wrestling before descending into all-out tube warfare. By the end, there was glass everywhere and both fighters were bloody as fuck. Ryan and Bateman tried to find as many creative ways to break tubes until Bateman just unleashed a barrage of tube explosions and kicks on Ryan. He had the champion trapped and after a tube box Driver, Bateman kneed Ryan into unconsciousness. It was a fitting end to a champion who loves putting fighters to sleep with Snuff Stomps. It was a violent main event showcase with Bateman making history as the first two-time ICW American Deathmatch Champion. What a fucking achievement to get on your second trip to the company. I don’t think I’ve seen either man put on a bad match so it was a great way to end the opening salvo of action for the weekend.

The Pit VII

Neil Diamond Cutter defeated Malcolm Monroe III via Fuckery Pile Falcon Arrow

AIR RAID CRASH ON THE CINDER BLOCK #ThePit7 @FearlessNeil pic.twitter.com/B9mOOte7vX

— Logan (@marth555) July 2, 2022

Before the action got into gear, we got the reassuring sign of Hoodfoot making an appearance. He might not have been able to fight because of his arm but he wasn’t going to miss the chance to kick back with some wrestling action and reassure everyone he was as fine as he could be with a cut like that. The Pit kicked off with another newcomer to the company. The Process Malcolm Monroe III has been making a name for himself around the American indie scene and now, he was getting a crack at the ICW ranks. His first challenge would be to try and get through the Honey Badger Neil Diamond Cutter. That is no easy task as Cutter is one of the most relentless fighters in the company and continuously pulls out shockers. Fucking hell, this was a marathon. These two took the ball and ran with it as they put themselves through hell for a bloodthirsty crowd making use of a whole load of improvised weaponry. It was an insanely physical match with a lot of horrible landings onto cinderblocks, chairs, gussets, and the hard floor of the venue. Despite all this, neither man seemed willing to quit until Cutter dropped MM3 onto the entire wreckage of the match with a Falcon Arrow. It made for an excellent opening match as they dove headfirst into the insanity and MM3 being a hometown hero meant the crowd was eating it all up. It was a fun watch with Cutter doing what he does best, frantic deathmatch fun whilst MM3 did a good job keeping up. I bet it hurt to get up the next morning after this one.

Isaiah Broner defeated Aaron Williams via Rear-Naked Choke

The action continued with the returns of Isaiah Broner and the Baddest man on the planet, Aaron Williams. This was going to be a real fight as both men prefer to rely on their fists and their wits than fuckery. He was where the pit became a Bloodsport as the pair prepared to show off how competitive you could truly get in a no-ring environment. Holy fuck this was amazing. These two just beat the absolute shit out of each other. There was only one weapon used in this match, a studded shoe that Aaron Williams borrowed from Larry Legend. The rest of the match was taken up by technicality, stiff kicks and chops, and two men fighting around the venue. This was a pit fight taking each other to the limit without the need for fuckery. It was all very hard and full of both personality and attitude. These two knew they didn’t need the weapons to do the damage they wanted to. I’m always going to root for both guys so fuck you ICW for trying to make me pick between two of my favourites. Needless to say, this match is a must-watch for the violence hounds and purists alike.

The Carver of Cutter’s Alley defeated Satu Jinn via Shivved Chain Stomp

Okay, this one made me smile. Satu Jinn is always fun to watch in matches and now we were getting to see him welcome back another monster into the fold, The Carver of Cutter’s Alley. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the sinister slasher carve his way through ICW and now he had a date with a Deathmatch Genie. As if things weren’t scary enough, he was rocking the John Wayne Gacy gear. This was wild. Jinn and Carver made the most of the time and fuckery on display to make the second monster mash of the weekend. We saw both bringing out their hardest shots and biggest weapons to cut, choke and kill each other off with. No mercy was shown and no quarter was offered as these two took their fight around the pit. Jinn bore the brunt of the abuse as he felt the sting of the axe and was cut up mercilessly by a multi-spiked shiv. It was a lethal match and full of blood. It’s hard not to just sit back and watch these two bruisers do their thing. It was even cooler to see the Carver pick up the win in the most brutal of fashions.

Brandon Kirk (w/Kasey Kirk) defeated Darren McCarty via Tommy Vendetta stoppage

The last match before the show came to its justifiably abrupt close was the revenge match between Brandon Kirk and hockey legend Darren McCarty. We’ve seen McCarty diving headfirst into the wrestling world and no matter where he goes, one thing remains the same, it’s always “fuck the Kirks.” Now it was time for him to inflict some more pain on his rival and potentially avenge that first pit loss. It didn’t quite go to plan but he lasted a lot longer in this outing than the last. It started with a hockey fight and just got nasty as exploding bats and hockey sticks entered the fray. They even nearly re-enacted Halloween H2O with an ice skate. McCarty kept fighting through the torture and get in some nasty hits of his own but he could never quite get the better of the Kirks. Eventually, Brandon brought out a gusset and trapped McCarty in a choke but he still wouldn’t quit so Tommy Vendetta threw in the towel before McCarty could actually get hurt. It was a nice little brawl with the fans really hoping to see D-Mac come out on top. It sadly didn’t happen but he looked like a badass and put the hurt on Brandon Kirk once again. That was the ending point for the action and whilst it may not scream main event, it was at least a decent fight.

#ThePit7 a fucking hockey stick with poppers @rchrz7 strikes again @DarrenMcCarty4 pic.twitter.com/LBU4WV9nwP

— Logan (@marth555) July 2, 2022

All images courtesy of ICW, Marth555