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Scotland’s premier wrestling event is just around the corner!
Insane Championship Wrestling Fear and Loathing is set to return for its 12th edition at the beginning of November. Described by some as Scotland’s Wrestlemania, this year’s installment hails from Glasgow’s SWG3 venue and for the first time, will take place over the course of two nights.
Over the course of its history, Fear and Loathing has been the centerpiece for some of ICW’s most iconic moments. It is also the perfect metaphor of how the company has advanced over the years, as the event has traveled around numerous venues across the city, starting in the small Maryhill Community Centre before moving to the much more vast SSE Hydro for the past three years.
This year’s weekender is stacked from top-to-bottom and is sure to be a fantastic set of shows. The question is can anything on the card surpass what has come in the years prior? Here are 8 of the greatest moments in ICW Fear and Loathing history.
#1 - Fear and Loathing 1
Whilst relatively small in size, it’s hard to argue the significance of the very first Fear and Loathing event.
Despite only being attended by 73 people, that day in 2006 is what got ICW started on their path to relevance.
The event had several technical glitches, including some issues with the ring, but it still got those watching interested as the company soon gained a cult following.
Not only that, but the show also served as the first exposure for some stars that are now household names.
Wrestlers such as Kid Fite, Liam Thomson and Red Lightning are still regulars at ICW to this day, whilst Wolfgang would eventually forge his way to WWE and NXT UK.
The show concluded with the crowning of the first ICW Champion in Drew Galloway, or Drew McIntyre as we may know him these days. Wonder what happened to him?
Fear and Loathing 1 may not be a classic in the grand scheme of things, but it played a vital role in establishing what ICW was all about.
#2 - The return of Mikey Whiplash - Fear and Loathing 6
2014 was a big year for ICW as they started to receive a great deal of mainstream attention.
The BBC documentary Insane Fight Club detailed the company’s journey to Fear and Loathing 6 and attracted a large number of new eyes to the product.
As a result of this, it was important to the company that Fear and Loathing 7 made a huge splash to keep those new fans on side.
Leading into the event, one of the most prominent feuds in ICW was between the New Age Kliq (Chris Renfrew, Dickie Divers and Darkside) and the Sumerian Death Squad duo of Michael Dante and Tommy End, better known now as WWE’s Aleister Black.
The groups were set to square off on this night at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom, but SDS needed a teammate to ensure the numbers were even.
When the duo emerged to the sold out crowd in typical satanic fashion carrying a body bag to the ring, you sensed a major moment was in store.
The company would definitely deliver on that, as out would appear former ICW Champion Mikey Whiplash. Whiplash hadn’t been seen in the company for many months, so his return was met with a thunderous reception from the crowd as he helped his team to victory.
The factions would continue their rivalry for another year, right through until the next year’s Fear and Loathing.
#3 - Drew Galloway wins the ICW Title - Fear and Loathing 6
As mentioned in the previous slide, 2014 was the year that ICW hit it big.
Aside from the BBC documentary, a major sign that the promotion had became a big deal was the return of Drew McIntyre, now Drew Galloway, at Shug’s Hoose Party in July of that year.
Given that he had only just been released by the WWE weeks prior, this presented a major coup for ICW.
In his return promo, Galloway proclaimed his intention to put the company on a global stage and make the ICW Championship a world title.
There was just the one barrier in his way though, and that was ICW Champion Jack Jester. A match was soon scheduled between the pair to clash at Fear and Loathing 7 with the title on the line.
That night saw Galloway prevail and regain the championship he first won eight years prior. Whilst the match itself isn't a standout in either man’s fantastic careers, it would be a major moment in the legacy of the ICW Title.
Drew would take the belt all over the world as he traveled around the independent scene, defending it in numerous continents. By the time he dropped it a year later, he’d made the belt a world championship, achieving his goal and making it a title wrestlers would folk to Scotland for a shot at.
#4 - The first women’s champion is crowded - Fear and Loathing 8
Despite playing a prominent role in the first nine years of the company, ICW never had a women’s championship of their own.
The company previously had a sister promotion in Fierce Females which exclusively featured women’s wrestling, but that partnership had ended by the time 2015 came along.
At this point, the ICW women’s division was bursting with top talent, so in the weeks leading up to Fear and Loathing 8, a tournament took place to decide who would compete to become the first ICW Women’s Champion.
Originally, the finals featured Kay Lee Ray clashing with Nikki Storm, now WWE’s Nikki Cross in a prominent match at Glasgow’s SECC. However, prior to the match beginning, WWE Hall of Famer and guest commissioner for the evening Mick Foley announced a surprise twist for the contest.
Having deemed she had been unfairly cost a place in the final, Foley made the decision to add Viper (NXT UK’s Piper Niven) to the match, making it a triple threat.
Viper would go to be successful, making history by becoming the first ICW Women’s Champ. Since that night four years ago, only five women in total have held the belt, with five of the ten individual title reigns lasting longer than 100 days, showing just how prestigious the championship had become.
#5 - Grado wins the ICW World Championship - Fear and Loathing 8
In the three years leading up to Fear and Loathing 8, Grado had gained quite a cult following in the world of professional wrestling.
His general charisma and extravagant entrance to Madonna’s Like A Prayer had captured the attention of ICW fans, whilst his appearances in documentaries such as VICE and Insane Fight Club were drawing huge mainstream publicity outwith the company.
However, whilst loved by many, some saw him as nothing more than a comedy character who they didn’t take seriously enough to be a champion.
This all changed in the summer of 2015 when the lad from the Tap End of Stevenson announced his intention to challenge Drew Galloway at Fear and Loathing 8 for the ICW World Championship.
On paper, the pair couldn’t be more chalk-and-cheese in terms of their athletic look, but the crowd that night were firmly in Grado’s corner as he held his own against the former WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Despite this, it appeared that Drew would be too much for Grado as Galloway’s Black Label piers Red Lightning and Jack Jester got involved in the match before being neutralised by Mick Foley.
The appearance of the WWE Hall of Famer was enough to distract Drew long enough to allow Grado to hit his signature Wee Boot for the 1-2-3, and create an atmosphere I’d never seen before at a wrestling event.
The crowd exploded having become firmly invested in the Grado journey. Echos of Like A Prayer would continue long after the event finished as fans exited through the corridors of the SECC.
Whilst Grado’s run as champ would end a couple of months later, that moment itself is one that still resonates with those who follow ICW.
#6 - Finn Balor returns - Fear and Loathing 9
Between his ending with NJPW and arriving in the WWE in 2014, Finn Balor was quite the regular on the UK independent scene.
One particular company he made his home during this time was ICW, where he made several appearances and won their Zero-G Championship.
In that time, Balor built up a great connection with the ICW audience. So when it was announced that he would be appearing at Fear and Loathing 9 at the SSE Hydro, fans were ecstatic.
Finn’s appearance came at a time where he was recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered winning the Universal Title at Summerslam 2016, ruling out any slim chance of seeing him compete in the ring. However, this would not stop him making his presence felt on the show.
After addressing the 6,000 fans in attendance at the show’s beginning, he would return later in the night during the high stakes contest between Team Dallas and Team Black Label.
The contest was down to Drew Galloway and Chris Renfrew when the Black Label stalwart Galloway began resorting to underhanded tactics in an attempt to secure the victory.
To even the odds, Balor would appear, taking out Galloway following a turn from Black Label member Jack Jester, which allowed Renfrew to hit Drew with the stunner for the victory.
#7 - Kurt Angle closes the show - Fear and Loathing 9
On top of announcing Balor and the Dudley Boyz for their debut Hydro show, ICW provided the cherry on top of the cake by adding Kurt Angle to the card.
Following his departure from TNA in early-2016, Angle began making several appearances for a number of independent companies. Facing the likes of Joe Hendry and Zack Sabre Jr, it looked as if The Olympic Gold Medalist was ticking names off his wrestling bucket list in what appeared to be a retirement tour.
His ICW appearance would see him close out Fear and Loathing 9, where he faced future NXT UK star Joe Coffey. Following on from the highly charged match prior between Team Dallas and Team Black Label, the pair attempted to keep the crowd on edge with an intense technical encounter.
Despite being 47 at the time and well past his physical prime, the former WWE Champion Angle showed glimpses of why he is considered one of the greatest of all time.
Ever the professional, Angle would put Joe over in front of ICW’s biggest ever crowd, giving Coffey the much needed boost he needed to move back in the World Title picture the next year.
The match would mark one of Angle’s final non-WWE appearances, as he would return to the company where he first made his name in 2017.
#8 - King of Insanity Match - Fear and Loathing 10
The tenth anniversary of Fear and Loathing would see the company return to the Hydro, stacking the card in an attempt to make the landmark event that bit more special.
Featuring on the card was a match that wasn't the fainthearted, but successfully concluded several feuds that en-captured the company in 2017.
Stevie Boy had been tortured for months by Mikey Whiplash, who in-turn had taken Chris Renfrew as his henchmen. Following a battle between the former two at Shug’s Hoose Party, Jimmy Havoc would make his ICW return and challenge all three to a King of Insanity Death Match for Fear and Loathing.
Taking place in the middle of the show, the four men would engage in an engrossing contest. Whilst fans of technical wrestling might not have enjoyed the sight of barbed wire boards and thumbtacks, you couldn’t take your eyes off of the effort and sacrifice these men were putting their bodies through.
After neutralising Renfrew by back body dropping him through the ramp, The Leader of the Filthy Generation Stevie Boy would make his move.
Having tied Havoc’s wrists to the bottom rope, he would target a prone Whiplash, hitting a Canadian Destroyer through a table from a ladder to secure the victory in a match that really has to be seen to be believed.
