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This past Saturday, ICW Gonzo had its first ever outing and it most definitely set itself apart from every other wrestling show during the three-hour taping.
When owner and founder Mark Dallas announced the show's inauguration back in August, ICW Gonzo promised to be "Unconventional. Outrageous. Outlandish. Extreme." But the premiere event was so much more than that. Add in unpredictable, entertaining, intimate, wild, incredible and, of course, downright insane, and you might get somewhere towards defining this unique happening.
The inmates run The Asylum...
Set inside The Asylum, Gonzo may be the sweatiest, most intimate show you'll ever see stars like Jordan Devlin, Kenny Williams, Stevie Boy and Isla Dawn at, but while the show is filmed inside a small warehouse ICW turned into a training school known as the GPWA Asylum, the setting is perfect.
Imagine having a house party with a wrestling ring in your living room. Sounds cool, right? Well, chuck in some of the best wrestling talent in Scotland... Britain. In fact, the world - and add top-notch production values into the works, and you have just that. Around 100 fans rocked up to a warehouse at 6 pm armed with their own alcohol (of course, to drink responsibly as per ICW's guidelines) to see a show reminiscent of ECW back in its early years.
Or, more relevant to this occasion, for fans familiar with ICW, this show is a throwback to the promotion's earlier years in terms of the intimate venue, but with the stars of today and lighting that is second to none for a venue of this capacity.
Gonzo was created to simply fill the gaps in between ICW Fight Club tapings, shining a light on the Zero-G Division and showcasing the promotion's younger talents, but it may just have cemented its place as one of the most must-see shows in professional wrestling via an explosive debut.
Dallas claims that the show is the embodiment of ICW, and it most certainly is just that - the perfect gateway to becoming a fan of the promotion, with founder and owner Mark Dallas telling fans why they should do just that.
You can jump on the bandwagon or get run the f*** over!
Now, the action...
So, I've told you all about WHY the venue is incredible and about the production values - but what actually happened?!
Well, if you don't want to know any spoilers, but want to know what matches took place, here is a list of the matches that happened at Gonzo.
Jordan Devlin vs Kieran Kelly
Power Trip vs Darren Vice, Dean Ford & Ian Skinner
Isla Dawn vs Aivil - #1 Contender's Match for the ICW Women's Championship at F&L XII
Stevie Boy vs Ravie Davie
Kez Evans vs Michael May
Kenny Williams vs Scotty Davis
Jason Reed vs The Sam Barbour Experience
Lewis Girvan vs Stevie James
Liam Thomson vs Leyton Buzzard - ICW Zero-G Championship Match
If you want to know what happened, just click over onto the next page!
NEXT: Spoilers and results for Episode 1 of ICW Gonzo
What went down?
Well, the show would see an explosive opener as NXT UK star Jordan Devlin defeated rising star Kieran Kelly in an incredible encounter before the enigmatic trio of Power Forward made an emphatic statement by getting a win over Darren Vice, Dean Ford & Ian Skinner.
While both those matches showcased some of ICW's younger talent alongside one man who has had a meteoric rise over the past few years, the next encounter had Fear & Loathing XII repercussions as Isla Dawn took on Aivil in a #1 Contender’s Match For The ICW Women’s World Championship with the winner taking on Kasey at F&L. Aivil would come out on top after a complete knock-down, drag-out duel between the pair.
Next up was ICW World Heavyweight Champion Stevie Boy taking on Ravie Davie in a non-title match, which would end in a non-finish as then-number one contender Joe Coffey would make his presence felt, entering via the crowd armed with a chain and a bottle of Buckfast to take on the champion, and then the ICW crew and founder Mark Dallas. Coffey has since been removed from all upcoming ICW appearances.
After a short unscheduled break, the action would resume as Kez Evans took on the debuting Michael May. It's hard to tell whether the crowd were on the side of May, or just completely against Kez Evans, but it was storytelling brilliance regardless - and Evans would continue to build his momentum with a win and a scathing promo on the crowd and ICW commissioner Carmel Jacobs following the match.
Next up was NXT UK's Kenny Williams, who would cut a promo about former ICW Superstar Finn Balor proclaiming that Jordan Devlin was the next big thing, and Devlin claiming that Williams' opponent for tonight, Scotty Davis, would follow in both their footsteps. The pair had a great match which ended in a Williams win, and a handshake for Davis - before Williams attacked his opponent, urging Devlin to come out before a match was set between the pair for Fear & Loathing XII.
The Staunch Jason Reed would then make his presence felt, with the relative newcomer defeating fan favourite The Sam Barbour Experience, before Luca De' Pazzi would make his entrance, to chants of "We're gonna deep fry yer pizza." De' Pazzi would cut a promo on SBX, before confirming that he would be competing in the Ten-Man Square Go Qualifying Match at Fear & Loathing XII.
In a match that perfectly built towards F&L, Lewis Girvan defeated Stevie James in an incredibly brutal encounter than teased an absolute classic of a Kings of Insanity Match when The Purge compete against Kings of Catch for the Tag Team gold. This one had everything - ladders, blood, Girvan locking Stevie out of the venue. It was incredible - and insane.
Not to be upstaged, the ICW Zero-G Championship Match main evented the first-ever Gonzo, with champion Liam Thomson taking on one of ICW's hottest young prospects in Leyton Buzzard. The pair engaged in an incredible encounter that may have seen a new champion crowned if not for referee Thomas Kearins being caught up in the action and laid out, but a handshake at the end from the veteran Thomson would confirm that Leyton Buzzard has arrived.
Tickets for upcoming ICW shows are available here, or you can catch Gonzo on ICW On Demand very soon here.
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