Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW)

[8.0] "Looks to be getting back on its feet with shows at the Garage and fairly big names from the indies performing. Hopefully the future is bright for Scottish wrestling."

"IMO ICW is massively underrated nowadays, at one point they were the pinnacle of the uk independent scene but after the contact with the E ended aswell as not just going out and booking Indy darlings and giving younger guys a chance a lot of people have turned their back on ICW but I think 2024 could be a big year for ICW especially if they announce more Garage shows"

"Very excited for the relaunch of ICW now that Fight Club has wrapped up. I really enjoy their big events on Triller. Also really like that they have their own unique roster instead of just trying to be a super Indy like everybody else."

[7.0] "Another promotion that suffered from WWE's time in the UK and the Speaking Out movement, ICW is still a promotion with a rich history, great moments, great matches, and even more talent to offer and passionate fans. They are back on track now, and hopefully can win some good will back."

[8.0] "Big fan of Leyton Buzzard, Daz Black, Craig Anthony, Levi, Sha Samuels, Stevie James and The Young Team. Was enjoying Fight Club but its not been on the network for a few weeks which sucks. Attended Cardiff mightnight show with a few mates in September and had a great time. Was nice seeing Grado and Jack Jester and Lou King Sharp gain as well as newer talent like Luke Kyro and LJ Cleary. Fear & Loathing last November really showed off the depth of the roster they have now compared to during the closed doors shows when alot of the guys seemed green. It was a really enjoyable ppv. Kez Evans World title reign last year was played really well with him being pushed strong and the end result of him losing the belt resulting in one hell of a pop."

[5.0] "Every live ICW show I've attended, I've had a fantastic time. The atmosphere is always great. The problem with ICW occurs when you try to follow the promotion through it's stories and angles rather than just a one off show. Despite initial success and attempts to become a UK super indy, things fell flat with stories being stale and predictable. Talent are often pushed because they have a friendship with someone in the office, rather than having any connection with the audience. That being said I would encourage anyone to go to a live ICW show if they have the chance."

[5.0] "A normal indie fed, there's nothing more to it. Got big in 2014 and helped revitalize UK's indie scene thanks to Drew Galloway but after losing the title to Grado (and the subsequent advent of NXT UK), this federation got lost in the shuffle"

[8.0] "Felt the company peaked around the time of Fear & Loathing 9 then took a dip as a lot of talent went to NXT UK. In the past year and a half however I've really got right back into watching their weekly show. Some great new talent has been created (something ICW has always been able to do very well over the years) such as Leyton Buzzard, Theo Doros, Jason Reed, Molly Spartan and Angel Hayze mixed with some of the more established legends of the promotion such as Jack Jester, BT Gunn and JAXN. A few good factions too in The Cabinet (which have some real heat from the crowds) and The Manifesto. Some enjoyable storylines as well, personal favorites being Jason Reed/DCT/Coach Trip story and Jasons follow up with MMA fighter Chris Bungard managed by Red Lightning, the amazing feud between Kez Evans and Craig Anthony was also a highlight. Barred all cage match show on the network was great and and really liked both nights of Fear & Loathing, the Lionheart League in 2021 started off slow but built and by the end I was totally invested when Stevie Boy and Sha Samuels faced off. Theres the odd episode of the weekly show that feels a bit flat as well as some really green guys on the undercard now and then but the good episodes definitely outweigh the bad and every few weeks you get an episode thats an absolute cracker. Feels like something is building again with the company after a few quite years and its exciting to watch unfold."

[0.0] "Honestly I have no idea how they got so popular, every time I watch them the wrestling is terrible, The storylines pretend it is still 1998 and the owner did a runner from social media when #speakingout exposed what happens behind the curtain"

[6.0] "Had a fantastic run up until around... 2017. Maybe 2018. Sadly the last few years they have slipped but I do hope that they make a comeback!"

[5.0] "I used attend a lot of ICW shows with a friend of mine and for the most part, I really did enjoy some of the shows, the crowd reactions back in 2015/2016, but after that point, I feel like they lost what made them feel special by some of their booking decisions, especially booking Ravie Davie as well as they did in a match against James Storm with him having to take 3 last call super kicks before he took the fall and Aaron Echo who has no charisma whatsoever, but I know the regulars like him, but he doesn't do it for me. I might go back one day, but right now at this point, I'm out."

[10.0] "My favorite wrestling promotion today. Interesting storylines, great in ring content and some cleverly created personalities. Watched a lot of shows old and new, and each was exciting and fun to watch. That's what makes a great wrestling promotion in my book. There may have been some booking decisions over the years that I felt were questionable, but that's part of wrestling entertainment. ICW is one of the premier, if not the premier, promotions hailing from the UK, and I will keep watching until there is no longer any way for me to watch their events. Then I will just have to start attending these shows myself. It's really that good. If you are reading this and want to get into ICW, they have some great matches and short shows on YouTube, and their on demand service has a huge library."

[9.0] "One of the best UK promotions. Reliable company putting on consistent shows. Great home grown talent, and using imports appropriately, to grow and develop their own talents. Mark Dallas is clearly a very smart man, and it shows by ICW's mainstream presence in Scottish culture. Can be a bit crass at times, and that might not be your thing if you like your wrestling to be taken seriously."

[3.0] "Not a big fan, I find this promotion tacky and not that great, I am sure it appeals to certain people (mainly the Scottish) but for me I don't like a lot of the characters on the shows I find them tacky and horrible, Not a fan of their story work and the way they run in general."

[6.0] "Exciting promotion, which is redefining what a Scottish promotion can be thanks in part to Drew Galloway's globetrotting efforts to defend the ICW World Championship (USA/Denmark/Australia/Germany/England/Ireland) and their rabid local fanbase, selling tickets in the thousands to shows. Personally think the company needs to draw more focus to their good "workers" (Galloway, Noam Dar, Kenny Williams, Marty Scurll, Mark Coffey, Joe Coffey, Lewis Girvan, Andy Wilde, Tommy End, Trent Seven, Jack Gallagher) and a little less towards the Chris Renfrew, Grado, Jack Jester, Sha Samuels, etc - who can really grow stale outside of Glasgow. I think there's a slight talent relations issue with a promotion that puts a title on Jester or Renfrew but has never booked Will Ospreay and uses someone like Liam Thomson more regularly than Marty Scurll. Their choice of guest talent is strange too (Hardcore Holly, Mr Anderson)... there's a wealth of amazing indie talent out there now and I think they book the wrong guys to showcase that. They're not yet at the level where every show is great (some of their latest tour and Fringe residency was very mediocre) but hopefully that will come post-SECC. Future is very bright, they just need to revisit their formula rather than grow overconfident. I would say that anybody who says ICW is the best promotion in Europe has never watched PROGRESS."

[5.0] "Maybe ICW's product is just something that doesn't appeal to me, maybe it's just unfortunate timing and their shows were much better in the past, but after almost a full year of watching ICW, I don't see anything special in them. Their shows are usually either bad or painfully average. I can only name few that I enjoyed. They deserve a lot of credit for revitalizing biritwres, but how they managed to gain and maintain such popularity is a mistery to me."

[5.0] "ICW from about 2011-2014ish, was great. They had a crazy and underground feel to their shows. And many "insane" matches including Glasgow street fights. With great wrestlers and characters like the Bucky Boys, Mikey Whiplash, Jack Jester, Kid Fite, who are mostly still around today, but in last 12-18 months the quality of ICWs product really has slowed down and feels watered down. To the point that in my opinion, it isnt worth watching."

[10.0] "A promotion that has it all. From the bloody hardcore match to the technical masterclass, from the high flying display to the rough and tough brawlers. And there also is a brilliant women's division. Some top class talent, from some wrestlers known all over the world (the "homeboy" Drew Galloway above all, but also former Women's champion Viper who main evented the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo) to people who have immense potential (Lewis Girvan, a consolidated star who is only 21, Noam Dar who is at the WWE CWC... ). I have watched all of their shows since 2012 and I've never been disappointed once."

[7.0] "Well, ICW is pretty much a modern ECW with a Scottish touch. There's some great stuff coming out of this young promotion and then there's some things that are just seem to be somewhat of a boring rip-off from ECW and other American products. Overall a pretty good promotion that started from nothing and got to a place no one tought possible."

[10.0] "a great company that reminds me of '94 to '97 ECW but done in Scottish style. a great roster of talent at there disposal (Drew Galloway, Polo Promotions, Jack Jester, Big Damo, Jack Jester, The N. A. k. , Jimmy Havoc, Mikey Whiplash, The Sumerian Death Squad and Joe Coffey) just to name some of the immensely talented workers they have and some phenominal booking (storylines are great and the talent building is above anything I've seen in the major american company in YEARS) been to some of there shows and always left with a huge smile on my face and a ache in my throat from cheering so damn loudly."

[10.0] "Top promotion in Europe and really reminds me of the rise of ECW in the 90's. Here's hoping Mark can finally get British wrestling back on television that isn't a recap show or a talk show."

[10.0] "ICW are the antithesis of what the general perception has become in recent years. It's a true alternative to WWE and the many, many WWE-Lite promotions that are around these days. The diverse mix of talent, styles and characters make for a thoroughly entertaining show from top to bottom. It's so fresh to see a wrestling organisation that values it's fans and gives back to them in spades."