ICW: No Hold’s Barred 19 Deathmatch Horror Story!
ICW made their change to Deathmatch wrestling a handful of years ago, using chains instead of ropes for the squared circle, and attracted many up and coming, plus established names, in hardcore grapplin’ and wrestling in general. It’s one of those promotions which mixes the out of shape monsters alongside the trained and agile highflyers, male or female, and then sees who can take the pain and who can bleed the most. I reviewed one of their events back in 2021 (Impact Championship Wrestling: No Holds Barred Vol 6) and pointed out that whilst many see the field as just a battleground filled with broken glass and blood, the fans realize why this art of combat is growing because it dares to stand alone and be different. It has evolved over the decades and ICW (along with GCW, H20, XPW etcetera) refuse to back away.
I loved the bloodier aspect of the sport as a kid watching South West Championship Wrestling plus other dying territories, where behemoths like Abdullah the Butcher and Bruiser Brody rampaged, then in 2004, I discovered Combat Zone Wrestling through Tournament of Death III (where Sexxy Eddy nearly bled to death) thus I was hooked and have been ever since. It’s a warm feeling of a close union ship like a family promising week after week (depending where you go) to show the small number of fans on the night something totally stupid and wild. It’s pure trash, but, like movies, I adore trash, as does my Partner in Gore, Willow, who sits in with me and she gets hyper the moment the crimson masks appear.
So, ICW: No Hold’s Barred 19 Deathmatch Horror Story is a Halloween special, held outside as the sky turns black, round the backway of a huge pawn brokers in Florida, just off a busy motorway (drop the address onto Google Maps and you’ll see what I mean) where the enthusiastic gathering of fans are delivered the sight of announcing hero, Larry the Legend, in a witches garb. For match one, out comes the one-off creation, Sage Sin Supreme, and she’s the Pumpkin Queen, her theme begins with a recognisable bite from Halloween III. Her opponent is the lively, underrated, and brilliant, Neil Diamond Cutter, toothless and shabby, totally insane, getting the crowd singing to Sweet Caroline (oh that song always makes me think about The Strain TV series). He’s wearing a pumpkin on his head, so encourages Sage Sin to do the same. This is a fun confrontation (we both laughed a few times and cheered) some hard hitting moments, especially with a bowling ball vs a leg, and the fans are really into it. Sage Sin, like a lot of the ladies who wander the wastelands of Deathmatch wrestling, is a cunning and savage survivor, not to be taken lightly.
Speaking of Deathmatch ladies, Kasey Kirk is a woman who fights against men on a regular in ICW’s Pit Fighter plus H20 and RISE. She’s small and vicious, and she’s held the American Deathmatch Championship before, taking on big names like Matt Tremont, Eric Ryan and Reed Bentley) however unfortunately she’s drawn the short straw. Whilst Brandon Kirk holds up the match with the awesome Colby Corino, going at it in a showstopper (so far) she’s left with the genuine deadweight of Jack Victory, a man who is obese and broken. He can’t even climb into the ring without a struggle. The last time he’d been anything close to a full-time worker was 2006. I can’t say that poor Kasey did her best, because it’s a complete shambles, however she takes a nasty bump via Colby.
It’s all been a bit lightweight so far. It is entertaining none-the-less but nothing too brutal. This changes with match three. Crazy man, Satu Jinn, is up against Krule. How do I describe Krule? Nearly 7 feet tall, wearing one of the greatest masks I’ve seen in wrestling – ever! Plus, he wears eerie contact lenses to accompany the aura of evil. Matthew Waters has a triple persona, depending on where he’s working, he switches from Krule to Logan Creed and Madds Krugger, but it’s with Krule that he’s seen as an unstoppable force. Satu hits him with loads of strikes and weapons, just for the giant to stand staring at him, maybe adjust his mask a bit. The more the weapons hit, the more the blood flows until Krule is a tower of moist and dripping red. It’s an unforgettable vision. The end is a bit deflating, kind of protects both combatants, but still feels rather lack lustre after such a spectacle.
Tank is a huge name (and a huge bloke) from the South, a regular in IWA (IWA Mid-South Wrestling: King of the Death Matches 2005) and has been an underground beast since 2001. For this event he’s up against another five crazies, in a Monster Murder House Death Match. Nightmare Freddy is amongst the throng of oddities, now this bloke, Doug Gilbert, has a lengthy career since the late ‘80s so turning up in a rubber mask you can forgive him for not being as agile as Freddy in Elm Street 1. Also in the match is The Carver, modelled loosely around Dark Knight circa Scarecrow. The fella under it has been around a handful of years but has wrestled full time in a mask since 2020. ICW beloved, Danny Demanto also joins in. Danny is always watchable. Rarely wins a match (unlike other promoters) but puts on a hell of a showing. He decides on the spot that the winner will face the survivor of the upcoming Iron Man match next month.
Unfortunately for Tank, Danny and the gang, this match is a clusterfuck filler. It’s a mess. Camera man doesn’t help missing the critical elimination pins but it’s just wandering and noise. Tank stands tall with The Rev at his side and The Rev is a supreme highlight. A cross between King Diamond and Arthur Brown, he’s commentated on IWA events brilliantly, and he’s even better in the role of a manager.
As anticipation of the main event grows throughout the crowd, there’s one more match, and it’s a great lil pairing between the mouthy Jake Crist and Alex Ocean, another one of the obvious futures of Deathmatch Wrestling guys along with name such as Atticus Cougar and AKIRA. Their chemistry and high spots are a thrill, but it’s Jake who trades endless insults with the fans who gets the Severed thumb in the air. They both end up in a trampoline made from barbed wire. It makes you cringe.
“Jesus Christ! How much can one man bleed???!!!” yells the commentator mid way through our epic main event. The person in question is Eric Ryan, who’s back is absolutely obliterated and shredded. As Willow said, “You can’t see any skin!” Eric’s against the ‘The Duke of Hardcore’ John Wayne Murdoch, for the American Deathmatch Championship. Okay, standard, eh? Nope, it’s a 60-minute Iron Man Match! One full hour, no matter what and the winner is the one to score the most pins. One hour of pain and suffering.
Murdoch and Ryan are incredible athletes and brawlers. Before this match they’d had a long history against one another, both highly respected, but this match took it all to another level. Until this one, longest I’d seen with two fighters was the Ready to Die 2017 main event where legends Nick Gage and Matt Tremont hit each other like out-of-control trains for about forty-eight-minutes. That was their third in a trilogy of major confrontations, it was brutal, but took a kind of mid way interval whilst barbed wire was put up instead of ropes on Matt’s commands — and the wire didn’t even get used.
For me to say this is one of the best I’ve seen is a huge statement because I’ve watched countless orgies of gore and violence in the squared circle, but what makes this one so fantastic is the storytelling, the classic old school tactics used here and there, plus the two men are outstanding, better than you can expect for a full hour. The King of Deathmatches and the Duke of Hardcore give it everything. Eric starts off a pure classic age heel stalling tactics for the first eight minutes which truly goads the audience. For instance, he refuses to wrestle until all the confetti (used from the introductions) is cleared, keeping in mind the ring is filled with broken glass. Hahaha. He also gets a couple of pure breed bad guy pins, sneaky and clever. The crowd are screaming for his blood. They get a lot of it.
There is so much blood, and the exhaustion slowly sets in for both warriors. Light tubes, chairs, barbed wire, all the mandatory stuff comes into play, but mainly strong style moves plus fists. They batter one another back and forth, blood splattering. The commentator says he’s called so many matches in his time but this one is something else. “It’s a slaughterhouse!” he gasps, and the crowd are sort of standing around stunned and staring as we enter the last ten minutes because this is insane and doesn’t get near enough credit in the Deathmatch history books.
ICW: No Hold’s Barred 19 Deathmatch Horror Story has some misses and a few hits when all is said and done. There’s a lot of clumsiness, a bit too much silliness, however we do have three good matches and a truly jaw dropping one hour tower of power headlining act which must be seen to be believed. To date there’s been forty-five No Holds Barred events and sixteen Pitfighter X’s (that’s similar to UFC but with Deathmatch wrestlers) they also travel to the UK once in a while.
Would I say this is a good place for anyone to start their journey into ICW? No, because if you aren’t savvy to their style, the main event will be a bit of a shocker. I’d say aim for Volume 6, which I reviewed (the link is above). Generally, there’s been better, however that one showcases a good mix of styles, skills, and feuds. ICW are probably one of the best Deathmatch promotions currently in existence. The quality and calibre of their regular maniacs says it all.
Produced by: Danny Demanto
Music by: Various
Cast: Larry Legend, John Wayne Murdoch, Alex Ocean, Kasey Kirk, Eric Ryan, Sage Sin Supreme, Krule, Tank, Danny Demanto, Nightmare Freddy, Neil Diamond Cutter, Jake Crist
Year: 2021
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 2h 58min
Studio: ICW
