Impact Championship Wrestling: No Holds Barred Vol 6
Once again, I am in my favourite wrestling place – the Death Match. On previous reviews for Game Changer Wrestling: Zandig’s Tournament of Survival 1 (see review here) and the Game Changer Wrestling: Nick Gage Invitational 2 (see review here) you’ll learn this adoration for bodily mayhem began as a child watching Abdullah the Butcher rampage out in places such as Southwest Championship Wrestling, biting and stabbing at opponents ‘til they bled all over the ring and crowd. I’ve never been one for big companies, I prefer smaller places (and the old territories) where comrades battled long and hard. As for Death Matches, a couple of the well knowns are falling. Meanwhile there’s always somewhere ready to spring up in their places…
Impact Championship Wrestling (ICW) have been around a while now, but like Game Changer Wrestling, moved over into Death Match Territory and have found themselves becoming well known in those circles. Impact Championship Wrestling were formerly known as ICW New York, and then via the involvement of Danny Demanto, have run a regular series of gory shows since early 2020 called ‘No Holds Barred.’ Danny is one of those many talents who trundles along the indie circuit, never making a huge dent but finds work along the way. He’s moved through companies such as Combat Zone Wrestling, OPW, AWA, etcetera, since the early 2000’s and has faced many in ring legends along the way. He has garnered an understanding of shows and everything involved to make a spectacle people want to see.
Like I said above, places like CZW and IWA are falling off because it’s the same old shit every show, nothing new is attempted, no gambles, and sometimes very awkward set pieces and story arcs make you cringe. Meanwhile, places like GCW, H20, Zona, and ICW are stepping up to the plate with a barbed wire bat in hand.
No Holds Barred is sometimes set outdoors, and other times set in a huge warehouse looking place which gives you the feeling that Robert Rodriguez’s Lucha Underground strived for – gritty, dirty and cinematic. ICW have drawn some legends such as Nick Gage, Pagano, Necro Butcher, the late and unforgettable New Jack (that is a really cringing moment) and Matt Tremont. I haven’t seen much of the new school faces, I mean those rising up in 2019-2020, so when I bought a handful of No Holds Barred DVD volumes off eBay early this year and noticed some known names, and a fair few I had never heard of, I was in for a surprise.
I’m reviewing Impact Championship Wrestling: No Holds Barred Vol 6 because it’s one of the best. As a matter of fact, I’d go so far to say that it’s the best tournament of Death Match insanity I have watched in a long time. You kind of get a bit complacent and immune to light tubes, staple guns, and such, so what a show it was that had all of that but kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the time.
Mid-2020, in New Jersey, the crowd is of course limited and masked due to Covid. Out the huge sliding doors appears first a young lad who really went all out on previous volumes, Akira, carrying a samurai sword and raising the crowd up. He’s over with the gathering of loyal fans who wear a mix of wrestling and horror t-shirts. Next out strolls another rising name, Eric Ryans. He has a piercing glare, big beard, and is carrying a fork in his hand. As Akira constantly kicks forks from Eric’s hand, he reaches into his pocket to produce yet another. What you’ll notice is the ring ropes are actually heavy chains instead of the usual so you just know the chains will come into play at some time later in the event.
Eric and Akira steadily pace their conflict, not rushing to grab weapons. They do some nice moves and back ‘n’ forth until the inevitable smash of glass crumples a torso. These two blokes can really work a match Their chemistry is good and the only reason a reasonable win happens is by outside interference, thus protecting both.
Match two has the surly and cock sure of himself, Tony Deppen, who saunters out getting finger salutes from the crowd. He is up against a hardcore monster, Joe Gacy. This is for most of the time a straight wrestling match, weapons of bodily destruction only appearing mid-way. Brandon Kirk versus Dominic Garrini (Dominic wasn’t scheduled but agreed to compete last minute) follows and ends with a painful looking chair set up move.
Breaking to allow the staff to cheerfully sweep up the broken glass and splinters in the ring – nothing they can do about the excess pools of blood mind you. We then head into a warzone between two big guys on the scene, I mean big in size. Jeff Cannonball, who resembles the old school behemoth, King Kong Bundy, collides with Mick Foley lookalike, Casanova Valentine (accompanied by his kinky leather wearing valet, Riley Maddison). Jeff has been at this for about ten years so is still a newbie in fact. Casanova has only been around for seven or so years. However, the matches I’ve seen both in prior stand out simply because they embrace their gimmicks and their looks, then go balls to the wall each time. This is no different.
Jeff has done a few tours of duty with H20 and Juggalo Championship Wrestling (that really backwoods place run by Insane fuckin’ Clowns) so he has gathered quite a following as you hear by the reactions to him. Both men share the pain, courtesy of glass, light tubes, bricks, barbed wire — it’s a greatest hits package of ‘outlaw garbage wrestling‘ as Jim Cornette would say (look him up on his You Tube channel if you don’t know him). When Jeff calls for some helpers to bring out the maddest light tube contraption you’d ever see you know shit is on!
Let’s just stop right now and think about something that is missing from wrestling. Long-time fans will remember the golden era when managers and valets used to get involved, whether they distracted the referee or passed a weapon in, or just screwed up the opponent’s chance. Nowadays, most managers just stand around doing fuck all! Exceptions being Jake the Snake and Tully Blanchard who while in AEW sometimes helps their protégées and factions. Okay, Riley Maddison isn’t just there for show and pose, this crazy bitch gets involved, saving her man from being annihilated by the light tube thing and very nearly goes into it herself. That is a lost artform returning. Beautifully done.
“There is no god… only Shlak!” the meaty short muscular regular is announced, looking more like Andy Serkis but with tattoos every time I see him. Shlak exists to be beaten. I’ve seen him hung by chains through the flesh by ex- CZW owner Zandig, I’ve seen countless people roll over him. Does he ever get a pin fall victory??!! He’s facing cigarette smoking, Eddy Only. This is the second time I’ve watched Eddy and he has that old time heel vibe, gets the fans hate and looks like he should be outside an ‘80s porn shop late evening trying to sell you drugs or a very young girl.
Eddy dives out of the ring to escape the angry gremlin, then they grapple for a while. Soon afterwards Shlak keeps ramming loads of cigs into Eddy’s mouth before the light tubes come out and play. This is a very entertaining almost bloodless bout; Eddy especially raises the bar on audience expectations by drawing so much heat. After running again, the announcer, Larry Legend, himself drags a bewildered Eddy back out to many cheers. The conclusion is sensible and pleasing.
Mythical jesus, Reed Bentley looks like me from the back view. Same build, bald head and beard. Anyhow, he’s facing another heel, the incredible, Atticus Cogar. This kid is small and skinny but can take and give out a beating. These two chaps do some basic but cool aerial moves, and get smashed up by tubes, beers cans on a stick, through a door, it’s all gore on the floor at the end of the day, and the winner earns it via the sickening ladder and knives on a board stunt. Meanwhile, Atticus earns his growing reputation on the hardcore scene.
For the finale, our main event, the gathering raise their voices as John Wayne Murdoch barges out into the ring. Called by many one of the greatest Death Match wrestlers (his nickname is The Duke of Hardcore), he made his début back in 2003, and has travelled through companies such as IWA, GCW, CZW, and EVO Pro. “This is as big as it gets.” says a commentator as John stands across from ‘The Wizard King’, Orin Veidt, another of those workers who hits the usual companies time and time again. In all, they are two very intense individuals. This is the match up that got me. Jaw dropping tension and brutality. Yep, the chains become a major weapon, and there’s a lasting in your mind ending which almost rivals the Joey Janela and Zandig drop from Tournament of Survival 1. Both men show one another respect afterwards which is a recurring theme in Death Match shows.
Impact Championship Wrestling: No Holds Barred Vol 6 combines high flying, grappling, and damaging “Holy shit!” moments to perfection. The balance is right. Sometimes you can receive way too much decimation and blood which desensitises you. It helps to have good talents doing it. The fact that there are so many underground organisations means like the good ol’ rasslin’ territory days, talents can jump from one to another, thus not making fans settle into monotony. Andre the Giant was huge in the ‘70s because he appeared all over for short times. Once a standout performer settles for years somewhere, you kind of know the pattern of feuds.
The commentators are outstanding in this series. Sometimes you get lazy ones who are muffled; I love the ones who scream with the action, make sick jokes, and call the moments. Also, big Creepy Severed thumbs up to Larry Legend. You are an incredible announcer.
I think I’ve stated before, Death Match isn’t for everybody, but is very misunderstood. Some people just see what they think at first glance is sloppy bloody ground and pound with painful objects. In the distant past when Death Match wrestling was in its beginnings, — aside from mainstream talents diving in and out, plus the ladies and gents at ECW — a lot of it was just beer swilling blokes slicing themselves to pieces for the sake of it. Death Match has evolved and is becoming an art of combat with a growing following worldwide. I discovered this after seeing Combat Zone Wrestling’s Tournament of Death III back in 2004 and it made a great break from watching TNA and Ring of Honor. Slowly but surely, I became more engrossed and in doing so have witnessed changes over time. Fans get what they deserve, a mixture of styles, along with smash mouth bleeding wounds. Impact Championship Wrestling are destined to rise over many others if they continue the quality, I have witnessed thus so far from the 2020 DVDs I’ve checked.
Produced by: Danny Demanto. | Music by: Various | Cast: John Wayne Murdoch, Eric Ryan, Shlak, Eddy Only, Larry Legend, Akira, Casanova Valentine, Joe Gacy, Atticus Cogar, Riley Maddison, Jeff Cannonball, Reed Bentley. | Year: 2020 | Country: USA | Language: English | Colour: Colour | Runtime: 2h 20 min
Studio: ICW
