Let’s talk in depth about February 10-13. This is part 1 of 3. Shortened this down as it is quite long.
We kicked off the ICW NHB/Rise collaboration with Pitfighter 15. Due to various circumstances there was no cage so they are classing this as ICW NHB 41. Before we go any further I just want to say that there was a few match card changes due to various circumstances and I do not have full results for everything but I’ll explain why later on. I just also want to clarify that this was my first Rise show too!
First person I met before the show even kicked off was Mittens! Incredible guy I absolutely adore him and he’s so kind and genuine. Then I met the adopted parents, The Kirks! Again amazing people. Both two standout fantastic wrestlers and they had a fantastic weekend.
First match to kick off the weekend was Akira vs Clint Margera. I think both of these wrestlers are incredibly underrated. A great way to kick off the show and to start the weekend. One thing I like about Akira is his mask and the way he’s not afraid to do a little bit of wrestling before getting the weapons involved.
Second match of the weekend was Kasey Kirk vs Session Moth Martina
This was my match of the night for me. This is definitely a match I want to go back and take some inspiration from in the future. A mixture of comedy and deathmatch brutality. Kasey is one of my favourite human beings and it was great to see her wrestle in person. Session Moth Martina is a party person and I absolutely love that.
Danny Demanto vs Iceman
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much at all about Iceman before this weekend as this was my first match of his. He’s an absolute delight to watch and I hope I get to see him wrestle some more across the UK. What I wasn’t expecting was the UK fans to turn on Danny so quickly but everyone loves deathmatch grand dad. This is an absolute must watch for anyone who hasn’t seen Iceman. The ending was a little confusing but that is due to my lack of knowledge of Rise so I hope to learn more about this.
Danny Darko vs Eric Ryan.
Eric Ryan is one of my favourite wrestlers to watch and I was really looking forward to watching this one. Lots of lightubes and lots of blood in this one. Again I will admit that I was not too familiar with Danny Darko but throughout the entire weekend he absolutely killed it and I hope that I get to see him wrestle again this year.
A little side note here: I will admit I was slightly terrified of the light tubes exploding but throughout the weekend I got slightly better at managing this fear.
I met Akira and Eric Ryan after this match so I believe this is where the interval was.
Casanova Valentine vs Big Fn Joe
Big Fn Joe put the European championship on the line when Casanova told him to. This was a great brawl including beer cans, light tubes and barbed wire bats amongst other things too. Big Fn Joe is a wrestler I’ve seen a fair amount through the UK and he always puts on a good show. Casanova is one of the most entertaining deathmatch wrestlers around.
John Wayne Murdoch vs Big Lou Nixon
Big Lou Nixon is a wrestler I did not know too much about but I really enjoyed his light tube nunchuck. There was a few of these throughout the weekend and I loved the creativity behind it. Big Lou Nixon is also incredible with his strikes and kicks. John Wayne Murdoch I had the pleasure of meeting in September last year and I was thrilled that he came over especially as a last minute replacement.
Ba Rose vs Brandon Kirk
This was my first Ba Rose match and it was one insane match. Brandon is one of my favourites and I was very curious to see who would answer his open challenge. This match was a great one. I don’t think I could say any match was bad at all this weekend. A very enjoyable match and if you don’t know about Ba Rose you should definitely watch this match to get you started.
Be sure to watch this show when it streams on IWTV and stay tuned for Parts 2 & 3 of my ICW NHB/Rise experience.
