Jersey City, New Jersey is in for a treat as Impact Championship Wrestling (ICW New York) returns on Saturday night with No Holds Barred (Vol. 1). While ICW New York is already known for being a hard-hitting playground, the stakes are even higher on Saturday, as the event will be No Submissions, No Disqualifications, and No Rules. And boy, did they pick a stellar cast of combatants for this slugfest. As per usual, ICW New York will be airing the event live on IndependentWrestling.tv (IWTV).
Necro Butcher vs. SHLAK
In 2016, hardcore icon Necro Butcher retired but 2019 proved to be the year of his comeback. He appeared for Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) in The Greatest Clusterfuck over WrestleMania Weekend, which turned into him returning to the ring, including a tour of Japan in December. On Saturday night he comes to Jersey City to face one of the new monsters of hardcore in the man called SHLAK. Both men like to bleed, so this will be a crimson beauty.
Eric Ryan vs. John Wayne Murdoch
Eric Ryan has been an underrated workhorse in the Midwest scene, where he’s been a regular with Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) since 2007, twice claiming the AIW Absolute Championship. For the last half of his career, he’s been taking his tough approach to the game to the likes of GCW, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), and more, where he’s become one of the most calculating minds in American hardcore. His opponent on Saturday is another hardcore veteran, in former 5x IWA Mid South Heavyweight Champion John Wayne Murdoch. While he often competes in tag team action with Reed Bentley in The Rejects, but don’t think he’s gotten soft in his 17-year career.
Homicide vs. Casanova Valentine
It’s the past, present, and future all in one fight. Homicide is an absolute legend of the US indie scene, an inspiration since his debut over 20 years ago. A former Ring of Honor World Champion and multi-time tag team champion with IMPACT Wrestling, Homicide’s matches are legendary. He’s facing a man only six years into his career but is making a name for himself with his own Bruiser Brody-esque toughness – New York City’s Casanova Valentine, who has been battling in Hardcore Hustle Organization (H2O), CZW, New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC), and Ohio’s Unsanctioned Pro, where he’s a 3x Unsanctioned Pro Hardcore Champion.
Tony Deppen vs. Eddie Kingston
Tony Deppen enters 2020 as one of the absolute breakouts of 2019. He’s always been a solid competitor and stolen many shows, but it really felt like Deppen finally got his due in 2019, with his work in Beyond Wrestling, GCW, and CHIKARA, and entering his first Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) Battle of Los Angeles. On Saturday he’s facing a NY/NJ indie scene legend in Eddie Kingston. One of the greatest tough talkers (who definitely can also walk the walk), Kingston has collected gold around the country in the past 20 years, as CZW World Heavyweight Champion, CHIKARA Grand Champion, IWA Mid South Heavyweight Champion, 2x AAW Heavyweight Champion, and Glory Pro Crown of Glory Champion, to name a few. Hard to believe this is the first time these two have faced off, but it probably won’t be the last.
Chris Dickinson vs. Killer Kross
An absolute dream match, that sees two of the best tough guys of 2019 square off for the first time ever. Chris Dickinson also had a monstrous 2019, as one of the undeniable MVPs of the first two seasons of Beyond’s Uncharted Territory, with his combination of power and speed. He’ll need all of his arsenals as he faces off against Killer Kross, who has recently become one of the industry’s hottest free agents following his departure from IMPACT.
Dan Maff vs. Mance Warner
Dan Maff has been a fixture in the NY/NJ indie scene for over 20 years and has competed for just about everyone. But he’s having his final indie match on Saturday night as he is set to return to the promotion he previously called home in the early 2000s – he’s signed to return to Ring of Honor. His opponent on Saturday night is a man crazier than himself, in Major League Wrestling (MLW) star Mance Warner. Ol’ Mancer is a former CZW World Champion himself and continues to put his body to the test in his “win at all costs” style of combat. This will be a banger.
Low Ki vs. Masashi Takeda
Low Ki is a 22-year veteran who also got his start in the NY/NJ indie scene, including debuting with ICW New York in 2001. Since then he’s worked just about everywhere, from ROH to NJPW, IMPACT Wrestling to WWE, collecting hardware aplenty – he’s a former ROH World Champion, 3x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 5x IMPACT X-Division Champion and most recently, MLW World Champion. On Saturday, he faces the “Crazy Kid” from Japan, Masashi Takeda. While he’s a skilled technician, Takeda prefers to take the hardcore route, as he’s a regular with Japan’s two toughest promotions, Big Japan Wrestling and FREEDOMS, where he’s a former 2x King of FREEDOMS World Champion and BJW Deathmatch Champion. He’s also competed for the brutal Desastre Total Ultraviolento (DTU) in Mexico, where he’s a former DTU World Extreme Champion. This will be one of Low Ki’s most maniacal opponents.
Nick Gage vs. Tessa Blanchard
In a blockbuster main event, former GCW World Champion and 4x CZW World Champion Nick Gage will be facing one of the best wrestlers in the world – IMPACT Wrestling’s Tessa Blanchard. Gage has shown an affinity for intergender wrestling over the past year – he’s had some bangers against the likes of Maria Manic, Kris Statlander, Addy Starr, and Jordynne Grace. But he’s yet to face the Undeniable superstar of IMPACT, who has been fighting men for much of the past six months in her quest for the IMPACT World Championship around Sami Callihan‘s waist.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. ICW No Holds Barred, Vol. 1 will be airing live on IndieWrestling.tv.
