Preview: ICW – 9th Annual Square Go! (2/2/20)

It’s the biggest match on the Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) calendar, the 9th Annual Square Go! is heading to the SWG3 in Glasgow for the second year running. As is always the case when it comes to Rumble-type matches, the Square Go! is always such an unpredictable night, with a surprise literally around every corner. It’s been proven that no matter your position on the card at the time of the event, you can win the match, a theory proven by Dickie Divers in 2015. We don’t just have the Square Go! Match to look forward to though, as one of ICW’s finest cards has been put together for this event.

VIP Early Entry Bonus Match: Kay Lee Ray & Angel Hayze vs The Woke Queens (Debbie Keitel & Valkyrie)

Those with early entry tickets will be treated to a very special tag team match as Kay Lee Ray teams with Angel Hayze to battle a tandem making their ICW debut, The Woke Queens. Debbie Keitel and Valkyrie, the former Pro Wrestling: EVE Tag Team Champions, were scheduled to make their debut at GONZO #2 at the start of December against the team of Hayze and Isla Dawn, but the Irish tandem were unable to appear at that event. In a way, Keitel and Valkyrie were sort of responsible for Isla earning her shot at the ICW Women’s World Championship, seeing as the original tag team match was changed to Hayze vs Dawn in a number one contenders match. Again, this is another huge opportunity for young Angel within ICW, but despite all of these chances coming her way, ‘The Young Lioness’ hasn’t had the best success rate in an ICW ring. A victory alongside the current NXT UK Women’s Champion against one of NXT UK‘s newest signings and her partner (who’s also appeared for the brand) would be hugely beneficial for Angel’s career at this point.

ICW Women’s World Championship: Aivil (c) vs Isla Dawn

As mentioned in the above match, Isla Dawn was victorious over Angel Hayze at the second GONZO event to earn the right to challenge Aivil for the ICW Women’s World Championship. Isla made her ICW debut in September 2014, a time period when she was still wrestling under the alias of Courtney, but this match will mark just her second opportunity at the title – her first came against ICW Hall of Famer Carmel Jacob in April 2016, with ‘The White Witch’ failing to lift the strap in just under ten minutes. As for Aivil, she had the same sort of fate in ICW, having three unsuccessful attempts at the title in 2019 alone before finally lifting the gold from Kasey at Fear & Loathing XII in a match that would see Aivil banned from challenging for the title as long as Kasey was champion should she lose again. Now that she’s finally in possession of the title, ‘The Twisted Priestess’ has been using some mind games to get inside the head of the NXT UK challenger, something she hasn’t been doing too often as of late. Maybe that’s the sort of thing she needs to be doing in order to stay at the top of ICW’s women’s division.

ICW Tag Team Championships – Glasgow Street Fight: The Purge (Krobar & Stevie James) (c) vs The Fite Network (Lou King Sharp & Krieger)

2019 was a defining year for The Purge. They won the King of Hawners tournament alongside their Bad Company brethren BT Gunn, and then used the title opportunity won as a result to challenge The Kings of Catch for the Tag Team Championships at Fear & Loathing XII. Krobar and Stevie James would capture the titles that evening in a brutal Kings of Insanity Match, whereas Lou King Sharp and Krieger of The Fite Network defeated The Nine9 to become the next in line for a shot at the titles. ‘The Blood Tourist’ and big ‘Scudmaster Sexy’ have declared themselves the uncrowned King of Hawners winners, seeing as they (with Kid Fite as the third man) defeated the Bad Company trio prior to the trios tournament, before stating they were too good to compete in the tournament. After becoming the next in line to challenge the biker duo, Krieger and Sharp have had brawls all over the Garage with Krobar and Stevie, resulting in them making the challenge for this match to be changed into a Glasgow Street Fight. 2019 may have been the year of The Purge, but depending on how this match goes, 2020 could very well be the year of The Fite Network.

ICW Zero-G Championship: Leyton Buzzard/Kenny Williams (c) vs Liam Thomson

Depending on who retains the Zero-G Championship at GONZO #3, Liam Thomson will attempt to regain the championship as he challenges either Leyton Buzzard or Kenny Williams for the title at the Square Go! on Sunday evening. ‘The Bad Boy’ shockingly lost the title to Leyton at the final ICW show of the year, with ‘The Captain’ answering an open challenge laid down by Thomson. Earlier that same night, Leyton had defeated arch-rival Kieran Kelly to earn the right to challenge Liam at the Square Go!, however, he wasted no time, using that same title shot the very same evening to etch his name into the ICW history books forever. Not the end to 2019 Liam had wanted, but overall, it was one hell of a year for the owner of that particular sink – he started last year’s Square Go! Match from number one, and was the penultimate man eliminated at the hands of Joe Hendry, before then lifting his first taste of ICW gold in the summer when he bested Joe Coffey for the same title he’s challenging for here. With a victory over Jason Reed already in the records for Thomson this year, he’ll need to be on top of the game if he hopes to begin his second reign as the Zero-G Champion, no matter who it is he may be challenging for the strap.

ICW World Heavyweight Championship: Stevie Boy (c) vs Noam Dar

Following his victory over both Kieran Kelly and Leyton Buzzard at Fear & Loathing XII, Noam Dar confirmed that he was back in ICW full-time, mixing a return to the Insane Fight Club with his NXT UK commitments. Upon his full-time comeback to the roster, ‘The Scottish Supernova’ had one goal in mind – capture the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. When he defeated Andy Wild at the December Fight Club tapings, the inaugural Zero-G Champion secured his position in the championship match at the Square Go! against Stevie Boy, a man who Dar has insisted only became the champion because he wasn’t around to prevent it from happening. Some strong words from Noam there, considering Stevie scratched and clawed to ascend to the top of ICW, only to have it cruelly snatched away from him through injury. It’s truly amazing to see how the careers of these two men have taken off – a few years ago, this likely would’ve been a low to mid-card Zero-G Championship contest, which is no disrespect to that title, but it certainly doesn’t have the level of prestige that accompanies the World Heavyweight Championship.

9th Annual Square Go! Match: BT Gunn (at #1), Kid Fite (at #5), Alexander Dean (at #10), Kez Evans (at #15), Andy Wild (at #20), Luca de Pazzi (at #30), Adam Maxted, Aspen Faith, Bonesaw, Craig Anthony, Damien Corvin, Darren Kearney, Davey Blaze, Dickie Divers, Grado, Jack Jester, Jack Morris, Jason Reed, Lewis Girvan, LJ Cleary, Nathan Martin, Ravie Davie, Sami Callihan, and Wolfgang confirmed to enter

Rumbles are one of, if not the best thing about professional wrestling. Turning to face the screens to see who the next entrant is, the possibility of some surprise faces entering the fray, the fact that it can completely change the trajectory of the winner’s career. This year, that first statement won’t really matter too much, as we already know the entry numbers for BT Gunn, Kid Fite, Alexander Dean, Kez Evans, Andy Wild, and Luca de Pazzi. Aside from those six, the announced lineup is stacked from top to bottom. For starters, we’ve got former IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Sami Callihan returning to ICW, with the eyes of ‘The Draw’ still firmly locked on Gunn. In addition, several tandems will enter this year’s Square Go!, some more cohesive than others. The Nine9, The Kings of the North, and More Than Hype are all (assumingly) coming into the battle in pursuit of the ICW Tag Team Championships. As for The Kings of Catch, Aspen Faith is happy enough to challenge for the tag titles should he win, but the same can’t be said for Lewis Girvan, with ‘The Renegade’ vying to become the ICW World Heavyweight Champion. Add in the fact that the former champs had some miscommunication during their bout with Bonesaw and Damien Corvin at GONZO #3, and we could very well be witnessing a kingdom falling apart. Cue the sadness.