In years gone by we might have written about the best wrestling promotion in Scotland, or the UK but with their product now on iPPV and available through the FITE TV app, ICW are continuing their global takeover. Their biggest show to date (after stops in London, Southampton, Wolves and elsewhere) is taking place on Sunday 20 November at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow (Tickets available here). Already announced for the show, Fear and Loathing IX, are Raw General Manager Mick Foley, Gold Medalist and former WWE/TNA champ Kurt Angle and Lucha Underground’s Prince Puma – Ricochet. They will be joining the outrageously talented ICW crew for their biggest show. At the top of the ICW pile is one man whom has earned respect through blood, sweat and tears – quite literally in some instances. Wolfgang, for those that have seen him in action, is one of the fiercest and most impressive wrestlers on these shores. We had the privilege of speaking to the current ICW champ about his past, present and future. Read on…
How did you get into wrestling – what was the scene like when you were growing up?
I first got into professional wrestling when my Dad brought a paper home with an interview with Jake Roberts, saying he was attending a wrestling school in East Kilbride, must have been July 2002. I managed to get in touch with him over the phone, which for me at the age of 15 was coolest thing on the planet. He sent me to British Championship Wrestling where we trained in a post office common room on judo mats. I met guys like Red Lightning, Kid Fite, Mark Dallas, who were among the few that had joined this newly opened wrestling school with Drew Galloway as the head coach – who was just starting out training himself. We got to a level where we could be on shows, which at the time were headlined by guys like Marty Jannetty and The Honky Tonk Man. Former WWF stars who were used to draw in wrestling fans, because they were the only recognizable faces to the common fan at that time. We would run council gym halls, working men’s clubs and such.
True story, in 2005 I once wrestled Drew Galloway on the same show as Japanese legend Mitsuhara Misawa, who was in a tag match, in front of no more than 60 people in a small community center in Carluke (a small town 25 miles outside of Glasgow). 14 years later, the difference between the scene then and now, is we have the exposure to advertise our own names, and our own talent, and regularly sell out venues across Britain as well as be able to draw a crowd of 3500 in Glasgow’s SECC.
You’ve been with ICW a long time, what has been your best and worst moment?
I’ve been with Mark Dallas and ICW since the very beginning. He was hungry and full of excitement to put on a hardcore wrestling show, where folk who had really lost interest in the mainstream wrestling product, could come and experience a thrilling new promotion in Maryhill.
We would have the most fun at those shows, because we were free to do what we wanted, no rules, no holds barred. Even though we would only bring in crowds of 30-50 people, the fans we did have were the hardcore fans we were looking for. To see the crowd grow over the years, and as we head towards ICW’s biggest ever event, Fear and Loathing 9 in Glasgow’s Hydro Arena this November, to be the World Heavyweight Champion is definitely the best moment I’ve ever had in with the company.
I’ve been battered, bruised, bloodied and beaten unconscious by some of the best wrestlers in the world, and not one of them would I describe as a bad moment. I’ve done more in ICW than anyone else, being the first to reach over 100 matches for the company and whether good or bad, I’ve loved every moment.
You’ve been both Zero G champ and now the World Heavyweight Champ – is that a contradiction? Is it a reflection on the industry or on your abilities?
I won the ICW Zero G title in Edinburgh back in 2013 in a hard fought battle against Andy Wild. Becoming the Zero G champion may have been surprising to some folk just by looking at me, but at 18 stone I can still move with the speed and agility of any other former champion before or after me. I had some show stealing matches with lots of new challengers like Noam Dar and Solar to name only a couple and had I not held the belt maybe my ability to keep up with smaller guys in the ring could have been questioned. Now that I am also the heavyweight champion of the world, the fact that I can adapt to any opponent and meet them at their level shows I can beat anyone on the night.
For those that don’t know Wolfgang, how would you describe your genesis and character?
I’m the Big Bad Wolf, The Regulator to anyone that stands against me and proclaimed ICW’s measuring stick in the ring. If you want to make a name for yourself here you have to go through me first. I know how the game is played and know how to beat anyone, by any means. I’ve crushed Iron Men and defeated Demon Kings to reach the top of the mountain, and have proven I am the Last King Of Scotland.
Whom would you most like to battle that you’ve not gone to war with in ICW?
Now that I’m the World Heavyweight Champion there’s a lot of guys lining up for their shot at the champ. If I had my pick, I’d like to face BT Gunn if possible. He’s a guy that’s always brought out the best in me and I would say is the best wrestler in Europe right now. I’d also like to face some heavyweights that can challenge me and give me a good scrap. Trent Seven is someone I would like to do more with, we had a battle recently in the Garage, Glasgow and I’d like to step in the ring with him again.
ICW is on iPPV, touring multiple times a year and even has its own game. What’s next for the company? Can it or does it rival TNA, GFW…. Ring of Honor….?
ICW is the BEST WRESTLING promotion in the WORLD. It showcases world class talent and features the biggest names in the industry. ICW can rival any company, pound for pound. We might not have the same exposure as TNA, ROH or even WWE, but you can put any ICW Roster member on any of their shows and they’ll blow you away. The next step for ICW would be regular exposure on TV in the UK. We’re heading into Fear and Loathing where up to a mind blowing 10,000 capacity crowd will pay witness to the show of a lifetime. It’s clear we can do what the big boys do just as well, if not better.
What’s the best rib [practical joke] you’ve pulled on someone or they’ve played on you?
I love winding people up. I’m very good at it and on a good day, I’ve had folk get so angry at me they chase me round the building. The best one I’ve ever pulled in wrestling was on the way back from a tour down south, I was driving the people carrier we had hired from one of the guys we knew that worked at the dealership. Guys like Grado, [Jack] Jester and Noam [Dar] were egging me on. He starts to message me asking when the van is going to be back – wrestlers on the way back from a tour are notorious for being late and after a while I start to have fun with it and tell him something bad had happened. I told him the van we were driving was an absolute wreck. I said that everyone had been sick, there was no way I could return it in such a state and I was getting my cousin Boab to ‘take care of it’. I’d managed to convince him I was about to torch the van in a field in England somewhere and it’d be easier to claim the insurance than deal with the damage costs. Needless to say he was relieved when the people carrier returned unharmed.
You’re a trainer at the Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum. What have you learned through doing the job and who should we be looking out for?
Since opening the Glasgow Pro Wrestling Asylum in 2014 along with BT Gunn, Jack Jester, Red Lightning and Lionheart, I’ve been able to see wrestling from a whole new perspective. I’d often thought of opening a school and when the opportunity was presented to me I jumped on it and almost two years later I can say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I get to wrestle all week long in a world class training facility, coaching students from 16 – 34 years old all with a great passion for wrestling, along with some of my closest friends in the business. I enjoy going to my job. I’ve learned that the more you do this, the more you enjoy it. Fully committing yourself to professional wrestling has its rewards. We have some great talented up-and-coming wrestlers in the asylum, and to be able to help them realize their dreams is very satisfying. There are too many to list but if you check out any GPWA show or watch some of our shows on our Youtube page you’ll see what I’m talking about when I say we are full of future stars.
You’ve hit the top. What’s next for Wolfgang?
I’ve been to the top before, and I know there’s only one place to go. In 2007 I was the first ever Triple Crown champion, holding the BCW, SWA and PBW heavyweight titles all at once. I lost that and it’s taken me nine years to be crowned king again. Now, as the ICW Heavyweight Champion Of The World, it’s time to branch out and defend my title against anyone, anywhere in the world. I can go toe to toe with the best in the world and come out on top, and now it’s time to prove that fact as World Champ and The Last King of Scotland.
That is quite the claim but if anyone has the skills to back it up, it’s Wolfgang. Make sure you get yourself along to an ICW show (or subscribe to ICW on Demand) and see the man in person. Whatever the outcome, you can guaran-dam-tee he’ll deliver a spectacle.
ICW will hold tapings in Glasgow on 23 October
They then call at:
Sheffield O2 Academy, 28 October
Southampton Engine Rooms, 29 October
Bristol Marble Factory, 30 October
Cardiff Tramshed, 3 November
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall, 4 November
London, Brooklyn Bowl, 5 November
Leicester O2 Academy, 6 November
Fear and Loathing IX takes place on 20 November 2016 at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow – you and 10,000 others can see ICW stars alongside Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Ricochet (Prince Puma) and many others. Tickets for all the events are available here.
