Over a number of weeks we’ve been meeting and talking to the stars of Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW). In this, our sixth and final instalment we talk to the explosive and exciting Zero-G legend Kenny Williams. Speaking to him in London and with the imposing Dave Mastiff within earshot, we were keen to hear his thoughts on his own future and that of the company. You can see how Kenny’s future plays out at ICW events including their forthcoming shows in July at the Edinburgh fringe in August or at the Glasgow SECC in November.
How was the ICW tour for you?
Och, fantastic. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing this! Going out to London, Sheffield, Newcastle – all these places. Getting to wrestle the full weekend. I couldn’t pick a highlight though, every single bit of it has been brilliant. I just wrestled in a six-man, multi-man match and Stevie-Boy Xavier just won the belt that I used to have. I had lost the title to Danny Hope in Liverpool and as sad as that was, his reaction was something else. It was brilliant. I’ve been tagging with Big Joe Hendry – he says his name a lot! I’ve wrestled a good few folk.
What did it mean to you being a champion for ICW?
Well I didn’t have the world title, which is the top one in Britain. I had the second one. I had the second-top title in Britain so having that belt, I can’t describe what it meant.
How has ICW grown since you’ve been involved?
I’ve been fortunate. I started with ICW just before it really kicked off. I started when the Garage [Glasgow events venue] was selling out every month. We’ve gone from that to Edinburgh, to Dundee, to coming down south to do London shows to doing Newcastle shows – we’re doing a tour and we’ve got a bus outside. That’s just crazy! I feel like One Direction!
What was the tour bus like? We have heard it was great!
Ai! There’s a playstation 4, there’s TVs, there’s a kitchen and even Grado’s been a calm wee guy. It’s a bit chaotic but it’s just a big bonding pit. It’s like going on camp with your mates but for a wrestling show!
ICW doesn’t rely on international talent but who would you like to see come over?
Sabu being on the tour was cool, that’s crazy. Rob Van Dam – having RVD on an ICW show would just be night and day, that’d cover the rest. Old ECW guys seem to do well. We had Rhyno on an ABC in Glasgow and it was mental. His name got announced at the Garage and the reaction just for the announcement was better than even seeing him!
What’s the future hold for you?
My plan is to get the Zero-G title back. That’s my goal and hopefully I can get it back as soon as possible. I didn’t win it back in London which I was quite annoyed at, as you could imagine but it’s definitely what I’m shooting for.
As a Zero-G competitor, do you feel pressure to do increasingly daring moves?
It’s my sort of thing. I’m a wee guy and so I’m kind of jumping here, there and everywhere. I don’t feel pressure to do it. I think I’ve come into ICW as that guy, so I’ve just taken the belt and made it what this is about. I can do those matches with cruiserweights, but then I can go in and wrestle a big guy like Dave Mastiff and I’m sure me and Dave would have a fantastic match. I’d love to do that. Hopefully it happens – that’s the dream.
ICW is one of the biggest promotions in Europe, do you see it taking over others, perhaps creating local franchises?
I think ICW’s shooting for the one thing, it’s shooting to be on TV, it’s shooting to be the biggest and I would say it is the biggest company in Europe. So that’s already happened. I don’t think it’s trying to run anybody else out of business because the guys from other companies down south get used on these shows. I’ll just give you a good example. Paul Robinson, Dave Mastiff, guys like Marty Scurll have been on the tour. Martin Kirby’s a regular roster member now. So then those guys can go to other companies and they’ve worked for ICW and then go back to those others.
It was at this point that Kenny and Dave Mastiff began to talk business and given Williams had teased a match with Mastiff, we thought we should leave the room just in case the two of them locked up there and then. We hope you enjoyed our 6-part special, we’ll be covering ICW again before long but in the meantime, make sure to keep an eye on the company by signing up to their on-demand service here.
