Royal Ramblings: Insane Fight Club II

Big and bold, touching and personal, dramatic, comedic and ultimately great TV, ICW recently returned in emphatic style to BBC for 'Insane Fight Club II'.
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Big and bold, touching and personal, dramatic, comedic and ultimately great TV, ICW recently returned in emphatic style to BBC for 'Insane Fight Club II'.

For those that haven't yet watched the first instalment, you must schedule yourself some alone time with BBC's iPlayer. Insane Fight Club set out the trials and tribulations of sparky Mark Dallas, a budding Scottish entrepreneur seeking to upscale the events on offer through the 'Insane Championship Wrestling' promotion against a backdrop of familial challenges. The show also introduced two key ICW stars, Jack Jester and Grado. The former was at that time in line to win the title in front of his father, whom had never seen his son in action, whilst the latter displayed the comic genius which has earned him a place in the hearts of fans across the country.

The second show begins where the first left off and operates on a similar premise. Mark Dallas has set his sights on building ICW into a winning UK national promotion and so the gang are off on tour (and as it happens ICW will be on tour again in 2015, with tickets available here). We are treated to a road movie parading the zany and wonderful attempts by ICW's stars to promote their shows as only they can. From interfering with Birmingham's Bullring to ad-hoc megaphone busking, there's much to enjoy.

As with all of the best wrestling shows, the Insane Fight Club story succeeds on the strength of the larger than life characters it showcases. ICW is blessed with a particularly interesting cast. Jack Jester returns and is put in a difficult professional position with one of his closest friends. Grado continues to deliver great comedic value, visiting a hypnotist with mixed results. Meanwhile Mark Dallas continues to build audience support, combining as he does, passion, compassion and ruthless business aptitude. For the fair-weather fans, there is also plenty of action from former WWE star Drew "McIntyre" Galloway, returning to ICW and making a significant impact.

The great outcome of the BBC show for UK fans is that it helps to demonstrate that a wrestling show can have true mass appeal. Dallas, Jester and Grado are relatable, which helps to build UK wrestling and ICW in particular as a successful brand. It is not surprising that ICW is often compared to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) of old. It is a plucky promotion, beloved by fans delivering consistently good storylines and run by people that love the business. If the second instalment was anything to go by, it won't be long before we're treated to Insane Fight Club 3. For those that can't wait that long, ICW has an online On Demand system, so you can watch their previous events and a series of YouTube videos to help build your understanding of the brand and roster.

ICW will be travelling across the UK between February and May. The full list of tour dates follows, with tickets available through the ICW Website. We plan to speak to some of the key players when ICW is in London and like Insane Fight Club, you won't want to miss it.