10 Live Observations From ICW's Fear And Loathing VIII
1. Grado Wins The Big One
The journey of Grado in ICW is one of the most fascinating story arcs Ive watched in any form of wrestling.
Graeme Stevely was a chubby Scottish guy who had wrestled a few matches but never really got any further with it. In 2012, he started putting videos together of him trying to get himself booked like Dennis Stamp did in Beyond The Mat. The videos went viral and fans wanted Grado to have a match in ICW. Owner Mark Dallas carefully let the story grow organically and over the three last years, Grado has become the biggest star in Insane Championship Wrestling.
Behind the scenes, there were a lot of wrestlers who didnt like the position Grado was in, but over time he proved himself to the roster and to the fans that while his gimmick is being a cheeky chappy, hes a hard worker in the ring when he has to be and a great, naturally charismatic performer, too.
At the end of the night when he pinned Drew Galloway to lift the ICW Championship, the crowd exploded. It was the ending everybody wanted. Grado climbed to the top of the mountain but, unlike WWE and their treatment of Daniel Bryan, the company saw the success, helped it grow and has strapped the rocket onto Grado by making him their World Champion.
The post-match scene saw the locker room pouring out to congratulate Grado, with Mick Foley hugging him and four thousand fans screaming the lyrics to Like A Prayer. Its a moment Ill never forget and it was definitely the right call.
Long live Grado.