ICW Interview With British Wrestler Martin Kirby

The British wrestling industry is currently the healthiest it has been in years. There are several thriving promotions putting on sell-out shows around the United Kingdom. This is Progress, Preston City Wrestling and that old family favourite All Star are all packing them in on a regular basis. Not too long ago it was seen as a success on most shows if you were able to draw 200 people but, for promotions such as the ones mentioned above, that would be seen as a disaster. These groups routinely attract in excess of 500 people to shows and have carved out a brand identity and a dedicated following in the process. The most talked-about company in the UK at the moment is Insane Championship Wrestling, from Scotland. ICW have amassed a rabid, cult-like following due in no small part to the ECW-esque experience that they offer, the two acclaimed BBC documentaries profiling them and a hard-working and talented roster who are hungry for success. One member of said roster is UK wrestling mainstay Martin Kirby. The Project Ego man has been a fixture of British wrestling over the past decade and has gained a reputation as one of the country's premier workers. We caught up with Kirby to chat about the ICW experience and why you need to check them out on their forthcoming tour. WC: The first thing that I'd like to ask you about is how you got started in British wrestling and what have been the biggest highlights so far?MK: I'd been a fan of wrestling for years growing up as a child. Over time I became aware of the live wrestling shows that occurred throughout the country so began going to watch them nearly every weekend until I eventually discovered that there was a wrestling school about 45 minutes drive from where I lived. This is where I began learning to wrestle & eventually I was deemed good enough to be apart of shows.Highlights wise it's always great to be able to perform so regularly all over the country in front of sold out crowds against so many talented opponents. On top of that I've had the chance to meet and face world famous stars who I've grown up watching such as Japanese legend Jushin 'Thunder' Liger & former WWE/WCW/ECW star Lance Storm.How did you get involved with ICW and what were your first impressions of the company?I was approached by James R Kennedy who told me about a plan & vision he had for a group of like minded individuals such as Kid Fite, Sha Samules and Timm Wylie which would catapult us to the top of ICW. The opportunity was far to good to ignore and so far we have achieve what we have aimed for.Why do you think ICW has caught on as much as it has?ICW is unique! It has its own identity and almost become more than just a wrestling company. It's now become a brand. It doesn't aim to copy what anyone else does, instead it continues to improve & do things different to every other company. This makes it stand out. On top of this rather than just be content with what the company has established it continues to innovate and lead the way looking for new methods to grab peoples attention & bring the ICW experience to fans.What can fans expect from an ICW show and why should they check them out?Fans can expect an experience like nothing else they have seen before. Nothing beats attending an ICW event live & in person. The passion and noise from the crowd is something that watching the shows online can't truly capture.ICW prides itself on providing something for everyone no matter what their tastes. If you like hard hitting fights they provide that; high flying & fast paced action more your thing well they have that too; prefer a bunch of shenanigans and comedy moments well they have that covered as well.Who are the ICW talents that you would like to wrestle, and why?As I'm still new to the company the list of talent I'd like to face is too long to mention. But the group I'm apart of known as The 55 have already shown that we'll face anyone & everyone who's in our way and preventing us from taking the top spots in the company.'Blow in the Cartridge' is part of ICW's UK tour. It seems incredible that a UK wrestling company has become a genuine touring brand when only a couple of years ago that would seem impossible. What do you think the future holds for ICW and British wrestling in general?The growth and improvement within the British wrestling scene over the last few years has been incredible of which ICW have been a leading force. The quality of the wrestlers within this country is getting better all the time. Rather than companies putting on shows as a bit of fun like in the past they are now organised & ran by profitable businesses. Each with their own identity and model for being a success. With this kind of foundation already in place I can only see things continuing to improve and expand for the likes of ICW & British wrestling as a whole.Is there anything you would like to say to your fans or anything you would like to plug?I just want to say thank you to all the fans for supporting not just myself throughout the years but also for continuing to support British wrestling.If anyone gets the chance to see an ICW event live they won't be disappointed. All of the latest news & scheduled events can be found over at http://insanewrestling.co.ukPlus in addition ICW have an on demand site at https://icwondemand.pivotshare.com which allows people unlimited streaming of every ICW event direct to their computer or mobile phone for a small monthly subscription of £3.75 including new episodes every week of Friday Night Fightclub ICW visits The 02 Academy, Newcastle on Saturday March 28th followed by events in Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool, Birmingham, London and Sheffield.