Doctor Bedlam

Pretty much the case, ICW in the ring kinda hit its peak around 2015-16, but nXt UK, bad booking, confusing story lines and odd focus contributed to its fall, its the same tired crap Outside the ring, even before speaking out they had a horrible attitude to any critical opinion which doesn't bode well, you can't expect everyone to like everything and not point out the flaws and when speaking out started.. God their reaction.. Or lack thereof was. Disgusting they have done nothing that puts fans minds at ease.. Just raised more questions

Well, for alot of people ICW was as much a social event as a wrestling one, and for some watching it on OnDemand or the Network isn't quite the same, if anything Billy Kirkwood, while a talented comedian.. I can only tolerate his commentary in short bursts. And with all Covid stuff lasting this long people may move on/not miss it/etc and that's befor you take into account the decline in quality it was taking, the bizarre reactions to speaking out, they have lost a chunk of the fanbase This Network deal, there's only one family benefiting from that and its not the Dallas family, WWE will use it as virtual talent scouting "alot of people on the network are watching matches with this guy Stevie Boy.. Hey he's quite good.. Sign him up" ICW aint there outta the goodness of McMahons heart What cracks me up is after years of people saying to me and other critical fans you never wrestled/don't know the business, their head writer is Scott Reid.. Who wrote their magazine.. He's basically Scotlands own Vince Russo and the booking of the last year's have shown ICW deserves to fold, when you look at everything.. Their attitude to speaking out I feel was the last straw for alot

It's safe to say ICW have not covered themselves in glory here I feel that stupidly vague statement was only put out because they had to do something before the big Network announcement, in fact its almost like they think that will distract people from everything they have been accused of Thhey said they have a welfare officer. But not said who... Why hide who it is.. If they exist at all The whole thing about not booking guys if they are charged.. That's the thing that drew my eye, as others have said what about others that haven't been actually charged for whatever reason or ones where its not a crime cops would be called for But the worst I think is the blatant exploitation of Lionheart, its worse than WWE with Eddie Guerrero, every video posted was lionheart, every picture to promote an event on the network was lionhearts match even if it was nowhere near the main event, Tracey Smothers.. The very first import to wrestle in ICW dies.. How to they mark that day.. A Lionheart video.. WWE tweets name an under rated Superstars theme.. ICW tweets lionhearts theme.. I could go on.. Its like they are actively trying to distract people from all the horrible cra they been accused of I find the whole thing bewildering amoral

The Bedlam Report: WTF ICW!!! By Dr Bedlam Greetings my loyal readers, different place, same old doc. When I started this I vowed to only focus on the I ring product, storylines and such, for the most part I stuck by that promise (except for some notable exceptions) Now for a bit of a disclaimer, everything that follows is merely my opinion and how I personally see things and not presenting any of this as fact, this is first and foremost, as always only my opinion I have been an ICW fan for almost a decade, I seen it turn from a small promotion in a community hall to holding events at the Hydro and everything inbetween. Dallas was living the dream many of us had (including myself) this is what is making the companies attitude over the years, especially lately even harder to bear Other companies have dealt with the allegations arising from the speaking out movement in various ways, some doing more than others, ICW, supposedly one of the big players in the scene and one that has accusations against not just wrestlers but staff too has remained strangely silent save a couple of very vague posts that uses alot jargon that sounds really good but in reality means very little, infact the statement that basicly said they will not and have never tolerated that type of behaviour rang hollow when you consider what I know, especially about the saga involving their graphic designer as you will soon see for youself later Now Dallas I fully understand this is a difficult time for you, you have a young family, I'm a parent too, your only one of many promoters, the most you can do with some is not book them again, but it's not just the in ring talent as we will see that's the issue here and simply telling someone just go to the police with accusations, that's a dangerous road to go and you know it, just because they don't go to the police doesn't automatically mean its untrue, indeed it might have been difficult enough for some to speak out at all and the prospect of going to the police, potential court appearances may still be a daunting prospect and other companies, from small ones like discovery to even the big ones like WWE have taken action, named people, sacked/ suspended/ rehabbed/ refused to work with particular wrestlers so what makes ICW so bloody special and different in this regard? Are you genuinely saying you have looked at all these accusations and not seen one person you have thought "well not booking or employing them anymore"? Really? Not one? I remember the first time I really started to question how the company was being run was with the apparent firing of the main graphic designer (I refuse to use his name) for some pretty horrible things I won't say what, others have covered this way better than I would, I know of a few other designers who were superior in talent and moral compass he could have brought in.. Instead the guy they just sacked is brought back in quietly under the guise of a new company, the whole situation stunk and tbh that you could get lost down the rabbit hole with that one incident, but I have serious suspicions I will keep to myself.. For the time being but I will say this even if only a fraction of what the guy was accused of was true, he'd have no business being in the company, backstage or even in the ring. My personal opinion.. And it is only my opinion, the guy is a shit stain on arse of ICW and if I had my way he'd be gone from not just ICW but wrestling in general When I complained about the state of ICW's security, I was meaning their apparent inability to protect fans from errant blows from wrestlers, not that one of the senior members of it was apparently preying on fans and trainees, this was someone put in a position of trust and to abuse that for his own gains.. Unforgivable, how he and the shit stain mentioned above even still have jobs is shocking in my opinion Now as for talent bully/abusing and generally being nasty to other talent, one esample is varied reports there is quite the clique in what is laughingly called ICWs women's division, ( I was actually going to do a special on this asking why so few women featured and why some talents like Nikki Storm didn't get a title run or at least consistent pushes… Well now we all know.. Don't we?) of course this isn't just a women's division problem, it's just a very fresh example but you need to remind them of the famous words of Mr Spock "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.. Or the one" take command, your the bloody boss and if they don't like it fine, no one wrestler is bigger than the company, sure some fans may be disappointed but they will get over it. Same for talent who can't wait till after their match to indulge in whatever vices they wish be it drink or drugs, crack down on them, remind them who is in charge and that this is a business which relies on all competitors having trust in each other, does there need to be a serious accident in the ring before real action is taken? The rumors and accusations that go on at after parties, especially at the asylum is shocking, yes Dallas is but one promoter and could argue after any ICW event he has no real control over them but if these things are happening at parties hosted or promoted by ICW so you'd have to think there is still some accountability, there has to be, its not like they have came into contact with these wrestlers at a random pub or club and surely he must hear about what some of the wrestlers have done/been accused of and he seems to have not done much, yes you can argue he stopped booking Whippy but this seems the exception not the rule judging by the accusations, one swallow doesn't make a summer as they say Now I am aware some wrestlers may be proven innocent, and I am not saying every wrestler is a sexual predator or a bully and I am aware that some wrestlers and fans engage in.. Mutual activities, be they casual or serious, I am aware of this. While first and foremost I am imploring you to take action about all this mainly for the victims, if that doesn't get you to spring into action then think of the wrestlers and employees who are innocent or have never been involved in this in the first place, silence is not helping them either, they may be tarred with the same brush the longer things go on the way they are the worse it gets In short we as fans need to see some true decisive action.. And now I am addressing you, the people in charge of ICW, not just Dallas, directly, I would offer to help rebuild and help the company back on its feet and to where it belings but I got a snowballs chance in hell of an offer like that coming my way but I Will give you some advice on how to handle this situation First thing, Now obviously I am open to the fact that some accusations many not be 100% and some guys may be innocent but in most of the cases the evidence is overwhelming/been building up for years/ etc..basicly these are not isolated incidents so heres how I'd deal with, what I would do is any wrestleror any other worker who has accusations that include underage stuff in any way, they are gone, forever same goes for sexual assault, repeated bullying and hazing, manipulation, etc these are not the people you want in your company. you can always find others who will fill these positions in the ring and outwith (better in talent and in moral compass) These forms of various abuse leaves mental scars take a long time to heal if at all and deserve to go to an ICW event knowing that the person or people who caused this are not anywhere near that building or affiliated with the company, so all these people should be gone, never again to return.. ever and in the cases where illegal things have happened, forward it to the police For the other incidents like nuisance texts and calls and the likes, yes you look at the situations, if they are trying to deny or pass the buck despite strong evidence, they are gone, the ones who are genuinely sorry (as opposed to just being sorry they were caught ) they will be gone too and only IF they have proven themselves deserving of another chance will they even be considered, and only then it would be a probationary period, stuff like not allowed to attend official after parties for a set period as one example if any new provable accusations that happen after the re-hiring come up, they are gone too and any one coming back is publicly announced.. Even if they are not in ring talent, be open and transparent about it As for those proven innocent.. Well they are innocent, no need to do anything there If you have an after party try and make sure you hire an independent company for security, maybe actively support things like the ask Angela scheme (.maybe have that info printed on the rear of tickets or something) , something to make people feel as safe as possible, maybe have a confidential way of communication set up so if a fan feels uneasy but scared to put their name to something they have an outlet like an e-mail or something set up just to handle such things Another thing, for a few years at least no more tours no trips to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Newcastle or anywhere else, Glasgow is where we stay, rebuild not just your hometown fan base but rebuild their faith in you, I know this sounds an odd and trivial advice but you use that time to rebuild, get the ICW house in order again it will take time I know this, I seen ICW at Maryhill and the hydro, infact I said when it was being built, that could be to ICW as Madison Square Gardens is to WWE, even in these dark times I have faith ICW could be there again, but not in the way it is currently going, it needs change, big change There would be other changes but these are the biggest ones I feel will help ICW move forward and the ones needing addressed the soonest I know some fans will read this and think I'm being too hard on ICW, this isn't new, for years after my reports I'd get messages saying why am I pointing out and focusing on the negative I should be happy scottish wrestling is doing "so well" and promoting the positives, to be honest it would all get "leave Britney alone" levels of sillyness The fact is I love ICW, I want to to continue and to succeed but if it keep doing that it's doing I fear for its future, fans may and in some cases already turning away from you, be the company the fans need in this uncertain time, show we can put out faith in you, I know it's a hard time and there are tough decisions but they need to be made,as I said before, you are living the dream of many a fan (including me) you have a successful wrestling company, don't like that dream become a nightmare, please You know, a while back Mark Dallas himself offered to let me interview him, I'm surely tempted to say yes after all this time but would need to be alot of garruntees first and we sure as hell ain't doing it at the Asylum, my twitter is @bedlamdoctor or email me at doctorbedlam@outlook.com at least lets start some dialogue I hope you enjoyed my report, as always please remember, its just my opinion, thank you

https://oswtv.wordpress.com/2019/12/21/the-bedlam-report-icw-fight-club-15-12-19-analysis/

I won't lie it can be amusing especially when people are saying stuff about the reports.. Good and bad.. And I'm actually right there and they don't know (except for a few) but. I just don't get the more extreme hatred.. It suprised me but I suppose it shouldn't when you consider what the old unofficial Facebook page was like Though.. One genuinely curious thing is while there are fans who have intense dislike.. There are people backstage (not dallas obviously) who are fans of the report

Tbh it's kinda disturbing how obsessed they are with me and my identity All I've done is not be 100% praising everything icw ever do, how dare I have an opinion y'know, ahh I dunno whether to laugh or cry

OK, it's just been advertised and not even up yet and they are starting (BTW those are 2 of the 3 who seem obsessed with finding out who I am) I love the borderline threats "your on all our lists" who nominated them spokesmen for the fanbase Sad part is apart from a Jason Reed rant.. Its mainly positive

Well yeah, I mean yes I say some negative stuff, but I will say positive too and yeah if it's constructive, not personal and not blind hate then it does come across like he's oversensitive to criticism which to me doesn't bode well and it doesn't help that alot of reviewers seem unwilling to point out any issues (infact one of the newer reviewers even said she would never say anything bad that might "bring the wrestlers down") so because I'm one of the few who will any negatives are amplified.. I could write an amazing review say 90% was great but say a few things about one match or angle and that's all people focus on Equally I'm sure he gets fed up of booking suggestions from fans and I do admit alot of the fantasy booking is so fantasy your waiting for a Gandalf run in, I remember a few shows ago one guy bizarrely aggressively texting a demand to dallas to book someone with the line of "he better book them" but I bet there are ideas which would genuinely work.. And work well I just find that as said before something has went wrong with the storytelling.. Like remember the Renfrew and Kings of catch feud that was cut short that was literaly "your not over the way I got over and the only way you will is beating me" while yes that's what the feud is trying to achieve and was the framework of the feud.. That fact that that was exactly the storyline was just stupid, that and stuff like the midard mcmahon thing it comes across as half baked I wonder if you took this years shugs and fear and loathing night 2s took out the filler matches and replaced them with the meaningful matches from the first night's. You'd have way better events BTW here's a wee special bit of artwork I done for my next release

I remember that fan page was a horrible place, the way I see it I'm not doing it to be mean, I'm not speaking horrible of them as people. But yes it doesn't matter how technically good a match is or how much went into it backstage, if it doesn't entertain it doesn't work The one statement I hate is someone gets a world title shot and a fan will post why are they getting a shot over other (some cases more deserving) wrestlers and its the same stock answer you hear "they worked hard for years and deserve it" I'd bloody hope every wrestler works hard instead of phoning it in and is that to say other wrestlers don't deserve it? What gets me is there are 3 fans in particular who legit hate me and are obsessed with my identity after I said in a review they should have taken their umbrella hats they wore for toni storm during the actual match as it was blocking the view of people behind them. I do have personal issues with them but won't say here, private message for more. And I remember BT criticising me when I said at barramania 2 when the nak imploded and stevie was injured in the BT and Renfrew vs wolfy and stevie make they could used divers "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Logic.. BT said I had no clue what I was talking about.. Exactly a year later its Renfrew or BT feuding with stevie and there's a match the fight club before barramania, that the original 2 of the nak vs stevie and his old running mate davey boy but stevie is injured and stevie is on the mic and says about his replacement " the enemy of my enemy is my friend", divers walks out.. A whole year after such a booking would be relevant.. Yet I'm the one that knows nothing about wrestling, its stupid

Basicly he said it after having a go at me on twitter for the article where I talked about the venue capacities even saying I got the O2 academy capacity wrong.. I didn't...all my data came from the official sites and it was his general tone and while I understand he has a livelihood but surely knowing where your going wrong as much as what your doing right. Plus there's that wrestling brotherhood thing of "you've never been in wrestling so you can't speak badly" thing. I'm probably committing a cardinal sin in his and others back stages eyes

They have had really dropped the standards in storytelling yeah, what got me was the Dallas heel turn, it was like they suddenly forgot how to book a heel owner, he just pestered the mid card and generally acted like he had no more influence than coach trip or the wee man, and Joe hendry the future of icw doesn't get near the title scene.. Who wrote this? The Jason Reed sectarian crap needs addressed and soon, I heard someone outside refer to him as a good staunch orange man... OK that's not an official part of the gimmick but the rot needs to stop here. I know some of you wondered why I didn't take up the offer to interview dallas 1, don't do interviews, there's too many interview podcasts and stuff around 2, i wa dubious of his reasons for wanting to see me, a lifetime ban if I'm lucky.. Beat up by the boys if I'm not 3, the questions I wanna ask he won't answer

Pretty much, it's very.. Sectarian, my worry is people will see the gimmick as an excuse to chant it for those reasons as opposed to chanting it in support of him, the sad thing is as a wrestler I like the guy and the make wrestling great again would still work, I dear as a starting out gimmick the whole we are the people stuff may overshadow his in ring talent a bit

OK the need to stop the Jason Reed stuff, the constant we are the people shouting.. Some crowd chanting it.. Something needs done before it gets out of hand and to have such a gimmick so early in his career.. Big mistake

I haven't seen much of Joe's Gallus stuff and for the most part he had kept it to nxt UK I believe.. Except for his celtic themed trunks but even then its not needed As for Jason Reed, it seems a bit more... Overt and a lil too on the nose, the first I seen of him was the promo at France 2000 (I was so disgusted I didn't make comment in my report) when he used the word staunch.. I was like.. OK this could get awkward.. Then when they ended with we are the people.. I was appalled, it got the sorta reaction from a fan near me I hoped never to see in Icw, he was booing them until they said that suddenly he cheered and said "yeah get 'them' fucking telt", is that the sorta thing icw want in their company.. Are they gonna have Jason Reed WATP tshirts made? I hope not I hope they see sense, what worries me is not only that icw allowed them to say it but it was pre recorded, they had enough time to pull it and have them do another, it wasn't said in the heat of the moment in the ring, icw are wrong for allowing this gimmick to be as on the nose as it is As for the Kinky Party, there have been too many times where they could have organicly broke them up ( you know.. In a way that would make sense) when grado then noam returned (a kinky vs pinky loyalty thing) and the no fun police feud, they even played it out in the ring like it was their last match... Its a tired routine drink before the match, crowd surf after.. I mean how many times has sha been dropped (plus sometimes the garage crowd are barely 6rows deep.. The the crowdsurfi g equivelant of calm waters Anyway I will be at the ICW this Sunday, and I will post a link to my report