Island Charity Wrestling held an action-packed wrestling fundraiser before a near-capacity crowd Aug. 10 at the K’omoks First Nation hall.
Beginners and pros squared off to support two children’s charities. The theme was Night of Champions, where all five of ICW’s championships were on the line for the first time ever.
The first title defence was the ICW West Island Championship in a triple-threat elimination kendo stick match between champion “The Sickness” Chris Slade and challengers Matt Havik and Krofton. Just after Krofton was eliminated, tag team Champions Acadian Assassin and DDB came out and beat down both men, resulting in a no-contest. After a speech that had the crowd hating them, they played a video showing them beating down DDB’s challenger for the championship, Splash Campbell, at his Edmonton home. Would he be able to compete?
The Vancouver Island Hardcore Championship match was without rules and the 24/7 rule re-instated after the match. Champion “Big” Willy Johnson overcame the odds and retained his title with a win over Acadian Assassin by pinning him after a powerbomb through a wooden table to the floor. That wasn’t the end of it, however, as Krofton seized the opportunity with the 24/7 rule to come out with a ref and take the title from a weakened Johnson with a quick roll-up. Then Stan “The Lumberjack” Boyd ran in and pinned Krofton after a DDT onto a road sign to take the title from him. Acadian Assassin re-entered and pinned Boyd after a steel chair to the skull to win the title. After three title changes in one minute, Acadian Assassin finally left with the title he once held for 3 1/2 years and added to his resume as the greatest Hardcore Champion ever.
DDB retained the championship when Campbell was a no-show due to the injuries he sustained in The Chain Gang’s attack. Slade stepped up to a shot at the title but was overcome by Acadian and DDB’s usual distractions and cheating.
The Vancouver Island Tag Team Championships seemed to be safe in the hands of the Chain Gang when last-second challengers Havik and Slade, whom the Chain Gang had beaten up earlier, accepted the open challenge and did what no one else has been able to do since 2010 and overcame the gang’s excessive cheating to become the new champions.
The Vancouver Island Charity Championship was up for grabs in an over-the-top-rope Charity Battle Royale. Champion El Taco Grande put his belt up against 10 other men. Just as it seemed Taco had retained, the ultimate underdog and kids favourite, The Bumbling B, thought eliminated earlier on, re-entered unnoticed and eliminated Taco from behind to become the unlikely new champion, his first career win of any kind.
Other matches had suspended hockey enforcer Ron “The Hammer” Domi pin “Mexico’s biggest Canucks Fan” Juan E. Cañuck after knocking the ref out then breaking a hockey stick over Juan before pinning him; A-Train pinned The Bumbling B; Krofton pinned Barry Goode after Courtenay’s own Sgt. Kaos made his presence felt in the audience; Massey Ferguson beat Mas Loco; and Boyd defeated Krofton.
Profits totalled a donation exceeding $300 to You Are Not Alone. About $200 from the concession was donated to Superstore’s charity President’s Choice Children’s Charity.
DVDs from this and past Valley shows are available at 250-792-3332. Profits support charity.
