The Wrestling Guys Preview ICONIC

Saturday night’s ICONIC show is just about here. ICONIC will feature six big matches, two titles on the line, and a dream match between two of pro wrestling’s most iconic wrestlers meeting one on one in the ring for the very first time…well…if you don’t count the El Hombre Blanco versus Lindsay Troy match last week.

It’s a perfect time to take a look at the stacked card which features World Champion Cecilworth Farthington vs. ‘The Egobuster’ Dan Ryan and LSD Champion Maximillian Kael vs. High Flyer, and much more with the Wrestling Guys’ Thunderbolt Smith and ‘Long Haul’ Rick Hall.

Scott Woodson vs. Brenton Cross
The artist formerly known as Scottywood makes his debut as ‘Corporate Scottywood’ when he faces the Time Traveling Sensation Brenton Cross one on one in the opening match of the night.

How did this match come about? After Cross sent three time ICON champion Darin Zion on vacation with a big win at Refueled XII almost two weeks ago, Woodson came out to congratulate him. Cross told him he knew who he needed to face at ICONIC and decked Woodson with a spinning heel kick. The match for ICONIC was made right then and there.

Thunderbolt Smith: Cross has kicked off his HOW career with four wins out of five and this will be his second HOW pay per view match. He defeated Crash Rodriguez in the opening match of Rumble at the Rock 9 over two months ago when he wrapped Rodriguez in barbed wire and put him through the broadcast table. Woodson last set foot in the ring less than two months ago at Refueled IX when he lost to Scott Stevens in the delayed Crucifixion Match originally scheduled for Rumble at the Rock 9.

Rick Hall: Even though he lost to Max Kael at Refueled IX in a LSD Title match, by the way- his only loss, Cross has been on the ascendancy with the big win over Zion at Refueled XII. He can take a big step forward with a win over the HOW Hall of Famer as a win over Woodson should get Cross right back into the title mix. For his part, Woodson is looking to show not only Cross but all of HOW that he still has it inside the ring.

Scott Stevens vs. Steve Solex
HOW’s newly minted ‘Ward Cleaver’ Steve Solex takes on ‘The Scorpion’ Scott Stevens in the second match of the night. This will be a battle between two HOW veterans in a match years in the making that will take both men full circle from their time at Legacy Pro Wrestling to the present.

This match came about when Brian Bare interviewed Stevens after his loss to Mike Best at Refueled XI and said he had ‘unfinished business’ with Solex. Solex came out and attacked Stevens with a lead pipe and the match was quickly booked.

Thunderbolt Smith: Solex has been on a roll the past couple shows sporting wins over former HOW World Champion Brian Hollywood and Noah Hanson. Stevens has struggled mightily inside the HOW ring with just one win (over Scottywood) since HOW returned last year.

Rick Hall: Former two time HOW world champion Scott Stevens has had a terrible time in the ring in the HOW Refueled era. He got the win he desperately needed against Scottywood in the Crucifixion match at Alcatraz and looked good against Mike Best a few weeks back. A win against Solex would go a long way in getting Stevens a little confidence. Solex, on the other hand, started slow but has come on in the past few weeks with the wins over Hollywood and Hanson. These two know each other well which should make for a good match.

Austin Reeves vs. Chris Kostoff
Two old school HOW veterans square off in what promises to be a hard-hitting, uncompromising brawl between two of the toughest men in High Octane Wrestling.

Kostoff is a three time LSD champion having won his first belt back in 2008. Reeves won the ICON title in 2016 by defeating the current ICON and World Champion Cecilworth Farthington.

Thunderbolt Smith: This should be a pretty straightforward match. A battle between two of HOW’s biggest monsters in the ring.

Rick Hall: Yeah, this is going to be fun to watch. There is no other way to describe what this match will be other than it won’t be pretty nor will it consist of precise scientific moves. Kostoff and Reeves will be throwing sledgehammers back and forth trying to beat the ever-loving shit out of each other until one of them drops and can’t continue. Pretty much, the winner will be the last man standing at the end.

Lindsay Troy vs. Michael Lee Best
The Bastard Son of the God of HOW versus The Queen of the Ring. The first battle of the night between The eMpire and The Industry with a special stipulation- winner gets to name their LBI Group.

Mike fired the first shot between the two when he…er…El Hombre Blanco attacked Troy with a lead pipe and injured her shoulder at Refueled XI. LT would walk into Lee Best’s office at Refueled XII and demand a match with Mike…er…El Hombre Blanco and then proceeded to nail EHB with the Raynes of Castamere. LT slapped on a kneebar and held the hold until the EPU came out to break up the match and El Hombre Blanco got himself tasered in the process after he shoved an EPU guard.

Thunderbolt Smith: Dream match? Absolutely. Two of wrestling’s top personalities over the past ten years in the same ring. I think it could steal the show with the winner finally starting to get a little elevation with a big time win at ICONIC.

Rick Hall: Lindsay Troy in a HOW ring was Lee Best’s biggest Christmas wish for years. Now that she’s finally here, LT’s had a good run in the company but you get the sense that she isn’t remotely satisfied with what’s she’s done. Troy was eliminated in the third round of the World Title tournament by Brian Hollywood and I know she was disappointed at her War Games showing as well. On the other hand, Michael Lee Best’s Refueled adventure went a little sideways early on after he deliberately got himself disqualified against John Sektor in the World Title tournament last spring followed by his brief tenure in running the company. He’s found himself overshadowed in the eMpire by the emergence of Cecilworth Farthington as a dominant champion and Max Kael holding down the LSD title. At ICONIC, both LT and Mike look to secure a signature win to kick start their fortunes.

LSD Championship Match-High Flyer vs. Maximillian Kael©
Match number two of the night between the Industry and eMpire sees the legendary Jack Harmen aka High Flyer from the Industry challenging the eMpire’s Max Kael for the LSD title.

Save an upset loss in the semi-finals of the World Title tournament to eventual winner Halitosis, Max Kael could have been the dominant champion everyone’s talking about instead of Cecilworth Farthington. Kael has been unbeatable throughout the Refueled era and holds the LSD title he won from M.J. Flair in the Prison Yard Match at Alcatraz in a three way match that also featured the aforementioned High Flyer.

However at Refueled XII, High Flyer whacked Kael in the back with a bat and sent the LSD Champion flying off a roof into a flaming dumpster fire. Does that give High Flyer an advantage going into ICONIC? Will Max be in any condition to wrestle Saturday night? We will see.

Thunderbolt Smith: High Flyer is more than capable of winning this match and it’s clear he really wants to beat Max at ICONIC. But injuries from a flaming dumpster aside, there’s no way in hell I would bet against Max Kael at the moment.

Rick Hall: Agree. If you think about it, Max is only one Lethal Breath of Death away from being an unbeaten world champion in the Refueled era of HOW. Even if they have to patch him together with gum, bungee cords, and bondo just to get him to the ring, I think Max has to be the favorite in this match and it’s going to take one hell of an effort by High Flyer to stop him. That being said, High Flyer is more than capable of conjuring up such effort and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if he did. I just think Max is pretty close to unstoppable at the moment.

97 Minute iron Man Match for the World Championship: Dan Ryan vs. Cecilworth Farthington©
ICONIC’s main event features one of wrestling’s long time greats in Dan Ryan going up against the HOW World and ICON Champion Cecilworth Farthington- who himself is very quickly carving out his own legacy.

The first one on one match between Ryan and Farthington at Refueled V ended in a draw. The second match at Refueled VI inside a steel cage went to Farthington- but he did not pin Ryan. Now here we are at match three and Lee Best has decreed that Ryan and Farthington will do battle in a marathon 97 minute Iron Match for the High Octane Wrestling World Title.

Thunderbolt Smith: This match is going to transcend the Industry v. eMpire- you’ve got two of the best wrestlers right now in the industry going up against each other. Dan Ryan has been in this situation so many times before. This is his moment. We’ll find out if he can seize it. And save the slip up against Brian Hollywood in the world title tournament and the draw against Ryan, Farthington has been the guy in HOW during the Refueled era.

Rick Hall: I think this is close to a coin flip. It sounds incredibly cliché but, yeah, it’s going to come down to who wants it the most. Who’s willing to push their body to the limit to endure 97 minutes inside the ring? This is going to be a war of attrition between the two best wrestlers in the company and two of the best wrestlers anywhere period. Dan Ryan has a history of killing it in big moments just like this and he’s won big time titles no matter where he’s wrestled. On the other hand, Cecilworth Farthington has simply crushed it in major matches during HOW’s Refueled revival. Between the two, you have all of the ingredients right here for a great match and I have extremely high hopes that this one will deliver.

High Octane Wrestling Presents: ICONIC
Saturday January 18^th, 2020
Allstate Arena
Chicago, IL

Singles Match with the Winner getting to name their LBI Group
Lindsay Troy vs. Michael Lee Best

Singles Match
Austin Reeves vs. Chris Kostoff

Singles Match
Scott Stevens vs. Steve Solex

Singles Match
Scott Woodson vs. Brenton Cross

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