History
Early years (2002–2004)
Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) ran its first two shows in June 2002 in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, which featured wrestler Tatanka. After these two shows, IWW returned to the ESB National Basketball Arena on 9 October for a show that was headlined by Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
IWW continued to promote shows around Ireland through 2003 and 2004. On 2 December 2004, IWW held a show in Lucan, Dublin, and the main event featured an FWA British Heavyweight Championship match in which Alex Shane pinned Sheamus O'Shaunessy. Also in 2004, IWW opened up their 'Lock-up' training school in Dublin. Trainers at this school have included Blake Norton, "Middleman" Lee Butler and "The Pukka One" Darren Burridge. The training school has also been host to the company's Gym Wars shows which gives trainees a chance to show their skills to IWW management and to a crowd.
Growth (2005–2007)
On 20 March 2005, IWW presented its first-ever SuperShow, held in the SFX City Theatre in Dublin. On 28 March, O'Shaunessy was crowned the first-ever IWW International Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Darren Burridge in the tournament final. [2] American wrestler D'Lo Brown unseated O'Shaunessy as IWW Champion at D-Day on 20 May 2005. Brown reigned for 126 days, before dropping the title back to O'Shaunessy at a Main Event Wrestling Event in Newcastle, England. [3] [4]
Also in 2005, IWW got its own TV show called Whiplash TV, which was broadcast on The Wrestling Channel on Sky Digital. The show ran for two seasons. Throughout May and June 2006, IWW taped several episodes of its Whiplash TV show in the Laughter Lounge in Dublin City. In 2006, IWW ran shows in cities across Ireland. [5] From August to October 2006, the first ever King of the Gym tournament was held over the course of four Gym Wars events. The key IWW feud of this period was between O'Shaunessy and Drew Galloway who battled in a series of gimmick matches (Lumberjack, Two-Out-of-Three Falls, Last Man Standing) [6] between January and August 2006 until Galloway successfully defeated O'Shaunessy to win the IWW title [7] and the end their rivalry. [8]
At the beginning of 2007, the IWW Zero Gravity Championship was created, and a tournament was held to crown the first champion. [9] The 12-man tournament included wrestlers from seven countries. [9]
In March 2017, IWW held its second SuperShow, and in the main event, Vic Viper defeated Christopher Daniels to retain the IWW International Heavyweight Championship. [10] On 6 July, IWW returned to the Forum in Waterford for its Global Impact show, which was taped for DVD sales. The match between the Ballymun Bruiser and Doug Williams was featured on TV3's Diary of a Sportstar program.
In late October 2007, it ran 14 shows between 19 and 28 October. Several matches on the tour were taped for the International Hits, Vol. 1 DVD.
Return of Gym Wars; Memorial Tournament & Tours (2008–2019)
On 1 June 2008, Gym Wars returned after a 10-month absence. Later that month, IWW returned to the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin for the first time in six years. All the matches were taped for IWW's television show on Buzz TV.
IWW continued running shows in 2011. Around this time, they branched into fundraisers, festival events and summer circuit shows.
From 2011 onward, IWW focused on showcasing Irish talent, resulting in a streamlined roster that still utilised touring performers from Canada, America, the UK, and Europe.
Irish Whip Wrestling toured nationally, participating in the festival and agricultural show circuit. In 2019, they held approximately 30 shows, compared to their peak of over 60 shows per year.
Hibernation
As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Irish Whip Wrestling was shuttered.
