Deathmatch Champions Roundup (Quarter 1 2023)
Wrestling can be a very active thing with so many different companies running and promoting at the same time. And the world of Deathmatch Wrestling is no different. So it is within this hyper-active environment that I got the idea to take a step back and acknowledge some of the genre’s major Championships in case anyone has gotten lost in the fray of the scene. The period of time being observed in this Champions Roundup will be from New Year’s Day (January 1st) through to March 31st; making up the First Quarter of the calendar year.. And do be warned that this will not be an all encompassing Roundup of all Deathmatch Champions. With the current scope of Deathmatch Wrestling, there are loads of different companies and titles to speak of with varying levels of activity that would require pages of coverage and hours of research to keep up with everything. So with that in mind, lets look the activity of just a few of the major Championships of Deathmatch Wrestling.
King of FREEDOM Championship (Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS)
The King of FREEDOM Championship (commonly abbreviated to KFC Title) may be the most active Deathmatch Championship of the First Quarter in terms of different title holders. Three different men have had the distinction of being known as KFC Champion from beginning of the year to end of the First Quarter of the year. We saw the year start off with Drew Parker holding the KFC Title. Drew entered the year with three successful defenses under his belt against Miedo Extremo in the United States, as well as Masashi Takeda and Jun Kasai in Japan. Drew Parker’s reign of 157 days would come to an end at the hands of Violento Jack on February 2nd at Korakuen Hall; with Jack picking up his fourth reign with the KFC Title. However, Jack’s reign on top would be short lived as only over a week ago, Tomoya Hirata would stop Violento Jack’s reign at forty-nine days in his first defense at Korakuen Hall. While his first defense is not yet scheduled, I hope to see great things in the Second Quarter of 2023 from the twenty-eight year old Tomoya Hirata.
ICW American Deathmatch World Championship (ICW No Holds Barred)
From the Championship with the most Champions to the Championship with the most defenses, next comes the ICW American Deathmatch World Championship. Entering 2023, Brandon Kirk had a solid run with the American Deathmatch World Championship with two successful defenses under his belt against Matt Tremont and Bobby Orlando during The Wrestival. During the First Quarter, Brandon Kirk racked up three successful defenses against the likes of John Wayne Murdoch, AKIRA and Neil Diamond Cutter. Kirk even had the chance to defend overseas in England on tour with ICW; adding an additional three defenses against Lou Nixon, Clint Margera and BA Rose. Recently, Brandon Kirk has regressed into some devious tactics, being much more brash to the ICW fateful and getting underhanded; with his wife Kasey Kirk running interference to help him retain over AKIRA in particular in Chattanooga.
While Brandon Kirk would make it through the First Quarter evaluation period with his title in tow, that is where the Championship story for Brandon ends. Just a couple of days before posting, HoodFoot would end Brandon Kirk’s 106 day reign to become the new American Deathmatch World Champion. This victory would also mark HoodFoot’s first ever Deathmatch Championship in his career to date; coming after winning his first Deathmatch Tournament in the Battle of the Tough Guys II back in August of 2022. With this title win being a long time coming, I look forward to seeing where HoodFoot goes as ICW American Deathmatch World Champion.
GCW Ultraviolent Championship (Game Changer Wrestling)
Finally we have a Championship that has sadly been quite inactive so far this year. Coming into this past Quarter, Rina Yamashita defended the GCW Ultraviolent Championship successfully on four occasions against the likes of Sawyer Wreck, Mance Warner, Cole Radrick and Ciclope. As of posting, the Ultraviolent Champtionship has only been defended once so far this year. Albeit, Yamashita’s sole defense at GCW’s Holy Smokes event last month was a fantastic bout against Kasey Kirk. This lack of activity may be due in part to Rina’s obligations wrestling in her native Japan for companies like FREEDOMS, Oz Academy and 666. Hopefully, Game Changer Wrestling either could bring her in for further defenses in the United States, or negotiate defenses in Japan for Yamashita across the Second Quarter.
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