Drew Galloway on ICW’s success and his future in TNA

By Gary Mehaffy for F4WOnline.com

Drew Galloway is officially one of wrestling’s true jetsetters.

He works for TNA and EVOLVE n the U.S. and mainly for ICW in Scotland/UK. Just prior to this conversation, Galloway had crossed the Atlantic four times in the previous two weeks to work with the aforementioned companies.

Adding to all of this: a neck injury that has kept him on the shelf but saw him jump off the shelf this past weekend for ICW’s major Fear And Loathing IX event in Glasgow, Scotland — the biggest non-WWE show in the region in 34 years.

In this Q&A, Drew and I spoke at length about his love of ICW, how he has seen it grow since their first show in front of 60 people 10 years ago, his injury and just how close he was to something major going wrong, his hopes for ICW, TNA and more.

This interview was done prior to his appearance for ICW this past weekend, which fans can catch on demand.

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Do you even have time for jet lag anymore?

Drew Galloway: I try to squeeze sleep in there. I think I’m the only wrestler in the world that travels a lot that has some sort of travelling narcolepsy. I’m able to sleep on every flight and as soon as I hit a bedroom, I can just close my eyes and go straight to sleep, which is definitely helpful. I had the first five weeks I’ve had off in my life when I got hurt, just sitting on the couch – I went a little crazy during that – but the last couple of weeks, I’ve been back and forth and into the old routine. Getting back into it again was pretty interesting. I don’t even remember how I did it in the past, but I’m starting to get used to it again. 

How the neck is these days?

Yeah, it’s grand. Technically, it’s my upper back rather than my neck. I was dropped on my neck, but thankfully it was my upper back (which got injured) and thankfully, there was no nerve issues or any disc problems or anything like that. So it was just a case of getting a couple of hairlines to heal and I’m back exactly the way I was before. I was very lucky – I never had any effects from it or any pain – or any issues at all to be honest. I was very surprised.

I was very worried when it happened. I felt how I landed and heard noises I’d never heard before. I thought ‘This is going to be bad.’ When I went and picked up the MRIs, the doctor explained that it isn’t ideal, but I was very, very lucky. He said I’d be back within 6-to-8 weeks, but it’s going to be 10 weeks (by the time I wrestle again) because he just wanted to make 100% sure that I’m 100% better and back the way I was before and with no chance of anything getting hurt again  which is good news.

I’ve been going a little crazy and hitting the gym the past couple of weeks doing the rehab and strengthening exercises. It’s good to be back at that and I’m excited to get back in the ring.

You were on the first ICW show some ten years ago and now here we are in 2016 with the biggest non-WWE UK show ever. How surreal is it for you to see how far the company has come?

It’s incredible. Just the UK scene in general, is. When I first started – I’ve said it a million times – I travelled 12 hours to FWA to learn to wrestle because basically there only was the FWA and (NWA) Hammerlock. Then a few of us started the Scottish wrestling scene and I helped train a few guys. Basically, All Star Wrestling was the only full time place – and, as I say, FWA, Hammerlock and Irish Whip Wrestling – so myself and Sheamus and Wade Barrett would work together to get better because there wasn’t any other way to try to get better, besides working for All Star – which I did every Easter and Summer holiday. Then I came back 8 years later and see how it is now…

With ICW, as you said, I was the first champion and there were about 60 people at the show. It didn’t get much better in the few shows we did before I left! Coming back to ICW as the first place (after my WWE release) and having 1500 people that loud and crazy and seeing the talent and the roster that travelled places together in the UK, and seeing the wealth of talent that now exists and the incredible companies and seeing ICW grow…

My first big show was against (Jack) Jester at The Barrowlands – we got 2000 people at that show. Fast forward one year later with myself and Grado for the title when I’d gone heel at The SECC, we got 4000 people which was the British record at the time. Now, we’re breaking our own record this year. It’s absolutely insane when you think about it.

When I came back (to ICW) and said all the big things I said – that after the BBC documentary this small company could completely take over the world – I truly believed that, because I know (Mark) Dallas’ mind and I’ve seen the talent and believe in the talent and I know what I can add to the picture. Just to watch it all unfold…..Thank God I wasn’t wrong. Because as far as the world was concerned, there wasn’t much stuff they were saying (other than) “These guys are going to take over the world? We’ll see about that!” And sure enough, we have! Because I know Mark Dallas and I know the company. 

ICW in particular has really gone from strength to strength. Is that due to everybody pulling in the same direction from the top down?

Absolutely. If you notice when it comes to ICW – and it’s the same with a few British companies – they don’t use many international talents. There’s maybe one or two who come in for a special reason, like some former ECW guys, what with the comparisons with ICW and ECW. Rhyno came in and wrestled myself when I was ICW Champion – he was the last ECW champion – and he endorsed ICW as the similar spirit and similar feel of ECW, which was a pretty cool moment having that match with himself.

ICW is generally ICW guys – that’s what’s grown the company. There’s so few guys who come in. You can consider me an import, but I am from Scotland and I’m an ICW guy. That’s the extent of me being an import. You’ve got Finn Balor coming back (for the show); he’s somebody who came whenever he could and loved working there and is part of the ICW legacy that helped it get to where it’s at today. We’re generally the same guys that have been there the whole time, and that’s pretty incredible that we didn’t have to rely on bringing in all these big names along the way. We’ve had certain guys on big shows who do get brought in, but generally they’re brought in for the reason that they fit the ICW mould, fit what ICW is about, and not just a random name brought in. It’s pretty cool.

How important is it that ICW bases it on the homegrown talent and continues to grow it from there?

I think that’s essential and it’s what ICW has done. That’s what’s got ICW to where it is – we’re one big family. We’ve all grown up together. A lot of the guys, I was gone when a lot of them came in, but I’ve got to know them well over the past couple of years. Everybody gets along with everybody, everybody helps everybody, everybody knows their character and adds to the show. Everybody brings something different and that’s the best part about it. The bigger shows, as you say, we bring in a couple of extra people to bring in some new eyes that don’t know ICW – and there’s not many eyes in Scotland that don’t know about ICW now. When anybody is brought in, it’s generally an ex-ECW guy or somebody that knows what ICW is all about.

Apart from the fact that your TNA and Evolve schedule allows it, what has kept you coming back?

Of all the places I was gone from when I was in WWE, ICW was the first place I wanted to come back to. (Apart from) my friend running the company and my best friends wrestled for the company, it was a company I really believed in.

It’s incredible being there. It was already on fire – and would have got their on its own, I’m sure – but it feels really to have come in and helped to put it on that worldwide stage and get more eyes on it to show the wealth of talent. Now, we all walk beside each other. If I got some eyes on the company, then we’re all walking side by side now. Every single person adds something to the show. There’s not one person on that roster that doesn’t deserve to be on the roster. I’m so proud every time I come back to see it getting bigger and bigger.

Myself and (Mark) Dallas are the original guys of Scottish wrestling. I met him when I was 14 before I even went to England to begin to train. We spoke online and we found somebody we could learn from and we were like “Finally we’re going to learn!” The first person in Scottish wrestling I ever met was Mark Dallas. We’re both able now to be doing this together, and at this level. It’s just ridiculous that 17 years ago when we were both 14 years old… it’s absolutely insane when you think about it just how far it’s come. It’s ridiculous – obscene might even be the word!

We’ve seen that ICW has grown from 60 people to what we saw this weekend. Where do you think the company can go from here?

The sky’s the limit. We had the big Barrowlands show, and then Dallas said “We’re going to the SECC next.” I was like “Really? We’re happy enough that we had 2000 at the Barrowlands, that was pretty good!” Then we did it and we sold out and had over 4000 paid.

Last year, he said “Next year we’re going to do The Hydro – the big one!” I went “What?” I should learn not to question him at this point.

I keep seeing things happening and happening. When I first came back, I had all these big ideas, but I didn’t quite see how far things could possibly go, which just shows how well wrestling is doing and how much the guys in ICW have captured the imagination. I’m living in fantasy land right now, and to be able to play a part in it is unreal.

I think it shows just how influential it is in the UK, that after they announced they were going to The Hydro that – as if by magic – the WWE decided to take their tapings there. You kind of think “Yeah, we see what’s going on here.” But it just shows to me the influence that ICW – and the UK scene – is having right across the world, not just within our own shores.

Oh yeah. They’re not silly – I’m sure they’ve heard of ICW, there’s a lot of people watching it all the time. In Scotland, there’s this crazy fan base – people will travel from England to go to (WWE) TV – it’s not far. The way I look at it is that when they show up there and see all these billboards for the ICW show, they might not have known about it. And all these people handing out flyers for the ICW show, they might not have known about it. Finn Balor was on the ICW show, which is obviously WWE’s doing, so it’s only going to benefit it (ICW) and bring more people to the show.

I had heard that when Noam (Dar) made his Raw debut recently that there were so many loud ICW chants that they turned down the crowd noise because they were afraid of the crowd noise hijacking the show.

For them to debut him in his home country and in his home wrestling town, if you like….It was the same for myself when I was in WWE and we came to Glasgow, no matter what role I was playing I was always greeted me with a huge reaction. Even when I was IC Champion and I was wrestling Matt Hardy, they told me to cut a heel promo – and I tried my best – they booed the things I said, which were blatant bad guy things, but they still cheered for me because we’re from Scotland, we’re very proud.

We’re a small country and when someone does something we’re going to get behind them. So to watch Noam make his WWE debut on Monday Night Raw, on TV finally when it had been talked about “What’s happening with Noam?” he comes out in front of his home crowd, in Glasgow, with so many fans of the home company (ICW) there, they’re going to show him respect to him and to the company that helped make his name by chanting “ICW” is such a cool thing.

Watching all of the videos – I was out of town travelling, but people were tagging me in all of the videos – everyone was chanting “ICW” at him and he had his moment , which was very, very cool. I’m very happy for him.

Now that you’re back and healthy again, what does the future hold for you both here in ICW and across in TNA?

Things are obviously looking settled in the TNA department, so we’ll get to the New Year and the tapings will begin. TV wise and whatever was going on backstage, I can’t do anything about, the guys can’t do anything about – that stuff happens and it’s just a shame about it being so public.

Show wise, everybody has finally started giving the show a chance, and it’s getting such good feedback and people are very positive. So many guys left, and so many guys were given opportunities to step up – and they did step up. People like myself were moved into World title positions, and I was given that chance to show what I could do. People that weren’t really being used were given new characters to see what they could do and Decay was created and Eli Drake was given a more prominent chance to shine.

And then, Matt came up with this ridiculous character that took over the wrestling world. People who just wanted to see the Final Deletion got to see the rest of the show. The storylines and characters and everything have been flowing so smoothly over the last few months it would be tragic if the company went away.  It’s beyond the guys on the roster’s control.

The UK scene really is the talk of the industry at the minute. Why do you think we have always developed such fundamentally sound wrestlers who are connecting with wrestlers around the world?

I honestly couldn’t put my finger on it. A lot of people these days when I talk to them think like me when I was starting. They’re so determined to do it and a lot of the guys who back in the day had to go out of their way, like myself, to learn to wrestle, started going back to the wrestling school and showing what I could show and what I was learning to help develop the next generation.

There were so many passionate people who were passionate about doing wrestling. It seemed like such an American thing, such a far, out of reach thing for a lot people, who wouldn’t pursue it the way myself, Sheamus and Wade pursued it. it seemed unattainable and once they saw all of us get signed at the same time it probably started seeming like “It’s not such an American thing, it’s something that I could do also!”

And the guys who were training kept showing other people the ropes and kept pushing them to get better and as guys were travelling the world and coming back and showing what they had learned, then over time it started building and building, and the talent level got higher and the guys were learning from people around the world and now people know it can be done.

There are so many guys that have been signed and gone to America or gone to Japan and are making a living outside of WWE and it’s incredible that the UK is the number 1 scene, as far as I’m concerned, because the audiences make such a difference over here in the UK. The crowds are so loud and passionate, and there are so many of them, it’s really, really cool.

To watch it all happen, and everything’s on fire right now in the UK – it is number 1. Be it in the ring and learning to wrestle, or being in the crowd, it is the most passionate place in the world.