In 2017 the ‘Iron King’ has had to show his mettle.

A year at the top for Joe Coffey hasn’t come without its difficulties. The ICW World Heavyweight Champion has spent the best part of the year positioned in the main event, however, contractual disappointments and broken promises elsewhere have at times left him questioning the profession.

Now as he gears up for his ‘Champion v Champion’ bout with BT Gunn on 19th November at ICW’s Fear and Loathing in the colossal SSE Hydro, Coffey is aiming to round-off a rollercoaster year on a high.

“As successful as the year has been, it has been a hard year as well,” he reflected.

“Several times I have felt like I wasn’t sure if I could face another disappointment, but it is how you deal with it and how you get back on your feet.”

“The ITV World of Sport deal falling through was a big disappointment, when Impact or GFW got involved I couldn’t see it going anywhere from there, I don’t quite know the full story, it’s a real shame it didn’t come to anything as it would have been really special and great to have brought British wrestling back to television after 30-years.”

“It was a really good thing to be part of, everyone in the locker room was determined to make the show as good as they possibly could and nobody was in it for themselves – that was one of the few times I’ve felt that.”

“There’s been a few more disappointments too, I was supposed to be in Canada a few weeks ago and at the end of the year too for one of the Indy’s and then there was the 5Star tour. I’ve lost a lot financially this year, but the momentum and match quality – that has been priceless and is sometimes more important than your bank balance.”

Coffey’s clash with Gunn will be the fourth occasion the two have collided inside an ICW ring this year. It’s the Iron King who currently is ahead 2-1 and he plans on extending his lead by adding the Zero-G championship to his title haul at the Hydro.

“At the end of the day there’s a title going to change hands at the end, both of us will have to bring our very best and I plan on doing that,” Coffey insisted.

“Myself and BT have had almost like our own little series of exhibition matches in ICW this year, we’ve wrestled three times, having barely locked up whatsoever previously. It sits at 2-1 to me and I’m looking to add another victory – I know it’s going to be a great match against someone I know very well both inside and outside the ring.”

“I’m looking forward to the first collision and marking my territory. The main event style wrestling has taken its toll on my body, I’ve been wrestling main events in various companies for two or three years now. That is a different kettle of fish, you are in there for a shift and for a long physical match.”

The main-event star for the best part of a year in ICW, Joe is also no stranger to top billing at Fear and Loathing, having closed out the show in 2016 by beating WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold-medallist Kurt Angle.

Going in as champion this year, he believes there is a new type of pressure on him this time round, although insists there is more pressure on his opponent.

“This year is a different challenge and that’s how I look at. Last year there was still a big match feel going into it – although it felt like a bit of an exhibition – this year’s match will be an all-out war for the World Heavyweight title,” he added.

“I got to go toe-to-toe with Kurt Angle, arguably the best professional wrestler who has ever lived, whether that be professional or Olympic wrestling – it was a big honour and it was great to be chosen for the match – I like to think I have a reputation for being able to step into the ring with anyone and mix it up.”

“Ideally I want to make all the endeavours of this year worthwhile. I think for once I am going into the match as the underdog, even though I am the World Heavyweight Champion. I feel like the fans think it is a foregone conclusion with the fans that BT is going to win – that couldn’t be further from the truth, I thrive on the pressure of being backed into a corner.”

Another marked difference between this year and last is Coffey is unlikely to be able to rely on the backing of the vociferous ICW crowd.

Aligning himself with Red Lightning and the RUDO Sports Entertainment brand following his title win at Barramania, the fans have seen a new side of his personality and it’s a role he is fully embracing.

Lightning’s skills on the microphone are arguably the best in ICW and his influence on Coffey has been clear too, with the champion delvering some fantastic promos over the course of the year.

“It’s has been a good year for myself and ICW, very different from what I imagined it would be. It was literally on the night I faced Trent Seven at the Barrowlands that I felt a shift change in the way that the crowd was reacting to me. Just as I was going through the curtain I grabbed Red Lightning from the RUDO Sports Entertainment Brand and told him if I won he was to come out and present me with the belt and a ‘No Mercy’ Barrowlands t-shirt and we would push (Mark) Dallas on his arse,” he laughed.

“I felt I needed to freshen things up and change it, if the fans want to turn their backs on me, then that’s fine – at the end of the day my back is always against the wall and at the Hydro I want to turn round and show them a waist full of Heavyweight Championship gold.”

“I was never shy of getting on the mic, but I always think my wrestling speaks for itself. This time it was following the patterns of guys in the fight game like Conor McGregor and Tyson Fury – who talk people into either seeing them get beaten or beat people up. I’ve always liked that style, especially in professional wrestling with guys like Ric Flair, someone who is well rounded and can do it all – I want to be that kind of champion where it is all about business at the end of the day.”

“With myself, Andy (Red Lightning) and the RUDO thing, every time we got on the mic it becomes a little more cohesive and a lot more natural – it’s been fun – a lot of guys feel the pressure of being at the front of the company, but I’ve had the most fun of my time in ICW as I’m very much suited to that main event style wrestling.”

As the biggest show in British wrestling rolls around again, the attention on ICW has never been higher. At the Cardiff ‘Road to the Hydro’ show, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and 14-time World Champion, Triple H stepped into an ICW ring and gave a glowing endorsement to the talent within the company.

The footage of the moment the ‘King of Kings’ stepped through the curtain to a deafening reaction from the ICW fans has gone viral, although Coffey wasn’t there to soak it up. One of the hardest workers in British wrestling, Joe’s focus was on catching a flight to Discovery Wrestling for an evening show, having wrestled in Cardiff that afternoon.

Despite this, he wouldn’t rule out a feature meeting of the two kings…

“I had heard something that he might show up, but I don’t think about that sort of thing. I was actually trying to make a flight; the Cardiff show was in the afternoon and then I had another match in Edinburgh against the UFC’s Matt Riddle in the evening.” he explained.

“We did cross paths, he was pulling up as I was leaving, we shook hands and said hello and then as I was at the airport I watched it unfold on my phone.”

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t there for the live reaction which was a shame, if I was there I’d have liked to come out – this is my company and you aren’t going to be the focal point. A verbal spar between the King of Kings and the Iron King would have been good, but alas that wasn’t to be.”

“You never know what’s round the corner. ICW were always known for pulling out these shock surprises and sometimes I think, the one downfall of ICW fans and wrestling fans in general is that they can become a bit complacent and think they won’t miss much by missing a show – Cardiff showed otherwise. It’ll probably give the fans a kick up the arse and the rest of the roster the same.”

“I’m a free agent now, I was signed to World of Sport, but that contract is now null and void, it’s an interesting time and there are a few options that I could be looking at, we’ll just see what happens really.”

Courtesy of One Fall Media