Time’s ticking – we’re inching closer to Europe’s biggest wrestling festival, so here’s a look at what’s announced for this year’s 16 Carat Gold.
16 Carat Gold runs from March 8 through 10, 2024 – with Inner Circle acting as the now-traditional curtain raiser on Thursday March 7.
- If you’re making the trip over, we’ve updated our Oberhausen travel guide for 2024… just be aware of announced strikes that will affect Deutsche Bahn and potentially airports as well.
16 Carat Gold Entrants
After Dead End and Bielefeld’s Road to 16 Carat Gold, we’ve got our field of 16… with some surprising names in the mix.
AIGLE BLANC
Last Year in Carat: 2022
Best Finish: First Round (2022, lost to Peter Tihanyi)
Career Highlights: Former wXw World Tag Team Champion, current Rixe Champion
ELIJAH BLUM
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former wXw Shotgun Champion
MIKE D VECCHIO
Last Year in Carat: 2023
Best Finish: First Round (2023, lost to Tristan Archer)
Career Highlights: Current GWF World Champion, former GWF Berlin champion, former WrestlingKult champion
JOSEPH FENECH Jr.
Last Year in Carat: 2022 (as Senza Volto)
Best Finish: First Round (2022, lost to Shigehiro Irie)
Career Highlights: Current and two-time BZW Champion, former wXw World Tag Team Champion, former GWF Berlin champion
ICARUS
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former wXw World Tag Team Champion (3x), former HCW tag team champion (3x)
LUKE JACOBS
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion, former PROGRESS Atlas Champion, current SAJ Openweight Champion
GRINGO LOCO
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Current Warrior Wrestling Lucha Champion
1 CALLED MANDERS
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: 2023 Scenic City Invitational winner, current MLW World Tag Team Champion
STEPHANIE MAZE
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former wXw World Tag Team Champion (2x)
MICHAEL OKU
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Current Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion, Rev Pro Grand Slam winner
OSKAR
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former wXw Academy Trophy Holder
LAURANCE ROMAN
Last Year in Carat: 2023
Best Finish: First Round (2023, lost to Francesco Akira)
Career Highlights: Former wXw World Tag Team Champion, former wXw Shotgun champion
LIO RUSH
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former Impact X-Division Champion, former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, 2022 New Japan Super Junior Tag League winner
MASATO TANAKA
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: 2020 D-Ou Grand Prix winner, Fire Festival winner in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2017, held championships in New Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT, ECW and ZERO1
PETER TIHANYI
Last Year in Carat: 2023
Best Finish: Semi-Finalist (2023, lost to Axel Tischer)
Career Highlights: Current WrestlingKult & HCW Champion, former GWF Tag Team Champion
EL HIJO DE DR. WAGNER JR.
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Current GHC Heavyweight Champion
Inner Circle
This one sold out before we even hit 2024 – if you’ve got a ticket, doors for this are at 6.30pm, with a 7pm bell time… and if you’ve got a tournament or festival pass, you’ll be able to pick it up here.
16 Carat Gold – Night One
As is the norm, night one is all about the first round of Carat – with an alternate’s match likely to fill in the pre-show slot. 6pm doors, 8pm bell time for this one. Announced for the show:
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Lio Rush vs. Aigle Blanc
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Peter Tihanyi
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Elijah Blum vs. Masato Tanaka
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Gringo Loco vs. Mike D Vecchio
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Stephanie Maze vs. Icarus
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Laurance Roman vs. OSKAR
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Luke Jacobs vs. 1 Called Manders
16 Carat Gold 2024 First Round: Joseph Fenech Jr. vs. Michael Oku
wXw Shotgun Championship: Maggot vs. Levaniel vs. The Rotation (c)
Alternate Four Way: Jacob Crane vs. Nick Schreier vs. Anita Vaughn vs. Mochizuki Jr.
We Love Wrestling 57: Wildcard Edition
Replacing the wXw NOW & Friends Showcase in the schedule this year, the Wildcard format sees a host of names from around the world drop in… doors are at 11.30am for a noon start. Matches announced include:
Myles Hawkins vs. Griffin McCoy vs. DeSean Pratt
Safire Reed vs. Rachel Armstrong
Channing Thomas vs. Ryan Clancy
Derek Neal vs. Marc Empire
Landon Hale vs. Stephen Wolf
Travis Williams vs. Liam Slater
Avatar vs. Dominik Fischer vs. Goldenboy Santos vs. Red Scorpion
Ambition 15
An afternoon matinee here, with 2.30pm for doors and 3pm bell time for wXw’s regular shoot-style tournament.
AMBITION First Round: Axel Tischer vs. Jaden Newman
AMBITION First Round: Jay Joshua vs. Luke Jacobs
AMBITION First Round: Mochizuki Jr. vs. Thomas Shire
AMBITION First Round: Patrick “Cy” Bork vs. Matt Makowski
Super Fight: Fast Time Moodo vs. Bobby Gunns
AMBOSS (Icarus & Laurance Roman) vs. OSKAR & Liam Slater
16 Carat Gold – Night Two
Typically the spotlight of the entire weekend falls on this night, where the weekend’s big title defence would happen… this year though, that spotlight will be placed on Absolute Andy for one final time, as he’ll be inducted into the wXw Hall of Fame. Doors are at 6pm, with first bell at 7.30pm.
Also announced:
Elimination Three-Way for wXw World Tag Team Championship: Rott und Flott (Michael Schenkenberg & Nikita Charisma) vs. High Performer Ltd. (Anil Marik & Tristan Archer) vs. Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig (c)
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: Shigehiro Irie vs. Robert Dreissker (c)
wXw We Love Wrestling 58
Sunday kicks off with a We Love Wrestling taping that has our name on it once more… Doors for this are at 11.30am with bell time at 12 noon…
16 Carat Gold – Night Three
Your semi-finals and finals go here, along with other matches that typically set the table for the remainder of the year. Doors open a little earlier at 4pm, with opening bell at 5pm.