It’s the start of a new year… so it’s time to start the preparations for Europe’s biggest tournament!
16 Carat Gold runs from March 7 through 9, 2025 – with Inner Circle acting as the curtain raiser on Thursday.
If you’re making the trip over, check out our travel guide for Oberhausen!
16 Carat Gold Entrants
AHURA
Last Year in Carat: 2023
Best Finish: Semi-Finalist (2023, lost to Shigehiro Irie)
Career Highlights: 2 x wXw World Tag Team champion, former wXw Shotgun champion, former GWF Berlin champion
AIGLE BLANC
Last Year in Carat: 2024
Best Finish: Semi-Finalist (2024, lost to Peter Tihanyi)
Career Highlights: First wXw European champion, former wXw World Tag Team Champion, former champion in Rixe, BZW and APC
PSYCHO CLOWN
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: 2 x AAA World Trios champion, former AAA Latin American and World Tag Team champion
JOSEPH FENECH Jr.
Last Year in Carat: 2024
Best Finish: First Round (2022, as Senza Volto lost to Shigehiro Irie; 2024, lost to Michael Oku)
Career Highlights: Current champion in APC & BZW; former wXw World Tag Team champion; former GWF Berlin champion and GWF Tag Team champion
BOBBY GUNNS
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: AMBITION 13 winner (2022); 2x former wXw Unified World Wrestling champion, former wXw Shotgun champion, former wXw World Tag Team Champion
1 CALLED MANDERS
Last Year in Carat: 2024
Best Finish: Semi-Finalist (2024, lost to Laurance Roman)
Career Highlights: Previously held gold in ACTION, MLW and H2O in the States; 2019 Futures Showcase and 2023 Scenic City Invitational winner
CARA NOIR
Last Year in Carat: 2022
Best Finish: Winner (2020, defeated Mike Bailey in the final)
Career Highlights: Won Carat in 2020; held the PROGRESS World title for over two years from 2020-2022.
MICHAEL OKU
Last Year in Carat: 2024
Best Finish: Quarter-Finalist (2024, lost to Peter Tihanyi)
Career Highlights: 2 x and current Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight champion; Rev Pro Grand Slam winner
ADAM PRIEST
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Former 2 x ACTION champion, previously held the DEADLOCK PRO National title, the New South title and New South tag titles. Winner of the 2024 Scenic City Invitational and 2021 Heart Of The Southern Sixteen tournaments
LAURANCE ROMAN
Last Year in Carat: 2024
Best Finish: Winner (2024, defeated Peter Tihanyi in the final)
Career Highlights: Won Carat in 2024; won the wXw World Tag Team, Shotgun and Unified World Wrestling titles in the span of nine months between 2023 and 2024.
DAISUKE SEKIMOTO
Last Year in Carat: 2019
Best Finish: Quarter-Finalist (2009, lost to Steve Douglas)
Career Highlights: Former wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion (2011-2012); winner of wXw’s World Triangle League in 2013; held way too many titles to mention including a dozen runs with the Big Japan tag team titles (combined for 2328 days) and four runs with the Big Japan World Strong Heavyweight title, combining for 711 days.
MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: 3x former Open the Dream Gate champion; 7x former Open the Triangle Gate champion; former GHC National and GHC Tag Team Champion.
MASHA SLAMOVICH
Last Year in Carat: 2023
Best Finish: Quarter-Finalist (2023, lost to Axel Tischer)
Career Highlights: Ended 2024 as TNA Knockouts World Champion, the IWS Women’s Champion and the JCW Champion. Previously the wXw Women’s champion before losing it in a unification match to Robert Dreissker.
LEON SLATER
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Current NORTH Champion and Discovery Y Division champion, former Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight champion, former SovPro Commonwealth champion; held tag team titles with Man Like DeReiss in 1PW, NORTH and ASCA
AXEL TISCHER
Last Year in Carat: 2023
Best Finish: Finalist (2014 and 2023, lost to Chris Hero & Shigehiro Irie respectively)
Career Highlights: 2 x AMBITION tournament winner (2012 & 2024); 2021 Catch Grand Prix winner; ended 2024 as PROGRESS Atlas champion and has previously held wXw Unified World Wrestling championship (x2), wXw Shotgun title (x2); wXw World Tag Team Championship, PROGRESS World Tag Team championship, GWF Tag Team championship & NXT Tag Team championships.
ANITA VAUGHAN
Last Year in Carat: N/A
Best Finish: N/A
Career Highlights: Current wXw Shotgun champion; Femmes Fatales 2024 winner; former EVE Tag Team Champion
As for the wXw shows across the weekend, this is what’s on tap:
Inner Circle (March 6, 2025)
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. If you don’t have a ticket, you’re gonna be limited to the secondary market, as this one is sold out!
16 Carat Gold – Night One (March 7, 2025)
As is the norm, night one is all about the first round of Carat – with the traditional alternate’s four-way in the pre-show slot. 6pm doors, 8pm bell time for this one.
Alternate Four Way: Stephanie Maze vs. Hektor vs. Nick Schreier vs. Ryan Clancy
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Bobby Gunns vs. Anita Vaughan
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Laurance Roman vs. Adam Priest
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Leon Slater vs. Aigle Blanc
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Psycho Clown vs. Joseph Fenech Jr.
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Michael Oku vs. Ahura
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Masha Slamovich vs. Cara Noir
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Axel Tischer
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2025 First Round: 1 Called Manders vs. Daisuke Sekimoto
Shotgun Bonanza (March 8, 2025)
Saturday morning starts with a new concept in the footsteps of showcases and wildcard editions. The gimmick here is that the winners of every match will take part in another contest in the main event – an elimination match that’ll then boil down to a one-on-one match for the Shotgun title, regardless of whether the champion is involved or not. Doors are at 11.30am for a noon start.
wXw Shotgun Championship: Fast Time Moodo vs. Anita Vaughan (c)
Also in action: Dennis Dullnig, Kuro, Ravie Davey, Red Scorpion & Ryan Clancy.
Ambition 16 (March 8, 2025)
An afternoon matinee here, with 2.30pm for doors and 3pm bell time for wXw’s regular shoot-style tournament.
AMBITION First Round: Fast Time Moodo vs. Danny Jones
AMBITION First Round: Icarus vs. Liam Slater
AMBITION First Round: Thomas Shire vs. Yuto Nakashima
AMBITION First Round: Zozaya vs. Dieter Schwarz
In addition to the tournament, we also have:
Superfight: Masha Slamovich vs. Stephanie Maze
Superfight: Takuya Nomura vs. Fuminori Abe
16 Carat Gold – Night Two (March 8, 2025)
Typically the spotlight of the entire weekend falls on this night, where the weekend’s big title defence would happen. However, Peter Tihanyi’s injury means that we’ve now got a gap where Tihanyi vs. Elijah Blum would have been… Doors are at 6.30pm, with a bell time of 7.30pm. Announced so far:
wXw European Championship: Levaniel vs. Mike D Vecchio (c)
TLC Match for wXw World Tag Team Championship: High Performer Ltd. (Icarus & Anil Marik) vs. Big Bucks (Alex Duke & Norman Harras) vs. Planet Gojira (Robert Dreissker & Marc Empire) vs. Young Blood (OSKAR & Yuto Nakashima) (c)
wXw We Love Wrestling (March 9, 2025)
Sunday kicks off with a We Love Wrestling taping… Doors for this are at 11.30am with bell time at 12 noon…
16 Carat Gold – Night Three (March 9, 2025)
Your semi-finals and finals go here, along with other matches that typically set the table for the remainder of the year – with the winner of this year’s tournament facing Elijah Blum for the vacated wXw Unified World Wrestling title at a later date… Doors open at 4.30pm, with the opening bell at 5.30pm. Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Miyu Yamashita has been announced for this show only.