We’re closing out the year by looking at a match from a new promotion (for us), between two of Europe’s hottest names…
Based in Austria (if the name didn’t give it away), PWÖ have been running for just over a year, with their debut show in September 2021. There’s a healthy mix of names familiar to wXw fans, with Robert Dreissker currently reigning as PWÖ champion, in addition to names you’ll see elsewhere around the continent.
Peter Tihanyi vs. Michael Oku
This one’s from this past September’s Goldfieber event, the show that saw Robert Dreissker do double duty to win the PWÖ title… and also take part in the final match of Monster Consulting.
Anyway, this one comes from the Kulturhaus Pottschach in Ternitz, Austria… and sees Peter Tihanyi – a guy who I really wish got more bookings in the UK, and yes, I know he worked PROGRESS earlier this year – take on someone who’s one of my “man, I really hope he makes 16 Carat Gold one of these years” wishlist names. Yes, I’d even cheer for a Newcastle supporter… maybe.
Oku got a pretty good reaction considering this was his debut for Austria, and went toe-to-toe with Tihanyi early on with shoulder tackles, headlock takedowns and escapes en route to a stand-off. That prompted Oku into a cheapshot kick to the gut, but Tihanyi shrugged it off and chopped Oku into the ropes ahead of that leapfrog-over-him and a dropkick. Tihanyi grounds Oku for a spell, then took Oku into the apron… only to get hung up in the ropes as Oku fought back with a missile dropkick. We’re getting some of the sneakier, conniving Oku here, as he beat Tihanyi down for a kneedrop, which only picked up a one-count. A snap suplex keeps Oku ahead, but the cocky cover wasn’t going to do it, and only served to fire up Tihanyi as a swinging DDT put him back in control.
An enziguri downed Oku ahead of a springboard knee drop out of the corner, but Oku’s able to stem the tide, crashing into Tihanyi with a dropkick in the corner ahead of a frog splash… which Tihanyi got his knees up for. Oku stopped himself short though, but misses a follow-up springboard moonsault as a slingshot cutter from Tihanyi added a two-count, before Oku blocked a cutter by lifting Tihanyi into the ropes for a draping back cracker. If Michael’s not using that more often, someone ought to add that to their arsenal…
Oku goes for the springboard moonsault again, but crashes and burns as the pair began to exchange chops. Tihanyi knees away Oku’s superkick, but got caught seconds later with the misdirection knee as the frog splash finally landed for a near-fall. The springboard moonsault comes off seconds later as Oku was beginning to find a way through, while a half crab ends in the ropes, with Oku following Tihanyi outside with the Fosbury flop. Looking to one-up things, Oku takes it to the entrance stage, but sadly he’s not going to throw Tihanyi into the covered-up piano. Instead, a piledriver attempt’s countered out of with a back body drop, before Tihanyi leapt off the stage with a flip senton to Oku. Rushing back inside, an Asai DDT nearly wins it for the Hungarian, before his Meteora off the top was rolled through into another half crab.
The ropes save Tihanyi once more, before see-saw inside cradles tease a winner… Oku adds a superkick and a front kick as he looked to polish off Tihanyi with a back superplex… but it’s countered into a Sliced Bread off the top rope for the win.
Result: Peter Tihanyi pinned Michael Oku in 17:36 (****)
For a first-time meeting, these two gelled together shockingly well – both in terms of how they played off of each other physically and as characters. Whether it’s in Austria, or elsewhere, this better be run back in the future, if only to see how these two progress through the years.