The biggest match in Irish history… and it was the biggest roadblock for OTT’s Import Killer as Jordan Devlin squared off against WALTER. This ought to be alright…
We’ll have the rest of the WrestleRama 2 show reviewed soon, but we had to jump straight to this match – if only to see if it lived up to the hype.
OTT Championship: WALTER vs. Jordan Devlin (c)
In the build-up to this, these two only squared-off once, in a tag match at “A Haven For Monsters” back in July. That tag match was WALTER’s OTT debut, but tellingly, Devlin was forced to tap out to the Austrian as his winning streak came to a shuddering end.
Two and a bit months later, they’re facing off again in the main event, with WALTER minus his ring jacket. Thanks Ryanair… Echoing the G1 finals, both wrestlers had corner men: WALTER had the obligatory presence of Timothy Thatcher, while Jordan Devlin had was (eventually) seconded by David Starr. I say eventually… Devlin charged to the ring in a rush to get this going, backed by a loud-as-hell crowd at the Arena on Dublin’s Suir Road. Goosebumps.
From the off, Devlin takes WALTER into the corner and fakes out a chop… which was a bad idea as WALTER switched around and looked to swing for one of his own. Jordan ducks, but his bid to go for a takedown sees him caught and met with a single leg crab as WALTER played the classic Goliath to Devlin’s David. Devlin manages to succeed with kicks to the thighs, as he was forced to hit and run… but he’s quickly caught in a neck bridge that the Austrian gleefully smashes apart. Speaking of “gleeful”, that’s the reaction from WALTER as he puts a boot through Devlin’s face as der Ringgeneral was all over the champion, effortlessly picking him up for a slam, then a knee drop before he just swatted Devlin into the corner. Jordan tries to fight back, and waffles WALTER with some lariats, eventually taking WALTER into the corner… but he’s caught and taken to the top rope for a quick suplex. Just when Devlin thought he’d gotten some kind of opening, he’s caught in a Boston crab as he was right back to square one.
WALTER used his boot to shove away Devlin, which riles up Jordan, who has to duck a couple of chops before he’s lifted onto the apron… then was left helpless as a springboard cutter was effortlessly caught and turned into a German suplex. Good grief. It continues as Devlin tries to get a boot up in the corner and eventually succeeds with a back cracker before he hits that slingshot cutter at the second attempt, only for a near-fall though before he looked to suplex WALTER. Bad idea.
WALTER escapes and after a leapfrog he’s caught with a wheelbarrow from Devlin, who stomped through him before he went back to the suplex… which again was escaped as Devlin tries to follow through with some kicks. A Gojira clutch quickly ends in the ropes, but Devlin flips out of a German suplex and then… CHOP! That suplex follows, but it’s WALTER who’s delivering it as Devlin looked to be in increasing trouble. A uranage slam’s good for a two-count as the Austrian’s back to toying around with his foe, only to get low bridged as Devlin finally had him on the outside… but a PK effort is caught as Devlin’s just hurled into the ring post. Hey, WALTER even has time to poke David Starr, before refocusing on the next step: Brookesing Devlin.
A couple of chairs are set out on the floor, but Devlin grabs onto the rope to avoid a powerbomb through them, instead hitting his PKs off the apron before an Orihara moonsault wiped out WALTER, with Devlin clipping one of those chairs on the way down. Devlin returns the match to the ring as the white-hot atmosphere continued, but his moonsault off the top’s aborted… allowing WALTER to hit a massive shotgun dropkick into the corner and a powerbomb for good measure… but Devlin’s not done yet! He throws a series of right hands to WALTER’s head and neck, but a single slap from the Austrian stops that, only for a headbutt to leave WALTER doubled-over… only for him to come back with a Kirifuda driver – the suplex into a Gojira clutch – as David Starr teased throwing in the towel.
After fighting out, Devlin’s back with a double stomp and a rebound German suplex off the ropes, then a brainbuster as the crowd sensed that his window of opportunity may be closing… a picture perfect moonsault off the top gets a near-fall, as the crowd roars louder still as Devlin teases a package piledriver. It doesn’t work as WALTER rolls out, but he’s met with a knee before Devlin snatches in a rear naked choke of his own… but mounting the back of WALTER in the process was always going to be a point of weakness. Which was quickly exploited as WALTER climbed the ropes and fell back to splat his way free.
Back to his feet, WALTER swipes again, then levels Devlin with a lariat, before a powerbomb’s countered into Code Red as somehow Devlin could only get a two out of it. So we’re back to those chops, the first of which leaves Devlin in a twitching mess on the mat, but WALTER’s not done yet, grabbing the wrist for more… yet Devlin’s able to get free with a headbutt, before an attempted Euro clutch just ended up with him bridging back into a rear naked choke. WALTER throws in some crossface-like blows to the chest as the submission’s reapplied. Devlin’s not one for quitting though, resurging after the arm-drop gimmick to show there’s still some life left!
Except WALTER just picks him up and spikes him with a Fire Thunder Driver, and just like that, the Arena was left in a stunned silence. The sit-out piledriver was the killshot, and WALTER is your new champion.
— WALTER (@WalterAUT) August 18, 2018
This was a glorious match. Twenty minutes long, but almost wrestled as a sprint, with Goliath stomping all over David, Devlin having some glimmers of hope, but in the end, the man who made his name in OTT as the “import killer” was vanquished by perhaps the biggest import yet. A man who was welcomed into OTT… until it became clear that he was here to parade over, and ultimately take the title from Jordan Devlin. A two-month story arc that played out beautifully – culminating in a match that you need to go out of your way to see. ****¾
Post-match, the OTT crowd rallied around Devlin, singing his name as he walked to the back without an OTT/NLW title for the first time in eight months. Where to next for Jordan? That, my friends, is the next chapter…