We’re back to Berlin as Project Nova kicked off their third year with Pahlevan Nima against a mystery opponent in the main event.
Quick Results
Feyyaz Aguila pinned Sorani in 5:45 (**¼)
Eddie Shah & David Adili pinned Darius & Lucifer Lohan in 14:20 (**½)
Yokai pinned Lucas in 5:57 (**½)
Jessy Jay pinned JC Storm in 10:51 (***¼)
Bennet Brown defeats Rene Shaw via referee stoppage to retain the Marty Shaw Cup in 10:59 (**¾)
Big Nik defeats Georg Asgolar via referee stoppage in 7:33 (**¾)
Pahlevan Nima pinned Crowchester in 21:14 (***)
We’re back at die Weiße Rose in Berlin for the latest from Project Nova… Sepp Hammer and Melanie Gray are on commentary for Nova’s second birthday show.
Feyyaz Aguila vs. Sorani
Feyyaz has a rather fetching leopard print outfit these days…
Feyyaz tried to get the upper hand early on, only to get charged down by Sorani, who picked up a very early two-count after a splash into the corner. Sorani misses a second splash into the corner, allowing Aguila in with some splashes of his own, ahead of a dropkick off the middle rope for a two-count. A missed springboard clothesline allowed Sorani back in as he pulled Feyyaz down by the hair, before a shoulder tackle again knocked Feyyaz down. Sorani again goes to the hair, but Feyyaz blocks a chop as he instead hit back with some of his own, leading to a knee to the side of the head, then a DDT.
Sorani’s caught through the ropes with a running knee for a near-fall, only for Sorani to return out of nowhere with a flash spinebuster for a near-fall. A bulldog gets Feyyaz back in it, before a Gedo clutch secured the win. **¼
Post-match, Sorani attacked Feyyaz again, pulling him into a camel clutch before exiting…
Darius & Lucifer Lohan vs. David Adili & Eddie Shah
We open this one with Lohan and “the Captain” Eddie Shah. He’s got an armband to make sure you know he’s the captain…
Shah rolled Lohan to the mat early on, but they’re right back up as Shah’s offer of a handshake led to a cheapshot that Lohan easily ducked. Headlock takedowns and escapes led to a dropkick from Lohan, before tags brought in Adili and Darius. Adili took the upper hand with shoulder charges into the corner, but a spinning suplex from Darius turned it around as Shah was forced to break up the pin. All four men end up in the ring for a staredown that quickly broke down, as Adili and Shah ended up getting low bridged to the outside ahead of duelling planchas.
Back inside, Lohan gets a horribly delayed one-count from a step-up elbow into the corner as the referee was fixated with getting the illegal man out of the ring. Shah tags himself in… but was more worried about going after Darius on the apron than trying to go for a pin following Adili’s powerslam… before the ref just decided that earlier tag didn’t count as he ordered Shah back into the corner. What is going on here??
Adili keeps going on Lohan with a slam for a two-count, before Shah tagged in – and actually hit the ring this time, as he put the boots to Lohan. A suplex leaves Lohan laying before he was sent into the ropes for a dropkick. Shah gets a two-count out of that, before Adili returned and took a Michinoku driver from Lohan. Lohan can’t make the tag as Shah pulled Darius off the apron… the distracted Lohan turns around into a dropkick for a near-fall. An assisted Shiranui nearly gets Shah the win as the referee was now rather less bothered about escorting out the illegal man, watching on as Lohan escaped a double-team suplex before he finally made the tag out to Darius.
Darius’ elbows clear house as Shah ends up in the corner for the cannonball… an ushigoroshi followed for a near-fall on Shah, before Adili stopped Darius on the top rope and brought him down with a superplex. Lohan’s in to hit a F5 on Adili, but neither man’s legal so the ref doesn’t’ count… Shah lays out Lohan with an overhead kick, before Darius caught Shah with an Electric Chair drop. Adili dives in to break up the cover at two, but gets chucked outside… he’s back to stop a Doomsday Device on Shah, whose springboard enziguiri knocked Darius into Adili. From there, a package tombstone from Adili proved to be enough for Shah to get the win. **½
Lucas vs. Yokai
This was Lucas’ main show debut, while Yokai wasn’t the tag team out of the US, but rather the repackaged Cedric Superior.
Yokai refused to engage with Lucas early on, opting to boot Lucas into the corner. Lucas recovers to hit a crossbody off the middle rope, before another big boot put Lucas back on the deck. A chinlock keeps Lucas in trouble, as Yokai then proceeded to rough him up some more ahead of a hattrick of legdrops. Lucas gets taken into the ropes for a kick to the head, but Lucas manages to find a way in with a neckbreaker that nearly won it. Yokai pops Lucas out of the corner and followed through with a Shining Wizard, before he trapped Lucas in the corner as if he were setting up for Shattered Dreams.
Instead, Yokai DDTs Lucas out of the corner, before a reverse DDT a la Sting got the win. Pretty one-sided as Yokay debuted his new self. **½
Jessy Jay vs. JC Storm
Last time out, Jessy Jay lost the Marty Shaw Cup to Bennet Brown… this time, she’s up against a Nova debutant in JC Storm.
We open with the pair trading wristlocks before a Fireman’s carry takedown led to a patronising pat on the head from Storm. Jay replied with a low dropkick and a head pat of her own, prompting Storm to turn things up with a clothesline… Jay hits one of her own as well, before firing off some hammer elbows and a sliding clothesline to the back of Storm. In the corner, Storm unties one of Jay’s boots… and kicks her as she went to tie them back up. Jay picks up again with a clothesline into the corner before she missed a cannonball, allowing Storm in with almost a side Russian legsweep as she was in the ropes. Storm manages to maintain the upper hand for a spell, landing a cartwheel elbow drop for a two-count, before Jay hit back with a suplex.
Storm’s able to pull Jay into the corner to stop that turnaround in its tracks, as the American began to chop Jesse around the ring… leading up to another suplex. Jay’s taken into the ropes as Storm adds a running kick from the apron, before she trolled the crowd by teasing going off the top rope. Jumping down allowed Jay to try her luck with a roll-up, before Jay managed to hit a cutter off the middle rope. She’s unable to go for a cover, but maintained the upper hand with clotheslines once both women got to their feet, building up to a missile dropkick for a near-fall.
Jay charges at Storm, but the ref gets pulled into harm’s way… allowing Storm to go for Jesse’s Kendo stick. A shot to the back took Jay to her knees, before Jay fired up through more shots… she wrestles control of the Kendo stick back right as the ref got to her feet, so of course the stick’s confiscated. Meanwhile, Storm’s up top for a corkscrew press… following up with a spear for just a one-count. Storm tries for a second spear, but Jay sidesteps and returns with a powerbomb, folding Storm up for the win. This one got real good, with the Berlin crowd quickly picking their favourite – which made for a good comeback match for Jesse after her defeat last time out. ***¼
Post-match, Jay challenged Ava Everett to a match for the GWF Women’s title that Ava had won earlier that day in Oberhausen…
Next up, Bennet Brown’s out with the Marty Shaw Cup in hand. He tells Virgile Defour to leave… then spat gum in his face. Brown promised to destroy any wrestler who wanted to take the cup from him, and this all bleeds into our next match, with Brown defending against a mystery opponent.
NOVA Marty Shaw Cup: Bennet Brown (c) vs. Rene Shaw
Shaw was the inaugural holder of this cup, and hadn’t been around since he lost it to Jessy Jay. Wink wink.
Shaw looked to frustrate Brown early on, escaping Bennet’s clutches before he took him into the corner with a shotgun dropkick. Brown capitalised on a misstep in the corner, clubbing away on Shaw before Shaw tried to hit back with a series of clotheslines. They land, but had little effect on Brown, who ended up getting low bridged to the outside. Brown knocks away a dive as he proceeded to dump Shaw onto the side of the ring, before a back elbow back inside laid out Shaw for a two-count. Chops keep Shaw on the back foot, as did a suplex, which picks up a two-count, before Shaw tried to fight back… only to leap into a shot to the midsection.
Shaw heads outside for respite, but makes it back inside as Brown proceeded to chuck him around the ring with his Suplex Symphony. Cutting off Brown, Shaw ends up booting Brown in the corner, only to run into a fallaway slam as a crossface looked to force a submission… except Shaw manages to roll the hold out into a pinning attempt that caught everyone off guard. Including the referee. Brown’s able to kick out from the delayed count, as Shaw adds a clothesline off the middle rope… then a single-leg dropkick and some headscissors to take Brown outside. Shaw follows with a tope, before Brown tried to turn it around back in the ring. Shaw cuts him off with a back senton, but a big clothesline and a powerbomb in response gets a near-fall for the champion.
Down come the straps as Brown looked to put Shaw away, but again Shaw escapes as he returned fire with a Pedigree. Another single-leg dropkick follows, before Brown tripped Shaw into a Rings of Saturn until the referee waved off the match. **¾
Brown took an age to get to the back… which led to Big Nik coming out for his match. The two big lads have a staredown on the stage, and I get the feeling Berlin really, REALLY wants to see that match…
Nik was joined by fellow Lazarus Pit member Georg Asgolar here. He took the mic and got a real split reaction from the crowd here. Nik mentioned he won the Collision Cup by himself, and told us that he was bigger than the Lazarus Pit… and he’d shine brighter without them. Asgolar was beside himself at the news, and at Nik stomping on the shirt as he walked away from the Pit.
Of course, Asgolar wasn’t thrilled at that, and wanted a fight… especially since he pondered if Nik was to return to the “fucking amateur basketball” leagues, or whether he’d fight him like a man. Nik grabs a ref, but unfortunately it’s the one who’s been all over the place tonight, and we have our match.
Big Nik vs. Georg Asgolar
Nik shoves Asgolar aside to start, but Georg just charges back at his suddenly-former stablemat.
Asgolar shrugs off a punch to the head, then bit Nik in the head as he escaped a bodyslam. Nik’s met with more headbutts, then a dropkick into the corner before a Blue Thunder driver almost won it for Nik out of nowhere. A boot to Asgolar’s face kept Georg down, but more biting helps turn it around as Asgolar took Nik shoulder-first into the corner. A boot and a clothesline has Asgolar back down though, with Nik adding some crossface punches in the ropes. Nik retained control with a back rake and some more blows, before a torture rack was escaped… Asgolar avoids an elbow drop as well, then hit a Torpedo headbutt… a crossbody gets just a one-count after that, before a splash off the ropes added a two-count to the mix.
Nik quickly hits back with a sidewalk slam… but Asgolar kicks out at two before he charged back with a lariat… for just a one-count?! Countering back, Nik hits a facebuster, then a chokeslam… but doesn’t go for a cover, as he instead pulls up Asgolar for a torture rack, forcing another referee stoppage. Asgolar put up a fight, but I wasn’t thrilled about the same finish being used in back-to-back matches… **¾
Pahlevan Nima vs. Crowchester
Nima went out in the semi-finals of the Collision Cup last time out, while this was Crowchester’s first outing here in over a year.
We open with a handshake before Nima took things to the ropes with a lock-up. Crowchester returns the favour, before things headed to the ropes for leapfrogs and roll throughs. A side headlock from Nima’s shoved off, as Crowchester charges him down instead in what remained an even opening phase. Nima looked to pull ahead with kicks, before he dropped down to avoid Crowchester’s attempted head kick. Crowchester lands a dropkick moments later, but Nima’s back to chop Crowchester into the corner… then whip him chest first into the buckles a la Bret. Crowchester’s able to get back in with a torture rack takedown into a knee strike, following up with a shooting star press for a two-count.
Crowchester keeps Nima down with a chinlock, but Nima comes back with an armbreaker before a lock-up ended with Crowchester getting a foot to the ropes. Catching a kick, Crowchester spins around for a clothesline on Nima, then went back to the chinlock. Nima fought back with some clubbing blows, only to be restrained with a side headlock… Crowchester’s O’Connor roll is blocked as Nima came back with a springboard roundhouse kick instead. In return, Crowchester’s leg sweep and PK led to a standing moonsault for a two-count, before he went up top for a 450 splash,
Nima forces him to abort the move, and began a comeback, dropkicking Crowchester into the ropes… only to be met with a superkick seconds later, then a knee strike, before he tripped Crowchester back into the ropes for some knees to the back. A back suplex followed for a delayed two-count, as Nima then decided to go up top… only to get cut-off as a kick took him down to the floor. Crowchester goes for a dive, but an uppercut through the ropes cut it off before Nima met a similar face… instead, Crowchester leaps up and hits a dive off the stage, only for Nima to sidestep that, landing a corkscrew moonsault off the top to the floor instead. Rolling Crowchester back inside led to a delayed two-count for Nima, before a springboard out of the corner led to Nima eating a dropkick.
The pair fight back to their feet, trading forearms and chops as they went… they build up to forearms in the ropes, then a double clothesline. Crowchester pulls ahead after they resume, landing a Finlay roll and a split-legged moonsault for a near-fall, before a Chaos Theory German suplex… led to Nima bouncing right back with a Codebreaker. Resuming again, Nima runs into an elbow strike ahead of a Twist of Fate from Crowchester for a near-fall… before Nima hung up Crowchester in the corner. A spear’s next, before a rolling cross armbreaker ended with Crowchester squirming into the ropes for a break. Nima stays on the front foot with a Zig Zag neckbreaker… and that’s actually enough to get the win! This felt like it went a little too long, but the result was a statement win for Nima in Nova. ***
Nova’s latest offering was a solid outing that looks to branch into the GWF – thanks to Jessy Jay’s win on the show – while the implosion of the Lazarus Pit now looks to give Big Nik some other tests.