We’re staying in 2016 as David Starr & WALTER had their first singles match in over six months – but it’d be a familiar result in Bielefeld…
Since their last singles match in Hamburg, Starr’d picked up a pair of tag team wins over WALTER… but crucially was yet to get a pin over him. Commentary for this one, from Shotgun #280, comes from Jeremy Graves.
October 15, 2016 – wXw Shotgun Live Tour: Bielefeld – WALTER vs. David Starr
By this point, WALTER was firmly a RINGKAMPF athlete (it even says so in his title card), which makes Starr sort of a good guy here as Bielefeld chanted for the Jewish Cannon. He’s learned not to go for WALTER instantly, but he manages to get the first chop of the match in… and circles the big guy to prevent an instant response.
WALTER instead takes him down with a headlock, before missing a seated splash as Starr tried a fightback. The trip works, before some legscissors led to a near-fall… as WALTER hits back hard with a series of chops, before connecting with that Earthquake-like splash for a two-count. Starr is egged on to throw chops, but instead he slaps WALTER… and gets whipped hard into the corner for his troubles. A big boot comes next as Starr’s designs on retaliating were cut short, with WALTER trapping him in a grounded wristlock before retaining control by taking Starr back into the corner for a clothesline.
It’s pretty one-sided, but Starr does get some brief glimmers of hope, superkicking WALTER low to take him into the corner for a sliding splash that just gets him a one-count. Starr low bridges WALTER to the outside next, but he takes too long to dive, and he’s again caught… but this time he avoids instantly being dumped on the apron… wriggling out to try for a PK, before instead taking WALTER into the crowd, landing a superkick off the bleachers, then a crossbody off of them!
WALTER beats the count back in as Starr unleashes with forearms to the back of the head, before nailing a crucifix for a near-fall as WALTER had blocked a German suplex attempt. Starr takes too long to capitalise, and gets caught in a rear naked choke that gives way to a RINGKAMPF German suplex, dumping Starr on his head, before a double underhook suplex gets another two-count for der Ringgeneral. A fightback from Starr’s quickly shrugged off, but the Product Hulks up, decking WALTER with a rolling elbow, then a knee lift, but WALTER instantly replies with a lariat for a near-fall. The tables turn as Starr gets caught on the top rope, but this time WALTER’s attempt at a butterfly superplex is shoved away, before Starr’s forced to squirm out of a fireman’s carry and take WALTER into the corner with another back body drop.
Starr starts throwing chops and forerarms, while ducking WALTER’s, as a Violence Party took the Austrian into the corner… but a shotgun dropkick puts things right back to normal… only for Starr to counter a powerbomb into a DDT. Somehow he gets WALTER up for a Blackheart driver, picking up a near-fall in the process, before catching him with a Cherry Mint DDT on the apron.
Another rolling elbow rocks WALTER, and Starr looks to be setting up for Product Placement… but WALTER goes into the ropes and returns with a rear naked choke, dragging Starr to the mat, forcing the referee to call off the match as the arm-drop deal didn’t generate any response out of the Product. An entirely different match to their outings in Fulda and Hamburg, with Starr having learned from his mistakes… but ultimately not enough to get past a more vicious WALTER. ****¼
We’d have to wait for 16 Carat Gold in 2017 for the next singles meeting, but these two would meet again in early 2017, with something on the line…