The best of the rest of Germany’s wrestling scene came together on 16 Carat Gold weekend for a special guest show called #WrestlingDeutschland
Finally up on YouTube after a few months’ delay, you can watch this for free – discover some new faces with us!
We’re inside the Steffy in Oberhausen, right next door to the Turbinenhalle, and the show opens with a brief speech from Christian Jakobi explaining what we’re about to see. Tim Petrowski says a few words, but my German is really not what it should be given how often I’m across… and from there we’ve a brief introduction to the company presenting our first match: the German Wrestling Promotion.
Icarus vs. Tristan Archer
If you’ve a good memory, you might remember Archer from his one-and-done appearance in WWE as part of the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. Icarus has been in similar tournaments, albeit for WhatCulture’s Pro Wrestling World Cup… but he’s been breaking out a lot lately, including Rev Pro in the UK.
Archer takes down Icarus early as he tried to set the tone, as a forearm just decked the Hungarian. Icarus replies with a back kick and a low dropkick as he took Archer down for a standing moonsault, picking up a near-fall in the process… but an elbow swats away a springboard from Icarus as the Frenchman took over.
A snap suplex is good for a two-count from Archer, as was a back cracker as Icarus sprung again out of the corner. Archer goes old school, using his shin to choke Icarus behind the ref’s back, but the next springboard works as Icarus nails a springboard enziguiri before he flipped out of a German suplex! Another forearm from Archer led to another German, which worked this time as the Frenchman again gets a near-fall… before a Detonation kick comes off at the second attempt.
Archer’s headbutt stunned Icarus, but he’s able to shrug that off and take him down before going up top… and a senton bomb crushes Archer for the win! Short, but decent enough for the time they had. ***
It’s a really nice touch that the videos are including as much detail as they can for each promotion: website, social media stuff and details on their next show.
Up next, we’ve got Tim Petrowsky along with a representative from Lübeck’s Mad Wrestling Association, since their match is next. It’s a doozie!
Brüder des Nordens (Lukas Robinson & Matthias Bernstein) vs. Rock n Roll Radicalz (Fynn Freyhart & Tim Karstens)
The Proclaimers were massively over in Oberhausen for this afternoon, thanks in part to the combo of the germophobe Matthias Bernstein and the intrepid traveller Lukas Robinson.
The first thing Bernstein does is reach for his disinfecting spray… which is one way to put down your opponents! We get going with Freyhart and Robinson struggling on a tie-up, but you can tell instantly that the Radicalz are the obnoxious rocker types. Second time was the charm as Fynn gets in a hiptoss and a slam… but Robinson returns the favour before Fynn made the tag to Tim Karstens.
Tim doesn’t want any part of Lukas… he wants Bernstein… who had some prep to do before he comes in. The bad breath of Karstens put Matthias off, but Bernstein’s a bit of a scaredy cat, sidestepping his charge and bringing Lukas back in so he could spray himself some more. Lukas wants to throw Fynn’s head into the turnbuckle… but ever considerate, Matthias rubs the turnbuckle with some antibacterial gel to make sure that Fynn only feels physical pain.
Somehow, Fynn gets hold of the bottle and throws it on Matthias, but at least he’s all clean now. That provides a distraction as Karstens comes in and almost lost Lukas on a Dominator-like side slam. A double chop and a series of splashes keep Robinson down for a near-fall, before the Rockers pull an old trick from the book with a cheating abdominal stretch. Eventually the referee breaks up the cheating, and Lukas manages to hiptoss his way free, only to get charged into the turnbuckles as Fynn hits a springboard stunner out of the corner for a near-fall.
Karstens is brought back in as Robinson gets slapped around some more, including bumping from his own slap out of tiredness as Karstens looked to be cruising to victory. Lukas gets a second wind, taking down Fynn with headscissors as both men tagged out… but Bernstein just gets laid out as the Radicalz threatened to make him drink his antibacterial stuff. Instead, they just pour it away, which fired him up, rather than drained away his life force!
Freyhart eats a sidewalk slam from Bernstein, before having Karstens dumped onto him with a drop toe hold for an eventual near-fall. Fynn lifts Bernstein onto the apron, prompting a springboard missile dropkick into both of the Radicalz, before a crossbody from Robinson earned the win. A pretty basic match, but the character work from der Brüder des Nordens was top notch. **¾
Speaking of characters… we’re onto Next Step Wrestling!
Der Schwinger Club (Brent Rogers, Garett Noah & Rick Baxxter) vs. Chris Rocke, Laurance Roman & Zeritus
Coming out to Giorgio Moroder’s The Chase, and surely enraging one bitter man in Louisville to boot, der Schwinger Club looked far from Midnight Express-ish. Heck, their trio even had a valet that some perhaps over simplified into “German Martina”.
On the other hand, we had Frank Fehrmann on hand to sing out Laurance Roman – hey, wir wollen die Waschbären sehen!
Needless to say, the Schwingers were far from thrilled at having to wrestle a raccoon and a guy who looked like he’d come straight from an abbatoir. It was Roman and Noah who worked the early phases before tagging in Zeritus, who enjoyed a similar spell on offence as I’m still waiting on commentary to tell us who the guy in the “Do Epic Shit” singlet was. A Bossman slam from Zeritus finally gives us the identity, before Chris Rocke completed the trio of guys who were taking their shots at the unicorn-clad swinger.
Noah finally returns fire with a drop toe-hold as Brent Rogers get the tag in to put some boots to Rocke. A double-team back suplex puts him down for a near-fall, as Baxxter gets the tag in, but it’s just a case of everyone cycling through as Noah’s back to take a crossbody as Zeritus hits the ring to clear house again. Clotheslines dumped Rogers and Noah, as Baxxter ran into the path of a flying Waschbäre… the Schwinger’s valet, who we’re told is called Kimbaaali, distracts referee Tassilo Jung… and when Rogers take over the distracting, she runs in to clip Zeritus with a stunner. Baxxter hits a bigger stunner, but Roman catches him on the way down with a frog splash a “Raccoon Power” took hold!
It wasn’t to be though, as Noah properly spikes Rocke with a version of the Pedigree to get the win. This was a little short, and rough in places, but again, you got just about every character here, so that has to go down as a win. **¼
International Cult Cup: Italian Dream vs. Kris Jokic vs. Senza Volto
Well, this was a bit of a hasty match. The original plan was for WrestlingKult – who had a show earlier in the day – to have a couple of qualifiers to face off with champion Josh Bodom in a four-way here. Problem was, Bodom didn’t make it to Germany, so he was stripped of the title, and this match was to crown a new champion.
We’re into the flashy stuff early as everyone cartwheels out of headscissors, before the pace quickens with some kicks from Volto and a springboard headscissors to Jokic! Italian Dream sidesteps a top rope moonsault before running into Volto with a running clothesline, taking him down so he could monkey flip the masked men into each other.
Jokic returns the favour with an elbow and a German suplex, before Dream’s attempt at a 619 goes a little wonky as he slips in the ropes then tangles himself between the top two strands. That traps him briefly before he freed himself to the outside ahead of a Sasuke special out of Jokic! Back inside, Jokic wears down Volto with a chinlock, before Italian Dream absolutely crushed Senza with a missile dropkick.
La Mistica’s next out of the Dream, but Volto broke it up and took down the Dream with a Downward Spiral before we set up for a wacky series of Germans, with Kris Jokic taking a German from Dream… which in turn sent Senza flying with a German suplex off the top rope! With everyone back to their feet, a chop exchange starts in earnest, with Italian Dream edging ahead before he enziguiris Jokic into a DDT from Volto. Whisper in the Wind comes from the Dream as all three men were left laying… but it’s Jokic who’s back on the offensive first with a headlock suplex to Dream for another near-fall.
Stundog Millionaire comes out of Volto, who just runs into a Bodom Breaker (hello!) as Jokic hit back… but he takes too long on the top rope and is sent flying with a Spanish Fly as Italian Dream breaks up their cover with a shooting star press. Dream looked for a Rainmaker, but instead it’s a spin-out back suplex as he looked to finish off off the top rope, only to miss a frog splash! Volto tries his luck, but his shooting star press lands into a lungblower as Jokic comes in with a shotgun dropkick to Dream before a corkscrew moonsault finally gets the win! Spectacular and breathless, this perhaps stole the show, at least in terms of in-ring action. ***½
WALTER’s in the ring next as the wXw Wrestling Academy’s match takes centre stage…
Marius van Beethoven, Timo Theiss & Timo Zimone vs. Julian Pace & Pretty Bastards (Maggot & Prince Ahura)
A rare chance to hear some “real” music here as we got to hear Julian Pace’s “Real Gone” entrance, although him and the Pretty Bastards in a team was pretty wacky.
The match had a jump start, as everyone paired off to fight in and round the ring. Theiss, whose name is unfortunately close to a swear, takes down Pace with a back suplex, before the favour was returned as Pace takes down Timo with a monkey flip. A running shooting star press is good for a near-fall, but Theiss comes back and tempts fate with a brainbuster.
It didn’t work… nor did it for Timo Zimone, nor Marius van Beethoven, but mostly because the Pretty Bastards stopped der Goldjünge, as the good guys hit a trio of ‘busters instead. Julian Pace is in, but his wacky rope running costs him as van Beethoven low-bridges him to the outside as all of a sudden everyone’s flying! Pace gets posted, which allowed Zimone to work over Pace’s leg back in the ring . Finally Pace gets his feet up to block some charges… but he leaps into a superkick as Zimone collected a near-fall. Marius comes in to keep up the beatdown, putting the boots to Pace before bringing Theiss back in for some rather non-PG barbs.
Hey, the Julian Pace chant made it to tape!
Just in time for Julian to roll through into a neckbreaker, but the Pretty Bastards are knocked off the apron as Pace has a little more fighting to do, scoring with a headlock/headscissor combo on Zimone and Marius, before countering a powerbomb from Theiss into a ‘rana! After a satellite DDT, Pace again misses a tag as the Pretty Bastards are pulled off the apron, just in time for Zimone to hit an X-plex for a near-fall. Finally, Pace rolls past Marius van Beethoven and gets the tag into Maggot, who knocks down Zimone with a forearm before sending Prince Ahura into the corner. A double-team attack knocked Zimone down, as did a spin kick and a cutter, but Marius van Beethoven flies in off the top rope to break that pin up!
Julian Pace tries to get involved, hitting a Stundog Millionaire before being flipped over with a clothesline and a brainbuster as a Parade of Moves got going. A ZImone spear’s replied to with a crossbody from Pace as the Parade came to a sudden end, with a pair of dives from the Bastards to the outside, before the Final Lap – an imploding Vader Bomb out of the corner – got the win. Fun stuff, and a win for the (then) Academy champion to boot! ***
We close with a match from Maximum Wrestling, who’ve got the European Cruiserweight title on the line!
UEWA European Championship: Michael Knight (c) vs. Ivan Kiev
This wasn’t RISE Kiev, instead his tandem here with Pete Bouncer was reflecting their partnership of the Purge Club from elsewhere in Germany.
Knight takes down Kiev early on with a waistlock takedown, but Kiev’s right back up with an armbar before a wheelbarrow armdrag reset things. Kiev gets lifted onto the apron, then dropkicked to the floor as Knight looked to set up for a dive… and caught him with a tope con giro into the entry way!
Knight has to outsmart Kiev and Pete Bouncer, and some early distractions caused Knight to take a back suplex onto the apron, before continuing to wear down on the champion’s back in the ring. Bouncer’s hanging around ringside to trash-talk Knight, but the champion hits back with a crossbody off the top, getting a near-fall, before Bouncer gets involved as he trips Knight on the apron – allowing Kiev to take over again. A slingshot dropkick traps Knight in the corner, while a backbreaker leads Kiev into a camel clutch as Kiev was starting to look comfortable. Going corner to corner, a Stinger splash and a cannonball traps Knight in the corner, again for a near-fall, before a bucklebomb and a top rope ‘rana just solidified Kiev’s position.
Kiev tries to go up top to finish things off, but he’s caught by Knight, who finally hit back with a wicked tornado DDT off the top. A springboard clothesline decks Kiev for a near-fall, but he’s right back in with a death valley bomb as we’re trading those two-counts. A ducked clothesline led to a Pele kick, but Knight’s right back in with a pumphandle driver – and that’s the clean win for the champion! At the time, RISE were bad guys, and very few people seemed to know who Knight was, but aside from the lack of reaction this was a really solid main event. ***
Post-match, Ivan Kiev drilled Kiev with a baseball bat before threatening to use it to smash a chair into him… but referees come out to make things safe as the show came to an end.
All in all, #WrestlingDeutschland was a fun palate cleanser on 16 Carat Gold weekend – a show that perhaps won’t grab the attention of those looking for great matches, but definitely a show worth catching if you’re looking for something new. The International Cult Cup triple-threat match was an easy show stealer, while the appearance of characters like der Schwinger Club and der Brüder des Nordes are worth your time.