wXw made their return to the Turbinenhalle as we saw four title matches, the return of WALTER and a packed crowd in Oberhausen.
Quick Results
Icarus & Dover pinned Stephanie Maze & Fast Time Moodo in 13:53 to retain the wXw World Tag Team Championship (***¼)
Bobby Gunns vs. Michael Knight ended in a double count-out in 12:51 (***¼)
Absolute Andy pinned Norman Harras in 2:48 to win the wXw Shotgun Championship (**)
Robert Dreissker defeats Vincent Heisenberg via disqualification in 8:11 (**½)
WALTER pinned Cara Noir in 24:26 (****¼)
Levaniel won a ladder match against Aigle Blanc, Dennis Dullnig, Hektor Invictus & Tristan Archer in 15:21 (***¼)
Iva Kolasky pinned Skye Smitson in 7:15 to retain the wXw Women’s Championship (**¼)
Axel Tischer pinned Jurn Simmons in 18:30 to retain the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship (***½)
It’s been a long time since wXw was able to run the Turbinenhalle. 649 days, to be exact. So it’s only apt that wXw return with their 21st anniversary show… We open with a video package of some Turbinenhalle highlights, and a shot of a parcel someone’s left at the door of an empty Turbinenhalle. Can’t trust delivery drivers nowadays, can you…
Thommy Giesen again is your ring announcer, and we’ve Dave Bradshaw on the English commentary…
wXw World Tag Team Championship: Fast Time Moodo & Stephanie Maze vs. Arrows Of Hungary (Dover & Icarus) (c)
Moodo and Maze beat the Arrows back in Leipzig in October to earn this shot… this was Moodo’s first time for wXw at the Turbinenhalle, while Maze’s last match here was for the Women’s title.
Icarus takes up Moodo’s fist bump to start, before the Hungarian took Moodo’s arm around the ropes in the early going. Moodo responds with some kicks and a Cornish hipe to Icarus, who walloped him with a forearm ahead of a suplex and a standing moonsault for an early two-count.
Dover’s in with a uranage onto Icarus’ knees for a two-count, but Moodo gets in as he and Maze double-teamed Dover with kicks. In response, a standing fallaway slam from Dover chucks Maze across the ring, before Maze fought back with a missile dropkick after absorbing some corner clotheslines.
Maze aborts a leap out of the corner is aborted, but she appeared to reinjure her knee on the landing. Moodo tags back in and is quickly squashed with a cannonball for a near-fall, before he fought back against the Arrows… only to eat a rebound facebuster and a double-team spinebuster.
The Arrows go for the Crossfire, but the ref steps in as Tassilo Jung reckoned they’d been in for more than the allowed five seconds. Finally, that rule gets enforced! Moodo tries to capitalise on the confusion, but Dover slams him down for a two-count, while Icarus came in with a suplex for another two-count.
Maze is back on the apron, but Moodo’s taking a beating as a scissored short armbar from Icarus nearly forced a submission. A spinning enziguiri drops Dover, but he can’t make it to the corner before Dover clotheslined him as the Arrows remained a step ahead. Maze tags herself in, but she’s essentially a one-legged woman in the proverbial arse kicking contest, hopping around as she tried to throw strikes.
A DDT from Maze takes Dover down for barely a two-count, before a death valley driver attempt was stopped. Dover’s back suplex has Maze down, but Moodo caught Dover in the ropes as he tried to knock him down. Moodo’s flying stomp keeps Dover dazed as a Skyfall attempt from Maze nearly won the titles.
On the outside, Icarus posts Moodo as Maze was lifted up for an Electric Chair drop… a Meltdown from Icarus followed for a near-fall, before Moodo blocked a Crossfire. He ends up getting caught with an Alabama Slam/kick combo, as Maze had to fight off the numbers game.
A bicycle kick didn’t help Maze, but she’s able to follow up with a Samoan drop… only to pick herself up and get sandwiched with a Crossfire as the champions retained. This was a bad luck story from the challengers – had Maze not picked up the knee injury, who knows how this would have gone, but the Arrows leave with the titles as they head into 2022. ***¼
Dan Mallmann tells us that The Rotation’s out of the ladder match due to injury. They show clips of him being tended to in Borken, before Hektor Invictus gets an interview. He’s annoyed by “that clown” (Dennis Dullnig) to the point where he wants to choke someone… and sure enough, Dennis shows up. Dullnig tries to explain his plan for being co-contenders, but Hektor walks off…
Michael Knight vs. Bobby Gunns
These two are 1-1-1 in their past singles matches – and with Knight having lost the Shotgun title the night before, there’s no time limit on hand here.
We’ve an even start with the pair trading elbows and uppercuts before a backslide from Knight was rolled through, as was an abdominal stretch before Knight’s leg lariat found its way through. There’s an O’Connor roll from Gunns that almost wins it inside 90 seconds, as Knight looked shellshocked.
In the corner, Knight drops down to avoid Gunns’ charge, as a crossbody off the top landed for a near-fall. Knight keeps going with a roll-up for a near-fall, before a kick to the back fired up Gunns. They trade those kicks to the back before Gunns scored a kick to the head for a snap two-count.
Gunns begins to work over Knight’s wrist from there, but a spear from Knight stops that momentum as a clothesline in the corner and a springboard clothesline followed for a near-fall. A discus lariat from Gunns hits, as does a Saito suplex, but Knight kicked out at two as the pair trade German suplexes.
A walloping lariat drops Knight, before he returned with one of his own, then a Sliced Bread out of the corner, as the pair reset by trading strikes. Knight tries for a senton out of the corner, but lands in an armbar/headscissors… that luckily rolled into the ropes to force a break.
The pair head onto the apron, as Gunns teases a death valley driver, only for Knight to slip out and dropkick him to the floor. A tope follows, as the ref continues to count to ten… with both men oblivious as they trade shots… Knight tries to slide in, but Gunns pulled him out and hit a wheelbarrow German suplex against the side of the ring, and despite Knight having gotten half his body into the ring, the count wasn’t reset… so we have a double count-out. I wasn’t keen on the finish, just because the count should have been broken… but I guess the draw means that this feud continues. A Carat opener, perhaps? ***¼
Andy Jackson in his Raiders jacket interviews Gunns afterwards, who sounded gutted at the fact that he failed in front of WALTER. Knight just wanted another match announced, but they didn’t name a date or a place…
Norman Harras interrupts Michael Knight on his way to the back… they exchange looks before Harras paraded his newly-won title to the crowd. Norman’s got a surprise for us: he’s had a portrait of him with the title over his shoulder made. Apparently he’s got a collection of them, and is going to auction the picture off during the interval, once he’s defended his title.
Except first, he’s got to defend the Shotgun title in another lottery match. Against a returning Absolute Andy, complete with throwback hair!
wXw Shotgun Championship: Norman Harras (c) vs. Absolute Andy
Harras was far from pleased to have been up against the former sporting director…
Harras jumps Andy before the bell, stomping a mudhole in him before he could take his ring jacket off. Andy runs into Norman’s boot and uppercut, before a leaping forearm got Andy back in it. He continues to blitz through Harras ahead of a stalling suplex, before the Absolute knee drop to the back of Harras’ head connected.
Andy’s superkick gets blocked, but the spinebuster did not, before the superkick and the old A-Klasse got the win. Thanks for coming Norman – and now Absolute Andy completes the Grand Slam, having held all three of wXw’s currently-active titles. All without taking his jacket off (today)! **
Andy walks past Harras on the ramp… and had one last thing left to do, as he cracked Harras with his own piece of artwork. Indeed, auf die Fresse!
Backstage, Dan recaps what we just saw, before pitching to Axel Tischer. Axel tells us he’s already beaten Jurn, but this match was given because Tischer’s shoulders were also down. Tischer promises there’ll be a clear, decisive finish here…
They recap the history between Robert Dreissker and Vincent Heisenberg from the closed set days, through to Borken the night before…
Robert Dreissker vs. Vincent Heisenberg
Both men had their allies with them at ringside for this one…
…and we start with fisticuffs before the bell. They trade clotheslines as Dreissker pulled ahead, before Heisenberg blocked a slam to hit one of his own. Dreissker pushes off a wristlock and returns with a dropkick, only for Heisenberg to take things into the corner with some chops.
A Biel throw from Heisenberg takes Dreissker across the ring, as does another, before a legdrop landed for a near-fall. Heisenberg followed up with a neck crank, but Dreissker elbows free and hits a fallaway slam, before a Dreissker bomb came up short.
Dreissker’s back body drop keeps Heisenberg on the back foot ahead of a clothesline, but Heisenberg’s up at two before he whipped Dreissker into the corner. They trade splashes in the corner as everyone gets avalanched, before Dreissker’s ripcord lariat took Heisenberg down to a knee.
Heisenberg’s back with a back body drop of his own, before he caught Dreissker’s crossbody and turned it into a slam for a near-fall. From there, Baby Allison grabs a toolbox from under the ring… and Heisenberg uses it for the obvious DQ. **½
Post-match, Marik dropkicks the toolbox away, but he’s swarmed by Baby Allison and Maggot as all hell breaks loose… officials and ring crew come out to try and separate them, but to no avail as Thommy Giesen issued a warning from the office – the next punch thrown would result in a suspension. It’s like “next goal wins” but much worse. The crowd chants for “käfigschlacht” – sensing that this match could well end up inside wXw’s traditional cage warfare match.
They reconfirm names for 16 Carat Gold next March – Biff Busick, Jonathan Gresham, Fuminore Abe and Ace Romero. There’s 12 more names to follow, but there’s no more names being announced here – they’ll come via wXw’s social media channels over the holidays.
Cara Noir vs. WALTER
A first-time match-up – and WALTER’s first appearance for wXw since 2020’s 16 Carat Gold tournament. They’d pulled Cara Noir from the ladder match for this one, and it’s a really high profile match for the last Carat winner.
We’ve a slow start as WALTER took Cara into the corner, where a chop was ducked, before WALTER took him down for a side headlock. Cara gets free, but is instantly chucked down with another headlock as the former NXT UK champion was controlling the opening moments. A hiptoss has Cara down, as WALTER pulled him up for another, looking to target the arm.
Cara Noir manages to float around into a front facelock, but WALTER lifts him onto the apron and patted him on the head. That fired up the current PROGRESS champ, as he uncorked some kicks before he threw off a couple of sleeperhold attempts… then booted Cara in the face.
An uppercut sent Cara into the corner, while a clothesline continued WALTER’s dominance, before Cara Noir lifted him to the outside. The front row scurries as Cara dove onto WALTER for a sleeperhold… but WALTER just backs Cara into the ring post. Cue some loud chops as WALTER returned to the ring to admire his handiwork.
WALTER resumes as Cara Noir rolled back into the ring, slamming the swan ahead of a Boston crab. The ropes save Cara, who returns with chops of his own before WALTER dumped him across the turnbuckles for some boot choking that eventually pushed Cara to the outside.
A leapfrog and a big boot from WALTER’s next as Cara tries to get back into things, as WALTER followed with a neck twist and a surfboard stretch as the domination continued. Cara Noir dropkicks away another leapfrog attempt from WALTER, which bought him some time as a leaping Capoeira kick and some Swan Woo dropkicks lead to a rebound German suplex.
Cara comes close with a superkick, before he took WALTER outside for an over-the-ringpost tope con giro. Back inside, Cara Noir keeps going with an axe kick, before a lariat from WALTER just reset things – and nearly ended the match. A powerbomb’s countered into a neckbreaker as Cara Noir hung in it, only to get sunk with another chop.
WALTER goes for a suplex, but Cara countered into a sleeperhold that’s thrown aside… a Swan Woo takes WALTER into the corner, but he returns with a shotgun dropkick of his own, then a powerbomb for a near-fall, as WALTER then began to treat Cara with more derision. Kicks and head swipes fire up Cara again, as some windmilling slaps led to him getting chopped down. Cara returns with kicks to the leg, then the chest, but WALTER stops all that with a stomp to the bare foot before a tombstone nearly ended things – and served only to increase the Austrian’s frustration. A chop to the sole followed as WALTER goes for a half crab, throwing more chops to the sole before Cara got the ropes.
Cara tries to throw some more kicks, then opted to run head-first into WALTER for almost a grounded Torpedo Moscau, before hitting a Madame Guillotine for a near-fall. A package piledriver looks to follow, but WALTER back body drops it away before his rear naked choke ended in the ropes. WALTER slaps it away, but gets caught in a Black Swan sleeper as he went for a Fire Thunder driver…
WALTER throws Cara aside, then hits a chop, before another rear naked choke looked to wear things down. Cara can’t quite escape, but hits a ‘rana as WALTER changed up for a powerbomb, before a run into the Black Swan dragged WALTER down to the mat. WALTER breaks it up by standing up and falling back… then broke a second Black Swan before he picked up Cara Noir for a Fire Thunder Driver that finally ended the resistance. As a match, this was really good, even if you couldn’t buy into much of it beyond the exhibition aspect – which is sadly going to be the case with a lot of these one-shots. That aside, this match showed to the wXw audience that Cara Noir was perhaps just about at the same level as WALTER, having taken a long time to be put away… even if he didn’t seem too close to a win at any time. ****¼
After the match, WALTER got “please come back” chants, then “16 Carat” chants. In response, WALTER talked about how the “old generation” – Junior (Axel Dieter Jr./Marcel Barthel), Tim (Thatcher), (Absolute) Andy, (Da) Mack and Axel (Tischer) wanted to build something for the next generation, rather than their own careers. WALTER said that they’d achieved that, then asked the crowd to support German wrestling as they’ve done in the past – before leaving with a promise to put on the best sporting performance wherever he is in the world, after going through the old RINGKAMPF “three categories” promo. To some, this felt like a farewell – but if recent history has taught us anything, it’s likely only “goodbye for now…”
They announce the Käfigschlacht for January 15, 2022 – Robert Dreissker & Anil Marik vs. Maggot, Vincent Heisenberg and Baby Allison.
Ladder Match: Aigle Blanc vs. Hektor Invictus vs. Dennis Dullnig vs. Tristan Archer vs. Levaniel
The winner of this match gets a shot at the wXw Unified World Wrestling title at Back to the Roots on January 15…
Levaniel’s more fired up than usual for the biggest chance of his career, and not just because he’s in the newly-tagged city of love – Oberhausen. Someone should get onto the tourist board for that…
As you’d expect, all hell breaks loose early on with the match spilling outside as everyone starts looking for ladders. Tristan Archer smartly goes for the humungous ladder that’s on the stage, but everyone dogpiles him as Levaniel grabs the ladder and plays Terry Funk with the ladder, helicoptering it around for fun. At ringside, Archer sets up the ladder and throws Dullnig into it, while Aigle Blanc’s the lone man alone… able to climb up the ladder and dive off it into the pile as the ladder got propelled back into the front row.
Aigle brings the ladder into the ring as he tries to capitalise, but Levaniel pulls him down then pushed the ladder into the masked man’s face. Levaniel uses the ladder again, but Archer hits a shoulder through the ropes, only for Levaniel to dropkick the ladders into the Frenchman. Another Frenchman hits the ring, but this time Aigle Blanc ducks a ladder… and eventually hits a Twister suplex.
Dullnig and Hektor begin to work together with a Hart Attack and a 3D, before Hektor went up for a Waazap headbutt… before eventually rounding out the tag team classics with a senton bomb. Dullnig pretends to be a Bushwhacker, thankfully not licking anyone, as Aigle Blanc returned… so did Archer, hitting an Angle Slam to Dullnig as a Parade of Moves broke out.
The Hektor-Knee blasts Aigle, while a twisting enziguiri dropped Levaniel… Dullnig’s the last man standing, until Archer clothesline’d him. Dullnig and Hektor head outside to get the ladder as those two worked together… but provide an accidental platform for Aigle to work from. A slam drops Hektor onto the ladder ahead of a 450 splash, but Dullnig kneed Aigle away before anything else could happen…
…so Dullnig could set up the ladder and climb it for himself. Except he stopped at the top and came down so he could have Hektor join him, and cleared out the ring so that could happen. He puts Hektor on his shoulders to help him “climb” the ladder, but Tristan Archer gets up and pushes the ladder down as they were preparing to go for the contract.
Archer clears house with the ladder, then put it across the turnbuckles as he teased powerbombing Aigle onto it. That’s stopped, but Archer hits an Exploder off of the ladder, before he drop toe hold’d Levaniel into the same ladder bridge. Archer takes care of Hektor and Dullnig next, powerbombing Dullnig into Hektor on the apron for good measure, before Aigle caught him with a ‘rana drive through the ropes.
Aigle sets up the ladder after that, but his climb is stopped as Archer pulled him down into a low blow, before he powerbombed him into Hektor and Dullnig on the floor. It’s Archer’s match to lose, it seems, but where’s Levaniel? He’s back to low blow Archer, before he sped up the ladder and snatched the clipboard to win the match. ***¼
Dan Mallmann’s backstage again with Jurn Simmons, who congratulates Levaniel on his win… Jurn says he’s got what it takes to beat Tischer, and vowed to beat him so much he’d wish he was still in America.
wXw Women’s Championship: Skye Smitson vs. Iva Kolasky (c)
This was Smitson’s first match for wXw since the 19th anniversary show two years ago – and her return here came off the back of a challenge to Iva Kolasky.
They’re pretty even to start as Smitson took Kolasky into the corner with a lock-up… Iva climbs the ropes, but couldn’t hit a crossbody as Skye came back by knocking her into the corner. Second time’s the charm on a crossbody as Smitson’s knocked down, before an attempted Snake Eyes from Smitson ended with Kolasky using headscissors to take her outside.
Smitson sweeps the leg as Kolasky crashes into the apron, before a dropkick back inside left Iva laying. Kolasky’s taken into the corner for some body blows, but Iva fought back with elbows that took Smitson into the ropes. A cheapshot keeps Skye ahead, as did a fallaway slam, before an axe kick from Kolasky nearly ended things in a hurry.
Kolasky’s quickly met with an uppercut in return, along with some more right hands, before Smitson went for a superkick. It’s caught as Kolasky came back with a handspring cutter, then a series of clotheslines, before a tiltawhirl DDT nearly won things. Smitson stops a moonsault as she came back with a Fisherman suplex, then an Air Raid Crash for a near-fall, before Kolasky scored with a head kick and a moonsault to snatch the win. **½
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: Jurn Simmons vs. Axel Tischer (c)
Tischer beat Jurn in Frankfurt last month with a disputed finish – so we go again in the main event…
The pair tie-up and grapple into the ropes, with Tischer pushing Jurn away before he looked to work a chin and armbar on Simmons. A side headlock followed, with Tischer getting pushed into the ropes before we had shoulder tackles, headlocks and escapes, then a slam from Jurn.
Jurn takes things into the corner with shoulder charges, before a suplex throw took Tischer down for a two-count. Tischer kicks away a back body drop, then got lifted to the outside before he returned with a neckbreaker for a near-fall. Another chinbar from Tischer’s fought away as he ended up whipping Jurn’s arm into the mat for a two-count. He followed it with a hammerlock and a levering armbar, snapping back on Jurn before an attempt at a suplex ended with the pair hitting the ropes and landing a double clothesline.
The pair trade strikes from there, with Jurn pulling ahead with a clothesline and a big boot, before an inverted body slam looked to set up for a Massive boot… but Tischer kicks it away. Instead, Jurn pulls Axel for a press slam, following with a standing moonsault for a two-count, before a piledriver was stopped as Tischer came back with a low dropkick.
Simmons’ boot back earned him an Exploder as Tischer pulled ahead, following with a Twister for a near-fall, before a trip up top leads to a flying clothesline. A bridging German almost retains the title for Tischer, who’s then met with a back body drop before Tischer came back with a knee strike. A head kick from Tischer nearly wins it, as did Simmons’ cradle and swinging side slam…
Jurn’s Massive Boot gets another near-fall, which left Simmons in disbelief… he pulled himself up to the top rope, only to get caught by Tischer, whose superplex attempt was thwarted. Instead, Jurn shoved him down and misses a moonsault, allowing Tischer to hit back with a sitout powerbomb for another near-fall as both men were swinging for the fences here.
Tischer’s back with some knees and uppercuts, before a push-down stomp and another Massive Boot saw the Dutchman fire up once again. A spear’s next, but still Tischer kicks out at two… so Jurn calls for the piledriver, only for an exchange of strikes to end with a hockey fight and an errant poke in the eye from Tischer. From there, Tischer hits a German suplex, then another sit-out powerbomb gets the win as they look to continue the story that Tischer is sneaking out wins – and slowly getting more and more deliberate with his cheating. ***½
After the match, Levaniel appeared on the stage with his contract for a title match next month – and that’s how we go off the air, with Tischer celebrating…
wXw’s final show of the year saw the company go out on a high, and in front of crowds no-less. The WALTER/Cara Noir match grabbing eyeballs, while they set up at least three matches for the future – even if two of them are rematches in the form of Simmons/Tischer and Gunns/Knight…