1 Called Manders looked to reclaim the gold from Peter Tihanyi in front of das Powercrowd, as the wXw 25th Anniversary tour rolled into Hamburg’s Markthalle.
Quick Results
Madison Marley pinned Stephanie Maze in 6:11 (**¾)
Leon Slater pinned Dieter Schwartz in 11:11 (***½)
Ahura pinned Bobby Gunns in 10:48 (***½)
Dani Luna pinned Miyu Yamashita in 16:51 (***¾)
Dennis Dullnig pinned Shigehiro Irie to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship in 10:45 (***½)
Robert Dreissker & Marc Empire submitted Brendan White & Danny Jones, Laurance Roman & Nick Schreier to win the wXw World Tag Team Championship in 15:41 (***¾)
Peter Tihanyi pinned 1 Called Manders to retain the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in 17:00 (***½)
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We’re back at the Markthalle in Hamburg for the first time since May… and it’s the first half of a double header in the Tor zur Welt, with a show in the Gruenspan tomorrow. But first, we’ve got defences of every title (that’s got a holder, at least) in a stacked card. English commentary comes from Mett Dimassi…
First up, we’ve got the standard Fight Forever pre-show…
Madison Marley vs. Stephanie Maze
Marley’s seemingly on a collision course with Jane Nero, but Stephanie Maze provides the Dane’s biggest test in wXw so far.
A tentative start saw Marley charge down Maze, only to get met with a series of kicks and a hammerlock’d clothesline as Maze tried to end this one in a hurry. Returning with a crossbody, Marley looked to build some fresh momentum, only for more kicks to stem the tide as a butterfly suplex kept Maze ahead.
Finally launching back in with a dropkick out of the corner, Marley built up a head of steam leading to a side suplex, and while a Saito suplex from Maze offered some resistance, Marley hit back with superkicks before a springboard facebuster got the win. Marley’s still learning, but this extended feud will do her good here. **¾
Speaking of “still learning,” Marley celebrated and got caught from behind by Jane Nero’s Twist of Fate. One day, Madison will watch her back…
Backstage, the Grind interrupt Planet Gojirah and their sweet Mario block cool bag. Never interrupt anyone while they’re eating… they argue auf Deutsch, before the Greedy Souls arrive and confirm what my pidgin German suspected – the tag title match is now a three-way.
Onto the main show… and we’re starting off hot!
Leon Slater vs. Dieter Schwartz
This is a bit of a clash of styles, but it’s one of Leon’s increasingly-rare European dates these days… and a chance for a huge upset for Dieter!
Schwartz looked to keep things on the mat, as you’d expect from him, but Leon was playfully winding up Dieter, slapping him on his bald head in time to the crowd’s chants. Turning up the pace worked in Leon’s favour, baiting Dieter between the ropes for a slicing legdrop before a springboard was cut-off, with Schwartz then running Leon’s arm into the turnbuckle steels.
That created the obvious opening for Schwartz, as he targeted Leon’s arm and shoulder… but Leon’s still able to increase the tempo, catching Dieter off-guard ahead of a diving boot for a two-count, before a diving European uppercut almost won the match for Schwartz.
Slater clings onto the corner to avoid an O’Connor Roll, but his attempted Styles Clash gets kicked away. The leg lariat found its mark as Dieter almost lost his head. Schwartz had enough in him to roll away from the landing zone of a swanton 450, but going back to the well on Leon’s arm backfired… at least until Leon’s handspring collapsed as his arm gave out.
Schwartz pounced on the arm from there, but to no avail as Leon hit back with a Styles Clash to take home the win. This was a heck of an opening match, with Schwartz more than holding up his end of the bargain – but with Leon in the four-way for the vacant European title next month, you expected he’d leave with a W here. ***½
We’re in Hamburg, so of course we’ve got Hot & Spicy vs. the AUTsiders as the wXw anniversary moment in clip form. Seriously, if you’ve not seen this match before, hunt it out!
Bobby Gunns vs. Ahura
Bobby’s unbeaten run in Hamburg feels like a lifetime ago – but he’s still able to get the crowd on his back by simply coming out wearing a Werder Bremen shirt.
Ahura and Gunns weren’t exactly holding back, trading blows at the bell before boots in stereo sent the pair back into their corners. Ahura’s able to hit back first, landing a springboard dropkick before another exchange of strikes led to Gunns getting thrown through the ropes…
Gunns shoves away a springboard attempt as Ahura took too long to follow-up on a teased dive into the crowd, with Gunns instantly going for the arm of Ahura in response. A snapmare and a kick to the back kept Gunns ahead, but a forearm off the ropes bought some time for Ahura, as we returned with another exchange of strikes… ending with a flash Boss lariat from Ahura for a near-fall.
A shotgun dropkick from Gunns turns the tide as a death valley driver almost got the win for the former champion, as did a PK, as the Hamburg crowd were weirdly starting to stand behind Gunns. In the end though, it’s Ahura who hit back again with a powerbomb, before an exchange of suplexes led to another lariat out of nowhere from Ahura… before a Euro clutch almost saw Gunns snatch the win.
From the kick-out, Ahura’s right in with a rear naked choke, only for Gunns to reverse with one of his own… Ahura counters right back, then muscled up Gunns for a powerbomb into the ropes before a Boss lariat finally sealed the win. Ahura’s on the run of his career right now, and unlike his run last year that went under the radar, this one’s in plain sight as irt feels like he’s going to end 2025 on top. ***½
Post-match, Gunns slapped Ahura instead of accepting his offer of a handshake… only for Ahura to give a playful slap back before the pair cooled down.
Next up, we had a contract signing – playing off of a segment on the most recent Shotgun vlog where it was revealed that Robin Christopher Fohrwerk’s manager’s license expires at the end of the month, and he won’t get a renewal unless he agrees to face Elijah Blum in a street fight at the 25th Anniversary show. I’m getting horrible flashbacks to Fohrwerk vs. Maggot last year…
Fohrwerk came out without music, but with his own security detail, before interrupting Blum… who seemed extremely eager to sign the paperwork. Blum recounted the times Fohrwerk’d cost him big matches, as well as his friendship with Peter Tihanyi… and then put pen to paper.
There was a no-contact clause put in that contract – which surprised me since the whole match was being put forward as a punishment by wXw – but Blum, ended up using one of Fohrwerk’s security guys as a weapon to throw at Fohrwerk… before powerbombing the goon through the contract signing table. Fohrwerk snuck back in with a chairshot from behind, and… that’s your lot.
They replay Jurn Simmons beating Karsten Beck at 16 Carat Gold 2016 in one of the anniversary highlights… along with Beck’s teased retirement and comeback later that year.
Dani Luna vs. Miyu Yamashita
This was Dani’s wXw debut, and we had a rather measured start as both Dani and Miyu began the feeling-out process.
Luna won out on a battle of shoulder tackles, but took too long to celebrate as Yamashita pulled her right down to the mat in almost a half crab, before she measured Dani for some punts to the back. Heading outside, Luna’s swept onto the apron… then met with a running kick as the pair dealt with the claustrophobic ringside area, before they fought through the crowd ahead of a running kick that knocked Luna out of a seat.
Back in the ring, Yamashita trapped Luna in almost an Anaconda Vise, which eventually ended in the ropes. Luna managed to break free, hitting a flurry of strikes ahead of a sliding punch for a near-fall, before Miyu went right back to the strikes, restraining Luna for a series of kicks to the chest.
A lariat off the ropes took down Luna… whose volley of strikes in return eventually took Yamashita down to her knees. Miyu’s right back up though as the back-and-forth continued, leading to a springboard enziguiri out of the corner from Yamashita. In return, a rebound Blue Thunder Bomb from Luna kept things ticking along, before Miyu’s knee to the face turned the match back in her favour… with a head kick and death valley driver following for another near-fall.
Luna tries to retaliate with a Luna Landing, but Yamashita slips out and locked in a rear naked choke, only for Dani to break free and score the Luna Landing for the win. A strong debut in wXw for Luna, and while the crowd brawling part felt a little out of place, I’m certainly not going to argue about the teased rematch. Dani’s really come into her own in 2025 – and this match was another example of that. ***¾
They announced Dead End on February 21 in the Markthalle… with Los Tranquilos de Japon returning after last weekend’s issues seemingly having been resolved. Both Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI were also announced during intermission for the field for 16 Carat Gold, which would have been unthinkable a year ago…
wXw Shotgun Championship: Shigehiro Irie vs. Dennis Dullnig (c)
Irie came to the aid of Zoltan after the Hungarian’s Shotgun title match earlier this month… and that’s led to the former Carat winner getting his crack at the title tonight.
Dullnig kept faking out a belt shot before the bell, but instead punted Irie low after he’d thrown the belt up in the air to distract the referee. We’ve not had a bell, but a Falcon arrow gets Dullnig a two-count anyway as things got going.
Dullnig was able to keep control, but still threw in some rule breaking for the fun of it, raking Irie’s eyes before throwing him into the corner. Going after the lower back, Dullnig lands a backbreaker and then tried to steal the pin with his feet on the ropes – prompting das Powercrowd to call for a “geldstrafe” (a fine) for Dullnig’s continual rule-bending.
A POUNCE out of nowhere turned the match back around for Irie, at least until Dullnig raked the eyes again… and caught Irie between the ropes for a Heatseeker piledriver for a near-fall. A second piledriver’s thrown away by Irie, who sat on Dullnig on the way down for a near-fall, before he sparked a aries of strikes with the annoyingly-resilient Dullnig. All that leads to a cannonball in the corner, then the Auf Die Fresse heart punch, but it’s not enough for the three count.
Dullnig tries to hit back with a clothesline, but instead a falling Made in Japan almost spiked the Shotgun champion for the win… before Dullnig floated over a Beast Bomber lariat and countered right back with a powerbomb. A Beast Bomber nearly won it for Irie, before a second one was blocked as Dullnig pushed the referee into Irie.
With no official, Dullnig tries a belt shot, but it’s thwarted as Irie instead tied up Cash for the headbutt… before teasing a belt shot of his own? Dullnig bails into the crowd as a Benny Hill chase broke out… quickly ending with Dullnig hitting a diving knee to Irie in the ring, just as the referee came to… and that’s enough for the win. Cash squeaks out the title defence here, but the comeuppance will be so sweet. ***½
We’ve another anniversary highlight… from last November’s Markthalle show, which saw the return of Axel Dieter Jr./Ludwig Kaiser.
They recap recent events in wXw’s tag division – such as the Grind eliminating Planet Gojirah from the World Tag Team Tournament, the Greedy Souls winning said tournament, and then the tag titles this past weekend.
wXw World Tag Team Championship: Planet Gojirah (Robert Dreissker & Marc Empire) vs. The Grind (Laurance Roman & Nick Schreier) vs. Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) (c)
The Greedy Souls won the tag titles from Planet Gojirah last weekend in Leipzig – thanks to some help from the Grind, who’ve now sleepwalked their way into a fourth title shot in a little over a month here, albeit in what’s now a three-way…
The Greedy Souls seemed to be really feeling it here, cheering on the chant of “auf die Fresse” at the bell as we started with Dreissker and Roman. Curiously, the champions were happy to watch from the sidelines… at least until they could sneak in a blind tag and try and steal the odd pin.
Empire’s TKO almost puts Nick Schreier away, before Nick was able to make a return with some mounted punches to Dreissker in the corner. Fighting free, Dreissker clears the Greedy Souls off the apron, but a blind tag brings Jones back in as the champions looked to capitalise with some double-teaming on Nick.
Planet Gojirah remained on the outside as Brendan and Danny kept Schreier isolated, taunting Laurance Roman as Schreier was forced to make it on his own. A Line-Out – double-team slam – almost ended things after Nick tried to make a tag, before a dropkick from Schreier led to Robert Dreissker snatching a tag in.
Unfortunately that just kept Nick isolated for a spell as Planet Gojirah had their turn squashing Nick, leading to a Beast Buster for a near-fall as Brendan White dove in to break up the pin. Dreissker keeps going with a running death valley driver for a near-fall, before an Acid Drop out of nowhere finally created some space for Schreier.
Tags bring in Roman and Brendan – with a kick on the apron slowing White down for a spell… a back body drop sends Dreissker flying ahead of a superplex on Brendan for a near-fall. Danny Jones tags in and bounces Roman with a powerbomb as the champions tried to push things over the line, leading to the Hospital Pass on Roman… with Schreier barely making the save in time.
Schreier’s able to help with a Destroyer that took care of Brendan White, before diving on Danny Jones and Marc Empire on the floor to help clear the pack some more. A blind tag from Dreissker to Brendan almost goes unnoticed… but Dreissker snuck in with an ankle lock to Brendan White for the submission, adding to Laurance Roman’s crossface. Dreissker’s legal, so Planet Gojirah regain the titles in a three-way tag that was hectic, but a cracker of a match as the Grind found new ways to get screwed by Robert Dreissker. Hey, if you’re going to do three-ways with tags, make the tags mean something, and they sure did here. ***¾
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: 1 Called Manders vs. Peter Tihanyi (c)
Manders lost the title to Peter Tihanyi over the Pro Wrestling Grand Prix – and this is Manders’ chance at getting back on top.
Tihanyi bailed before the bell – if only to stop the “There’s Only One Called Manders” chants – only to get knocked off the apron by Manders, who started the match in earnest with a scrap through the crowd. A stampede on the stage is stopped by Robin Christopher Fohrwerk, whose present distracted Manders for long enough to get hit by a neckbreaker instead as Tihanyi then tried to claim a count-out win.
Manders narrowly beat the count, but was instantly pounced on by Tihanyi who put the boots to him, before too much stalling allowed Manders back in with a suplex. A missed charge sees Manders eat nothing but turnbuckle, before a straitjacket choke looked to squeeze out the cowboy. Every time Manders looked to be making inroads, Tihanyi was slamming those doors shut… although a front suplex that dumped Tihanyi into the ropes did look rather effective.
Chops from Manders leave Tihanyi reeling, while a three point stance and clothesline led to a slam out of the corner as Manders finally was able to chain some offence together. More clotheslines pinned Tihanyi by the ropes, but a swinging DDT turned the match on its head a Tihanyi was looking reliant on one-hit kills to retain his title at this point.
It’s still real in Hamburg it seems as Manders powered through Tihanyi’s chops – and threw some of his own – before a trip and a superkick from Tihanyi looked to provide a response. Tihanyi grabbed a boot, pulling it off Manders… but a lariat seconds later almost shut things down as the callbacks to their match in September began to flow.
Robin Christopher Fohrwerk intervenes again, allowing Tihanyi to score a roll-up with a handful of tights for a near-fall, before a running Meteora laid out Manders in the middle of the ring. In return, an avalanche Stampede almost ends things as Manders then dragged Fohrwerk into the ring. Tihanyi saves his assistant from a Stampede, then launched himself back in for a cutter… and that’s your lot. It’s perhaps the last time we’ll get Fohrwerk intervening like this given the whole manager’s license deal… but for now, this put a bow on Manders in the title picture as all eyes now turn to Ahura vs. Tihanyi at the anniversary tour finale next month. ***½
wXw’s November swing into the Markthalle was a strong show – with everything up and down the card delivering, bolstered by das Powercrowd being in strong voice throughout. wXw’s back on Saturday evening (yes, tomorrow) at the Gruenspan for the second half of their Hamburg weekender – with Ahura vs. Miyu Yamashita looking to be the pick of an enticing card.