The Käfigschlacht returned as wXw started their 2020 in violent fashion.
The Turbinenhalle played host to wXw’s traditional year-opening show – and this year we’ve got two cage matches. One with added barbed wire! The pitch to commentary’s interrupted by the returning (to Germany) Marius al-Ani… Andy Jackson and Rico Bushido are on the call. It’s a show opening promo from Marius, who’s formally back from suspension… which he admits was because “I lost control”. He refers to the reasons behind it, saying it was “because people not on my level had a go at me”. That’s one way to outline it. Marius tells the crowd they’re jealous because they’re not him, then rags on the fans for bigging up “skinny fly-ins from England” who “look like crap”.
All of that hate’s interrupted by some love, as Levaniel hits the scene, and this becomes a match!
Marius Al-Ani vs. Levaniel
Marius isn’t feeling the “liebe” and goes into Levaniel with a suplex early on, before an attempted floatover was caught. A dropkick wrecks Levaniel for a near-fall, before a brief comeback from Levaniel saw him hit some chops… only for Marius to strike right back. A sunset flip from Levaniel’s countered into an ankle lock, which ends in the ropes, before a German suplex kept Levaniel in trouble. He uses armdrags to get free before a nice spinning heel kick took down Marius… who came back with one of his own before he lifted up Levaniel for a powerbomb… no a death valley driver… no, it’s eventually a side slam, as something you’d make when you’re indecisive on Create a Move wins the match. A decent squash return for Marius, which is what it should have been. **¼
Afterwards, Marius said “this is what happens when you play wrestling”, then promised to win 16 Carat Gold. Except he was interrupted when the lights went out, as we had a debut. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake hits… and fans of Britwres will know what that means.
Yes, Cara Noir’s in wXw, and he got his mirror mask through customs! Marius mocks the entrance… as the screens show the 16 Carat Gold logo. Or should that be 16 CARAt?
We cut backstage as Lucky Kid’s with Thommy Giesen. He feels like a free man after beating RISE, Purge Club and Kassius Ohno to end 2019… but his new year starts with a new challenge in Scotty Davis. Lucky’s got another goal: and it involves the world title.
Scotty Davis vs. Lucky Kid
Scotty’s got new music, having shared the same song with the Work Horsemen over World Tag Team Festival.
Scotty grounds Lucky Kid from the off, as the pair rolled on the mat until Lucky got in the ropes. A wristlock starts another exchange, as Lucky was just about edging it… but Scotty was perhaps edging it in terms of the crowd’s chants. Gator Rolls from Scotty caught out Lucky Kid, before a kip up and a Pele kick took the Carat winner to the outside, where Scotty followed with a moonsault off the apron. Back in the ring, Lucky’s punched to the outside, but he skins the cat and rebounds with an Asai DDT for a cover… that doesn’t count as Scotty didn’t have both shoulders down. Lucky keeps pushing though, and batters Scotty into the corner with a barrage of forearms. A good ol’ neck crank keeps Davis down, before a neck twist added to the pain.
Lucky looked for a handspring back elbow, but Scotty countered into a German suplex, before adding another and a Dragon suplex for some near-falls. An Angle slam followed after Scotty caught a kick, showing off some brute strength in the process, but Lucky uses some forearms to try and get free… only to get thrown down again. The handspring back elbow catches out Scotty in the end, before a Michinoku driver almost nicked a win… Scotty’s hook kick and a Fisherman suplex looked to get a pin… but he pulls up Lucky for a Fisherman buster… which Lucky rolls to the outside to avoid being pinned from. Davis looked for what seemed to be a Gator roll in the ropes, but lets go as Lucky fought back and hit a rebound cutter on the apron as Scotty tried to push him into the post.
Davis rolls back in to beat a count, but he’s right into the path of a missile dropkick as Lucky tries to win with a Ligerbomb… but it’s not enough, and Scotty responds by rolling him into an omoplata, which Lucky rolled into a pin to break free. From there, Lucky lands a pop-up knee before he used a La Mistica to take Davis into the crossface, and that’s the submission. A well-fought outing, albeit one that felt a little slow given what these guys have been capable of before. ***¼
Backstage, Alexander James tells us he’s looking to break way from having his recent career tied to Jurn Simmons in some form: and tonight’s barbed wire cage match will do the job. Jurn’s response? He’s going to finish James so it can mark the start of a new chapter for Jurn.
Goldenboy Santos vs. The Rotation
Santos has dyed his hair since we last saw him… it’s making him even more golden.
We start with Santos taking Rotation down so he could slap him on the head. Rotation responds with a cravat, before some headscissors were pushed off as Rotation had to make do with an armdrag before the headscissors finally came off. More lucha armdrags get a near-fall, but Santos rolls outside as Rotation… dives into a forearm. Ow. Back in the ring, a big boot dumps Rotation as Santos began to push back, landing a brainbuster for a solid two-count, then a body slam and a knee drop. Santos ragdolls Rotation ahead of a gutwrench suplex for another two-count, before he faked out a PK to slap Rotation… who rose up snarling as Santos was Barry Horowitz’ing himself. An enziguiri takes down Santos, who was clocked with a dropkick in the corner ahead of a springboard missile dropkick.
Rotation’s flying caught him out though, as Santos catches him and turns in with a suplex, before a lariat knocked Rotation loopy for another near-fall. A wheelbarrow roll-up nearly gets Rotation the W, as did a satellite DDT, before a missed 450 splash led to Rotation tope’ing into Santos on the outside. A 450 splash lands on the second occasion… and that’s it! Nice and snappy, and while it’s a loss on his marquee event debut, Santos acquitted himself well – and looked unflappable here. ***
They replay Amale’s defence at the 19th Anniversary, and the ensuing shenanigans with Melanie Gray. Oh, and Karsten Beck doing his best to incite a human resources complaint.
Levaniel’s back out, holding his neck, and he’s back to spread the message of love. Oh, and the message of professionalism. He tells us he “doesn’t like Karsten Beck trying to get with Amale… because love only happens between beautiful people”. Shots fired. Levaniel’s looking for people in the crowd who are in love, and wouldn’t you know it, Melanie Gray and Alpha Kevin are here again! Kevin’s way too excited to take up Levaniel on his offer… Melzi, not so much. Karsten Beck’s out almost as soon as Melanie gets in the ring. I guess someone passed on Levaniel’s message. There’s a hug for Alpha Kevin, harkening back to old times, while Melanie just gets a handshake. I see how it is. Beck puts over Levaniel, but doesn’t congratulate him on his beauty… just on his nice boots.
Beck turns his focus onto Alpha Kevin, because of how he reacted towards Amale at 19th Anniversary. Kevin owns up to what happened, but took exception to Karsten calling Amale “the best wXw women’s champion of all time”, saying that Amale was “absolute trash”. Even if he used an expletive instead of “trash”. Kevin talked up Melanie… but Karsten brought up how Melanie’s not allowed to wrestle in Oberhausen after last year’s Back to the Roots. All this leads to Karsten talking about Melanie and Kevin vs. Amale and… not himself, for the obvious reasons. So Levaniel will be Karsten’s proxy, as they’ll wrestle in Bielefeld… and if Melanie and Kevin win, Melanie will be allowed to wrestle in Oberhausen again.
We get a recap of Absolute Andy’s long fight to try and get a Shotgun title match… and his shock at Jay Skillet stealing his victory at the 19th Anniversary, which led to this match being book.
wXw Shotgun Championship: Absolute Andy vs. Jay Skillet (c)
THE REVERB OF ANDY’S THEME…
Andy’s staring a hole through Skillet during the intros, and he’s all fired up for this. Even if Rico’s taking fire at Andy’s belly…
Andy stretches, but Jay needs help getting his boot up as he’s having to style it out, before Andy pulls out… some antibacterial wipes for his hands. I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a technical clinic. Even more so when Jay pulls out an elastic band, as referee Rainer Ringer goes hunting for a chair. Uhh…
Rainer Ringer gets a chair and is handed a muffin as Andy and Jay circle the ring, aaand they’re doing the Owen Hart popcorn match… or was it the Fingerpoke of Doom with a twist, as Andy “hits” a leg drop of doom for a near-fall. From the kick-out Skillet admits he couldn’t lay down for him… so Andy talks him into it. He misses the legdrop again as Jay kicks out. Again. Andy switches up with an F5, but Skillet kicks out, and I guess we’re done playing around now. A German suplex ragdolls Skillet across the ring, as he’s then thrown outside as Andy had his way with his (former?) tag partner. There’s a little mustard behind Andy’s stuff here, as he dumps Skillet with “dad bod plexes”, then a spinebuster for a near-fall, before Andy took Skillet to the middle rope for an F5… but Jay slips out and hits a powerbomb for a two-count.
Skillet tries to follow up with a Schürrle kick, but had to make do with a cutter before the Schürrle kick got a two-count. From there, Skillet hits an Andy spinebuster, then a Sharpshooter as he stole Andy’s moves… but there’s a rope break to keep the match alive. The F5 gets Skillet another near-fall, before both men grabbed weaponry… Andy swings and misses with a chair, while Skillet missed a belt shot, before he got slingshotted into the ref in the corner. They regain their weapons again as Rainer Ringer tried to regain his composure, but Andy then feigns a low blow as Rainer turned around. CLASSIC. Except Jay points out that if he’s DQ’d he keeps the title, so Andy’s suddenly better again. Jay repeats the trick, fishing for a DQ, before the pair traded pinning attempts, leading to Jay retaining with a roll-up. Andy ain’t what he used to be, but rather than fighting it and sticking to “his match”, he’s started to carve a niche for himself with this comedy stuff. And I’m LOVING it. ***½
The Catch Grand Prix trailer airs here – it’s five days in Oberhausen, with a G1 Climax-style round robin tournament.
They recap the build for the Käfigschlacht, focusing on the Pretty Bastards, Julian Pace and Leon van Gasteren…
Käfigschlacht: Bobby Gunns, Norman Harras & Pretty Bastards (Maggot & Prince Ahura) vs. Avalanche, David Starr, Julian Pace & Leon van Gasteren
It’s War Games… and the pre-match coin toss meant that while balaclava Bobby Gunns and Avalanche started the match, only one side would have an advantage.
Gunns charged into Avalanche as he got into the cage, but Avalanche quickly squashes him with a back senton as the opening five minute period seemed to be all Avalanche. He blocked Gunns’ attempt at throwing him into the cage, but couldn’t avoid his arm getting worked over as Gunns took him down and stomped on the elbow.
Back on his feet, Avalanche is able to catch Gunns with a spinebuster, before he got caught with a mounted rear naked choke…which gets broken up as Avalanche just charges into the cage. Ow. English commentary disappears as the pair continued to slog it out… but the third man out would see Bobby get some help as Maggot joined the fray. The first thing Maggot did was to move the ring steps so he could show off… but Avalanche just tosses Gunns into the cage wall behind him to knock him to the floor. When Maggot got into the ring, the double-teaming started in earnest… but the turnarounds shorten as Julian Pace is quickly out to level the score, stomping a mudhole into Maggot on the top rope! A missile dropkick awaits for Gunns, before a BME misses everyone… unlike Avalanche’s crossbody as the good guys stood tall!
A cannonball awaits for Gunns and Maggott, as Avalanche threw himself, then Pace into the corner, before Prince Ahura came out. Ahura doesn’t want to rush in, as he instead steals the padlock key from Tobi from ring crew, and shoves it down his trunks. He’s caught out by Julian Pace, who hit a cannonball to the outside, before he slammed the cage door onto a diving Maggot. Yep, the cage isn’t working as everyone’s brawling around the front row… save for Gunns and Avalanche, as Leon van Gasteren came out to dive onto the Bastards. Norman Harras is out last for Bobby’s Bastards, and his first order of business is to bounce van Gasteren onto the walkway, before he joined the Bastards in rushing to the ring. Remember, they’ve got the key to the cage… and sure enough, Avalanche is locked in for some 1-on-4 beatings.
Van Gasteren and Pace try to climb in, but they’re fended away by the Bastards… before David Starr hit the ring, thirsty for Norman Harras’ blood. He gets some help as Julian Pace tripped Maggot and pulled him through a break in the cage wall… which had to suck for Maggot’s back. Leon’s climbed to the top of the cage and leaps in with a crossbody as he retrieves the key to the padlock… and now it’s four-on-four!
There’s plunder too, in the form of a no parking sign (apt, for Julian Pace), while Starr brought a table into the ring, and this is more like the Käfigschlachts of old! Prince Ahura’s been locked out, so the tables literally turn… as he’s dropkicked on the cage door, which swings back to sandwich him around the corner. Now THAT’S why they tell you to stand back… Van Gasteren uses the cage door on the bastards as the cage wasn’t doing to well in holding everyone in. They padlock the cage so it’s just Harras and Gunns in there with Starr and Avalanche, while tables were stacked up on the outside. Uh. Oh. Should we just page Maffew now, given the records with tables here?
Ahura teases a back body drop as Pace was by a propped-up table, but instead Maggot just Alley-Oops him into a chair. CHRIST. Van Gasteren wears a chair and gets thrown into the ring post as the Bastards were EVIL. Back in the ring, Starr bounces Harras off the cage walls before some payback was dished out… Starr’s able to use a chair to keep the Bastards out, before Avalanche charged into a chair in the corner, and that one flub opened the door. Harras’ German suplex dropped Starr through an open chair, just as the Bastards forged an opening on Pace and van Gasteren. Not to worry though, Starr and Avalanche fought back, only to pop up from a pair of rebound Germans as they hit lariats. Avalanche tries to make Gunns tap to an Arabian clutch, like the Käfigschlachts of old, while the Bastards’ attempt to get into the ring were thwarted as Pace pulled Ahura off the cage through a table… Maggot’s dumped with a death valley driver, before Gunns and Harras escaped their holds.
Eh, Avalanche spears Gunns through a table, before Starr bashed the stop sign off of Norman Harras, who then had no choice but to tap to a chair-assisted crossface. My GOD, this was brutal – even though not a drop of the red stuff was spilled. They brought the intensity and the violence, and I like how Avalanche continues his Undertaker-like streak of being undefeated in this match. That being said, the purist in me disliked how the match effectively split in half, but at least it kept the focus largely in the ring. ***¾
Time for the promo package for the main event, which had the neat aura of being a mix of pirate footage early on.
Barbed Wire Steel Cage: Alexander James vs. Jurn Simmons
This can only be won by pin or submission, and they’ve put a LOT of barbed wire around the cage, including across the corners.
James boots Jurn at the bell, but he’s quickly tossed across the ring before Jurn threw James into the cage wall. A gorilla press slam’s next, with James meeting the cage wall again, ahead of some suplex throws. So. Many, Suplex. Throws.
An Irish whip into the corner follows, along with a shoulder charge, before Jurn eventually missed one as he looked to catch his face on the buckles. James throws some right hands as he began to stomp on Jurn’s ankle… in what I thought was some aiming for his previous broken leg, but instead it’s a Garvin stomp before a T-bone suplex hurled Jurn into the corner for a two-count. James hooks away on Jurn, going after the eyes, nose and mouth, before an attempted mounted sleeperhold ended with Jurn just charging them into the cage. Jurn does the thumbs up, but a powerbomb’s stopped as James clings onto the cage to save himself… only for Jurn to give up and push him up into the barbed wire.
The powerbomb follows for a two-count, before a crossface was applied, and that’s just showing James’ bloody head as Jurn lets go and tossed his former tag partner into the cage wall. Another spinebuster’s good for a two-count, only for James to respond by biting Jurn from the kick out, following up with a Blood Eagle for a near-fall. Right hands from James had Jurn looking groggy, before a simple Corning hold restrained Jurn ahead of the arm snapper. Another ripcord back elbow and a gutwrench powerbomb a la Jurn led to the King’s Landing DDT for a near-fall… which just angered James more. He teases another King’s Landing, but has to kick out of a roll-up before he hits it, before James went up… and hit a moonsault.
I did not know he had that in his locker.
Next up, James heads back up to the top rope, because he’d smuggled some wire clippers in… and here comes some of the barbed wire. There’s also a black bag there too, as they’re teasing the Kendo stick for later… and by later, I mean now, as James pulls it down and hits a shot to the head off the top rope. Ow. Jurn’s bleeding now, and has to listen to James bemoaning what he’d given up before he took another lashing… but it’s not enough to get the win as Simmons kicked out. Another stick shot’s blocked, as Simmons hits a Massive boot to stop his former partner, and then grabs the stick to get some payback. Except a low blow instantly awaited him, as James went back up top looking for more barbed wire.
Jurn’s low blow stops THAT as he instead pulled James down with a powerbomb off the top. Clotheslines keep Jurn ahead, before he battered James with the Kendo stick. James begs off, but he just gets pulled into a piledriver… which Jurn chains together, hitting a second before he cracked the Kendo stick off of James’ back and scored the pin. As a possible blow-off main for the feud, this was intense and fit expectations… but it suffered greatly by having to follow the plunder-iffic Käfigschlacht. Had this been the only cage match on the show, or had something “buffer” it, I’m sure it’d have been better received, but something tells me this may not be the last chapter… ***
Commentary recaps the evening’s events… hyping up the Road to 16 Carat Gold in Obertraubling before pitching to the winners of the Käfigschlacht. Which David Starr’s just about learned how to say. He’s got some ideas too: Avalanche should get a rematch for the Shotgun title… Pace and van Gasteren should get a tag title match… and Starr wants his one-on-one wXw unified world wrestling title shot.
Starr walks off, but first we see Absolute Andy and Jay Skillet picking their teeth with plastic knives. Andy’s not too bothered with losing, as he and Jay are interrupted by Avalanche announcing he’s got a Shotgun title match with Jay in Bielefeld on February 15…
Elsewhere, Bobby Gunns is licking his proverbial wounds with Karsten Beck… in comes David Starr, who asks for his title match with Gunns. Bobby brings up how often Starr’s lost to WALTER, before mentioning how Starr’s always choked when it’s come to the big matches in Germany. So Starr ups the ante: if he doesn’t win the title at 16 Carat Gold, he’ll leave wXw. I guess that’s our Mittel-Samstag main event as we fade to black…
A good show from wXw gets their 2020 officially underway, and if you didn’t know, we’re firmly in 16 Carat Gold season! While this year’s Käfigschlacht lacked a long-term storyline to blow-off, wXw pivoted well to make sure the match generated something coming out of it. wXw have conditioned fans to trust the company to deliver storylines and pay-offs… they’ve made no bones about his 2020 is the year they’re choosing to rebuild, and the undercard here showed real signs of that decision, with Goldenboy Santos and Levaniel getting “blooded” onto the main shows… and considering the speculation about signings and departures is likely to never end, it’s a smart move to stay ahead of the curve.
David Starr putting his wXw career on the line – less than a year after he “quit” during Mania weekend – may be eye-rolling for some, but it sure makes that Saturday night main event even more must see. Even if it’s only to find out whether March 7 is a Saturday that ends with rice pudding at the aftershow party, or just sour grapes…