We’re going back to Essen in 2005 again, and it’s a four-way match to determine the top contender for Robbie Brookside’s wXw World Heavyweight Title.
Andy Jackson is here to introduce another match from Full Force 4 in July 2005 – and it’s a LONG one.
Ares vs. Alex Pain vs. Colt Cabana vs. Murat Bosporus
This one looks to be working under tag rules, as Colt and Bosporus argued which of them would start against Ares. Murat got the nod, as everyone did the yay/boo thing with the crowd, as Ares was the only one to get booed
Eventually Ares and Bosporus lock up, before Colt came in and was thrown across the ring… Ares tries to dominate early, but gets taken down with an armdrag as he ends up getting triple-teamed with lots of bodyslams. Even the referee gets in on the act, the oldest trick in the book! After working Bosporus’ arm, Ares tags in Cabana… but the pair aren’t in any hurry to lock up. When they do, a Test of Strength has Colt down briefly, as he spins back to his feet, then took Murat down for some headscissors on the mat. As Colt’s chatting with the referee, Ares took the chance to choke Bosporus from the apron, which gets broken up.
We go to Pain and Colt, who circle briefly before they grapple, leading to a roll-up on the mat from Cabana for a two-count as Pain then gets forced into a pinning attempt via a test of strength, but Pain bridges up to break the attempts before getting back up to try and repeat the trick to Colt.
Ares and Bosporus come back in next, with Murat working over the wrist of Ares, who needs the ropes to force a break. Shoulder charges from Ares briefly keep Bosporus at bay, but Murat struck back with some blistering chops in the corner. Pain’s back with a chinlock for Bosporus, but a side suplex breaks that as Bosporus goes to bring Colt in… who goes back to the cravat and a chinbar to muscle Pain down. A dropkick in the ropes sees Pain fall into the corner, but he doesn’t get the tag as Colt’s jack-knife gets a two-count, before going right back to the cravat. Pain manages to find a breakthrough with a head-and-arm choke on the mat, before dumping Colt with a clothesline for a two-count.
Colt charges Pain to the corner, allowing Ares to tag in as he snapmares him down for a grounded abdominal stretch, but Pain’s able to hoist up the Swiss native for a swinging facebuster that gets a two-count. Colt’s back, and quickly takes down Ares with spinning headscissors before he low-fived the referee as he tried to stop Colt from kicking Ares low.
Ares struck back with some shoulder charges in the ropes, only to get chopped down by Colt – forcing Ares to beg for a time-out. Of course, there are no time outs, and Colt just boots Ares in the head as he proceeds to pull him out of the corner too. Colt distracts the ref and boots Ares low, before distracting Tass again so Murat could go low too.
Ares tries to call for a time-out again, but he just gets flung into the corner as Pain tags himself back in. Bosporus works over Pain’s arm, then rolls him up for a two-count before Pain retaliated with almost a grounded Octopus hold, rolling Bosporus down to the mat… but Bosporus escapes and traps him with a cravat, before rolling him down for a swiping chop to the back.
A suplex from Bosporus lands for a two-count, as Pain rolls him back to his feet for some chops before a dropkick in the ropes led to another two-count. Things seem to pause as Cabana was gifted a path to charge at Bosporus in the corner by Ares, but doesn’t take it as we instead see Bosporus go for a side headlock that’s pushed into the ropes. Shoulder tackles and leapfrogs follow, with a distraction allowing Murat to hit an Exploder on Colt for a two-count.
Ares interjects himself with a few elbows from the apron, with Colt having to fight back inside the ring as Bosporus had him in a chinlock that’s eventually countered out of… until Colt grabbed onto the ropes as Bosporus teases a German suplex. Arm wringers follow, as Bosporus went to the corner to tag Ares back in, as it now seemed they were looking to focus on Colt for a while.
A slam and a fist drop from Ares gets a two-count, before Colt rebounded off the ropes with a crossbody. He gets a second one, but a third one whiffs as Ares tagged back out to Bosporus, whose back suplex and chinlock kept Colt down. Ares is back to stop Colt from tagging out, but getting into it with Alex Pain on the apron allows Colt to sneak in a roll-up for a two-count. Wash, rinse repeat, as Colt keeps getting knocked down and held back, before a Quebrada bought him enough time to make the tag out, opting to bring Pain in.
Pain dumps Ares with a back body drop, then a spinning heel kick, before a front facelock and a ripcord into a Flatliner drew a near-fall. Things build up as Ares fights off Pain, only for Colt to fly in for a sunset flip off the top for a near-fall, before walking Alex Pain into going back and forth with Bosporus with chops. Colt walks away as Ares gets involved, returning as Ares gets sandwiched.
The comedy resumes as Ares is taken up top, with everyone else looking to take him down… but in the end it sets up for a Tower of Doom back superplex. All four men stay beat the standing ten count, before Ares lifted Pain and Cabana to the outside… Bosporus is still there and lands a belly-to-belly for a two-count on Ares. Colt finally gets serious and throws rights with Bosporus, who ducks and hits a German suplex, with Pain breaking it up with a big splash off the top.
Pain tries to put Ares away, but Bosporus pulls him down… only for an errant Pain clothesline to take him out as Ares gets the win with a swinging Fisherman suplex – with Colt narrowly failing to break the pin in time. Keeping this four-way as “two in the ring with tag rules” prevented a lot of the usual sequences that had become synonymous with four-ways, it ended up making this match feel like one long sort-of tag team match that turned into a war of attrition – one that I just couldn’t engage with… and by the time things started to heat up for the finish, I’d long since been lost on this match.
Result: Ares pinned Alex Pain in 44:35 (**½)