We’re going onto the streets of Essen for this next pick from wXw’s best of 2005, as the tag team titles were on the line at Full Force.
Andy Jackson is very excited to introduce this one, and gives us the background to the High Class Catch Club vs. GTS & Iceman – four “thick” wrestlers, as he describes them. It’s a wild brawl, and one that was firmly filed under “beg for forgiveness, rather than ask permission” as we then throw to the match that started in the Turock in Essen.
Street Fight for the wXw Tag Team Championship: GTS & Iceman vs. High Class Catch Club (Adam Polak & Baron von Hagen) (c)
Hey, I remember Iceman from 1PW… he’s in wXw’s Hall of Fame too, which tells you how important he was to the promotion’s early days.
Polak and GTS start us off, with Polak looking to work the wrist and arm early on. A wristlock brings in Baron von Hagen, who takes GTS down in an armbar before he just raked the eyes… then handed him off to Polak to do the same. Chops keep GTS in the corner, before von Hagen pulled him out ahead of a Boston crab… with Polak sneaking in some kicks behind the ref’s back. The bad guys continue to taunt as Iceman was being wound up – and distracted the referee as more double-teaming led to GTS taking an elbow drop for a two-count. GTS is taken into the corner again, then snapmared as a standing surfboard from Polak turned into what looked like a modified Cobra clutch on the mat. At that point, Iceman bellowed that “these people want to see a street fight…” and so bedlam ensued.
Iceman stormed the ring and went for von Hagen, before Polak and von Hagen were clotheslined over the top rope to the floor. Thommy Giesen confirmed the match turned into a street fight… and now we see the mobile camera following von Hagen and Polak leaving the venue with their gear… referee in tow, for some reason. Yep, it’s the streets of Essen, and some found footage too as the High Class Catch Club – plus a referee – speed off. Iceman and GTS have a similar idea…
In the car, Polak wants to drive the stolen car to Poland and sell it (“because we’re Polish, we always do this”)… von Hagen tries to talk his way out of it as Adam realises he’s taken the wrong bags. He plays a fantastic “dumb bad guy”, as he ordered the driver to go back to the venue… as we see inside Iceman and GTS’ car, and I’m thankful I’m from their neck of the woods and can understand those accents. Iceman bellows at the driver to speed up, before we head back outside the Turock, where the crowd’s spilled onto the streets. Just in time for von Hagen and Polak to return to get their bags. They pull the switcheroo, but they’ve lost their car, so they threaten 2005 Thommy, right as Iceman and GTS return to resume the brawl. NOW it hits the streets, as we get a split-screen view to show the brawl around some outdoor seating for a cafe.
Polak’s dunked into a fountain by Iceman, who then got thrown into a bin as they wander towards a subway – Essen’s Rheinischer Platz. Polak and von Hagen tease a suplex down the stairway, but instead it’s the Brits who spill down the stairs as the fans got their wish of “in der U-Bahn”… yep, we’re going underground! One of the camermen’s running for another way as they fill up a lift…
They appear on the upper level, scrapping some more as Iceman slaps the arses of the High Class Catch Club. The sound slips slightly out of sync here, as they finally head back towards the venue, with remnants of the outdoors all over them. Returning to the ring, Iceman’s left alone as GTS is still on his way… he eats a double shoulder tackle before a slam earned a two-count. Polak throws Iceman to the floor as we get some more brawling, including what I assume was GTS diving off the balcony – illuminated by a few camera flashes.
Back inside, GTS twists Polak’s nipples, then took a clothesline… with Iceman then coming back to lay waste to Polak. Iceman and von Hagen trade right hands and elbows, before all four men charged at each other from the corners… colliding and falling to the mat as we got a second referee for… reasons. Von Hagen decks a referee… with GTS “counting the pin” for the LOLs… then clotheslined him. Iceman slams von Hagen for a one-count, before a full nelson backbreaker dumped the Baron for a near-fall. Polak kicks away at Iceman in the ropes, before they sandwiched him with lariats as von Hagen gets a near-fall of his own.
Iceman’s getting beaten from pillar to post, as the tag champions hammer in knees before a powerbomb from von Hagen was back dropped out of by Iceman. Cue more brawling around ringside with GTS, as Iceman took von Hagen into the corner for a running knee, then a cannonball. We wash, rinse and repeat, before GTS came in to help Iceman hit a step-up cannonball… which led to a DDT from Iceman for the win.
Under 2021’s eyes, this one didn’t quite age well – while the “found footage” vibe to the outdoor shots presented something new from wXw’s production at the time, there’s bits of this that worked, but aside from the novelty value, this doesn’t stand up well today.
Result: GTS & Iceman X Adam Polak & Baron Van Hagen in 23:58 to win the wXw Tag Team Championship (**¾)