A couple of surprises awaited Hamburg as OSKAR returned to his home town to defend the wXw tag titles.
Quick Results
Anil Marik, Icarus & Baby Allison pinned Pahlevan Nima, Yokai & Aluna in 5:03 (**)
Levaniel pinned Ryan Clancy in 10:32 (***)
Nick Schreier pinned Sean Legacy in 7:34 (**¾)
Surprise Benefit Scramble: Joseph Fenech Jr. pinned Landon Hale, Hektor & Robbie X in 11:12 (***¼)
Street Fight: Laurance Roman pinned Robert Dreissker in 17:36 (***¾)
Anita Vaughan pinned Stephanie Maze to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship in 10:40 (***)
Peter Tihanyi pinned Bobby Gunns to retain the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in 15:46 (***¾)
OSKAR & Yuto Nakashima pinned Fast Time Moodo & Axel Tischer to retain the wXw World Tag Team Championships in 17:18 (***½)
We’re from a sold-out Markthalle in Hamburg with 800 folks crammed inside for what was the biggest standalone wXw show outside of Oberhausen. As usual outside of festival weekends, English commentary comes from Mett Dimassi.
Pahlevan Nima, Yokai & Aluna vs. High Performer Ltd. (Icarus, Anil Marik & Baby Allison)
It’s a main roster debut for Aluna – meanwhile Yokai and Nima will be looking for a better result than last time here, where their match was interrupted by Levaniel. Robin Christopher Fohrwerk’s “manager’s license” has been suspended for tonight, so he’s not allowed at ringside between the bells.
A bright start for Nima sees him hit a rebound lariat off the ropes a la Tyler Bate (remember him?) as everyone had a go in the opening minutes. Yokai didn’t quite fare as well against Icarus, at least until he levelled him with a forearm, before Aluna came in to take on Baby Allison.
Rolling suplexes from Allison led to a Fisherman suplex for a two-count, but a clash of heads between the two forced fresh tags. It’s Yokai who cleared house though, at least til we had a Parade of Moves that ended with Anil Marik spiking Nima with a double arm DDT for the win. Short and sweet, but this match didn’t get enough time to do much. **
Post-match, Fohrwerk hit the ring to introduce Peter Tihanyi… who then got interrupted by Bobby Gunns as he tried to declare himself the best in Europe. We’re getting Gunns/Tihanyi as a surprise bonus match later on.
Levaniel vs. Ryan Clancy
Levaniel’s at a bit of a loose end since losing the Shotgun title to Anita Vaughan last month, while Clancy is looking for his first televised win in wXw.
Clancy has Levaniel grounded early on with a hammerlock, then rolled Levaniel down with an arm wringer as Clancy seemingly had things under control. A crossbody keeps him ahead, before Levaniel threw Clancy off the top rope as he finally forged an opening for himself. One that he used to mock Clancy, which nearly saw him lose that advantage…
A back elbow dropped Clancy as Levaniel slowed the pace down with an abdominal stretch, before Clancy tried to hit back with a dropkick. Levaniel clings to the ropes to avoid it, but Clancy’s second wind keeps him going, sending Levaniel onto the apron ahead of an eventual suplex back into the ring.
Dusty punches from Clancy see him push on, before he faked out a finale as Levaniel ducked his way into a DDT… but Levaniel’s able to surprise Clancy with a discus clothesline. A side Russian legsweep out of nowhere almost nicked the win for Clancy, but in the end Levaniel snapped back with a Galactic Facecrusher to pick up the clean win. A decent showing for Levaniel, but that finish was absolutely against the run of play. ***
We’re shown the clip of Mike D Vecchio from the last Shotgun vlog, setting up Sean Legacy as Nick Schreier’s next opponent…
Nick Schreier vs. Sean Legacy
Schreier had some issues in the early going against the ID’d Legacy, finally making a way through with a dropkick out of the corner to take the American down to the floor.
A follow-up tope’s caught though, as Legacy lawndarts Schreier into the ring post. Back inside, Schreier fights back, but he’s again caught as a crossbody’s turned into a backbreaker as Sean blitzed through him ahead of a standing moonsault for a two-count.
Another fightback from Schreier sees him land an enziguiri after an exchange of shots, before a pop-up dropkick took Legacy into the corner. A bodypress off the top nearly nicks the win for Schreier, but Legacy’s attempt to powerbomb his way back in backfired at the first attempt…
Having kicked out of a ‘rana, Legacy hits the sit-out powerbomb seconds later for a near-fall, before an Argentina backbreaker was countered into a Destroyer of all things. Schreier adds a Shining Wizard seconds later, and that’s your lot – a huge come-from-behind win for Schreier, who’s been doing well with Mike D away. **¾
Backstage, Dan Mallmann’s with Stephanie Maze ahead of her crack at the Shotgun title… and played tattle tail with claims from the locker room that Vaughan didn’t think Maze deserved a shot, given she’s usually in tag teams.
Joseph Fenech Jr. vs. Landon Hale vs. Robbie X vs. Hektor
This was a Surprise Benefit Scramble – with the winner receiving an unknown award. Robbie X was making his wXw debut here, as a late replacement for the injured Ahura. Sadly, no Bullet Club theme, but thankfully not the kettle-boiling whistle of his Rev Pro music either!
Fenech threatened to boycott the match until there was silence… and you know how that goes. When we do get going, it’s a quick start as all four men went to work, initially culminating with Hektor and Hale remaining in the ring. A tijeras from Hale earns him a lucha armdrag from Hektor, before the obligatory double dropkick stand-off.
A switcheroo sees Robbie X rake Fenech’s eyes, but Hale’s back in to trip up Robbie for a low dropkick in the corner. Fenech hangs up Hale in the ropes as he tried to force his way in, but Hektor’s waiting as a springboard crossbody took out the Frenchman for a two-count. Robbie X has a go with a heel kick to Fenech, before quickly rolling up Hale for a two-count as the pace remained pretty high in this one.
A delayed senton atomico from Robbie X gets him a two-count as he tried to keep Hektor alone inside the ring… just so he could flip off the fans as he threatened to jump onto Hektor in the ropes. Hale takes advantage of Robbie playing to the crowd as another Parade of Stuff started, ending with a backbreaker, a Blue Thunder bomb and a moonsault on Fenech.
Fenech’s back to crush Hale with a cannonball in the corner, but it’s not enough as he proceeded to drag Hale in for a draping DDT. It came to nought as a Molly Go Round from Robbie X surprises the pair of them, before a surge from Hektor led to the sit-out powerbomb on Hale… which Robbie X’s low kick broke up. Robbie blocks a handspring cutter from Fenech as he proceeded to lay out Hale with a Beyblade and a standing shooting star press, before one last Parade of Stuff ended with Fenech shrugging off a German suplex from Hektor, before he jumped Hale with a draping DDT for the win. Perhaps not everyone’s type of match, but this was a fun spot of fireworks that rarely had any downtime. ***¼
We didn’t have to wait long to find out what Joseph Fenech Jr.’s Surprise Benefit is… he’s being entered to 16 Carat Gold next year. Hopefully he can get past the first round this time…
An excellent video package for the Dreissker/Roman street fight followed – one that condensed the story into a couple of minutes – and you know what’s next…
Street Fight: Robert Dreissker vs. Laurance Roman
Roman’s out in Street Fight Jeans, so you know he means business as a shot at the title’s on the line here.
Dreissker’s jump start saw him take an early advantage as he drove Roman into the corner, but Roman’s able to break free and take Dreissker outside for a plancha as we got our first plunder of the night, with Roman chucking some chairs into the ring.
One of those chairs just gets LAUNCHED into Dreissker’s head for a two-count – Dreissker tried to block it with his hand, but to no avail. Rather than lob more chairs at his former tag partner, Roman heads backstage and comes back with a table, only for Dreissker to dump him groin-first across the side of the table before it could do any more damage. Eventually setting the table up on the floor, Dreissker powerbombs Roman through it… and given Lauri’s history of concussions this year, that’s a hell of a risk.
Shaking off the effects, Roman took Dreissker back outside as they brawled up towards the commentary area, but Dreissker grabs a baking sheet and smashes it over Roman’s head. Just WHY did Mett have that next to him?! Of course, Roman comes up red from that, and it’s all Dreissker for a spell back inside the ring as he wore through Roman, crashing through him with a springboard crossbody out of the corner for a two-count.
More plunder follows as Dreissker exploded a Kendo stick across Roman’s back, before he set up a bunch of chairs in the ring… which came into play as a handy crash pad when Laurance pulled off a back body drop. Fuelled by that, Roman continued his comeback, landing a suplex for good measure, before he undid his belt and began to whip the Avalanche with it.
A belt-assisted crossface ends with Dreissker rolling up Roman for a two-count, before he smashed his way back in with a spinebuster for a near-fall of his own. Roman avoids a second crossbody, but is instantly caught with a death valley driver for a near-fall as Roman was having to claw away from the jaws of defeat. Even more so when Dreissker pulled out a second table.
Roman’s taken down with a bicycle kick, before he cut off Dreissker out of the corner with an Electric Chair drop. From there, Roman chucks Dreissker through the table, before a frog splash finally put away the big man – a huge win for Laurance Roman as he tries to get back to the top of the mountain, while this loss threatens to put Robert Dreissker in the proverbial no man’s land. ***¾
Post-match, Dreissker shook Roman’s hand, having fallen to him twice this year…
wXw Shotgun Championship: Stephanie Maze vs. Anita Vaughan (c)
This was the first time the Shotgun title was contested between two women – something of a milestone in the title’s history.
There’s some annoyance from Maze early on, sparked by the scuttlebutt mentioned in her backstage promo, but Vaughan’s able to snuff that out in the early going before the pair reached a stalemate. A fallaway slam from Vaughan has Maze in a daze, before a Busaiku knee off the ropes put Maze back in it.
Irish whips into the corners put Vaughan in trouble, aggravating her lower back, but she’s able to shake it off… only to miss a dropkick as Maze returned with a PK for another two-count. Maze’s trip up top’s cut off by Anita, who’s able to land a superplex… leading to the pair trading blows again after they got back to their feet.
A bodyslam from Vaughan led to a Ki Krusher, but a delayed cover gave Maze time to kick out… a back suplex from Maze looked to give her a new opening, but Vaughan’s able to shrug it off as we hit the final five minutes of the time limit… not that we needed that much more of it as a sit-out powerbomb seconds later got the win for Vaughan. ***
Post-match, there’s a begrudging handshake from Maze – and I wouldn’t be shocked if this “something to prove” attitude sticks with Maze.
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: Bobby Gunns vs. Peter Tihanyi (c)
A somewhat impromptu title defence here, set up on the pre-show as Bobby Gunns looks to recapture the title in a building that he went YEARS unbeaten in.
Gunns looked to work over Tihanyi’s arm early on, only for Tihanyi to literally walk over him after an Irish whip. That disrespect fired up Gunns, whose uppercuts lit up Tihanyi ahead of a Kitchen Sink knee and a PK to the back. We’ve our second back body drop of the night, before Tihanyi tried to scurry… only to use that as a ruse as he raked the eyes of Gunns, then chop blocked the former champion’s knee.
Tihanyi targets that knee from there on, looking to keep Gunns off his feet as he stretched Gunns in a straight-jacket hold. Hamburg rose to their feet to cheer on Gunns – imagine THAT back in the days where he was trolling Hamburg with the “not lost in X days” clock! Forearms from Gunns gave him an opening, as did a suplex either side of a dropkick to the knee, before a series of charging uppercuts trapped Tihanyi in the corner.
Gunns adds a German suplex to leave Tihanyi in a heap – but goes to celebrate rather than try for a cover. Tihanyi tries to hit back with an enziguri, but it’s blocked and turned into a Boston crab instead, only to make it to the ropes to force a break. An Ehrenmann Driver from Gunns is escaped as Tihanyi ends up tripping him into the ropes, leading to a swift tornado DDT for a near-fall as we resume with the pair trading blows once more.
Tihanyi stomps on Gunns’ leg as he again pushed on, but a trip up top’s stopped as he took too long… allowing Gunns to superplex him down to the mat. Gunns adds a shotgun dropkick to that mix as a PK and a folding pin took him closer, only for a Meteora from Tihanyi to shut that down. A slingshot cutter looks to follow, but Gunns just backs away and let the champion crash and burn… only for Gunns’ knee to give out as he tried to run for a PK.
Tihanyi pounces with a Dragon screw there, before the slingshot cutter put an end to a great match that we weren’t even expecting until earlier in the night! A good win to put some credibility behind Tihanyi’s fledgling reign. ***¾
Post-match, Robin Christopher Fohrwerk hit the ring to blab some more… he called Tihanyi one of the best wrestlers to ever wrestle in the Markthalle. Out go the lights, and some familiar-ish music as Ludwig Kaiser – the former Axel Dieter Jr. – returned home. The Markthalle exploded for that surprise, as he took his time making it to the ring for a staredown with Tihanyi.
Fohrwerk tells Tihanyi to leave the ring, as he continued to flap his gums… which led to the obligatory “heel manager gets laid out by returning hero” moment. The Junior/Tihanyi staredown continues, and given that European WWE names have been making a habit of working some independent dates lately, I do wonder if that coincides with how Laurance Roman’s title shot wasn’t for an explicit date. Anniversary, anyone?
It was noted that Kaiser made a point of plugging upcoming WWE events in Europe next March, but I doubt this appearance would have swung many more ticket sales for Hannover and Dortmund!
Tornado Tag Match for wXw World Tag Team Championship: KxS (Axel Tischer & Fast Time Moodo) vs. Young Blood (OSKAR & Yuto Nakashima) (c)
Last weekend on a tour of East Germany, KxS beat Young Blood in a pair of non-title matches, and also stood tall in an elimination match. The momentum’s with the former champions going into this, but OSKAR (and Yuto Nakashima) had Hamburg behind them from the off here.
We’re running under tornado rules, so there’s no need for tags as the ring cleared pretty quickly with Nakashima and Tischer brawling up towards the hard cam. Moodo and OSKAR join in on the other side of the Markthalle as KXS initially stood tall. Back inside, Young Blood finally make some inroads, double-teaming Moodo as they had the challengers on the back foot, as OSKAR’s back body drop launched Tischer upwards.
An attempt at the Blood Rush is quickly broken up by Moodo, as the tables turn with them stomping away on OSKAR. A leg sweep/leg lariat combo nearly puts OSKAR away as Yuto Nakashima was dazed on the outside… Yuto eventually returns to make the save on OSKAR, kicking away Tischer before dumping Moodo with a back suplex.
More kicks to Tischer trap him in the corner before Moodo grabbed onto him to prevent more… as KxS mounted another comeback with some double-teaming. A sandwich of PKs nearly puts Yuto away, before they stopped to snuff out a returning OSKAR. Tischer took OSKAR into the crowd to leave him laying, then returned to focus on Yuto again. Another OSKAR return this time bore teeth as he managed to overcome KxS on his own, giving Nakashima precious time to recover.
Corner-to-corner clotheslines from OSKAR lead to a double suplex on the challengers, ahead of a Nakashima-kick-aided slam on Tischer for a near-fall. Moodo breaks it up before Tischer caught OSKAR with an X-Plex to restore their advantage, as KxS land a superkick-aided German suplex to the big man.
KxS go back to Nakashima for a spell, hitting a stomp-assisted gutbuster and a Made in Japan as OSKAR was being held in an abdominal stretch to prevent him from breaking things up. A chokeslam from OSKAR’s broken up with a low blow as Moodo masked the referee’s view… but OSKAR’s able to kick out of a Pedigree before things finally got back to two-on-two as Nakashima got back to his feet.
A brief scrap gets rid of Yuto again, but OSKAR’s able to overcome KxS once more, before a roll-up with the feet on the ropes was rightly not counted as Axel Tischer tried to cheat his way to the win. Arguments afterwards meant Tischer needed Moodo’s help to escape a rear naked choke, before Yuto saved OSKAR from a Dragon Murder… leading to the Blood Rush on Moodo for the win. They perhaps played the “OSKAR’s down” card for too much of this here, but all’s well that ends well as OSKAR got to close out the show celebrating with his hometown crowd… before handing over the reigns as Thommy Giesen sent us home celebrating his recent 25th anniversary in wrestling. ***½
Last time wXw ran Hamburg, I was extremely down on things, particularly the finish of the Levaniel/OSKAR match. Several months later, not only did they sell out the Markthalle, they also put on a show that felt extremely reminiscent of “old” wXw – the glory days, so to speak. Next up for wXw is the Borken/Oberhausen double-header just before Christmas as they look to wrap up the year on a high with their 24th Anniversary.