The fifth week of the Catch Grand Prix gets going as Shotgun champion Metehan provided the latest test for rookie Anil Marik.
Once again, we’re back at the Steffy in Oberhausen, with Nico Schmidt and Dään Jokisch joined on the panel by Avalanche. He’s already looking furious, as he should be given his last match. They run down the table so far, noting how Avalanche narrowly missed out going top last week… and rather than kill Dään, Avalanche brought up the officiating and things that didn’t mesh with his idea of wrestling.
Today, it’s one of Avalanche’s trainees in action… Avalanche doesn’t put any pressure on Anil, but reckons that Marik will have some surprises in store. Backstage, Metehan’s thrilled that Andy Jackson got his introduction right this week… then said it’s possible he’ll knock out Marik. Meanwhile, Marik says he’s been training every day and studying to try and do something to get on the board.
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Anil Marik vs. Metehan
Round 1: Metehan’s very dismissive of Marik at the bell, almost laughing at him as he nonchalantly threw him down in a waistlock. A side headlock and a takedown has Marik on the deck, before they got up and into the corner, with Metehan trying for a cheapshot… but Marik ducks and hits some right hands of his own before a leaping forearm caught the Shotgun champion in the corner. As does a second one, before Metehan chopped him down. A missed dropkick from Marik misses, with Metehan following in with a low dropkick for a two-count, then with a snapmare and a PK to the back before Marik began to fight back… only to get thrown down for a double stomp that gets a two-count, with time running out not long after that.
Round 2: Marik charges out at the bell, but gets pulled into a Babo Lock attempt… Metehan grabs the wrist to try and stop a rope break, but the referee calls a rope break, and forces Metehan to let go. An elbow to the gut drops Marik, who’s then thrown outside and kept out there as Metehan kept knocking him off the apron. All of that gets Metehan a €20 fine for persistent infringements. When Marik does get back in, he’s caught with a dropkick… but countered a slingshot DDT into a Codebreaker for a near-fall. Marik heads back up top, but misses a splash, then gets tossed outside once more, but the count’s slow and interrupted as time ran out.
Round 3: The round starts with Marik still on the outside, so Metehan joins him… but it’s a con as Marik charges Metehan into the apron before an apron PK was countered with a leg sweep. Metehan covers Marik with the ring apron and stomps on him – which gets a yellow card and the €100 fine – before they returned to the ring for a slingshot DDT. Some Danielson elbows follow – and there’s your stoppage, just as Metehan predicted. A better outing for Marik, but still the same depressing result, complete with a second yellow card for Metehan for some boots after the match. By my reckoning, that’s seven yellows and €745 of fines for him – he’ll need to win the tournament just to break even at this rate.
Result: Metehan defeated Anil Marik via referee stoppage at 00:52 of Round 3 (**¾)
Post-match, Nico interviews Metehan… and of course, the Bobby Gunns thing comes up because they’re now level on points. Except it’s Metehan who brings it up, as he reminds us he needs to win to buy medicine for his mum and clothes for his wife.
As for Marik, he’s a little sore after the post-match attack, but he’s still believing that tape study will get him a win one of these days.
Standings, with eliminations (including those who’d be eliminated on tie-breakers)…
Block A
Bobby Gunns (3-0; 6pts)
Metehan (3-1; 6pts)
Avalanche (2-1-1; 5pts)
Cara Noir (2-1; 4pts)
Hektor Invictus (1-1-1; 3pts)
Fast Time Moodo (1-3; 2pts) * eliminated
Anil Marik (0-5; 0pts) * eliminated
Block B
Senza Volto (4-0; 8pts)
Marius al-Ani (3-0; 6pts)
Tristan Archer (2-1; 4pts)
Vincent Heisenberg (1-3; 2pts) * eliminated
Prince Ahura (1-2; 2pts) *eliminated
Norman Harras (1-3; 2pts) * eliminated
Emil Sitoci (0-3; 0pts) * eliminated
Disciplinary: €2785 of fines; eighteen yellow cards and one red card.
Tomorrow, we’ve a mid-table battle between Fast Time Moodo and Hektor Invictus.