wXw crossed the border into Czechia as the More Than Wrestling tour headed into Prague…
Quick Results
John Klinger pinned Ivan Kiev in 10:39 (***¼)
Robert Dreissker pinned The Rotation in 3:12 (**½)
Kim Ray defeated Absolute Andy via count-out in 12:41 (***)
Ilja Dragunov pinned Axel Tischer to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship in 13:24 (***½)
Franz Engel pinned Marius van Beethoven in 4:09 (**)
Axel Dieter Jr. & Da Mack pinned Vincent The Beast & Bobby Gunns in 15:28 (***½)
Big Daddy Walter defeated Karsten Beck via disqualification in 15:28 (***¼)
We’re live-on-tape from the KD Krakov – the Cultural House Krakow – in Prague… commentary comes from Christian Bischof and Yannik Asmann.
John Klinger vs. Ivan Kiev
This takes on a different look knowing they’d be linked two-and-a-bit years later…
We’ve got a hot crowd in the early going as Klinger landed some shoulder tackles before he got caught with armdrags from Kiev. A dropkick takes Klinger into the ropes, before things broke down into a slugfest, ending with Kiev leaping over a back body drop as before he scored with a slingshot roll-up from the outside in.
Chops from Klinger have Kiev rocked, while a back body drop forced Kiev to kick out at two. Kiev manages to make a comeback with a bodyslam, then a standing moonsault, before a crossbody off the top had Klinger in some trouble. The back-and-forth continues, with Kiev ducking a superkick before he was met with a suplex… then a powerslam as Klinger sent him outside.
Klinger measures up Kiev for a tope, but it’s knocked away before he connected at the second attempt. Back inside, Klinger scores a missile dropkick, then caught Kiev with forearms in the corner… only for Kiev to hit back with a flying neckbreaker off the middle rope.
Kiev’s attempt to build up gets stopped with an F5 neckbreaker and a Decapitation kick for a near-fall, before a sit-out side slam saw Kiev almost snatch the win. Out of nowhere, Klinger catches Kiev off the top rope with a flying Codebreaker, but it’s not enough as Klinger added a crucifix bomb into the corner before he was caught with a death valley driver in return.
From there, a frog splash from Kiev misses, allowing Klinger to race in with Wrecking Ball Knees, and that’s enough for the win in a pretty hectic opener. ***¼
The Rotation vs. Robert Dreissker
In addition to an entrance video that feels like one of the first times he had the “Avalanche” moniker, Dreissker’s got his cowbell with him, along with Adam Polak… and this was a rematch from Carat night three, where Dreissker obliterated Rotation in 100 seconds.
Rotation’s looking for a better result here, as he sidesteps Dreissker early on, then evaded a charge into the corner. A German suplex attempt is shoved away though, before he baited Dreissker with some headscissors and a dropkick, taking him outside. Rotation’s teased dive is stopped as Dreissker returned to the ring for a shoulder tackle, before backbreakers had Rotation in a heap.
Dreissker invited a fightback, but snuffs out Rotation with a Biel out of the corner. Rotation gets the knees up to avoid a second charge, but his follow-up crossbody’s caught and turned into a fallaway slam, before a wild clothesline proved to be too much for Rotation to kick out of. Almost 200 seconds this time… **½
Kim Ray vs. Absolute Andy
A rematch from the prior night’s Mitteldeutschland Cup match, which ended in Ray getting himself disqualified…
Kim jumps Andy during the entrances, leading to a fight on the floor before the bell. When we get going, Andy’s on the defensive as Kim stomps him in the corner ahead of a low dropkick, before a Kitchen Sink knee snuffed out Andy’s attempted comeback.
Andy’s caught in the ropes by Ray, but mounted a comeback with chops before he was taken down with a low dropkick. A leaping clothesline helps Andy close the distance somewhat, as did a flying shoulder tackle en route to a slam and an Absolute knee drop. Heading outside, Andy posts Kim, then took him around the front row for some fans to get close-ups… before he kicked Kim out of a chair.
Back inside, Kim fights out of a F5 and comes back with some kicks for a two-count, before another F5 was escaped. Kim’s STO gets him another two-count, as he proceeded to knock Andy back into the corner, where he spits on Andy… leading to another comeback as Andy charges back out of the corner.
Chops wear down Kim for a spell ahead of a back body drop… a superkick dumps Kim before Andy headed outside to grab his pipe wrench. Like you do. Of course, referee Rainer Ringer’s not too keen on that weapon, nor was Kim, but Andy’s eventually able to catch him with a spinebuster after he’d handed off the weapon. Punches from Andy in the corner keep Kim down, while a plancha crashes into Kim as he headed outside.
Kim looks to get kicked out of a chair, but he gets out and threatens to crack Andy with it… the repeat of last night’s stopped, but instead Kim smashes the pipe wrench into Andy as the ref was taking away the chair, and that’s enough for him to return to the ring to steal a count-out. This feud shall continue! ***
wXw Shotgun Championship: Axel Tischer vs Ilja Dragunov (c)
The farewell tour is nearly over…
We open with the pair throwing aside a lock-up attempt to trade strikes, before a short-range Torpedo Moscau from Ilja found its mark for a one-count. Tischer looks to strike back with a death valley driver, but they switch around before Ilja ate a big boot instead.
A bodyslam and a knee drop follows from Tischer for a two-count, before he lit up Dragunov in the corner with chops. Dragunov’s springboard Torpedo Moscau looked to stop Tischer, but it’s shrugged off as the challenger retained the upper hand. Another Torpedo, this time out of the corner, gets Ilja a two-count, before he took Tischer into the corner for some mudhole stomping.
A side suplex from Dragunov followed after he sidestepped a boot, as another Torpedo Moscau takes him into the corner for a near-fall. Ilja really loves using his head, eh?
Tischer’s neckbreaker buys him some time, and gets a near-fall as the pair resume strikes, trading uppercuts and chops in the corners before Tischer’s overhead belly-to-belly saw Ilja almost land on his head going into the corner. A bridging German suplex almost wins it for Tischer, who then tried to add a superplex… but had more luck with a leaping gamengiri.
Out of nowhere, Dragunov hits a uranage – the Russian Bottom, which is a name that didn’t stick for too long – for a near-fall, while a release German suplex folded Tischer in half. In return, a bicycle kick shuts down Dragunov for a two-count, as we resumed with more back-and-forth strikes… leading to a forearm to the back of the ehad from Tischer.
A Ligerbomb stacks up Dragunov as we almost had a title change. Dragunov jack-knifes Tischer out of a second Ligerbomb, then added the Greetings from Moscow lariat… a second one spins Tischer down, and that’s enough to get the win in a hard-hitting outing that had me biting, despite knowing the result! ***½
Post-match, Tischer told Dragunov that he was proud of him – as his trainee – and insisted he should continue to do things his way after the Axeman left for the States…
Marius van Beethoven vs. Franz Engel
It’s a rare singles match for Engel here as he’s still without Laurance Roman.
Marius grabs a side headlock to start, but Engel pushes free… only to get charged down. A tijeras gets Engel in it, as did some headscissors, before Kevin Roadster got involved, taking down Engel with a backbreaker after Marius had sent him outside.
That’s good for a two-count for Marius back inside, before a bodyslam kept Engel in trouble. A gutbuster’s next, then a side suplex, but Engel’s still able to kick out, as he then mounted a comeback, catching Marius in the corner with a gamengiri before the Conqueror of Gravity (Spiral Tap) got the win. **
Die Schilds (Bobby Gunns & Vincent The Beast) vs. Hot And Spicy (Axel Dieter Jr. & Da Mack)
Something tells me Hot & Spicy are popular in Prague…
Gunns and Vinny start us off, taking each other into the corner with lock-ups before a Monkey flip from Junior led to him taking Vinny down for a bridging hammerlock. Tags bring in Mack and Gunns, but Mack’s on the defensive via a wristlock, before he broke free and took down Gunns with an armdrag.
Headscissors follow from Mack, but a blind tag brings in Junior after some hair pulling as Hot & Spicy pushed on. Well, momentarily, as Gunns and Vinny double-team Junior as Da Mack had the referee’s attention. Gunns ties up Junior’s legs for an Indian deathlock, before an uppercut kept Junior down as Vinny returned.
A slam gets Vinny a two-count, before a tag brought back Gunns, just in time for Junior to make a comeback with some uppercuts. We’ve a cheapshot from Vinny on the apron, which gets a near-fall after Da Mack’s protesting distracted the ref. Some back-and-forth followed between Junior and Gunns, before Vinny snuck around ringside and pulled Mack off the apron to prevent a tag out.
Junior’s able to break free with a Blockbuster out of the corner before tagging in Mack, whose flying forearm sent Gunns down. A Slingblade follows before Vinny came in and blocked a ‘rana, with Da Mack getting dropkicked whilst upside down. Gunns tries to capitalise from there, only for a double-suplex attempt to be stopped as Hot & Spicy hit it instead.
Mack keeps going with a dropkick to Gunns, before they double-teamed Vinny for a near-fall. Junior’s back with uppercuts en route to Mack getting pulled outside by Gunns, allowing the Schilds to go all Hardy Boyz on us with a double-team. An Alabama Slam and German suplex combo almost puts Junior away… but we’ve still got time for one more comeback, with all four men in the ring as Hot & Spicy wore down Vinny, hiptossing his brother into him in the corner before the Patteuse put Vinny away. ***½
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: Big Daddy Walter vs. Karsten Beck (c)
This was a pretty big match for Prague – but one I feel would have been explained better had we had the accompanying Shotguns…
Hey, Karsten got the Jimmy Rave treatment, with plenty of loo roll… and a lesson for why you always shove it under the ring afterwards!
We got going with Beck begging off, going to ring-announcer-for-the-match Christian Jakobi to demand silence from the crowd. You know how that went. When we finally got going, Walter throws Beck aside, then caught him with some Giant Baba-like chops ahead of a back body drop out of the corner.
Beck powders outside to try and take the sting out of things, but Walter’s all over him back inside with a big boot and a sit-out splash as the champion was literally on the ropes. Walter adds a suplex from there, before a chop block from Beck saw him take Walter down. Karsten works over Walter, kicking his leg out of his leg, but ended up dawdling for too long as Walter tried to chop his way back into things.
Walter’s taken down as Beck resumed working over the leg, cutting off increasingly-desperate attempts from Walter to shut things down. The ropes save Walter as Beck tried to hyperextend the knee, following up with a DDT to the leg before Walter found a way in with a snap death valley driver.
Back to his feet, Walter finds himself having his knee kicked at before a palm strike and a big boot took Beck down… chops follow, as did a ripcord clothesline, which led to a near-fall for the challenger. Kevin Roadster runs out through the crowd to distract Walter, which works as Beck’s able to dropkick out the knee once more.
Walter pushes Beck away though, adding a superkick before Roadster jumped onto the apron to distract the ref. Of course that’s the cue for Marius van Beethoven to chop block the knee of Walter, as Reich und Schön had put Beck back in the driving seat. A half crab from Beck ends in the ropes, before Walter’s inside cradle almost snatched the win. Walter adds a lariat too, but it’s not enough, before Walter took matter sinto his own hands and clobbered Marius and Kevin off the apron.
A shotgun dropkick from Walter sends Beck into the referee though, and that’s the cue for Reich und Schön to attack Walter with impunity… Beck joins in with a belt shot, but the referee comes too amid the mugging and throws this one out as the house show finish led to an obvious DQ. ***¼
Cue the toilet paper as the post-match beatdown was broken up by ATOM – who was a big deal in these parts as part of the band the Walda Gang. Beck bails, while Marius gets press slammed into Kevin on the floor – all to set up a match for wXw’s return here in November. It’s almost like someone gets the point of promoting wrestling – to make you want to come back!