A quick turnaround brings us back to the Turbinenhalle as a selection of promotions from wXw NOW came to play.
Sort-of like the past two years’ Wrestling Deutschland, we’ve instead got offer matches from promotions who are a part of wXw NOW – from seven different countries too. That means there’s a lot of acts we’re new to, so apologies for any botched move names…
Carnage vs. Mexxberg
The lads from WrestlingKult opened with the big lads shoulder tackles as Mexxberg looked to push ahead, but a clothesline from Carnage led to a weird stand-off before Mexxberg was low bridged to the outside.
A chop and a charge keep him down, but back inside a slam off the middle rope gets Mexxberg a near-fall. Another clothesline followed as Carnage was bounced out of the corner, but he quickly nullifies Mexxberg with a heel hook. We go to corner-to-corner clotheslines before a spinning heel kick off the top rope got Carnage back in it.
Mexxberg’s back with a Superman punch, only for a clothesline to put Mexxberg back down. A kick from Carnage gets telegraphed, but he counters Mexxberg’s powerbomb… only to be met with a spinebuster for a near-fall. Another head kick out of a sunset flip gets a near-fall for Carnage, before he sees his spear turned into a clothesline for a near-fall… and from the kick-out, a crucifix pin gets the win. This started off okay, and didn’t go too long. **½
Kaiden vs. Rizo
We start with Kaiden taking Rizo into the corner, before Rizo landed some headscissors and a dropkick to the outside.
Dive… except Kaiden cuts him off before returning to the ring with a kick to the ankle. That’s what he’s working on, along with the crowd as he antagonised the Turbinenhalle fans. Rizo tries for a floatover in the corner, but he’s stopped with a dropkick, before a teased death valley driver was floated out of.
Finally Rizo builds up steam, helping kick Kaiden to the outside before a corkscrew tope found its mark… and the front row. A frog splash back inside gets a near-fall, but Kaiden’s back as he stomps on RIzo’s head before a handspring’s cut-off with a clothesline for a near-fall. Kaiden’s getting wound up, so he stomps on Rizo some more ahead of a half crab, while the crowd got behind Rizo out of sympathy for the beating he was taking. Finally he comes back in with a German suplex, then a diving knee… and that’s the win! A little too methodical for my likings, but the good vs. bad story worked alright here. **
BEW Shooting Star Championship: Kat von Kaige vs. Lexa Valo (c)
This was for Valo’s Shooting Star championship… and not von Kaige’s BEW Women’s title.
Von Kaige starts with a headlock takedown and some headscissors that ended in the ropes, before a suplex gets Valo just a one-count. Valo keeps von Kaige outside as we had a brawl around the front row… then into the third row as Kat threw the Shooting Star champion there. Back inside, a low dropkick finds its mark as von Kaige tried to build momentum, but suplexes stopped all of that.
Eventually Kat blocks and counters a suplex, before things broke down into chops. A superplex is teased, but von Kaige comes back with headscissors and forearms, then with running knees into the corner. A sidewalk slam gets Valo a near-fall, before she put Kat out of her misery with a Dragon sleeper. Not helped by the crowd not knowing who to cheer for, this was okay… but about what you may have expected. **
Joe Gacy vs. Anthony Greene
Gacy’s CZW title wasn’t on the line here, which was just as well as we started with Greene scoring an early roll-up as both men were being cagey.
A wristlock from Greene’s cartwheeled out of, as Gacy comes back in with a shoulder tackle for just a one-count. The follow-up elbow had more luck, as did the dropkick as Gacy began to build up some momentum. An armdrag takes us to an armbar, but Greene gets out and followed in with a ‘rana and some stinging chops to boot.
Greene’s low dropkick gets him a one-count, before Gacy retaliated with chops and Danielson elbows as he took Greene into the corner for some clotheslines. A suplex took him out of it for a near-fall, but Greene responds with a neckbreaker, before he took Gacy outside for a tope. That noise Greene made on landing was disgusting… but he was right back up to take Gacy back inside for a crossbody. An enziguiri keeps Greene ahead, before he handstanded out of a handspring cutter… second time was the charm for Gacy though, as he eventually followed up with a powerbomb for a near-fall. An attempt at something out of the corner backfires for Greene as Gacy bumps him into the buckles then caught him with a cutter on the way down for a near-fall.
Greene pancakes Gacy with a back suplex, before an abdominal stretch driver gets a near-fall… as a half crab eventually ends in the ropes. In return, Gacy powerbombs Greene then put him away with a discus clothesline for the win. A good match, with perhaps the biggest crowd response so far – those three letters still have some meaning. ***½
After the match, DJ Hyde put over Greene and Gacy… then announced that CZW was running in Frankfurt on November 13.
Michael Fynne vs. Emeritus vs. Peter Olisander
From Denmark’s Bodyslam, we opened with Fynne grabbing both of his opponents in headlocks at the same time, before using dropkicks to clear house.
Clotheslines follow, but Olisander’s able to fight back with a springboard clothesline of his own before he wiped out Emeritus with a dive. A stomp off the top follows for Fynne for a near-fall, while Olisander hit a springboard moonsault to Emeritus for another near-fall. We’ve a built-up submission as Olisander used his Book of Truth to guide him… stretching Fynne in a surfboard while having Emeritus in a Gory special. A butterfly driver from Emeritus almost wins him the match though, as did a tombstone… but Fynne breaks up the cover to keep things going.
Sliding back into the ring, Emeritus trips Fynne… but Fynne returns with a DDT/Samoan drop combo for a near-fall. Emeritus fight back with a Jig ‘n’ Tonic on the apron to Olisander, before Fynne hit back with a draping neckbreaker to Emeritus. A follow-up frog splash misses as Emeritus followed in with an Electric Chair drop to Olisander as things looked to break down a little.
In the end though, Olisander steals the pin from Emeritus as he rolled up Fynne to break up Emeritus’ sunset flip attempt. Solid enough, but these matches are a tough sell to a crowd that likely hasn’t seen these names before. ***
Rising Sun Championship: Nicolo Inverardi (c) vs. Luca de Pazzi
Italy’s Rising Sun Championship was on the line here, but de Pazzi was hardly making a good first impression with the Oberhausen crowd.
Inverardi started out hot, sidestepping de Pazzi in the corner before hitting a shotgun dropkick. An exploder out of the corner’s next for a near-fall, before de Pazzi was taken outside for a tope. Back inside, de Pazzi fight back, throwing Inverardi into the corners. A legdrop as Inverardi was draped across the ropes gets the challenger a near-fall, while a suplex continued to keep the pace methodical.
A second legdrop misses as Inverardi fought back with a missile dropkick, then a German suplex and a superkick for a near-fall. Back and forth elbows follow, until de Pazzi hits a half-nelson suplex. A chokeslam’s next for a near-fall, before de Pazzi leapt into a forearm… but a Code Red ends up getting Inverardi the win. Another solid match, with Inverardi retaining – even if things were starting to drag by the end. ***
Tyson Dux vs. Sebastian Suave vs. Brent Banks vs. Tarik
SMASH main event here, as the Pillars take on each other.
It’s all action early as Dux tries to clear the ring and make it one-on-one, eventually settling for a slam and a stomp on Suave, only to get caught in the ropes with a hanging armbar. Tarik tries to fight in, but Brent Banks instead tries to take over, eating a chop before a springboard corkscrew elbow found its mark. Suave’s back to throw Banks into a backbreaker before he almost put Dux away with a Northern lights suplex.
A clothesline from Suave drops Tarik on the apron, before an Air Raid Crash nearly put Dux away. Tarik’s back with a backpack stunner on Suave, only to get caught with a twisting suplex out of the corner for another near-fall. a springboard enziguiri sees Tarik build momentum, but Banks stops all that with a dropkick. Spinebusters follow as Suave nearly took out Tass, before we recovered with a Tower of Doom Asai DDT from Banks and a top rope elbow for an eventual near-fall!
Banks keeps going with a cutter, but Suave knocks him out of the ring so he could hit a Fisherman DDT on Tarik for a near-fall. Dux shows off his strength with a stacked up death valley driver before he dropped Tarik with a brainbuster for another near-fall! A trapped-hand Boston crab followed as Dux tried to make Suave tap, but it’s broken up as Banks’ Michinoku driver led to nought as he’s taken outside by Dux, before Tarik got the win with a flying knee. Another solid main event, although increased familiarity with the four men involved would have led to a much stronger crowd reaction. ***¼
Thankfully nowhere near as bad as WrestlingDeutschland 2 was last year, the wXw NOW Showcase did a good job of introducing fans to some of the promotions that they may not have otherwise been aware of. Of course, so many new faces led to the issues of fans not connecting with the characters on show, but for the most part the wrestling on offer was more than decent – and if it’s won any new fans over, then it’s been worth the while.