This week on #wXwShotgun sees Absolute Andy and friends take to the ring as they try to put Bobby Gunns and his Bastards in their place.
Quick Results
Tristan Archer pinned Anil Marik in 7:45 (**¾)
The Rotation pinned Ivan Kiev in 5:34 (**½)
Baby Allison submitted Sara Leon in 3:22 (NR)
Jurn Simmons pinned Hektor Invictus in 5:47 (**¾)
Emil Sitoci, Absolute Andy, Dirty Dragan & Leon van Gasteren pinned Bobby Gunns, Maggot, Abdul & Ayac in 9:40 (**¾)
wXw’s release calendar’s revealed that next week is the final Shotgun – before they return on October 18 for the start of the Catch Grand Prix. It looks like they’ll be releasing one match per day from September 26, so it’s gonna be a fairly long tournament… We open with a recap of Norman Harras winning the dog collar match last week, before we crash to the opening titles… Sebastian Hollmichel runs down some matches, before we cut to a Smoking Break. Bobby lauds Harras for redeeming himself last week, so there’s no more dog jokes.
Except Prince Ahura isn’t quite as sure… and they’re back to forcing Norman to smoke some shisha. He finally buckled here, and goes back to mocking Avalanche, saying he could “teach hims something.” Oh, they bust out the “big dog” nickname for Norman, who’s smug in pointing out the Bastards lost to a woman last week… Bobby tries to corral his troops ahead of the eight-man tag, but Ahura isn’t feeling it. Neither is Norman… so Bobby needs to find two new partners.
Backstage, Nico Schmidt is with Anil Marik, who’s facing Tristan Archer later tonight. It’ll be a big challenge, even more so because Anil couldn’t get any training advice before the match…
We’re back with EZEL’s Abdul and Aytac, and of course Norman Harras is there for business. He gives them a note for a “future meeting” – but it’s for Metehan, so they go back to chatting.
Then it’s Avalanche giving his thoughts on Norman Harras. He brings up the dog-napping and the dog food match, which he thought had settled things, but Harras forcing the dog collar match made a first – a first time that Avalanche threw up in the ring. It seems things really aren’t settled, because Avalanche wants one more match, but this time at the Academy, and it’ll go against everything the Academy stands for. Someone’s taking a dive off that little ledge where they store the merch, aren’t they?
Tristan Archer vs. Anil Marik
This one gets going with Archer looking for a front facelock on Marik… before he eventually tripped him to the mat.
A wristlock’s next as Archer looked to work the arm instead, but they go back-and-forth, with Marik countering a counter with some armdrags… only for Archer to just delay a third as Marik kept pushing on. Marik’s dropkick takes Archer into the corner, but he just gets lifted onto the apron, where he’s met with a boot ahead of a back suplex as Archer just dumped him onto the side of the ring. Archer keeps up the offence, charging Marik into the side of the ring before they returned to the ring as the Frenchman got a two-count from some headbutts. Some Danielson elbows keep Marik down, before a knee to the gut almost planted Anil on his head. A snap suplex keeps him shook for a near-fall, but Marik tries to find a way back in with roll-ups, before he burst back in with leaping forearms.
Marik lands a Slingblade for a near-fall, before he went for a crossbody… but Archer rolls through with the catch, and comes back in with a Falcon arrow as Levaniel randomly wandered out to cheer on Tristan. Or just France in general. A Detonation kick from Archer lands, but Levaniel continues to distract… and gets punched out, before Marik came back with a Codebreaker that almost got the upset. Marik goes for a second Codebreaker, but Archer blocks it, coming back with a discus lariat, before a tombstone gutbuster landed for the win. Pretty solid stuff with Marik threatening to get the upset, but it was Levaniel’s random appearance that might well be a talking point. **¾
They replay Metehan’s win over the Rotation a few weeks back, and the events that followed – including Killer Kelly, Stephanie Maze and Fast Time Moodo earning their relative title shots. We then go to Andy Jackson with Metehan, Abdul and Aytac… he asks Metehan how it felt to be on the losing end, and of course, Metehan’s not in a good mood over that. He’s not happy that he’s got to face Killer Kelly, and flat out says the match won’t take place as Abul and Aytac shut it down.
Backstage, Levaniel’s asking Tristan Archer why he punched him out. Seems he’s got a problem with the French thinking they’re above him… but Tristan doesn’t know who he is. Levaniel claims he’s a French king, but Tristan tells him what happened to the last one. Archer brings up Amale, which sets off Levaniel some more, and he’s still highly strung… to the point where he calls out Archer for a match.
Killer Kelly’s on Skype to Alexander James, and she’s in a good mood because she’s the top contender for the Shotgun championship. He’s bowled over at the relaxed rules in play, and tells Kelly to get to work so she can make more history.
Das Himmelsschloß
They clear out the arena again for the Himmelsschloß, as Levaniel tells us he’s finally reached Amale. He’s still sour that there’s French wrestlers on the show not named Amale, as he continues to take shots at Tristan Archer, before he brings out two wrestlers to talk about partnerships. It’s the top contenders for the tag team titles: Fast Time Moodo and Stephanie Maze. Levaniel thinks Moodo’s first name is Fast, as he first addresses Stephanie’s sudden ascent at Carat, and then Moodo’s first few weeks, which were all about spin kicks. Levaniel wants to know how they prepare, before he tries to fake being a martial artist himself. Of course, it all pivots back to his “speed bump” with Amale, as he seems to think Maze and Moodo live together. Erm…
After that misunderstanding, talk turns to their tag title shot next week, as he asks Maze and Moodo if they’re ready to take on a more established pairing. Levaniel wants to see an upset, if only because of the Bastards’ attitude lately, and that’s the cue for them to head out to try and cheapshot their opponents. There’s an uneasy stand-off as the Bastards bail away.
Ivan Kiev vs. The Rotation
A rematch from Kutenholz, and it’s both wrestler’s final match of the season. We start with Rotation taking Kiev down with an armdrag, before a lucha roll ended with Kiev in the ropes as he recovered to crack Rotation in the back with a forearm.
Rotation’s back with a dropkick before a springboard armdrag off the top rope… but some headscissors end up getting countered into Snake Eyes by Kiev. A facebuster gets Kiev a two-count, before he took Rotation into the corners, leading up to a diving kick for a near-fall. Kiev keeps going with a boot choke, before Rotation floated over him… but saw his crossbody caught and turned into another facebuster. A half crab’s next from Kiev, but Rotation gets to the ropes and fires back up with chops. That leads to a springboard dropkick for a two-count, before Rotation went up for a 450 splash… but he rolls through, before Kiev hit right back with a sit-out side slam for another near-fall.
Rotation floats out of a death valley driver to make one more comeback, but he has to cartwheel off the top before finding a swinging DDT… with a Victory Over Gravity 450 splash getting the win. A pretty decent match with Rotation finally getting back in the books “his way”, after being blitzed aside last time out. **½
Backstage, Nico Schmidt’s with Jurn Simmons. He’s got a rematch with Hektor later, and that’s a match Hektor wanted… even though Jurn wanted to move on. Elsewhere, Goldenboy Santos congratulates Rotation, who thanks him for the advice last week that seemed to work. Except Santos needs to work for his first win… and then the Rotation brings up the comment he made about Metehan that snowballed out of control. Santos owns up to it, and then the penny dropped.
We get a recap of Baby Allison and Sara Leon’s skirmishes so far, leading to the attack from Allison last week… and then we get an interview with Sara Leon. She’s still upset with what happened last week, and issues a challenge to Baby Allison.
We’re now on the streets of Oberhausen, as Bobby Gunns and Metehan are having their illicit meet-up. He’s asking for a favour, something that’d give their “working relationship” “more benefits”… but Metehan’s wondering, where the favours for his guys are. He’ll give one last favour, then it’s time for payback.
Baby Allison gets a promo, as she’s fed up at having to introduce herself yet again. She says in Frankfurt she’s respected and beats men for titles, but in wXw she’s been kept away from the titles… heck, in season one of Shotgun, she only had one match. She’s upset at how newbies come in and leapfrog her, and she’s had enough of it – vowing that after this, she’ll never have to introduce herself again.
Baby Allison vs. Sara Leon
Leon launches out of the gate with some elbows, but Allison takes her down in return, throwing some fists before throwing the Spaniard into the corner.
Leon’s back with some rights of her own, then a Judo throw off the ropes for just a one-count, before kicks and a low dropkick got a near-fall. Allison’s back with a suplex, rolling through into more ground and pound, then some biting…
That takes Leon into the corner for a Stinkface, before she came back at Sara with a Thesz press. Leon escapes a waistlock, only to get pulled into a German suplex that doesn’t get a pin attempt off… and that looked to do some damage too. Allison tries to follow up with an armbar, but Leon escapes for a dropkick, before a forearm out of the corner drew a near-fall. Allison’s met with a butterfly suplex, but she drags Leon into a grounded Octopus hold, and there’s the quick submission. Quick, but it shows how sudden Allison can get the win here.
Backstage, Dirty Dragan’s checking on Jurn Simmons. Dragan knows something’s up with Jurn, who says that he’s not got time for this “immature stuff.” He tells Jurn to “just punch” Marius, before they get into a game… I think I’d have gotten those references if I were a regular viewer of https://www.twitch.tv/jurnsimmons
They replay Jurn’s loss to Hektor Invictus a few weeks back, and how Hektor got his rematch because he wanted to prove to Marius al-Ani that he wasn’t a joke. We then get Nico Schmidt with Hektor, who repeats that he wanted his rematch because he wanted to earn respect… something he’ll do by beating a not-distracted Jurn Simmons.
Hektor Invictus vs. Jurn Simmons
Jurn rushed out at the bell, missing a pump kick as the pair reached a quick stand-off.
Jurn quickly returns to counter a suplex with one of his own, following up with a short-arm lariat for a one-count. A chin bar and a slam keep Jurn on top, as the Dutchman had it his own way… until Hektor avoided a powerbomb and returned fire with an overhead kick. A stomp barely gets Hektor a one-count, as he proceeds to come in with a chinlock… but Jurn elbows free, only to get taken down with a dropkick for a two-count.
Hektor rushes in, but gets lifted onto the apron as Jurn proceeds to catch him up top for an avalanche fallaway slam. They barely beat the standing ten count, as Jurn comes back with a hattrick of clotheslines, then a spinebuster as Sebastian broke out Ryback and Batista references. A sitout powerbomb’s next for a two-count, but Hektor’s back as he floats Jurn into a knee strike, following up with a German suplex as Hektor almost took home back-to-back wins. Hektor goes for a powerbomb of his own, but has to make do with a sunset flip for a two-count, before pulling Jurn into a submission… but Jurn rolls through for a two-count.
Hektor keeps going, but another powerbomb is countered out of with a back body drop, before a spear and a Massive Piledriver gets the win. Pretty one-sided, as Jurn blitzed Hektor. **¾
We’re reminded of how Prince Ahura and Norman Harras dropped out of the eight-man tag later tonight… and we’re told via match graphics that Abdul and Aytac have replaced them.
Bobby Gunns, Maggot & EZEL (Abdul & Aytac) vs. Absolute Andy, Leon van Gasteren, Emil Sitoci & Dirty Dragan
Andy wants to start his first “real” match since Carat (since they look to be only counting what aired on Shotgun – i.e. the final three seconds of the tag title loss to the Pretty Bastards in season one)… except he plays rock, paper, scissors with Leon van Gasteren until Maggot gets involved.
Kick, wham, Stunner from Leon. A5 from Andy. Yeah, the bell’s not rung yet. Abdul and Aytac charge the ring as referee Felix Schulz is having a hell of a time, before everyone powdered to the outside. Leon van Gasteren’s down after being posted, while Dirty Dragan got thrown into the side of the ring by Abdul. We finally get going with Bobby Gunns laying into Emil Sitoci with uppercuts, but Sitoci hit back with armdrags and headscissors before a snapmare driver came to nought. Gunns pushes free and tags in Aytac, who gets the crowd braying like a donkey… Andy’s in too to take him down, following up with an uppercut as Leon was struggling on the outside.
Dragan’s back with a bell clapper on Aytac, following in with an elbow for a two-count as he then brought Sitoci back in. A splash from Sitoci gets a two-count, as Andy returned to chop Aytac to the mat before a back body drop pops me some more. They continue to cycle through tags as Dragan returned with a snapmare and a chinlock, but Aytac got free and raked the eyes as Bobby’s lot took over. Abdul’s in to land a snap suplex for a two-count, before Gunns came in with a back elbow as he went to work over Dragan’s arm, stomping the elbow into the mat. Abul and Aytac come in with a double-team move. Some boot choking keeps the double-teams going by EZEL, before Gunns came in… and threw an uppercut to snuff out Dragan for a near-fall. Dragan’s thrown back into the wrong corner as EZEL double-team again with a whip into the corner, following up with an elbow, but Dragan escapes with a big boot and makes the tag out to Andy.
Andy cleared house with clotheslines to EZEL, before he stacked them up in the corner for a splash. A stalling suplex drops Aytac, before Abdul went up for a slam and an Absolute Knee drop. The superkick follows as Abdul staggered into it, but he grabs the rope to save himself as Aytac helped out. I just realised, Maggot’s MIA, as he’s on the floor as Bobby Gunns tagged in to square off with Andy. They butt heads, but Maggot’s suddenly back… to get thrown out, and provide a distraction as Gunns nearly rolls him up for the win. Maggot’s back to make the save as Bobby went up for the F5. The ring fills as we got more moves – with Leon hitting another Stunner before he rolled back out – before Gunns ran into a F5… but he lands on his feet, before he had to shove off a Snapmare driver. Gunns tries to come back with a tombstone, but Sitoci escapes and hits a spinning tombstone of his own for the win! This felt a little muddled – obviously, van Gasteren’s shoulder injury curtailed things, and while it was smart of Maggot to lay out for most of the match as well (injury or not), it meant that this felt a little lacking at times. Still, they continue to tease to Bobby vs. Andy… but with Emil Sitoci getting the pin here, that’s seemingly the next distraction! **¾
They sure are plugging a lot more random content in the breaks here…
They replay Jurn Simmons’ win over Hektor Invictus earlier, and now Nico Schmidt interviews a cooled-down Jurn. Nico tells Jurn it’s been a very mixed spell for him lately, and asks what’s up with Jurn. Except Jurn puts off his answer until next week…
We then jump to Marius al-Ani chewing out Hektor for asking for – and then losing – that second match to Jurn. He tries to tell Hektor that it’s all about wins, not performances, and that he threw it all away. Marius called Hektor “nothing more than my sparring partner,” which led to a challenge.
Next, we’re in the office as Absolute Andy’s followed in by Bobby Gunns, who’s still smarting from his loss. He reckons he can only lose in tag matches, and accuses Andy of making things harder for him. Andy admits he wants Bobby to lose his title… and names Emil Sitoci as the next top contender as we fade away.
They replay Avalanche challenging Norman Harras to a match in the wXw wrestling academy, as we go to Nico Schmidt, who’s earning his pay today, to get the response from Norman. Apparently the contract for the match is in Andy’s office – where Norman’s quest for a big match all started. Norman calls Avalanchre “primitive,” having let emotions take over him because Norman went after his pet. Nico brought up how Harras needed help to win the dog collar match, but Norman just cared about that win… and how he choked out Avalanche. They get around to Harras’ intentions, which is to prove himself as wXw’s newest asset, and if Absolute Andy can’t figure it out, he’ll make him. He reckons he’s got Avalanche where he wants him – and he agrees.
Next week in the season finale: Bobby Gunns defends the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship against Emil Sitoci… while Metehan defends the Shotgun title against Killer Kelly. Hektor Invictus faces Marius al-Ani, and we get the Pretty Bastards defending against Fast Time Moodo & Stephanie Maze… plus that Wrestling Academy match. It’s a bloody loaded finale, next Friday night on Shotgun!
They sure crammed a lot into this episode, giving us five matches and making sure that pretty much everyone on this show was there for a reason. While the show has become rather segment-heavy, it must be said that these have been living up to the legacy of the Shotguns of old – and even if you’ve come into these shows blind, you’ve at least been given reasons to care about what’s on your screen. Isn’t that what wrestling used to be about?