Anita Vaughan’s got to run the gauntlet as her Shotgun title was on the line in the inaugural Shotgun Bonanza match.
Quick Results
Anita Vaughan pinned Fast Time Moodo in 9:07 to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship (**)
Psycho Mike & Adam Priest pinned Pahlevan Nima & Yokai in 11:59 (**½)
Nick Schreier pinned Emilian Lewis, Zoltan & Aeron in 5:07 SB (**¼)
Joseph Fenech Jr. pinned Ravie Davie in 7:26 (**)
Aaron Insane pinned Red Scorpion in 8:13 (*)
Ryan Clancy pinned Kuro in 8:04 (**¾)
1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire defeated Rayo Flores Jr. & Rayo Flores in 1:13
Joseph Fenech Jr. won the Shotgun Bonanza match to win the wXw Shotgun Championship in 8:23 (***)
— In the next week or so, I’ll be chatting about this show with Mike Kilby on the Auf Die Fresse podcast. Links to stream that episode when it drops, as well as back episodes are available at AufDieFresse.co.uk
We’re back in the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen for the first of three shows on Saturday – this one’s the debut of the Shotgun Bonanza format. Think of it as the “Ultimate Survivor” challenge – everyone on the undercard goes into the main event for the Shotgun title. Commentary’s from Mett Dimassi and Ricky Slatter, who’s letting the side down as he’w not got a cowboy hat.
wXw Shotgun Championship: Anita Vaughan (c) vs. Fast Time Moodo
This was meant to have happened at Back to the Roots, but an injury to Vaughan meant they rescheduled…
Vaughan had the best of the early going here, taking Moodo to the outside with a dropkick, only for Moodo to sweep the leg as Vaughan was on the apron. That created an opening as Moodo began to work over Anita’s knee, tripping her up as she threatened to make a comeback.
A head kick drops Vaughan for a two-count before things spilled outside with Moodo stretching Vaughan’s shoulder around the ring post. Back inside, Vaughan’s able to muster a comeback, scoring with a shoulder tackle and a fallaway slam, only for Moodo to kick his way back in.
A back body drop frees Vaughan from a Pedigree attempt, but the follow-up Fisherman Driver doesn’t get it done… and Moodo’s able to go back to the legs as he took down Vaughan for a Figure Four, slapping the knee to add extra pain. The ropes saved Anita, but she wasn’t able to get out of the corner as Moodo launched himself with a Coast to Coast to the knee.
From there, Moodo looks for the Black Belt Kick, but Vaughan sidesteps it… a trip up top’s cut off, but Vaughan’s able to counter a superplex into a Ligerbomb out of the corner, and that’s enough for the win. A little underwhelming, but they continued to play the story of AV overworking herself this weekend… **
Pahlevan Nima & Yokai vs. Adam Priest & Psycho Mike
The joke here was that Adam Priest couldn’t find a tag team partner, so he offered the spot to anyone in the crowd… only to be “saved” by the surprise return of Psycho Mike. Oberhausen remembers.
Nima tried his luck early on, taking down Psycho Mike into a leg lock… but Mike’s able to make it to the ropes before he began to work a wristlock… and the hard cam. Nima’s able to respond though, taking down Mike before Yokai came in and confused Mike with his very existence.
Adam Priest tags in and works over Yokai, only to get clotheslined in the corner as Yokai then followed with an Exploder. A diving kick nearly puts Priest away, but Priest’s able to toss Yokai to the outside and follow up with a DDT to Nima for a two-count going the other way. Eventually Yokai fought back to his feet, but Priest tagged himself in as Mike looked for a bodyslam.
Oberhausen demanded Adam Priest do the bodyslam but instead Mike tagged in and hit a suplex. It doesn’t get the win, so Mike questions his partner’s tactics some more, especially as Priest took down Nima with a backbreaker. Mike still can’t get the win with a backbreaker, before Priest’s attempt at a bodyslam backfired, allowing Nima to hit back with a rebound clothesline.
Yokai gets the tag in as he proceeded to charge Mike off the apron before a Vader Bomb-like splash out of the corner almost put Priest away. Mike pulled out Priest before he hit the ring, finally landing some bodyslams to Nima and Yokai, stacking them up before he double-crossed his partner, slamming Priest onto the pile for the match-winning cover. **½
We’re taken backstage as Dan Mallmann’s with Robin Christopher Fohrwerk – who admitted that Friday night didn’t go to plan for his lads, but today’s show will give Joseph Fenech Jr. a chance to rehabilitate things ahead of Icarus and Anil Marik’s run at the tag titles tonight.
Emilian Lewis vs. Zoltan vs. Aeron vs. Nick Schreier
Lewis had a two-week run as the wXw Wrestling Academy champion at the end of last year, and was making his main show debut here…
Lewis got in everyone’s faces to start, and of course it backfires as he’s taken into the corner as the other three argued over who’d put a beating to him. Aeron tried to join in, but got sent packing as Schreier and Zoltan started on each other, looking for flash pins before Lewis low-bridged Zoltan through the ropes.
Zoltan returned to score with a double dropkick to Lewis and Aeron, but Lewis just hangs him up in the ropes as the Dane looked to get the win with a swinging neckbreaker. Schreier announces his return with a crossbody off the top as another Parade of Moves broke out, putting Schreier back in the driver’s seat.
An Olympic slam from Lewis took Zoltan to the outside, but Schreier’s right back with a satellite DDT… and that’s enough to get the win in a match that was kept short. **¼
Another promo as Dan’s backstage with Aaron Insane, who’s looking to mark his 17th year in wrestling by winning the Shotgun title tonight.
Joseph Fenech Jr. vs. Ravie Davie
We’ve a wXw debut here for Davie, whose act you can perhaps over-simplify down to “when Martina met DeReiss.” Still, full credit for working in that custom tracksuit, which must have been as hot as it looked comfortable.
Davie’s able to get the upper hand on Fenech in the early going, scoring with an atomic drop and a flying shoulder tackle for a two-count, before Fenech crotched Davie in the ropes as he tried to go for a rope-walk. Fenech shoves him down to the outside, just so he could troll the crowd, before he launched the Scotsman into the turnbuckles.
Fenech’s offence stops with a clothesline from Davie out of the corner, before a Blockbuster off the top almost got the win. A headbutt from Davie stopped Fenech’s handspring cutter, prompting Fenech to powder to the outside where he’s met with a moonsault off the top from the Scotsman… but he’s not able to make the most of it as Fenech responded with a draping DDT as Davey made it back into the ring, and that’s enough for the win. **
Red Scorpion vs. Aaron Insane
You’re looking at over 30 years of experience combined between these two…
Red Scorpion gets us going with a lock-up into the corner as Mett on the headsets sent a comment sailing over everyone’s head. Insane’s able to respond with a Manhattan drop, then an atomic drop before a scoop slam out of the corner yielded a two-count. Going the other way, Scorpion dropkicks Insane out of the ropes, then took him to the other corner as some attempts to choke were stopped by the referee.
A standing Falcon arrow from Scorpion leaves Insane laying for a Tour of the Land of Fire back senton off the middle rope… but it’s not enough for the win. Charges from Scorpion follow into the corner, before a crossbody off the top left Insane down again. There’s no cover attempt, as Scorpion instead went for another flip senton, but Insane just about avoided it as he mounted another comeback, landing a shoulder tackle out of the corner before a slam almost won it.
From there, Scorpion responded with a Samoan drop, only to miss a back senton as Insane then went up top and just about scored with the Air Bully splash for the win. Good save on commentary, but not a good final few minutes to this one. *
Kuro vs. Ryan Clancy
This was the last of the qualifying matches for the Shotgun Bonanza match…
Kuro and Clancy exchange side headlocks and escapes to get us going, before Clancy’s back body drop, hiptoss and bodyslam left Kuro open for some old school headscissors. Responding, Kuro boots Clancy into the corner ahead of a Falcon arrow for a near-fall before a leaping stomp drew a two-count.
Clancy switches it up with a rolling pin, before he came out on top with a crossbody… a uranage from Kuro’s countered with an armdrag as Clancy then took over with a Sharpshooter. Kuro’s able to roll the hold free, then return with a charging front kick off the ropes before he got caught with a side Russian legsweep.
Back-and-forth strikes end with a bucklebomb from Kuro, who then added the Kiss of Hype – a Dominator into a spinning neckbreaker – but it’s not enough for the win. Kuro tries to follow-up, but he just runs into Clancy’s dropkick of doom for the win – and Clancy’s really made me a believer this weekend, with a pretty straightforward character that isn’t being done with a nudge or a wink. **¾
We’re interrupted ahead of the main event by a team called Los Vaqueritos del Inferno – a slight approximation of the Cowboys from Hell. They’re two masked luchadores who call themselves Rayo Flores, and they’re not long for this week once the bass shook the Turbinenhalle to bring out Manders and Shire.
Los Vaqueritos del Inferno (Rayo Flores & Rayo Flores Jr.) vs. 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire
The Flores jump Manders and Shire from behind at the bell, but Jr. looked to chop away on the cowboys…
He’s wrecked with a pair of chops, as Rayo Flores came in to try his luck with dropkicks. A satellite DDT’s blocked by Shire, who turned it into a powerbomb before Jr. got lariated into the next dimension by Manders for the win. SPLAT.
Shotgun Bonanza Match for wXw Shotgun Championship: Aaron Insane vs. Nick Schreier vs. Ryan Clancy vs. Adam Priest vs. Joseph Fenech Jr. vs. Psycho Mike vs. Anita Vaughan (c)
The rules to this one were pretty straightforward – it’s a battle royal with pinfall, submission and over-the-top rope eliminations until we reach the final two, at which point it turns into a regular singles match for the Shotgun title.
Ryan Clancy’s quickly tossed over by Fenech inside the opening 20 seconds, as the American was caught at the start. Psycho Mike bodyslams everyone in response, piling everyone onto Fenech for a near-fall… with the kick-out sending Mike sailing over the top rope to the floor.
Nick Schreier’s the next to go, being thrown off the top before he was barrel rolled off the apron by Adam Priest, before Aaron Insane and Priest were knocked off the apron by Fenech. That quickly left us with Fenech and Anita Vaughan as the final two, barely two and a half minutes into the match as we hit the business end of proceedings.
Fenech targets the knee of Vaughan from the off, yanking her out of the corner with a Dragon screw before an elbow drop to the knee almost ended things. An attempted double knee-drop to the leg crashes and burns from Fenech, allowing Anita to try and hit back with a Fisherman Driver… which just about comes off for a near-fall.
In the end though, Fenech trips up Vaughan and locked on a Figure Four… but when Fenech dragged her away from the ropes, Vaughan just fought to roll the hold over, eventually doing so as Fenech forced the break. Vaughan tries to push on from there, but Fenech just rolls her to the mat as he stomped the bad knee into the mat, then rolled Anita into a half crab for the eventual submission. ***
Post-match, Robin Christopher Fohrwerk hailed his man’s win – having spent most of the show keeping Fenech at arm’s length out of disappointment following his Carat exit yesterday.
As a format, Shotgun Bonanza worked – having everyone win matches to quality for a show-ending finale. It might not work every year in terms of working around the Shotgun title, but with the right names and stories, this could become a staple of Carat matinee shows.