This time on Shotgun, Katsuya Murashima faces Zoltan in a non-title match, as we experience the fallout from Broken Rules.
Quick Results
Zoltan pinned Katsuya Murashima in 8:04 (***½)
— 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
As ever, we start with Mett Dimassi being all bilingual outside the Batschkapp… as he pitches to a series of highlights from last weekend’s Broken Rules.
First up – Ahura offering himself up for a Boss Lariat in the main event against Cowboy Way… then the ensuing scuffle after the match between Ahura and Elijah Blum. From there, it’s Axel Tischer’s win against Dennis Dullnig in the no-ropes-and-a-whole-lot-more match for the Shotgun title… then Jane Nero’s win over Kade Brasher… and then Dieter Schwartz’s defeat of Laurance Roman.
We’ve also clips of Peter Tihanyi getting back in the winning column, with his opening match win against Ricky Sosa… and of course, the bedlam that was the four-way weapons plunder tag, and the subsequent title shot that Roadkill were granted.
After all that, Mett pitches to some words of wisdom from backstage. First up, Axel Tischer putting over Quick and Dirty… and Hugo Brand treading dangerously when he flat out said that Tischer was better than the Shotgun title. Jane Nero wanders in to call the Shotgun title the “loser’s title” only to get put in a place by the Axeman, who then took aim at “Pit and Pat.”
Next… Peter Tihanyi congratulated Roadkill for winning that four-way tag… M4 and Tim Koslowski’s in with some unbranded protein goodies for the Hungarian too, before Dennis Dullnig wandered in through the back door. Dullnig pointed out that Tihanyi had cheated his way to win the last two Shortcut to the Top matches, and openly asked if he was going to be more creative this time…
Tihanyi just ended up escorting out the delusional Dullnig… who brought up Stephanie Maze’s name on his way out. Hmm…
Dieter Schwartz is also busy celebrating, and runs into Zoltan. He’s a little sore at how Zoltan has a title when he should be in wrestling school. Next… Planet Gojirah, who look like they know them carrying pizzas is going to be turned into a meme, have Robin Christopher Fohrwerk gas them up. There’s a third pizza there, but they didn’t order it… and it’s a special present for Fohrwerk – one of his expensive shirts has been used as a base for a pizza.
Back from break, Fohrwerk’s agreed to Planet Gojirah facing CSI… and he’s so mad at his pizza shirt, he’s agreed to a stipulation that I guess we’ll find out about. We keep jumping around, this time to Zoltan agreeing to defend the European title against Dieter Schwartz at Shortcut to the Top…
Cowboy Way is backstage celebrating their win… Shire’s pretty happy at having taken care of Ahura, while Manders tells us he’s got Bandido at Shortcut to the Top for the ROH title. Manders is pretty buoyant at that, because he’s got a winning record at the Turbinenhalle… Ahura’s looking for quiet time, but Elijah Blum’s in there to play Owen Hart, telling Ahura he just needed to tag him in. Is he going to kick his leg out of his leg next? Blum took a dig at Ahura for being inconsistent, before telling Ahura he didn’t think he was ready.
We’re back as Mett has Ben Thamer to confirm more of the card for Shortcut to the Top:
wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: Ahura vs. Elijah Blum (c)
No Holds Barred Match for wXw World Tag Team Championship: CSI (Luca de Leone & Nordino) vs. Planet Gojirah (Robert Dreissker & Marc Empire) (c)
wXw European Championship: Dieter Schwartz vs. Zoltan (c)
ROH World Championship: 1 Called Manders vs. Bandido (c)
Of course, we’ve also got the eponymous Shortcut to the Top match – with no names announced for it…
Katsuya Murashima vs. Zoltan
Of course, Murashima’s not able to compete for the European title…
We start with Murashima and Zoltan locking up into the corner, before Murashima found a way through with a waistlock takedown. He’s able to stuff a response from Zoltan, charging away the Hungarian with a shoulder tackle. A trip and a dropkick from Zoltan finally created an opening, leading to a rolling thunder splash for an early two-count.
Murashima chopped back ahead of a Judo-style throw, before more chops kept Zoltan at bay. We’ve a back body drop out of Murashima next as he continued to control the pace, but Zoltan’s able to boot his way out of the corner before scoring with a crossbody off the top. Pushing on, Zoltan’s able to land an enziguiri before his springboard cutter out of the corner was blocked… with Murashima instead planting him with a German suplex.
Another push from Murashima sees him land a flying forearm, before an airplane spin into a Samoan Driver almost got the win. Murashima tries a cutter of his own, but to no avail as Zoltan countered with a backslide, before a diving knee and a frog splash got the win. This was a good little outing for the time they got – with Zoltan having been taken to the brink, only to come back as Murashima tried to out-Zoltan Zoltan. ***½