We’re one week out from FAN – and we’ve got some of the final build to next weekend’s title match between Tristan Archer and Marius al-Ani.
Quick Results
Nikita Charisma pinned Dover in 6:43 (**¾)
Dennis Dullnig pinned Norman Harras in 8:30 (**½)
Robert Dreissker & Anil Marik pinned Ender Kara & Paris in 9:39 (***)
Icarus submitted Michael Schenkenberg in 8:01 (**¾)
Vincent Heisenberg & Baby Allison pinned Iva Kolasky & Peter Tihanyi in 5:27 (**)
Prince Ahura pinned The Rotation in 9:06 to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship (**½)
Of course, we’re back in the Steffy in Oberhausen… Dave Bradshaw’s on the call and running down the card for tonight. We’ve been given some matches for FAN (and it’s sorta Cyberpunk feel) next weekend… on night one, we’ve Bobby Gunns vs. Michael Knight, while night two has Anil Marik & Robert Dreissker defending the wXw tag titles against Leon van Gasteren & Tim Stübing.
They take us back to last week’s tag match between Rott und Flott and the Arrows of Hungary, where Dover “tried a new tactic” to get the win. We’re then taken to Dan Mallmann with Rott und Flott, who are still sore after that loss. Nikita Charisma especially so, especially since he claimed to have had the city of Oberhausen ban all fans from watching that match live. That scoundrel.
Dover vs. Nikita Charisma
Charisma had dubbed Dover the “hardcore cheater” earlier…
Charisma charges at the bell with a running double knees and a shotgun dropkick to Dover (the man, not the place), sending him to the outside as the scrap continued. Dover’s posted, and fell to a back senton back inside as Charisma picked up a quick one-count. Recovering with a big lariat, Dover takes Charisma into the corner for shoulder charges, before a backbreaker and a stretch forced the referee to call for a break. A standing fallaway slam from Dover has Charisma in trouble, before Charisma’s attempt at a comeback saw his clotheslines shrugged off. Dover just chops him, but a flying Goomba stomp from Charisma worked, as did a leg lariat, as Dover ended up kneeing Charisma into the ropes. Seconds later, Charisma hits a springboard spear for a two-count, before he got tossed into the corner with an Exploder.
Charisma’s clutching his leg after the impact, while Icarus handed the mask to Dover. The referee’s distracted by Icarus and Michael Schenkenberg on the outside, but it backfires for the Arrows as Charisma punted Dover in the balls and won with a roll-up. The veteran baddies win out here! **¾
Backstage, Andy Jackson’s waiting for Dover… who’s still holding his balls. Andy asks why they went for a shortcut again, but the Arrows just blank him and leave.
Dennis Dullnig was backstage earlier and is still in a mood. “No shit, Sherlock” doesn’t need subtitling, as Dennis is sad that Hektor Invictus is still not returning his calls or texts. Nevertheless, Dennis is wrestling tonight, against a man in a similar funk in Norman Harras – and Dennis hasn’t forgotten what happened last time they met… Norman, meanwhile, is still in the tanktop vest looking almost hungover like he was last week. He gets a restart for the interview, unlike Sid all those years ago, and says he’ll beat Dullnig to get him back towards the top…
Dennis Dullnig vs. Norman Harras
Yep, Dennis is still repping the Hektor jacket like a wacky gladiatorial AJ Styles… while Norman doesn’t quite seem to be in any sort of condition to perform.
Harras reaches the ropes to break a waistlock early on, before his retort ended with Dullnig breaking out for a wristlock. A stomp to the foot helps Harras counter it, but Dullnig took him to the mat for a hammerlock, then an armbar, before Harras powered up and charged Dullnig down.
Dullnig rolled to the outside, before he dropkicked Harras to the floor. Harras returned into a front chancery, escaping it before another dropkick earned Dullnig a two-count. Lifting Dullnig onto the apron, Harras proceeded to knock his opponent to the floor as Harras then followed outside for some right hands. An errant elbow hits the ring post as Harras found himself on the defensive… until he hit a back suplex on the edge of the ring. Back inside, an elbow drop gets Harras a two-count, as did a charging knee to the ribs. An atomic drop stunned Dullnig, but he recovers with an elbow strike, only for Harras to dump him with a high angle German suplex for another near-fall.
A gamengiri in the corner has Dullnig back ahead, as did a discus lariat, but Harras still managed to kick out before a battle of gutwrench suplexes ended with an inside cradle for a near-fall for Dullnig. Harras comes right back with an uppercut, before the Hostile Takeover gutwrench slam was escaped… he tries for a sunset flip, pulling down Dullnig’s trunks to reveal a very homemade pair of Hektor underwear, but Dullnig hits a sit-down splash instead… then a short piledriver to put away Harras. Using my wonky sports analogies, this was intended to be a bottom-of-the-league battle between two teams that were very out of sorts – and ended up with a similarly rough feel to it. **½
At ringside, Andy Jackson’s with Dullnig… noting Hektor’s “on your butt.” Dullnig’s still wanting to make Hektor proud…
Backstage, Dan’s with the wXw tag team champions… but wants to ask Robert Dreissker about what happened with the Arrows. Dreissker noted that the Arrows’ new tactics didn’t work out too well this week, before talking about how Paris and Ender Kara may try to outdo each other given how Paris “took Ender’s spot” in the trial series earlier in the year.
Paris & Ender Kara vs. wXw Wrestling Academy (Robert Dreissker & Anil Marik)
It’s a non-title match, which makes sense given the win/loss records and all that good stuff…
Dreissker and Kara start us off, with a side headlock from the coach breaking Kara’s waistlock attempt. That turns into a takedown as Kara only got out of the headlock when Dreissker threw him aside. Kara comes back with a springboard dropkick… and gets clobbered with a lariat seconds later. A Beele throw tosses Kara into the corner as Dreissker wanted Paris, bellowing “next one.” I like this sorta-surly streak. Paris rolls to try and escape a wristlock, but just gets clotheslined as well as Kara audibly complained at his tag partner. Dreissker ignores that to slam and hit an elbow drop on Paris, before Anil Marik came in to try the same job with a side headlock.
Paris fought free, returning with a dropkick before a Slingblade gets Marik a two-count. Marik stretches Paris on the mat, but an attempted suplex gets blocked, with Paris hitting his own instead. It’s good for a delayed two-count, before a chinbar from Paris was escaped. Kara tags himself in and threw Marik into the corner… following up with an uppercut and a suplex for good measure. Kara wangles his way into an Octopus stretch on Marik as he stared a hole in Dreissker, but Marik backs into the corner, allowing Paris to tag back in as the two relative rookies argued some more.
Paris whips Marik into the corner for an uppercut, then hit some more for a two-count. A Fisherman suplex attempt from Paris is broken up as Marik manages to tag out, with Dreissker running wild with some clobbering lariats. There’s a back body drop too, before Paris got squashed in the corner… a second splash misses, but the POUNCE didn’t, with Dreissker picking up a near-fall from it all. Dreissker lifts Paris up top, but a resulting crossbody from Paris just bounces off of Dreissker. Kara’s tagged in, unwillingly, and runs into a clothesline as Dreissker’s Samoan drop gets a near-fall. A wheelbarrow codebreaker from Dreissker and Marik turns into the Boulder Dash (Blue Thunder bomb), and that’s the win. A pretty straightforward outing for the tag champions against a tandem that never seemed to communicate well throughout. ***
Paris and Kara get into a shoving match after the bell, which Andy Jackson tries to defuse. There’s a fair amount of “Owen Hart blaming Bret” in here, with Kara blaming Paris of being selfish… before Kara challenged Paris to a singles match. Fair enough.
We’re told that Paris vs. Ender Kara will be at FAN night one next Friday… then get a replay of Dover being punted low in his match earlier tonight.
Backstage, Dan’s with Rott und Flott again ahead of Michael Schenkenberg’s match. Schenkenberg says the team’s 1-0 up today, and he’s going to complete the result… which led to Dan asking if they’d want a tag match after that.
Michael Schenkenberg vs. Icarus
Icarus has a bit more recent form in singles matches, with Schenkenberg having only had one since his wXw return…
We start with a lock-up as Icarus tried to pull Schenkenberg into an armbar… instead, Schenkenberg gets free as the pair traded holds on the mat before Icarus managed to wrap Schenkenberg’s arm around the rope. After the break, Schenkenberg has a chinlock, but Icarus breaks free and tries a crucifix, only for Schenkenberg to roll through and catch a following floatover as he ended up hitting a Snake Eyes. A gorilla press slam drops Icarus badly on his leg for a two-count, and Schenkenberg instantly targets that limb. Icarus goes for a crossbody, but it’s caught and turned into a gutbuster as Schenkenberg then looked to ground Icarus with another armbar. Schenkenberg’s bear hug follows, but Icarus manages to climb free and return fire with a discus elbow.
Icarus’ springboard enziguiri buys him time, as did a series of forearms and chops, before Icarus tried to pull Schenkenberg down into the Heart of Europe. It’s blocked, with Schenkenberg eventually popping up Icarus into a slam for a two-count. Taking Icarus up top, Schenkenberg looked to put the Hungarian away, but gets pushed down as Icarus’ gamengiri and a Meltdown senton bomb landed for a near-fall. Dover then slid in his mask, but Icarus wasn’t so sure to use the mask this time. Nikita Charisma distracts the ref, but stops as Icarus gets caught… he throws the mask aside and pulls Schenkenberg into the Heart of Europe for the submission. So Icarus remains squeaky clean and gets the win, proving that cheaters don’t prosper for too long. For now. **¾
Backstage, Andy’s nervously with Baby Allison and Vincent Heisenberg. Andy notes that Maggot is MIA, with Baby Allison bringing up how she got harangued by Senza Volto and Aigle Blanc last week. Both Allison and Heisenberg mock their opponents names today, with Allison in particular seeming put out by Iva Kolasky being part of the women’s division…
Peter Tihanyi & Iva Kolasky vs. Baby Allison & Vincent Heisenberg
Interestingly, it was Iva and Allison’s music and entrances on show here…
Maggot’s hobbling to ringside with his partners, as it’s Kolasky and Allison who start us off. Allison’s pushed into a splits from the opening lock-up, but pulls Kolasky down for some strikes. Kolasky flips over Allison’s dropdown, then rolled back into a wheelbarrow armdrag as Jokasky showed off her gymnastics. A crossbody out of the corner’s good for a two-count as Tihanyi tagged in… and we’re not under mixed tag rules it seems. Allison rolls out of an arm wringer to tag in Heisenberg, which prompts Tihanyi to kick away at the legs of the big lad, but a crossbody off the top is caught and turned into a fallaway slam.
Chops keep TIhanyi in the corner as Allison tagged back in to bust out a stinkface. Heisenberg’s back to slam Tihanyi for a two-count, before he ground the Hungarian into the mat. Another crossbody from Tihanyi’s caught, but this time he escaped top hit some low dropkicks and an enziguiri… staggering Heisenberg ahead of a missile dropkick. Except Heisenberg just gets straight back up for a clothesline. Allison’s back to throw some forearms, but Tihanyi escapes to tag Kolasky back in. Iva’s clotheslines trap Allison in the corner, but one’s ducked as Allison rolled Kolasky through… then hit a splits en route to a Fisherman’s suplex for a two-count.
Allison escapes to tag in Kolasky, who didn’t see it… and after Allison baits Kolasky into charging at her, Allison pulls off a Matrix as Kolasky ran into a big boot from Heisenberg… and that’s it! Basic but effective as the Allison/Heisenberg tandem showed some promise in this rare-for-wXw environment. **
Post-match, Heisenberg slammed Peter Tihanyi, before Senza Volto and Aigle Blanc made the save. Except Maggot comes in and prepared to swing with his crutch… and revealed he’s not hurt after all. Maggot heads outside as Baby Allison low blowed the French lads, before officials came out to stop the resulting beatdown. Felix Kohlenberg’s out too, which makes me think a postponed match may about to be rescheduled…
…and sure enough, after a break, we’re told that the mask vs. hair match is going to take place on FAN night one next week, with all of it’s Cyberpunk-y aesthetics.
wXw Shotgun Championship: The Rotation vs. Prince Ahura (c)
I was watching some random German show (not wXw) on HighSpots earlier today… with 2016 Rotation and his Jeff Hardy-ish mask. That was certainly a look. Ahura mocks Rotation’s flippiness before the bell, then gave him his hand, demanding the challenger kiss it. That wasn’t forthcoming, so Rotation kicks Ahura in the arse at the bell. Yep.
Rotation flips over Ahura and of course I’m going to screencap what happened next. Some headscissors from Rotation work, but Ahura stomps his way free. A side Russian legsweep from Rotation leads to an armbar on Ahura, before a dropkick earned a two-count.
Ahura sidesteps Rotation in the corner, but got kicked down as he suckered Rotation into an attempt at the Victory Over Gravity… kicking away the ropes so Rotation would crash and burn. More stomps wear down Rotation, with a diving foot keeping the challenger down. Rotation tries for a springboard something or other, but Ahura just booted him down again for a two-count. An overhand chop from Rotation followed, as did a running kick into the corner… before he found a way through with a tiltawhirl DDT that took Ahura to the floor. The champion slides back in as Rotation had to abort his dive, instead opting for a missile dropkick for a two-count.
Ahura’s back body drop leads to Rotation scoring with an O’Connor roll as the match went back-and-forth… until an up-kick and an over-the-knee brainbuster planted Rotation for another near-fall. More kicks take Rotation out of the corner, then back into it as Ahura took him up top and teased a suplex to the floor. Of course, that’s not happening as a top rope ‘rana brought Ahura back inside, before a Ricola Bomb got turned into a spin-out suplex for a near-fall by the challenger. Rotation pulls himself up top, but can’t land the Victory Over Gravity… instead he hits a superkick before the Ricola Bomb was countered out of. Ahura dumps Rotation in the ropes, then hit a kick for the win. Ahura’s pace is very measured and deliberate, but it’s getting the job done as he establishes himself in the singles ranks. I’m very curious to see how this translates in front of a crowd – I’ve a sneaky feeling it could be something of a cult hit… **½
After the match, we’ve got the drawing for the next challenger, but Norman Harras is out looking increasingly alarmed as he claimed he’d been promised the title shot. Of course, Ahura only promised his name would be in the hat… before he used Andy Jackson’s head as a crystal ball. Norman freaked out as Ahura let him pick anyway… but instead Norman drew Levaniel’s name. So close!
We close out with a weigh-in for next week’s wXw Unified World Wrestling title match. Yeah, it’s a little too WWE/AEW for some’s tastes… but hopefully Dan Mallmann knows how to operate those scales! Felix Kohlenberg’s out too to oversee things…
Archer weighs in first, noting he’d gained a little weight… before Marius al-Ani came out in smart casual attire for his trip to the scales. He’s the best part of 5kg leaner, and started speaking “in French.” Which they handily subtitle. Marius said Archer had “done nothing” in wXw, which quickly led to a brief shove as Marius signed the contract on Dan’s back. At least Tristan used the clipboard before things got a little more heated ahead of the promotional photo to close the show.
Next Friday – Fan Appreciation Night One featuring Bobby Gunns vs. Michael Knight, Paris vs. Ender Kara, Delia vs. Tayra Gates, Norman Harras vs. Fast Time Moodo, and Levaniel vs. Prince Ahura for the Shotgun title. We’ve also got the mask vs. hair match delayed from Drive of Champions, with Senza Volto & Aigle Blanc taking on Maggot, Baby Allison & Vincent Heisenberg. Saturday’s got night two of the weekender, with Peter Tihanyi vs. Dennis Dullnig, Rott und Flott vs. Arrows of Hungary, Nicky Foxley vs. Iva Kolasky, Robert Dreissker & Anil Marik defending the tag titles vs. Leon van Gasteren & Tim Stübing, plus the Tristan Archer vs. Marius al-Ani Unified World Wrestling Championship match.
This was a solid go-home show to go into the FAN double header (yes, there’s shows next Friday and Saturday). It’s another show that rewards the viewers with story progression and development, rather than matches for your star rating spreadsheets, but that’s always been wXw’s strength.