The fallout from Broken Rules sees wXw head to Hamburg as Rott und Flott had a crack at AMBOSS’ newly-won tag titles.
Quick Results
Sebastian Hackl pinned Anil Marik in 9:03 (**¼)
Elijah Blum pinned Francesco Akira to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship in 10:41 (***¼)
Maggot & Baby Allison pinned Jacob Crane & Ava Everett in 10:54 (***)
Robert Dreissker pinned Tank in 5:29 (**½)
Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig pinned Fast Time Moodo & Peter Tihanyi in 15:18 (***½)
Anita Vaughan pinned Kohei Kinoshita in 8:45 (***)
Shigehiro Irie pinned Bobby Gunns in 14:24 (***½)
Icarus & Laurance Roman pinned Michael Schenkenberg & Nikita Charisma to retain the wXw World Tag Team Championship in 13:40 (***½)
— If you want to catch this before it’s uploaded to Peacock/WWE Network, head over to wXwNOW.de
One week on from Broken Rules, wXw returned to Hamburg at the Gruenspan… but first, we’ve a Fight Forever match. Which was preceded by Axel Tischer taking jabs at Sebastian Hackl.
Anil Marik vs. Sebastian Hackl
Robin Christopher Fohrwerk was making friends for himself here, while Hackl was looking to make it back-to-back wins in wXw.
Marik worked over Hackl’s arm in the early going, but a headlock takedown had Hackl in control as we switched to the wacky Fire Pro view of the ring. Hackl scores with a shoulder tackle, then with an armdrag as as he had Marik on the back foot… leading to a hiptoss and a dropkick to take Marik back to the corner.
Hackl parades Marik around the ring with a delayed bodyslam for a two-count, but Marik manages to get back in it, sneaking around the back to attack Hackl as Fohrwerk offered a distraction. A bulldog out of the corner gets Marik a two-count, before Hackl’s bid to fight out of a side headlock was thwarted by Marik.
Hackl fights back, but a springboard’s caught and turned into a back suplex from Marik, who added a grounded Cobra twist. A headlock takedown gets Hackl free as Marik looked to push on, but an overhead belly-to-belly flung the former tag champion around ahead of a roll-up from Marik for a two-count. Marik adds a single-leg Codebreaker for a two-count, before Hackl escaped a double underhook DDT and returned with a torture rack neckbreaker – dubbed the Hackbreaker – for the win. I like the finish, but I fear there’s a lot more work needed before you can present Hackl as any viable threat here. **¼
Dave Bradshaw’s back for English commentary on the main show… which featured a valid dig at Deutsche Bahn.
wXw Shotgun Championship: Francesco Akira vs. Elijah Blum (c)
Akira beat Blum over World Tag Team Festival weekend – a repeat here would lead to a new champion, of course…
Blum tried to go for a front kick at the bell, but Akira was wise to it as Blum pulled ahead early on, taking Akira into the corner for uppercuts. Akira knocks Blum into a Tree of Woe as a dropkick followed into the corner, with chops keeping Blum very much on the back foot.
Akira’s bid for a Boston crab quickly ends in the ropes, but a back elbow knocks Blum down as that Boston crab followed… and led to a quick rope break. A neckbreaker keeps Akira on top, as did another Boston crab, which again ends in the ropes as Blum was finding himself struggling.
The pair trade forearms until Blum found a way through with a neckbreaker, adding clotheslines and a snap Flatliner for good measure. A side Russian legsweep keeps Blum ahead, as he then went up top for a lofty crossbody for a near-fall. Akira fights back with a chop, before he ran into Blum for a guillotine… which was switched up into a mounted version of Zack Sabre Jr.’s Young Boy Killer.
Blum manages to walk his way to the ropes to force a break, as Blum then fired back with a shotgun dropkick. Akira snapped back with a Dragon suplex, before a second crack at that guillotine was suplexed away. We’re back with the pair trading elbows before a Blum dropkick led to the 2K+1 Driver for the near-fall. Please, Elijah, brand that move! From there, the Parting Gift got the win. ***¼
Backstage, Dan Mallmann was with Rott und Flott – who vowed to leave their city as the tag team champions. Nikita Charisma mentioned the AMBOSS attack last time he was in Hamburg… and that was going to fuel him later on.
Y2Kuties (Ava Everett & Jacob Crane) vs. Baby Allison & Maggot
This was Ava’s first outing since losing the Women’s World title in Frankfurt a week earlier…
Crane and Maggot start us off, as a headlock takedown took Crane to the mat for some suspected biting. Crane breaks free to charge down Maggot with a shoulder tackle, before Maggot spooked Crane, then crashed into him with a Thesz press. A running uppercut keeps Crane down, while mounted punches in the corner and a suplex out of it led to just a one-count.
Crane manages to take Maggot to his corner and tag in Everett briefly as Maggot was worn down in the Y2Kuties’ corner. Baby Allison gets the tag in and goes for a back suplex on Everett, before finding more luck with a Thesz press ahead of that eventual suplex. A Northern Lights suplex gets Allison a two-count as Maggot returned… but there’s some confusion as the referee tried to get Maggot out of the ring, allowing Crane to blindside Allison.
Allison crab walks away from a clothesline attempt by Crane, but the Pole’s able to shrug it off and hit a suplex for a two-count on the former champion Allison. Face-washing boots from Crane keep Allison in the corner, ahead of some short-range chops before a running boot ended up knocking Ava off the apron.
Crane tries to recover, but Allison tagged in Maggot who ran wild with clotheslines and a back body drop. An enziguiri’s next, as was a crossbody off the top, before a spear forced Everett into the ring to break up the cover. She sidesteps a charge from Maggot and took him down with a neckbreaker, sparking a Parade of Moves… ending with an elevated Baby Exorcism that again forced Everett to break things up.
Everett looks to add to it, but she loses her footing ahead of Allison propelling Ava into a cutter from Maggot. However, Crane’s the legal person for his team, and his attempt at a Perfect Driver’s cradled out of, before a cutter from Maggot got the win. ***
They replay the end of Broken Rules as AMBOSS’ offer to Masha Slamovich ended up with a men’s and women’s world title unification match being inked. That led to Robert Dreissker coming out to address the whole situation, as he railed on Slamovich for turning down the opportunity to join AMBOSS, blaming her for wanting to sacrifice the “legacy of a division” in order to unify the titles.
This led to Dreissker’s open challenge to the women’s division… eventually answered by a debuting Tank as the referee was bullied into throwing out the whole thing.
Robert Dreissker vs. Tank
Tank’s barely into double-figures in terms of matches, having debuted in Holland earlier this year…
Dreissker didn’t seem to know what to do with Tank as Hamburg cat-called him. The opening lock-up sees Tank shove Dreissker into the corner, before she offered Dreissker a way out. A side headlock from Dreissker’s pushed off, but Tank doesn’t budge from the shoulder tackle before she began to throw some clotheslines.
Shoulder charges keep Dreissker in the corner, before an elbow allowed Tank to snapmare Dreissker into a sleeperhold. A suplex keeps Dreissker down, as did another, before Laurance Roman popped up onto the apron to try and prevent a chokeslam. He’s knocked off as Icarus came in and ate a chokeslam for his woes, only for Dreissker to attack from behind as a bodyslam left Tank laying.
Tank’s right back up and in Dreissker’s face, but she’s quickly squashed with a crossbody out of the corner before a death valley driver put the debutant away. I was massively impressed with Tank’s potential – particularly with how strong she was made to look against Dreissker in this role. **½
Fast Time Moodo & Peter Tihanyi vs. Dennis Dullnig & Hektor Invictus
Cash and Hektor were looking to get back on track having lost their titles a week ago in Frankfurt…
Hektor and Moodo get things going as a flash pin from Moodo didn’t even draw a one-count as the pair grappled on the mat to no avail. A rolling cross armbar has Moodo ahead… even through Hektor’s attempt to power free, before a dropkick wiped out Moodo off the ropes. Tags bring in Dullnig and Tihanyi, with those two chain wrestling on the way to a stand-off.
A running Meteora from Tihanyi crashes into Dullnig after a missed dropkick, while a leaping back elbow kept Tihanyi ahead. Moodo’s back as a double-team elbow drop keeps Dullnig down, ahead of a Moodo legdrop for a two-count. Dullnig gets back into it with a cradle and a dropkick, but Hektor tags in as they built up to Dullnig slamming him onto Tihanyi.
Tihanyi hits a jawbreaker to escape Hektor, but the respite’s only brief as Hektor and Cash exchanged rapid tags. A Dragon screw out of the corner takes Tihanyi into a half crab as Hektor dominated. Dullnig’s back to keep the focus up on the lower back of Tihanyi, only to get rolled through as Tihanyi snatched a two-count.
Moodo’s back to hit a stomp ahead of a tornado DDT from Tihanyi for a two-count, while a spinning heel kick from Moodo added another two-count. A double-team suplex is escaped by Dullnig, who fought against Tihanyi and Moodo until he sidestepped a knee strike with Tihanyi wiping out his own man.
Hektor gets the tag back in and goes to work on Moodo with a powerslam, but the follow-up powerbomb’s escaped… so Hektor responds with a spinebuster for a near-fall. Moodo elbows away a 3D attempt, as Tihanyi’s slingshot cutter sparked a turnaround. Tihanyi’s adjusting his gear as Moodo was looking for a tag… Moodo instead opted to go for a Black Belt Kick, but it’s avoided as Moodo ends up eating a clothesline-aided German suplex, then a 3D and a double Hektor-Knie as the former champions win. Dissension between Tihanyi and Moodo already feels a little early, but it’s window dressing as Hektor and Cash get back in the winning column. ***½
Anita Vaughan vs. Kohei Kinoshita
This was Vaughan’s first match in wXw since her impressive debut at Femmes Fatales a few months back…
Kinoshita showed off his flexibility before the bell, as we got going with the pair trading side headlocks as the Hamburg crowd looked to be getting behind Vaughan. Anita charges Kinoshita into the corners ahead of a fallaway slam, only for Kohei to retaliate with a rolling dropkick.
Another dropkick wipes out Vaughan for a two-count, while a side headlock keeps Vaughan grounded as Kinoshita tried several times for a pin. A DDT keeps Kinoshita ahead, while a missed enziguiri meant Vaughan stayed in trouble as a seated dropkick earned Kinoshita another two-count.
Vaughan fires back with shoulder tackles, knocking Kinoshita to the mat, before a Michinoku driver almost got Anita the win. Chops keep Kinoshita on the back foot, as did a clothesline, before Kinoshita struck back with a bridging fallaway slam for a near-fall. The pair keep going, but Kinoshita’s crossbody’ caught and turned into a swinging side slam out of nowhere for the win. A good match to keep Vaughan in the winning column – someone who I’d hope wXw has concrete plans for in 2024. ***
Dan Mallmann’s backstage with Icarus and Laurance Roman… they don’t particularly want to talk about the infighting among the group, saying that AMBOSS “ist stabil” before cutting away.
Bobby Gunns vs. Shigehiro Irie
These two have met four times in the past in singles action, sharing two wins each, the most recent being in New York as Gunns defended his Unified World Wrestling title back in 2019.
You’d have thought Irie’d be the favourite here, with Gunns’ love of Werder Bremen not going down well in Hamburg, but it’s pretty evenly split as the pair got going, knocking each other down with front kicks in the opening stages. Irie takes Gunns into the corner, then spun him down to the mat by the arm, before a slam and slingshot splash picked up a two-count for Irie.
Gunns tried to throw shots at Irie, but got knocked down in return before he avoided a Teddy Bear sit-down splash. A big boot drops Irie next, who rolled outside only to get caught with an apron PK… then got booted on the apron again as Irie eventually hit back with a slingshot Teddy Bear for a two-count.
Irie keeps going with an elbow smash to Gunns, only for Gunns to hit back with a Flatliner into the buckles as he bought himself some time. Another front kick keeps Irie down, albeit for a two-count, before Gunns found his way in with a Cobra Twist. Irie overpowers him, throwing Gunns onto the apron as he worked his way in for that splash to the back, before a Bossman slam back inside almost won it. The pair stay close by as Irie’s German suplex earned him a shotgun dropkick and a brainbuster in response, before a PK and a Fisherman suplex almost got Gunns the win. An armbar looks to follow, but Irie got to the ropes to force a break as Gunns eventually picked up with some kicks for a near-fall.
A second PK’s blocked by Irie, who tied up Gunns… but the headbutt’s escaped as Gunns instead tried his luck with lariats. Gunns tries for the armbar again, but Irie counters it into a piledriver instead, before a cannonball almost snuck out a win. The pair reset as they ping off more elbows, then lariats, before Irie blitzed Gunns with a pair of Beast Bombers for the win. Easily the best thing on the show so far, but not quite at the level of their past meetings, as Irie wrapped up his latest German excursion with a win. ***½
wXw World Tag Team Championship: Rott Und Flott (Michael Schenkenberg & Nikita Charisma) vs. AMBOSS (Icarus & Laurance Roman) (c)
This match was made before Broken Rules last week – but AMBOSS’ title win in Frankfurt meant that this became a title defence.
Charisma flipped off Icarus at the bell, but Icarus quickly began to work over the arm, rolling Charisma to the mat before Charisma wheeled away with shots to Icarus in the corner. A low dropkick clatters Charisma, as AMBOSS were firmly on the back foot ahead of a Side Effect from Charisma for an early two-count.
Schenkenberg’s in with Icarus, but quickly got taken to the corner as Roman tagged in and put the boots to him. A right hand catches Roman as Schenkenberg fought back, leading to a pair of leapfrogs and a shoulder tackle for good measure. Charisma’s back as Roman was threatened with being powerbombed into the wall, before he scored a dropkick on Icarus… then an armdrag for good measure.
Icarus goes for the hair to escape an armbar, before Roman snuck in to pull Charisma off the apron as AMBOSS turned things around. Roman’s in to hit a suplex on Charisma for a two-count, before Roman’s front suplex dropped Charisma onto Icarus’ knees for another near-fall.
A brainbuster from Icarus keeps AMBOSS ahead, before Schenkenberg’s attempts to get involved just tied up the referee as AMBOSS took their shots. Eventually Charisma outlasted the AMBOSS pair, scoring with a swinging DDT/enziguiri combination en route to a tag to Schenkenberg. Running wild, Schenkenberg splashes Icarus and Roman in the corners ahead of a Samoan drop/fallaway slam combo to the champions, which was good for a two-count.
A cross-chop to the throat from Icarus looked to create a new opening, but Schenkenberg got some help from Charisma, who scored a superplex to Roman after Schenkenberg had been knocked off the top rope. The Snapchat DDT followed for a near-fall, with Icarus breaking up the cover with a senton bomb off the top. Charisma and Icarus brawl up onto the stage, where Icarus nailed a low blow behind the ref’s back.. That left Schenkenberg on his own as a pair of discus elbows, then a double-team facebuster ended up being enough to get the win as AMBOSS recorded their first defence. ***½
Post-match, AMBOSS continued their beatdown on Rott und Flott… only for Hektor and Cash to quickly run out. They’re overwhelmed, but recovered to send the champions packing with dropkicks as Hektor closed out the show by challenging AMBOSS to a rematch for the tag titles at the Anniversary show.
Effectively “the road to 23rd Anniversary,” wXw’s return to the Gruenspan was a solid show – albeit one that just kept building what was already announced for next month, rather than set up too much new stuff for the Oberhausen show.