Carat Saturday in the Turbinenhalle began with a smorgasbord of wrestlers from around the world as wXw played their wildcard.
Quick Results
Landon Hale pinned Stephen Wolf in 8:38 (**¾)
Channing Thomas pinned Ryan Clancy in 9:54 (***)
Red Scorpion pinned Dominik Fischer, Avatar & Goldenboy Santos in 8:12 (**¼)
Safire Reed pinned Rachel Armstrong in 7:05 (**½)
Marc Empire pinned Derek Neal in 6:40 (**½)
Travis Williams submitted Liam Slater in 13:13 (***½)
Griffin McCoy pinned DeSean Pratt & Myles Hawkins in 12:20 (**¾)
— 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
wXw kicked off the second day of Carat weekend (three if you want to count Inner Circle) with the return of the Wildcard Edition format, where wrestlers around the world applied for a spot on the card. It’s a line-up that more than leans on IWTV’s roster of promotions, with some names from around Europe thrown in for good measure…
Landon Hale vs. Stephen Wolf
Wolf was familiar to at least some of the travelling fans, by way of his recent outings for Rev Pro…
Starting with a fistbump, Wolf goes after Hale’s arm in the early going, but Hale breaks free and charges down the New Texas Pro champion with a shoulder tackle. Leapfrogs and roll throughs keep the pair apart, until a tijeras and dropkick from Hale took Wolf into the corner.
Wolf’s able to return with some chops, before a springboard armdrag and a dropkick had Hale checking his teeth. More shots take Hale into the corner, while a Northern Lights suplex out of it led to a two-count before Hale began to fight back with chops of his own. A floatover in the corner sees Hale catch Wolf with a back cracker, but Wolf’s back with more chops and a forearm ahead of a slingshot dropkick by the buckles.
Hale flips out of a back suplex, but gets elbowed for his troubles before a tiltawhirl backbreaker and a lawn dart took Wolf into the buckles. Hale keeps going with a German suplex and a handspring stunner for a near-fall, before a SPO Driver was slipped out of. Wolf can’t quite get to grips with Hale, eating a slingshot cutter… but a trip outside sees a switcheroo as Wolf landed an Asai moonsault into Hale in the aisle.
Back inside, a springboard crossbody connects for a two-count for Wolf, before Hale caught him up top with a one-man Spanish Fly. Back-and-forth strikes escalate as Wolf comes in with the 6-1-Line, but it’s not enough as Hale then proceeded to counter out of a back suplex, returning with the SPO Driver for the win. **¾
Post-match, Hale held up his armband in memory of the late referee Sean Patrick O’Brien, who passed away almost a year ago…
Channing Thomas vs. Ryan Clancy
“He’s sorta the best…”
We get going with Thomas being taken into the corner, before he returned with a swift shoulder tackle off the ropes. Clancy’s got a shoulder tackle of his own though, before he added a dropkick and a bodyslam into the mix. Oberhausen’s got form for loving those!
A side headlock from Clancy is pushed away as we get some criss-cross action in the ropes, while a leaping dive and a crossbody took down Thomas for a two-count. Clancy tries for what looked like a Dudley Dog, but Thomas countered it into a side suplex as the crowd began to get on Channing’s back.
Clancy kicks out at two from a standing elbow drop, before a neckbreaker took him right back down. Thomas doesn’t follow-up though, allowing Clancy to chop back… at least until Thomas took him into the ropes for a baseball slide German suplex. That gets Thomas a bunch of two-counts as he continued to control the pace… at least until a back body drop flung him into the air.
Thomas gets bounced around with clotheslines from there, then a monkey flip out of the corner, before a leaping dropkick almost got Ryan the fancy win. Back-and-forth pins troll the referee, before a backslide from Clancy eventually pulled Thomas down for a near-fall. Out of nowhere, a Mistica into a crossface has Thomas in deep trouble, but the ropes save him before he hung up Clancy in the ropes.
From there, Thomas pulls Clancy up into a piledriver… and that’s enough to get the win in a decent outing. ***
Avatar vs. Dominik Fischer vs. Red Scorpion vs. Goldenboy Santos
This match marked the return of Santos to wXw after a few years away…
Santos and “Surfer Boy” Fischer were the crowd favourites here, while Scorpion came in with a list of prior big-name opponents. Avatar just roared at everyone, before he charged down Fischer and Scorpion. Santos pushes away a chokeslam and chops Avatar, before a side headlock was pushed off as Santos eventually charged down the Hungarian.
Fischer and Scorpion break up a pin as Santos looked to go after those two… he’s taken to the outside as Scorpion and the surfer boy went at it, with Fischer taking chops before eating a low dropkick in the corner. Rolling outside, Fischer’s met with a tope – as were Santos and Avatar – before a suplex from Scorpion back inside… got him a little aroused.
A flip senton’s avoided by Fischer, but Santros is back to press slam him into the Italian for a two-count. Avatar’s eventually back into the ring to land a sidewalk slam on Santos, before he struck back with a massive Midas touch lariat to almost put Avatar away. Fischer takes over with a low dropkick to Santos, before Avatar came in… and cracked Scorpion with a headbutt.
Avatar keeps going, but his chokeslam’s bitten out of by Fischer, whose follow-up crossbody was caught and turned into a slam. A trip up top for Avatar’s stopped by Santos, who comes with a sit-out powerbomb out of the corner that Scorpion broke up, before he too scored with a twisting crossbody out of the corner for a near-fall.
A cannonball-like stage dive off the top has Fischer back in it, before an Angle Slam from Scorpion out of nowhere led to the win. **¼
Safire Reed vs. Rachel Armstrong
Armstrong won last year’s SCI Futures tournament – while Reed came in as a recently-unseated former EVE champion.
Reed open things up with a waistlock takedown, before another takedown led to a kick to the back of Armstrong. An O’Connor roll gives Armstrong an early two-count ahead of a step-up ‘rana, before a dropkick took Reed into the corner… where she lifted Armstrong onto the apron for a headbutt.
Back inside, Reed’s missile dropkick smashes into Armstrong for just a one-count, as Reed then grappled on the mat looking for Armstrong’s arm. An Irish whip into the corner kept Armstrong on the back foot, as did a bunch of kicks in the ropes as Reed then added a flying stomp to the back for another two-count.
Fighting back, Armstrong goes for a neckbreaker… but has more luck with a dive after Reed had been sent to the outside. Back inside, Armstrong lands a running neckbreaker for a two-count, before Reed caught her in the ropes for a German suplex out of the corner.
Safire adds a torpedo headbutt to that, before a ripcord clothesline almost put Armstrong away. Reed looks to follow up with a Shining Wizard, but it grazes Armstrong who came back with a superkick instead, before she went up for a 450 splash… Reed rolls away and returned with a Shining Wizard to get the win. **½
Derek Neal vs. Marc Empire
Time for the bigger lads…
The pair head into the ropes from the opening lock-up, with Neal charging Empire away on the break before they began to trade shoulder tackles. A kick from Neal leads to Empire charging back, before a bodyslam left Neal laying. Retaliating, Neal ran in with a lariat before a left hand to the side of the head had Empire rocked.
Neal’s elbowed as he ran into the corner, but Empire misses a charge into another corner as Neal hit back with a dropkick instead. A butterfly suplex follows from Neal for a two-count, as things spilled outside with the pair trading shots.
Back inside, Empire blocks a slam attempt and countered back with a twisting back suplex. Neal hits a flurry of shots, ending with a knee strike for a two-count, before Neal escaped a slam. He tries to take Empire to the corner for a dropkick, but he crashes and burns as the Austrian instead hit a uranage for a near-fall.
Fighting from their knees, Neal and Empire again trade blows, with Empire offering himself up for chops… Neal obliges as they continue to lay into each other, but it’s Empire’s clothesline that had Neal down ahead of a powerslam for the win. **½
Emil Völler replaces Fohrwerk at the desk for the remainder of the show in German…
Travis Williams vs. Liam Slater
There’s a big part of me that appreciates how simple Liam Slater’s gear is. Makes it super easy to travel light…
Williams wanted Slater to “earn” a handshake, as we got going with lock-ups and takedowns as Williams then looked to work the arm and wrist of Slater. Liam counters with some arm work of his own, only for Williams to go for the face to ensure Slater couldn’t pull ahead.
They go back-and-forth with strait-jacket chokes, before Williams grounded Slater for an armbar, bridging back to roll Liam into a cover for a two-count. Retaliating, Slater scores a shoulder tackle before some misdirection led to a second one for a two-count. A European uppercut downs Williams, before Slater countered out of a backslide and jack-knifed Williams for a two-count.
Chops from Williams take down Slater ahead of a kick to the arm, but we keep going with a Tiger suplex for a near-fall, before Williams worked an ankle hold as he proceeded to bridging in with an Indian deathlock… adding a cravat to it for the hell of it. Slater’s able to kick away, but it’s not long before we’re back in with chops.
Slater baited Williams into the corner with one, but it backfires as the Canadian stayed ahead… at least until a missed leaping knee into the corner allowed Slater back in with uppercuts. A pumphandle slam’s good for a two-count as Slater looked to go for the pin. Williams’ gamengiri out of the corner takes Slater outside… but some misdirection ensured the former NORTH Champion ate a tope anyway.
Back inside, Williams Gator rolls Slater up into a brainbuster for a near-fall, before a Dragon screw attempt was blocked, leading to see-saw pins. Another jack-knife nearly nicks it for Slater, as Williams looked to dig deep and go for a Cattle Mutilation. Slater escapes with an Alphamare Waterslide for a near-fall instead, before things headed outside… with Williams baiting Slater into a shin breaker on the ring steps.
That opened things up for Williams, who rolled Slater back inside for a grounded Dragon screw and a Figure Four… forcing Slater to tap out. This was some lovely stuff – this felt non-stop as they were constantly going for something, with no dead air or wasted movement. Maybe not flashy, but damn well engaging. ***½
Desean Pratt vs. Griffin McCoy vs. Myles Hawkins
Our main event was a three-way unofficially from CZW…
Eventually getting going, everyone trades shoulder tackles and roll-ups before McCoy was chucked outside… in the ring, Hawkins takes a tijeras from Pratt, then some armdrags and a dropkick to take Myles outside. McCoy’s back to try his luck with armdrags before he kicked Pratt to the outside… and you know what that means.
In comes Hawkins with a springboard clothesline for a two-count, only for Pratt to take him outside ahead of a flip dive onto McCoy and Hawkins. Back inside, Hawkins pulls Pratt into the bottom turnbuckle, then hit a German suplex to take him out of the corner for a delayed two-count.
McCoy’s booted off the apron by Hawkins as they looked to keep it to two in the ring… with Hawkins chopping Pratt down to the mat. Hawkins gets a little carried away as McCoy blindsides him, only for a leaping double knee strike from Myles to take care of Griffin.
Pratt’s hung up into the ropes by Hawkins, but shrugs it off as he cleared house seconds later. Hawkins and McCoy gang up on him, then turned their sights onto each other as they wangled their way into a DDT/neckbreaker combo for a two-count for Pratt. Hawkins and Pratty go back-and-forth in the ropes, leading to a springboard DDT from Hawkins for a two-count as McCoy just about broke up the cover in time.
McCoy looks to pick up as he flipped Hawkins into a facebuster, then added a sit-out powerbomb for a two-count. Another powerbomb to Hawkins is blocked, with Hawkins instead booting and kneeing McCoy until Pratt wiped him out with a kick… before all three worked their way into a sandwich German suplex.
Taking Hawkins up top, McCoy stays ahead with chops, eventually landing a superplex… but Pratt was waiting to hit a double stomp after McCoy landed, getting a near-fall out of it. A running cutter from Pratt takes Hawkins outside, leaving McCoy free to go for something… but Pratt rolls him up for a near-fall before a half-and-half suplex and a springboard enziguiri got the win for McCoy, thanks to Robin Christopher Fohrwerk at ringside holding Hawkins back. **¾
These Wildcard shows can be a mixed bag – with everyone on the card pretty much under the gun to establish their characters, moves and style all within a 10-15 minute window from entrance to exit. Those who came in with some prior familiarity with the crowd were helped somewhat, but overall this was a pretty solid show that acted as a sampler for a lot of guys who you’d not usually see in this part of the world.