The final day of Carat weekend kicked off with a We Love Wrestling taping, featuring Joseph Fenech Jr.’s first defence of the Shotgun title.
Quick Results
Hektor Invictus pinned Danny Jones in 7:48 (**¾)
Jane Nero pinned Reyca in 4:24 (**¼)
Adam Priest pinned Liam Slater in 7:11 (***)
Yuto Nakashima & OSKAR pinned M4 & Tim Koslowski in 4:23 (**)
Joseph Fenech Jr. pinned Ryan Clancy to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship in 9:58 (***)
Thomas Shire pinned Icarus in 8:22 (**¾)
Fast Time Moodo & Axel Tischer pinned Pahlevan Nima & Yokai in 5:50 (**¾)
Cara Noir submitted Nick Schreier in 12:39 (**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
We’re back in Oberhausen’s Turbinenhalle for the first show of the final day of Carat weekend… Mett Dimassi’s your ring announcer, audible even without the mic turned on! English commentary comes from Dave Bradshaw and Ricky Slatter.
Danny Jones vs. Hektor Invictus
Jones was the runner-up in AMBITION the prior afternoon, and started off brightly against Hektor as the pair went hold for hold early on.
Hektor’s taken outside for a back suplex onto the apron as Jones pushed on, following up with uppercuts and a chinlock back inside as Hektor was worn down. Back-and-forth elbows looked to create an opening for Hektor, whose uppercut off the middle rope took down the Welshman.
A powerslam out of the corner from Hektor continues to build momentum, while a spinebuster almost put Jones away. Jones’ response sees him get a near-fall out of an overhead suplex, before he caught Hektor’s springboard crossbody and turned it into a gutbuster for a near-fall…
From there, Hektor hit back with a backslide, before a flapjack and a push-over sit-out powerbomb got the win. A little compressed, but this was a decent opener on the mystery card. **¾
Backstage, Dan Mallmann’s trying to get a word with the former tag team champions… but neither OSKAR nor Yuto Nakashima are in the mood and just blank him.
Reyca vs. Jane Nero
This was Reyca’s singles debut in wXw, having done a tag at Inner Circle on Thursday, and a four-way back at Femmes Fatales last year.
Getting right to it, Nero rolled Reyca aside from the opening lock-up, only to have the favour returned seconds later. Reyca pulled ahead with armdrags before she steamrollered through Nero with an uppercut for a two-count, before Nero… did a Crush. Literally. Reyca manages to escape the head crush as she threw Nero around the ring with suplexes and a Michinoku driver.
Nero kicks out at two, then responds with a series of clotheslines and elbow drops, before a full nelson slam proved to be enough to get the win. **¼
Backstage again, Dan Mallmann’s with KxS, who are smarting from their losses yesterday. Axel Tischer preemptively took offence to the “maybe next year will be your year” theory, before sending Dan packing.
Liam Slater vs. Adam Priest
We’ve another match that on-paper should be a gem…
The feeling-out process here was a little testy as Slater and Priest fought for a body part, but it’s Liam who pulled ahead early on, working a toe and ankle hold on Priest before getting caught with a log roll-like trip in the ropes. A sunset flip from Slater didn’t get much for him, as Priest quickly dumped him to the outside.
Slater’s back, but has to fight out of an abdominal stretch attempt as the dogged Priest ended up locking it in… only to get caught using the ropes by the referee. With the hold kicked apart, Slater pushes on with a gutwrench powerbomb that floated over for a two-count, before a half crab attempt was kicked away by Priest.
Second time’s the charm though as Slater gets the hold in, but it’s escaped before Priest stole the win with an O’Connor roll grabbing the ropes for good measure. Decent, but way shorter than I’d have liked to have seen. ***
We’re backstage with Dan Mallmann again, who’s recapping the weekend so far with Anita Vaughan… who’s hyped that she’s got the match with Miyu Yamashita to prepare for tonight. That’s one way to lift your spirits after losing the Shotgun title!
M4 & Tim Koslowski vs. Young Blood (OSKAR & Yuto Nakashima)
Koslowski was a Y2Kutie apprentice here, being taught the important things by M4, like how to do the pose.
Unfortunately, they were up against an aggressive Young Blood, who were smarting after losing the tag titles a little over 12 hours earlier… attacking their opponents before the bell as Koslowski couldn’t put up much defence in the opening moments.
Yuto’s in to kick at Koslowski, getting a two-count out of it as the former champions berated the referee for what they thought were slow counts. Eventually M4’s able to tag in and hit a sidewalk slam to Yuto for a near-fall… OSKAR’s caught in the corner with a train of clotheslines, before a clothesline from Koslowski took OSKAR over the top to the floor.
M4 and Yuto stay in the ring to trade shots, but it’s Yuto who pulled ahead with a pump kick… and that’s the pin as referee Alex Heinke actually made a three-count, despite Koslowski’s attempt to break it up. A little confusing finish, but if you watch the count, it all made sense… and post-match Young Blood put another beating to their opponents, hitting a chokebomb and a suplex for good measure. The post-match was more intense than the match itself, and perhaps a little longer than it should have been given the two teams’ standings. **
wXw Shotgun Championship: Ryan Clancy vs. Joseph Fenech Jr. (c)
This was Fenech’s first defence of the title he’d won the previous afternoon… and the first time we’d seen Robin Christopher Fohrwerk since he got speared through a table. Looks like the German healthcare system was doing its job, as he was out, in some distress, while sporting the Bobby Heenan neckbrace here…
A thunderous shoulder tackle from Fenech charged down Clancy in the opening seconds before arm wringers put the challenger ahead. Fenech chops Clancy on the break, before he leapt over a trip up attempt as Clancy had more luck with a standing crossbody.
From there, headscissors out of the corner find their mark, but a monkey flip’s blocked as Fenech just shoved him to the floor. Back inside, Fenech continues to wear down Clancy, but a Thesz press helped the challenger get back in it, as a trip almost ended Fenech’s short title reign.
A flurry from Fenech’s stopped when a handspring back elbow got turned into a German suplex, only for Fenech to land the handspring cutter and a cannonball seconds later. Clancy barely rolls the shoulder up off the mat in time as Fenech pushed on, landing an elbow drop before Clancy’s rebound belly-to-belly sent Fenech outside for cover.
Clancy followed him out with a plancha, before Fenech’s tope wiped out the front row… leading to a quick return as Clancy’s dropkick stopped a flying Fenech. Again though, the champion rolls outside for cover… but upon Fenech’s return he’s able to get the win, kicking Clancy in the midsection ahead of a draping DDT for the win. ***
Icarus vs. Thomas Shire
Fohrwerk got his steps in for the day, walking to the back only to do a U-turn and come right back out with Icarus and Anil Marik in tow for an introduction that almost sounded like it was done at gunpoint. The wonders of contractual obligations?
Icarus looked to go all AMBITION on us to start, shooting for a takedown as Shire addressed the lone vocal Icarus fan in the crowd. A slap from Icarus led to things heading outside, with Icarus charging Shire into the side of the ring, following up with a springboard enziguiri to the lower back.
Staying on the mat, Icarus looked to work towards a submission before he opted to take Shire into the corner. Another slap led to Shire charging back with a uranage takedown, but Icarus was able to hit a back suplex to get a two-count… with Shire using the ropes to stop the count as commentary played up his marathon weekend so far.
Heading up top, Icarus looks for a Meltdown senton, and connects with the back of Shire for another two-count as Icarus was beyond running on fumes here. Robin Christopher Fohrwerk berated Icarus from ringside for not having gotten the job one yet, prompting Icarus to seemingly set up for a one-man Crossfire… but Shire overpowers him and responded with a huge folding powerbomb for the win. Decent enough, but this crowd really isn’t feeling a lot of this card… **¾
Post-match, after Shire found his heckler and gave him a handshake, things got worse for Icarus. Fohrwerk told Icarus he was only looking for someone who followed his vision, and because Icarus had lost again, he was out of High Performer Ltd. A pair of double-arm DDTs from Anil Marik sealed that, and with injuries and whatnot, High Performer Ltd. are now down to just two fit members. New blood needed?
Pahlevan Nima & Yokai vs. KxS (Axel Tischer & Fast Time Moodo)
With new tag team champions, KxS are technically able to return to the title picture…
Nima and Moodo start us off, but Moodo’s the early aggressor as he went after Nima with kicks before Tischer came in to pick up the first two-count. It’s all KxS here, with Nima unable to put up much of a fight, eventually breaking free of Tischer to hit a rebound lariat before tagging in Yokai.
Moodo’s back too as Yokai pushed on with a flapjack, before Nima came off the top rope and landed in the path of a superkick from Moodo. Nima’s in trouble as he’s double-teamed by KxS, leading to a sliding D from Moodo, the stomp-assisted gutbuster from Tischer, and finally a Made in Japan from Moodo for a near-fall… before the Dragon Murder wiped out Yokai ahead of a powerbomb and a Descent Into Badness elbow drop from Moodo for the win. Not quite a full SPLAT, but very squashy – exactly what you’d expect. **¾
Nick Schreier vs. Cara Noir
Commentary outlined that this was Schreier’s first singles main event in wXw… and talk about having a big test.
Cara Noir seemed dismissive of Schreier from the get go, offering up a free shot as Schreier grabbed a side headlock, and clung onto it for grim death. Breaking free by stamping on Schreier’s foot, Cara’s not quite able to get into gear as he runs into a dropkick, before Schreier’s mounted punches in the corner ended with him getting shoved to the floor.
Cara followed Schreier to the outside, seemingly trying to bait the referee into speeding up his count, before he returned to the ring to lay in with some kicks. Schreier’s able to avoid a Rude Awakening neckbreaker, but his mounted sleeperhold barely registered as Cara fell to his back to break it up as the former Carat winner resumed his nonchalance.
More kicks from Cara take down Schreier, who finally replied with a pop-up dropkick, then with a diving back elbow and a bulldog for good measure. A springboard crossbody followed to take down Cara for a two-count, but Schreier takes too long to follow-up as his Shining Wizard’s ducked.
Cara’s right back with a German suplex and a superkick, then the Rude Awakening neckbreaker for a near-fall. Back-and-forth strikes end with Schreier again going for the mounted punches, but this time Cara counters out with a powerbomb to the knee as he continue to push on, this time mocking Schreier by landing mounted punches of his own in the corner.
Schreier’s able to counter out with a powerbomb though, adding a Destroyer before he finally uncorked his punches, while a diving knee to Cara Noir almost won it… a follow-up satellite DDT’s blocked though as Cara countered back with Madame Guillotine, before the Blackout sleeperhold forced the referee stoppage. A solid main event, but like with most everything else here this afternoon, the crowd didn’t seem to fully connect. **½
The 16 Carat Gold edition of We Love Wrestling was a pretty easy watch – but with a quiet crowd, this hangover show felt like it had little that fell in the “must see” category in spite of some pretty big storyline developments.