KxS looked to make the Big Bucks’ run with the tag titles a short one as wXw’s latest trip to East Germany wrapped up in Leipzig.
Quick Results
Elijah Blum pinned Thomas Shire in 8:56 (***¼)
Yuto Nakashima defeated Zoltan via referee stoppage in 4:50 (**½)
Joseph Fenech Jr. pinned Anil Marik & Hektor Invictus to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship in 7:16 (***)
Robert Dreissker pinned Sorani in 5:37 (***)
Mike D Vecchio pinned Aigle Blanc in 14:45 (***)
Ahura pinned Nick Schreier in 9:40 (***)
1 Called Manders pinned OSKAR in 10:39 (***¼)
Metehan pinned Laurance Roman in 11:07 (***¼)
Alex Duke & Norman Harras pinned Axel Tischer & Fast Time Moodo to retain the wXw World Tag Team Championship in 15:16 (***¼)
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It’s a quick turnaround as wXw’s moved to the sold-out and well-lit Hellraiser in Leipzig… and those watching live only have German commentary, courtesy of Emil Völler and Christian Bischof. There’s a name I’ve not heard doing commentary for a while (yeah, I only did the English Carat feeds…)
Elijah Blum vs. Thomas Shire
I’m very much surprised that this is our opener… but here we go!
A tentative start has Shire faking out Blum by the ropes as be looked to work the arm in the opening stages. Armdrags and dropkicks cut off Shire, ahead of a missile dropkick out of the corner, while a side Russian legsweep dropped Shire for barely a one-count.
Shire’s uppercut swipes away Blum as he springs out of the corner… things slowed down a little as Shire worked over Blum in the corner, leading to a retaliatory shotgun dropkick from Blum as he mounted a fresh comeback. Front kicks off the rope back-and-forth lead to a crossbody out of Blum, then a neckbreaker, before a froggy crossbody off the top almost ended things.
Some back-and-forth ends with a mighty suplex from Blum, but it’s still not enough as Shre’s pop-up uppercut looked to lead to a UFO… only for Blum to slip out and land the Parting Gift for the win. This was a strong opener with Blum getting the expected win, but my word Shire wasn’t a push-over here. ***¼
Post-match, Blum made the universal sign of “I want the belt” before heading to the back.
Zoltan vs. Yuto Nakashima
It’s a rare singles match in wXw for Yuto (hell, it’s only his FIFTH singles match on this excursion), who’s flipping off Leipzig as he headed to the ring. It’s no Hamburg.
Yuto’s monstering up to start, shrugging off Zoltan’s forearms before clattering into the Hungarian with a clothesline in the corner. Zoltan’s dropkick buys him time, but he just leaps into a front kick from Nakashima, who just spat on Zoltan in the ropes. A leaping forearm’s good for a two-count, as Zoltan again saw a comeback get shut down as Nakashima then crashed in with a knee in the corner.
From there, a standing back suplex drops Zoltan for a near-fall, before Yuto almost lost to a flash roll-up or two. That seemed to put a fire under Yuto, but Zoltan had momentum under him… at least for a moment as a buzzsaw kick and a pump kick led to a mocking two-count as Yuto broke his own pin, just so he could hit a brainbuster.
There’s no pin attempt as Nakashima instead stayed on Zoltan for some ground and pound until the referee called it off. I got what they were going for here, but this version of Young Blood isn’t quite going all in with the aggression. **½
Backstage in Dresden apparently, Hektor’s interrupted by Joseph Fenech Jr., who’s annoyed that Hektor’s using the “champion’s” locker room. Anil Marik’s peeping through the door as Fenech offered a title match “tomorrow.” Are we getting Anil the Snake?
wXw Shotgun Championship: Hektor Invictus vs. Joseph Fenech Jr. (c) vs. Anil Marik
Fohrwerk trolled Dan Mallmann during the introductions again… along with Hektor, when he made this a three-way. He wasn’t quite WALTER doing this, let’s just put it that way!
So, we’ve got the obvious undertone of “will Marik lay down for Fenech, work with him, or is he going to snake his stable-mate?” – and things did start with Hektor in a handicap match, before a springboard crossbody and a dropkick put Hektor in control.
Fenech’s forced to kick out from a powerslam before Hektor cleared the ring… a plancha took care of Marik as he tried for a trip, before a handspring cutter back inside almost snatched the win for Fenech in a shade over two minutes. Chops from Fenech wear down Hektor in the corner, before Marik came in and helped with a pile-on pin after a Fenech cannonball.
Hektor kicks out though, which got Leipzig roaring behind him as he proceeded to escape a double-team suplex, then a double-team back suplex before a back body drop sent Anil flying. Corner-to-corner clotheslines lead to a spinebuster on Marik as Fenech was unable to make the save, before a diving European uppercut out of the corner kept Hektor on track.
Fenech’s handspring cutter’s countered with a German suplex as Hektor pushed on with the step-up powerbomb, only for Anil Marik to take over with a Codebreaker and a baseball slide to the outside. There’s “story” as Marik looked towards Fohrwerk for guidance, eventually making the cover on Fenech, who grabbed a spooked Marik by the hair.
Fenech wasn’t too pleased with the attempted double-cross, pulling Marik in through the ropes for a draping DDT, and that’s the win… and I suspect that’s your lot for Joseph Fenech Jr. in High Performer Ltd., an empire that’s slowly crumbling. ***
Backstage, Alex Duke and Norman Harras are full of bravado ahead of their tag title defence later tonight.
Sorani vs. Robert Dreissker
It’s a main roster debut for Sorani, who’s done some wXw shows at the German Comic Con last year…
Sorani’s about two and a half years in from his debut, and didn’t back down from Dreissker to start… but a shoulder tackle and a bodyslam had him firmly on the defensive after about a minute. Dreissker’s splash off the ropes gets him a two-count, before Sorani baited Dreissker to the outside so he could work over the Austrian’s knee.
Back inside, Sorani continued to put the boots to Dreissker, ahead of some charging elbows in the corner… only for Dreissker to break free with clotheslines and a suplex. That took Sorani back into the corner for an Avalanche, with a springboard crossbody out of the corner next, before a slam and a Dreissker bomb got the win. Straightforward, but exactly what you’d have hoped for here. ***
Post-match, Young Blood attached Dreissker as Yuto tried to gouge Dreissker’s eye out. OSKAR whacks a chair over Dreissker, sending him packing… and this still feels like it’s missing something.
Aigle Blanc vs. Mike D Vecchio
Mike D’s European title wasn’t on the line here, as we had a rematch of the inaugural European title tournament final.
Aigle’s shoved into the corner from the opening lock-up, before his wristlock was almost reversed by Mike D with some help from the ropes. Aigle plays keep-away with the champion for a spell, before his side headlock was pushed away… with Mike D trying for a tijeras, only to get pushed off as a seatbelt pin nearly put an end to this.
A simple gutwrench suplex from Mike D put a pin in Aigle’s confidence early on, but the Frenchman returns with a Meteora and a headscissor takedown before sending the Belgian into the corner ahead of an attempted 450 splash. Aigle rolls through it as Mike D took to the skies with a springboarded lariat, following up with a side suplex that almost won it.
Grabbing Aigle by the throat, Mike D looks for a military press slam as the pair go back-and-forth, eventually ending with a military press powerslam and a moonsault/headbutt out of the corner for a near-fall. Heading outside, Mike D dropped Aigle onto the side of the apron, but a quick turnaround saw Aigle one up him with a flying DDT onto the side of the apron… before a moonsault wiped out Mike D and the front row benches. Jesus lads.
After getting thrown back inside, Mike D just about connects with a plancha, before a springboard back elbow was countered into a Dragon suplex back inside. A wild lariat sees us forget all though, but Mike D can’t make the cover quickly enough, and only gets a two-count out of it.
Another trip up top sees Aigle land an avalanche Dragon suplex, flipping Mike D inside out for a near-fall, before a Yakuza kick in the corner looked to set up for another flying move. Mike put the brakes on, but couldn’t avoid a tombstone piledriver in return as Aigle Blanc was coming oh so close to the win.
Aigle’s stopped on the top rope by Mike D, only to come down for a torture rack… Mike D flips out and hits a reverse ‘rana instead, before he went back up top for a shooting star press for the win. This one left me with my heart in my mouth at times, with some near misses on high risk stuff, but that scrappiness aside, this was a solid outing that put another L in Aigle Blanc’s records. ***
Nick Schreier vs. Ahura
It’s a first-time singles meeting here, with Ahura hoping for an easier go of things than he had yesterday in Dresden.
A tentative start saw the pair take each other to the corners from lock-ups, before they went back-and-forth from a Test of Strength, ending with Nick grabbing an armbar. Getting free, Ahura chops Schreier into the corner, ahead of a springboard missile dropkick that had Schreier reeling.
Schreier begins his fightback, landing a springboard crossbody as he followed up with an enziguiri ahead of the old faithful that were mounted punches in the corner. A pop-up dropkick just about connects… as did a cutter off the middle rope as Ahura looked to have been rocked.
Ahura’s unable to avoid a satellite DDT as Schreier looked for the unlikely upset, before he ran into a powerbomb from Ahura. A follow-up lariat left Schreier woozy as a picture-perfect Salamandra laid out Schreier for the win. This was exactly what this needed to be – with Schreier getting some shots in, only to get outclassed by the Carat finalist. ***
Post-match, Ahura asked for a handshake… and got one, as he looked to show himself to be better than Aigle Blanc after yesterday’s skirmishes.
After a pause because of technical issues, OSKAR comes out enraged to stop Dan Mallmann padding for time, taking digs at things before calling out someone for a fight…
OSKAR vs. 1 Called Manders
Yep, I don’t mind waiting for this one!
OSKAR attacks Manders before the bell, and this one quickly turned into a slugfest, with Manders clotheslining OSKAR to the outside. The pair brawl around ringside, with OSKAR going for Manders’ eye – is this meant to be some kind of meta thing with Young Blood now? Going for the eyes because back in New Japan nobody’ll be able to share footage of them on social media? The old TV Asahi special?
Manders gets put into a chair, but ends up switching places as he chopped OSKAR into it… but OSKAR uses the referee to stop anything from happening as he ended up charging Manders into the ring post. Back inside, Manders finds a way through with chops, but a rear naked choke from OSKAR cuts that off ahead of a simple bodyslam for a two-count.
Manders fired up as OSKAR laid in with some right hands, but some simple biting has Manders reeling ahead of OSKAR… going for a choke bomb? Manders bites the hands to stop it, before a shoulder tackle dropped the German. The three point stance sets up for a clothesline into the corner from there, as Manders then set up for an avalanche Stampede… but OSKAR slips out, only to run into a slam a few moments later.
Another sleeperhold from OSKAR looked to slow down Manders ahead of a choke bomb that almost got OSKAR the big win. Missing a big boot sees OSKAR hang himself up in the ropes, allowing Manders to charge back with a lariat for the win – an unexpected treat, and one that I could see doing gangbusters say, back in Japan. Just don’t GIF it. ***¼
Metehan vs. Laurance Roman
This was a first-time singles meeting, and a big test of Metehan’s desire to be seen as the best in Europe. Laurance Roman still had a taped-up knee, and looked to be limping a little on his way out… there’s an early target.
There’s no waiting around here as the two locked up, albeit with Roman looking to take a knock to the ear in that particular skirmish. A back elbow decks Metehan after he was sent into the ropes, but a low dropkick saw Metehan carve an opening.
Roman’s dropkick stopped Metehan mid-handspring as he picked up a two-count, but he’s able to stay on his former fellow Carat winner… at least until Metehan caught him with an Eye of the Hurricane. Resuming, Metehan looked to beat Roman to the punch with a series of leaping forearms before he finally connected with the handspring back elbow. A uranage followed for a near-fall, but a double clothesline looked to reset things.
Back-and-forth strikes end with a discus forearm from Roman, but a swivelling lariat from Metehan nearly ends it… Roman’s able to come back with the front slam for a near-fall, before Metehan escaped a Burning Nail… only for the pair to knock each other to the match after another strike exchange.
Starting again, Roman again looks for the Burning Nail, but instead had to catch Metehan up top, only to get shoved down as a missile dropkick led to the Passion’s Flame sit-out powerbomb as Metehan escaped with the win. The crowd didn’t seem too invested for this, but this was a pretty good outing as Metehan’s racking up wins on his return. ***¼
After the match, we get a handshake from Metehan and Laurance Roman…
wXw World Tag Team Championship: KxS (Axel Tischer & Fast Time Moodo) vs. Big Bucks (Norman Harras & Alex Duke) (c)
This was the Big Bucks’ first defence of the tag titles they won over Carat weekend… and they’re walking into the lion’s den as this was a virtual home match for KxS.
From the off, Tischer worked over Duke’s left arm, taking him down before things headed into the champions’ corner as Norman Harras came in… and found himself equally on the defensive. A stomp to the elbow has Harras reeling ahead of Fast Time Moodo tagging in to retain the focus on the wrist.
The ring fills up, but the Big Bucks end up getting taken outside as Tischer clotheslined Harras to the floor… then held the ropes open for a teased dive from Moodo, only for the Bucks to scatter. Instead, they head across the other side of the venue and beat Duke and Harras into chairs as we get a split-screen of KxS kicking them out of chairs.
Back in the ring, Tischer misses a blind tag as Norman Harras took advantage as he tried to build fresh momentum. Tischer’s kept isolated as Harras repeatedly knocked Moodo off the apron, while a cross-chop sent Tischer into the wrong corner as the Bucks again remained on offence.
The Bucks distract the referee as Moodo got the tag – and of course, it’s all building to the hot tag as Duke and Harras stuck to their guns, trading quick tags to ensure Tischer couldn’t go anywhere. A wild right hand from Tischer catches Duke on the apron, and it’s bought him enough time as a German suplex took down Duke ahead of Moodo getting that vital tag in.
Kicks clear the ring of the Bucks, with a spinning heel kick off the middle rope getting a solid two-count on Harras… that all sets up for a Made in Japan on Harras, but Duke’s quickly in to break it up as the challengers looked buoyant. Right on cue, the Bucks bail, but they can’t avoid a plancha from Tischer, nor a tope from Moodo, who returned Harras to the ring as Tischer almost won the titles with a Ligerbomb.
Tischer sends Harras into Duke on the apron… which is counted as a blind tag as the champions capitalise with a double-team powerbomb for a near-fall, before KxS combined on Harras with kicks and a sliding D into the corner. From there, the stomp-assisted gutbuster and a death valley driver got the challengers even closer to the win… only for Alex Duke to distract the referee as he scrapped with Moodo.
Amid all that, the ref misses a low blow from Harras to tischer, before a double-team powerbomb proved to be enough to get the unpopular win. The Big Bucks once again get the “away” win via foul means – but this time there’s no restart as they get booed out of Leipzig to close out the show. ***¼
wXw’s latest tilt in Leipzig was another typically-consistent outing – tech issues be damned – with the call to stream Dresden and Leipzig live rather than as delayed VODs perhaps the smarter call, if only to keep interest up ahead of the big match in Frankfurt in two weeks’ time.