wrestling / TV Reports
Hamilton’s wXw Catch Grand Prix 2020 Week Five Review
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Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Metehan defeated Anil Marik via referee stoppage at 00:52 of Round 3 (**¾)
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Fast Time Moodo pinned Hektor Invictus in 1:21 of Round 2 (**½)
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Bobby Gunns and Cara Noir went to a draw after five rounds at 15:00 (****)
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block B: Emil Sitoci pinned Vincent Heisenberg at 1:47 of Round 3 (***)
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block B: Marius al-Ani defeated Prince Ahura via technical knock-out at 00:36 of Round 4 (***)
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block B: Tristan Archer pinned Senza Volto at 2:43 of Round 3 (***¼)
Night One
The fifth week of the Catch Grand Prix gets going as Shotgun champion Metehan provided the latest test for rookie Anil Marik.
Once again, we’re back at the Steffy in Oberhausen, with Nico Schmidt and Dään Jokisch joined on the panel by Avalanche. He’s already looking furious, as he should be given his last match. They run down the table so far, noting how Avalanche narrowly missed out going top last week… and rather than kill Dään, Avalanche brought up the officiating and things that didn’t mesh with his idea of wrestling.
Today, it’s one of Avalanche’s trainees in action… Avalanche doesn’t put any pressure on Anil, but reckons that Marik will have some surprises in store. Backstage, Metehan’s thrilled that Andy Jackson got his introduction right this week… then said it’s possible he’ll knock out Marik. Meanwhile, Marik says he’s been training every day and studying to try and do something to get on the board.
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Anil Marik vs. Metehan
Round 1: Metehan’s very dismissive of Marik at the bell, almost laughing at him as he nonchalantly threw him down in a waistlock. A side headlock and a takedown has Marik on the deck, before they got up and into the corner, with Metehan trying for a cheapshot… but Marik ducks and hits some right hands of his own before a leaping forearm caught the Shotgun champion in the corner. As does a second one, before Metehan chopped him down. A missed dropkick from Marik misses, with Metehan following in with a low dropkick for a two-count, then with a snapmare and a PK to the back before Marik began to fight back… only to get thrown down for a double stomp that gets a two-count, with time running out not long after that.
Round 2: Marik charges out at the bell, but gets pulled into a Babo Lock attempt… Metehan grabs the wrist to try and stop a rope break, but the referee calls a rope break, and forces Metehan to let go. An elbow to the gut drops Marik, who’s then thrown outside and kept out there as Metehan kept knocking him off the apron. All of that gets Metehan a €20 fine for persistent infringements. When Marik does get back in, he’s caught with a dropkick… but countered a slingshot DDT into a Codebreaker for a near-fall. Marik heads back up top, but misses a splash, then gets tossed outside once more, but the count’s slow and interrupted as time ran out.
Round 3: The round starts with Marik still on the outside, so Metehan joins him… but it’s a con as Marik charges Metehan into the apron before an apron PK was countered with a leg sweep. Metehan covers Marik with the ring apron and stomps on him – which gets a yellow card and the €100 fine – before they returned to the ring for a slingshot DDT. Some Danielson elbows follow – and there’s your stoppage, just as Metehan predicted. A better outing for Marik, but still the same depressing result, complete with a second yellow card for Metehan for some boots after the match. By my reckoning, that’s seven yellows and €745 of fines for him – he’ll need to win the tournament just to break even at this rate.
Result: Metehan defeated Anil Marik via referee stoppage at 00:52 of Round 3 (**¾)
Post-match, Nico interviews Metehan… and of course, the Bobby Gunns thing comes up because they’re now level on points. Except it’s Metehan who brings it up, as he reminds us he needs to win to buy medicine for his mum and clothes for his wife.
As for Marik, he’s a little sore after the post-match attack, but he’s still believing that tape study will get him a win one of these days.
Night Two
We’ve got something of a mid-table match in the Catch Grand Prix today, as tag team champion Fast Time Moodo takes on Hektor Invictus.
Once again, we’ve got Nico, Dään and Avalanche on the panel. Today’s words of wisdom are based on Anil Marik’s performance yesterday – they note he’s lost five in a row here, and ask Avalanche how it’s gone. Avalanche posits that Marik may be losing patience, but he’s not even had 50 matches yet, and that Anil should treat this as a learning experience. As for today’s match, Avalanche suggests both Moodo and Hektor can dish out and take damage… but the result may be too close to call. So he predicts a draw. Don’t look at the run-time!
As for the interviews, Fast Time Moodo’s told he’s pretty much out of the tournament… but apparently facing Hektor is enough for him to get amped up. Moodo’s going to keep on going, regardless of what’s down the path…
Hektor’s told it’s win or bust for him… and he replies by telling us how he took Moodo under his wing earlier in their careers. Hektor seems a little annoyed at Moodo’s success…
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Hektor Invictus vs. Fast Time Moodo
Round 1: We open with a lock-up as Hektor takes down Moodo in a headlock… they roll on the mat, but Moodo scoots free before he tried to go for a takedown. Hektor stuffs that as they go to ground, but Moodo rolls in for an armbar that Hektor manages to escape. Hektor looks to pin down Moodo’s shoulders, but Moodo bridges up and monkey flips free as we get double-pin teases with a load of near-falls. A shoulder tackle knocks down Moodo, but he’s back with a hiptoss, before duelling elbows and dropkicks led to a stand-off. Again going to ground, Hektor looks to work Moodo’s arm, going for a bridging hammerlock a la Axel Dieter Jr… but they’re right by the ropes, so there’s an instant break as the clock wound down.
Round 2: Hektor comes out swinging at the bell, but has to absorb some kicks as the pair descended into back-and-forth elbows. Hektor flips Moodo down for a knee strike, following up with a gourdbuster and a German suplex as he was ragdolling the tag team champion, but it only gets a two-count before Moodo booted Hektor into the corner. More kicks leave Hektor down for a sliding elbow strike, but he can’t follow up off the top, instead running into an elbow before he kicked away Hektor’s moonsault in mid-air, and that’s enough to get the pin. Hektor changing from his usual formula backfires at the worst possible time, as he’s now all-but eliminated.
Result: Fast Time Moodo pinned Hektor Invictus in 1:21 of Round 2 (**½ )
Post-match, Moodo tells us it was special to get the win against Hektor… while Hektor’s told he needs to win his remaining two matches to have a chance of getting through. He vows to keep on fighting, as you’d expect…
Night Three
The biggest match of the Catch Grand Prix so far takes place today, with this year’s 16 Carat Gold winner having his first crack at Bobby Gunns.
Nico and Dään are in the Steffy again, joined by Avalanche as they are hyped for today’s contest. Of course, they run down the table so far, then talk about the “dream match” – one that we should be seeing again for the title, given Cara Noir won 16 Carat Gold earlier this year. A win for Gunns pretty much eliminates Cara Noir, who you have to think wants to add a second trophy to his unusual year.
Having beaten Cara Noir, Avalanche noted that he reckoned that Cara isn’t reckless, but there’ll be a battle of submissions – Cara’s Blackout sleeper, and Gunns’ Swish armbar. Avalanche picks the Black Swan… and it’s off to the promos. Bobby Gunns seems to be less than thrilled with the “Cara-t Noir” pun, and notes that he’s still the champion so everything else is just talk. Gunns notes “he wanted to retire already”, talking about Cara, before vowing to clip his wings. Strap in folks, this is gonna be a good one!
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block A: Cara Noir vs. Bobby Gunns
Round 1: Cara doesn’t shoot out of the blocks, and instead opts to circle Gunns as the champion came in looking for a lock-up. Gunns dives in for a drop toe hold, but it’s avoided as Noir uses the corner and the ropes to his advantage. He remains elusive despite Gunns’ takedown, as Bobby loses his grip, then backs into the corner as it looks like he’s bloodied his lip in the opening minutes. Gunns continues, looking to go for a submission, only to break the hold, as the first round came to a close with Gunns kicking Noir in the ropes, earning him a €20 fine.
Round 2: After the feeling-out process in the first round, the second round started a little more adventurously, with both men testing the other with kicks to the quad. Gunns caught one and drags down Cara, but rather than go for a half crab he tries to transition to a cross armbar. That’s blocked, with Cara handstanding his way free… except Gunns just kicks out the arm, as the champion’s off to the races. He stands on Cara in the corner, which gets a yellow card and the accompanying fine, but it keeps the path open for Gunns as he worked over Cara’s arm and wrist. They’re back in the corner, with Gunns again using his foot to poke the proverbial bear, but this time Cara comes out swinging with chops, before Gunns took him back into the ropes for a kick that knocked the Carat winner to the outside. Cara returns in plenty of time, but Gunns wrestles him down by the arm, torquing it to the mat for a stomp to the body part, before Noir countered with a rear naked choke in the corner, but it’s instantly broken as time ran out.
Round 3: Gunns is still bleeding from the lip, and he’s still going for Noir’s arm as we start the round. A trip takes Noir to the mat, with another stomp to the arm following from the champion. Some kicks may be unsporting, and they rile up Cara who comes back with chops before he threw Gunns into the corners. An Irish whip’s reversed as Noir takes the corner chest-first, and then it’s back to the arm with Gunns yanking it over his shoulder. Kicks from Noir take Gunns back down for a heel hook, but Gunns has hold of a leg as well as they try the same hold. Noir pushes way, using his bare feet in Gunns’ face… which just turns the match into a scrap, with Noir edging ahead with some kicks to the midsection. An axe kick looked to set up for something more, but Noir hits a rebound German suplex before he set up for a Rude Awakening neckbreaker that almost ended the match. Noir looked to go for the Madame Guillotine, but time runs out before he could get the hold off.
Round 4: Noir charges at Gunns at the bell, but runs into a clothesline! Gunns has trouble pulling him up, but when he did, as second lariat followed as he maintained wrist control. Wash, rinse, repeat, before Noir got flipped inside out with another clothesline. Gunns hits the ropes for another lariat, but Cara counters with a Blackout sleeper – looking to echo the Carat wins – but Gunns manages to get to his knees, so Noir lets go and clubs away before reapplying the hold… which Gunns broke as he ran into the ropes, catching Noir in the throat in the process. Another lariat off the ropes followed, but Cara doesn’t stay down… so Gunns goes in for a trapped armbar, with Noir squirming towards the ropes in search of a break, which he eventually gets as the clock ran out once more.
Round 5: We go back to how the first round started here, with Gunns testing Noir with kicks, sending him to the mat. Noir, with one bad arm, tries to defend with up-kicks, while Gunns tried to avoid being caught… with mixed results, as Noir found a way through. Eventually Gunns got fed up and kicked Noir’s leg, only to get caught with an up kick as he then pulled his opponent up… with Noir then unloading with kicks, much like Gunns had clotheslines earlier. Gunns tries for the armbar on the mat, but Noir rolls out… so he followed in with a clothesline to the back of the head, a release German suplex, then a PK. Except Noir pops up and runs in with a headbutt, before a package piledriver attempt’s countered with Gunns rolling in for a Swish armbar, eventually taking Noir to the mat as we hit the final thirty seconds. Noir bites his own thumb to stop the hold from being applied, and he manages to ride out the clock as we get our second draw of the tournament. This one really felt like it had been tailored for the rounds system – with each round telling a distinct story in the ebb and flow of the match. Of course, in normal circumstances, this match going 15 minutes wouldn’t be expected, and this served as a tantalising teaser for their title match to come. The draw doesn’t eliminate Cara Noir, but it makes the block win unlikely.
Result: Bobby Gunns and Cara Noir went to a draw after five rounds at 15:00 (****)
Both men were left the worse for wear after this, with Gunns staggering as Noir had a sore arm. Of course, Cara doesn’t speak, so it’s Bobby who has to do the post-match honours, accepting the crowd’s applause before underscoring that he’s still the champion regardless of the result here.
Night Four
We’ve a lower-table match to start block B for the week, as Vincent Heisenberg took on Emil Sitoci.
We’re back at the Steffy in Oberhausen, with Dään and Nico joined by Norman Harras. For once, Norman allowed someone to give him the “International Superstar” tag, as they then run down the B block. Dään acknowledges that neither Heisenberg nor Sitoci can win the block, while Norman – once he finally got on track with giving professional opinions – seems to be hoping that Sitoci softens up Heisenberg – as he’s one of his final opponents in the tournament. Calling Heisenberg “dull, primitive and impetuous” may not be such a smart idea though…
As for the pre-match interviews, Heisenberg was overawed at the experience that Sitoci had… and said that a win would make him “look better.” That meant that Sitoci was a little sour that his legacy is his longevity these days.
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block B: Vincent Heisenberg vs. Emil Sitoci
Round 1: We’ve a tentative start as Sitoci sized up the “big boy”, but it was Heisenberg who teased an early slam. Sitoci slips out, but couldn’t land an armdrag and was instead charged down by Heisenberg. Emil tries again, but Heisenberg’s size again blocked an armdrag, then a body slam, before he looked to hit one of his own… but Sitoci gets to the corner before a crossbody was caught and turned into a slam. A frustrating first round so far for the veteran, who powders outside to try and compose himself, before a springboard attempt back in was caught and turned into a suplex… which Sitoci countered into a mounted wristlock that Heisenberg suplexed his way out of as time ran out.
Round 2: Sitoci comes out of the blocks with a low dropkick as he looked to ground Heisenberg… but going for the slam proved just as fruitless as it did in the first round. So he heads up for some double sledges, before Heisenberg decked him with a big boot and took over with some clubbing forearms. Heisenberg looked to target Sitoci’s lower back, before another shoulder tackle knocked down the Dutchman. They head to the corner, where Heisenberg set up for a stomp to the lower back, which looked like it sucked… and only got Heisenberg a two-count. More stomps keep Sitoci down as Heisenberg looked to lock in a camel clutch, but Sitoci manages to delay it enough and run down the clock.
Round 3: Heisenberg squishes Sitoci at the bell with a splash, as he went back to the lower back… but Sitoci rakes the eyes to break free, with that act of desperation earning him a yellow card. It doesn’t deter Heisenberg, who just tosses him to the outside… but that gave Sitoci time to recover as he came back as the proverbial house afire, running in with some right hands before avoiding a sit-down splash as Heisenberg tried to cut him off. A springboard ‘rana takes down the big man, but Sitoci’s back gives out as he went for a slam. Second time’s the charm, before Sitoci went up top for a match-winning elbow drop. Once again, Heisenberg’s lack of a killer instinct cost him, as he failed to capitalise on a dominant second round.
Result: Emil Sitoci pinned Vincent Heisenberg at 1:47 of Round 3 (***)
Post-match, Sitoci admitted Heisenberg was bigger than he expected and put over the newcomer… then said that Heisenberg may beat him one day, when he’s “dead and buried.” As for Heisenberg, he’s only got one match left and is at risk of finishing bottom… with Norman Harras being his final opponent.
Night Five
Marius al-Ani looks to tie for the lead of block B – at least for now – as he faces a Pretty Bastard in Prince Ahura tonight.
Nico and Dään are again joined by Norman Harras who looks like he’s trying to avoid looking at an imaginary bowl of dog food in front of him. Photoshop can do some weird things… Dään addresses Ahura as Norman’s “good friend” – a relationship that’s quickly downplayed to “co-worker” – as they talk about how a win for Marius would tie up the rankings at the top.
Norman tells us he underestimated Marius earlier in the tournament and paid for it – and suggested that Ahura could do the same… then said he’d be looking forward to getting some revenge on Ahura for all of the teasing he had in Shotgun last season.
This time around, Ahura doesn’t like the “Papi Chulo” nickname as he tells us he doesn’t “get” singles wrestling… nor how everyone else gets so amped up for it. Turns out Ahura’s way too laid back (I know, right?!), and seems a little unnerved at Marius al-Ani’s streak… but he has a plan.
As for Marius, of course he thinks he can extend the streak to 13-0, and he knows he’s already had his bye week, so he’s in the driver’s seat…
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block B: Marius al-Ani vs. Prince Ahura
Round 1: Marius starts out aggressive, swinging for some kicks, knocking Ahura into the corner as he looked to intimidate. Ahura grabs the rope as Marius looked for a lock-up, playing the stalling game… but Marius kicks out the ankle as Ahura fell to the mat. He’s quickly back to his feet as the pair looked to tie up, but Marius throws him down to the mat as they reached a stand-off. An attempted Superman punch off the ropes misses, but Marius goes in for a release Fisherman suplex… which Ahura popped up from to take Marius into the corner. There’s a clean break, with Marius looking to come back for a chinbar, before he rolled Ahura down for a leg spreader… except it ends in the ropes as the first round closed out.
Round 2: Ahura looked for a fist bump to start the round, which he gets before an attempt to grab the arm ended with the pair backing into the corner. There’s another clean break, but Marius comes back and seemed to accidentally poke Ahura in the eye as he went for a lock-up… it doesn’t get a fine, and of course it’s a ruse as Ahura looked to throw his bandana at al-Ani. Except Marius is wise to that, and he just socks him with a punch instead. “That failed miserably” indeed! al-Ani looks for a suplex, but Ahura fights free, and came in with a back elbow after side-stepping a Superman punch… only for Marius to get the snap suplex off ahead of a crossface-like hold. A shove into the ropes leads to Marius charging down Ahura with a shoulder tackle, following up with kicks in the corner and another elbow off the ropes, which gets a two-count before Ahura had to ride out the rest of the round surviving an attempt at a chinlock.
Round 3: Ahura tried to catch out Marius at the bell, charging at him before the start of the round… but al-Ani sidestepped him and came in with some body blows instead. A Superman punch misses as a rising headbutt from Ahura connects square, taking Marius outside as the ring post came into play twice… earning Ahura a yellow card. Back inside, Ahura heads up top for a crossed-arm splash, but it only gets a near-fall before a camel clutch was applied. It’s rolled into a Gedo clutch for a near-fall, but al-Ani kicks out and traps Ahura in a seated surfboard… then rolled it into an ankle lock. Ahura rolls free, then hit a rear spin kick to deck al-Ani… who kips up for an up-kick of his own. Eventually the pair fight from their knees, as the third round wound down.
Ahura ignores the bell and tries to go after Marius in the interval. Yep, that’s another yellow… and another for al-Ani for reciprocating.
Round 4: Ahura tries kicks again, but he’s caught with a Superman punch in response. Marius follows up with some punches, forcing the referee to shove him off, but there’s no instant KO call as he instead issues a standing ten-count, which Ahura answered… except he can’t keep his hands up, so the referee waves it off instead. A decent outing for Ahura, but that one punch was enough to undo all the groundwork he’d laid early on.
Result: Marius al-Ani defeated Prince Ahura via technical knock-out at 00:36 of Round 4 (***)
They’re really going to the wire with this block – next week, Marius faces Senza Volto… and then has Tristan Archer in the final week.
Post-match, Marius was rolling his eyes at Senza Volto, then laid into Ahura for being disrespectful. They show Ahura being helped away, as Marius dismisses Archer and Volto as “not even being up to Ahura’s level.” Then we see Ahura incoherent backstage, thinking he’d not had his match yet.
Night Six
Our final match of the week is a match with big implications for block B, as Senza Volto looks to reclaim pole position against Tristan Archer.
For the final time this week, Nico Schmidt and Dään Jokisch are joined in Oberhausen’s Steffy by Norman Harras. It’s his birthday today. He’s a good boy really. They talk about how Senza’s undefeated so far in the Catch Grand Prix – with Norman trying to claim he never lost to him (I mean, it was a DQ so… yeah). They bring up the all-French match today, as Norman is the latest to mock Archer for that loss at the start of the tournament.
Of course, during Shotgun earlier this year, Volto beat Archer… and Norman reckons that Tristan will want to claim some revenge for that.
As for the pre-match interviews, they of course bring that up as Archer dismissed his loss to Senza previously as him not taking the situation seriously. Archer needs the win to stay in the tournament – otherwise he’s all but out. Senza Volto’s still got that boundless energy that we’ve associated with him throughout his time in wXw. He acknowledges his past with Archer, but won’t let his friendship with Tristan stop him from winning… and dares Archer to “step up”.
Catch Grand Prix 2020 – Block B: Tristan Archer vs. Senza Volto
Round 1: At the start, Senza tells the fans he considered Archer his “big brother,” and offers a handshake. Nice and clean here folks! They switch waistlocks as Archer takes down Volto, following that up with a bow-and-arrow hold that’s flipped out of for a one-count… but Archer stays in Volto with a wristlock, before some see-saw kip ups and an armdrag got Senza free. Senza returns the favour, working the arm as Archer tried to do the see-saw kip ups, but can’t get the rhythm going so he just kicks him instead. A low bridge takes Archer outside as Senza faked out a dive… but Tristan nips in to throw him outside as he… did the same. Mind games… and by the time Senza makes it back inside, the first round comes to a close.
Round 2: Senza wants a handshake again, but Archer pulls him in and offered some German: auf die Fresse! So they start laying into each other with right hands, then chops, before Senza caught a right hand… and ended up getting kneed in the gut. He’s back with an attempted satellite DDT, but Archer counters into a Northern Lights, only for Senza to hit an Eiffel Tower… with Archer spinning in with a lariat instead to prevent the pin. They go back to the elbows, with Senza taking off his sleeves for extra effect, but it’s Archer who gets the knock down first, following up with a right hand as time ran out.
Round 3: Archer had pled for a drink before the start of the round, but runs into a one-man Spanish Fly for a two-count, before a springboard moonsault was caught by Archer’s knees. The resulting inside cradle gets a two-count, but Archer stays on Senza with a Falcon arrow for another two-count, with Senza then being dead weight as he seemingly wanted mercy. Archer pulls him up and demands Senza fight, but his elbows had little to them at first, as Archer finally hit back… but his overhead kick was rolled into a superkick, before a handspring cutter was caught by Archer. Archer pulls him up for the tombstone gutbuster, and that’s enough for the win. This was a weird one stylistically, with the “good guys” dynamic leading to neither man seemingly wanting to go all out, but you also have to remember the last few post-match promos from an exhausted Volto which led to this.
Result: Tristan Archer pinned Senza Volto at 2:43 of Round 3 (***¼)
That’s Senza Volto’s 100% run over – and he’s lost his top spot… and also opened the door for Tristan Archer to offer a late challenge as well.
Post-match, Senza seemingly expected to be interviewed as he went over for one… but of course, it’s Tristan’s turn. Nico mentions Tristan has a shot of winning the block, and Archer wants to go back to France with that shiny trophy. As for Senza, he’s licking his proverbial wounds, but he refuses to let himself be beaten by an off-day.
We’re not done yet though, as we go backstage to Bobby Gunns, who was unhappy with the draw with Cara Noir – on top of all of the “business” stuff with Metehan. Norman Harras tries to be the voice of reason here, and a motivational guru all rolled into one. Gunns wants to win the block – which brings us back to Metehan wanting the same thing. Norman suggests they go to a draw, which would mean that both men go to the finals, as a “tactical move.”
HOLD THE PHONE. Norman Harras straight up suggests “staging” the match. It’s still real to me, damnit. That plan is going to need some wacky maths to come through, since Bobby’s already drawn… he’d need Metehan to draw next week *and* Bobby to lose before doing the draw in the final week. Oh, and hope other results go to plan. It’s a wacky idea, but it might just work, as we fade to black.
Standings, with eliminations (including those who’d be eliminated on tie-breakers)…
Block A
Bobby Gunns (3-0-1; 7pts)
Metehan (3-1; 6pts)
Avalanche, Cara Noir (2-1-1; 5pts)
Fast Time Moodo (2-3; 4pts) * eliminated
Hektor Invictus (1-2-1; 3pts)
Anil Marik (0-5; 0pts) * eliminated
Block B
Marius al-Ani (4-0; 8pts)
Senza Volto (4-1; 8pts)
Tristan Archer (3-1; 6pts)
Prince Ahura, Norman Harras, Emil Sitoci (1-3; 2pts) * eliminated
Vincent Heisenberg (1-4; 2pts) * eliminated
Disciplinary: €3305 of fines; twenty-three yellow cards and one red card.
Next week’s feature matches see Bobby Gunns take on Avalanche and Marius al-Ani take on Senza Volto in a match that could eliminated the masked Frenchman from contention.
