Hamilton’s wXw We Love Wrestling Zugaben Volume 3 09.12.2022 Review

Quick Results
Oskar pinned Goldenboy Santos in 5:36 (**½)
Hektor Invictus pinned The Rotation, Norman Harras, Ninja Mack & Oskar in 7:18 (***¼)
Goldenboy Santos pinned James Runyan in 6:28 (**½)
The Rotation pinned Laurance Roman in 8:06 (***)
Hektor Invictus pinned Jacob Crane, Laurance Roman & Tamas Szabo in 7:46 (***)
Dover & Icarus pinned Danny Fray & Elijah Blum in 8:22 (***)
Peter Tihanyi pinned Falco in 5:29 (**¾)
Hektor Invictus pinned Ender Kara in 6:33 (***)
Street Fight: Tristan Archer submitted Aigle Blanc to retain the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in 15:39 (***¾)

— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still open for Larry’s family.

It’s been about a year since we last had one of these, but wXw has had a load of unaired “dark matches” since they’ve returned in front of crowds. Dave Bradshaw’s on hand with English commentary…

Goldenboy Santos vs. Oskar
This one’s from December 2021, and the pre-show of the 21st anniversary show… with Santos at the time being the Academy Cup champion.

Oskar’s taken into the corner as the pair exchanged strong tie-ups, while a side headlock from Santos was pushed away from. Shoulder tackles are exchanged, with Oskar pulling ahead, before Santos floated over Oskar in the corner and returned with a leaping shoulder block.

Oskar snapped back with some stomps to take Santos into the corner, following up with forearms and clotheslines into the corner. An elbow drop gets Oskar a one-count, as he began to dominate Santos, who struck back with a palm strike. That just fired up the Bad Luck Fale trainee though as the pair teed off on each other with forearms and uppercuts, before Santos escaped a bodyslam attempt.

Santos manages to add a death valley driver for a near-fall, before he hit the ropes… and got his head booted off. Oskar’s Michinoku driver followed, and that’s all as Oskar left Oberhausen with a win in a decent match for the time they had… and one that’d get run back in the new year. **½

16 Carat Gold Alternate: The Rotation vs. Hektor Invictus vs. Norman Harras vs. Oskar vs. Ninja Mack
Hey, it’s the match they actually needed to do this year… and it’s one more airing for Ninja Mack’s delightfully-MIDI theme.

Everyone tries to gang up on Oskar to start, but Harras and Hektor are pushed into dropkicks as Mack and Rotation had to stick and move against the giant Oskar. He’s taken outside, so we’re left with Mack and Rotation, as the latter hit an armdrag, then floated over Mack while Hektor and Harras ran into each other on the outside with a clothesline.

Hektor boots Harras on the floor as Oskar returned to leapfrog over a diving rotation, leaving Ninja Mack to chop Oskar… then escape a slam as Mack then went for a springboard moonsault that was booted away. Hektor’s back, but gets chopped before he slammed Oskar… then scored with a springboard moonsault as Rotation stomped apart a pin.

A cartwheel off the top rope keeps Rotation away from Hektor ahead of a satellite DDT, but Harras breaks up the pin and went for his big move… but Rotation slips out of the gutwrench, only to get caught with a suplex. Mack’s back, but couldn’t escape a Finlay roll, nor a running knee to the ribs, before Mack’s kicks took Harras down.

Mack’s falling chop gets him a two-count, before Mack’s backflips led to a moonsault from the ring to Hektor on the floor. A trip up top’s cut off by Oskar, who’s STO dumped Mack ahead of a Michinoku driver… but Hektor breaks up that kick before he cracked Oskar with a Pele kick. A Chaos Theory’s next from Hektor, but Rotation sparks a Parade of Moves, including a Hostile Takeover from Harras, before Rotation’s springboard Poison Rana to Mack turned into a moonsault onto Hektor. Bloody hell, lads…

Rotation tries to capitalise with a trip up top, but his shooting star press crashes and burns as Hektor stomped him into a buckle bomb… before a Hektor-Knee proved to be enough to give Hektor that alternate’s spot. He’s had a very underrated 2022, not helped by his tag team with Dennis Dullnig being on ice, but this match was an example of how he’s been the proverbial glue of wXw’s undercards. ***¼

Goldenboy Santos vs. James Runyan
Dave Bradshaw’s joined by Andy Jackson as they did live commentary for this one over 16 Carat Gold weekend…

Santos had lost the Academy Cup earlier in the weekend, and started by going for Runyan’s arm, only to get taken down in a side headlock. Headscissors help Santos escape, but Runyan kips up out of it as we wash, rinse, repeat, before Runyan looked to force a pinning attempt.

Runyan goes for the wrist of Santos, but Santos slammed his way free, then hit the ropes… with Runyan ducking outside to avoid a Midas touch. Santos gets hung up in the ropes as Runyan looked to come back with stomps and uppercuts. Things head to the corner, with Runyan continuing to rough up Santos ahead of a snapmare and a knee drop for a two-count, before another bodyslam nearly put Santos away. A chinlock comes with some extra shortcuts from Runyan, before Runyan ducked another Midas touch and countered with a backslide.

Santos kicks out at two, but took a clothesline seconds later for a delayed near-fall, before Santos kicked out of a suplex, then slapped the taste out of the Canadian’s mount. A deadlift spinebuster from Santos is next, then some ground and pound, then a cannonball in the corner that almost got the win.

Runyan slips out of the cover and applies a gift-wrapped crossface from there, then an armbar, before Santos broke out of a sleeper hold and clubbed Runyan. We’ve a rebound out of the corner as Runyan almost Bret Hart’d his way to a win, but Santos kicked out and nailed him with a pair of Midas Touch lariats for the win. **½

The Rotation vs. Laurance Roman
We’re coming from Frankfurt’s We Love Wrestling 29 here… and it’s before Roman became a part of Amboss.

Rotation works the wrist to start, taking Roman down before he spun him into an armdrag. Roman escapes with headscissors before the eventual stand-off. A front facelock from Rotation leads to a wacky roll-up for a two-count, then a Gedo clutch as Rotation was frustrating Roman in the early stages.

Roman eats a ‘rana, then a ripcord clothesline before a springboard armdrag and a dropkick had Roman rolling into the ropes. Shaking it off, Roman runs Rotation into the buckles, following up with some mudhole stomping and running uppercuts as commentary planted seeds for what was to follow.

A discus lariat gets Roman a two-count, as did a snap suplex, before Rotation went up top and missed a leap… and nearly paid with it as Roman’s Northern Lights almost put him away. Kicks from Roman keep him ahead, before a palm strike out of Rotation allowed him back in, leading to an impressive springboard crossbody off the top.

Rotation adds a running kick into the corner, then a tiltawhirl DDT for a near-fall, before a Victory Over Gravity ended in Roman’s knee. A Fisherman buster sees Roman come closer, before Rotation scored with a twisting suplex that set up for a Victory Over Gravity for the win. ***

Hektor Invictus vs. Jacob Crane vs. Tamas Szabo vs. Laurance Roman
We’re going back to True Colors for this – the venue with the massive fan in the aisle…

Roman gets a good reaction in his home town, but he’s taken to the corner by Crane as Hektor and Szabo headed outside. Roman recovers to run Crane into the buckles, following with a Northern Lights suplex for a one-count as Hektor came in to try and break it up. Crane mouths off and got thrown outside for his woes, while Roman’s roll-up led to him getting charged down by Hektor after the kick-out.

Roman misses a dropkick as Hektor was tripped to the outside… but he takes to the air with a plancha into the pile anyways. Back inside, running uppercuts keep Crane at bay, before the Pole tried to use the referee as a human shield. Tamas Szabo’s in for an inadvertent high/low on Roman with Crane’s help, as Crane and Szabo then looked to form a pairing.

Szabo tries to keep Hektor at bay, with Crane helping out on the floor as they end up posting the flag waver, then went back after Roman back inside. An uranage backbreaker from Szabo gets a near-fall as Crane tried to steal the pin… and that alliance looks to fracture. Crane slammed Roman, then broke the cover as Szabo went for the pin, before Hektor wiped the pair out with clotheslines and spinebusters.

Crane sidesteps a Hektor-knee as he and Szabo hit a DDT to Hektor, while Roman went up top for a missile dropkick. Roman and Szabo exchange forearms from there, leading to Roman scoring a one-knee Codebreaker before Crane scored with a running kick to Roman in the corner. A hesitation dropkick crashed into a cornered Roman, who’s then folded with a clothesline… before Hektor’s powerslam and a Hektor-Knee ended up getting the win. ***

Danny Fray & Elijah Blum vs. Arrows of Hungary (Dover & Icarus)
This one was from the start of Broken Rules, which had a storyline to it as the Arrows were “busted down to the pre-show.”

Fray and Dover start us off, with Fray getting taken into the ropes as he ducked a chop. A tie-up sees Fray take Dover to the ropes, but the follow-up shoulder blocks barely budged Fray, before Dover shrugged off a chop. See-saw shoulder tackles take Dover down, but he returns with a chop and a back suplex before Icarus came in to get back body dropped onto Fray for a two-count.

Icarus works the wrist of Fray, who tries to break free with a backbreaker before an elbow took Icarus into the corner. Blum tags in and works Icarus’ wrist, but Icarus escapes into a hammerlock before an armdrag and a dropkick put Blum ahead. A neckbreaker from Blum’s escaped as Elijah got pushed onto the apron… then kicked to the floor by Dover, who then posted him for good measure.

Back inside, Icarus gets an easy two-count on Blum, before a back suplex and a standing moonsault nearly won it for Icarus. Dover’s back to hit a backbreaker, then took him to the corner for some boot chokes before Blum ate a corner clothesline… but he’s able to hit a neckbreaker that gave him enough time to make the tag out.

We’re back to Fray and Icarus, with Fray clearing house with clotheslines and slams, while a spinning sidewalk slam forces Dover to break up a pin. Blum tries to take care of Dover, but gets thrown outside… distracting Fray who nearly loses to a roll-up before a springboard enziguiri put Icarus back in it. A Crossfire followed, and that’s the pretty straightforward win for the Arrows, just before they joined Robert Dreissker’s gang… ***

Peter Tihanyi vs. Falco
This one’s from the Fight For Paris show that wXw ran with APC earlier in the summer…

The early going sees the pair exchange headlock takedowns and escapes, before lucha-style takedowns led to pinning attempts… and then it’s over to armdrags, escapes and a short DDT from Falco to change the flow. A legdrop adds for a one-count, but Tihanyi returns with a chop and a dropkick after a leapfrog.

Falco kicks out at two, then had to avoid an armbar, before a suplex and a chinlock kept Tihanyi ahead. A chinlock’s fought out of as Falco ends up taking another chop, before a snap suplex led to a two-count. Tihanyi stretches Falco from there, but a suplex helps Falco get free as he mounted a comeback.

A diving legdrop gets Falco a two-count, but out of nowhere a schoolboy snatches the win for Tihanyi. I’m glad, because it means that faint hiss in the background’ll be done for… **¾

Hektor Invictus vs. Ender Kara
My word, Hektor’s beard is progressively getting bigger on this show, culminating here at the Shortcut to the Top pre-show.

Kara looked to sting Hektor with kicks early, before Hektor took him into the corner for some separation. A waistlock throws down Kara to the mat with ease, but Ender’s back with a low dropkick and an enziguiri before he turned a satellite DDT into a guillotine… which Hektor tried to suplex out of.

A rear naked choke keeps Kara ahead, but Hektor escapes before he dropkicks away a handspring attempt from Kara. Hektor whips Kara from corner-to-corner, following with a gutwrench suplex and a powerslam… before a springboard moonsault out of the corner missed.

Both men trade strikes as they get back to their feet, but it’s Kara who pulled ahead with a dropkick as more kicks to the chest, then a leg sweep and a stomp led to a PK for a near-fall. Hektor tries to get back in it, eventually landing a running knee and a belly-to-belly suplex throw, before a clothesline out of nowhere put Kara down for the count. ***

Street Fight for wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship: Aigle Blanc vs. Tristan Archer (c)
This one’s from the Brain Slam show that wXw put on for VANS (the sneaker company)… and from what I remember, this was a wild show that was streamed on VANS’ Twitch. They’d run a poll beforehand to pick a “legal” weapon… a street sign.

Archer doesn’t want a handshake, as we eventually start with the champion taking Aigle into the corner with a lock-up. Aigle escapes a charge and hits a forearm, then grabbed a side headlock to subdue Archer… who threw it off, before a shoulder block took Aigle down.

Blanc returns with an uppercut to a cornered Archer, before a snapmare and a low dropkick found its mark… giving Aigle time to head under the ring for a no entry sign. It quickly finds Archer’s back, before an up kick found the side of Archer’s head… leading to a somersault ‘rana from the outside back into the ring.

That took the champion to the outside, so Aigle clears a way as Archer ends up swatting away a dive attempt… then caught a second one as he proceeded to shove the challenger into the side of the ring. Back inside, Archer swat away a springboard with the road sign, getting a near-fall from it, before he slammed Aigle onto the sign… then hit a back senton onto it… but that hurt Archer in the process. He gets a delayed two-count anyways, before he wedged the sign in between the buckles… only for Aigle to run him into the sign.

Archer’s back suplex turned the match on its head, before he rolled outside and grabbed the road sign again and bettered Aigle with it. He has a fan at ringside verify it’s a proper sign, not some fancy papier mache before Aigle tasted it some more, as the pair then traded strikes with Archer’s chops marginally putting him ahead. A discus elbow from Archer earns him a springboard crossbody and a ripcord enziguiri, before Aigle threw the no entry sign and hit a dropkick a la RVD and a chair.

Aigle followed Archer outside for an Orihara moonsault off the turnbuckles, before a springboard Meteora to the back of the head almost led to a new champion being crowned. A trip up top’s delayed by Archer, but he’s knocked back down as Aigle misses a stomp… then ran into La Terreur… which he blocked, then turned into an inside cradle.

A pop-up knee followed as Archer came close to a win, but a second La Terreur attempt is escaped as the pair trade German suplex attempts. Archer’s guillotine takes Aigle down, only for Aigle to charge into the corner to break the hold. A wild uranage takes Aigle down again, but he’s swiftly back with a twisting neckbreaker to stop Archer’s momentum in its tracks.

We’re back to the pair teeing off on each other, as Aigle lands a big boot before he was thrown onto the apron. Knees and a one-legged Codebreaker brings Aigle back through the ropes, before an Olympic slam was escaped… Aigle tries to return with clotheslines, only to get laid out with a pair of them in return as a guillotine choke turned into a grounded Octopus for the quick submission. A fantastic match – especially given the likely unfamiliar crowd on hand – with Archer having the Paris crowd loathing him by the end. ***¾

6.9

The final score: review Average

The 411

A veritable pick ‘n’ mix of matches here, with some impressive moments on them - but Hektor’s under-the-radar year gets showcased a little here. This isn’t a show strictly for completists, with the main event adding to a worthy remainder of the show for those who’ve got their wXw NOW subscription ready for World Tag Team Festival…