Hamilton’s wXw x BODYSLAM! 01.14.2023 Review

Quick Results
Bobby Gunns pinned Emeritus in 11:20 (***¼)
Robert Dreissker pinned Bam Bam Quaade in 9:41 (***)
Baby Allison submitted Betty Rose & Aliss Ink in 7:46 (**¾)
Peter Olisander pinned Maggot in 11:03 (***)
Pete Phoenix pinned Jackpot, Eli Castle, Erik Sabel, Gabriel Faust, Hunyadi Tamas, Robert Star & Toby Zane in 7:45 (**¾)
Carlos Zamora defeated Ahura via referee stoppage in 15:40 to retain the BODYSLAM! Championship (***¼)
Xander & Adonis pinned Dover & Icarus in 15:21 to retain the BODYSLAM! Tag Team Championship (***½)

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We’re coming from the Skråen in Aalborg, Denmark for this joint effort between Denmark’s BODYSLAM! and wXw… which Cagematch has listed as SkråenSlam. Commentary comes from Dave Bradshaw…

Bobby Gunns vs. Emeritus
Emeritus is tagged as a “nearly-man” apparently, having come up short in some high-profile matches…

Opening with a handshake, Gunns quickly broke free of Emeritus’ wristlock, before the masked Emeritus returned the favour. An arm wringer takes Emeritus down… but he’s able to break free and return with a Magistral cradle for an early two-count. Gunns takes Emeritus into the corner with a cheapshot, but couldn’t avoid headscissors in response, nor a take on a Skayde special as Emeritus looked to get a flash pin.

Gunns broke free and kicks away Emeritus’ arm, then rolled him down into a Swish armbar attempt. A stomp to the elbow followed when the submission wasn’t forthcoming, while kicks to the back wore Emeritus down some more. Some trash-talking’s stopped when Gunns got grabbed by the throat, before he got caught with a draping DDT through the ropes that almost won it.

The pair exchange strikes until a backslide and a knee strike from Emeritus took Gunns to the outside, following up with a lowpe that turned into a swinging DDT to boot. Back inside, Emeritus goes flying with a clothesline off the top, before a Jig ‘n’ Tonic left Gunns laying… but Emeritus took his time going for a cover, and ended up missing the far leg, which Gunns got to the rope to break the count.

Going back to the wrist, Gunns torques away on Emeritus, only to get met with a retaliatory clothesline before the pair traded suplexes. Emeritus’ half-and-half suplex earned him a German suplex in return, then a PK for a near-fall, before an Ehrenmann driver out of nowhere spiked Emeritus… leading to a follow-up PK for the win. Emeritus offered some threat, but ended up being blitzed by Gunns at the end. ***¼

Robert Dreissker vs. Bam Bam Quaade
Quaade’s a regular in BODYSLAM, and is part of the wonderfully-named Easy Loverz group… which explains why the rest of AMBOSS were out to back up Dreissker. BODYSLAM’s guys had overdubbed themes, but they found a fantastic track for Quaade.

We get going after AMBOSS and the Loverz were sent to the back, as it’s Dreissker who took the initiative, backing Quaade into the corner before he grabbed hold of a side headlock and threw Quaade to the mat. Breaking free, Quaade sends Dreissker into the ropes, but he’s quickly back in the side headlock before see-saw shoulder tackles finally took Dreissker down.

A Test of Strength’s broken with a Dreissker headbutt, only for Quaade’s crossbody to find its mark as Dreissker went down… then kicked the ropes to crotch Quaade as he was measuring up for a dive. Dreissker retained control with a snap suplex, before Quaade’s attempt at a suplex saw him get squashed for a two-count.

Quaade’s thrown outside as he tried to fight back, with Dreissker taking great delight in brawling around ringside before he grabbed a sleeperhold back in the ring. Dreissker lost the hold, then got caught by an atomic drop, a Manhattan drop and some Dusty punches, leading to the Bionic elbow, if you will… we’ve a back body drop too, before a big bodyslam left Dreissker laying.

Dreissker’s left prone as Quaade headed up top for a big splash, but it’s not enough for the win. A back body drop from Dreissker takes Quaade into the corner, and from there a fallaway slam and a Dreissker bomb slammed the door shut on the game Quaade. ***

Post-match, Dreissker took the mic and told the crowd that AMBOSS will reshape continental Europe. Ooh, Britain’s safe then. He then called that the easiest win of his career, and vowed that the Arrows of Hungary would win the BODYSLAM! tag titles in the main event.

Baby Allison vs. Betty Rose vs. Aliss Ink
Neither of Ink’s women’s titles – wXw nor BODYSLAM! – were on the line here…

Betty Rose’s demeanour made her stand out above her two opponents, while her height had a similar effect, as Allison nor Ink took kindly to the patronising head pats. The early going sees Allison clothesline Ink to the outside, only to get taken down for an elbow drop from Rose… then a clothesline as Allison tried to find a way in.

A running facebuster gets Rose a two-count, as she then kept Ink off the apron… only to turn around into a crab walk from Allison. That took Rose off her game as Allison was able to make a comeback with a Thesz press, then a roll-through into a Muta lock that forced Ink in. She’s knocked off the apron with a Scorpion kick, but managed to catch Allison with a head kick on the outside before she hit the ring and took aim at Rose.

Ink’s headscissors took Rose down, leading to a grounded hammerlock… that Allison stomped apart. Allison stays on Rose in the corner, snapmaring her out for a kick to the lower back, with Ink and Allison taking turns in using Rose’s spine as a kickpad. Eventually, Rose drops down as Ink and Allison kicked each other, before her double clothesline took down the current and former wXw women’s champion.

Allison’s kept on the defensive for a Curt Hennig-esque neck flip for a two-count, before Ink threw Allison into a spear on Rose. That took Rose outside, as Allison had to drop down to avoid a Tiger feint kick… then returned with a back suplex to fold Ink in half. Ink’s quickly back with a floatover DDT for a delayed two-count before another double clothesline from Rose stopped them in their tracks.

A full nelson slam from Rose drops Ink as a Parade of Moves broke out, leading to a spear from Allison to Ink… Allison adds a Muta lock to Betty Rose, and with Ink unable to make a save, that’s enough to force the stoppage. **¾

Peter Olisander vs. Maggot
Olisander took offence to Maggot “embodying sin” – as he’s got a bit of a preachy character going on.

We start with Maggot orchestrating the crowd, before he charged down Olisander with a shoulder tackle. A headlock takedown from Maggot has Olisander in prime position to be, err, licked, before a shoulder block and a trip-up had Olisander looking like quite the fool.

Maggot turns around into a kick to the gut though, before he switched back for a Thesz Press and a delayed kick to the head, as Olisander was forced to dive into the corner to read his book of truth. Maggot gets hold of it too, and plays a little from Olisander’s playbook before he busted out some mounted punches in the corner. Complete with pauses as he turned the page to find out what was next. Love it.

A suplex out of the corner gets a two-count for Maggot, as things spill outside for a running kick to Olisander’s head as he was in a chair. Wash, rinse and repeat, before Olisander tried to sneak in an elbow drop and missed. He had more luck kicking the rope into Maggot as he returned to the ring though, as the former BODYSLAM champion began to pull ahead, getting a near-fall out of a bodyslam. I wonder if the eponymous Captain Bodyslam would ever win with that move?

Maggot tries to come back, but had his eyes raked as Olisander adds a lariat and a double underhook DDT for a near-fall. A back body drop from Maggot looked to turn the tables, as did a crossbody off the top, before an enziguiri downed Olisander for a spear. It’s not enough to get the win though, as Maggot then scored a Tiger Bomb for a near-fall, before Ahura appeared a ringside to distract Maggot.

Olisander capitalises with a book shot to the head, but it doesn’t get the job done. The referee takes care of the book as Olisander looked to punt Maggot low… it doesn’t come off as Maggot instead hits a diving kick, then knocked Ahura off the apron, only to get punted in the balls as a roll-up got Olisander the win. ***

Toby Zane vs. Eli Castle vs. Erik Sabel vs. Jackpot vs. Pete Phoenix vs. Robert Star vs. Hunyadi Tamas vs. Gabriel Faust
Billed as Toby Zane’s Birthday Scramble, this was the first time I’d seen a lot of these guys. #MyLittleToby included… wait, does that make him a Brony? Castle interrupted because it was his birthday yesterday, and the interruptions continue until we got the match… which could easily have been four-on-four, but it was announced as a scramble.

Things quickly break down into a Parade of Moves, with Castle’s springboard corkscrew uppercut taking care of Robert Star. Pete Phoenix is back in to hit a twisting brainbuster to Castle, before a Cactus Clothesline from Zane took the pair of them outside. Dives follow, including a senton off the ring post from Zane, before everyone congregated at the bottom of a stairway, broken up by Gabriel Faust’s dive off the balcony.

Back in the ring, Faust targets Zane until Erik Sable made a save, scoring a running Air Raid Crash on Faust before Hunyadi Tamas got his first action in with a spear and a death valley driver. Zane cuts off the Hungarian, landing an Exploder and a Slingblade, before Zane’s diving hook kick was broken up by Phoenix.

Zane and Castle ping Phoenix around with kicks, sandwiching him between two head kicks as the pair then argued over who’d get the win. Things go horribly wrong for them as we resume with a half-and-half suplex from Jackpot to Tamas for a near-fall, before a superkick from Phoenix proved to be enough to get the win. **¾

Post-match, Pete Phoenix found himself one-on-four against Zane, Castle, Sabel and Jackpot… Phoenix got himself frogmarched towards the cake, and you know what’s next. Happy Cake Day, Pete…

BODYSLAM! Championship: Ahura vs. Carlos Zamora (c)
Before the match, Ahura had asked the ring announcer to tell the men of Aalborg to “lock up their wives, girlfriends and daughters.”

Ahura plainly told the Aalborg crowd that he didn’t like or respect them, just in case there were any fans wanting to cheer him… and ended up getting jeers when he ripped his trousers off at the bell. Zamora’s thrown outside for a springboard tornillo into the front row, then got thrown back in as Ahura’s attempts to fight back saw him clotheslined to the outside as Zamora added a tope to send the challenger into the second row.

Back inside, Zamora’s missile dropkick clatters into Ahura, as did a chop, before Ahura’s response earned him a kick to the midsection. Ahura claimed it was a low blow, using other words, begging for a DQ before he poked Zamora in the eye as the referee was checking. Suddenly recovered, Ahura dropped Zamora with a knee to the ribs, then a suplex… but Zamora kicked out at one.

Zamora remains on the defensive, as a bodyslam bought Ahura more time to mock and antagonise. So much so that Zamora was able to take a drink and spray water in Ahura’s mouth, kicking off a comeback… only for a springboard missile dropkick from Ahura to shut that down.

Zamora tries again, finding form with a German suplex that ragdolled Ahura before the challenger went to the eyes again. A piledriver attempt’s escaped as Zamora finally lands an ushigoroshi, then a Casanova knee strike for a near-fall. Ahura rolls away as Zamora was perched on the top rope, as he played keepaway in a bid to buy time and frustrate his opponent.

Ahura posts Zamora as he gave chase, as we move to the hard camera for… reasons. Something’s happening, but we can’t see it until the pair emerge on the balcony. Ahura throws seats off the balcony as the pair traded blows until Ahura got press slammed from the balcony and into the ropes.

Zamora leaps off the stage and up to the top rope for a senton bomb that nearly puts Ahura away. We resume with the pair countering each other as Ahura finally hit his piledriver, but it’s not enough as Zamora kicks out at two, before a follow-up moonsault missed, allowing Zamora to go for an elevated German suplex, only for the pair to trade kicks instead.

Ahura lands this German suplex, but couldn’t avoid Zamora’s take on Cruyt’s Wrath – the elevated German suplex – as both men were left laying. We’re back to the pair exchanging strikes as Ahura looked to pull ahead… but a jawbreaker stunned him ahead of a Mistica and some hammer elbows to the back of Ahura. The referee doesn’t stop it as Zamora instead tied up Ahura in a hammerlock’d guillotine, with the referee doing the arm drop gimmick before he waved it off. In a vacuum, this was a match that started off intense and kept going – even if you had little belief that Ahura was winning the title here. ***¼

Post-match, Zamora offered Ahura a handshake… which was eventually met with a handslap by a begrudgingly-respectful Ahura.

BODYSLAM! Tag Team Championship: Arrows of Hungary (Icarus & Dover) vs. RandersPagne (Adonis & Xander) (c)
One of these days that AMBOSS theme will be found… and not as an earworm!

Adonis flosses at the bell, which got a very much look of disgust from Dover, who proceeded to throw Adonis aside from a headlock. Wash, rinse, repeat, before Dover went to work on Adonis’ arm and wrist… only for Adonis to roll free and tag in Xander. Dover instantly takes Xander into the corner as Icarus tagged in to continue the beating, then pull him down into an armbar.

Xander powered out, then grabbed a side headlock as he taunted Dover with the potential of a tag… kicking Dover’s arm away before a blind tag from Adonis caught out Icarus for a Muta lock and a low dropkick from the champions. It’s back to the flossing, which angered Dover some more as he stormed into the ring, only to be made to participate in some mandatory fun… ending with the champions dabbing. Yep, RandersPagne have distilled the mannerisms of early-day Zack Ryder and current-day Mad Kurt…

A double dropkick takes Dover outside, as Icarus threatened to throw a fan’s chair into the ring.Calming down somewhat, Icarus runs into a Manhattan drop and an atomic drop before he went for Xander’s throat. Icarus distracts the referee after throwing Xander onto the apron, allowing Dover to boot Xander to the floor.

In the ring, Icarus torques on Xander’s arm by the ropes, before Dover came in to wear down Xander with a backbreaker. Icarus returns and lariats Xander for a near-fall, before Xander managed to evade both of the Arrows and make the tag out to Adonis, who ran wild on the Arrows in the corners. A Flatliner/reverse DDT combo laid out the Arrows in one swoop, while Dover’s downed with a missile dropkick for a near-fall.

Dover rolls up Adonis out of a Fireman’s carry as the pair went for pinning attempts… a slap from Dover, then a blackfist just earned him a suplex from Adonis, as Xander returned to hit a neckbreaker/splash combo with Adonis for another near-fall. Robert Dreissker gets involved, sliding into the ring to distract as the Arrows begin to pull ahead, leading to an Icarus cannonball, then a kick-aided Fire Thunder Driver on Xander as the championships almost changed hands.

Another double-team from the Arrows backfires as the champions find their second wind, only for a Saito suplex from Icarus to spark a Parade of Moves that ended with a cutter from Xander, then dualling senton bombs to break up pins. Dreissker again pops up to distract RandersPagne on the apron, but they’re smart to Icarus’ attempt to capitalise as the Easy Loverz came out to take care of AMBOSS.

Everyone ends up on the outside as we head back to the balcony, with RanderPagne leaping off the railings onto the pile below. Back inside, Dover’s met with a Fireman’s carry and dropkick combo – known in some quarters as the Deep Wounds – which proved to be enough to get the win in a wild main event… and one that didn’t feel like it was a foregone conclusion going in. ***½

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

wXw has gotten used to doing these joint shows, having run in Canada, France and now Denmark in the past six months… this was another successful outing that managed to shine a spotlight on another section of the scene, while also avoiding the trope-y “versus” format that I’m so glad they’ve kept away from.