wXw 16 Carat Gold 2017, Day Two

You can read my Night One recap by clicking here

March 10, 2017

From Turbinehalle in Oberhausen, Germany

Your hosts are Alan Counihan and Rico Bushido

Donovan Dijak vs. Jeff Cobb

This is not a tournament match. Dijak attacks Cobb first but Cobb hammers away in the corner then uses a pumphandle toss. They fight outside as the announcers mention how Cobb deadlift powerbombed WALTER earlier that day during the “Ambition 8” Tournament. Back inside, they continue to go back-and-forth until Dijak hits a slam for two. Dijak is in control now and hits Cobb with a backbreaker then works a cravate. Cobb escapes and hits a few clotheslines before taking Dijak down with a dropkick. Cobb hits a Saito suplex and follows with a standing moonsault then a standing shooting star headbutt for a nearfall. Dijak reverses an Irish whip and eats boot in the corner but catches Cobb with a chokebreaker for a nearfall. Springboard elbow gets two as Cobb rolls through the pin and deadlifts Dijak, who escapes and hits Cobb with a big boot. They have a brief reversal sequence that ends with Cobb hitting a sidewinder suplex as both men are down as a “this is awesome” chant breaks out. Cobb hits another Saito suplex after a brawl but Dijak gets right up, only to have Cobb catch him with the Tour of the Islands for the win (7:03) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Good match. Dijak has had an impressive showing the first two nights and had a fun power match with Cobb here. A fun way to start off the show.

Second Round Tournament: Matt Riddle vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey

These two square off to star the match. Riddle takes Bailey down and starts kneeing Bailey in the ribs as he is in control. He hits a deadlift gutwrench and kicks away. Bailey fights back and lands some kicks in the corner but Riddle catches his leg and starts laying into him. Riddle gets two with an Exploder but Bailey gets his feet up on a senton after Riddle spent too much time playing to the crowd. Riddle takes Bailey off of the apron with a springboard kick then slides out and chops him down. He tosses Bailey inside and poses but again, takes too long as Bailey kicks him off of the apron then flies out with a springboard moonsault. Bailey kicks Riddle in the face then reverses a tombstone and hits one of his own as that gets two. Bailey escapes and armbar then boots Riddle down in midiar but Riddle gets up and hits the Bro to Sleep then a bridging German suplex for two. Flying knee smash gets two as Riddle is frustrated. Bailey comes back with a thrust kick then hits a roundhouse kick for a nearfall. He rolls through a shooting star knee drop but Riddle takes him down with the Bromission and that gets the win (7:46) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Another good match. I’d love to see these two do something longer but it was fun and Riddle advancing is for the best, even if Bailey is a great performer in his own right.

Second Round Tournament:Timothy Thatcher vs. Ilja Dragunov

Thatcher slaps Dragunov across the face after a break then they fight over a lockup. Thatcher blocks a chop then they trade strikes, trying to one-up each other. Thatcher takes Dragunov down and works a single leg crab as the announcers put over how Thatcher already wrestled three times in the Ambition Tournament earlier today where he lost to Riddle. He hits Dragunov in midair with an European uppercut for two then works a chinlock. Dragunov fights back and hits a senton. Dragunov hits a few running chops in the corner but Thatcher grabs his arm and hits a deadlift German suplex for two before going back to the chinlock. Thatcher grounds Dragunov and slaps him across the face. Dragunov asks for more then they trade strikes until he hits a back suplex. He whiffs on a top rope senton then Thatcher gets a nearfall with a butterfly suplex. Dragunov rolls through a Fujiwara armbar and they trade strikes until Dragunov hits a release German suplex then comes back with the Torpedo Moscow for the win (10:49) ***.

Thoughts: Both guys maintained an intense presence. It was wrestled at a slower-pace than the first two matches but it was still fun to watch. Dragunov has been really fun to watch in this tournament.

Second Round Tournament:WALTER vs. Marius Al-Ani

WALTER overpowers Al-Ani to start. Al-Ani snaps off a hurricarana but WALTER brushes off a dropkick and chops him down. WALTER gets two with a sitdown splash the hits a gutwrench suplex. Al-Ani fights back after getting slapped but WALTER knocks him down. Al-Ani comes back with a DDT after a reversal sequence and places WALTER on the middle rope where he kicks him down. WALTER catches a crossbody and sits a sitout tombstone as Al-Ani rolls outside. Al-Ani returns as WALTER toys with him. WALTER suplexes Al-Ani around then beats him down in the corner. Al-Ani low bridges WALTER then dropkicks him off of the apron. Al-Ani flies out with a coast-to-coast plancha then back inside gets two with a missile dropkick. They trade forearm smashes now then Al-Ani rolls through a sunset flip and hits an Exploder for two. WALTER blocks a kick then trips Al-Ani and puts on an ankle lock. WALTER then pulls him closer and hits a German suplex then gets a nearfall with another suplex. Al-Ani breaks out of a sleeper but runs into a lariat for two. Al-Ani gets out of a powerbomb and hits a spinning heel kick before almost putting WALTER away with a Death Valley Driver. Al-Ani then uses a submission as WALTER reaches the ropes and heads up top but WALTER gets his knees up on a frog splash attempt. WALTER hits a few more suplexes then locks on the Coquina Clutch for the win (12:35) ***1/2.

Thoughts: Really good match. Al-Ani gave it his all but could not overcome his larger opponent. WALTER has been the monster of this tournament and is a talent I want to see more of in 2017.

Second Round Tournament:“Bad Bones” John Klinger vs. Cody Rhodes

Cody crowd-surfed his way to the ring here through the crowd. Klinger spears Rhodes before the bell then beats on him in the corner. He works a crossface but Rhodes escapes then puts on a figure four. Klinger escapes and knocks Rhodes outside then flies out with a tope. They are back in the ring where Klinger continues to beat Rhodes down. Both men collide then get up and trade blows until Rhodes hits a few clothesline then a powerslam. Rhodes fires up the crowd but Klinger catches him with a Codebreaker for a two count. Rhodes fights back and hits the Disaster Kick for two but accidentally clotheslines the referee. He still manages to hit Klinger with the Cross Rhodes but the ref is out cold. He tries to wake the ref up and fails then drops to his knees in frustration and eats a super kick as that gets two. Klinger hits Rhodes with a buckle bomb as Rhodes ducks outside and takes a sip of water before heading back in the ring. Rhodes floats over and spits water in Klinger’s face then hits the Cross Rhodes as the ref gets up and counts but Klinger is able to kick out. Klinger hits the wrecking ball knee smash but Rhodes kicks out of that as the crowd goes mental. Klinger is beside himself then Rhodes fights back and flips off the top but Klinger whips him in the corner and hits the wrecking ball knee smash in the corner and gets the surprise win (12:11) ***3/4. After the match, Rhodes gets a “please come back” chant. Rhodes then grabs the mic and tells the crowd they are “too sweet” as that chant gets going. Rhodes then promises he will be back

Thoughts: Excellent match and one of the best matches I’ve seen from Cody in his entire career. He put Klinger over and even got a standing ovation and a “please come back” chant after the match. I would recommend seeking out this match.

Francis Kaspin vs. Koji Kanemoto

The announcers tout the improvement of Kaspin as he works a chinlock on the mat. Kanemoto escapes and works the ankle before they end in a stalemate. They trade strikes as Kanemoto wins that battle. Kanemoto plays with Kaspin as he kicks him until running into a dropkick. Kaspin uses mounted punches and they keep reversing those for a bit. Kanemoto blocks a fisherman’s suplex and hits a Dragon Screw then does it again as he works over the leg. Kanemoto beats on Kaspin in the corner then face washes him. Kaspin fights back and gets a nearfall with a kick to the face. Kaspin lays in some strikes in the corner but Kanemoto fights back and knocks him down. Kaspin gets right up but is caught with a kick then Kanemoto gets a nearfall with a Falcon Arrow. He lays in some kicks to the chest but Kaspin fires up. Kanemoto is able to roll through an work an ankle lock and ends up getting the win (11:21) **3/4. After the match, The “King of Smoke Style” Bobby Gunns and blows smoke in Kanemoto’s face and says “Ichiban, motherfucker” as Kanemoto is irate.

Thoughts: Kaspin, who was trained by WALTER and began wrestling in 2015, has a lot of potential. It was slower-paced and basic but still a good match. I loved the end as they set up for a Kanemoto vs. Gunns match. At night one, Gunns was smoking a cigarette after Kanemoto’s loss to Thatcher and blowing smoke near him as the announcers mentioned that before this match and said Kanemoto absolutely hates cigarettes and never even had one in his life.

David Starr comes out to the ring and sits cross-legged as he talks about his dream of becoming the wXw Champion ended by losing to WALTER last night but he is still the Shotgun Champion then challenges any one from the back to come out as Absolute Andy, Paul London, and ACH appear for a four-way title match.

wXw Shotgun Championship Match: David Starr (c) vs. Paul London vs. Absolute Andy vs. ACH

Andy is one-half of the wXw Tag Team Champions along with Marius Al-Ani as A4. He is also bigger than his opponents. ACH comes out to the ring eating a banana and everyone ends up getting a piece of that in a comedy sequence that the crowd had some fun with. After that we get some dancing as ACH does the Carlton Dance as the crowd is having an absolute blast. They finally start wrestling as Andy tosses down Starr. London & Starr beat on Andy but end up getting run over. Andy sets up for a dive but stops short as ACH threw in the banana peel and he did not want to slip. Andy knocks ACH off of the apron but London & Starr knocks him down. Back inside, Andy hits them both with a suplex but ACH returns and low bridges him. ACH knocks Andy off of the apron a few times then hits a soccer kick from the apron. London beats on ACH for a bit and hits an atomic drop. ACH lands on his feet during a hurricarana but London hits him with the dropsault. Starr trips up London and hits an inverted tilt-a-whirl slam during a fast-paced sequence for a nearfall. Andy knocks takes of London & Starr but ACH misses an attack then does his chant before taking all three men down as they were hunched over with a knee smash. He sets up for a super kick but misses and gets hit with a triple super kick. Everyone attacks each other then they knock each other down with super kicks as the crowd applauds. They get up and everyone ends up outside besides Starr, who keeps running in and flying out with topes to take everyone out. Andy runs in and cuts off Starr with a super kick for a nearfall and follows with an F5. London runs in and hits a dropsault on Andy as he lands on Starr for two. He heads up top but Andy runs off and hits a super F5 as London flies across the ring as that gets two in a crazy spot. Andy catches ACH with a spinebuster and knocks him outside but ACH runs up the ramp and flies in with a tope con hilo but Starr immediately hits ACH with a Code Red and gets the win (15:13) ***1/2.

Thoughts: A nice change of pace. Almost more of an exhibition and something you would see in PWG than anything else but it entertained and featured some cool stuff.

JT Dunn vs. “Avalanche” Robert Dreissker

Dunn lands some kicks as he uses his speed to counter Dreissker’s noticeable size advantage. Dreissker pancakes Dunn and hits a splash for two then tosses him across the ring. Dreissker continues to overpower Dunn and gets two with a leg drop. Dunn finally fights back and gets two with a leaping clothesline. He signals for the Death by Elbow but Dreissker catches him with an overhead suplex for two. Dunn blocks an avalanche with a super kick and hits a rolling elbow but gets caught with the Blue Thunder Bomb as Dreissker gets the win (5:07) **1/4.

Thoughts: Brief but all-action. Dreissker gets the win and seems to be getting a bit of a push after turning on Adam Polak at Night One.

We get a video package that lead to the events of the Axel Dieter vs. Jurn Simmons Championship match. Simmons list the title in a three-way this past December when Marty Scurll made Adam Cole submit to the Chicken Wing then Dieter came out and beat Scurll right after that as Simmons wants the title he was never pinned for back. I really liked this video package as it gave newer fans of the product (like myself) a chance to see how this storyline has progressed.

wXw Unifired World Wrestling Championship Match: Jurn Simmons vs. Axel Dieter Jr. (c) w/ Christian Michael Jakobi

A “Jurn is gonna kill you” chant breaks out. They feel each other out before locking up. Simmons breaks cleanly in the corner then starts tossing Dieter around. Dieter goes behind Simmons and takes him down where he works the arm. Simmons gets out and starts tossing Dieter around. Dieter boots Simmons in the corner then yells for Jakobi to pull the ropes down but Simmons stops himself and kicks him in the face. Dieter sneaks in a rollup for two and hits an enziguiri but Simmons comes back with a clothesline as both men are down. Ringkampf runs out but A4 comes in to even score and they all fight and end up brawling through the crowd as Dieter is by himself. They both get up and slug it out. Simmons hits Dieter with the Oklahoma Stampede then tries for a moonsault but Dieter cuts him off. Simmons catches a tope attempt and ends up tossing Dieter on the steps after a reversal sequence. Simmons slaps Dieter down after getting chopped. Dieter makes the comeback but Simmons reverses a suplex on the floor. Simmons pumps up then back inside he hits an overhead suplex. Simmons beats on Dieter and continues to overpower him. Dieter cuts Simmons off with a knee smash and kicks him down. Simmons blocks a suplex and hits a gutwrench powerbomb for two then uses a torture rack but Dieter takes him down and stretches him out on the mat with an octopus hold. Dieter gets two with a diving uppercut then uses a chinlock as the crowd gets behind Simmons. Dieter catches Simmons with an enziguiri then hits a bridging butterfly suplex for two. He now stands on Simmons’ hair then kicks him in the back. Dieter now applies a figure four neck lock. Simmons ducks a kick and tries for a piledriver but Dieter counters that with a backdrop. Simmons is able to catch Dieter with an enziguiri then heads up top with a moonsault for a nearfall as both men are now down on the mat. Dieter is up first and slaps Simmons across the face but Simmons kicks him down and hits the piledriver but Dieter is able to kick out as Simmons is in shock. The piledriver is Simmons’ finisher so its a big deal that Dieter kicked out. Simmons tries to suplex Dieter back into the ring but Dieter drops him with a neckbreaker then hits a draping DDT onto the ramp as both men are out with Simmons falling off onto the floor. Simmons is just able to roll into the ring and beat the ten count as he is struggling in the corner. Simmons is able to boot Dieter but is cut off the top rope. Simmons tries for an avalanche piledriver but Dieter escapes and then hits an Air Raid Crash and then hits a cradle suplex for a nearfall. Dieter starts hitting rapid fire uppercuts as he yells at Simmons to stay down. They work a reversal sequence as Dieter gets two with a small package but runs into a boot then Simmons hits the piledriver for the win (23:35) ****.

Thoughts: Excellent match. I loved how they got all of the interference out of the way at the beginning and had Dieter have to defend his title by himself without any help. These two had one hell of a match with a few crazy spots mixed in between and told a great story too as Simmons regained the title.

Final Thoughts: A very strong show from top to bottom. The main event was worthy and the tournament matches were all good too. Everyone here is working hard and the crowd was having a blast, making for a good atmosphere. Once again, I highly recommend this show, which can be seen on FloSlam or on the Highspots Network

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Lance Storm, Volume 1

Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/21/89

Sunday: Mid-South Wrestling 8/5/82

Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/22/89

Monday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/28/89

Tuesday: WWF Madison Square Garden 10/28/89

Wednesday: wXw 2017 16 Carat Gold, Night Three