wXw 2017 16 Carat Gold – Day Three

You can read my reviews of Night One and Night Two

March 11, 2017

Your announcers are Alan Counihan and Dirty Dragan

We hear from the final four competitors in the tournament: Ilja Dragunov, “Bad Bones” John Klinger, Matt Riddle, and WALTER as they talk about how they will win the tournament.

Semifinals: “Bad Bones” John Klinger vs. Ilja Dragunov

These two brawl to start off the match. They are now trading chops until Dragunov hits a big boot then follows with a Saito suplex. Klinger tries a suplex near the ropes and hits up dumping outside himself as he suplexes Dragunov to the floor in an insane spot. There are no pads on the floor by the way. They finally get up and fight as Dragunov wins that. Back inside, Dragunov takes Klinger outside but Klinger slingshots in with a spear to block a dive to the floor. Klinger takes Dragunov outside and hits an apron powerbomb for a two count. Klinger now beats on Dragunov in the corner. Dragunov fights back and gets two with a senton. Dragunov takes Klinger down with a forearm smash then leaps off of the top but Klinger hits the Codebreaker in midair. Klinger dives out with a tope and rolls Dragunov back inside for two. They trade more strikes in the ring then Klinger hits a half-nelson suplex but Dragunov pops right up and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Dragunov gets a nearfall with a lariat. Klinger comes back and gets two with a super kick as he sits down in frustration in the corner. Dragunov comes back with another lariat then hits the Torpedo Moscow for the win (10:20) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Good match. Dragunov has been really over with the crowds and since recently turning babyface seems to have that momentum behind him as he heads into the finals. Klinger had an impressive showing in this tournament.

Semifinals:WALTER vs. Matt Riddle

Riddle backs WALTER back into the corner but WALTER is able to ground him and work a side headlock. WALTER stays in control as he overpowers Riddle but Riddle fights back and hammers away. Riddle hits an upkick and follows with a senton for two. They trade strikes until WALTER catches a kick and takes Riddle down then he hits a few knee drops on Riddle’s leg. He misses a leg drop as Riddle kicks him but falls down as his leg is hurt. WALTER drapes Riddle’s leg on to the steps and stomps his foot as Riddle is in agony. Riddle is able to land on his feet after a German and hits a kick before getting two with a Fisherman’s buster as the announcers talk about Riddle’s adrenaline kicking into gear. Riddle hits a high knee then gets a nearfall with a swanton but WALTER rolls through the Bromission and puts on an ankle lock. WALTER grabs Riddle’s leg and stomps his arm as he was near the ropes before hitting a leg capture suplex. WALTER gets two with a lariat as the crowd gets behind Riddle. WALTER tries a powerbomb but Riddle counters and works a guillotine. WALTER rams Riddle into the corner then locks on the Coquina Clutch but Riddle escapes and works a triangle hold. Riddle lays in elbow smashes but WALTER breaks the hold with a powerbomb then follows up with another powerbomb for the win (9:40) ***1/2.

Thoughts: A good, intense match. Riddle tried to use his MMA background to his advantage but could not overcome the powerful WALTER, who has been perfectly booked as a beast in this tournament.

“KIng of Smoke Style” Bobby Gunns vs. Koji Kanemoto

Kanemoto immediately tosses Gunn outside and roughs him up. Back inside, Kanemoto stays in control as he works at a slower pace than everyone else in the corner. He hits the facewash but Gunns fights back then kicks him in the face after sticking his junk in his face. Gunns gyrates in front of Kanemoto, who gets up and beats him down. Gunns works a hanging armbar on the ropes then continues to work the arm. Kanemoto fights back and hits a spinning heel kick but Gunns catches him with another armbar. Kanemoto rolls through and puts Gunns in an ankle lock but Gunns reaches the ropes. We get more kicks from Kanemoto who goes back to the ankle lock as he grapevines the leg and kicks him in the back. Gunns reaches the ropes then we get more kicks from Kanemoto. Gunns fights back with a kick to the face then gets two with a release Northern lights suplex. Kanemoto blocks a reverse rollup but Gunns comes back and gets a reverse rollup and uses a bridge as his foot is on Kanemoto’s throat and gets the win (8:18) *1/2.

Thoughts: The story leading up to this was good but the match overall was not. Kanemoto struggled mightily here and looked much older and slower than the previous two nights. Gunns seemed okay but its tough for me to get an opinion on him based solely off of this match.

wXw Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match

Francis Kaspan & Chris Colen vs. Paul London & Da Mack

Colen’s nickname is “The Wolverine.” The announcers tell us they have no idea what over teams are part of this match. London & Da Mack work over Kaspan to start. London gets hit with a forearm smash then freezes and hangs on to the ropes from the apron until Kaspan knocks him off. Colen pounces Da Mack to cut off a dive attempt then Da Mack gets hit with a double suplex for two. Kaspan & Colen work over Da Mack in a really sloppy sequence as London breaks up a pinfall. The match breaks down then Colen cuts London off of the top rope. London knocks Colen off but Kaspan cuts London off but gets launched and hit with the Mack Magic then London hits a shooting star press for the pin (3:58).

Paul London & Da Mack vs. “The Avalanche” Robert Dreissker & Julian Nero

Nero works a side headlock on the mat until Da Mack escapes. Mack fights back and tags London, who hits a stomp from the top. London drills Nero with a super kick but Dreissker yanks him outside and beats him down. Nero stomps away then makes the tag as Dreissker punishes London. He misses an elbow drop as London tries to to get up. London fights off Nero but Dreissker attacks from behind. London boots Dreissker but gets caught trying a crossbody. However, Da Mack hits a springboard dropkick to knock down Dreissker. They hit Dreissker with a double super kick then again hit the Mack Magic/Shooting Star press combo and both cover Dreissker, who still kicks out. Nero takes both men down with a double knee smash. The match breaks down again until Dreissker pins London after a Blue Thunder Bomb (9:37).

“The Avalanche” Robert Dreissker & Julian Nero vs. Absolute Andy & Marius Al-Ani (c)

The announcers tell us that Al-Ani’s ear drum exploded last night and he should not be wrestling as his ear is all bandaged up. Andy works over Nero then low bridges Dreissker. Nero comes back with a knee smash that sends Andy into his partner. Dreissker beats on Al-Ani outside and the ref heads up as Al-Ani is hurt. The medics come out but Dreissker rolls Andy inside and they beat him down. The crowd gets behind Andy as Nero has him in a chinlock. Dreissker tags in and gets two with a clothesline. Counihan believes the champs are the last team to enter the gauntlet as Nero tags and gets two with a missile dropkick. Fireman’s Carry Slam gets two. Dreissker tags in and hits a senton then tags Nero and set up for an assisted avalanche but Andy dodges the attack then drills Nero with a super kick for the pin (14:59).

Absolute Andy vs. Axel Dieter & Timothy Thatcher

The announcers are in shock as Dieter & Thatcher come out and attack Andy as they believed the gauntlet ended. Thatcher works a chinlock then Andy escapes and works a figure four. Dieter runs in as Andy small packages him but gets outnumbered. The crowd is once again behind Andy as Thatcher hits a gutwrench suplex before tagging out. Dieter hits some stomps and stays in control as he works the arm. Thatcher is back in and taunts Andy, who blocks a suplex and hits one of his own as both men are down. Thatcher makes the tag as Dieter sends Andy into the corner with a charging uppercut. Andy comes back with a super kick for a nearfall as everyone is down. Al-Ani runs back to the ring as his whole head is bandaged up. Andy makes the tag as Al-Ani runs wild. Dieter cuts off a double-team then knocks Andy into Thatcher as Thatcher uses a small package while Dieter goes outside but Andy reverses and ends up getting the win (23:00) **3/4.

Thoughts: Solid match. Maybe a bit too long but I loved the story of A4 overcoming the odds to retain the belts.

After the match, Christian Michael Jakobi steals the belts from the referee. Al-Ani & Andy clean house then Jakobi knocks Al-Ani off of the top rope. Jakobi slaps Andy across the face then gets lifted up on Andy’s shoulders but WALTER makes the save for his manager and hits a powerbomb as Ringkampf destroys Andy. Al-Ani crawls into the ring as the announcers plea for someone to help Al-Ani as Colen & Kaspan make the save until WALTER takes them out too. Karsten Beck now heads out but is attacked from behind as Ringkampf holds him up so Jakobi can slap him a few times. The others get up and fight off Ringkampf but Jakobi gets a chair and is about to hit Beck until Kim Ray runs out and makes his wXw return. He fights Thatcher off then corners Jakobi and even fights off WALTER as he is left standing tall. Ray grabs the mic as the crowd does a chant but he speaks in German so I am unable to make out what he is saying. The crowd loved the segment though and I personally found it enjoyable.

David Starr comes back out to the ring. He plugs his Twitter and Instagram account in a joking manner before mentioning he will be continuing his four-way Shotgun Championship Invitational Match. He said its the most important championship in wXW, to which Unified Champion Jurn Simmons comes out. He asks Starr if the Shotgun Championship is the most important title, then why did he fight for the Unified Championship in the main event last night. They do some back-and-forth joking before Simmons puts his title down and says he will defend it some other time as he thinks it time to become a dual champion. Emil Sitoci is out next and talks a little bit of trash then Cody Rhodes makes his way out to claim the final spot.

wXw Shotgun Championship Match: David Starr (c) vs. Jurn Simmons vs. Emil Sitoci vs. Cody Rhodes

This starts off with some comedy as Sitoci tries to get Cody to team with him as Cody pretends that he does while Starr & Simmons make fun of Sitoci, who is now getting beat down by everyone until he is tossed outside. Cody teases giving Sitoci the “too sweet” gesture but kicks him down then Starr rolls Cody up for a two count. Simmons & Starr beat on Cody then on each other. Sitoci works over Starr for a bit. Starr gets his knees up on a split-legged moonsault then Cody knocks Sitoci outside with a missile dropkick. He puts Starr in a figure-four but Sitoci comes back and hits Cody with an atomic drop for two. He places Cody up top for a superplex but Simmons puts Sitoci on his shoulders. Sitoci slips out and pushes Simmons into the corner to cut Cody off but Simmons hits a piledriver. Starr runs in to hit Simmons with a tilt-a-whirl slam then runs up top to take him off with a belly-to-belly suplex. Starr unloads on Simmons in the corner then takes him off the apron with a clothesline. Cody returns and has a shoving contest with Starr that ends up in a slugfest. Starr cuts off Cody’s bionic elbow with one of his own but gets caught with a snap powerslam as Cody gets two off of that. Starr flies out to take Simmons out with a plancha then Cody takes them both out with a double jump plancha. Back inside, Cody accidentally trips up the referee then Sitoci takes the title belt and hits Cody. Starr takes the belt and picks it up but the ref takes it away as he was about to hit Sitoci, who then catches Starr with the snapmare driver for the win (13:10) ***. After the match, a distraught Starr sits in the ring as a “thank you, David” chant breaks out. Simmons holds up Starr’s hand then Cody does the same.

Thoughts: An enjoyable match. Sitoci’s win came off like a surprise to me anyway but it seems like they are setting the stage for Starr to have a redemption storyline after losing the Shotgun Title here and bowing out in the 1st round of the 16 Carat Gold Tournament.

We get a video package to hype the “no ropes” match between Alpha Kevin and Marius van Beethoven, which happened when van Beethoven turned on Kevin after attacking him with his crutches then attacking the Alpha’s girl Melanie. Great package to put over their feud, which started with the two as friends.

No Ropes Match: Marius van Beethoven vs. Alpha Kevin

These two start of by swinging chairs then Beethoven retreats to the back but the Alpha Girl meets him and Kevin whacks Beethoven with a chair. Beethoven rolls outside then Kevin grabs a Singapore cane and ends up whacking Beethoven on the head. He lays into Beethoven’s back with the cane then once again on the head when they go back into the ring. Kevin orders the crowd to back away but Beethoven uses an eye gauge then tosses Kevin outside. Kevin fights back and slams Beethoven on the apron and does it again. Kevin then flies out with a tope up Beethoven moves away as Kevin crashes into the chairs and ends up cracking a few of them. Beethoven runs over and beats on Kevin then pulls out a folding chair and whacks Kevin on the head then beats him on the back. Kevin fights out of a figure four in the ring but misses a charge and runs into the post. They go back outside where Kevin suplexes Beethoven on the floor. Kevin now pulls out a table and sets it up. They try to toss each other through the table from the ring and go back-and-forth for a bit. Beethoven now targets Kevin’s injured leg with the Singapore cane and puts on the figure-four. Beethoven hits the apron missing a running leg drop and misses a chair shot as Kevin tries a running powerslam through the table but his leg gave out. They trade punches from their knees. Melanie now comes out with a crutch and gives it to Kevin. Beethoven tries a sneak attack but Kevin turns around and whacks Beethoven with the crutch. He beats on him then Melanie pulls out another crutch from the ring as Kevin takes Beethoven’s leg out. Beethoven hits Kevin with the cane from his back then Kevin keeps walking to him as he is not selling any pain. Kevin then takes the cane and hits the package piledriver but pulls Beethoven up at two. He stalks Beethoven, who flips him the double bird, then Kevin puts Beethoven through the table with the package piledriver for the win (14:46) ***1/2.

Thoughts: A brutal match. From what I saw here, neither guy seems much as a technical wrestled and Beethoven is really small but they all sorts of crazy stuff. The Singapore cane shots to the head where unnecessary though. But this was a war and a hell of a grudge match.

Donovan Dijak & JT Dunn w/ Cody Rhodes vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey & ACH

Cody is out here in a suit and sunglasses and even wearing cowboy boots. Dijak & Dunn try to attack their opponents from behind but fail. Dunn attacks Bailey as Cody is having a blast holding the fake money that was thrown all over the mat and laughing as the crowd chants “this is awesome.” Dunn & Dijak beat down Bailey for a bit then Bailey knocks Dunn down with a roundhouse kick. ACH is in and takes Dijak outside with a dropkick and dumps Dunn outside before taking them both out with a pescado. ACH kicks Dijak a few times then Bailey tags and uses his rapid-fire kicks. Dijak comes back to hit the chokebreaker for two but Bailey is able to come back and get a few nearfalls. The match breaks down after Dunn breaks up a pinfall. Bailey gets hit with a 3D as ACH makes the save. Dijak boots ACH in the face and Dunn hits him with a tombstone on the ramp. Bailey kicks out of a Feast Your Eyes/Death by Elbow combo then is able to cut off another Death by Elbow attempt and drills him with a roundhouse kick after a reversal sequence. Dijak hits a discus boot but Bailey comes back and takes Dunn out with a moonsault to the floor. ACH runs up the ramp and jumps into the ring with an Ace Crusher then hits a brainbuster as Bailey comes off of the top with a shooting star knee drop for the win (12:21) ***1/2.

Thoughts: A lot of fun to watch. Bailey & ACH make for an highly entertaining team and their dancing after the match got over with the crowd.

wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament Finals: WALTER w/ Timothy Thatcher & Axel Dieter vs. Ilja Dragunov

Thatcher & Dieter go backstage after the bell rings. These two fight over a lockup to start. After that they trade chops before Dragunov applies a side headlock. WALTER escapes and hits a few strikes then tries for the Coquina Clutch. Dragunov escapes but WALTER comes back for the butterfly suplex for two. WALTER chops Dragunov then places him up top and starts hammering away. Dragunov fights out of a super butterfly suplex and comes off with a senton. WALTER is able to clothesline Dragunov then hits some more chops but Dragunov is able to low bridge him then flies out with a tope as the crowd is going nuts. They trade chops until WALTER knocks him down then hits an apron powerbomb. Back inside, Dragunov begs WALTER to hit him harder as his chest his bleeding. WALTER beats the piss out of him but Dragunov is laughing. WALTER tries once again for the Coquina Clutch but Dragunov escapes. Dragunov comes back with a clothesline then hits a lariat and follows with a Saito suplex for two. WALTER cuts Dragunov off of the top rope and hits a super butterfly suplex for two. WALTER knocks Dragunov down with another chop and tries for a powerbomb but Dragunov puts him on his shoulders. Dargunov takes WALTER off of the middle rope with a Liger Bomb for two but WALTER cuts him off with a boot to the face. Dragunov manages a rollup but WALTER kicks out and locks on the Coquina Clutch. Dragunov refuses to give up then kicks out of a powerbomb as the crowd is going mental. They are now trading chops and really laying into each other. Dragunov then looks at his chest and peels off a layer and goes mental as he starts laying into WALTER. He hits the Torpedo Moscow but WALTER is just able to kick out. WALTER catches Dragunov with the clutch then hits an Emerald Fusion but Dragunov is able to kick out as the crowd is out of their minds. WALTER paces around like a lunatic and starts slapping Dragunov but Dragunov comes back and hits the Torpedo Moscow and gets the win (16:07) ****1/2. Dragunov celebrates with the trophy then gets a loud “you deserve it”chant from the crowd. Dragunov then cuts a promo in either Russian or German ( I cannot understand either language) to end the show.

Thoughts: Just an incredible match. Dragunov was the underdog face who refused to back down and defeated the monster in WALTER. Dragunov’s chest was bleeding at the end and it was an incredibly physical contest. I highly recommend you seek this match out

Final Thoughts: This was another great show and the entire event was a success. The fans had a blast and the action was awesome. No one half-assed there performances, either. If you are subscribed to FloSlam or the Highspots Network, I highly suggest you seek out all three nights.

Here is my schedule for the next several weeks:

Thursday: Highspots All-Access with Mickie James

Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/29/89

Sunday: Mid-South Wrestling 8/12/82

Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 11/4/89

Monday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 11/5/89

Tuesday: WWF Prime Time Wrestling 11/6/89

Wednesday: EVOLVE 80 3/30/17