Don’t forget to check out my YouTube show, the Grapefruit Chronicles. Sadly it’s likely to be more entertaining than most of the matches on this show.
September 12, 2010 – Oberhausen, Germany
Dragon Kid {W5} vs. Tommy End
End won’t dance with Kid, so Kid baits him into the corner for a knuckle lock. End still comes out on top so Kid puts on a headlock. End hits a shoulder tackle. Kid hits a head scissor takedown. He hits a dropkick in the corner. He hits a basement dropkick. End comes back with a kick to the gut. He hits a back elbow for 2. He puts on a seated abdominal stretch. He hits a kneedrop for 2. He puts on a chinlock. He slams Kid to the mat by his mask. Kid hits a head scissor takedown that wasn’t pretty at all. End hits an elbow. Kid puts on the Christo. End hits a side slam to escape. End hits a series of kicks and a German suplex for 2. Alright, that woke me up. Kid hits the Diamond Dust. End hits a brainbuster. Kid hits a stunner for 2. He hits the 619. End hits a roundhouse kick for 2. Kid gets a roll up for 2. He hits the Bible for 2. He climbs the ropes but End throws the referee into them. Kid fights back and hits an avalanche Ace Crusher. End avoids the Ultra Hurricanrana and hits the Northern Lariat. He puts on a dragon sleeper for the win. This was on the sloppier side, and only really entertained for a few moments in the middle. The finish was pretty cool, even if End looked like crap en route to beating the more talented Kid. Kid immediately no-sells the match and flips around for the fans’ enjoyment.
Rating: **
Masato Yoshino {W1} vs. Emil Sitoci
Yoshino’s title is not on the line. They fight over a headlock to start. Yoshino hits a supercharged dropkick. Sitoci blocks as second attempt. Yoshino hits a crappy looking basement dropkick. He puts on a chinlock. Sitoci counters to a leglock. He hits a splash to the back. They trade chops, Yoshino’s landing more loudly that Sitoci’s. Yoshino hits a back elbow for 2. Sitoci avoids a charge and hits a double axe handle for 2. He hits another splash to the back. He hits elbowdrops to the back. He puts on the body scissors. He hits a backbreaker. He hits butt thrusts in the corner, a la Rikishi. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on a seated abdominal stretch and punches Yoshino’s ribs. He rams Yoshino into the corner. Yoshino hits the Sling Blade. He hits a vertical suplex. Sitoci hits another backbreaker. He hits a gutbuster and rolls Yoshino up for 2. Yoshino blocks a split legged moonsault and puts on From Jungle. He gets a sunset flip for 2. Sitoci avoids the shotgun dropkick and hits a fisherman suplex for 2. Yoshino knocks him off the turnbuckle. He hits the shotgun dropkick for 2. Sitoci gets a schoolboy for 2. Yoshino hits the Torbellino. He puts on the Sol Naciente for the win at 11:18. This was just about the exact same structure as the match before, but Sitoci and Yoshino held it together better than Kid and End. Still, the Dragon Gate guys are getting manhandled on this show.
Rating: ***
Brodie Lee vs. Bad Bones
Bones avoids Lee’s initial charge and hits elbows in the corner. He hits a running elbow. He hits a leaping elbow. Lee takes a powder. Bones hits a baseball slide. He brawls around ringside with Lee. Back in the ring Lee whips Bones hard into the corner. He hits an elbow. He hits another for 2. He hits chops in the corner. He chokes Bones in the ropes. The crowd wants him to hit a 619 but he ignores them. He hits European uppercuts instead. Bones gets a roll up for 2. Lee hits a lariat for 2. He smacks Bones around and the crowd dies. Bones starts to fire back and the crowd gets behind him. He hits a spear and a back suplex. He hits a chest kick. Lee hits a powerbomb for 2. He hits a head scissor takedown. Bones pops up and hits a diving spear for 2. Lee hits a superkick and a dragon suplex for 2. Bones hits a bicycle kick for 2. Lee hits a big boot. Bones hits an Ace Crusher out of nowhere for the win at 11:37. This started out strong but died a rather painful death when Lee decided to phone it in. They picked it up down the stretch, stiffing the crap out of each other with stuff that reminded me of Sid vs. Spivey.
Rating: **¾
Thumbtack Jack comes out to cut a promo about Down with the Sickness, but as I refuse to know German I couldn’t tell you any more than that. What I can tell you is that you’ll enjoy my YouTube show.
BxB Hulk {W1} vs. PAC {W1}
They fight it out on the mat to start. PAC hits a shoulder tackle. Hulk comes back with a dropkick. He hits a basement dropkick for 2. They trade elbows until Hulk hits a crescent kick. PAC blocks an armdrag and hits British Airways for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special. Hulk gets to the ropes. PAC unloads with chest kicks for 2. He puts on a surfboard stretch. Hulk hits a superkick. He hits a missile dropkick. He sweeps the leg and hits a senton for 2. PAC hits a slingshot Ace Crusher. Hulk bails so PAC hits a quebrada. Back in the ring Hulk hits a Yakuza kick. He hits a Sydal Special for 2. PAC hits one of the coolest German suplexes I’ve ever seen for 2. Hulk hits the First Flash for 2. PAC drops him on his head with an EVO for 2. He hits the 360 SSP for the win at 13:13. This was a lot of flash and just enough substance to be totally entertaining for its full runtime.
Rating: ***½
CIMA {W5} vs. Mark Haskins
CIMA won’t shake Haskins’ hand. Haskins grabs a headlock. They trade holds on the mat. Haskins gets an armbar but CIMA gets to the ropes. CIMA hits a shoulder tackle and a chest kick. Haskins hits a dropkick. He misses a dropkick and CIMA hits a double stomp. CIMA hits a senton and a chest kick. The crowd loves his spastic dance-fighting. He puts on an abdominal stretch. He slams Haskins by his hair. He hits a senton for 2. He puts on the Romero Special. Haskins hits a gutbuster. He avoids a roundhouse kick and hits an Ace Crusher for 2. CIMA blocks a gutbuster and hits a back kick. He hits a double stomp. He hits the Venus and Iconoclasm. He kicks Haskins’ face and hits the Perfect Driver for 2. Haskins blocks the Mad Splash. He hits a side slam for 2. He blocks the Superdrol and hits a German suplex for 2. CIMA hits the Neji to Hashi for 2. Haskins gets a crucifix pin for 2. CIMA hits a superkick. He hits the Schwein for 2. He hits the Meteora for the win at 14:28. This was probably the best match in CIMA’s ongoing series against less experienced wrestlers. Haskins got to look like a million bucks in front of a crowd that was super hot for CIMA, even outshining his mentor PAC.
Rating: ***¾
Another great but inexperienced entertainer is me… on my YouTube channel. Go watch!
Susumu Yokosuka & Big Van Walter vs. Cyber Kong {K} & Shingo Takagi {K}
Kong’s entrance music is amazing. Takagi and Yokosuka start. Takagi is hesitant to knuckle up, and ends up with his hand stomped. Takagi hits a shoulder tackle. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special. Kong and Walter tag into the match. They lock up and Walter forces Kong to the ropes. They knuckle up until Walter hits a shoulder tackle. Kong tries a few but Walter won’t go down. Watching Kong get handled like this is bumming me out. Yokosuka puts on a chinlock. Takagi puts Yokosuka in a chinlock. Kong hits an elevated elbowdrop for 2. Takagi hits a gutbuster. He misses a senton. Yokosuka goes after his shoulder. Walter keeps that up. Yokosuka puts on an armbar. Takagi rolls him up for 2. Walter hits an avalanche and a bit boot for 2. He puts on a chinlock. Things slow way down here. Yokosuka kicks Takagi’s arm. He ducks a lariat and goes for a triangle choke. Takagi slams his way out of that. He has trouble suplexing Walter but eventually gets it done. Kong clubs Yokosuka. Yokosuka comes back with an exploder. Kong hits the Cyber Cutter for 2. He hits a big slam. He hits an avalanche. Takagi hits MADE IN JAPAN FOR 2. Yokosuka opens up with lariats. Kong slugs him. Yokosuka hits the Jumbo no Kachi. Walter hits a dropkick. He hits a Jackhammer for 2. Takagi hits a backdrop. Kong hits Walter with a pair of lariats in the corner. Takagi hits a miracle DVD for 2. Kong hits a flying elbowdrop for 2. He and Walter trade lariats. Yokosuka hits Kong with a super exploder and Walter hits a Superfly Splash for 2. Walter and Takagi brawl on the floor. In the ring Yokosuka hits Kong with the Jumbo no Kachigatame for the win at 16:47. While it was cool to watch Takagi and Kong do power moves to Walter, that slow portion in the middle of the match really dragged this down. What could have been an unbelievable power battle in the mold of the Steiners vs. any two big dudes from Japan was instead just a fun experiment in seeing how heavy a guy Kamikaze can lift.
Rating: ***½
Zach Sabre Jr © vs. Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} [wXw Unified World Championship Match]
They lock up and Sabre shoves Mochizuki to the ropes. I call BS on that one. Mochizuki hits a chest kick. Mochizuki hits a shoulder tackle. Sabre hits a dropkick. Mochizuki hits a back kick. Sabre does some lucha stuff into a cross armbreaker. Mochizuki gets to the ropes. Sabre goes back to work on the arm. Mochizuki hits a chest kick. He goes after Sabre’s legs. He puts on a leglock. Sabre gets to the ropes so Mochizuki slams his leg to the mat. Sabre goes for a kick but Mochizuki catches it and puts on an anklelock. Sabre gets to the ropes. Sabre hits an elevated senton. He hits a leg lariat for 2. He sweeps the leg for 2. He hits a suplex for 2. Mochizuki hits a Yakuza kick. He hits a chest kick for 2. Sabre goes back to the cross armbreaker. Mochizuki counters to the anklelock. Sabre gets to the ropes. They trade kicks in an exchange that Mochizuki predictably wins. Sabre gets a roll up for 2. He grabs the arm and gets another roll up for 2. He gets a schoolboy for 2. He ducks the Sankakugeri and hits a Michinoku Driver for 2. Mochizuki won’t let him attack the arm again. He kills Sabre with kicks. He hits the Ikkakugeri for 2. Sabre blocks the Twister and hits a dropkick. He gets a roll up for 2. He hits chest kicks. Mochizuki sweeps the leg. Sabre reapplies the cross armbreaker. Mochizuki tries to power out but Sabre keeps the hold on and gets the win at 12:25. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that’s the first white guy to ever beat Mochizuki in a singles match. This was actually huge for Sabre, as he was getting absolutely destroyed but his persistence in going after Mochizuki’s arm paid off. The match wasn’t anything special on its own, but the cerebral way Sabre won did a lot for his image. I dig it.
Rating: ***½
I’m REALLY impressed with this show so far. Kind of surprisingly so, but not as impressed as you’ll be with my YouTube channel.
Naruki Doi {W1} vs. YAMATO {K}
Typical feeling out process to start. Doi dropkicks the leg. He puts on a leglock. YAMATO gets to the ropes. Doi dropkicks the leg again. He hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for 2. YAMATO hits a suplex for 2. He puts on a crossface. Doi gets to the ropes. YAMATO puts on a cravat. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Doi hits the Dai Bosou. He hits a dropkick and the hanging senton for 2. YAMATO takes a page out of Bryan Danielson’s book with the elbows to the neck. Doi hits the Rydeen Bomb for 2. YAMATO hits a big boot. Doi hits an elbow. YAMATO avoids the Bakatare Sliding Kick and puts on the crossface in a perfectly fluid counter. Doi gets to the ropes. YAMATO misses the punt and Doi rolls him up for 2. YAMATO hits a brainbuster for 2. Doi blocks the Galleria and hits the Doi 555 for 2. They trade elbows until Doi hits his slap flurry. Doi hits the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. YAMATO blocks the Muscular Bomb and hits the Galleria for the win at 13:59. The finish felt really anticlimactic, probably because the match had a good five minutes left in it. It was a shadow of their Compilation Gate 2010 match, but still these two likely can’t disappoint against each other.
Rating: ***¾
I didn’t think this show would be anything, but it ended up being really great. My YouTube channel, featuring a war between grapefruits and clementines, is also great, so go watch it! YAMATO sends the fans home happy with a promo.
This Zach Sabre Jr. guy sounds really impressive from what I’ve heard. Going to be keeping an eye on him.
Davey Richards was white and beat Mochizuki at Fearless. Of course, he was never seen in DG USA again. Coincidence? I think not.
Zach’s in a tag team with a guy I went to the British equivalent of high school with called Marty Scurl. They both wrestled on the undercard of the two UK shows this year. Zach’s wrestled against Danielson I think, so might be some things in his future.
I’ve heard Sabre Jr. and Scurll are a regular team in IPW-UK called The Leaders of The New School. They’re supposed to be really awesome. They’ve popped up in wXw quite a bit as well. I’d assume wXw has some sort of working agreement with IPW-UK, because Terry Frazier, Martin Stone, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Johnny Moss, Mark haskins, and Jon Ryan have all worked in wXw quite a lot as well.