If you follow me on social media, it’s no secret that I’m a bit of a slut for wXw out of Germany. My profile picture is a goofy screenshot of one Robert Dreissker, most of my posts are glazing Felix Kohlenberg and his team of folks that continue to put together what I believe is the best independent wrestling promotion on planet Earth. Ah, alright we got that out of the way so now we can get down to business.
If you’re unaware, wXw is riding a massive high on the shoulders of four men: 1 Called Manders who has taken the country by storm, so much so that poor saps are buying his old Iowa Hawkeyes football jerseys, Peter Tihanyi who is easily the best Hungarian wrestler perhaps of all time, Ahura The God King as he is called who is the reigning World Wrestling Champion of the company after beating pretty much everyone in the promotion that means anything, and Elijah Blum the man Ahura defeated to rise to the mountain top of Europe’s biggest promotion. That’s where we will focus our first PWPonderings ditty on and his match with a wXw living legend, one Shigehiro Irie at the company’s latest major show FAN 2026.
The thing with Irie is he’s not your usual Japanese talent wrestling in Germany. When he came over many years ago, he basically went native and became one of the most beloved wrestlers to come to wXw in ages. Oddly enough, very reminiscent of how Manders has been in recent time. So for Blum, who not only is coming into this match with a lot to prove and momentum to gain he’s very aware of all this. He even said on the interview I did with him (cheap plug) that he grew up a wXw fan, not a mainstream American wrestling fan first. He’s not only aware of Irie, he looks up to him in ways.
That’s what makes wXw different as well, a show that really is a bridge between their recent Pro Wrestling Grand Prix weekend and their 26th Anniversary show happening in December becomes layered and important all because of context. The fans understand that just as much as management, and you don’t ever need to worry about your intelligence being insulted, and that’s where we find ourselves when the bell rings in the Batschkapp in Frankfurt.
The match begins with a handshake, respect won’t be questioned in this one and then the lock up. Irie and Blum are both stocky dudes and they do a great job right away of showing that off with both men struggling to gain an advantage through collar and elbows or headlocks. Shoulderblocks get the feet out from under them, but it’s a dropkick by Blum that really gets the tide shifted. Sure, that makes sense considering Irie has more miles on his wheels and Blum’s a young man in the sport.
That doesn’t last though, Irie drops him with a World’s Strongest Slam successor and the rebound splash screaming “AUF DIE FRESSE” all the way down. Blum responds though with a smart dropkick to the knee, using that to set up his awesome flipping neckbreaker but Irie ain’t staying put. He’s back in his second home and he didn’t come all this way to be a notch in some kid’s belt.
Even though Blum has been a hero in wXw, the crowd starts to chant for Irie and he looks at them in almost confusion before playing into the conditions and clubbing the piss out of Irie’s back which leads to a fun back and forth of kidney blows. Nothing like male bonding around pissing blood, eh? Blum gets the CM Punk roll-around neckbreaker in and it looks like curtains until Irie pulls off a Black Hole Slam to change everything and get Frankfurt in a frenzy.
Mett Dimassi lets us know that you just become spaghetti when you go through a black hole. Norman Harras his color commentator is so beyond disgusted by this comment all the while both Irie and Blum are up high on the turnbuckle fighting for position. Irie hits a mean forearm that sends Blum tumbling and Irie hits his Beast Splash for the big wi-nope, Blum kicks out and Frankfurt starts to shift over into Blum chants. This is how the good stuff is made.
Blum leaps to the second rope, nails his Asai moonsault and even with Irie surviving, and hitting a truly brutal looking cannonball in the corner it wasn’t enough heart to counter a diving, shoot fucking headbutt. Well, Irie’s own shoot headbutts did counter it though and we get a fun exchange of head trauma for our viewing pleasure. Bless you, lads!
Even though Irie came in like a house of fire, on this night it wouldn’t be enough to counter Blum’s Sliding D forearm that leaves Irie in a really gross, crumpled mess with his legs completely folded behind him. I really love this match but I also believe there’s a better one in them down the road. One thing is always certain: wXw never forgets and it’s always possible. Anything in Western Germany is possible in the world of independent wrestling.