For once in the last decade plus, I’m going to put my history education to good use. To understand the gravity of Leon van Gasteren vs Robert Dreissker from We Love Wrestling 80, we have to go way back in time to a much different climate in European wrestling. Rather than official promotions that ran regular events, there were catch tournaments. These tournaments would be held in various places around Germany and would become these multi-day events to crown one true champion. Of course, that usually meant Otto Wanz found a way to win and vanquished the biggest American he could fly out, but there was magic to that. There was a heavy sports feel to it all, and one of the main reasons for that was the rounds system that was put in place.
If you’re familiar with World of Sport, you get it already. If not, basically the idea is no different than your modern day MMA where at any time a submission or in wrestling, a pinfall can end it all but until that happens you get rounds. Each round is a designated time frame; once that time expires, you get a rest and reset for the next. In the context of pro wrestling, especially in today’s day and age this is a very big ask of the fan. Be engaged with a match but also, have breaks where folks just sort of stand around. With lesser performers, this is like dying on the vine but when it came to Dreissker vs van Gasteren, it was simply magic.
Dreissker is the head trainer of the wXw Wrestling Academy, the best school in all of Europe by most measures and I have a good feeling that’s a lot of why van Gasternen decided Dreissker was the proper man to have his final match in professional wrestling with. A man who performed at a high level in Europe for 30 years, trained by an unsung great of the sport Franz Schuhmann and becoming a staple of the scene ever since. He’s trained tons of folks that now populate the scene in Europe and laid the foundations of what wXw has built into an empire of Continental European wrestling.
When the house music hit, Hamburg came alive for a man that could probably be most of the folks in the crowd’s father. Nick Schrier, one of Gasteren’s pupils is his second and for a retirement match this one has a true club atmosphere. That’s the German effect; the German crowds are unlike anything I’ve ever seen on a consistent basis. They not only want to have fun, but they respect the craft so deeply.
Oh right, the match! Tassilo Jung, senior referee and known executive of wXw is clearly emotional during the introductions, trying to keep it together and then that worm, Dreissker’s manager Robert Christopher Fohrwerk is wheeled out (he’s in a wheelchair because he took a minor bump like months ago) and he’s the one to introduce Dreissker, not the man Thommy Giesen. It’s awesome.
ROUND 1:
We have four minute rounds and the crowd literally comes to their feet to chant for Gasteren, and mostly jeer the ever loving fuck out of Dreissker. Right away, we have the classic evasion and high level grappling you’d see on any catch tape from the 80s, unbelievably technical stuff that most folks don’t even know of in the business today. They work a head scissors like it’s a guillotine choke in the UFC, it’s glorious. Leon fucking rules at controlling a grapple, knowing that a headlock has to actually look devastating or what’s exactly the point here? Dreissker tries for some flash pins out of that but tries for a headlock of his own but has to find the ropes for solace. Just truly great grappling, not one punch is thrown. There’s a beautiful moment where Leon has something going with Dreissker but slowly you watch Dreissker put on a nerve hold and man, no one since Yokozuna in 95 has worked a nerve hold this well! Leon sells it like he’s been tased by American police as well! The round ends with Dreissker looking like a complete fool and unable to put away the older man quickly.
ROUND 2:
Dreissker doesn’t start the round with offense, he yells at the crowd in annoyance. Leon immediately locks on a beautiful Octopus Stretch and it is vicious, looking as though Dreissker’s pectoral is going to snap like a string so again he must find the ropes and NOW Dreissker is livid. He goes to the floor to gain his composure but Hamburg is just giving him grief instead. On the next lock up, Dreissker gets a wristlock and seems like he’s gained control but Leon rushes the corner and hits a tremendous arm drag, followed by another off the middle rope and a dropkick sends Dreissker all the way to the stage to get work from his used car salesman Fohrwerk. Leon hits a dive over the top to the floor! Now we get some mild crowd brawling that I appreciate greatly. Round 2 ends with Leon in the tree of woe in the corner getting pummeled and Schrier just gets on the apron to check on his charge to be pump kicked to the floor like a bitch! YES!
ROUND 3:
Tassilo gives Dreissker a formal yellow card but the damage is done. Leon isn’t even on his feet yet when the bell rings and he’s getting suplexed like a bag of flour but barely rolls a shoulder out of a pin attempt. The crowd is getting more solemn, there’s still life but less so than earlier. Now, the size advantage becomes more clear with Leon trying a comeback but getting slammed back to the mat and splashed, squished like a bug on a windshield. Dreissker gets a sleeper on and grinds down Leon as the crowd comes unglued to will the veteran on! It’s amazing, they’re pounding the mat as he starts throwing lariats in bunches but it’s a lariat that sends him hard on his back yet again. He won’t quit though, he’s still there when he hits a swinging neckbreaker to stun the Avalanche. With 51 seconds left in the round, both men crack heads and everything resets as the round ends.
ROUND 4:
Now with both men beaten and weary, we have ourselves a battle of wills. Leon might have decided to hang up the boots, but he didn’t decide to give up. Dreissker wants one hell of a trophy to add to his amazing wXw career: retiring a catch legend. Leon hits a flying head scissors to start the round and follows up with a European uppercut in the corner, a nasty face wash, and a big flying body press off the top for a very near fall! Leon doesn’t give in, he jumps back up top and hits an awesome flying European uppercut but when he goes for a fireman’s carry the size of Dreissker stunts him. That size helps with the impact of a spinebuster that almost gets the job done. Leon tries to take a breath in the corner but gets crushed ala Vader with running avalanches again and again but Leon is tired of the bullshit and he throws some mean open hands. Those open hands get traded, then a superkick by Leon and a rebound lariat that would make Nigel blush! Then Leon finally gets Dreissker up for the Air Raid Crash but time expires on the round! This is the genius of wXw, they give us this visual pinfall moment, and even Mett Dimassi on commentary says “I believe that was the moment he pins Robert Dreissker but time ran out!” Why can’t more places understand psychology to this degree?
ROUND 5:
It’s the final round regardless and Leon comes out hot with offense in the corner, Dreissker goes for another avalanche but misses. He leaps to the second and goes for an insane body press but misses and it’s Marc Empire his tag partner that has to put his foot on the bottom rope for help. Leon says “bet” and hits a beautiful dive through the ropes on him! Leon goes up top for a frog splash, but misses and Dreissker makes him pay with a spear and the Dreissker Bomb!
This was easily the best retirement match I’ve seen in ages, and it felt like a proper send off. I sadly don’t know much about Leon van Gasteren, and he’s one of the few folks I know of that is unavailable on cagematch, and it even states it’s by his own request so I respect his privacy. All I know is if Felix Kohlenberg and his crew respect him enough to give him this kind of send off on their show, he’s a hell of a wrestler and man. There’s a whole post match speech by both Dreissker and Leon and sadly, I don’t know German but it’s clear there’s insane amounts of respect between both men. Leon gets a massive ovation as he rides off into the sunset. I love pro wrestling too, wXw.