By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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wXw “16 Carat Gold Night 3”
Released August 26, 2024 on TrillerTV+
March 10, 2024 in Oberhausen, Germany at Turbinenhalle 1
I came away impressed with Night One, so I quickly devoured Night Two, and this is a review of Night Three, which features the semifinals and finals. I was really impressed with the lighting, sound and overall production values of these shows. Ricky Slatter and Norman Harras provided English commentary. I’m going to refrain from any descriptions of any wrestlers who were on either of the prior two nights to avoid being redundant.
* The show opened with a quick video segment of the four men who have reached the semifinals. Unsurprisingly, all four are confident they will win the 16 Carat Gold tournament. (I have NO idea what matches are on this show besides the semifinals and finals.)
1. 1 Called Manders vs. Laurance Roman in a semifinal tournament match. I would not have expected the bald Roman (think Karl Anderson) to get this far in the tournament. They traded mat holds early on. They began trading forearm strikes, and Manders hit loud chops in the corner. Manders hit an Exploder Suplex at 4:30. He hit a DDT and a running clothesline in the corner. Manders nailed a Doctor Bomb for a nearfall at 6:00. Roman hit a Shellshock swinging faceplant for a nearfall.
Manders nailed a dive to the floor. However, he missed a top-rope moonsault at 8:00. Manders hit a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. Roman hit an enzuigiri at 9:00. He hit a series of clotheslines in the corner. He nailed the swinging slam, dropping Manders stomach-first to the mat, to score the pin. Good, hard-hitting match.
Laurance Roman defeated 1 Called Manders to advance to the finals at 9:42.
2. Aigle Blanc vs. Peter Tihanyi in a semifinal tournament match. They traded some fast reversals, missed simultaneous dropkicks, and had a standoff at 2:00. A really cool sprint to open. Aigle hit a moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Blanc hit a head-scissors takedown and tied his legs around Tihanyi’s neck at 5:00. Tihanyi placed Blanc’s feet on the ropes and hit a swinging neckbreaker at 7:00. He hit a tornado DDT. Blanc hit an enzuigiri, so Peter hit one. Blanc hit a Dragon Suplex and a head-scissors takedown out of the ropes. Tihanyi hit a superkick. Blanc caught him coming off the ropes and hit a Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall at 9:30.
Blanc hit a flying kneestrike to the back, then a springboard DDT onto the ring apron, and they both collapsed to the floor. Tihanyi dove through the ropes onto Blanc. In the ring, Blanc hit a Lungblower to the back, and he tied Tihanyi into a Sharpshooter while also holding onto Tihanyi’s feet, but Peter got to the ropes. Blanc hit a doublestomp to the back. Tihanyi hit a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin! That was a really good match and a nonstop sprint.
Peter Tihanyi defeated Aigle Blanc to advance to the finals at 12:29.
3. Axel Tischer (f/k/a Alexander Wolfe) and Fast Time Moodo vs. Anita Vaughan and Oskar Leube. Anita has some size to her and I compared her to Ronda Rousey. These two teams both competed in a gauntlet on night two; Tischer’s team won the gauntlet while Oskar’s team was the first eliminated, so they did not cross paths during the course of the gauntlet. Tischer and Oskar opened and they shoved each other and had an intense lockup. Oskar knocked Tischer down with a shoulder tackle and grounded him. Moodo entered and kicked at Oskar and kept him grounded. Anita got the hot tag at 3:30 and hit some chops. Tischer hit a European Uppercut that sent her flying to the mat. Moodo applied a rear-naked choke on her.
Anita hit an enzuigiri. She hit a fallaway slam on Axel and they were both down. Oskar made the hot tag at 7:00 and he began chopping each opponent, and he was fired up. He hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Moodo for a nearfall, but Axel made the save. Anita hit a top-rope superplex on Moodo for a nearfall, but Tischer again made the save, and all four were down at 9:30. Oskar got up and hit a double noggin’ knocker. Axel and Moodo hit double superkicks on Oskar to send him to the floor. Moodo hit a flipping slam on Anita for a believable nearfall at 11:00, and he was shocked when she kicked out. She hit a sit-out powerbomb move on Moodo for a nearfall. Axel tripped her! Moodo immediately hit a spin kick to her face. They hit the Chasing the Dragon (spin kick-and-brainbuster combo) to pin Vaughn. Really entertaining.
Axel Tischer and Fast Time Moodo defeated Anita Vaughan & Oskar Leube and 12:32.
* Maggot was interviewed backstage. He said his shoulder is injured, and he warned someone that he’s coming for revenge. Who injured Maggot?
* The smarmy Robin Christopher came to the ring in a suit jacket and cut a promo in German; again, we have subtitles on the screen. He said his walking stick was destroyed! The crowd cheered this news. He introduced his new signing, Ahura. The crowd popped; Ahura came out in a tight-fitting long-sleeved black shirt and blue jeans. I’ve never seen him before. He seems like a babyface. Sure enough, he ripped into Robin, then kicked him. So, I guess he’s not the latest signee, after all. He hit a stunner for good measure.
4. Robert Dreissker and Icarus vs. Masato Tanaka and Nick Schreier in an ECW Rules Tag match. My first time seeing Schreier; he wasn’t on the first two nights. He is a white guy of average size. They all immediately began brawling on the floor, and Tanaka jabbed a chair into Icarus’ ribs. Dreissker is the wide-bodied big man similar to Ridge Holland, and he really looks big here as they kept brawling through the crowd. Schreier backed Dreissker against a guardrail and hit a series of punches at 4:00, and they went up onto the entrance ramp. They finally made their way down the ramp, and Dreissker tossed Tanaka into the ring at 6:30; it’s the first time anyone had been in the ring.
Dreissker hit a second-rope twisting crossbody block on Tanaka, and he set up a table in the ring. Dreissker hit a second-rope Bulldog Powerslam on Tanaka, sending him cashing through the table, for a nearfall at 8:30, and we got a “holy shit!” chant. Nick hit a springboard back elbow. He hit some flying forearms in the corner on the much bigger Dreissker. He went for a springboard move, but Dreissker swatted him away. Icarus tied up Schreier’s left arm and stomped on his head. Tanaka and Schreier got street signs and hit their opponents over the head with them. Schreier hit a frogsplash, then Tanaka hit a frogsplash.
Dreissker hit a Death Valley Driver on Tanaka for a nearfall. Dreissker hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Icarus hit a German Suplex on Tanaka, but Masato popped up at one at 14:00. They began trading forearm strikes, and Tanaka got a nearfall. Tanaka hit a flipping neckbreaker on Icarus for a nearfall. Schreier dove off the top rope and onto Dreissker, who was on a table on the floor. (The table tipped over rather than broke.) In the ring, Tanaka hit a diving forearm strike on Icarus and pinned him. A fun brawl. Champion Dreissker was protected by not taking the pin.
Masato Tanaka and Nick Schreier defeated Robert Dreissker and Icarus in an ECW Rules Tag match at 15:56.
5. Lio Rush vs. Michael Oku. Oku wore his RevPro title. (He has since lost the belt to Luke Jacobs.) They shook hands and Oku is a lot taller than Lio than I would have guessed. Lio actually stood on the bottom rope to make himself look taller! Standing switches and a feeling-out process early on. Lio hit a series of quick kicks, and Oku rolled to the floor to regroup at 3:00. In the ring, Oku hit a huracanrana and a dropkick, and it was now Lio who went to the floor; he had a fan check to make sure his teeth were still in place. Back in the ring, Lio hit some punches. Lio went for a handspring move against the ropes, but Oku grabbed his leg and applied a half-crab! Nice!
Oku hit a missile dropkick at 6:00. Oku hit a backbreaker over his knee at 8:00 and remained in charge. Lio fired up and hit some forearm strikes, but he sold the pain in his lower back. Lio dove through the ropes and barreled onto Oku. He hit a second dive at 10:30, then a third dive, with them landing DEEP in the crowd. In the ring, Lio hit a stunner, then the Rush Hour stunner out of the ropes for a nearfall at 12:30. Oku hit a spin kick and a Lionsault for a believable nearfall. This has been insanely good. Oku missed a frogsplash but landed on his feet. He hit an enzuigiri in the corner on Lio. Oku again missed a frogsplash. Lio missed a Final Hour frogsplash and they were both down at 16:00.
They got up and traded forearm strikes; both guys looked exhausted. Oku nailed a stiff spin kick to the thigh and Lio immediately began limping. Oku hit a dropkick in the corner and a brainbuster for a believable nearfall at 17:30. Oku looked perplexed and baffled that he still hadn’t put LIo away. Oku hit a running Penalty Kick. Lio applied a half-crab (Oku’s move!) in the middle of the ring! Lio hit a Poison Raa and a spear for a nearfall at 20:00. Lio hit a stunner out of the corner. Lio came off the ropes, but Oku rolled through Lio’s attempted move and he applied a half-crab and sat down on Lio’s lower back. LIo was able to kick free, but Oku hit a running knee to the jaw. Oku nailed a top-rope frogsplash onto Lio’s back and scored the pin. That was insanely good and the best match of the three nights. WOW.
Michael Oku defeated Lio Rush at 21:32.
6. Mike D Vecchio, Shigehiro Irie, Dennis “Cash” Dullnig, and Hektor Invictus vs. Yoichi, Gringo Loco, Galeno Del Mal, and El Hijo del Wagner Jr. in a lucha rules match. D Vecchio had two excellent tournament matches and you can easily see why Scott D’Amore showed interest in him. Irie had a big medical wrap on his forehead after heavily bleeding a night earlier. All eight brawled at the bell. Galeno hit a half-nelson suplex. Hektor is the guy with the thick beard and a cross tattoo over his chest and Cash is bald with a goatee; I hadn’t seen the before Night two. Yoichi and D Vecchio traded hard blows, and Yoichi hit a brainbuster. Irie hit a bulldog on Yoichi at 3:00, then his slingshot slam onto Yoichi.
Irie hit a huracanrana on Gringo that shocked Loco and the crowd. Dullnig used Irie’s head as a battering ram and they started doing the “Bushwhackers stomp” in the ring and that popped the crowd. D Vecchio hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 5:00. Gringo’s team backed Irie into a corner and each guy took turns chopping him. Wagner hit a Meteora on Irie, Galeno hit a rolling cannonball, and Yoichi hit a Vader Bomb, all on Irie. Nice sequence. Loco hit a powerbomb on Cash. Galeno hit a splash on Dullnig. Wagner and Hektor traded blows. Galeno and D Vecchio traded stiff forearm strikes at 8:30, and Galeno hit his swinging neckbreaker.
Irie hit a Heart Punch on Galeno. Gringo hit a Falcon Arrow. Wagner hit a Tiger Driver. D Vecchio and Wagner fought on the top rope, with Wagner hitting a superplex. Gringo hit an enzuigiri. Irie hit a Black Hole Slam on Gringo. This is insane action. Gringo hit a top-rope flipping powerbomb and suddenly everyone was down at 11:00, and this crowd was on its feet; the cameras panned and showed the fans clapping and cheering. Irie and Yoichi traded forearm strikes. Wagner hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor on several guys. Galeno hit a flip dive to the floor on several guys and landed on his feet.
Loco hit a springboard flip dive to the floor. D Vecchio hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press onto everyone on the floor at 13:00. In the ring, D Vecchio hit a top rope flying shoulder tackle. D Vecchio and Loco fought on the ropes, and Loco hit a top-rope powerbomb to pin D Vecchio. That was an absolute blast. You’ll never have this match of eight talents together ever again. This felt like a special, special lucha match.
Yoichi, Gringo Loco, Galeno Del Mal, and El Hijo del Wagner Jr. defeated Mike D Vecchio, Shigehiro Irie, Dennis “Cash” Dullnig, and Hektor Invictus at 14:21.
7. Peter Tihanyi vs. Laurance Roman for the 16 Karat Gold trophy. These two have a hard act to follow after those prior two matches. Worth reiterating this is the fourth tournament match in three days for both men. An intense lockup to open; Roman is thicker and more muscular but appears to be a bit shorter. Tihanyi grounded him early on and there hasn’t been much to describe. Tihanyi dropped to his knees at 5:30 and sold pain in his lower back. Roman checked on him; Tihanyi swung wildly at Roman, so Roman clocked him. (I liked this; Tihanyi isn’t faking the injury, but he doesn’t want sympathy, either.)
Roman applied a bearhug on the mat and put pressure on the lower back. Tihanyi again climbed the ropes but sold the back pain. Roman hit a Shellshock swinging faceplant and a frogsplash for a nearfall, and they were both down at 9:00. Roman gave him an Irish Whip into the corner and Tihanyi collapsed and sold the back pain. Tihanyi hit a top-rope superplex and they were both down at 11:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Roman hit some forearm strikes to the lower back; Tihanyi hit a clothesline. They traded rollups. Roman hit a piledriver for a believable nearfall at 13:00.
Robert Dreissker and Icarus came to the ring! They argued with Roman, who clearly didn’t want them there. Tihanyi hit a stunner on the ring apron; he got a nearfall in the ring. Tihanyi went for a top-rope 450 Splash but Roman got his knees up to block it. Roman hit a discus forearm, a hard clothesline, and his swinging faceplant (his finisher in several matches here) and scored the pin.
Laurance Roman beat Peter Tihanyi in 15:52 to win the 16 Karat Gold trophy.
A very good match to close out an excellent three nights of wrestling. A great final exchange. Tihanyi left without shaking hands! Roman posed with the trophy as the show faded to black.
Final Thoughts: I am so glad I saw that these shows were added to the Triller+ lineup in late August. I truly had expected to watch just one night, but the action was so good, the production was so top-notch, I watched the three nights over a three-day span. Lio Rush vs. Michael Oku is my favorite match of the three days, even though it wound up as a non-tournament match. The eight-man lucha tag was a blast and earned second place. The main event was a very good match to close the show. While I didn’t even think Roman would win on Night One, he won me over with the quality of his matches.
Lots of great talent on these shows. Manders, Gringo Loco and Lio Rush represented the U.S. well, Wagner and Galeno were great representatives of Mexico, and Oku and Luke Jacobs represented the UK. Irie is a great talent. D Vecchio is a great talent. There’s a lot to like here and I recommend checking out.
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