By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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WXW “Shortcut to the Top””
August 10, 2024 in Oberhausen, Germany at Turbinenhalle
Replay available via TrillerTV+
I recently reviewed the three-night “16 Carat Gold” tournament and I really enjoyed the action, so I thought I’d check out this show as well. This is a well-lit small venue with a crowd of about 700… close to 200 per side. I noted this from watching the tournament a few weeks ago… the lighting and overall quality of production is top-notch. There IS English commentary. I do like they have a running clock in the lower left corner.
* The show opened with some video packages, with everyone speaking in German, but there are English subtitles.
1. Levaniel vs. Ahura for the wXw Shotgun Title. Ahura’s sleek black hair and beard makes me think of a younger, more chiseled Damian Sandow. Levaniel has short, blond hair and wore a black, Alex Wright-style jacket. A feeling-out process early on. Ahura hit a running kick in the corner at 3:30. They brawled on the floor in front of the fans. Back in the ring, Levaniel had him tied up on the mat, and the crowd was fully behind Ahura. The commentator said the winner of this match will be facing Matt Cardona. Levaniel hit a bodyslam at 8:30 and celebrated. Ahura hit a springboard forearm and a springboard dropkick, then a standing powerbomb for a nearfall.
Levaniel hit a discus clothesline for a nearfall at 10;30. Ahura went for a springboard move, but Levaniel caught him with a clothesline for a nearfall. Levaniel got his belt but Ahura ducked being hit by it, and Ahura nailed a slam for a believable nearfall. Ahura blocked a low blow, and Ahura hit one himself! Ahura hit a Sister Abigail-style swinging faceplant for a believable nearfall. Levaniel immediately hit a low blow punt kick in front of the referee, who called for the bell. Good action.
* Ahura cut a post-match promo but no subtitles for this one, but he noted he gets the match against Matt Cardona. Levaniel returned; he is willing to put his title on the line again if he gets included in the match with Cardona to make it a three-way.
Ahura defeated Levaniel via DQ at 13:36; Levaniel retained the wXw Shotgun TItle.
* A nice video aired for a tag team festival that takes place Oct. 4-6.
2. “Cash” Dennis Dullnig and Hektor Invictus vs. Mike D Vecchio and Nick Schreier for the wXw Tag Team titles. Vecchio is the guy that Scott D’Amore showed interest in at the end of last year, and he’s definitely in the top-tier here. Schreier is an excited, younger, smaller kid. The bald Dullnig (think Stu Grayson) shook hands with their opponents, which annoyed Hektor, who has a cross tattoo over his heart. Dullnig and D Vecchio opened, and Mike hit a dropkick. D Vecchio knocked Hektor down several times with shoulder tackles. D Vecchio and Schreier hit stereo planchas to the floor.
In the ring, D Vecchio hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Hektor, and they worked Invictus over in their corner. Invictus hit a backbody drop on Schreier at 4:30, and the champs took control and kept Nick in their corner. Hektor slammed teammate Dullnig onto Schreier. D Vecchio got the hot tag at 8:00 and hit a dropkick on Dullnig in the corner. Schreier hit a missile dropkick. D Vecchio picked up Schreier in a Guerrilla Press and tossed Nick to the floor on the champs. D Vecchio then dove over the top rope onto everyone.
Back in the ring, D Vecchio hit a double springboard stunner for a believable nearfall at 10:00. Schreier and Hektor traded forearm strikes. Schreier hit a springboard back elbow. Dullnig hit a uranage on Schreier. D Vecchio hit a clothesline on Dullnig. Hektor hit a powerslam on D Vecchio at 12:00. Nice sequence. Schreier hit a top-rope crossbody block onto both opponents. However, Dullnig and Inictus immediately hit a Team 3D on Schreier. Hektor hit a standing powerbomb and a running knee and pinned Scheier. A very good match.
Hektor Invictus and “Cash” Dennis Dullnig defeated Mike D Vecchio and Nick Schreier to retain the wXw Tag Team titles at 12:52.
* Backstage, an announcer interviewed Axel Tischer (f/k/aAlexander Wolfe) and Fast Time Moodo in German. No idea what they were talking about, but I’m guessing they both vowed to win the “Shortcut to the Top.” They pulled numbers out of a large mug to find out when they will be entering the match. (I always liked when WWE did this; it’s not done enough.)
3. Aigle Blanc vs. Michael Oku for the wXw European Title. This match alone is a reason to tune in. I always say that with his long, curly blond hair coming out from under the mask, Blanc has the look of Matt Riddle in a mask. A feeling-out process early on. Blanc hit a hard knee to the chin for a nearfall at 2:00. Oku hit a dropkick that sent Blanc to the floor. Blanc hit a flip dive to the floor and luckily he landed on an empty seat in the front row. In the ring, Aigle hit a huracanrana and he locked in a leglock around the neck. Oku hit a missile dropkick and they were both down at 5:00. Oku hit a stiff kick to the spine for a nearfall.
Blanc hit a springboard crossbody block at 7:30. He hit an enzuigiri and was fired up. He hit a springboard Meteora double knees to the back of Oku’s head and got a nearfall. Oku hit a DDT for a nearfall at 9:00. Aigle hit a huracanrana that spiked Oku’s head on the mat. Aigle missed a moonsault to the floor but landed on his feet. Oku hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor onto Aigle. Oku hit a top-rope crossbody block, getting great hang time, for a believable nearfall at 11:30. He hit a stiff forearm that dropped Blanc. They traded forearm strikes. Oku hit a Pele Kick. Blanc hit a German Suplex and a Dragon Suplex. Oku hit a running knee to the side of the head, then a springboard moonsault for a nearfall, and they were both down. at 14:00.
Blanc got underneath Oku and slammed him head-first on the top turnbuckle. Blanc came off the top rope but Oku caught him with a superkick. Oku went for a frog splash but Blanc got his knees up to block it. Blanc hit a Tombstone Piledriver and a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall at 16:00. “How do you kick out of that?” the commentator shouted. Blanc went for a Meteora but Oku rolled through and applied a half-crab! Blanc escaped and hit a clothesline at 18:00. Oku went for a Poison Rana that didn’t quite work. He hit a top-rope frog splash for a believable nearfall, and he immediately locked in the half-crab. However, Blanc rolled through, hit a pump-handle sit-out powerbomb, and scored the pin. “What a match! High expectations after the first bout, and the second bout did not disappoint!” the commentator said.
Aigle Blanc defeated Michael Oku to retain the wXw European Title at 19:05.
4. Laurance Roman vs. Trevor Lee for the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title. The bald Roman (think Karl Anderson) impressed in being an unlikely winner of the 16 Karat Gold tournament. I’ve noted this before, but if you haven’t seen Lee (f/k/a Cameron Grimes) since he left WWE, he has really short hair and the sides of his head are shaved. The commentator noted this title has been held by Bryan Danielson, Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser and Ilja Dragunov. Wow! A feeling-out process early on. Roman hit a running forearm in the corner at 3:30, then a plancha to the floor on Lee. In the ring, Lee hit a Shining Wizard, then a running Penalty Kick on the apron as Roman was standing on the floor.
Lee hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest in the corner and was in charge, getting a nearfall at 6:00. He began working the left arm and grounded Roman. He hit a stiff kick to the spine and a kneedrop to the chin for a nearfall. Roman nailed a top-rope missile dropkick. Lee hit a spin kick to the side of the head at 10:00. Roman nailed an Exploder Suplex for a nearfall. Lee hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly (this actually looked more like a belly-to-belly suplex), Roman hit a Shellshock swinging faceplant for a believable nearfall at 12:00. Lee hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Lee hit a superkick. Roman hit his swinging faceplant (how he won many tournament matches), and it got the pin here, too. Good action.
Laurance Roman defeated Trevor Lee to retain the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title at 14:18.
5. Shortcut to the Top. This is a 30-person, WWE-style Royal Rumble. Norman Harras, the smug villain of every 1980s action movie, is No. 1. Tank, a muscular woman dressed in black, is No. 2. Think Kamille but even more muscle definition. He still has a height advantage over her. She bodyslammed him and clotheslined him to the floor to eliminate Harras! Axel Fox is No. 3; he has short red hair and the commentator said he’s from Poland. She is actually much bigger than he is, and she chokeslammed Fox, then tossed him, too! Alex Duke entered as No. 4 at 4:00. Anil Marik is No. 5; he has long blond hair and he’s an arrogant heel. They worked together to toss Tank, and the crowd booed them.
Dennis Dullnig was No. 6 at 7:00 and he beat up on the two heels. Duke hit a low blow on Dullnig. Nick Schreier is No. 7. Nick and Dennis worked together; the commentator noted they were just opponents earlier in the show. The muscular, bald, tattooed Icarus (think Tyson Tomko) was No. 8 at 10:30. Baby Allison (think Ruby Soho or Shotzi Blackheart) was No. 9 and she immediately brawled with Anil. Dullnig tossed Duke. Icarus tossed Dullnig, and we’re down to four in the ring. Maggot was No. 10 at 13:00 and he got a huge pop; the commentator noted he was out with an injury for months after the 16 Karat Gold tournament in March.
Levaniel was No. 11, and he quickly tossed Schreier, so we are back to five in the ring. Icarus was eliminated. Zeritos was No. 12; he’s tall with dark hair. Maggot and Allison were tossed. We only have Zeritos, Levaniel and Marik left at this time. Anita Vaughan, the big muscular woman I’ve compared to Ronda Rousey, was No. 13 at 18:00. She hit a fallaway slam on Levaniel. Rainer Ringer, a heavyset guy in a black singlet, is No. 14, and he’s apparently a referee! The crowd popped for this. Ringer hit a Stinger Splash on Zeritos, then a Vader Bomb. He tossed Zeritos! Anil eliminated Ringer, and we’re down to three in the ring. Jacob Crane was No. 15 at 21:30; he’s short and thick, and he hit some quick bodyslams.
Crane and Vaughan hit stereo bodyslams on the heels. Ahura was No. 16 and he clotheslined Vaughan, then he kicked Anil over the top rope to eliminate him. Ahura and Levaniel traded blows, continuing their fight from earlier. Mike D Vecchio was No. 17 and he beat up the four in the ring. Red Scorpion, looking like Gran Metalik in a red outfit and mask, was No. 18 at 26:30. Axel Tischer was No. 19. Oskar Leube, a recent NJPW Young Lion graduate, was No. 20 at 29:30, and he began hitting bodyslams on everyone. Tischer eliminated Vaughan by snapping her fingers. I think we have seven in the ring. Jane Nero was No. 21; she is shorter with black hair, and she began hitting body blows, then a stunner on Axel.
Oskar eliminated Levaniel at 32:30, and that got a pop. Red Scorpion also was tossed. Michael Oku was No. 22, but he limped to the ring after his match earlier. He battled D Vecchio. Ahura kicked Crane over the top rope and to the floor, and we’re down to six in the ring. Fast Time Moodo was No. 23. Nero was tossed. Moodo and Tischer hit a team clothesline to eliminate Ahura. They worked together to toss D Vecchio, too! Yuto Nakashima (Oskar’s partner!) ran in at No. 24, so we had the teams of Oskar/Yuto and Moodo/Tischer brawling with each other until all four collapsed. Sha Samuels, a former NXT-UK guy, was No. 25. He apparently hasn’t been here since 2019. We have six in the ring.
Hektor Invictus was No. 26 at 39:30. Elijah Blum was No. 27; he’s white and covered in tattoos. He dropkicked Samuels over the top rope to eliminate Sha. Aaron Insane, a thicker guy in a singlet, was No. 28 at 43:00. Moodo and Tischer hit a Chasing the Dragon combo and tossed Nakashima. Oskar fired up and was angry, and he tossed Tischer and Moodo together! We have five in the ring. Oku eliminated Hektor. Aigle Blanc was No. 29, and he tossed Aaron Insane as he entered the ring. Oku hit a dropkick on Blanc. In a cool spot, Oskar was lying on his back and kicked Oku so hard, Oku flipped over the top rope to the floor.
A heel manager came onto the ring and spoke in German, saying his new client is last. Peter Tihanyi was our final entrant at No. 30. Everyone was shocked to see him with the heels. Meanwhile, three heels snuck in the ring attacked Blum, Blanc and Oskar from behind and tossed them all to the floor. Tihanyi slowly walked to the ring and was booed. “This is a travesty! A scandal!” the commentator said. Tihanyi got into the ring and was declared the winner, as everyone else was out. He didn’t have to eliminate anyone, as the final three were tossed while he was on the entrance stage.
Peter Tihanyi won the Shortcut To The Top at 51:34.
Final Thoughts: I am really digging these wXw shows. Really good action, really good production, and a crowd that is into the action. Oku-Blanc was stellar and that match carried the show. The Royal Rumble match, whatever you want to call it, was really good for a distant second. The lineup included a tag match featuring Yuto Nakashima and Oskar Leube, but this was already more than three hours, so my guess is that just wound up on the cutting room floor in the editing room.
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