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Round 2…fight!

Hello, once again! Yes, this is me—Darin—again, and this is the second issue of my Pro-Darin newsletter.

I’m definitely excited to tell you what went on in the European indies as well as the three WWE shows of my choosing, but this time, it’s going to be much different than the first newsletter.

I realized how lengthy my first newsletter was after posting it not too long ago; in the first newsletter, I went through every detail of each episode in chronological order, from promos and vignettes to interviews and to results.

As a result, I decided to—I guess you can say—give you Cliffs Notes summaries of what happened in each show, and then post the results of the show afterwards.

If you like shorter newsletters, that’s fine by me; I’ll keep that promise. If you like longer newsletters, that’s also fine by me; besides, we all have different tastes of how long or short recaps can be, from newsletters to articles to videos and so forth.

Anyway, let’s start off the newsletter, shall we?

ICW Fight Club

Besides one tag team squash, the rest of the matches were pretty good; my favorites were the triple threat matchup between Dylan Thorn, Saqib Ali and Tallon Jr., and the main event for the ICW Women’s championship.

I’m looking forward to the reunited team of Lou King Sharp and Krieger going face-to-face with Thatcher’s Cabinet, whether it’s on later episodes of ICW Fight Club or the upcoming Square Go! (By the way, I forgot to mention in the first newsletter that—for those unable to make it to the event in February—Square Go! will be aired on Peacock in early March.)

Good to see Dylan Thorn officially earn a shot at the ICW Zero-G championship after he was snuck into a matchup at night #2 of Fear and Loathing XIII; Thorn stole Xero’s spot after he and the rest of the Manifesto ambushed Xero prior to the ladder match that also included Danny Hope, Joey Hayes, Martin Kirby, Sheikh El Sham and Tallon Jr. Hopefully, Thorn vs. Daz Black for the title at Square Go! will be good, regardless of whether or not Thorn has his insurance policy in the form of ADM, Grant McIvor and Eddie Castle at ringside.

I got a gut feeling that Leyton Buzzard is converting from a heel to either a tweener or a babyface, mainly because he cut an excellent promo on entering the Square Go! matchup (30 men and five weapons), and then “not cower” like Kez Evans or other champions that are like him. I have started to like this competitor after seeing what he has done not just in ICW but in other companies such as Ring of Honor.

Angel Hayze has become one of my favorites as well, proving that she has what it takes to climb to the championship, even if it’s in the form of what the Beatles would call “The Long and Winding Road.” Her first title defense against Anastasia was pretty good; both she and her opponent did very well in the main event.

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Onto the results of the matches that took place in Glasgow, scoring and all…

Match #1:

Theo Doros defeated Logan Smith with the Falls From Olympus elbow drop. My score: 2/5

Match #2:

Lou King Sharp & Krieger defeated Mikey Devine & Rabu Romero in a tag team squash. No score.

Match #3:

Ravie Davie defeated Stevie James in, courtesy of ICW owner Mark Dallas as noted by Davie beforehand, an “extreme rules” match; Davie won with a double underhook DDT onto a steel chair. My score: 2.5/5

Match #4:

Dylan Thorn (w/ ADM, Eddie Castle and Grant McIvor) defeated Saqib Ali and Tallon Jr. in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender for the ICW Zero-G championship; Thorn won with the Crown of Thorns boot to Ali while Castle and McIvor held Tallon Jr. in a tree of woe. My score: 3.5/5

Main event: Angel Hayze defeated Anastasia by submission with a guillotine to retain the ICW Women’s championship;

Post-match, Molly Spartan attacked Angel back into the ring, and Kasey challenged Angel to a match for the title at Square Go! My score: 3.75/5

wXw We Love Wrestling 26

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In the first newsletter, I noted that it was a “look back” at this wXw event; the reason why I said that is because it took place on December 17, 2021, one month before Peacock gave us that episode.

With the exception of one squash match, the rest of the matches were pretty good, especially the main event. One of the highlights I liked was Tristan Archer doing the same thing Xia Brookside has done lately, and that’s overshadowing a losing streak (even though Archer already did so on a previous episode of We Love Wrestling) as a heel.

Other highlights I liked was Norman Harras going back to being a self-centered champion after defeating Michael Knight for the wXw Shotgun championship, the ongoing feud between the wXw Wrestling Academy (Robert Dreissker & Anil Marik) and the Family (Vincent Heisenberg, Maggot & Baby Allison), and Jurn Simmons warming up by getting a win in the tag team match prior to fighting Axel Tischer for the wXw Unified World championship at wXw Anniversary XXI.

Here are the results of the matches that took place at the Stadthalle Vennehof in Borken, Germany…

Match #1: Robert Dreissker (w/ Anil Marik) defeated Maggot (w/ Vincent Heisenberg and Baby Allison)

with the Dreissker Bomb (a Vader Bomb to be more specific); Marik, Heisenberg and Allison got sent to the back after all three went at it at ringside, even when the Family’s cheating tactics were occurring. My score: 2.5/5

Match #2: Tristan Archer defeated Tibo Hendrik by submission with a dragon sleeper turned into the Rings of Saturn.

No score.

Match #3: Dennis “Ca$h” Dullnig defeated Goldenboy Santos with a running knee.

My score: 3/5

Match #4: Oskar defeated Danny Fray with a Michinoku driver;

according to Dave Bradshaw on English commentary, it was a rematch from a wXw Academy show that occurred one month prior to this episode. My score: 2.5/5

Match #5: Norman Harras defeated Michael Knight to become the new wXw Shotgun champion;

Unbeknownst to the referee, Harras grabbed the ropes for the win. My score: 3.5/5

Match #6: Anil Marik defeated Vincent Heisenberg by DQ due to interference by Maggot;

all managers were banned from ringside for this match. Post-match, Dreissker ran in and fought both Heisenberg and Maggot until Allison ran in and slapped him, leading to Dreissker throwing Maggot into Allison. My score: 2.5/5

Main event: Levaniel & Jurn Simmons defeated Tristan Archer & Bobby Gunns after Simmons hit Gunns with a piledriver;

Harras was scheduled to be Gunns’ tag team partner before walking off after winning the Shotgun title and caring less about both the main event and fans. My score: 3.75/5

wXw Anniversary XXI

One day later, wXw went to the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen, Germany for the 21st anniversary of wXw.

Pretty good moments occurred at that show, including a five-star matchup that I will mention shortly (besides in the results).

One is that Robert Dreissker vs. Vincent Heisenberg wasn’t really the final chapter of the wXw Wrestling Academy/The Family rivalry; a match made for this month would be made after all hell broke loose between those two factions.

Another one was me being proven wrong that we would see more of Norman Harras as a cocky champion for a while after Absolute Andy returned to wXw as a competitor after handing his role of the director of sports to Francis Kaspin. Regardless of how short the wXw Shotgun championship match between Andy and Harras was, it was still good to see Andy back in action in a wXw ring.

Axel “The Axeman” Tischer still proves to be a fighting champion, even after going toe-to-toe with Jurn Simmons but with the wXw Unified World championship on the line this time; their last encounter was in a non-title bout at a We Love Wrestling event in Frankfurt, where it ended with Axel lying on his back on top of Simmons regardless of how many shoulders were down on the mat (all four to be exact).

The ending of the match however looked controversial; unless, you’re ahead of the game when it comes to wXw, it was hard to tell if Tischer botched a punch near the end of the match before defeating Simmons with the second Liger Bomb attempt or if he really did thumb him in the eye on purpose.

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The five-star matchup for the week (or December 2021 I guess you can say) had to be the dream match between Walter and Cara Noir. It was indeed a dream come true for fans of European pro wrestling, as well as fans in Europe, to see those two competitors clash. Walter still proves to be a dominant competitor in any promotion, including those that are sanctioned by the WWE; he has been one of my favorite European competitors before I even checked out wXw more often, and that includes his reign as NXT United Kingdom champion from April of 2019 in Brooklyn, New York all the way to August of last year in Orlando, Florida. Cara Noir is also one of my favorite European pro wrestlers since his one-on-one matches—from Progress to wXw and other promotions—have never disappointed me one bit; his other matches—tag team, triple threat, etc.—may be hit or miss to me, but he has proven to be one hell of a competitor—especially as the current and long-reigning Progress World champion—and not a one-trick pony, “Swan Song”, choreography and all.

Lastly, I look forward to seeing more of both Michael Knight and Bobby Gunns even after their first two encounters had poor endings, the first one being a time limit draw when Knight was the Shotgun champion at that time, and the second being a double count out as I mention in the results. I’m hoping that their next encounter, final or not, is even better than both of their matches combined.

Onto the results of the matches that occurred in Oberhausen…

Match #1: Arrows of Hungary defeated Stephanie Maze & Fast Time Moodo to retain the wXw Tag Team championship;

Stephanie was still able to shake off knee problems during the matchup before Icarus and Dover defeated her with the Crossfire. My score: 3.5/5

Match #2: Michael Knight vs. Bobby Gunns ended in a double countout;

Afterwards, Knight asked Gunns for one more match, and Gunns agreed but with a deciding winner this time. My score: 4/5

Match #3: Absolute Andy defeated Norman Harras

…to become the new wXw Shotgun champion with an Alabama slam-like faceplant in a match that lasted for a couple minutes. My score: 0.75/5

Match #4: Robert Dreissker (w/ Anil Marik) defeated Vincent Heisenberg (w/ Maggot and Baby Allison) by disqualification

…after Heisenberg used a toolbox, brought in by Allison, as a weapon; afterwards, all five people brawled before being separated by staff members until ring announcer Thomas Geisen announced, by order of Francis Kaspin, to stop brawling or there will be a suspension.

Then, it was announced that wXw Wrestling Academy fights the Family inside a steel cage at Back To the Roots on January 15, 2022. My score: 3/5

Match #5: Walter defeated Cara Noir with a Fire Thunder driver.

My score: 5/5

Match #6: Levaniel defeated Aigle Blanc, Hektor Invictus, Dennis “Ca$h” Dullnig and Tristan Archer in a ladder match

…for a shot at the wXw Unified World championship at Back To the Roots; Dullnig being his delusional self teamed up with Hektor a few times and planned on having them win the title shot together until Hektor got PO’d about it before they were knocked off the ladder by Archer. My score: 3.25/5

Match #7: Iva Kolasky defeated Skye Smitson to retain the wXw Women’s championship with a top rope moonsault.

My score: 3/5

Main event: Axel “The Axeman” Tischer defeated Jurn Simmons to retain the wXw Unified World championship with the Liger Bomb.

My score: 3.75/5

NXT

Next stop… Orlando, and this time, it’s January 11, 2022.

I got a gut feeling that Santos Escobar will be the first NXT superstar to go after the new NXT champion Bron Breakker after the two had a brief stare down prior to Santos’ matchup against Xyon Quinn, as well as after Breakker praising Tommaso Ciampa and vowing to become a proud champion by defending the title against anybody that wants a shot at the title.

Speaking of Santos, I expected him to win since Elektra Lopez is still…well…a member of Legado Del Fantasma.

Good to see Cameron Grimes back in action now that 2022 has begun, even if it was in a matchup that lasted for less than two minutes per se; plus, I would love to see him go for gold once again.

I’m looking forward to seeing the 2022 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic next week, including the women’s DRTTC come February. Those tournaments are often fun to watch, especially seeing teams that have been together for a long time or any team that’s newly formed like Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle was a couple years ago, ditto Finn Balor & Samoa Joe and Aleister Black (nowadays Malakai Black) & Ricochet just to name a few.

I’m curious to see what Carmelo Hayes has in store after winning in the championship unification match last week, besides continuing to call himself “The A champion” ever since retaining the NXT North American championship which of course absorbed the NXT Cruiserweight title; he, along with Trick Williams, have impressed me as of late.

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Despite seeing quick matches that lasted for a few minutes—including less two minutes—slowing things down (like they have ever since the 2.0 era began), I was a big fan of—you guessed it!—the main event. Great to see a competitor without NXT experience, such as AJ Styles, compete against an up-and-comer like Grayson Waller. (P.S.: To correct Vic Joseph, I believe it was the second time that Styles ever competed on NXT; I seem to remember him together with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in six-man tag team action back in late 2019.) Plus, it had a surprise ending after the matchup!

Here are the results from Orlando…

Match #1: Santos Escobar (w/ Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) defeated Xyon Quinn;

Elektra Lopez appeared and gave Quinn a low blow before Escobar won with the Phantom Driver. My score: 3/5

Match #2: Cameron Grimes defeated Damon Kemp with the Cave In;

Malcolm Bivens watched the match from ringside. No score.

Match #3: Edris Enofé & Malik Blade defeated Joe Gacy & Harland by DQ

…after Harland ignored the referee; Enofé & Blade advanced to the DRTTC afterwards. My score: 1/5

Match #4: Tony D’Angelo defeated Pete Dunne in a Crowbar On A Pole match;

…a chair came into play during and near the end of the match. My score: 3/5

Match #5: Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta & Wendy Choo defeated Amari Miller, Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter.

My score: 1.5/5

Match #6: Solo Sikoa vs. Boa ended in a double count out

…after both men brawled out of the ring and backstage; post-match, Boa burned Sikoa with a fireball! My score: 1/5

Main event: AJ Styles defeated Grayson Waller with the Phenomenal Forearm;

…afterwards, L.A. Knight returned and attacked Waller out of the ring! My score: 4.25/5

NXT UK

One big upset, one quick return, and one farewell to the black-and-red brand occurred this week in London.

I expected 2/3 of Die Familie (Teoman & Rohan Raja) to advance to the next round before I forgot that Gallus is still not done yet with Teoman, Raja and Charlie Dempsey. On the other hand, it is a pretty good rivalry between the two teams, even with Dempsey added to the mix. Plus, I’m curious to see how the final round to determine the #1 contenders for the NXT UK Tag Team championship will go with an underdog tag team (Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith) taking on a fairly new team (Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz).

Even though the match lasted for a little over three minutes, Amale’s return was worth the wait.

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Walter’s “Last Stand” match was a great way of ending his NXT UK tenure on a high note, even with Nathan Frazer giving him a run for his money from start to finish, before moving to American soil and competing on the multicolored brand that’s also known as NXT 2.0.

Now that this week’s episode of NXT UK is out of the way, I’m looking forward to next week’s episode involving the Heritage Cup match between Noam Dar and A-Kid (even though I’m predicting that Dar will retain the cup, even though I don’t mind seeing a first ever two-time Heritage Cup champion), as well as the following episode where Ilja Dragunov defends the NXT United Kingdom championship against Jordan Devlin.

Anyway, here are the match results from London…

Match #1: Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz defeated Teoman & Rohan Raja (w/ Charlie Dempsey) in an NXT UK Tag Team championship contenders elimination match;

Mastiff & Starz now have a new theme song as a tag team, while Die Familie also has a new theme song (replacing the Ezel theme song from wXw). My score: 2.75/5

Match #2: Amale defeated Stevie Turner with the Hopebreaker (or as Paige called it “Rampaige”);

Jinny joined Andy Shepherd on commentary during the match. My score: 1.5/5

Main event: Walter defeated Nathan Frazer with a powerbomb.

My score: 4/5

205 Live

Meanwhile, back in Orlando for Evolve…I mean, 205 Live…

Only two matches took place, followed by Bron Breakker’s promo on NXT which wrapped up the episode that lasted for 23 minutes. I only paid attention to the matches (regardless of how short they were), and not the promo, so…

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Out of the two matches, Valentina Feroz vs. Ivy Nile was my favorite; it was fun while it lasted, especially when Ivy did pushups while holding her opponent in headscissors. Anyway, here are the results of the two bouts…

Match #1: Bodhi Hayward (w/ Andre Chase) defeated Guru Raaj;

Hayward is of course the flagman/rescuer in case you’re keeping score at home. My score: 1.5/5

Main event: Ivy Nile (w/ Malcolm Bivens and the Creed Brothers) defeated Valentina Feroz by submission with a standing dragon sleeper.

My score: 2/5

Next time…

I’m focusing on four shows…ICW Fight Club, NXT, NXT UK and 205 Live.

I’ll see you next time everybody!

(Photos shown in the newsletter are from WWE, ICW and wXw.)