Westside Xtreme Wrestling Explained

Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Acronym:wXw
Established:2000
Location:Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Founder:Hate [1]
Owner:Hate
wXw Germany GbR
wXw Europe GmbH

Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its events have been held in the Ruhr district, primarily in Oberhausen.[2] Since 2013, wXw regularly tours throughout Germany, adding tour stops outside the country including Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.[3]

History

Westside Xtreme Wrestling was founded on December 24, 2000, by Peter Wiechers, a professional wrestler with the ring name Hate.[4] Together with SigMasta Rappo, Tyrant, Mark Hammer, Blue Adonis, Barish, Thunder and Claudio Castagnoli, he held an event called "wXw Extreme Wrestling Party" in the disco "Roxy" in Essen. wXw has become one of the most notable professional wrestling promotions in Germany.

In 2016, wXw became the first German wrestling promotion with an on-demand service similar to WWE's network, called wXwNOW.

wXwNOW

wXwNOW is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by German professional wrestling promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). In 2016, wXw started "wXwNOW", a new worldwide streaming site for the promotion's events. All major wXw events air live on the service, which also features matches from the promotion's archives, dating back to 2002. wXwNOW Network operates similarly to WWE Network. The service has a current monthly subscription price of €9.99.

Co-promotion

Since its creation, wXw has developed working relationships with several American promotions including Chikara, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Beyond Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and Evolve and several Japanese promotions including Dragon Gate, Pro Wrestling Noah, Dramatic Dream Team and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. Through the working relationship with wXw, Big Japan's World Strong Heavyweight Championship features both the CZW and wXw logos.[5]

wXw has also maintained relationship withs several European-based promotions, including British promotions, Preston City Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, and Progress Wrestling.[2] [6]

wXw has held several interpromotional events, including Gorefest – European King of the Death Matches 2006 took place in the United Kingdom, a hardcore-focused event co-promoted with the English-based X-Sports: Wrestling.[7] The second Gorefest, held in 2009, included a title match between Drake Younger and Devon Moore for Combat Zone Wrestling's Heavyweight Championship.[8]

The 2008 event Dead End VIII featured the Japanese-based Pro Wrestling Noah and its rosters such as KENTA, Go Shiozaki, Takashi Sugiura and Kenta Kobashi.[9] The 2009 events, Open the Spanish Gate and Open The German Gatetook place in Barcelona, Spain and Oberhausen, Germany, respectively, were co-promoted with the Japanese-based Dragon Gate.[10]

On March 13, 2010, wXw held its first event in the US, The Vision took place in front of an audience of over 450 at The Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[11] The event also featured a title match for one of CZW's titles, the CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship, along with wXw's famous feud being between Thumbtack Jack and Drake Younger.[12]

On April 8, 9, and 10, 2011, wXw held its second and third events in the USA first with F1 vs. wXw on April 8 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, USA at the Spontaneous Sports Complex and wXw Kreuzzug ZXI day 1 being in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Asylum Arena and day 2 being in Union City, New Jersey in the ACE Arena.

On July 24, 2014, wXw started a partnership with Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling promotion which ended in 2017 due to GFW ending.[13]

On July 18, 2015, New Japan Pro-Wrestling started a working relationship with wXw as part of New Japan's international expansion plans which ended in early 2016 due to wXw working with too many promotions, not having any collaborated events, not being in NJPW events in Europe, not having wXw titles being defended in NJPW events and no talent exchanges.[14] [15]

On July 2, 2018, wXw started a working relationship with WWNLive, with wXw becoming an official partner of the WWN Training Center. Later that year on October 1, a relationship with WWE began.[16] [17]

On April 4, 2019 wXw held its fourth event in the US, wXw Amerika Ist Wunderbar Live From New York City took place in La Boom in Queens, New York.[18]

Tournaments and accomplishments

16 Carat Gold Tournament

See main article: 16 Carat Gold Tournament (wXw).

Femmes Fatales

See main article: wXw Femmes Fatales.

Catch Grand Prix Tournament

See main article: wXw Catch Grand Prix.

Contracts

See main article: List of Westside Xtreme Wrestling personnel.

Championships and accomplishments

Current championships

ChampionshipCurrent champion(s)ReignDate won Days
held
LocationNotes
wXw Unified World Wrestling ChampionshipLaurance Roman1Oberhausen, GermanyDefeated Robert Dreissker at wXw Drive Of Champions 2024.
wXw Shotgun ChampionshipLevaniel1Oberhausen, GermanyDefeated The Rotation and Maggot at wXw 16 Carat Gold 2024.
wXw European ChampionshipAigle Blanc1+Frankfurt, GermanyDefeated Mike D Vecchio in a tournament final at wXw Wrestling EM to become the inaugural champion.
wXw World Tag Team Championship
Dennis Dullnig and Hektor Invictus2
Oberhausen, GermanyDefeated Amboss (Icarus and Laurance Roman) at wXw 23rd Anniversary.
wXw Academy ChampionshipMarc Empire1Oberhausen, GermanyDefeated Tatsuya Hanami, Danny Fray and Axel Fox at wXw We Love Wrestling.

Defunct championships

Championship First Champion Final champion Date won Location Notes
wXw World Lightweight ChampionshipMad CowZack Sabre Jr.Oberhausen, GermanyDefeated Steve Douglas at Dead End X to unify the Lightweight Title with the Heavyweight Title to create the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship[19] [20]
wXw Hardcore ChampionshipEiji KushinawaNecro ButcherPlainfield, IndianaDefeated Ian Rotten and JC Bailey in a three-way elimination Texas Deathmatch at IWA Mid-South April Bloodshowers 2006[21] [22]
wXw Women's ChampionshipKiller KellyMasha SlamovichOberhausen, GermanyUnified with the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship at wXw 23rd Anniversary in a winner-takes-all match won by Robert Dreissker.[23]

wXw Academy Championship

As of, .

wXw Academy Trophy Championship
Currentholder:Marc Empire
Won:10 March 2024
Created:December 2015
Promotion:Westside Xtreme Wrestling
Firstchamp:Johnny Evers
Mostreigns:All titleholders (1 reign)
Longestreign:Goldenboy Santos (748 days)
Shortestreign:The Rotation (98 days)
Heaviest:Oskar and Danny Fray (242lb)
Lightest:The Rotation (163lb)
Pastnames:wXw Academy Trophy Championship

The wXw Academy Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and created by Westside Xtreme Wrestling. The title is contested for by rookie wrestlers trained at the wXw Wrestling Academy. From 2015 to 2023, the championship activated as the wXw Academy Trophy Championship. In 2023, the title was replaced and renamed as the wXw Academy Championship, with a new belt starting a new lineage. Cumulated, there have been a total of fourteen reigns shared between twelve different champions and a vacancy. The current champion is Marc Empire who is in his first reign.

Combined reigns

RankWrestlerNo. of
reigns
Combined
days
1Goldenboy Santos 1 748
21 441
3Vinny Vortex 1 392
4Julian Pace 1 366
5Johnny Evers 1 322
6Benjamin Van Es 1 209
7Nick Schreier 2 164
8Marc Empire † 1 +
9Timo Theiss 1 140
10Danny Fray 1 112
111 98
12Tatsuya Hanami 1 18
13Alex Duke 1 1

wXw Hall of Fame

The wXw Hall of Fame is a German professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the Oberhausen-based promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). It was established in 2005[24] to honor wrestlers who have wrestled for the promotion.

Inductees
YearRing name
[25]
Notes[26]
2005
Inaugural wXw World Heavyweight Champion (1 time), won the wXw Hardcore Championship (3 times)
2009
Won the wXw World Tag Team Championship (2 times)
2010
Won the wXw Hardcore Championship (9 times), wXw World Tag Team Championship (2 times), founder and former owner of wXw.
2010
Won the wXw Hardcore Championship (4 times), wXw World Tag Team Championship (2 times). SigMasta Rappo was removed from the wXw Hall of Fame in 2020. [27]
2010Thumbtack Jack
Won the wXw Hardcore Championship (1 time)
2011Longtime ringside photographer.
2011
Won the wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), wXw Hardcore Championship (1 time), wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
2012
Won the wXw Hardcore Championship (1 time), wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
2015
Won the wXw World Lightweight Championship (1 time), wXw World Tag Team Championship (3 times), wXw World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
2015Are$
Won the wXw World Heavyweight Championship (2x), wXw World Tag Team Championship (3 times), holds record with 603 days reign as wXw World heavyweight champion.
2017Karsten Beck
Won the wXw World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
2018Doug Williams
Won the wXw World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
2019Robbie Brookside
Won the wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
142024Absolute Andy
Posthumous; Won the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship (2 times), wXw Shotgun Championship (1 time), wXw World Tag Team Championship (5 times), 16 Carat Gold 2018

wXw Academy

In 2016, wXw opened the first German wrestling academy with a seven-days course schedule in Essen. The wXw Academy training is open for members as well as guests that can also book a stay in an apartment adjoined to the academy. With "Scouting the next Generation", the wXw Academy introduced a series of monthly events in 2015 that provides trainees of the academy the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd.[28]

In August 2022, the wXw Wrestling Academy moved to Gelsenkirchen.[29]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Cagematch, HATE
  2. Cagematch, Westside Xtreme Wrestling
  3. Web site: Chronik. wXw – more than Wrestling. de-DE. 2017-08-24.
  4. Cagematch, Westside Xtreme Wrestling > History
  5. Web site: Big Japan Wrestling – Westside Xtreme Wrestling – Combat Zone Wrestling Unified Strong Championship. August 10, 2018. August 14, 2018. Wildcat Belts.
  6. westside Xtreme wrestling, Official MySpace
  7. Cagematch, wXw/X-S:W Gorefest – European King Of The Death Matches 2006
  8. Cagematch, wXw Gore Fest II
  9. Moonsault.de, wXw/NOAH Dead End VIII 21./22.6, Oberhausen
  10. Martin, Adam, Indy News #3: HETV, TNA stars, CWE, AIW June 8, 2010 Wrestleview.com
  11. Knowledge, Nick, westside Xtreme wrestling in Philadelphia Live Report March 17, 2010, PWInsider.com
  12. [Miami Herald]
  13. Web site: GFW Reaches Agreements With European Promotions . globalforcewrestling.com . 30 July 2014.
  14. Web site: NJPW news: New Japan announces big int'l expansion plans, including expanded N. America partnerships & NXT-like program. Caldwell. James. July 18, 2015. August 20, 2015. Pro Wrestling Torch.
  15. Web site: NXT Germany In The Works?. July 16, 2018. August 20, 2015. lastwordonprowrestling.com.
  16. Web site: WWN AND WXW PARTNER UP. July 16, 2018. August 20, 2015. Pro Wrestling Torch.
  17. Web site: WWE AND WXW PARTNER UP. July 16, 2018. August 20, 2015. WWE.Com.
  18. Web site: wXw Amerika Ist Wunderbar - Live From New York City. July 14, 2019. July 14, 2019. Cagematch.
  19. News: wXw World Lightweight Title History. Westside Xtreme Wrestling. 2010-10-20. 2012-02-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20120209173239/http://www.wxw-wrestling.com/index2.php?content=title_history&id=4. dead.
  20. Web site: WXW World Lightweight Title (Germany).
  21. News: wXw Hardcore Title History. Westside Xtreme Wrestling. 2010-10-20. 2012-02-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20120209173822/http://www.wxw-wrestling.com/index2.php?content=title_history&id=3. dead.
  22. Web site: WXW Harcore Title (Germany).
  23. Web site: wXw Results: 23rd Anniversary Show – Oberhausen, Germany (12/23). wrestling-news.net. Wayne. Daly. December 23, 2023. December 24, 2023.
  24. http://www.wxw-wrestling.com/pages/wrestler/hall-of-fame.php wXw Hall of Fame
  25. Entries without a birth name indicates that the inductee did not perform under a ring name.
  26. This section mainly lists the major accomplishments of each inductee in wXw.
  27. Web site: SigMasta Rappo nicht mehr in der Hall of FaMe .
  28. Web site: Scouting the Next Generation. wXw – more than Wrestling. de-DE. 2017-08-24.
  29. Web site: wXw WRESTLING ACADEMY - UMZUG ZUM 01.08.2022 . wXw – more than Wrestling. de-DE. 2021-02-13.