The WWE has been holding it’s first WWE tryouts in Cologne, Germany for the past couple days, held in partnership with Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). The tryouts featured several wXw regulars, as well as other indie stars from Europe, including a large French contingent. The new alliance with wXw is thought to be early preparatory groundwork on a potential NXT Germany promotion, which would serve as mainland Europe’s NXT epicenter (like how NXT UK encompasses the British Isles and Ireland). With NXT Head Trainer Matt Bloom overseeing the tryouts, former wXw star Axel Deiter Jr. (who now competes on NXT Live Events as Marcel Barthel) was also there assisting Bloom. Here’s a look at some notable names at the recent Germany WWE tryouts.
WWE Tryouts in Germany
ILJA DRAGUNOV, Russia
The 25-year old Russian is one of the bigger names at the tryouts and one of wXw’s biggest stars. A star in the German indies with the likes of German Wrestling Federation (GWF) starting in 2012, as well as wXw, Dragunov has won a lot of gold, as former wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, 2x wXw Shotgun Champion and 2x wXw Tag Team Champion. He made two more big debuts this year, with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in this past Battle of Los Angeles and with PROGRESS at their Hello Wembley show.
JURN SIMMONS, Netherlands
Only a five-year veteran but Jurn Simmons has emerged as another of wXw’s biggest stars, having held wXw’s World title on two occasions. “Massive” Jurn Simmons also frequently tag teams with US indie star David Starr in the tandem, Massive Product, and has competed in the UK scene with greater frequency as well, working with PROGRESS, Defiant, RevPro, Over The Top (OTT) and Preston City Wrestling (PCW), amongst others. An early product of the Netherlands indie scene, he started off in Pro Wrestling Holland (PWH), where he also captured the PWH Heavyweight Championship.
WESNA, Croatia
Croatia’s Wesna is a 20-year veteran of the ring, who started out at the age of 15 in 1998. She began working the German indie scene in 1999 with GWF and has gone on to work all over Europe with promotions from multiple countries. She’s a former Women’s Champion with Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) in England and 2x Women’s Champion in GWF and with Austria’s European Wrestling Association (EWA). She’s also wrestled with wXw.
EMIL SITOCI, Netherlands
Another Netherlands indie star, Sitoci is a 17-year veteran of the Euro indies and a long time rival of another Dutch superstar in NXT’s Aleister Black (formerly Tommy End). A former 2x wXw Light Heavyweight Champion, he’s also the reigning PWH Heavyweight and PWH Television Champion.
LX KEN, Germany
Another young prospect, 22-year old LX Ken moved to Canada to train with former WWE Superstar Santino Marella at the Battle Arts Academy (where he wrestled as Ken Duende) before heading back to Europe this year to further his training with former WCW Superstar Alex Wright with New European Championship Wrestling (NEW) where he now competes as LX Ken. He stands 6’6″ and has a build like a young Drew McIntyre.
MILA SMIDT, France
Mila Smidt is only 20-years old, but the former gymnast and amateur freestyle wrestler has taken an early shining to the world of professional wrestling.
CAMILLE GIGNON, France
Camille Gignon is a 25-year old third generation wrestler and one of the emerging French stars in the European indie scene.
SENZA VOLTO, France
Another emerging star in the Euro indies, 24-year old Senza Volto started out in French indies like International Catch Wrestling Alliance (ICWA) and Association les Professionnels du Catch (APC), as well as other Euro promotions like GWF, Hungarian Championship Wrestling, and even into the UK scene with Southside Wrestling Entertainment (SWE). This summer he made his US indie debut, working with All American Wrestling (AAW), Rockstar Pro, Freelance Underground and GALLI Lucha.
A-BUCK, France
The 6’7″ A-Buck is only 23-years old, but he’s been wrestling since he was 17, trained at the APC Wrestling School in France. He made his UK debut last year with British Empire Wrestling (BEW) and continues to work on his craft throughout Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uKxcqQDJb0
AMALE WINCHESTER, France
A 6-year veteran of the Euro indies, Amale held the European Catch Tour Association (ECTA) Women’s Championship an astounding 534 days. A regular with ICWA, APC and Tigers Pro Wrestling in France, she also made her US debut last year, working on the West Coast with Championship Wrestling From Hollywood and Alternative Wrestling Show (AWS).
