Originally started in 2010, Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw)‘s AMBITION tournament has been an 8-man tournament that features some of the best technical wrestlers in the world competing in a single day elimination tournament. Past winners have included Daniel Bryan (2010), Axel Tischer (Alexander Wolfe, 2012), Zack Sabre Jr. (2013), Matt Riddle (2017), and this spring’s winner, Japan’s Shigehiro Irie. While AMBITION is usually once a year, wXw is throwing a special AMBITION 11 while in Canada for SummerSlam Week, held in the afternoon on Thursday, August 8. Tickets are still available.
AMBITION First Round Match: Bobby Gunns vs. Daniel Makabe
The reigning wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, Bobby Gunns is entering his seventh AMBITION tournament. His best performance came in 2016 at AMBITION 7, where he made the finals by defeating Zack Sabre Jr. and Axel Dieter Jr. (NXT UK’s Marcel Barthel), only to lose to Sasa Keel. He’s facing one of Canada’s top indie prospects in Daniel Makabe, who is just coming off winning the Scenic City Invitational Tournament this past weekend. A regular with Seattle’s 3-2-1 BATTLE and Vancouver’s Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW), Makabe is breaking out into more US indies and is looking to make big leaps heading into 2020.
AMBITION First Round Match: Alexander James vs. Timothy Thatcher
Alexander James is normally seen alongside Jurn Simmons in one of wXw’s top tag teams, The Crown, but he’s working solo for his second AMBITION tournament. He’s going to wish he had a backup, as he’s facing a former AMBITION tournament winner in Timothy Thatcher, who won AMBITION 9 last year. Entering his seventh AMBITION tournament with AMBITION 11, he’s made the finals three of those seven – winning in 2018 against Mike “Speedball” Bailey, after losing to Matt Riddle in 2017 at AMBITION 8 and to Axel Tischer in 2012 at AMBITION 3.
AMBITION First Round Match: Daniel Garcia vs. Marius Al-Ani
Marius Al-Ani is a former wXw Shotgun Champion and wXw World Tag Team Champion alongside Absolute Andy in A4. Entering his third AMBITION tournament, Al-Ani has been an impressive force in the singles competition in wXw since leaving Andy’s side, although so far he’s struggled in AMBITION tournaments. He’s facing one of Smash Wrestling‘s top prospects and one of the Buffalo Brothers in “Red Death” Daniel Garcia. Easily one of the faces you can expect to break out in 2020, Garcia recently made his Beyond Wrestling debut and is poised for great things. A good showing in his first wXw AMBITION would be a huge boost.
AMBITION First Round Match: WALTER vs. Mike “Speedball” Bailey
Only entering his third AMBITION tournament, NXT UK Champion WALTER has been the face of wXw for years now. A former 3x wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion and the reigning PROGRESS World Champion and NXT UK Champion, WALTER is in a dominating stage of momentum right now and finally winning an AMBITION tournament may be one of his last checkmarks to do in wXw. Canadian indie superstar Mike “Speedball” Bailey is entering his fourth AMBITION tournament, coming close last year at AMBITION 9, when he lost to Timothy Thatcher in the finals. On home turf in Canada, Bailey will look to win the tournament this time around, but first, he must get past “The Ring General” in the first round.
Superfight: Tyson Dux vs. Yuki Ishikawa
For AMBITION’s Superfight this time, it’s an international match-up. Tyson Dux is one of Canada’s most respected indie veterans, having plied his trade with Ring of Honor, IMPACT Wrestling, and WWE – he was Canada’s selection for the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. He’s also one of The Pillars in Smash Wrestling, holding the Smash Championship a record 435-days. He’s facing a Japanese legend in 27-year pro Yuki Ishikawa. He began his career in 1992 with Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi, training under Yoshiaki Fujiwara, before heading to NJPW the following year. In 1996, he started his own promotion Fighting Investigation Team BattleArts (commonly just called BattleArts), which he ran until the promotion closed in 2011. He was an early mentor and trainer for former WWE Superstar Santino Marella, who named his own wrestling school BattleArts Academy in honor of his mentor. As a freelancer, he’s worked for the likes of All Japan, Big Japan Wrestling, Pro Wrestling ZERO1 and more, as he heads to Canada to work for wXw after debuting with them earlier this spring.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch wXw replays on wXw Now, their streaming service.
