The best wrestling teams from all over the world collide in the annual wXw World Tag Team League in Oberhausen. Are WALTER and Timothy Thatcher able to replicate their success from last year? Or are the teams from other continents conquering the German wrestling scene? Here’s a quick primer of the eight tag teams taking part.
CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham)
The original Calamary Catch Kings reunite due to the injuries of Travis Banks and Kid Lykos. Chris Brookes has been part of this years 16 Carat Gold tournament and seemingly denied a WWE offer in favor of the indies. The thirty-year old ROH regular Gresham reunited with Brookes this year after their initial formation in 2014. CCK are one of the top teams on the international scene and look to add another title into their impressive collection.
RINGKAMPF (Walter & Timothy Thatcher)
So, what’s left to say about them? International success all the way, performing for PWG, Fight Club: PRO, PROGRESS, OTT, RevPro and more, WALTER is the current spearhead of the European wrestling scene and Timothy Thatcher is developing into the Western version of Tomohiro Ishii. The winners of the WTTL 2017 are one of the top contenders again in this year to defend their crown and continue the era of RINGKAMPF around the globe.
Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero M & Rey Fenix)
The top stars of Lucha Underground are coming to the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen. Pentagon was set to perform in the 16 Carat Gold tournament earlier this year but had to pull out due to contractual reasons with Lucha Underground (same as Jeff Cobb). They are both regulars for PWG, IMPACT, MLW, AAW and AAA. Penta’s younger brother is nothing short of amazing in the ring and the current reigning AAA Mega Champion. His aerial moveset is as innovative as it gets and in combination with the destructive force of his brother they are making a strong argument for themselves as the winners of the 2018 wXw WTTL.
Team SPLX (Angelico & Jeff Cobb)
Angelico has been wrestling in Germany quite frequently over last few months for different promotions and in the UK as well, including Fight Club: PRO, OTT and Riptide among others. His partner for this tournament had an amazing 2018 so far: Jeff Cobb won the Battle Of Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago and the ROH TV Championship during the last TV Tapings. He is booked for multiple NJPW tours over the year and is heavily demanded all over the scene. It is great to see him back in a wXw ring and maybe he is making a statement to introduce himself into 16 Carat 2019...
Monster Consulting (Julian Nero & Avalanche)
The current wXw World Tag Team Champions are trying to keep their titles in this gruesome tournament. Never has a team been able to defend their belts in the WTTL. The two men are beloved by the international fans and have a great dynamic together in the ring. The passion they bring is contagious. Together with the other teams they´ll probably put on great matches and step it up a little for the occasion.
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
The Australian team has been all over the UK scene in the past and delivered astonishing matches in Europe every time they stepped into the squared circle, capturing the PROGRESS Tag Team titles on Sunday at Wembley. Fletcher is the counterpart to the massive and powerful Davis. Together they combine the high-flying ability of Kyle Fletcher with the raw power of Mark Davis which makes for an unique experience for every member of the crowd.
Jay-FK (Jay Skillet & Francis Kaspin)
“Fresher Than You” is the slogan of the newly heel-turned team and former number one contenders for the wXw World Tag Team Championships. They are every bit the slimy, cocky and arrogant young heels you would expect. The turn was needed to make their careers a little “fresher” (pun intended). They challenged for the belts multiple times but failed every time too. This might be their chance to climb the top of the Tag Team scene in Germany, even with not so clean tactics…
OKAMI (Hideyoshi Kamitani & Daichi Hashimoto)
The Japanese team from Big Japan Wrestling (BJW) is looking to make a first impression on the European scene. The 26-year old Kamitani is a former BJW Strong World Heavyweight Champion, who has been active since 2012. His partner has basically the same accolades, although he began in 2011. He had well received matches against Kota Ibushi and Daisuke Sekimoto, just to name a few. Winning the WTTL 2018 would be an explosive start to their international career and they certainly want to accomplish exactly that.
