Australian Wrestling thread

[nobbyiscool]

Oh wow was it that bad??! I saw it happen, he was just messing about before the show and said he’d aggravated his AC injury, then next thing I know he’s been sent to Emergency


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Oh, that's interesting. Was he just warming up on the ropes and landed badly or did someone dump him?

 

[itchee40]

Oh, that's interesting. Was he just warming up on the ropes and landed badly or did someone dump him?

Him and Zeke Andino (IPW) were just discussing how they do Canadian destroyers and one thing led to another and they started practicing them for fun


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[nobbyiscool]

I've said many times on this board that I'm not big on death match wrestling - but given I love the notion of wrestling at the Arrow, and a few of my MCW faves are being booked, I gave the Death Match Down Under "Not here to **** spiders" show a go.

And **** me if it wasn't actually a really good, really diverse show. Diverse in terms of its wrestling, but also diverse in terms of how it presents itself. If you get a chance to check out Joel Bateman vs Atlas Whittaker go out of your way. It told an amazing Tommy Dreamer "I'm hardcore" meets Austin vs Hart WM kind of story, as Whittaker came into the match in his snooty gimmick and grew into the brutality of death match wrestling during the match.

Forget the light tubes - they were just a prop to what was an incredible wrestling story, one that you never see from the top companies (and that they can't do, cos they have too much tv to produce.)

 

[nobbyiscool]

I probably not qualified for the mark-free thread that I proposed the other day, cos when it comes to wrestling in Melbourne I think I'll be likely be a huge mark for as long as I'm attending shows, and I think I'll defend it against most criticisms.

I'm not going to give a full review of tonight's MCW New Horizons show... except to say that it was ****ing amazing. Easily the best card since the COVID break, and easily the hottest crowd. Honestly, the hype of the crowd was like nothing I've ever experience in Australia - across WWE shows, across the many gigs I go to, across Australian wrestling shows - tonight was just bonkers.

Storyline-wise, there were also some really big happenings (including the break-up of a tag team that made Meltzer's top 50), and in terms of in-ring, there were legit 4 matches that I'd be giving 4 snowflakes.

I think the stream is available Wednesday night, and to quote Molly - do yourself a favour and spend the 4 bucks (or whatever it is) on the 48 hour rental, I promise you won't regret it.

 

[nobbyiscool]

I'm still not sure whether I'm just talking to myself here, but I went and saw the Death Match Down Under "The Juice is Worth the Squeeze" night 2 show last night. Man I really, really enjoyed most of it.

They were having their tournament for the Heavweight title, so we got to see a couple of crowd faves like Ritchie Taylor and Charli Evans a few times. We also got a really incredible match between DMDU tag champs Misspent Youth vs Aussie Open. (I know COVID sucks - it personally sucks being unemployed and broke AF - but having all these wrestlers back in Australia is pretty cool.)

The main event was incredible - probably not as good as the main event I saw at Thornbury Theatre a couple of weeks ago, but still amazing - and there were bangers all over the undercard.

And I love this "gender-free" universe they've created in the ring. I wasn't sure about intergender wrestling - but seeing a couple of the Charli Evans matches last night, seeing some of the interactions in the surprise 8-man tag, seeing some of the cool interactions between Aysha an Aussie Open, and I think I actually really like it, because in DMDU they've created a convincing universe where all performers are 100% equal regardless of gender, and their wrestlers get creative enough to make a match between, say, Jessica Troy who wouldn't weigh 60kg and Caveman Ugg who weighs over 100 believable.

Ironically for a "Death Match" Down Under show, it was the death match that almost took me out of it. Let the wrestlers do whatever they want, that's cool - I'm just a bit uncomfortable seeing glass explode into the crowd, and despite them doing this match before intermission it really interrupted the flow of the show. I reckon the intermission probably went for close to 40 minutes as they cleaned up afterwards... only for them to end up removing the ring apron anyway. (And you could still see wrestlers in the matches afterwards complaining of glass in the ring, cos they were getting outside the ring where there was still heaps on the floor and treading it back into the ring.)

And yeah, you go have your dart outside at intermission to wind down... but there you see a referee in tears over what she'd just seen, you see a wrestler waiting in the foyer for an ambulance, so all you've got to do is stew in the barbarism of what you've just watched for half an hour.

Both nights of the tournament will stream on Independent Wrestling TV later this week, and night 2 is definitely worth watching. I'll put a content warning on Gweedo vs Callen Butcher though and let you make your own call on whether you want to watch it.

 

[nobbyiscool]

I’m just home from tonight’s MCW Winter Warfare show. It was good - they always are - but it was probably the weakest MCW21 show (ie. post COVID show).

I wasn’t that excited for next month - I didn’t buy tix and might struggle to get them now - but they’ve set up a really exciting main event next month.

It was humorous that, following his resignation from MCW, they treated Lochie Hendricks as being dead… but I go to these shows and, while they’re fun, I still dread Brooks, Slex & possibly Kellyanne leaving for ROH, cos Jesus the roster is thin after that. They don’t even have a women’s division - tonight’s challenger was someone I’ve never heard of, and it seems that Avary has either quit MCW, quit wrestling, or is on a break; it also seems as though the Brat Pack broke up cos Nick Bury was leaving MCW.

It concerns me that Lochie, Avary, Bury, Ritchie Taylor and Psycho have all disappeared. I want my local wrestlers having fun, cos I know they aren’t being paid that well. But after the change in MCW ownership last year it doesn’t seem to be the case.

 

[nobbyiscool]

I just wanted to quickly say to everyone, if you've ever thought of checking out local wrestling, whether or not you've been before - please go to a show as soon as you can. My understanding is that promotions (if not wrestlers) were able to withstand COVID last year by going dark. But having come back, re-started, and started promoting shows - these companies are now bleeding as the result of cancellations.

There's really good shit in every mainland capital, and there's plenty of good shit in some regional cities as well. Give them a hand when you can. Subscribe to their streaming service. Buy a tshirt from WrestlerMerch. It's a great scene here that's forged the careers of Rhea Rhipley, the Iiconics, Toni Storm (whatever happened to her?), Duke Hudson, Grayson Waller, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste (Slapjack!)... that's without Adam Brooks, Slex and KellyAnne who will go to ROH post-COVID, Shazza Mackenzie who was getting opportunities with AEW before COVID, Tenille Dashwood in Impact, Aussie Open who are the best tag team in the world not signed anywhere, Japanese stars like Robbie Eagles and Hartley Jackson, and guys like Buddy Murphy/Matt Silva and Bronson Reed/Jonah Rock who are about to do something really exciting.

We need a scene to be able to foster all that talent post-COVID.

 

[Cleavy]

Not sure what you mean about Toni as she was on SD a couple of weeks ago…

 

[itchee40]

In Tasmania recently we were able to hold what I think is our first ever show without mainlanders, and we drew 250

 

[Established1870]

I just wanted to quickly say to everyone, if you've ever thought of checking out local wrestling, whether or not you've been before - please go to a show as soon as you can. My understanding is that promotions (if not wrestlers) were able to withstand COVID last year by going dark. But having come back, re-started, and started promoting shows - these companies are now bleeding as the result of cancellations.

There's really good sh*t in every mainland capital, and there's plenty of good sh*t in some regional cities as well. Give them a hand when you can. Subscribe to their streaming service. Buy a tshirt from WrestlerMerch. It's a great scene here that's forged the careers of Rhea Rhipley, the Iiconics, Toni Storm (whatever happened to her?), Duke Hudson, Grayson Waller, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste (Slapjack!)... that's without Adam Brooks, Slex and KellyAnne who will go to ROH post-COVID, Shazza Mackenzie who was getting opportunities with AEW before COVID, Tenille Dashwood in Impact, Aussie Open who are the best tag team in the world not signed anywhere, Japanese stars like Robbie Eagles and Hartley Jackson, and guys like Buddy Murphy/Matt Silva and Bronson Reed/Jonah Rock who are about to do something really exciting.

We need a scene to be able to foster all that talent post-COVID.

Can't agree with this enough. We have the talent and the promotions to be as hot as the UK scene was for a few years before NXT:UK destroyed it, and with WWE scaling down their plans for world domination with NXT Japan blowing up in their faces, we wouldn't have to worry about them coming in to stamp it out.

Aussie wrestling is never going to get a TV deal but imagine MCW getting mainstream recognition in Australia and being able to sell out 5-10k arenas and maybe even broadcasting their shows on youtube like WCPW used to? The fan base for wrestling is definitely here so if the right people are at the vanguard post COVID then possibly, maybe one day we can see promotions with the success ICW, Progress and WCPW all had for awhile.

 

[Senor M]

The biggest challenge for MCW will be keeping a strong roster after the borders reopen.

They rely heavily on Adam Brooks, Slex and Robbie Eagles at the moment at the top of the card, while people like Jett Rouka Ritchie Taylor have both retired recently and Dowie James, well the less said about him the better. if MCW is able to reinvigorate it's roster that's awesome, but I suspect they'll stick at their same level for a while, at least until they can get guest talent in again (Like when they did with NJPW and Progress in the past)

 

[Rusty Brookes]

In Tasmania recently we were able to hold what I think is our first ever show without mainlanders, and we drew 250

I've been reading the 1993 Wrestling Observer and WCW had some shows with a similar attendance at the time. That's a good attendance.

 

[Nugett]

Just read that these guys made their debut in NJPW with the Will Osprey stable.

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I don’t know anything about them, other than they have been described as one of the best upcoming tag teams.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Just read that these guys made their debut in NJPW with the Will Osprey stable.

Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database

The past, present and future of wrestling - the world's friendliest wrestling database.

www.wrestlingdata.com

I don’t know anything about them, other than they have been described as one of the best upcoming tag teams.

Awesome news. Buddy (Murphy) Matthews is also rumoured to debut in Ospreay faction at NJPW Autumn Attack.

 

[nobbyiscool]

Just read that these guys made their debut in NJPW with the Will Osprey stable.

Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database

The past, present and future of wrestling - the world's friendliest wrestling database.

www.wrestlingdata.com

I don’t know anything about them, other than they have been described as one of the best upcoming tag teams.

I believe it was actually a RevPro show. It was weird to join Ospreay's faction there rather than in New Japan.

Sadly, it suggests that they're going to NJ Strong - but that's probably a better career move.

I saw them earlier this year in a ****ing banger against Misspent Youth, they're worth the hype.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

Can't agree with this enough. We have the talent and the promotions to be as hot as the UK scene was for a few years before NXT:UK destroyed it, and with WWE scaling down their plans for world domination with NXT Japan blowing up in their faces, we wouldn't have to worry about them coming in to stamp it out.

Aussie wrestling is never going to get a TV deal but imagine MCW getting mainstream recognition in Australia and being able to sell out 5-10k arenas and maybe even broadcasting their shows on youtube like WCPW used to? The fan base for wrestling is definitely here so if the right people are at the vanguard post COVID then possibly, maybe one day we can see promotions with the success ICW, Progress and WCPW all had for awhile.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, rather than having all of these little promotions, try and band together for the greater good ala the old National Wrestling Alliance. I reckon Australian pro-wrestling could get a TV deal - at least on pay. It costs bugger all to do a wrestling show (one of the reasons why it was so popular in the US for so long - cheap as chips entertainment that constantly gave great ratings) and as you note there are enough fans to carry a nationwide promotion. We used to have what was regarded as the most professionally run promotion in the world in the 60s and 70s and there have been attempts to launch promotions which have failed flat on their arse. Anyone remember High Risk Championship Wrestling? I went to both shows



But it's a different landscape now. It doesn't just have to be TV these days.

 

[nobbyiscool]

Thing about being on tv is that all your production costs go up, talent want more money, you have to run more shows, and the age old problem in Australia is the tyranny of distance - it costs so much to regularly use anyone who isn't local. I have no idea how DMDU were bringing in people from interstate for a couple of hundred people, cos MCW have crowds 3 times the size and still only (generally) use a maximum of 3-4 interstaters.

 

[Senor M]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, rather than having all of these little promotions, try and band together for the greater good ala the old National Wrestling Alliance. I reckon Australian pro-wrestling could get a TV deal - at least on pay. It costs bugger all to do a wrestling show (one of the reasons why it was so popular in the US for so long - cheap as chips entertainment that constantly gave great ratings) and as you note there are enough fans to carry a nationwide promotion. We used to have what was regarded as the most professionally run promotion in the world in the 60s and 70s and there have been attempts to launch promotions which have failed flat on their arse. Anyone remember High Risk Championship Wrestling? I went to both shows



But it's a different landscape now. It doesn't just have to be TV these days.

There has been attempts in recent years:

• Outback Championship Wrestling on Channel 31 was repeated a few times after being filmed in 2015/2016
• Underworld Wrestling (filmed in Melbourne) is on Amazon Prime and filmed in 2018/19
• Professional Championship Wrestling in Ferntree Gully used to do 2-3 shows a week at their arena and (I may be wrong) they aired all of them on their own network.

But I agree with you-- an Australian wrestling company could work on a small scale IF the state companies worked together and collaborated on producing shows. The talent of MCW and the PWA using the facilities of PCW would be excellent to produce a weekly show.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

Here's another little gem from the past. Sportsworld covering a wrestling tournament - Australia vs the Rest of the World. This happened in 1985



It doesn't necessarily have to be a full TV show to get mainstream coverage

 

[nobbyiscool]

You've gotta bear in mind some of the unintended consequences too.

If, for example, this year's MCW had been on tv, I doubt we get Robbie losing a title match, I'm not sure we get the Parea losing a title match; in Sydney I'm not sure you have Aussie Open at the top of the card winning the belts cos you might not be able to control when they lose them.

 

[Senor M]

You've gotta bear in mind some of the unintended consequences too.

If, for example, this year's MCW had been on tv, I doubt we get Robbie losing a title match, I'm not sure we get the Parea losing a title match; in Sydney I'm not sure you have Aussie Open at the top of the card winning the belts cos you might not be able to control when they lose them.

Robbie Eagles losing to Adam Brooks @ New Horizons is available on Fite.TV, no different in 2021 airing the show online.

 

[nobbyiscool]

Robbie Eagles losing to Adam Brooks @ New Horizons is available on Fite.TV, no different in 2021 airing the show online.

Actually they've just put it up for free, everyone should go watch it.

 

[Senor M]

Actually they've just put it up for free, everyone should go watch it.

This 100%

 

[RedmanWasHere]

When you lot were talking about a Robbie, I thought you were talking about Robbie Thorpe.

 

[Cleavy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, rather than having all of these little promotions, try and band together for the greater good ala the old National Wrestling Alliance. I reckon Australian pro-wrestling could get a TV deal - at least on pay. It costs bugger all to do a wrestling show (one of the reasons why it was so popular in the US for so long - cheap as chips entertainment that constantly gave great ratings) and as you note there are enough fans to carry a nationwide promotion. We used to have what was regarded as the most professionally run promotion in the world in the 60s and 70s and there have been attempts to launch promotions which have failed flat on their arse. Anyone remember High Risk Championship Wrestling? I went to both shows



But it's a different landscape now. It doesn't just have to be TV these days.

your TV networks would have "WWE expectations" about what the product/presentation is supposed to look like, so you're behind the 8 ball from step one. They're better off doing the streaming etc and keeping things in-house.