Australia Becoming Latest Hotbed For Professional Wrestling
Professional wrestling in Australia is becoming among the best in the world. The list of star talent from Down Under grows longer every day.
Pro Wrestling Guerilla’s Battle of Los Angeles is a tournament known for showcasing the best wrestling in the world, regularly featuring brilliant technical matches and a variety of hard-hitting styles. This year, the tournament will feature three stellar Australian talents in Robbie Eagles, Jonah Rock, and Adam Brooks. This news continues a year that has legitimized Australian wrestling around the world, lead by the country’s most promising stars.
In addition to the BOLA announcement, the return of Rhea Ripley to WWE’s Mae Young Classic has also made headlines, as she becomes one of the first officially announced entrants for the 2018 tournament. Ripley, an Adelaide native, is one of the youngest wrestlers signed to NXT, and continues to impress in her televised appearances.
Ripley is not the only Australian in WWE making waves, either, with Peyton Royce and Billie Kay recently making their main roster debut as the IIconics on Smackdown Live. Both women originally hail from the Sydney-based promotion, PWA, and are quickly finding their feet as Smackdown’s resident ‘mean girls’ clique.
Buddy Murphy, who’s found a home in 205 Live, frequently makes headlines for his stellar, eye-catching bouts, and recently shared a noteworthy match with Mustafa Ali on the brand.
Also set to make a statement is former PROGRESS champion, Toni Storm who, alongside Jinny, leads the bill for WWE’s NXT UK brand. Storm first reached mainstream audiences in a brilliant showing during the inaugural Mae Young Classic, proving just how great Australian wrestling could be. She has also frequently demonstrated those talents in the Japanese wrestling scene, becoming a standout in Stardom.
Tenille Dashwood, formerly known as Emma, was quick to land on her feet after being released by WWE in 2017, having since signed a contract with Ring of Honor and reaching the semi-finals of their first ever Women of Honor championship tournament.
Credit: WWE.com
The success of Australian wrestlers around the world is representative of a local scene that’s growing from strength to strength. Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW) has recently announced a partnership with NJPW that has seen Gino Gambino inducted into Bullet Club, and appearances by Okada and Naito in the promotion.
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World Series Wrestling, a touring promotion that has held shows across the country with local and international stars, has become one of the first Australian brands to join the Global Wrestling Network, hosting their first iPPV, International Assault: Best of the Best in June this year.
The success of both promotions, as well as other local brands such as Sydney’s PWA, Adelaide’s RCW and Perth’s EPW, which continue to grow in size and stature, represents an Australian scene bursting with talent.
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In 2017, the rapscallion Mick Moretti launched a Facebook campaign with the hashtag #youreGonnaNoticeUs, encouraging mainstream audiences to sit up and take notice of the Australian scene. Since then, the sentiment has spread, with Australians making a noticeable impact on the wrestling scene across the globe. There’s no doubt now that they’ve been noticed. Australian wrestlers are indeed taking the world by storm.