Pro Wrestling Australia - Release The Quackenbush

With a show title like this, you'd be forgiven for expecting an appearance by Mike Quackenbush, and you get one. Sort of. He's on commentary for the show, which is an odd reason to name the show after him, but they mention he's also been doing some training in the previous week. As a commentator, he's the best possible Mauro Ranallo, calling move names and referencing luchadors, but without the terrible puns, shit pop culture references and irritating yelling. So nothing like Mauro, I guess.

Chris Vice vs Robbie Eagles

Big size difference here, Vice is a big musclebound man, but he shows off some nice rounded edges to his work, hitting a nice leaping rana in the opening moments. He also shows some mat skills, at one point grabbing an Eagles big boot from the corner, whipping him down and tying him up on the mat. Later, as Eagles kicks out of a sitout powerbomb, he immediately grabs a leg, locking in an STF. Nicely, he adjusts as Eagles nears the ropes, switching to Rings of Saturn. His slingshot shoulderblock looked great and a sitout piledriver felt like the end. Eagles spends a lot of the match on the defensive, but gets a few chances to impress. His kicks looks weak in places, but a massive dive into the crowd is nuts, and the match-winning 450 splash is terrific. Good opener.

Juan Direction (Funny Juan, Giant Juan & Romantic Juan) vs The VeloCities (Jude London & Paris De Silva) & Mat Rogers

Juan Direction, as you can probably guess, are a lucha themed boy band, complete with microphone headsets incorporated into their mask design. The opposition has a less united front, as Rogers is a big beast of a man who seems disgusted to be teaming with the smaller, goofier VeloCities. He refuses a tag, leaving London and Paris to work the match, and they do so with some nice double teams. At one point, Romantic Juan misses a big high senton and the VeloCities hit a neat double legdrop. They look fluid until Giant Juan clotheslines De Silva from the apron, and the VeloCities find themselves struggling to get back in, at a permanent 3-on-2 disadvantage. That is, until Rogers tags himself in and just dominates. Nothing fancy, just big shoulderblocks and clotheslines, but they looked pretty beefy. He ends up 1-on-1 with Giant Juan, the largest member of his team, and a big boot and a pumphandle slam gives Rogers’s team the win.

Gavin McGavin vs Mehmet the Turkish Delight vs Luciano vs Jax Jordan vs Dean Valente vs Kai Drake

Getting a match like this with 6 guys you’ve never heard of makes it hard to get a read on these guys. You don’t get enough time to get a feel for what they can do, but the small snippet I got from each guy didn’t make me opposed to seeing more. Turkish Delight especially entertained, a tubby guy in a colourful singlet who the crowd seemed to love. His feud with the serious Gavin McGavin got the most focus in the match, and Delight seemed like a fun character. Some nice spots here – dug McGavin avoiding a Sliding D, adjusting his body to instead get a crucifix for two, Valente had a really nicely executed DVD and I liked the logic of Jordan still jumping for a leapfrog when McGavin pulls Delight from the ring as he runs the ropes, just looked a bit more natural and realistic that he wouldn’t be expecting Mehmet not to keep running at him. In the end, Luciano, who’d probably had the least ring time, got the victory with an inverted brainbuster, and this was fun junk food.

Shazza McKenzie vs Jessica Troy

This is for McKenzie’s PWWA title. Really liked this one, I’d seen bits from both women before that had been fine enough, but this was the kind of match that makes you a believer. Lovely mat work at the beginning, nice logical exchanges with McKenzie being one step ahead. The non-Quack commentator mentioned a shoulder injury McKenzie had suffered, so it’s not a big surprise that this soon becomes the focus of Troy’s offence. She takes over in a neat way, catching a boot on the apron and swinging Shazza face first into her knee, then zones in on the shoulder. Lovely Atlantis Clutch, followed by some high kicks directly to the shoulder. McKenzie sells it well for the most part, despite cartwheeling to safety at one point, as she runs the ropes slightly differently, arm kept close to the torso. McKenzie’s offence also switches to be mainly about the kicks and running knees, trying not to use the arm. Troy gets close to the win with a Fujiwara armbar and a great nearfall from a crucifix, but McKenzie locks in a quarter Nelson chicken wing for the tap. End slightly came from nowhere, but I loved this.

Matty Wahlberg vs Mr Juicy

This was stupid, but the right kind of stupid, daft fun rather than something that makes you embarrassed to like wrestling. It works due to the strength of the characters. Mr Juicy is a chubby guy in a doughnut singlet, who comes to the ring with some beers for a party. Wahlberg, in contrast, is a ripped, tanned jock with an entourage, who insults the amiable Juicy. It’s an easy story to understand and Juicy is a likable guy, so the fact some of this is a bit silly doesn’t matter as I got invested in the character, and primarily in seeing Wahlberg get his. Juicy gets early control with a clothesline, after one of Wahlberg’s has no effect on him, and the entourage of Carter Deams and Harley Wonderland both get involved. I assumed for a DQ, but it turns out they’d ambushed the ref, and left him lying on the floor with his shirt over his head. Juicy fires back, even taking out Wonderland with a keg (and this was quite well done. Juicy didn’t just level a woman with a barrel, he’d twice chosen not to attack her and paid the price, and Wonderland is a trained wrestler, so it didn’t feel uncomfortable). He piles up all three in the corner for a bare-arsed stinkface (and Wahlberg ducked, leaving poor Deams to take the brunt) before a clothesline to the back of the head of Wahlberg gives him the win.

The Four Nations (Adam Hoffman, Jack Bonza & Mick Moretti) vs SMS (SnapChad & Unsocial Jordan) & Big Fudge

This was also fun, it’s a match that is there to ultimately advance a storyline, but it did so effectively. Fudge is a small masked guy, who is tag title partners with Shazza McKenzie. However, Unsocial Jordan is her fiancé, and also in a rival tag team, and he’s not a fan of what he perceives as Fudge using her to gain success. Thus, they’ve got a very uneasy alliance here, which isn’t good as the Four Nations put on a united front. Thought this was good, albeit with some clunky comedy sprinkled in. SnapChad and Jordan both seem better than their gimmicky names would imply, but Fudge seems to be mainly schtick. His big move is an arse punch, that it’s hard for opponents to sell and still look credible. Loved some of the heel double-teaming, especially a sequence of tags, sentons and slingshot sentons on SnapChad that looked great, all three moved so quickly. A three man Poetry in Motion, with Hoffman skipping across two men’s back en route to the corner was neat.Jordan shows his annoyance at Fudge by shoving him out of the way, allowing Jordan to receive the hot tag, but Fudge still blind tags himself in for some comedy. The end sees Fudge join in with SMS’s finisher, but Jordan angrily gets distracted by this, allowing Four Nations to isolate SnapChad and crush him with a towering splash for the victory.

Michael Spencer vs Ricky South

Spencer is a short, angry little man, thus making him the perfect choice to fight South’s effeminate lipstick-wearing grappler. Spencer hits a lot of knee-based offence, so it’s lucky that all his jumping kneestrikes looked killer. However, he misses a knee in the corner, allowing South to take over. Nice delayed suplex, before he finishes Spencer with a head-in-trunks piledriver. A very brief match, but a good one while it lasted.

Jonah Rock vs Caveman Ugg

This is a street fight, and these two don’t hesitate to take it to the floor. These are some big boys, so it’s impressive how quickly they can move. At one point, Rock takes the time to chat shit at Quackenbush at the commentary table, only for Ugg to appear out of nowhere with a cannonball. Bless Mike Quackenbush for justifying Ugg finding a ladder near the ring by saying it was used earlier to put up a banner. The ladder comes into play as Ugg side slams Rock onto it in a big bump. It looked, and sounded brutal. Ugg monkey flipping Rock through a chair looked great, and Rock getting a Death Valley Driver was also nicely done. There’s a slightly goofy no-selling section, but Ugg IS a caveman, so it’s not surprising he’s unable to acknowledge the pain. Rock hits a superplex through a tack-covered table for two, in a great looking highspot, before levelling Ugg with a brick and hitting a brainbuster to win. Really neat main event.

ACTION Wrestling - Action for Kids 29/06/2018

AC Mack & Ike Cross vs the Lynch Mob

Good opening bout, the Lynch Mob are well served to fast paced matches like this, and the heel team of Mack and Cross look really good in opposition. The Lynch Mob hit huge dives from the off, before working some quick double teams. Mack takes over on Matt Lynch in a really neat way, as Mack forces him backward through the ropes and Irish whips him throat-first into them. Cross is clearly a terrific athlete, getting nice height on a corner splash and he takes a big bump off a backdrop to the floor. Matt Lynch eats a huge spear from Cross for two, with Joey pushing Mack on top to break the fall. The Lynch Mob pick up the win with a rolling senton/frog splash/moonsault combo, enjoyed this. Good start to the show.

James Ryan vs James Bandy

I’d been impressed with Bandy on the debut show, so it was nice to see what he could do here in singles action, and what he did seemed really good. Nice jumping knee, sharp elbows in the corner and a nice dropkick on the floor through the ropes. Ryan played to the crowd well, though his offence seemed a bit softer than Bandy’s. Bandy makes a comeback after a short Ryan offensive spell, hitting some nice kicks before nailing a running dropkick for the win.

Tragedy Ann vs Aja Perera

Probably the weakest match of the show, albeit still decent in places. There were little bits I liked, such as Ann hitting a mule kick after a compactor legdrop and Aja had a few nice moves, with a facebuster and a running knee both looking good. However, there were a few awkward bits that dragged the match down – Ann running Perera into all four corners looked weak, an odd spinning slam didn’t really work and there’s a strange moment when Ann runs at Perera and bends down into position for a piledriver for no reason. Perera hits a Franchiser into a flatliner for the win.

Cain Justice vs Anthony Henry

This, on the other hand, was really good. Loved the opening matwork, with both guys jockeying for position, felt super competitive. Henry escaping a single-leg crab by forcing himself backwards through Justice’s legs looked great, and I liked Justice trying to get control by yanking Henry off the apron to the floor, only for Henry to immediately hit a forearm instead. A big exploder through the chair follows, must really have sucked for Cain. Justice finally gets control by using the ringpost to his advantage, contorting Henry’s hand over the top and through the loop on the side of the post. Cain from this point works the arm nastily, maintaining good focus. There’s a really clunky roll up sequence mid-match that doesn’t really work, but after that they get back to the good stuff. Loved Justice catching a kick, with Henry rolling though from there to lock in a submission, the commentary suggesting that Henry might have deliberately given the leg to allow him to transition to the submission. However, Justice gives a low blow behind the refs back and locks in the Twist Ending to win. Really good stuff.

Team TAG (Kevin Blue & Chris Spectra) vs Michael Spencer & Chance Rizer

Dominant victory for Team TAG, with Spencer and Rizer getting just enough hope spots to keep it competitive (including Rizer briefly getting the visual pin on Blue with the ref distacted). Rizer gets a nice run of offence to start, before Spectra cuts him off as he goes for a dive. Team TAG then work over Rizer, including a nice belly to belly by Spectra. They don’t do anything fancy, just nice simple control, keeping Rizer in their part of the ring. Tag Team 101, essentially. After a melee, where Rizer scores the visual pin, Spectra hits a huge shoulderblock, with Rizer taking a nasty looking bump, and a double team assisted DDT gets the win.

Billy Buck vs Cabana Man Dan

This immediately follows the previous match, with Dan making the save as Team TAG and Buck continue a beatdown. Dan is a short little spitfire, seems to have real energy and physical charisma, and he looked very good here. Dug him avoiding being blindsided at the bell by side-stepping a charging Buck, and taking him down with a fun mixture of takeovers and pins. Buck stomps on the bare feet of Dan to get an advantage, and allows Team TAG to beat Dan down on the floor. Buck controls CMD nicely and even gets to show some ring smarts as well, avoiding Dan leaping out of the corner and slamming his head to the mat. When he does make his comeback, Dan is like a bouncing ball, leaping up into a chinbreaker, hopping over and nailing a mule kick to the jaw. Team TAG try to interfere, but CMD chops them both down with his flip flops. However, this leaves him exposed as he turns around into the Buckshot superkick for the loss. Really enjoyed this, CMD comes across as a really likable fired up face, whilst the heels come across as suitably nefarious and smart enough to take advantage of their openings.

Slim J vs Cam Carter

Really loved the opening to this, with both guys countering and rolling through moves, gave the air of competitive one-upsmanship. I’d never seen Slim J before, and I was really impressed. He’s really fluid in the ring, just feels totally natural in the ring. Carter continued the good impression he made on the debut show, ending a nice kick combo with a really high German suplex. I liked how the veteran Slim J didn’t give Carter a second to breath, at one point nipping to the top rope and hitting a big spinning kick so quickly. Slim J commits to a big missed moonsault and we get a nice strike exchange that actually feels like a fight. Slim J takes a big kick to the face, and stumbles into the corner, subtly hooking the top rope with his arm to stop himself falling down. Lovely bit of selling. Carter hits a destroyer and a really nice 2^nd rope 450 for two. Slim J hits a superplex that he chains into a guillotine that feels like it should be the finish, but Carter powers to his feet and hits a double underhook brainbuster for the win.

Tracy Williams vs Arik Royal

This is for Williams’s Powerbomb title. Loved the commentary putting over Royal having two victories over Williams already, and throughout the match they make the suggestion that Royal might have his number. They tell a really good story here, with Williams working a limb, in this case Royal’s arm, and taking advantage of his openings to try and damage to his chosen damage point. For his part, Royal goes for big shots, using his raw power to break Williams down. Williams’s offence to Royal’s arm looks convincing, with nasty kicks to the armpit, hitting big downward chops with the arm propped on his own shoulder, plus his opportunistic attacks are really well worked. He lures Royal into throwing a wild punch just to yank the arm over the ropes, he lets Royal take his time going to the top in order to catch him with a crossface mid-dive and, when he gets caught on the top rope a la Ric Flair, he grabs the arm and drops it over the top rope again. When Royal is on offence, he beasts Williams, hitting a huge overhead toss, crushing him in the corner with a shoulder charge before sprinting Williams to the other corner to crush him again. He also hits a lovely stump piledriver, making it look like a struggle to get Williams up. Royal gets a two after a big tackle, with the ref recovering from a bump to keep him looking strong, before Williams locks in a Fujiwara armbar to get the tap. Thought this was excellent.

ACTION Wrestling Debut Show 27/4/2018

AC Mack vs Joey Lynch

Good opener. I liked Mack as a loud-mouth braggart, and his attempt to get in Lynch’s face sees him get met with a big elbow to the jaw. Loved Lynch holding a wristlock and clapping using Mack’s hand to get the crowd into it. The commentary makes mention of Lynch returning from a knee injury, which nicely pre-empts him jarring his leg on a floatover. Mack works it over, but the selling is inconsistent. At one point Lynch can’t even run the ropes without collapsing to the mat, then moments later he’s landing on his feet flipping out of a back suplex and sprinting across the ring. Wouldn’t stand out so much if he’d not oversold it in the first place. Lynch misses a moonsault but reverses a figure four attempt to a cradle for the victory.

Arik Royal vs Michael Spencer

Spencer isn’t the most intimidating looking character, and he’s pretty awkward throughout this. Right at the start, he hits an ugly looking wheelbarrow armdrag. Royal is far better here, taking control with a nice cheapshot where he puts his body between the blow and the referee. Royal hits a kind of kneeling pounce that looks good. This is basically a squash, but at least the right guy won, as Royal slams Spencer’s skull to the mat with a leaping dunk before nailing a spear to win. Liked Royal a lot here.

Ethan A Sharpe vs James Bandy vs Donnie Dollars vs Adrian Hawkins

The only guy I’ve seen here is Dollars, who’s pretty good. He’s easily the best wrestler in this match, looking really impressive, with a really nice slam-facebuster and a great big boot to the face. Hawkins slips on a springboard on his very first move and I don’t know if it affects him, but he’s a bit sloppy throughout. Sharpe has all the look of a comedy wrestler, and his strikes are indeed laughable. Bandy seemed fine, but it’s probably for the best this is short, with Hawkins slipping out of a Dollars pumphandle slam and rolls him up to win.

Billy Buck vs Cam Carter

Buck is accompanied by Team TAG, Kevin Blue and Chris Spectra. Carter is the leaner competitor here and makes the most of his speed advantage. Early on, he sends Buck out of the ring with a headscissors and hits a neat dropkick to the stomach as Buck tries to get in. There’s some lovely camera work as Buck takes control by hurling Carter shoulder first into the corner, with Carter almost coming straight into the viewer. Dug Buck’s control on the shoulder, with him wrapping Carter’s left arm around the corner post and really yanking on it. Buck continues to impress with come great height on a dropkick, and I loved how he just casually threw Carter to the floor to be picked off by his henchmen. Carter makes a nice comeback, taking out all three opponents with a plancha and hitting a neat springboard 450 splash back into the ring. However, there’s a ref bump and Buck takes advantage of a missed 450 to hit the Buckshot superkick to win. Really good stuff here.

Matt Sells vs Big Bite Martinez

Sells looks like a knock-off of 1992 DDP whilst Martinez is a guy wearing an interesting looking mask with a big tooth-filled mouth. This is short, with some sloppy looking offence before Team TAG come back and beat both men down.

Cain Justice vs Fred Yehi

This right here was terrific. I’d heard a lot about Justice from various people who’s opinions I trust, and I liked his performance in the CWF Mid Atlantic rumble I watched, but this is the match that made me a believer. Loved the focus both guys had on their matwork, with Yehi trying to lock on a Koji Clutch right on kicking out of a pinfall while Justice dropped his guard for a second. The kind of matwork where the wrestlers have to be alert or they’re done for. Yehi works over the arm of Justice viciously, jamming the arm over his shoulder. They fight outside the ring, and this is where Justice takes over, breaking Yehi’s fingers by snapping them through a small look on the outside of the ringpost. Real nasty looking shot. I like how instead of this being just a one off spot for a pop, it dictates how the rest of the match goes, which it really should. With every hold Justice applies, he makes sure to include the fingers in some way, making escape harder for Yehi. Every time Yehi tries to comeback, he goes for Justice’s shoulder, which he worked over earlier. It means the early matwork has consequences. Justice locks in a triangle, grabbing the fingers in the process, but Yehi is able to power up and slam him down to escape. The end is perfect, as Justice goes for a knee strike, only for Yehi to avoid and use the momentum to send Cain to the mat, swiftly locking in a Koji Clutch with elbow strikes to the head for the victory. Great, great match.

Gunner Miller vs Dominic Garrini

Interesting clash of styles here, with the power of Miller vs the technique of Garrini. In the initial stages, Garrini is really fun at trying to grab a limb from anywhere to down Miller, trying to force a submission. Miller finally gets some separation with a big overhead belly-to-belly suplex. There’s a nice spot where Miller tries some shoulder barges in the corner, only for Garrini to lock in a front choke. However, because they’re so close to the ropes, Miller is able to force the break and hit a knee strike as Garrini lets go. Garrini has nice open palm strikes, though he does kind of telegraph a missed back elbow. Both gets close nearfalls with the CTE pounce for Miller and a stump piledriver by Garrini getting two. Finally, the end sees Garrini lock on another front choke from a Miller spear, but Miller holds on a powers him up into a jackhammer for the win. Good main event.