Big Brodie Marshall vs Jonah Rock
On 1 August I was lucky enough to witness an event that blew my mind: Australian Wrestling Allstars. If the only exposure you’ve had to Wrestling is WWE or WCW then you are missing out.
In honesty, I expected something dodgy and low rent, instead I was presented with a wrestling card packed to the brim with talented performers that could challenge today’s Wrestlemania shows.
It’s a testament to wrestling when it can get a crowd excited and making a little noise, but there were points during the show where I felt a definite rumbling and couldn’t help but join in the many chants throughout the night.
For the show itself Nick Armstrong took on and bested Chris Basso in a fine bout. Elliot Sexton and Rafael Sanchez put on a great match that saw Sexton pick up the victory. The team of Havok/John E. Radic defeated the masked tandem of SMASH in a fun tag team match; the masked team seemed to especially connect with the fans even in defeat. Jag defeated Rocky Menero via disqualification and the fans let Jag have it in the aftermath of the match.
I might be a little biased in the next match, but the man who I interviewed a few months back, Damien Slater, took on ring veteran Robbie Heart for the Australian Middleweight Championship. This was the title held so proudly and dearly by Slater’s mentor Col Delaney. The crowd was at a fever pitch for this back-and-forth match that had audience members on the edge of their seats. They exploded when Slater finally lifted the title above his head in celebration and I must admit to feeling that the smile on Mr Slater’s face that night was very, very genuine. A simply fantastic match.
In the main event Jonah Rock and Brodie Marshall wrestled to a no contest finale to find the Australian Wrestling Allstars Championship still vacant. It was a great match that came right down to the wire, and was an excellent way to leave the fans hungry for more. I now personally cannot wait to see where this story goes from here.
The biggest compliment I can give to all those involved is this: there were times in this show where I closed my eyes, just to listen to this amazing crowd. At those moments I forgot I was in the Denison Centre. Instead, to my ears, it felt like Madison Square Garden.
Reviewed by Adam Gerard
Twitter: @awordwithadam
Rating out of 10: 9
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