It’s Time To Put Tasmania Back On The Wrestling Map

Hobart’s City Hall hosted some of Australia’s biggest stars when World Championship Wrestling was in it’s hayday, guys like Ron Miller, Larry O’Dea, Mario Milano, and countless others. It’s even seen international stars Haystacks Calhoun, Killer Karl Kox, Brute Bernard, Sweet Daddy Siki, and countless other big names throughout the 1970s venture through its doors.

But Hobart’s City Hall hasn’t seen much wrestling since, in fact the only time since World Championship Wrestling ventured to the hall was NAW doing a single show in the mid-2000s. But Tasmania has it’s own wrestling promotion now with Tasmanian Championship Wrestling going from strength to strength in the north of the state. The Launceston based promotion was going to run a show in Southern Tasmania but canceled the show and nothing has come of it since.

The former Derwent Entertainment Centre (affectionately known as the Dec.) now MyState Arena hosted the very last wrestling tour to hit Tasmania in 2000. The event was I-Generations Superstars of Wrestling headlined by Dennis Rodman. Rodman however, wouldn’t appear in the Hobart leg of the tour as countless rumours floated that the media scrum had left him wanting nothing to do with the show.

The show itself saw a big sellout crowd, it was very quick to sellout as wrestling starved Tasmanians flocked to see the stars of the past, with a few young stars of the future and a former Australian Gladiator Vulcan entertain a full house.

But Tasmania has been left off the map of many tours, even with the recent upgrades for MyState Arena it has yet to attract a big wrestling event. Hobartians have been flocking north to get their wrestling fix in Launceston for Tasmanian Championship Wrestling. TCW has ventured into some other northern cities undeer its old owner Leigh Barber but of late under new ownership TCW has been running Launceston shows.

NAW’s show in Hobart saw a full house attend the show, since then Hobart’s City Hall has been hosting a series of boxing events, and musical events as well. But will this former wrestling hotspot ever see another wrestling event? It seems that Hobart wrestling fans starving for wrestling action may never get to taste live wrestling unless Tasmanian Championship Wrestling decides to tour.

Hobartians have been screaming out for years now for wrestling, but will someone answer the call? Some have hoped for Tasmanian Championship Wrestling to head south, while some keep longing for any type of wrestling to grace the southern part of the state with their presense.

Putting both Tasmania, and southern Tasmania back on the wrestling map not just in Australia but internationally would help boost the states local wrestling scene as many people start to cross into the industry in Tasmania with the birth of the TCW Wrestling School in Launceston.

For now Hobart wrestling fans travel north to see the great action of Tasmanian Championship Wrestling, and both them and northern wrestling fans alike hope for some international wrestling tours to again grace the state.

But would it be a return to Hobart’s City Hall, which was a wrestling mainstay for the original World Championship Wrestling in Australia, or the newly renovated MyState Arena allowing for a larger fanbase? Time will tell.

Hobart’s historic City Hall will continue to host boxing events, even storing a boxing ring within the walls that never leaves the premise. The bulding just waiting for its next chance at hosting a big wrestling show filled to the brim with many fans.

David Harding

News Writer. Living in Tasmania Dave is a lifelong wrestling fan, formerly working for Mix It Up Radio’s Wrestling Asylum Radio program, and Wide Bay Pro Wrestling working backstage and writing articles. Podcaster with 15 years of journalism experience across different sports mostly AFL and professional wrestling, photographer for local footy in Tasmania.