Aussies Abroad: Ripley’s RAW drama and success in Japan
Last week in wrestling saw Aussies find success in Japan amidst further drama in WWE
Welcome to another week’s installment of Aussies Abroad, where we highlight the very best of Aussie wrestlers making waves and kicking ass overseas.
Let’s kick this week off again with the latest news from Adelaide’s claim-to-fame Rhea Ripley and her ongoing feud with Liv Morgan since returning to WWE Raw. Last week’s episode saw yet another run-in between the two women with poor ‘dirty’ Dominick Mysterio caught in the middle. The tension between the love triangle reached boiling point when Rhea dragged Dom out the dog house and into the ring, calling on Morgan to “come get him”. Morgan made a surprise entrance from the back of the venue before taunting Rhea even further by claiming Mysterio won’t go for “girls that look like you”. This sent Mysterio over the edge, with the ex-con eventually screaming a number of harsh lines in a mix of both English and Spanish claiming he wants nothing more to do with her. Morgan left in a puddle of tears while Ripley claimed what is rightfully hers with an iconic kiss to the cheek of Mysterio. The feud adds more fuel to the fire ahead of Morgan and Ripley’s match at SummerSlam next weekend, which is sure to result in a career-highlight match for both superstars.
In AEW, Aussie Kyle Fletcher scored a win against the Private Party, consisting of Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen, The Outrunners, Consisting of Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd, and The Righteous, made up of Dutch and Vincent. Together with his tag partner Rush, The Don Callis Family came out on top in what was a massive four-way match at AEW Rampage. After a quick but intense match-up, Fletcher hit a clean belly-to-tombstone inside the ring to take the win for his team. His teammate Rush then took a camera cable around the neck of Floyd to finish up the show.
It has been two weeks since we saw Mariah May break Timeless Toni Storm’s heart after winning the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. However, Storm made a surprise appearance on Dynamite, confronting May in disguise as an in-ring staff member last week. After ripping off a black wig and glaring down May, she went in for the attack. It took a number of security guards and refs to separate the girls before Storm claimed she was “prepared to die” to get revenge on May in London. Storm also took home a win this weekend at the 11th edition of AEW Battle of The Belts. The show was headlined by Storm’s feud with Taya Valkyrie in an Eliminator Match for the Women’s World Title. After taking some hard hits from Valkyrie, Storm hit her iconic Storm Zero finisher for the three-count win, rightfully retaining her belt. Storm then took hold of the mic and called out May once again ahead of their match at All In. “You were perfect,” she said. “But Mariah, you made one minuscule mistake… When you had me on my knees, crying, screaming, bleeding, you should’ve cut my bloody head off.“
Let’s head to the other side of the world now to Japan, where Aussies have been killing it on a number of different brands. Aussie Zena was able to show off some epic moves last week at Stardom Nighter in Korakeun with World Wonder Ring Stardom in a match against some of the best Japanese talent. Kira Summer, sister of Adelaide’s Miki Fortune, picked up a win at the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s Nao Kakuta Graduation show against Haru Kazashiro, Miu Watanabe, and Runa Okubo. Ryukyu-dog Dingo also picked up a win at Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling’s Grace X Dragon 2024.
Meanwhile, Aussie Shane Haste has been spending time with Alliance For All Wrestling in California. Haste competed in a Five on Four Handicap Elimination match against names like Barbie Boi, Delilah Doom, and Effy at AFA Over the Rainbow.
Till next week folks!
News Writer + Aussies Abroad. Based in Adelaide and winner of the 2023 CPA Young Journo of the year, has been a news and arts journalist for a number of years working across radio and print, but has decided to take her wrestling addiction to PWDU. You can find her at any local wrestling night across the state with a beer in-hand and a front-row ticket to the action.
