ROBBO’S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS #2- Explosive Pro Wrestling (EPW Perth)
Alright, we’re back for Day 2! If you were here yesterday for our look at SLAM! Pro Wrestling League, welcome back! And if you weren’t here…. uhh, director, hit the intro!
Hey everyone, my name’s Robbo, I’m a wrestling nut (err, fan, writer, “journalist”, mark, what have you) that has the pleasure of writing about things that he’s passionate about. And I bloody love pro wrestling. Especially Aussie wrestling. Our scene is up there quality/talent wise with any in the world in my opinion, and it’s from that love and admiration I have for this fine form of entertainment that I bring you this article, in between my other usual activities of teaching children, playing video games, and performing drunken karaoke. Thankfully, not all at the same time.
The idea behind this series is to put a spotlight on Aussie wrestling promotions big and small. A different promotion a day from around the country heading into the silly season. With that in mind…
Let’s do this!
Day 2: Explosive Pro Wrestling (Perth, WA)
EPW is considered one of the biggest promotions in Australian wrestling. An impressive feat, given how isolated Perth is geographically from the majority of the population. Launching in 2001, briefly as Explosive Coastal Wrestling before the tweak to “Pro”, the production and talent level in EPW is absolutely world-class. An example of that talent would be Damian Slater, who, years before the current prominence of Aussies on worldwide wrestling shows, put Australia on his back in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, proving to be a formidable foe for the legendary Tajiri.
Funnily enough, despite two trips to Perth in the past 5 years, I’m yet to see an EPW show in person. I came very close to going to the EPW Supershow earlier this year, but unfortunately it clashed with meeting the Undertaker at his One Deadman Show at Fremantle Prison. I still hope to get over there, because from everything I’ve seen, EPW is the place to be if you’re a wrestling fan in Western Australia.
If you want to follow EPW’s content closely and you don’t live in Western Australia, it can be done through signing up to their Vimeo channel (https://vimeo.com/channels/epwperth). However, if you want a sampler first (or are strapped for cash like many are at this time of year especially), you can check out their YouTube channel. I wanted to make a point of adding YouTube video links to every article during this 12 Days of Christmas series, and I wanted to make it a match or show from 2024 to give the best representation possible of each promotion’s current product. While the majority of EPW’s best stuff is behind the Vimeo paywall, the YouTube channel does have several 2024 matches, primarily from the Invitational Tournament. But for a stand-alone match, that didn’t require knowing the context of the tournament, I went with a unique find- The Pen match between Solomun Blackwell, and a staple of Australian wrestling, The Godfather, Davis Storm.
I really enjoyed this match, and I think it gives a good window into what EPW is like as an independent wrestling promotion. About as high a level of production value as you could reasonably expect from an indy, looking great with the camera work, and especially the lights for this particular match type. And the wrestling quality was dramatic and impactful. I’ve seen Davis Storm wrestle a decent amount of times as he has made trips to Sydney’s PWA, but this was one of my first experiences of Solomun Blackwell, who spent time in the Queensland scene before apparently basing himself in Perth- at least that’s the impression his Cagematch profile gives. It’s clearly not up to date in covering all Solomun’s matches, but all the recent entries are for EPW. The Pen is an interesting stipulation- ROH Pure Rules meets Strong Style meets… Royal Rumble? Very cool atmosphere.
At the time of writing, Blackwell is scheduled to face another EPW icon in another Pen match this weekend- that being the aforementioned Damian Slater. As we saw in the above video, Solomun went over looking like a star and a threat, showing that EPW has an eye on the future. And speaking of the future… Jesse Lambert, while he first gained a little notoriety as a Dominik Mysterio-doppleganger, has proven himself to be uber-charismatic and talented as hell. He gained the EPW Heavyweight title in a major upset, defeating Slater for the gold at Goldrush 2024, but sadly dropped it to Marcius Pitt in September at Vendetta. A tremendous underdog who really impressed me in a recent IWA tour here in NSW. For the Sydney-side fans- Shades of early Prefects for me with Lambert, and that Jimmy Townsend is doing pretty well for himself at the moment!
Current Champions
EPW Heavyweight Champion: Marcius Pitt
EPW Coastal Champion: Rogan Karguis
EPW Pride Champion: Noah Greene
EPW Tag Team Champions: Australian Takeover (Kaz Jordan & Julian Ward)
So a great mix of reliable veterans still among the elite in Australian wrestling, along with fiery young talent looking to kick some doors down in EPW. Highly recommend spending some time going through their YouTube archives, then maybe signing up for the Vimeo subscription… once you’ve bought Mum something nice for Christmas!
Who’s next? Might have to make a trip north… tune in tomorrow!
Until next time, take care.
A man who loves his wrestling, MMA, and has been known to dabble in karaoke. Previously wrote for Snap Mayors Media and ran The Arena Media for several years. As many wrestling fans do, I often envisioned myself becoming a pro wrestling superstar, but having Cerebral Palsy makes that dream a tough one to attain. Did do a brief referee spot for Rock N Roll Wrestling and I’d love to do more non-wrestler roles if laying the Smackdown is out of my reach, but until then, I’ll be hitting you with some refreshing writing like an F5!
