ROBBO’S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS #6: Southern Territory Wrestling
Welcome back to Day 6 of our 12 Days of Christmas series. We’re halfway there! We’ve been looking at wrestling promotions from around the country, in an effort to put a spotlight on Aussie wrestling, and maybe expand your horizons as a wrestling fan, if you’re just used to your local scene or even perhaps just what you see on TV from the likes of WWE and AEW.
Today’s entry sees us travel back over to Western Australia, for a company that runs south of Perth, mostly in a little place known as Baldivis…
Day 6: Southern Territory Wrestling (WA)
STW launched at the tail end of 2021, so didn’t have to endure the issues of the pandemic, as other Aussie wrestling companies did. And while they don’t have the same kind of profile as EPW does, they’ve carved out a nice little space for themselves in the Western Australia wrestling scene, filled with young, hungry talent looking to prove themselves.
I made the point a few days ago in the EPW entry that Perth is geographically quite isolated from the rest of Australia. After watching EPW and now STW, I almost feel like that puts a chip on the shoulders of WA wrestling in the best kind of way. Being so far away from most of the population, not having the kind of eyes on it that the Sydney and Melbourne scenes have, it’s like they’ve got to work twice as hard to be noticed. And to the credit of STW, it certainly seems like that’s what they do.
While the core STW roster has been in operation for about 3 years, they added an off-shoot this past June, known as STW Step Up. Step Up is all about giving less experienced talent, stars of the future, a shot at glory. And for the STW fan, it’s great value as the Step Up shows run as something of a pre-show for the main STW product. Silver and gold ticket holders gain entry to Step Up as well as the main show, getting a little more bang for your buck. They also have their own Step Up Championship, and storylines running including authority figures, like the beautiful and dangerous Skylar Deveraux serving as GM.
But here today, it’s all about getting to know the main STW roster. Thankfully, they’ve made it very easy with a ton of posts on their Instagram, and a loaded YouTube page filled with full events! So I’ve chosen to go with STW Destined for Victory, headlined by a triple threat match for the STW Heavyweight Championship. Happy viewing!
The opening match was a fun one. It was a little different having no commentary beyond the random calls from the crowd, but it was chock-full of emotion for NC Viper’s retirement match. It wasn’t an athletic masterpiece, but both men worked the crowd like pros, and the standing ovation post-match for Viper, along with Julio’s little speech about once being a 12 year old Viper fan… it’s enough to bring a tear to a glass eye.
From there, we had the debut of Michael Morleone, who defeated Krypto Knight in impressive fashion before making his intentions clear- he’s gunning for the STW Southern Cross Championship. The following match was a tag gauntlet held down by one of the most underrated tag teams in the Land Down Under, Australian Takeover (Kaz Jordan & Julian Ward). With recent experience in the States, including appearances in ROH, that made the difference for ATO. And in the main event, Hayden Zenith- an experienced athlete who shined in a EPW battle stepping up to Robbie Eagles recently- was scheduled to appear, but unfortunately was scratched last minute. However, the fact that wrestlers of that calibre are signed to STW- amongst a wide range of characters that clearly appeal to the Southern Territory faithful- it’s a great sign in general for the promotion. And they rolled with the punches, producing a wild triple threat brawl with Julio subbed in doing double duty against Chris Target and Rogan Karguis. Even a slight production error near the finish- music playing prematurely- couldn’t dampen the fun.
Much like Wide Bay the other day, the passion and investment of the crowd really stands out. If you’re in the Perth area, I highly recommend heading down to Baldivis and experiencing the atmosphere for yourself. And if you’re on the east coast, like me, jump onto STW’s YouTube, where virtually all their events, including the Step Up shows, can be found to watch for free in full!
Current Champions
STW Champion- Rogan Karguis
STW Southern Cross Champion- Gorgeous Garry
Australian Women’s Champion- Layla Divine
STW Tag Team Champions- Best For Business (Dustin Connors, Riley Parker & Rogan Karguis)
Ambition Global Champion- Marco Garcia
STW Step Up Champion- Dylan Black
For our next entry… I mentioned in the PWA article that I’d reveal the promotion that started it all for me with Aussie wrestling- and the entry for that promotion is coming tomorrow! Back to NSW for the second time we go!
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!
