ROBBO’S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS #8: Melbourne City Wrestling
We’re getting towards the end of our 12 Days of Christmas series now! Santa is on his way shortly- I hope you’ve all been good boys and girls. Until the big man arrives, Robbo Claus is trying to provide you your pro wrestling fix- which is becoming more and more necessary as Binge strips away the very last of its WWE content before the move to Netflix.
So, in case you haven’t been following along, the deal is this- each day I write an article, putting a spotlight on a different wrestling promotion. From all around the country, big or small, different states… I do a general overview, a write-up on the history of the promotion, and include a video of a full show or a full match from 2024, to give the best representation possible for the current product.
With that said, we’ve covered some of the bigger Australian promotions throughout this series, and today it’s time to write about one more…
Day 8: Melbourne City Wrestling (Victoria)
Ahh, MCW. Unquestionably the cream of the crop (insert Macho Man voice here) of Aussie wrestling. Some of the greatest Australian wrestlers to ever make the big time have either come from MCW or spent time there. The production is top-notch, the talent level is off the charts, and it consistently sells well with a loyal and powerful fan base.
Honestly, MCW doesn’t need the help of me writing an article to promote it. It does fine on its own. But if this series is going to draw a few new eyes to Aussie wrestling- and I certainly hope it does with the amount I’m sharing them across socials- I’d be remiss to not include MCW.
My own first experience of MCW was in October 2018. The event was New Horizons. Just like EPW did earlier this year with the Supershow before WWE Elimination Chamber, and PWL/Renegades are doing with their Supershow before AEW Grand Slam Australia next year, MCW ran a show kind of piggybacking off having a major international wrestling promotion in town. It was the night before WWE Super Showdown at the MCG, with 70,000 wrestling fans in attendance. As a promoter, it would be dumb to not run a show with that kind of audience on your doorstep.
New Horizons 2018 took place in the Thornbury Theatre, the spiritual home of Melbourne City Wrestling. While obviously not a venue the size of the MCG, it was absolutely packed for Aussie homegrown wrestling. The crowd was loud and raring to go, and the MCW roster DELIVERED. I looked up the event to be doubly sure on the details, but much of it is still vivid in my head some 6+ years later. Slex vs. Brooks for the MCW Intercommonwealth title was absolutely immense, showing why both men picked up ROH contracts pre-pandemic. We also had Jonah Rock (Bronson Reed) and Indi Hartwell just before they signed WWE contracts, and Robbie Eagles right before he made his mark in New Japan. Absolute world class talent from start to finish. My mate that I dragged along- he was the most casual of wrestling fans possible, I had to explain what was going on in WWE, let alone what the indies were- he enjoyed MCW more than the massive WWE stadium show. I tend to agree with him. Although Buddy Murphy (Matthews) winning the Cruiserweight Championship was very cool.
My next in-person MCW experience was when they co-promoted with PWA to put on the 2022 Colosseum event. It was certainly an interesting experiment, pitting some of Sydney’s best against Melbourne’s best, making for an entertaining 2-night event. Night 1 was more of an intimate atmosphere inside the Croxton Bandroom, while Night 2 went down at Thornbury Theatre. I was unaware that Night 1 would be standing room only- not an easy feat for your writer that has Cerebral Palsy. I leant on the steel barricade to keep myself upright for the night, and paid for it dearly as Brooks and Slex drove it right through my ribs on a suicide dive spot. Dammit guys!
Bruised ribs aside, it was a fantastic couple of nights of wrestling, with Robbie Eagles eventually taking the sword that year. MCW also got to represent proudly outside of the tournament format, with champion Mitch Waterman turning back the challenge of Unsocial Jordan, and Slex & Tommy Knight taking on the Natural Classics in a banger.
That brings us to our video for this article. While most full events can be seen for free on Stream Horizon- I still need to go back and watch End Game from a couple of weeks ago- I went with a full match as I saw clips of it on Instagram. It’s the ICON$ vs. Team Vengeance from Fight To Survive back in October this year.
It was cool to see comedians and social media stars The Kairouz Brothers do their best Logan Paul impression and look impressive in athletic bursts throughout this match. But the real story is the ICON$ stable as a whole, which seems to have really taken over MCW as of late. Their clash with The Allegiance of Vengeance felt like a major happening, because both sides were filled with credible players. The ICON$ could boast Brooks, Slex and Ricky South among their ranks, while their opponents- Caveman Ugg, The Parea, Edward Dusk and Mikey Broderick have been dominant, multi time champions around the country. That level of talent, with a splash of crossover appeal due to the Kairouz boys, is a winning combination.
Current Champions
MCW World Heavyweight Champion- Ricky South
MCW Intercommonwealth Champion- Robbie Thorpe
MCW Women’s Champion- Eugenie
MCW Tag Team Champions- The Parea (Eli Theseus & Gabriel Aeros)
Support the Aussie wrestling scene and see some of the best talent on offer by following MCW on all the socials, check out their YouTube channel for a taste of the action, then go over to Stream Horizon for the full events. What else is there to do during the holiday season? Watch Love, Actually for the 1,256 time? Come on. Make the right choice!
Tomorrow’s entry… why no Queensland? Well, we’re doing Queensland. Again. Strap yourself in for the ride!
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!
