OPW 2025 Update From Cam Vale, Plus Announcement

Oceania Pro Wrestling in 2025 By Cam Vale

Introduction and Recap

Oceania Pro Wrestling (OPW) has developed over 18 months with our international partners allowing us to approach 2025 with great energy and to continue to evolve domestically and internationally.
OPW kicks off with our Women’s Tag Titles – first in Australia, to be defended at Pro Wrestling League big event in Brisbane, Friday 14th February – “Australian Wrestling Supershow”.

OPW has produced three key events to date, launching with IMPACT Downunder in Wagga (2023) then this past year we had the first ever Starrcast outside of USA, with Starrcast Downunder 2024 headlined by Bret the Hitman Hart and a cast of current and former international pro wrestling stars – Shelton Benjamin, TNA World Champion Moose and TNA stars Jody Threat, Kushida and Josh Alexander, Hardcore star Mance Warner, former WWE stars Tenille Dashwood and Madcap Moss and Australian International star Steph De Lander.

Having the H.E.R women’s only event, the biggest in Australian women’s wrestling history and a rare event worldwide, was a great achievement we are proud to have delivered. Creating OPW Women’s Tag Champions another highlight. I was told by the experts not to do a six way women’s, all did very well and the card over delivered.

Australian Stampede the following night was huge – Bret Hart and Eric Bischoff on the same card, come on wrestling fans – if this was in the USA there would be a meltdown in the dirt sheets! Great main card, like H.E.R, from top to bottom and legends like Chris Masters, Gangrel, Lisa Marie, Great Khali and a young international star like Lizzie Evo with the Aussies, I am very proud of what Starrcast Downunder achieved.

Starrcast Downunder had some behind the scenes challenges, and more will be revealed on that front in due course – let’s not dwell on that, however one or two high profile individuals should be worried about what is to come.

After Starrcast Downunder and in conjunction with Melbourne City Wrestling we had Worlds Collide, including one of the best matches I have ever seen live in any promotion, Mustafa Ali rated 19 by PWI in the world, defeated Adam Brooks for the OPW title. Brooks, the first OPW champion also wrestled Moose for the TNA Championship at Australian Stampede as part of Starrcast Downunder showcasing he is in the elite wrestling group – please sign him WWE, AEW or TNA, it is embarrassing he isn’t signed with the performances he consistently produces.

To the OPW future in 2025 and 2026.

Rescheduling our Ballarat event is a key priority to be announced soon, and other interstage regional partnerships and two events in “Asia-Pacific” are planned for the next 18 months.
OPW’s vision is to be a bridge to the international wrestling brands and this is clear with our partnerships with TNA, AAA, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, Qatar Pro Wrestling and Dungeon Wrestling achieved in 2024.
Asia is the next step – Japan, Malaysia, India, Singapore and Vietnam are on the horizon and discussions with China have been ongoing for a while. I believe in strength in numbers in independent wrestling which is no different to the sports I have led, the comparison is to development leagues/competitions.

Announcement – However, in a scoop right here and now at PW Downunder, OPW will build on its alliance with Maple Leaf Pro, by two things, one to be revealed here.

OPW and Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling in 2025

Firstly, one of the preeminent wrestling brains – former TNA boss Mr Scott D’Amore who owns Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling has been a great confidante of me and OPW. He has offered to have Australians/Pacific talent interested in developing their careers in North America be part of his training academy in Windsor, Canada.

This will be a formal partnership that if you not only want to wrestle with OPW but train at an elite level environment in North America, we will send you to Maple Leaf Pro. I am also working on another partner in Canada, which shouldn’t surprise anyone in who that might be considering who we worked with in 2024.

There will be a second exciting development with Maple Leaf Pro, but you will have to wait until their first show in March…but tune in.

OPW Strategy 2025 Continued
OPW strategy in 2025 and the first half of 2026 will then focus this year on:
*Australian/NZ Talent that want to make it internationally.
*Australian/NZ Talent that want to build their brand in Australia and Asia-Pacific.
*Finding a solution to the broadcasting of Australian Wrestling on a creditable wide viewed platform.

Our events will be a mix of a focus on live event and high quality broadcast production, the team at Neal Walters Photo and what they produced for H.E.R and Australian Stampede hasn’t been matched by anyone in this region for wrestling.

Elevating talent and ensuring all matches and content are meaningful is important, quality over quantity is important in the OPW model, we don’t produce as many events as other promotions but we aim to produce meaningful content.

I have a strong focus on collaboration and will continue to work with Australian wrestling companies that want to work with me. It is a pity we can’t work more together to better the industry in this country, it would work well and it is why other traditional sporting models in Australia do work, better structure and working together creates more 2+2=6 outcomes. But that said OPW has had brands reach out and work with me, lets keep that up and hopefully a few more will realise this is good for all of us.

In particular something like the OPW Women’s Tag Championships could be defended around the country to give more female talent opportunities, and I hope that can occur.

Thanks to Date

To the OPW talent from last year, thanks so much – the champions, challengers and all those involved in any of the cards, all the staff and volunteers – I appreciate it as I learn more about what makes this business work and not work. Shout out to Steph De Lander and Erika Reid – they will know why, but I appreciate your support. The International partners – TNA, AAA, QPW, Maple Leaf Pro, Dungeon Wrestling were all great to work with and build to the future with.

I have had great support from Relentless, MCW and many others independently and wrestling events can’t be achieved in Australia without the hard work and sacrifice of many. Shout out to Luke, Roger and Simon who want to remain like Cher, without a surname, who give up a lot of time for OPW behind the scenes for limited reward.

I love the interaction with the talent as it helps me shape OPW, so continue to reach out to me and interact.

Conclusion

But to finish on a positive – wrestling in this region, the positives are the extraordinary talent and the international partners OPW has developed and will continue to develop.
In a direct example – the volunteers that helped at Starrcast – was one of the best displays of support I have ever seen in my 25 years in sport, your work ethic was incredible and yet you all thanked me…..trust me the thanks is all to you, I still get chills thinking about it or to quote a famous wrestling quote “with a tear in my eye” you inspire me to make OPW successful for all of you who are good people and want wrestling to succeed. Taka a bow if you contributed.

And what do we want to do with OPW, elevate talent in this region and connect internationally, so I will finish with this from my son told his grade six teacher, when asked who his favorite wrestlers were he said:

“John Cena, Adam Brooks, Erika, Jey Uso and The Parea”….what a mix that is, and isn’t that what it SHOULD BE – Aussies with the elite, which is OPW. And as we know, wrestling fans and those in the industry, we need to stick together!