What’s On This Weekend In Australian Wrestling – WORLD SERIES WRESTLING EDITION

The time is finally upon us, as World Series Wrestling is back once again and making their way through Australia with quite possibly their biggest tour yet, the Legacy Tour, featuring the likes of Nic Nemeth, Matt Cardona, Brian Cage, Ash By Elegance, Danhausen, Raj Desi & Matt Riddle all either coming back to WSW or making their very first appearances for the promotion. This tour is quite notable for a couple of reasons, mainly the fact this will be the 20th anniversary of WSW‘s existence, as well Brian Cage’s FINAL tour with WSW ever. For such a celebration and send off, an unbelievable lineup of talent and stacked cards have been assembled for this occasion. Before we get into what we know about the cards themselves, let’s take a moment to highlight which Australian talents will be in action this time around:

“Undeniable” Bobby Bishop will be making his third straight appearance for WSW, competing exclusively on the Brisbane show. Bishop is one of the more prominent figures in the Queensland independent scene, having wrestled just about everywhere possible in the state, appearing regularly for Atomic Pro Wrestling, Wide Bay Pro Wrestling & Pro Wrestling League, while even branching out interstate, throwing some Bionic Elbows all over places like Pro Wrestling Australia in New South Wales, Explosive Pro Wrestling in Western Australia & Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria. Being as tenured as he is, Bishop has seen some gold in his time, being a former two time WBPW champion, a former WBPW Tag Team champion and a former APW champion.

A well travelled veteran of the scene, Chris Basso will be making his fourth straight appearance for WSW, exclusively in Adelaide, for the Legacy Tour. Although very much a mainstay of Riot City Wrestling in South Australia, Basso’s near 24 YEAR career has also seen him and brother Mat end up all over the country, for such promotions as New Horizons Pro Wrestling in Western Australia, Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria & Newcastle Pro Wrestling in New South Wales. Basso has also picked up his fair share of achievements along the way, enjoying multiple runs as the RCW Heavyweight champion, one half of the RCW Tag Team champions and is the current RCW Grand champion.

One of Queensland’s fastest rising stars, “The Golden Bati” Eugenie will be in action in a WSW ring for the first time ever in Brisbane. Since returning to professional wrestling, Eugenie has been a dominant force everywhere she’s gone, which includes Pro Wrestling Legue & her home promotion of Impact Pro Wrestling in Queensland, as well as Pro Wrestling Australia in New South Wales & Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria. “The Golden Bati” has also proven herself as a worth champion in her short career, currently holding the IPW Women’s, MCW Women’s & OPW Women’s Tag Team titles at the same time!

Another grizzled veteran of Australian wrestling, Jack Bonza will be making his fourth straight WSW appearance in Sydney. Bonza has been all over the country, wrestling for the likes of Pro Wrestling Australia in New South Wales, Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria, Explosive Pro Wrestling in Western Australia & Pro Wrestling League in Queensland. He’s even made his way to Japan, joining the Bullet Club’s Rogue Army branch and competing in the 2023 World Tag League tournament, as well as being a mainstay in NJPW Tamashii, the promotion’s New Zealand base. Competing at the level that he has for so long has seen Bonza capture many a championship, earning himself the Newy Pro Heavyweight Championship three different times, the PWA Tag Team Championships twice and even the PWA Heavyweight Championship once before.

“The Arm Collector” Jessica Troy will be stepping inside a WSW ring for the second time ever, for the entirety of the Legacy Tour. Troy has been a major name in Australian for the past decade, collecting arms in the likes of Pro Wrestling Australia & International Wrestling Association in New South Wales, Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria, Wrestle Rampage in South Australia & SLAM! Pro Wrestling League in ACT. Troy has also gone on excursion to America, making a name for herself across the United States in Combat Zone Wrestling, Black Label Pro, RISE & even SHIMMER. Alongside arms, Troy has also been collecting championships, picking up the Wrestling GO! Silver Medal, the MCW Women’s Championship and the PWA Heavyweight Championship, which she still currently holds.

A true superstar of the Australian independent scene, Lena Kross is back in WSW once again, marking Legacy as her third straight tour with the promotion. Kross has been all over Australia, wrestling for the likes of New Horizons Pro Wrestling in Western Australia, Pro Wrestling Australia in New South Wales, SLAM! Pro Wrestling League in ACT & Pro Wrestling League in Queensland, as well as all over the world, taking her talents to the likes of All Japan Pro Wrestling, Dynamic Dream Team, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling & Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling in Japan, House of Glory, All Star Wrestling & Maryland Championship Wrestling in America, as well as Pro Wrestling EVE & Progress Wrestling in the UK. Along with being world travelled, Kross has also been a championship magnet, capturing the NHPW Warrior Rising & Art of Fighting championships, the Newy Pro Women’s Championship and the Sendai Girls Tag Team Championships in the past, as well as currently being on a 5 YEAR run with the Indygurlz Australia Championship.

Another hardened veteran of the Australian indies, Mat Basso is back for his fifth WSW appearance, that will take place exclusively in Adelaide. Basso is a veteran in the truest sense of the word, travelling all over Australia for the past 24 years, alongside his brother Chris, ending up in such promotions as Riot City Wrestling & Wrestle Rampage in South Australia, Professional Championship Wrestling in Victoria, New Horizons Pro Wrestling in Western Australia & Pro Wrestling Australia in New South Wales. Basso has grabbed an immense amount of championship gold in his time, being a former four time RCW Heavyweight champion, former RCW Tag Team champion and even a former WSW Tag Team Champion alongside Erick Redbeard.

Another major player in Australian wrestling, Matt Hayter will be joining the Adelaide show for his second ever WSW appearance. Hayter has been all over Australia, proving himself to be one of the country’s top talents in promotions like Riot City Wrestling & Pro Wrestling South Australia in South Australia, Venom Pro Wrestling & Pro Wrestling League in Queensland, Explosive Pro Wrestling in Western Australia, SLAM! Pro Wrestling League in ACT & Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria. Over time, Hayter has seen an abundance of championships in his grasp, holding the PWSA Heavyweight & RCW Championships twice & the PWSA Xtreme 24/7 Championship a whopping SEVEN times.

A top tier competitor, Mitch Ryder will be in action on the Legacy Tour‘s Brisbane show, marking his third appearance for WSW. Ryder is a staple of Queensland wrestling, making appearances for Pro Wrestling League, United Pro Wrestling, Wide Bay Pro Wrestling, Impact Pro Wrestling & Venom Pro Wrestling. Ryder has also wrestled abroad, competing in Gladiadores in Peru, Vietnam Pro Wrestling in Vietnam and Gatoh Move in Japan. He’s also picked up a handful of championships in his time, securing the APW, PWL & VPW Championships, alongside the AWA Tag Team Championships and WBPW Insterstate Championship.

WSW Tag Team Champions The Parea are back to defend their titles for the Legacy Tour, which will also be their fourth WSW tour. The Parea have been a near unstoppable unit across Australia, competing in such promotions as Riot City Wrestling in South Australia, New Horizons Pro Wrestling in Western Australia & Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria. They have also recently moved to America, where they have appeared for Ring of Honour & All Elite Wrestling. Of course, they have quite the list of accolades to their name, as they are former three time RCW Tag Team champions, OPW Tag Team Champions and even the current WSW & MCW Tag Team champions.

Another of Queensland’s top stars, Ricky Utomi will be returning to WSW for the first time in 8 years, competing exclusively on the Brisbane show of the Legacy Tour. Utomi has proven himself as a premier Queensland talent, in promotions like Pro Wrestling League, Queensland Wrestling Alliance & Wide Bay Pro Wrestling, as well as venturing out across the country to promotions such as Wrestle Rampage in South Australia, Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria & Pro Wrestling Australia in New South Wales. Utomi has also proved his worth overseas, impressing audiences in ATTACK! Pro Wrestling, South West Wrestling & Good Wrestling in the UK. Utomi has also proven to be a championship level competitor, enjoying runs as the AWA & PWL championships.

MELBOURNE

WSW World Heavyweight Championship Match – Matt Riddle vs. Nic Nemeth (c)

Night 1 of Legacy kicks off in a major way, with Matt Riddle making his WSW return to take on current WSW World Heavyweight champion, Nic Nemeth. These two have each been to the top of the mountain, but have only ever faced off in singles action once meaning this one could truly go either way, with the result potentially altering the entire course of the tour.

WSW Australian Championship Match – Shigehiro Irie (c) vs. Brian Cage

Brian Cage looks to end his time with WSW on a high note, kicking off his farewell tour against WSW Australian champion Shigehiro Irie for his title. Both men are as tough as they come and have gone toe to toe with the absolute best in the world, almost guaranteeing both men putting on a surefire classic against each other.

BRISBANE

WSW World Heavyweight Championship Match – Brian Cage vs. Nic Nemeth (c)

A rematch from last year’s Most Wanted Tour will now see raised stakes, as Brian Cage and Nic Nemeth will meet once again in a match for the WSW World Heavyweight Championship, although the results of the Melbourne show could very easily change everything.

WSW Women’s Championship Match – Lena Kross vs. Ash By Elegance (c)

Brisbane will bear witness to another rematch from last year’s Most Wanted Tour, with Lena Kross getting another crack at capturing the WSW Women’s Championship from her rival, Ash By Elegance. Lena spent the entirety of the Most Wanted Tour at odds with Ash, so she will certainly be determined to put her away for good.

ADELAIDE

Fans in Adelaide will be treated to a clash of styles, as Shigehiro Irie will, assuming he defeats Brian Cage in Melbourne, defend the WSW Australian Championship against Sidney Akeem. Irie has come up through Japan and is well versed in Strong Style, while Akeem would spend his time in the WWE honing his craft as a high flyer, making this quite an interesting matchup in terms of how their styles will mesh.

A curse is set to be placed in Adelaide, as Danhausen will take on Adelaide’s own Matt Hayter. With Danhausen being a world travelled, nationally televised wrestler, a victory for Hayter would be massive, but the unruly methods of Danhausen will make achieving victory quite difficult for Hayter.

SYDNEY

WSW World Heavyweight Championship Match – Matt Cardona vs. Nic Nemeth (c)

The matchup we missed out on during the Most Wanted Tour, due to an injury suffered by Cardona, will finally take place, as longtime rivals Matt Cardona and Nic Nemeth will collide for the WSW World Heavyweight Championship, assuming Nemeth even makes it to Sydney as the champion. These two men have been at each other’s throats for nearly 15 years and they know each other inside and out, ensuring this match will be an incredibly personal affair.

Sydney will be the site of a simultaneous first time ever and last time ever matchup, as Sidney Akeem takes on Brian Cage in first time matchup, which will also be Brian Cage’s last time stepping inside a WSW ring. These two have such dynamic styles that this match is sure to be an explosive send off for Brian Cage.

World Series Wrestling‘s tours are always a highlight of the year for Australian Wrestling and the Legacy Tour looks to be no different.

TICKETS (Melbourne): https://www.outix.co/tickets/event/459547-legacy%20

TICKETS (Brisbane): https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/331317cd-905a-4782-bf5e-eda0ecd76ddd

TICKETS (Adelaide): https://www.outix.co/tickets/event/459550-3069458965

TICKETS (Sydney): https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=WSWLEGAC25