Professional wrestling in Australia
Unlike the North American or Japanese products which have large, globally renowned organisations such as WWE, AEW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling or Impact Wrestling with several hundred smaller promotions, Australia only has approximately 30 smaller independent circuit promotions which exist in all Australian states and territories.
Tours from the North American product are regularly sold out in capital cities such as Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
As time went on, the sport's popularity began to grow, particularly in the 1930s as people sought to find relief from The Great Depression.
Established names such as Lou Thesz, Dr. Jerry Graham and Gorgeous George toured the country during the decade.
International stars such as Killer Kowalski, Ray Stevens, Dominic Denucci, Mario Milano, Spiros Arion, Karl Gotch, Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon and local stars Ron Miller and Larry O'Dea were all involved with the promotion which grew steadily through the 1960s and was a well known product in the 1970s.
Hosting tours in 1985 and 1986 kept a solid viewing in the sport through programmes such as Superstars of Wrestling and Saturday Night's Main Event.
In September 2002, a promotion called Professional Championship Wrestling presented a show at the Rowville Community Centre in which two wrestlers faced off in a contest that used thumbs tacks in a ring surrounded by barbed wire.
Melbourne talk back radio received phone calls claiming that the audience was "showered with blood".
They were the only Australian wrestlers to make it big in the United States and held the Florida and Texas versions of the NWA World Tag Team titles as well as the north east version of the NWA United States tag team titles in the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (later to become WWE)[2] on three occasions, as well as being inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
[4] He appeared in several vignettes hyping his debut by showing Jack in the wilds of the Australian Outback, drinking beer with cows,[5] and came down to the ring to the theme song by Rolf Harris, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport".
On 6 April 2014 she became only the second Australian wrestler to perform on a WWE pay per view and the first ever woman to do so when she was a part of the Diva's Title match at WrestleMania XXX.
In 2017 she became the first Australian to perform at three WWE pay per view events when she was part of the fatal five way for the Raw Women's Championship at No Mercy.
In early 2013, WWE signed another Australian wrestler Buddy Murphy, known in Australia as Matt Silva to NXT.
[19] On 9 October 2021, The IIconics now using the name The IInspiration signed a contract with Impact Wrestling and will make their debut at Bound for Glory (2021).
[22] The Adelaide-based wrestler known locally as Demi Bennett would go on to participate in the second Mae Young Classic in 2018, but at TV tapings in Birmingham, England, Ripley became the first Australian woman to win a WWE controlled title when she defeated fellow Australian Toni Storm in a tournament final to be the inaugural winner of the NXT UK Women's Championship.
Australia also hosted shows presented by World Wrestling All-Stars, including two pay per views events, The Inception in 2001 from Sydney and The Eruption in 2002 from Melbourne.
[40] Wrestlers included Hulk Hogan (wrestling in Australia for the first time), Ric Flair (who came out of retirement), Spartan-3000, Heidenreich, Eugene, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Orlando Jordan.
Announced for the tour was Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, Cody, Matt and Nick Jackson, Yuji Nagata, Tomohiro Ishii, Kushida, Evil, Bad Luck Fale, Sanada, Will Ospreay^, Tanga Loa, Juice Robinson, Tama Tonga, Lance Archer, Chase Owens, Rocky Romero, and Toa Henare.
Will Ospreay only appeared on the Sydney and Perth legs, while Hiroshi Tanahashi missed the tour due to an injury.
[47] The Tamashii brand was officially launched in September, with the first Australian show taking place on 13 November in Sydney.
In order to prevent spoiler hunting on the internet, FOX8 moved WWE programming to timeslots closer to their United States air date.
Despite Heat, Velocity and Experience all being cancelled in the United States the shows continued to be shown in Australia to fulfill contractual obligations.
TNA Xplosion began airing on One HD in prime time at 8:30pm on Thursday but by late 2010 it had been replaced in effect by the WWE Experience.
