Tag: wwe
Feature: What Happened to Australian Wrestling?
by Suzan Ryan on Dec.14, 2011, under Features, The Magazine
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| BIG Huss is aptly named, but his girth has nothing to do with beer and doughnuts. The hulking, gym-toned, fake-tanned wrestler is on tonight’s bill at the Maltese Cultural Centre in the back blocks of Melbourne’s western suburbs.
His opponent, Josh Shooter, is still in his street clothes—somewhat snug footy shorts and a singlet. He tugs on the singlet so frequently that it’s hard not to feel anxious when near him. Like a rubber band drawn to its limits, it seems plausible that Josh might snap at any moment. “The only reason we don’t kick each other’s teeth in is because we want to do this five days a week,” says Shooter, the current Heavyweight Champion of local Victorian promotion New Age Wrestling (NAW). “It’s just all about business.” NAW is just one of dozens of small wrestling promotions currently operating throughout Australia. It regularly stages shows at Melbourne community halls, RSL clubs and pubs. The average grappler can make around $100 per bout. “A lot of guys understand that wrestling here is either a part-time or casual job, and they treat it as such,” says Mark Mercedes, co-promoter of NSW-based promotion IWA Pro-Wrestling. “But the guys who are more serious about it try to make money elsewhere.” Mercedes is one of the few Australians in recent times to get anywhere near the big stages—and big money—of American wrestling. In the 1990s, he performed in front of tens of thousands of people on the same bills as US legends such as Hulk Hogan, Paul ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Orndorff and the Junkyard Dog. Mercedes tells us that timing is as vital as talent when it comes to finding fame in the USA, citing the career of Aussie wrestler Peter Stilsbury, aka Outback Jack, as an example. “Back in the days of WCW [World Championship Wrestling] and Outback Jack, they were looking for very gimmicky wrestlers, and Outback Jack’s gimmick came with [the success of] Crocodile Dundee. It was the right place and the right time. When you’re trying to break overseas, unless you’re over there [in America], constantly in their face, it’s very easy to be forgotten.” |
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| Florida Championship Wrestling is the official feeder organisation for American juggernaut World Wrestling Entertainment. Aspiring WWE wrestlers pay up to US$1000 for an annual four-day training and evaluation clinic with hopes of landing a very lucrative development contract with the multimillion-dollar company.
“WWE is not going to worry about going overseas and looking for talent when [it's] got so much happening in America,” says wrestling historian Barry York. “America’s population is more than 10 times ours, so it’s reasonable to think there is 10 times as many up-and-coming pro wrestlers there. “And the Australian market isn’t that significant. If they had a guy who entered the ring with a slouch hat or a boomerang, it might make it a bit more interesting for an Australian audience, but they’re not going to stop watching if there’s no Australian in the WWE. So there’s no great economic incentive to recruit from the Australian talent pool, which must be very frustrating for locals.” While the US is pro wrestling’s financial promised land, it’s not the only option for Aussie grapplers with international aspirations. New Japan Pro Wrestling, which is screened during primetime on Japan’s Asahi TV, is actually more popular with purists than the American product, mainly because it values athleticism over soap-opera acting skills. Melbourne wrestler, Krackerjack, whose body looks like it’s been through a mincer thanks to the ultra-violent barbed-wire matches he’s been involved in, spent some time in Japan in 2005. “Wrestling is a national pastime in Japan,” Krackerjack tells Penthouse. “It’s not as counter-cultural as it is in Australia. It’s been popular ever since the end of World War II, so [Japan] has its own legends of the business over there. “They do shows that regularly draw 20,000 people and even the small independent shows I was working were getting 500 to 1000, and they were running those shows three or four times a week.” |
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| Pro wrestling in Australia wasn’t always so “counter-cultural”. In the 1960s and ’70s, promoters capitalised on the post-war migration from Europe, creating ethnic heroes such as Spiros Arion and Mario Milano. When Barry York attended bouts at Melbourne’s Festival Hall as a teenager, he remembers the venue was often packed to capacity.
Consequently, World Championship Wrestling Australia was established and shown on TV from 1964, taking wrestling to the mainstream. Ron Miller, who co-owned WCWA from 1976, says Channel Nine chose to drop wrestling from its schedule at the end of 1978, thanks in part to its interest in World Series Cricket. This decision triggered local promotions to fold, and while some continued to stage events at small clubs in the 1980s, things were never the same again. Back at the Maltese Cultural Centre, better known tonight as the ‘NAW Arena’, a colourful cast of oddballs make flamboyant entrances to the ring, accompanied by cheesy hard-rock theme music. The two standouts tonight are Iron Horse Morrison, an Andre the Giant-type brute with the fluency of movement of a slasher-flick goon, and Mickey ‘Fantabulous’ Jackson, a showboating pretty boy who grabs a female audience member’s drink and erotically pours it all over himself as he climbs into the squared circle. The hundred or so hardcore fans snap photos with everything from high-end SLRs to smartphones, and clearly enjoy themselves as they cheer on the heroes and heckle the villains. BIG Huss and Josh Shooter demonstrate athleticism and genuine technical skill befitting the main event, and the ebullient atmosphere of the crowd conveys that this evening has been a fun night out, and 15 bucks well spent. While wrestling for the NAW won’t make these guys household names or wealthy superstars, they will keep competing for as long as they can, because while Australian wrestling may be down on the canvas, it’s not ready to tap out just yet… |
WINNER! 10 WWE titles from Shock DVD
by Suzan Ryan on Jan.18, 2011, under Competitions, Past Winners, Web Exclusives
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER!
C. Czisz, Kempsey, NSW
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SHOCK DVD and Australian Penthouse have given one lucky reader a 10 DVD bumper pack featuring all the stars of WWE, valued at $270!
SMACKDOWN: THE BEST OF 2009-2010
First ever “year in review” DVD set dedicated to WWE SmackDown! It was a year that began with a historic celebration of a Decade of SmackDown and concluded with a re-ignition of the most intense rivalry since Cain and Abel! SmackDown showcased the best athletes on TV and unforgettable matches and moments featuring Rey Mysterio, Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, CM Punk, Edge, Jack Swagger & more. Including: The Rock’s return to SmackDown, Jack Swagger’s shocking championship reign, Kane’s debilitating attack on his brother Undertaker, The High Flying assault of Rey Mysterio. Includes 20 Great Matches! RRP $32.95
HART & SOUL – THE HART FAMILY ANTHOLOGY
The first ever 3 DVD set dedicated to the legendary Hart Family! This Canadian family has a long history associated with professional wrestling on both sides of the border. Bret ‘the Hit Man’ and his brother, Owen, achieved worldwide fame with the WWE, with Bret Teaming with brother-in-law, Jim Neidhart, to form legendary tag team The Hart Foundation. After the Foundation’s split, Owen joined Jim to form the New Foundation.
Matches Include: Keith Hart, Bruce Hart & Bret Hart vs. The Kiwis & Dynamite Kid – 6-Man Tag Team Match – Stampede Wrestling 1979; Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs – World Tag Team Championship Match – Boston Garden 1986; Bret “Hit Man” Hart vs. British Bulldog – Intercontinental Championship Match – SummerSlam 1992; Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart & Keith Hart vs. Shawn Michaels & His Knights – Family Feud Match – Survivor Series 1993; Bret “Hit Man” Hart & Owen Hart vs. Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner – Florence, SC 1994; Bret “Hit Man” Hart & Owen Hart vs. The Quebecers – World Tag Team Championship Match – Royal Rumble 1994; Bret “Hit Man” Hart vs. Owen Hart – Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship – SummerSlam 1994; Bret “Hit Man” Hart & British Bulldog vs. Owen Hart & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart – Raw 1994; Owen Hart vs. British Bulldog – European Championship Match – Raw 1997; Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart & Brian Pillman vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom – 10-Man Tag Team Match – In Your House: Canadian Stampede 1997; Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Owen Hart & British Bulldog vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker & Dude Love – 6-Man Tag Team Flag Match – Raw 1997; The Hart Dynasty vs. D-Generation X – WWE Unified Tag Team Championship Match – SmackDown 2009.
Special features - Stu The Athlete – Helen’s Car Accident – Terrible Ted – Letter From Dean – Stu Vs. The Tiger- Hart Family Thanksgiving- Helen Throws In The Towel – Owen The Prankster- Chris Jericho’s Fight- Uninvited Guest- Bret “hit Man” Hart Returns To WWE- Post Raw Celebration. RRP $33.95
SATAN’ S PRISON: ANTHOLOGY OF THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER
Every single Elimination Chamber match in history on this 3 disc set!
Since its introduction at Survivor Series in 2002, the Elimination Chamber has hosted some of the most brutal matches in WWE history. Six Superstars are trapped within the barbaric structure. Carnage ensues until only one man returns. Now fans can watch every Elimination Chamber match contested to date in Satan’s Prison: The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber. This 3DVD set includes 11 complete matches featuring WWE Superstars Triple H, John Cena, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Edge, Kane, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Batista and more.
Matches include: Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho vs. Booker T vs. Kane vs. Rob Van Dam – Survivor Series 2002; Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship – John Cena vs. Carlito vs. Chris Masters vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Kane – New Year’s Revolution 2006; Raw Elimination Chamber Match – Winner Faces WWE Champion at WrestleMania XXIV – Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Umaga vs. JBL – No Way Out 2008; Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship – Edge vs. Triple H vs. Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Koslov vs. Big Show – No Way Out 2009; and 7 more!
Special features – 2006 New Years Revolution Story; A December To Dismember; The Chamber King; The Price Of Immortality. RRP $32.95
FATAL FOUR WAY 2010
Brand New Pay-per-view Event Replacing Great American Bash
Matches Include: Fatal 4 Way Match for the WWE Championship – John Cena vs. Egde vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus; Fatal 4 Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Swagger vs. Big Show vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio; Chris Jericho vs. Evan Bourne; Intercontinental Championship Match – Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre; US Championship Match – The Miz vs. R-Truth, 6 Person Mixed Tag Team Match – Hart Dynasty vs. The Usos; Fatal 4 Way Match for the Divas Championship – Eve vs. Gail Kim vs. Maryse vs. Alicia Fox. RRP $25.95
RAW: THE BEGINNING SEASONS 1 & 2
First ever DVD collection focusing on the first 2 Seasons of WWE Raw from 1993 & 1994 — 4DVD set from WWE for the same price as a normal 3DVD set
Relive the beginning of the longest-running episodic series on US Cable TV! Including footage from the first episode including the very first ever match on Raw; A touching tribute to Andre The Giant; Competition held on a US Navy ship where various athletes and WWE Superstars attempt to body slam the 600 pound Yokozuna; Classic segments from WWE such as Heartbreak Hotel with HBK and King’s Court with Jerry Lawler. Includes over 40 matches from the first 2 seasons of Raw, and a who’s who of icons from the early days of Raw – including Shawn Michaels, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Diesel, Razor Ramon, Owen Hart, Lex Luger, and more. RRP$32.95
SUMMERSLAM 2010
A dangerous group of rebellious upstarts has invaded Raw proclaiming: “If you’re not Nexus, you’re against us.” John Cena has recruited a star-studded line-up to battle The Nexus but will the team of Edge, Chris Jericho, R-Truth, John Morrison, and WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart be able to put egos aside? Can Team WWE rally together to topple The Nexus once and for all? Plus, WWE Champion Sheamus must defend the WWE Championship against the Viper, Randy Orton. A furious Kane takes on the man he feels is responsible for the assault on his brother, Undertaker. Can Rey Mysterio withstand the challenge of the Big Red Monster and regain the title? The Superstars of Raw and SmackDown present SUMMERSLAM!
Matches Include: Team WWE vs. The Nexus – John Cena, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth & Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Justin Gabriel & Darren Young; WWE Championship Match – Sheamus vs. Randy Orton; World Heavyweight Championship Match – Kane vs. Rey Mysterio; Divas Championship Match – Alicia Fox vs. Melina; 3 on 1 Handicap Match – Big Show vs. Straight Edge Society and more.
Special features – Josh Mathews Interviews Daniel Bryan. RRP $25.95
BREAKING THE CODE: BEHIND THE WALLS CHRIS JERICHO
First Ever 3dvd Set Dedicated To WWE Superstar Chris Jericho!
Chris Jericho Has Been Wrestling Professionally For 20 Years And Continues To Be A Top Performing WWE Superstar Today.
Chris Jericho made his professional wrestling debut in 1990. Jericho is currently signed to Raw and has appeared in WCW and ECW, and has won the WWWE Intercontinental Championship a record 9 times! He is a 6 times World Champion, having won the WCW World Championship twice, the WWE Championship once and the World Heavyweight Championship 3 Times. Now you can relive all the highs and lows of his career with this all new triple DVD set dedicated to the Y2j. RRP $32.95
BEST OF WWE – VOL 2 JOHN CENA
Second Release in The Superstar-Themed Series, Not Available in The US! Best of John Cena features 4 matches, from 2006 & 2007, and includes WWE Superstars Edge, The Great Khali, Mick Foley, King Booker, Randy Orton & Bobby Lashley. RRP $13.95
MONEY IN THE BANK
Money in the Bank is an all-new pay-per-view Event from WWE replacing Judgment Day.
Matches Include: STEEL CAGE MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP – Sheamus vs. John Cena, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – Rey Mysterio vs. Jack Swagger, RAW MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH – Randy Orton vs. John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne vs. Mark Henry vs. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. Ted DiBiase, SMACKDOWN MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH – Big Show vs. Kane vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Christian vs. Matt Hardy vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. “Dashing” Cody Rhodes, UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – The Hart Dynasty vs. Jimmy & Jey Uso, DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – Alicia Fox vs. Eve and more
Special features - Josh Mathews Interviews Kane, The Nexus Addresses the WWE Universe. RRP $25.95
WWE BEST OF UNDERTAKER
Best of Undertaker features 4 matches from 2004-2008, and includes matches against Superstars Randy Orton, Edge, Batista & Kane. Third & fourth Installment in the Superstar-Themed Series, Not Available in the USA! RRP $12.99
TERMS & CONDITIONS: Game of Skill
Competition commences on 13/12/10 and concludes on 17/01/11 at 12:00pm. Entry is open to all residents of Australia, but excludes all employees of Australian Penthouse. Entrants must provide their contact details and an answer to the question, “What would be your stage name if you were a professional wrestler, and why?” in 25 words or less. This is a Game of Skill which contains no element of chance, and which will be judged by members of the Australian Penthouse staff on 17/01/11. One winner will receive 10 Shock DVDs as detailed above. The prize will be mailed to the winner at the address nominated in their entry. The promoters take no responsibility for lost or misdirected entries, and no correspondence will be entered into.
Reviews – DVDs: Best of WWE – Rey Mysterio
by admin on Sep.17, 2010, under Reviews, Web Exclusives
BEST OF WWE: REY MYSTERIO
DIRECTOR: N/A
‘CAST’: REY MYSTERIO, EDDIE GUERRERO, KURT ANGLE, RANDY ORTON, CHAVO GUERRERO
SHOCK
WHEN the WWE toured Australia in July/August with SmackDown Live, the superstar who received the biggest cheer was Rey Mysterio. Admittedly, The Undertaker and CM Punk were absent, but still, it’s no surprise the Mexican ‘luchador’ was chosen to be the subject of the first volume of the new budget-price Best of WWE range.
For $12.99, this disc gives you four of Rey’s classic battles from 2005-07: his ladder match against Eddie Guerrero, supposedly for custody of Mysterio’s son Dominick; a three-way heavyweight title bout in which he takes on Kurt Angle and Randy Orton; and two of his in-ring tussles with Chavo Guerrero, one of them under ‘falls count anywhere’ rules.
Despite the age of the footage, there’s no denying the quality of the wrestling, and it’s hard to complain about the price when you get 90 minutes of the masked marvel in action. According to the press release, the Best of WWE range isn’t available in the US, so for that reason alone Aussie Rey Mysterio fans may want to add this DVD to their collections.
WINNER! WWE Prize Pack
by Meg on Jul.07, 2010, under Past Winners
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS:
T. Phan, Sunnybank, QLD
L. Williams, Brinkworth, SA
Continue reading “WINNER! WWE Prize Pack” »
Ring Leader
by admin on May.22, 2009, under Articles, The Magazine
Nicknamed ‘The Glamazon’, 28-year-old New Yorker Beth Phoenix is a rising star in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). The former Women’s Champion recently won a coveted Slammy Award for Diva of the Year, and agreed not to hurt us while we had a chat…
INTERVIEW: CAMERON MURRAY Continue reading “Ring Leader” »
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