(Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)
Velocity, Heat, and WWE Experience were added in 2005, the later two making a home on Saturday afternoon programming alongside the replay of Raw, just as WCW Australia had done over 30 years before.
When the shows were cancelled in the US, they continued to be shown in Australia for some time to fulfill contractual obligations.
The Australian TV debut of ECW in September of 2006 had die-hard fans doing back flips around their lounge rooms. Despite the show being the third tier of WWE programming, Australians went NUT for ECW.
Last year, FOX 8 began screening TNA’s iMPACT to huge ratings on Saturday nights. The first few weeks of iMPACT out-rated every WWE show on the channel. After the gloss wore off, iMPACT fell back to ratings slightly behind the WWE shows.
The state of professional wrestling in Australia has improved dramatically since WCW Australia closed its doors in 1978. Due to the exposure of the North American product, there is a market and a place for Australian-made product.
Almost 30 years after the last WCW Australia show was broadcast, the promotion that took its name from the defunct company’s major belt, IWA, debuted on national TV.
IWA on Aurora was the first Australian-made wrestling show to hit TV screens across the country. Although the company makes only short series of the show, it has been somewhat successful.
The quality of the show continues to improve as time rolls on. The camera work has improved greatly since the first series but still has a long way to go.
Where they looked uncomfortable in the first series, the wrestlers themselves have become more accustomed to being on camera. The storylines are more developed, but the focus is still on the in-ring action.
To be honest, the show has such an Australian flavor I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone that has trouble understanding our accent!
Although the steps are small, Australian promotions are still taking them. IWA is not the only promotion making an impact on the now blooming Australian scene.
Companies such as Perth-based Explosive Pro Wrestling and Melbourne-based Pro Championship Wrestling Entertainment are utilizing Internet video streaming sites like YouTube to get their product seen not only in Australia but around the world.
PCW held the first barb wire match on Australian soil back in 2002, gaining mainstream notoriety when a mother that had taken her child to the match called a local talk-back radio station. A wrestler heard the mother's call and called the station himself in attempt to clear the air. The resulting police investigation was included in news broadcasts nationally.
AWF celebrated its 10th anniversary last weekend with international stars Al Snow and Chris Masters attending the show. The promotion has regularly used international stars including Bryan Danielson, Sean Waltman, Sabu, Raven, and Nigel McGuinness in its events.
With the major promotions gaining mainstream exposure, the future of Australian pro wrestling looks bright once again. Who knows—maybe one day we all could watch what Australia produces.
Pigs might fly too!
Author's note: “NUT” is a tribute to Pat Patterson. Pat was an integral part of the Australian Pro Wrestling scene in the 1960s.
48 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete