The Rise Of The Doomslayer: TCW North Esk Champion Interview
El Hijo de Doomslayer made his in-ring debut with TCW in October of 2020 where he battled Mike Murphy to a no-contest at TCW’s New Dawn. Starting his career as a referee for Tasmanian Championship Wrestling, the Doomslayer has managed to morph himself into one of TCW’s most popular wrestlers.
Dave Harding: You’ve transitioned from referee to now being the North Esk Champion, has it been a hard transition to become a full-time wrestler for TCW?
El Hijo de Doomslayer: No, I wouldn’t say it’s been hard becoming someone that now wrestles on every show.
When I first started wrestling it was a relief having a couple months between shows because it would become very nerve wrecking leading up to a show.
Now I’m wrestling in multiple promotions on the same weekend, and it’s really given me huge boosts to my confidence and motivation to wrestle as much as my bank account will allow me to travel.
Dave Harding: Must be exciting traveling the country doing what you enjoy, how have you come about working with some of the places outside of TCW?
El Hijo de Doomslayer: It was actually very hard finding a way to break out of TCW.
I contacted 10 promotions over the course of about 9 months and most of them were like “we’ll let you know” It came down to me responding to a post by AWF looking for more wrestlers and I was booked.
That event ended up being postponed but huge shoutout to Beeboy for booking me on Wrestling GO that weekend. Then on my return trip GO Beeboy helped me get onto the Phil Picasso ran Australian Pro Wrestling event.
Through GO I met the owner of the soon to launch Integrity Sports Entertainment and now I’m appearing there and finally making my first appearance with Wrestle Strong Dojo that have been incredibly generous with offering dates where finally there was one that I was able to accept.
What I’m trying to say is wrestlers need to reach out and once you made contacts and me some people it opens so many opportunities
Dave Harding: It must’ve been hard, but you’ve certainly made 2023 a great year for you, how did the name Doomslayer come about?
El Hijo De Doomslayer: Unfortunately “Doomslayer” is generally associated with the main character from the Doom games but I took it from “thunderwing doomslayer” a spoken about hawk on a stage show production of the 90s British comedy Bottom
Dave Harding: Nice, it will be something I need to fully check out, my cat decided he wanted to ask a question, I’m kidding, Holiday Havoc was your first title defence on home soil, what was the feeling like heading out for the first time in TCW as champion?
El Hijo De Doomslayer: I was a little worried about how I would be received, it had been 4 months since wrestling in Launceston, would the crowd be done with me now the long title chase is over? My thoughts were, are they gonna cheer for me still why I’m against this much younger much buffer Chase Austin?
Doomslayer also was known briefly as TJ Thunder, before returning to the Doomslayer name, under a mask he would show some great skill wrestling the likes of Diablo, and the two men that helped train him Eddie Jones and Cyrus burns. The former referee would take some time to win over the local TCW crowd but has slowly grown into his own in TCW.
2023 was a big year for Doomslayer, claiming his very first TCW Title defeating Dominic Knight for the North Esk Title in Devonport at Coastal Carnage ending Knight’s 224-day reign. Doomslayer would also make his debut for Wrestling GO! In September of 2023 battling but losing to Torture. Doomslayer has also worked with AWF, making his AWF debut at Blue Mountains bash in a tag team match teaming with Goran Uriel Nikolov as The Doom Foundation against Johnny Beautiful & Whiskey Sixx. After that on the same event he would also wrestle a singles match and defeat Whiskey Sixx.
Dave Harding: What were your thoughts on the younger Chase Austin in his debut? Of course, it seemed like he was a little preoccupied at times. But you both matched up well, but you managed to overcome him.
El Hijo de Doomslayer: He did excellent, especially for his debut. It’s hard for me to go back and watch how basic my first two matches were but I had a lot of fun with Chase and the crowd were into him so he will do well.
Doomslayer’s first title defence was against Joey Farrugia in Australian Pro-Wrestling successfully defending the belt at their December event at Bexley Manor Hall. Doomslayer would then return to Wrestling GO! to compete at Pedal To The Medal also in December to defend his North Esk Title this time against Bee Boy.
Doomslayer’s first defence of the North Esk title for TCW and in front of his home crowd came when he battled the debuting Chase Austin at Holiday Havoc. With his successful defence of the belt, he ended 2023 on a high.
Dave Harding: Your second defence now will be at Annihilation in a fatal four-way with former champion, Dominic Knight, Deano and James Sly Silver. How are you feeling heading into this match knowing you’ve got the big angry self-proclaimed mayor of George Town despite for revenge on you taking his title?
El Hijo de Doomslayer: Well, it will be a record 5th defence if we assume I’m successful against Hotshot Hansel at Australian Pro Wrestling on January 20th at Bexley Manor Hall in Sydney BUT…
My first Annihilation I was beaten by Diablo and returned a couple shows later a new man without my mask. 2nd Annihilation Dominic Knight pinned Aaron Lynch in our North Esk triple threat and that sent me on our eventual bout at Coastal Carnage
Now it’s my 3rd Annihilation and I must survive two of my past rivals (Sly and/or Dom were in all my matches for a year) and now Deano who is one of only two TCW regulars I’ve never faced so he’s the wild card.
I’ve been on hell of a title run so far but I’m staying confident.
Dave Harding: Deano is an interesting character, with his trolley of weapons” any worry of seeing his very own version of thumb tacks for Annihilation since it’s TCW’s 11th anniversary? Or do you think Deano has grown out of stealing a trolley Woolworths and filling it with objects?
El hijo de Doomslayer: I hadn’t considered any “thumb tack like structures” being involved haha. Deano is a complete natural, he stood out immediately at the TCW open day he attended, and I knew he would be on shows very quickly. I guess technically 4-way matches are no DQ so weapons are allowed… where’s the Doomchain I wonder.
Dave Harding: What is one thing you’d want those who haven’t yet experienced TCW to know about Tasmania’s homegrown promotion? Being that’s now in its 11th year of operation.
El Hijo de Doomslayer: From talking to wrestlers in Sydney they either think there’s A: a bunch of promotions down here, or B: no wrestling at all. To be honest I don’t blame them for not knowing what’s happening here because they have the option of wrestling for many different companies almost any weekend so why would they go to the effort to see what we are doing?
I’d like to think that at the very least the fans at those shows see me holding a TCW belt and go “you know what, next time we are in Tassie we should go out of our way to see a show” I’ve had a bunch of the Sydney wrestlers ask how to get booked down here too. I hope that with so many more people wanting to wrestle here it will help convince TCW management to eventually run more than every other month.
Dave Harding: One last one for you, 2023 was a big year for you, what are your expectations for the Doomslayer in 2024?
El Hijo de Doomslayer: Yeah, 2023 really came together at the end, I was worried this year wouldn’t match it, but I’m already booked on 5 shows by the end of February.
My two biggest goals for this year are to wrestle 20 matches in a calendar year. My other goal is to wrestler in TCW singles main event. I think it’s going to be a great year for me. I do have some shoutouts:
Beeboy and Phil Picasso for being so generous and letting me take the TCW North Esk Championship onto their events. Torture for being my first opponent out of Tas and giving me great advice, Goran for just being the coolest guy and driving my wife and I for 3 hours to the Blue Mountains to work AWF. TNT for putting me in two matches on one show and my first main event.
Of course, to TCW for training me and giving me the opportunities, they have and believing in me when I haven’t. I probably forgot a bunch of people but thank you for the interview too.
Dave Harding: Not a problem, thank you for your time!
Doomslayer defends his TCW North Esk Title against Dominic Knight, of whom he took the title from as well as Deano, James Sly Silver in a Fatal Four-Way Match at TCW’s Annihilation on February 10th. Before that you can see Doomslayer wrestling at Australian Pro Wrestling against Hotshot Hansel on January 20th for the North Esk Title.
