Aussies Abroad: Japan domination and NXT success
Welcome back to another week’s instalment of Aussies Abroad, where we take a look at the Australian wrestlers kicking ass overseas.
Let’s start this week’s coverage off with some exciting news from PWA superstar Lena Kross, who recently picked up the Sendai Girls Tag Team belt in Japan with her partner VENY. Kross defeated the Team 200kg consisting of Chihiro Hashimoto and Yuu for the title in what was an impressive matchup between the Aussie powerhouse and local talent.
Things also went well for Aussie Robbie Eagles recently in Japan, when he became the winner of this year’s Super Junior Tag League with NJPW. Along with his partner Kosei Fujita, the pair defeated the Catch 22 team made up of Francesco Akira and TJP. Eagles and TJP traded pinfall attempts before Eagles was able to roll up his opponent for the three-count win.
TMDK teammate and fellow Aussie Shane Haste didn’t see too much luck this week but still was able to bring the local heat in a match against James Drake and Zack Gibson with NJPW. The match saw the TMDK team lose their Openweight Tag Team Title.
Aussies Aragon and Dean Draven also recently made their BJW debut in Japan this week. The team picked up a win, defeating the team of Brothers Gray with an Aratime into a diving Headbutt. Draven was also recently presented with a Ribera Steakhouse jacket by the owner of the steakhouse.
Also in Japan, Aussie Chris Vice had a match with Gleat G ProWreslting with his tag partners Brass Knuckles JUN and Ryuichi Kawakami. Unfortunately, despite the night seeing an impressive matchup between the two groups, the match didn’t go too well for the Aussie, with the Anti-GLE Monster team failing to pick up a win.
Adelaide star Kira Summer has also continued to kick ass and bring the Aussie name to Japan with her work with TJPW. Earlier last week, Summer, along with her partner Maki Itoh, picked up a massive win against Himawari and Shoko Nakajima. Although Summer saw a match lost later in the week, the Aussie audience is having fun watching the Adelaide star reach new heights in the world of overseas pro wrestling.
Over in NXT, another Adelaide powerhouse, and recently-debut superstar Zaria (previously known as DELTA), picked up a huge win with her second-ever match with WWE. Zaria teamed up with Giulia, TNA star Jordynne Grace, Kelani Jordan, and Stephanie Vaquer to overtake the team of Cora Jade, Fatal Influence, and Roxanne Perez in what was an impressive match-up. Not only did Zaria get some impressive hard hits in throughout the match (including an unfortunate miscommunication that saw a hard spear hit her partner Grace), but she successfully pinned the NXT Women’s Champion in what was the night’s main event match. It was an intense F5 that saw Roxanne down for the 3 count. To say us Adelaide fans, who have spent the last year watching this powerhouse rise to the top of Australian wrestling, are proud to see Zaria pin the champ in a main event in what was her second-ever WWE appearance, would be the understatement of the decade.
Over on the blue brand, last week’s SmackDown saw an unfortunate loss for Aussie Grayson Waller with his A-Town Down Under partner Grayson Waller against the Motor City Machine Guns. Although the match saw some impressive moments from the Aussie, it was eventually a huge hit from the top rope that saw Waller down for the three count.
Over in AEW, the dominating force of House of Black, featuring Aussie Buddy Matthews, picked up yet another win, this time in a match against the team of the Iron Savages and Jameson. It wasn’t hard for Matthews to take charge of the match, hitting a jackhammer maneuver and a harsh double boot to the face, which saw their opponents down and out for the easy three count.
Things however didn’t go too well for young Aussie legend Kyle Fletcher, who, despite pulling his weight, saw a loss in a match against Ricochet, Will Hobbs, and Takeshita. Fletcher was finally able to get his hands back on Ricochet and landed some hits to the face that sent his opponent struggling to get back up. He also hit an impressive powerbomb on Ricochet which almost saw him down for the three count, but it was eventually the failure of his teammate that saw a loss for the team. Fletcher made sure to make his presence known before leaving the ring though, as he interrupted Ricochet’s victory with some hard hits with a chair before another interesting run-in with Mark Davis
Till next week!
News Writer + Aussies Abroad. Based in Adelaide and winner of the 2023 CPA Young Journo of the year, has been a news and arts journalist for a number of years working across radio and print, but has decided to take her wrestling addiction to PWDU. You can find her at any local wrestling night across the state with a beer in-hand and a front-row ticket to the action.
