A Real Dream Team: The recent success of IPW, the talent responsible and a One on One with Promoter Josh Ives

The Seismic Shift

For the better part of 17 years, Impact Pro Wrestling has cemented itself as a Queensland Wrestling cornerstone, running monthly events almost exclusively in the Gold Coast area, yet still managing to showcase the best talent across the entire QLD scene.

Having been around for as long as they have, it’s only natural that IPW has gone through a handful of scenery changes, having extended stints in such venues around the Gold Coast as the Ashmore PCYC, the Nerang Bicentennial Centre and the William Duncan State School, which they just recently finished a 12-year residency with.

However, almost a year ago, IPW experienced a seismic shift in the form of a brand-new venue. The thing is, this wasn’t just any old PCYC or State School. It was a venue with history, a venue with statewide appeal, a venue that was going to take IPW to the next level.

This venue was Dreamworld.

On the 3rd of February 2024, during IPW‘s From The Ashes event, it was announced that IPW would be holding a very special event, World of Dreams, in conjunction with Dreamworld’s Night Market. This one event would be the catalyst for what has arguably become the most successful period in the promotion’s near 20-year existence.

Since World of Dreams, the company has since taken up a long-term residency in Dreamworld’s Exhibition Centre, moving all of their monthly events to the venue and drawing anywhere from 300-400 people for each event. Now, they may have a long-term residency in Dreamworld, but that’s not the only location to get in on the IPW action over the last year. Last year, NRL‘s Gold Coast Titans treated their fans to a special, pre-game trios match on the 6th of August. This pre-game exhibition saw IPW stars Eugenie, Toa & Skhorn take on “Handsome” Billie Mac, Sledgehammer & Chad Atlas, a match that was witnessed live by 16,000 footy fans in the CBUS Super Stadium. IPW has even been covered by the news, being featured on the Gold Coast & Brisbane branches of Channel 7 & 9’s News outlets, further cementing themselves as not just a successful wrestling promotion, but a staple of Queensland pop culture.

It’s safe to say that IPW has been riding a tremendous wave of momentum of the last year, one that I could go on about for days. However, I feel it’d be quite fitting to get some insight on the promotion’s meteoric rise from someone who’s played a major part in it’s occurrence, IPW Promoter, Josh Ives, whom I’ve been incredibly lucky to arrange a short Q&A with.

One on One with IPW’s Josh Ives:

You’ve been IPW’s Promoter, along with your wife Tarryn, for the past 9 or so years. How did you two end up in such a role?

Great question, IPW’s founder Peter “The Hawk” Ball was ready to settle down and retire from his professional wrestling career. As his step son, I inherited it and along with Tarryn we started running IPW Australia. In 2023 we took on business partners Shane and Susan and we now run IPW collectively together with myself as Director.

IPW has been holding events for at Dreamworld for the last 10 months. How did this deal come about?

Some of the Dreamworld Night Market team were actually fans of the IPW product. They (along with Jace the Ace) collectively believed we had something special and began laying the ground work for what we have now.

As a promoter, how fulfilling has it been to have such a major role in moving IPW from state school halls to putting on exhibitions for the Gold Coast Titans and a residency in one of the biggest theme parks in the country?

Well, I have been in the business for 18 years, and for the first time in those 18 years I feel content. I can finally say I have given a significant contribution to Hawks legacy which has always been my goal. He tried many times to get pro wrestling into theme parks. This is for him!

Did you find it to be a very demanding transition for you and the company, or did you feel that you were all ready to step up to that next level?

Absolutely, I held a senior management position in the Aged Care Industry for the first 7 years of my running of IPW. I found it almost impossible to do both. So with my wife, Susan (my mother) and Shane’s support, I stepped down from my position in Aged Care and fully immersed myself into getting the product out there. We actually saw immediate success, with 3 news stories on IPW in one year, the deal with Dreamworld, liaisons with Toni Storm with AEW and of course performing in front of 16,000 people for the Gold Coast Titans.

In the long term, where would you like to take IPW?

Well first and foremost, I would like to see the success of the IPW roster, whether that’s in wrestling or wherever it takes them. As for IPW? We did a stadium show back in 2010, who’s to say we don’t do that again? Or TV? The skies the limit and everything else is fake as they say.

Moving from the long term to somewhat of the shorter term, what can we expect from IPW in the new year?

The Dreamworld Night Market and I have been cooking up some big events, we will have visits from some overseas talents and also our time with the Gold Coast Titans is far from over.

Is there any IPW talent that you would like to take the time to put over to our readers that you feel have been instrumental to IPW’s recent successes?

IPW wouldn’t be here today without its grizzled veterans, particularly Skhorn. Very few people can say they have wrestled in QLD as long and consistently as he has, and there isn’t a single person I trust more in the industry. A true made member of the IPW family. There’s also the likes of Chad Atlas whose dedication to the business regularly gets overlooked, Toa who is the “John Cena of QLD” and doesn’t even realise it. Then there’s Zeke Andino, the single most talented worker in QLD, EC Diamond & The Mutt the true diamond standards of IPW, our new champion and lockeroom leader Sledgehammer and Eugenie, a young lady whose talents and momentum will soon reach a global audience.

The IPW Family…

As Mr. Ives has made clear up above, there is a plethora of IPW talent that have been pivotal to leading the charge, not just in the past year, but for the company in general. It’s only fitting then, that this article takes the time to showcase the talents that are so crucial to the success of IPW.

Skhorn:

A veteran in the truest sense, Skhorn has been on an impressive, 20 year run with IPW, having built a level of trust within the promotion that simply cannot be understated. It is this level of trust, perhaps, that has allowed the “The Viking” to rack up a series of impressive achievements. These achievements include winning just about every championship in IPW that he’s eligible to win, even capturing some of them multiple times. His most impressive stats come from being a 3-time IPW Hardcore Champion, a 4-time IPW Heavyweight Champion and a whopping 7-time IPW Tag Team Champion, managing to hold the record for most championship reigns for all three titles, as well as having the most combined days as champion for the Tag Team & Hardcore championships.

With the amount of time and accolades under his belt, Skhorn has cemented himself as a true legend of not just IPW, but perhaps all of Queensland wrestling.

Sledgehammer:

Homegrown through and through, Sledgehammer has spent the last 12 years as a prominent figure of IPW‘s product, wrestling just about anyone who’s anyone to come through the promotion and even enjoying a near year long run with the IPW Unified Championship. After spending such a long time as a locker room leader and pillar of IPW, “The Blunt Instrument” finally got his due, reaching the upper echelon of the promotion and capturing the IPW Heavyweight Championship from Chad Atlas at January’s Beach Riot event.

With 12 years in the business and seemingly no sign of slowing down, this championship reign looks to usher in a new era for both IPW and Sledgehammer.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sledgehammer_pw/

Chad Atlas:

The Leader of The Worst Generation, Chad Atlas has been a bit of an unsung hero in the overall Queensland scene, putting in a very consistent effort across both IPW and Queensland as a whole, an effort that has even taken him abroad. Coming up on 6 years in the business, Chad Atlas has seen his fair share of success in that amount of time, wrestling just about everywhere in Queensland, which has also seen him capture championships in both Atomic Pro Wrestling and IPW, where he is a Triple Crown Champion, capturing their Heavyweight, Unified and Tag Team Championships, while also making appearances for Professional Championship Wrestling in Victoria, Pro Wrestling South Australia in South Australia, Explosive Pro Wrestling in Western Australia, Australian Wrestling Superstars, All Star Wrestling Australia & National Championship Pro Wrestling in Sydney, as well as making his presence known in New Zealand for Capitol Pro Wrestling.

With so much experience under his belt, Chad Atlas looks to continue proving that he is “The Worst” in 2025.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechadatlas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechadatlas/

Toa:

Dubbed the unwitting “John Cena of QLD” by promoter Josh Ives, Toa has been making some significant waves in the short time that he’s been a part of both IPW and the wider Queensland territory. In IPW, he’s climbed up the promotion’s ranks startlingly fast, already having enjoyed a 280 day IPW Unified Championship reign (The 4th longest in company history), capturing the title just FIVE months after his debut. The “Toa Takeova” has also been in full effect across the country, making a name for himself in QLD promotions such as Redcastle Entertainment, Wide Bay Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling League and Queensland Wrestling Alliance, capturing the tag team championships in WBPW & QWA alongside Kulture member Moko Kai and Eugenie, as well as NSW’s Pacifica Wrestling Federation, where he is currently the first and only PWF World Tribal Champion. The “Takeova” has even extended all the way to Japan, where Toa would spend 2 months with the promotion Pro Wrestling Just Tap Out.

With the sky truly the limit, it will certainly be interesting to see exactly what’s in store for “The Samoan Lionheart” in the near future.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551009905181

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toatakeova_/

Eugenie:

A fixture of Queensland’s burgeoning women’s division, Eugenie has made a significant impact on not just IPW‘s women’s division, but also ANY division she steps into. After recovering from a Torn ACL, an injury known to end many careers, “The Golden Bati” has been simply unstoppable, overcoming any and all challengers in her path. Eugenie’s two-year war path since returning and becoming a founding member of Kulture, alongside Toa & Moko Kai, has led her across the country, to promotions such as Pro Wrestling League, Wide Bay Pro Wrestling, Redcastle Entertainment, Atomic Pro Wrestling Queensland Wrestling Alliance and and Venom Pro Wrestling in Queensland, Pro Wrestling Australia, Pacifica Wrestling Federation & All Star Wrestling Australia in NSW and even Melbourne City Wrestling in Victoria. She’s also managed to grab a handful of women’s championships along the way, winning gold in IPW, ASWA & MCW.

With Kulture by her side, 2025 looks to be a year where Eugenie reaches brand new heights and breaks down all new barriers.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.ugenie/

The Mutt:

One of the fresher faces on the scene in IPW, The Mutt has been reaching for the stars, as well as going toe to toe with a fair few of them, since day one. In the year and a half since his debut, Mutt has proven that he can hang with the best of them, holding his own in both singles and tag team action, against the likes of Daikaiju, The Nerangatangs (Ethan Shay & Slammin’ Sam), Blunt Force Trauma (Dick Brutal & Skhorn) and even bonafide Queensland megastars Zeke Andino & EC Diamond. He’s also seen his fair share of success during his short time with IPW, becoming the winner of IPW‘s Golden Bell and joining IPW supergroup The Worst Generation, alongside Chad Atlas, Blair Hex, Morgan Frye & (formerly) Sledgehammer. Looking to make a name for himself across the state, Mutt has even made the occasional appearance for Toowoomba’s Atomic Pro Wrestling.

With plenty of miles left ahead of him, The Mutt looks to hit the ground running in 2025.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtydangmutt/

EC Diamond:

In the midst of a career resurgence, “The Diamond Standard” has managed to carve out an incredibly successful career within Queensland wrestling, achieving just about all that there is to achieve in the scene. A real veteran of the scene, Diamond has been a key player in IPW recently, having made a huge return to the company that led to him becoming the current Unified Champion. On top of that, he has continued to give it 110% across all of the premiere promotions in Queensland, thanks in large part to his ongoing run with Queensland Openweight Championship. From the near decade career he’s had, to the past championships won, to his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, there is a vast amount of ground to cover with someone like EC Diamond that a short summary simply cannot do justice to.

With the Unified & Openweight Championships still firmly in his grasp, along with a wealth of knowledge and experience at his disposal, EC Diamond looks to continue to prove exactly why he is “A Cut Above The Rest”

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDiamondStandardBrand

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diamondbrand_/

Zeke Andino:

One of Queensland’s top talents, Zeke Andino has been a very notable figure within IPW, as well as across Queensland, having made his pro wrestling debut for the promotion almost 9 years ago. Since his debut, “The Dark Horse” has dedicated himself to becoming one of the best performers in the state and, in many people’s eyes, achieving that goal. Performing at such a level for so long has taken Andino straight to championship gold, capturing IPW‘s Heavyweight Championship twice over & snagging singular runs with their Unified Championship, as well as United Pro Wrestling‘s Featherweight Championship. Andino’s immense talent has also ended up taking him to Japan, where he would participate in two different tours for Big Japan Pro Wrestling.

Taking his rightful place as one of Queensland’s best, “The Dark Horse’ looks to continue shining brightly.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063716053972

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zekeandino/

With a stacked roster full of passionate wrestlers ready to give their all and a promoter with massive aspirations who believes in every single one of them, there is truly no telling just how much Impact Pro Wrestling is going to achieve in the coming years.

This feature is dedicated to the memory of IPW founder Peter “The Hawk” Ball:

pwdownunder.com would like to thank Josh Ives for taking time out of his busy schedule to give us an exclusive interview, along with Toa and EC Diamond for giving additional insight into their careers for this feature.

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