Aussies Abroad: A Tsunami of talent on the world stage
Welcome to another edition of Aussies Abroad. There’s a lot to unpack this week, so let’s dive straight into it.
Beginning with RAW on May 19th, the Money in the Bank qualifier matches kicked off, with Rhea Ripley facing the returning Kairi Sane. Sane brought the heat to Ripley after a series of traded punches, but Rhea countered with a deadly headbutt, followed by the Riptide to secure the win — and more importantly, her spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Kyle Fletcher had a back-and-forth clash with Jay Lethal on AEW Collision, ultimately picking up the win. Following the match, Fletcher, alongside Josh Alexander and Konosuke Takeshita, unleashed an unnecessary assault on Lethal — only to be cleared out by The Paragon. With tensions rising, it seems likely that Fletcher and his allies will soon clash with The Paragon in six-person tag or perhaps Fletcher may even set his sights on Adam Cole’s TNT Championship. Time will tell.
Meanwhile Anna Jay and Aussie Harley Cameron faced Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford in tag team action during The Buy In pre-show for All Elite Wrestling’s annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view, securing a strong win in their favour.
On the main card, Toni Storm successfully defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Mina Shirakawa. This victory now sets Toni to compete in a Champion vs Champion clash at AEW All In, where Toni will face Mercedes Moné which has fans buzzing.
Robbie Eagles continues his impressive showing in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Best of the Super Juniors, sitting on 6 points at the time of writing. Over in Canada, Jimmy Townsend and Kingsley made their debuts for Smash Wrestling, continuing the growing wave of Aussie talent across the international scene. However they lost their respective matches, they certainly left an impression receiving praise on social media. North America is currently swarmed with Aussie talent ripping up a storm, with The Tuckman and Scott Green appearing for Limitless Wrestling.
WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event saw the shocking return of Bronson Reed emerging from the crowd colliding with CM Punk, sending both men crashing through the barricade. Post-match, Bronson entered the ring and sized up Breakker — but to the surprise of fans and Breakker alike, Seth Rollins appeared from behind and embraced Reed in a show of unity. Punk attempted to disrupt the newly formed alliance but was swiftly annihilated by the Aussie monster, who crushed him with a devastating Tsunami Splash.
Coming full circle, to the latest episode of RAW, Bronson Reed made his presence felt once again, assisting his newly joined faction and helping Seth Rollins secure the victory. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley appeared in a cinematic backstage promo, talking about how for the first time in her career, she will compete in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match — and she fully intends to win, aiming to become “Mami in the Bank.”
I’m Matty, a lifelong wrestling fan who first discovered the world of wrestling in 2006. It wasn’t until 2014 that I became immersed in Australian wrestling, which has since become a major passion of mine—a passion that has now evolved into showcasing Australian wrestlers through writing.
