Aussies Abroad: Reed’s bombshell tsunamis and Zaria’s locker room rivalries
Welcome to another week’s installment of Aussies Abroad, where we take a look at the locals making a name for themselves in rings across the world.
Let’s start this week’s coverage off with the latest news from South Australian giant Bronson Reed, who had an epic head-to-head match with LA knight at Smackdown over the weekend. Although Knight technically won the match due to a DQ, he was left battered and broken after crossing paths with Reed. Knight was ambushed by both Reed and Bron Breakker after the match, where the Aussie giant delivered a number of fatal tsunamis.
Over in NXT, things have continued to heat up for Adelaide’s very own Zaria, who once again found herself in a losing position due to miscommunication with her locker room allies. Last week’s NXT saw Zaria go head to head with Izzi Dame in a #1 Contendership Evolution Eliminator, which showcased the Adelaidian’s strength and sheer brutality early on. Despite some near falls, Dame was able to just hold on in the match long enough for Zaria to be distracted by her closest companion Sol Ruca hugging Tatum Paxely. This distraction gave Dame just enough time to hit a suplex and get the win.
Things went a little better for the young Aussie Kyle Fletcher over in AEW, where, alongside his partner Konosuke Takeshita and teammates FTR team with ProtoShita, successfully defeated Bandido, Daniel Garcia and the Paragon team. Despite Fletcher taking some tough beatings in this match, like a tornado DDT from Bandido, it was eventually a superkick from Fletcher that picked up the win for the team.
Over in Japan, Chris Vice has continued his work with ZERO1, with a recent match against Hide Kubota and Masato Tanka with Kouyo. In the US, PWA and IWA regular Jimmy Townsend has also been making a name for himself overseas, wrestling in rings across Canada with Acclaim Pro Wrestling, Smash Wrestling and Capital City Championship Combat. MCW and SLAM! Favourite Slex has also been making his way through the US, with matches with National Wrestling Alliance and Maple Leaf Pro.
Slex would make his NWA Power debut against Jay Bradley in a losing effort, but it must be noted that this is not Slex’s first appearance for NWA, he worked with the company during their tour of Australia under the World is a Vampire tour.
Former PWA and MCW heavyweight champion Ricky South has also announced that he will be moving to Vancouver in July. We can’t wait to see what Canada has in stall for this local talent!
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.
