Wrestle Rampage presents ROAD TO REVOLUTION (18+) – Friday, May 4th

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Damian Slater SUSPENDED!

BREAKING NEWS:

‘The World Beater’ Damian Slater has been suspended from the active Wrestle Rampage roster for 90 days due to his undue involvement in the UPRISING Rumble, in turn costing Robby Heart his opportunity for Australian National Championship contendership.

The current Wrestle Rampage Commissioner of Events, Benjamin Rosenthal, handed down the sanction earlier today.

UPRISING Full Results (31/03/2018)

Wrestle Rampage returned to Port Adelaide for what was labelled a supercard, and certainly delivered as such. Here were all of the highlights and lowlights from the night.

A journey of retribution reaches an emotional conclusion…

…as Mike Boomer went on to regain the Cruiserweight Cup after almost a year of chasing. Boomer defeated Link Barnett in an incredible opener, making him the first ever 2-time holder of the Cup.

 

The dream run continues.

Adelaide’s Joanie May was able to secure her win back against Perth’s Amity Row. May has seen her fair share of ups and downs over the past year but it’s safe to say that the rookie is beginning to build some momentum in the new year.

 

Jonah. Taps. Out. (3 words we never thought would be written together) 

Touted as the ‘Rematch of the Year,’ Jonah Rock and AJ Istria delivered yet another war after 2017’s Match of the Year. It was a striking and grappling fans’ dream, as Istria went to work on Jonah’s arm, while Jonah tried to forearm Istria’s head back to sunny Queensland. In the end it was the resilient Istria who secured a deep arm bar, forcing ‘The Monster’ to tap out. 100% Istria’s most important win to date, but what is even more important is that afterwards a challenge was made for the rubber match at June 9th’s REVOLUTION with ‘Tap-out or Knock-out’ rules. Oh sweet Jesus!!

 

Robby Heart takes the soul of the World Beater

After costing Damian Slater his record-breaking 3rd Australian National Championship at January’s RELOADED event, the question was ‘why Robby why?’ Theories led back to the fact that Slater’s role in The Brotherhood in 2016 could have been partially responsible for Heart’s new, dark direction. Or perhaps it was that Heart & Slater share the honours of the most title reigns in Wrestle Rampage, with Heart not wanting Slater to surpass him? (OK, I started that theory. Now I’m struggling to believe that Heart even cares about the gold these days. *Sigh* I’m usually good at these things I swear!)

Either way the one-sided ‘grudge match’ was on. And we say one-sided because Slater seemingly had no interest in the match, making it very obvious to new Commissioner Benjamin Rosenthal that he wanted a spot in the #1 Contendership Rumble, and still had his eyes on the prize, not the new foe that awaited him. Rosenthal reluctantly agreed to give the 10th Rumble spot to the winner of this match, but in the end it was Slater, distracted by Amity Row, who fell to Robby Heart once again. Slater now finds himself even further away from the title picture and yet to pick up a victory in 2018. A very different picture than the gold-wearing, WWE-representing, almost-unbeatable past of the ‘World Beater.’

 

A Rat Daddy Revolution wages.

The Uprising Rumble was an opportunity for several of Wrestle Rampage’s most under-appreciated talents to secure a guaranteed fast-track to the gold, with the winner moving on to June 9th’s REVOLUTION to take on the Australian National Champion. In the end it was surprisingly Wrestle Rampage’s most talked about rookie sensations, Rat Daddy & Tommy Knight who were the final 2 left in the ring. With the crowd split completely in half, it was Rat Daddy who became the final survivor, putting the cherry on top of what has absolutely been the most monumental rookie year that we have seen.

 

The Gorgeous One becomes the TMDK Killer.

For years it has been the same story from us every month. “Don’t underestimate the grotesque image of Gorgeous Greg.” Now do you believe us? Greg Graham has become the first and only ever person to defeat 3 members of TMDK, on consecutive occasions. Hell, you could make a case for Gorgeous Greg being the most impressive Australian National Champion in history, even with the likes of Mikey Nicholls and Hartley Jackson in contention. A far cry from the initial shock and groan after Graham defeated Jonah Rock to win the title in 2017. However the fact that Greg needs an entourage of 37 people to do so, sours the whole ordeal for me. Yeah he beat Elliot Sexton. Yeah it was somewhat impressive. Still want to see him get punched in the face though! *folds arms and cries in corner* I guess it’s all aboard the Rat Daddy train from now on!!

Quick Results:

• Mike Boomer def. Link Barnett(c) to become the 3rd Cruiserweight Champion
• Joanie May def. Amity Row
• AJ Istria def. Jonah Rock
• Robby Heart def. Damian Slater
• Rat Daddy won the Uprising Rumble
• ‘Gorgeous’ Greg(c) def. Elliot Sexton to retain the Australian National Championship (2nd title defence)

 

The event will be released on Vimeo soon. Make sure to checkout our current library of events at http://www.vimeo.com/wrestlerampage where you can rent or buy from just $4.99 for over 2 hours of action!

 

The next 2 major events have been set:

Wrestle Rampage presents ‘ROAD TO REVOLUTION’ on Friday, May 4th @ Fowlers Live, Adelaide CBD (18+). Already confirmed is our tag team main event where JONAH ROCK & RAT DADDY will stand side-by-side for the first time ever to take on their next opponent’s AJ ISTRIA & GORGEOUS GREG.

Tickets available shortly via www.moshtix.com.au.

 

Wrestle Rampage presents ‘REVOLUTION’ on Saturday, June 9th @ Waterside Workers Hall, Port Adelaide (All Ages). Already confirmed is GORGEOUS GREG defending the Australian National Championship against RAT DADDY, and JONAH ROCK taking on AJ ISTRIA in a ‘Tap-Out or Knock-Out’ Match!

Tickets available shortly via www.wrestlerampage.com/tickets.

 

 

Elliot Sexton Interview [28/03/2018]

TMDK’s Elliot Sexton is one of Australia’s most successful Pro Wrestlers of the modern era. Nomadic in nature, Sexton has forged a strong fan following by doing things his own way. We caught up with Sexton for a quick chat before his Australian National Championship opportunity this Saturday night at Wrestle Rampage: UPRISING.

WR.com: Not gonna lie; big fan of your YouTube show ‘Trophy Life’! On that note, you always seem to be eating pizza. Pineapple, yay or nay?

ES: I’ve been a Hawaiian pizza kinda guy since I was born. Since living in the states, I’ve tried roughly 35-40 different combinations of toppings on Papa Johns pizza (rarely substituting one topping for another but rather just adding more of everything) and now I’ve stopped adding pineapple to anything other than Hawaiian – is this a sign!?

 

WR.com: Now with the tough question out the way, time for the generic. How did you get your start in professional wrestling?

ES: I tried getting into professional wrestling around the age of 14 under the legendary Col Dervany but this didn’t sit well with my parents at the time and so I had to wait until I was 16 to begin training full time. I started with a group who were limited in their knowledge and as soon as they admitted they only knew so much I was out of there. I knew that if I had any chance of making something out of professional wrestling, I was too young to be comfortable so I made the move to the toughest school in town, run by Jag Hartley Jackson and Damien Slater. It was a very wise decision.

 

WR.com: You’re about to return to Wrestle Rampage to wrestle for the Australian National Championship. What many people may not know is that Elliot Sexton debuted with Wrestle Rampage many years ago when we were under the EPW Adelaide banner. Any memories from the early days you’d like to share?

ES: I’ve told the story of my tights splitting in my debut match plenty and while it was embarrassing it’s something I’ll always be able to look back on and just laugh. To be honest, when I think of my early days under the EPW Adelaide banner I think about how I hadn’t found my voice. It’s one thing to be talented in the ring but I wasn’t the entertainer I knew I could be. One thing that helped me come out of my shell in the squared circle was teaming with my man Jonah Rock (collectively known as Sexrock.) Having a monster out there by my side made me a lot more confident and I soon opened my mouth to nobodies delight and I haven’t shut it since. But seriously, it’s something that’s been so crucial in my success and I’m glad I found it early on in my career.

WR.com: After a successful few years in Melbourne with MCW, you moved to Orlando, Florida with your fiancé and NXT Star, Dakota Kai, and began filming Trophy Life. What was your motivation behind creating the show and where do you see it heading?

ES: I feel like I’ve always found a way to make the best of a crappy situation – and while sitting by the pool and eating pizza every day isn’t anything to complain about it sure wasn’t doing anything for my wrestling career! So I turned to what I do best and that’s entertaining. The story of The Trophy Life is very unique and I think that helps catch peoples attention. The stories so far have been very well received which I’m over the moon about, I just hope I can keep the momentum rolling. Season 2 is in the works and follows my time around Australia. It will be quite different to the first season which worries me a little but I have faith it will have just as many laughs as Season 1.

WR.com: You just wrestled on the New Japan tour of Australia. How was the experience and what did it mean to you to share it with the other TMDK boys?

ES: It’s always a treat seeing the TMDK lads. Sharing a locker room with them all especially on such a historical tour just made it that much more special. My only regret was not giving myself a day or two in Australia so that I could rest up and feel 100% for the tour (I flew from Orlando and landed in Adelaide at 4pm the day of the Adelaide show.) While it was a pleasure to share the ring with the stars of NJPW, I really hope that everyone in the lockerroom and everybody in attendance took note of the talent pool here in Australia. We can hang with the best in the world and we proved it.

WR.com: It’s a loaded question I know, but what does the future hold for Elliot Sexton?

ES: That’s way too loaded! I don’t have a clue what my future holds. Short term I plan on creating new episodes of Trophy Life, getting some quality time by the pool and playing a bit of Fortnite once I’m back in Orlando. Long term, I want a Wrestlemania moment. It’s a huge dream and if it’s going to become a reality then there’s a lot of work to do, but hey, I’ve got the time to do it. #TrophyLife

Read the full match preview for ELLIOT SEXTON vs. GORGEOUS GREG here.

You can grab tickets to see Sexton in action this Saturday night by clicking on the button below.

WR Uprising News: DAMIAN SLATER vs. ROBBY HEART

Wrestler A assaults Wrestler B, costing them a match. Wrestler B comes back for vengeance and we all live happily ever after? Yeah, somehow I just don’t think this is the case here. Allow me to explain.

 

At January’s RELOADED event, DAMIAN SLATER had his shot at a record-breaking 3rd Australian National Championship. On the 15th anniversary of his debut. In the exact same building, just walking distance from his childhood home. The entire scene was set for SLATER to walk away with a fairytale ending. However with the match at his fingertips, ROBBY HEART ‘randomly’ emerged, spitting a black substance into SLATER’s face, evidently costing him everything he had worked for.

 

I have already theorised why it may have happened. SLATER seemed to have no idea. Nobody else in the locker room did either. Maybe it was the fact that it was SLATER who is partially responsible for HEART’s transformation of heart (pun intended) into ‘The Darkest Soul’ in 2016, after SLATER’s former teammates in THE BROTHERHOOD left ROBBY HEART for dead. Or maybe the current record holding 2-time Champion HEART, could not fathom having SLATER move ahead and leave ROBBY HEART even more forgotten than ever. It was once HEART who was in SLATER’s shoes. Obsessed with physical accolades and just wanting to be recognised as the very best. That all changed dramatically due to the negative influence of others. Will SLATER see the same fate?

 

DAMIAN SLATER has made his intentions crystal clear. He wants no part of ROBBY HEART’s head games. He wants to cement his legacy by claiming a 3rd Australian National Championship. But does he have a choice…?

WR Uprising News: MIKE BOOMER vs. LINK BARNETT(c)

We’ve had to wait longer than expected, but the rematch between first ever CRUISERWEIGHT CUP winner ‘Rapid Fire’ MIKE BOOMER and the reigning & defending Cruiserweight Champion ‘Human Bullet’ LINK BARNETT, is set to take place on March 31st!

 

Historians could look back and see that both BOOMER & BARNETT were one of Wrestle Rampage’s most successful tag teams to date. The underdogs found unprecedented success in the land of the giants. That was until the Cruiserweight division was created in November of 2016 and the pair decided to part ways, instead focusing on singles gold.

 

A veteran of the Adelaide scene, MIKE BOOMER successfully defended the gold on multiple occasions before being dethroned by his former comrade. BOOMER attempted everything in his power to earn the rematch that many believed he deserved, however was thwarted by the dubious tactics of ROBBY HEART, and some strategic leveraging behind the scenes by the champ, BARNETT. Now the dodgy decisions and hiding behind contracts is just something of the past. The LINK BARNETT vs. MIKE BOOMER rematch is going down at UPRISING!

 

Can LINK BARNETT add yet another name to his list of title defences in his historic run on top, or is MIKE BOOMER destined to become the first ever 2-time Cruiserweight Champion in front of a hometown crowd?

WR Uprising News: JONAH ROCK vs. AJ ISTRIA

This is a match that truly needs no hype. If you want to witness a Pro Wrestling match that would and could be a perfect fit on any world-stage, then look no further. The size difference is staggering but the similarities are astounding:

• Both men were trained by TMDK legend, HARTLEY JACKSON.
• Both have competed alongside the greats of PRO WRESTLING NOAH in Japan.
• Both are students of the game, who can turn it up using any style that they so wish.
• Both will have an opportunity to face-off once more after their 40 minute classic that won 2017’s MATCH OF THE YEAR.

 

ISTRIA has had a massive chip on his shoulder since his loss last year. Believes (and has arguably even proved) that he is the best, but just does not yet have the recognition in the form of championship accolades, to back it up.

JONAH is seeking validation by being recognised as the best that Australia has ever seen. To do so he must clear out the division and continue to defeat the elite who come knocking on his door.

You simply cannot miss this match!