By: Chris Small
This past Saturday night, The Thornbury Theatre was once again home to the best wrestling on Australian soil. The titular Ballroom Brawl was nothing short of historic, and with new challengers emerging for the top championships in MCW, along with the looming threat of the Brawl winner striking anytime over the next 12 months, the landscape of Melbourne City Wrestling has seen a dynamic shift!
The Brat Pack (c) defeated The Velocities to retain the MCW Tag Team Championships
With Paris and London going on record claiming The Velocities are the best tag team in Australia prior to this match, this bout was about both championship gold AND bragging rights!
The Brat Pack were fired up from the moment the opening bell rung, getting in the face of the high flyers. Interestingly, Nick and Mitch displayed some high flying of their own, and left their feet more often than the MCW Faithful would be used to. Clearly The Brat Pack are the champions for a reason, as their ability to adapt to the pace of their opponents was on display.
No slouches in their own right, Jude and Paris took The Bratty Ones to their limits. With double team after double team manoeuvres, the agile challengers earned their share of near falls.
Ultimately, when all was said and done, it was The Brat Pack who prevailed to the delight of the crowd, cementing their status as the bar that all teams in Australia should be measured.
A nice show of respect from all four athletes in the middle of the ring ended this opener on a high note.
Under the Influence
With the action finished up in the ring, the lights dimmed and the Big Screen revealed a message from “The Influencer” Skylar Cruise. Cruise made her MCW debut last month at Homecoming when she challenged Avary for the MCW Women’s Championship. At Brawl, Cruise didn’t seem phased by the loss in her recorded message, hyping her new show “The Influence” and also her partner in crime, “Absolute Excellence” Anth Cava! Skylar proclaimed that Cava would win the Brawl and then take the championship from “The Loose Legacy” Adam Brooks.
Rocky Menero defeated Royce Chambers
This match marked the first time Rocky has stepped foot inside an MCW ring in nine years. If there was ever to be a warm welcome back for “A-Town’s Finest”, it quickly dissipated the first of many times that Menero flipped off the crowd.
“Airbender” Royce Chambers proved a spirited opponent, but Rocky easily grounded the high-flyer for most of the match, showing a total lack of respect by spending more time heckling the crowd than focusing on his opponent. Size and experience seemed to favour Menero, but the heart of Chambers allowed for a few offensive flurries. In the closing moments, it actually looked like Royce was closing in on an upset victory, until Rocky landed a kick below the belt the referee didn’t see, finishing up with a flying elbow from the top rope for the pinfall.
The Champ Spits Statistics
MCW World Champion Adam Brooks was out next to address the MCW Faithful. Mic in hand, taking a moment to appreciate the adulation from the crowd, Brooksy spoke about what most people across the globe have been feeling for the past 12 months. The state of the world is a tough one, and to be a World Champion in such uncertain times carries even more responsibility than normal. However, “The Loose Legacy” let the crowd know he’s up to the task:
“As soon as COVID pisses off, and the world opens up again, I intend to defend this championship everywhere I go, wrestling the best in the world!” – Adam Brooks
Brooksy then touted his little known abilities as a competent statistician, and provided the interesting fact that no entrant in the Ballroom Brawl later in the evening had ever held the World Championship.
As soon as the subject of world title holders was brought up, the OG Champion’s music hit followed by the man himself: Danny Psycho! As the inaugural MCW World Champion, Psycho has taken offense to the cockiness of “The Loose Legacy” and demanded a match for the title. Brooks agreed, setting the stage for these two to meet in the near future!
The Natural Classics defeated The Mile High Club to become the Number One Contenders for the MCW Tag Team Championships.
This match was redemption vs. elevation personified. The Natural Classics fell short in reclaiming the titles last month at Homecoming. The Mile High Club have faced their own share of adversities in the way of injuries that have diminished their progress made in the division.
With the stakes and emotions so high heading into this fight, the action was as hard hitting as one would expect. The aggression on display from the Filip Brothers was palpable, a side that has rarely been seen from Tome and Stevie. Tyson Baxter and Jett Rouka were able to soak up this extra level of punishment, and stepped up their own game at key points in the match as well.
Both teams worked like well-oiled machines, with the tagging fluid and a keen ring awareness making the match a lengthy one, as neither team seemed to have the advantage. Unfortunately, the intensity of the match seemed to betray Tyson Baxter, as his leg began giving him enough trouble that the officials needed to step in. No sympathy was given by The Natural Classics, as Jett was taken out as ringside and Baxter’s leg was put into a grapevine for the submission victory!
Slex defeated Mick Moretti
Last month, Slex was unable to regain the MCW World Championship in a Three Stages of Hell match. Going into this battle against Moretti, “The Business” seemed visibly unfazed by Homecoming loss, but as the match went on, the scars from Hell came back to the surface.
“The Rapscallion” was in full control from the beginning, bringing up the uncomfortable question if Slex has lost his edge. At times Moretti seemed to be toying with the former champion, and served up a punishing offense that included a number of shots outside the ring.
Slex began favouring his knee midway through his match, the same knee that was stretched out across several ladder rungs from the Third Stage of Hell only several short weeks ago. The veteran instincts of Moretti took hold and “The Rapscallion” began targeting the vulnerable area over and over.
However, Slex is nothing if not resilient, and was able to lure the Green Nation member into Close of Business for the submission victory!
Bastard TV and Legendary Issues
Moments after the intermission, the lights again went down and the latest episode of Bastard TV began. To the delight of the MCW Faithful, “The Mad Bastard” Krackerjak revealed a loophole in his Legends contract that would allow him to come out of retirement to compete again. The broadcast then turned into a live announcement as the Australian wrestling legend came out to the ring, calling for his former partner-turned-nemesis “Loverboy” Lochy Hendricks to join him.
Krackerjak then informed Lochy and the crowd that the retirement clause of the contract can be revoked, IF Hendricks, as the man who forced “The Mad Bastard” into the binding agreement, reneges. Hendricks, never one to miss an opportunity to inflict humiliation, forced Krackers to beg Lochy. To the astonishment of the crowd, Krackerjak did just that, showing just how much the business of professional wrestling means to him.
However, this degradation wasn’t enough for “Loverboy”, and his refusal to comply drove “The Mad Bastard”, well, mad. Krackerjak goaded Hendricks into a fight on the spot, telling him that if he was successful and knocking Krackers out, we would give Lochy his Legends Contract and all the privileges it entailed!
Lochy Hendricks defeated Krackerjack in an Unsanctioned Match to obtain a Legends Contract.
In a truly vile display, Hendricks utilized every weapon that Krackerjak brought into the ring to cut open the legend, causing blood and hope to flow out of the beloved icon. When Krackers wouldn’t stir, MCW co-owner Jay Andrews made a rare appearance to demand “Loverboy” stop the carnage. Ultimately though, the order fell on deaf ears, and A vicious chairshot was delivered to the head of the lifeless body of Krackerjak. Whatever value that is put into the word “Legend”, the outcome of this bloody battle has given Lochy Hendricks the right to call himself just that.
Kellyanne defeated Jessica Troy.
Before this match was underway, current MCW Women’s Champion Avary made her way to the commentary desk as a way to provide her input and scout out two potential threats to her title.
When last these two squared off, Kellyanne was the victor. Kellyanne had earlier proclaimed 2021 to be the year of “The Kellyanne Fiend Club”, and Jessica Troy was looking to even the scorecard at one victory a piece. The personal stakes on the line could be felt throughout the Thornbury Theatre with each brutal shop, each anguished scream, and each near-fall from each competitor. In what was possibly the most physical match of the night, both women left it all out on the canvas.
The fighting spirit of Troy shined through after an unsuccessful double Cannonball sequence resulted in just a one-count for Kellyanne! However, it wasn’t enough to kick out of the follow-up Backpack Stunner, and Kellyanne lived true to her word by starting off the year in successful fashion.
Mitch Waterman won The 2021 Ballroom Brawl
In a truly historic Ballroom Brawl match that saw an unprecedented 21 competitors, Waterman came in at number 12 and outlasted 20 other men to secure the biggest win of his singles career.
With the final two down to Ritchie Taylor and Waterman, the MCW Faithful was justifiably confused when the countdown clock began once again to signify another wrestler entering the Brawl despite the 20th entrant Taylor already in the match. What followed was the power of a Legends Contract on display, with Lochy Hendricks entering the Brawl at 21 as was his right on paper.
Despite being the freshest fighter in the match, it wasn’t enough to win, and with Mitch handily throwing Hendricks over the top rope, The Brat Pack member cemented his place in history to the jubilation of the crowd in attendance.
Order of Entrants
- Mikey Broderick
- Anth Cava
- Nick Bury
- Zane Zodiac
- Jett Rouka
- Emman The Kid
- Jake Andrewartha
- Tony Villani
- Gore
- Caveman Ugg
- Shaun Young
- Mitch Waterman – Winner
- Jude London
- Stevie Filip
- Royce Chambers
- Tome Filip
- Paris de Silva
- Rocky Menero
- Edward Dusk
- Ritchie Taylor
- Lochy Hendricks
Order of Eliminations
Mikey Broderick eliminated Anth Cava
Tony Villani eliminated Jake Andrewartha (also himself)
Gore eliminated Jett Rouka
Gore eliminated Emman The Kid
Gore eliminated Zane Zodiac
Gore eliminated Shaun Young
Nick Bury, Mitch Waterman eliminated Gore
Tome Filip and Stevie Filip eliminated Nick Bury
Mitch Waterman eliminated Tome Filip
Mitch Waterman eliminated Stevie Filip
Mikey Broderick eliminated Jude London
Caveman Ugg eliminated Paris de Silva
Rocky Menero eliminated Mikey Broderick
Royce Chambers eliminated Rocky Menero
Edward Dusk eliminated Royce Chambers
Mitch Waterman and Ritchie Taylor eliminated Caveman Ugg
Mitch Waterman and Ritchie Taylor eliminated Edward Dusk
Lochy Hendricks Eliminated Ritchie Taylor
Mitch Waterman eliminated Lochy Hendricks
With the opportunity to challenge for the MCW World Championship anytime, anyplace within the next 12 months, Mitch Waterman finds himself in a very interesting position going forward. Speaking of interesting positions, not only does Adam Brooks have to contend with the threat of an impromptu title match anytime over the next 365 days, but a Psycho coming after his title.
After Kellyanne’s impressive showing, is a championship match on the horizon? And when will The Natural Classics invoke their own title opportunity?
The Fallout from The Ballroom Brawl is real. Be sure to relieve all the action on demand Wednesday March 17th at 7pm at http://mcwondemand.com.au
