By Dan Steadman
Let’s go back to the closing moments of the MCW World Heavyweight Championship match at Ballroom Brawl. There we were, 20 minutes into an absolute classic, and the match truly hung in the balance.
Both Matt Hayter and the champion Robbie Thorpe were digging deep to take out the win, and yet neither could quite get the three count.
And then Edward Dusk appeared, and took out both men and the ref. In the resulting confusion, it was Rocky Menero who capitalised and grabbed the ref’s hand to issue his own three count, and seemingly give Thorpe the win, and another successful title defence.
But let’s be honest, that’s not a particularly satisfactory way to finish such an incredible match, let alone it being the most legal way.
Now interim MCW General Manager Tony Villani has taken action.
With the benefit of all available footage and a healthy dose of hindsight, the match between Thorpe and Hayter has been ruled a no contest, effectively striking it from the record.
He’s also ruled that Thorpe and Hayter must face each other in the ring at Clash of the Titans for the MCW World Heavyweight Championship. But what about the elephant in the room – Robbie’s One and Done rule?
Well, thanks to the ruling of Villani, it’s nullified that rule – as it’s been ruled a no contest, Thorpe never got the win.
Put simply, Thorpe vs Hayter isn’t a rematch, it’s the match.
There’s one simple question that remains – who will win? If there’s one thing we learned at Ballroom Brawl, it’s that both men can win this, it’s just going to be down to the finest of margins.
And if Dusk, or anyone else, wants to interfere this time around, we have a feeling that certain precautions have been taken to mitigate that.
At Clash of the Titans, we’ll know who really the better man is, and they’ll have the biggest prize in Australian professional wrestling to prove it.
Clash of the Titans 2026 is live from the Thornbury Theatre on Saturday 29th August
Tickets available at MCWTix.com.au
This event is suitable for all ages.
