{"id":24067,"date":"2018-08-15T20:24:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T00:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=24067"},"modified":"2018-09-25T02:36:01","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T06:36:01","slug":"preview-mcw-100-8-18-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/08\/15\/preview-mcw-100-8-18-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: MCW 100 (8\/18\/18)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Saturday, Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW)<\/strong> is putting on the largest independent pro wrestling show in Australia in decades. At the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre, which holds approximately 1,800, MCW 100<\/strong><\/em> features some of the biggest names in wrestling today: Will Ospreay, Bad Luck Fale<\/strong>, and Tetsuya Naito<\/strong>. This is simply another chapter in the story of the rise of Australia wrestling. Earlier this year, Pro Wrestling Australia (PWA)<\/strong> had the largest independent show in Australia since the 70\u2019s, with PROGRESS x PWA<\/strong><\/em>, which topped out at over 1,000 in attendance. This upward trend will only continue, and it won\u2019t be too long before we\u2019re talking about another event becoming the largest indy show in the country. But don\u2019t let that underplay the significance of this event. The Aussie independent scene has gone from virtually non-existent to booking a 1,800 seat arena. This is a huge deal, not just for MCW, but for Australian wrestling in general. With that said, let\u2019s check out what MCW has booked for this historic event.<\/p>\n

Pick Your Poison Six Pack Challenge Match: Bad Luck Fale vs. Robbie Eagles vs. Tome Filip vs. Stevie Filip vs. JXT vs. Mike Burr<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this Pick Your Poison match, the winner chooses which belt they can challenge for, either the MCW Heavyweight Championship, or the Intercommonwealth Championship. This is probably the best spot for Fale, who can let some of the smaller, more athletic competitors sell big for him, and in this six person environment, it\u2019ll be easier to hide his weaknesses. It was a little disappointing that Robbie Eagles, a super talent<\/a>, didn\u2019t get a one on one match on MCW\u2019s biggest show ever, but he\u2019ll stand out amongst the crowd in this one, which is the reason he has the best chance of winning this one. Fale is committed elsewhere, Tome and Stevie aren\u2019t quite ready yet for a high profile title match, JXT just had a title shot last month, and Burr has been relegated to the upper mid card. Eagles is one of the biggest stars they have, and they\u2019ll want to keep in the title picture, especially has he gets more international notoriety. After the victory, expect him to challenge for the heavyweight title, as matches against either Gino Gambino<\/strong> or Dowie James<\/strong> (the two in the heavyweight title match later that evening) are fresher than match-ups against Will Ospreay<\/strong> or Slex<\/strong> (the two in the IC title match later), since he\u2019s worked both of them already this year. With a wide array of styles in this match, and the unpredictability of a six person match, this will very entertaining. Although this match will have a little more focus on spots than story, it\u2019ll accomplish its goal of being a hot opener, and setting up Eagles as a real contender for the belt.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Robbie Eagles.<\/em><\/p>\n

Stone Age Street Fight for the MCW Tag Team Chamionships: The Brat Pack (Mitch Waterman & Nick Bury) (c) w\/ Avary vs. The Prehistoric Death Cult (Caveman Ugg & Syd Parker) w\/ Ericka Reid<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This one has been brewing since November last year, and we\u2019re finally getting the big blow off. After trading a couple singles matches at November Rain<\/strong><\/em>, the two teams met for their first championship encounter at Final Battle 2017<\/strong><\/em>, where Ugg and Parker took the belts of the Brat Pack. At Vendetta<\/strong><\/em> earlier this year, the Death Cult retained in a rematch. While that was the last match up between the two teams for months, they have only been at arm\u2019s length of each other, as they haven\u2019t been shy about interfering in each other\u2019s matches since then. Finally, last month at MCW 99: Homecoming<\/strong><\/em>, The Brat Pack got their win over the PDC, and in this street fight the two side will settle their score. I expect both Avary and Reid to get involved in this one, especially considering the street fight rules, and at times it may feel more like a three-on-three war. This should be awesome, as everyone in the match can go, and in a feud ending match on the biggest show of the year, they\u2019ll pull out all the stops. The Brat Pack will retain though. They only beaten the PDC once compared to two losses to them, and have been trading tag team wins and losses over the last few months. Ugg and Parker have had an eight month reign, and the time has simply come to let another team have a run. Coming out on top here will help reestablish the Brat Pack as big threats in MCW.<\/p>\n

Prediction: The Brat Pack w\/ Avary<\/em><\/p>\n

Defiant Women\u2019s Championship Match: Bea Priestley (c) vs. Indi Hartwell vs. Avary<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Depending on the level of Avary\u2019s involvement in the tag team match, she might be pulling the equivalent of double duty on the night. Defiant<\/strong> is a promotion based out of the UK (formerly WCPW), where Priestley is champion, and here she is putting their Women\u2019s title on the line. Priestley and Hartwell are both coming off losses at MCW 99: Homecoming<\/em> last month, and Avary works somewhat infrequently, as she more often just performs as the Brat Pack\u2019s second, so all three could use a win here. Hartwell is already the Women\u2019s champion in three other Aussie promotions, and will no doubt be going in with a belt collector promo, but in the end Priestly will retain. Other promotions\u2019 titles have been defended in MCW before, and they rarely change hands when outside their home turf. This one will be good, and I anticipate Avary taking the fall, since Hartwell wrestles for the promotion more often, and thus it would make more sense to protect her more than Avary.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Bea Priestley<\/em><\/p>\n

TD vs. \u201cLoverboy\u201d Lochy Hendricks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These two used to comprise the World\u2019s Friendliest Tag Team<\/strong> up through 2015, until Hendricks started teaming with Krackerjak<\/strong> to form the World\u2019s Friendliest Bastards<\/strong>, whom Hendricks later turned on. TD, who has been absent since 2015, returned at the Ballroom Brawl<\/strong><\/em> earlier this year, and was scheduled to take on Hendricks at New Horizons, but was attacked by Hendricks and his crony Miami, and was unable to compete. Now, at MCW 100<\/strong>, we\u2019re getting the match. This is reminiscent of last December, where Loverboy had a match against another former tag partner Krackerjak, and won – expect the same outcome here. Lochy was given a lot of wins early in the year, but has seen quite a few losses since, and is in desperate need of a win. A victory over a returning demon from his past is just the answer.<\/p>\n

Prediction: \u201cLoverboy\u201d Lochy Hendricks<\/em><\/p>\n

Fun Time Phil\u2019s Open Challenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Phil has not had a lot of luck in his Fun Time challenge this year. He\u2019s 0-5 in his open challenges this year (including a deathmatch against Jimmy Havoc<\/strong> at Ballroom Brawl<\/em>), but his fortunes may be changing. MCW\u2019s website has brought up his losing streak for his open challenges, which may indicate an angle out of it, and MCW\u2019s biggest show of the year would be a great spot for the lovable loser to get his win. MCW regulars that aren\u2019t on this card like Alan Payne<\/strong> and Jake Lindo<\/strong>, would be great suggestions for who would answer his challenge, but he\u2019s already lost to them earlier this year, so it looks likes that spot falls to Campbell Crawford<\/strong>, who will take the fall for the fun loving Phil.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Fun Time Phil<\/em><\/p>\n

Kellyanne vs. Madison Eagles<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This honestly somewhat of a dream match, as these are two of the best women\u2019s wrestlers in the country. Madison Eagles, a trainer for fellow Aussie promotion PWA, has worked for SHIMMER<\/strong> and Shine<\/strong>, in addition to the Australian indies, and recently qualified for Pro Wrestling EVE<\/strong>\u2019s SHE-1 Tournament<\/strong><\/em> this year. She\u2019s been wrestling since 2007, and it\u2019s an absolute shame she is not more well-known internationally. Kellyanne<\/strong>, who\u2019s been working the Aussie independent scene since 2009, has been a mainstay. These two haven\u2019t gone one on one since 2015, and Madison Eagles hasn\u2019t worked a match for MCW since 2014. This all started last month at MCW 99: Homecoming<\/em>, where Kellyanne called out Eagles, and the match was made. Expect this to be one of the best matches on the night. They\u2019ll pull out all the stops as the featured women\u2019s match on the show. Kellyanne, who works much more consistently for MCW than Eagles, will get the win here. Since she\u2019ll be returning to perform while Eagles may not be, it\u2019s much more important to keep her strong. Don\u2019t sleep on this one, folks.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Kellyanne<\/em><\/p>\n

Intercommonwealth Championship Match: Slex (c) vs. Will Ospreay<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, if you ever seen these two guys before, you know how good this will be. Will Ospreay<\/strong> is world class, and Slex<\/strong> is one of the best Australia has to offer<\/a>. In a little less than a year, Slex has had killer matches with Pete Dunne<\/strong>, Robbie Eagles, and Kazuchika Okada<\/strong>. If you\u2019ve never seen him, he\u2019s someone you need to go out of your way to check out. He\u2019s been the IC champion since February, where he defeated Eagles in a stellar ladder match to recapture the belt. That same night, after Will Ospreay defeated Mr. Juicy, Ospreay called out Slex, and Slex came out to the stage area, but refused to enter the ring. Last month, in his second match of the night, Ospreay won a number one contender\u2019s match over Stevie Filip. Ospreay has since promised to win the belt, and wear it down the ramp at Wrestle Kingdom<\/strong> this upcoming January. If I had to pick one match to be the match of the night, it would be this one. Slex will utilize a few more power moves than Ospreay, and both are technically talented, and we all know how well Ospreay moves, so this should have a bit of everything, and with how great Ospreay\u2019s ring psychology has gotten in the last year, not to mention his drive to elevate Aussie wrestling, this has the perfect recipe for an instant classic. Look for Ospreay to regain the belt for his second reign, as he plans on sticking around as much as possible, and for him to do exactly what he said he\u2019s do: bring that strap to Wrestle Kingdom<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Will Ospreay<\/em><\/p>\n

First Blood Match for the MCW Heavyweight Championship w\/ Special Guest Referee Seb Costello: Gino \u201cMr. Juicy\u201d Gambino (c) vs. Dowie James<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Personally, I\u2019m not a fan of First Blood matches, nor special guest referees, so this one feels a little overbooked to me. First Blood matches have too much of a risk of someone accidentally bleeding before getting to the finish, plus someone merely bleeding doesn\u2019t often feel satisfactory; special guest referees often get in the way of a good story instead of adding to it. That said, there are obviously exceptions to those, and Gambino and James are talented enough to pull it off. Back at Ballroom Brawl<\/em> in April, Gambino defeated James for the title, and turned heel in doing so, getting the assist from heel commentator Sebastian Walker<\/strong>. Last month at MCW 99: Homecoming<\/em>, Gambino successfully defended against JXT, and was blindsided by James afterwards, setting up the rematch. Seb Costello<\/strong> is a radio show host in Melbourne, and was guest commentator for the title match at MCW 99<\/em>. Gambino hasn\u2019t had a long reign, but it\u2019s been enough so that a title change here doesn\u2019t feel too soon. Since this is their biggest show ever, the brass at MCW will want to have a babyface go over in the heavyweight title match, and I expect James to do just that. This will be a wild brawl, and James will play the daredevil before the night is over.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Dowie James<\/em><\/p>\n

Jonah Rock vs. Tetsuya Naito<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: MCW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oh boy. This one will be a doozie. Jonah Rock<\/strong> is one of the foremost Australian wrestlers, and has worked for PROGRESS<\/strong> and PWG<\/strong> in addition to promotions in his home country. He\u2019s a super heavyweight, and will no doubt demonstrate his power set against the smaller Naito. And Naito? Well, he\u2019s simply one of the best in the world, period. The former Stardust Genius has become a rock star in his native Japan, leading Los Ingobernables de Japon<\/strong> faction for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The former IWGP Heavyweight champion is making his debut for MCW, but I suspect this may not be his last appearance. Last November, Kazuchika Okada headlined MCW\u2019s November Rain<\/em>, and afterward asked the crowd if they would like to see more superstars from New Japan. This past February, New Japan did outright tour of Australia, and now we see Naito main eventing the biggest Aussie indy show in decades. New Japan\u2019s intentions with Australia seem obvious, and it is rumored they are looking to do another tour before the year is out. The match itself will be spectacular. The crowd will be hot, and Rock will work hard, and this should deliver big. This isn\u2019t something you\u2019ll want to miss out on. New Japan typically doesn\u2019t like their stars losing for smaller promotions like this, so expect Naito to go over in this one, pinning Rock with a Destino.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Tetsuya Naito<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Saturday, Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW) is putting on the largest independent pro wrestling show in Australia in decades. At the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre, which holds approximately 1,800, MCW 100 features some of the biggest names in wrestling today: Will Ospreay, Bad Luck Fale, and Tetsuya Naito. This is simply another chapter in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2483,"featured_media":24076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3317,2,13],"tags":[626,2677,1712,1245,2468,1677,2986,1713,2659,2291,781,101],"class_list":["post-24067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-featured","category-international","tag-bad-luck-fale","tag-bea-priestley","tag-gino-gambino","tag-jonah-rock","tag-madison-eagles","tag-mcw","tag-mcw-100","tag-melbourne-city-wrestling","tag-robbie-eagles","tag-slex","tag-tetsuya-naito","tag-will-ospreay"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2483"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}