ACW Salvation Review (06/06/2026)

By Mick Robson

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A few weeks ago, I covered the controversial Australian Championship Wrestling (ACW). In doing so, I made mention of the original ACW here in Australia, Adelaide Championship Wrestling. So, I felt it was only right to show them some love here! No Bangladesh ads here today, no sir. 

It’s impossible for me to cover every show and every promotion out there. At present, apart from a guest article here or there, The Arena Media is a one-man show. But what I am trying to do is get outside my NSW bubble. We’ve got a lot of wrestling in New South Wales, and I know 90-95% of it very well. What I’m less acquainted with are some of the other Australian states, so here we get to see what Adelaide has to offer! 

Let’s do this! 

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Angus R Darcy & Coach Cornell welcome us to the show from the commentary desk. It should go without saying, but just in case, I am watching this on YouTube, I was not there live, funds do not currently extend to interstate travel! 

Match 1: Einar The Strange vs. Prince Apollo 

Einar drags out Sir Simple Simon, who is apparently the “man servant” of Prince Apollo. He’s gagged and bound. Wait, what kind of “wrestling” show is this?! 

Einar pulls out scissors and frees Simon from his duct tape, and he scurries back to his Prince. Apollo rushes in to attack Einar and hits a high knee in the corner. A second charge is less successful, as Einar low bridges and Apollo spills to the outside. 

After Simon pulls Apollo to safety, Einar brings him back in the hard way before hitting a flying clothesline from the top rope. Einar goes for a flipping senton but Apollo gets the knees up. Apollo takes advantage with stomps, then a backbreaker, then a Final Cut for a near fall. Rest hold next, Einar breaks out, then a double down off clotheslines. Comeback from Einar with European uppercuts, followed by a slingblade. The crowd is getting behind him.  

The “Strange” moniker of Einar is lived up to, as he dances with his limp opponent before hitting a rough looking blockbuster. Near fall. Einar goes up top, Simon grabs his ankle- the referee does absolutely nothing, which commentary note- and Apollo hits a super Angle Slam for the win! 

Winner: Prince Apollo (at 7:13) 

Thoughts: Okay, they needed some kind of distraction there, they made the ref look awful just watching the blatant interference, not doing a thing and just counting the pin. The action was okay for the most part and I see the potential in both character wise, moreso in whatever Prince Apollo’s deal is with Simon. Not to say that Einar’s character is bad- but “strange” gimmicks are a dime a dozen, would need to see more to know what makes him different. 

Before we head to the next match, I want to note, because it’s been a recurring thing in some of the recent Arena reviews- I like the production here. Nice graphics and camera work, and the sound is really good- the commentary in particular is crystal clear, and it’s often not in these Aussie wrestling shows on YouTube that I cover, so points to ACW for that. 

Comments from the ACW General Manager, Nick Savage. Apparently, Leah Lovegrove is unable to defend her ACW Women’s Championship due to a tummy ache. Savage calls the excuse “pathetic”. He strips Leah of the championship and makes a triple threat for the vacant title- Amber vs. Violet Blitz vs. Savannah Summers. That’s unfortunate, was looking forward to seeing Leah Lovegrove, a name I’ve heard in quite a positive light over the years. 

Match 2: ACW Tag Team Championship- Austra-nadian Express (Jiro & Hugh Beauty) vs. Whey Too Slic (Malykai Slic & Wes Ryan) (c) 

Ooh, a talent I know a bit! I’ve seen Hugh Beauty a few times at SLAM Pro Wrestling League. The rest are new to me. 

Respect between all four men to start, which disgusts Coach Cornell on commentary. Wes starts with Hugh. Wes has a size and power advantage, and shows it off early with a waistlock takedown. Hugh invites Wes to shoulder block him... and absolutely gets mowed down. Funny. Tags on both sides to Malykai and Jiro. The pace quickens with rope running and rapid fire pin attempts. The big man Wes back in, and it takes a dropkick to the knee for Jiro to get a momentary advantage, but a strong body slam by Wes gets a 2 count. Side note- the Human Protein Shake is a fantastic nickname. 

Malykai in to slow things down, which commentary inform us is much different to his usual high flying approach. Jiro hits an atomic drop. Hugh in with a monkey flip- and now Malykai is flying, but not of his own accord! The Austra-nadian Express find some cohesion with rapid tags, as Jiro hits a standing moonsault for a near fall. Hugh in to go back to the well with the monkey flip, but Malykai counters with a wild sunset flip powerbomb! 

Wes and Jiro both back in and Wes manhandles Jiro into a back suplex. Impactful powerslam follows, and Malykai tags in to hit a flying headbutt for a near fall. They set up for another double team, and Hugh runs in with a high knee, then the challengers plant Malykai with the 3D! The ref’s saying Malykai’s not legal, and I’ll be damned, I had to rewind, and there was indeed a tag. They collect Wes from the outside but he kicks out. Wes gets up, throws Jiro out, then the champs hit a powerbomb/blockbuster combo for the win! 

Winners: Whey Too Slic (at 11:12) 

Thoughts: Fun tag match, and a significant step up from our opener. The ending was a little abrupt... maybe the idea was that Wes was playing possum? The way he was dead one minute, kicks out at a late 2, then pops up fairly quickly... didn’t come across great, but apart from that the action was exciting and constant, with both teams having clear identities. Neither team seemed to go heel at all in this one, just a respectful, competitive championship match. Love to see it. 

Match 3: ACW South Australian Women’s Championship- Amber vs. Savannah Summers vs. Violet Blitz 

Seen Amber wrestle in NSW a time or two for PWA- a scary presence- and I saw Violet Blitz at the other ACW show a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, Savannah is in the same mold as Leah Lovegrove- a name I’ve heard about a lot and seen on socials, but I believe this will be my first time seeing her wrestle. Angus refers to her as “the first lady of South Australian women’s wrestling”. 

All three women are aggressively attacking each other from the outset. Savannah and Amber team up with a wheelbarrow into a splash on Violet. Amber has her moments with some arm drags and a dropkick on Savannah. Fast pace here. Violet clotheslines Amber down and begins beating up Savannah. 

Savannah fires up and comes back with a Codebreaker! Amber hits her with a reverse DDT and Violet breaks the pin. Violet hits a massive spinebuster on Amber but falls victim to a Savannah pump kick. Amber rallies with a cutter on Savannah and she has a wild look in her eyes!  

Amber goes up top and a masked women intervenes! Savannah hits Violet with a powerbomb, and Amber hits her with a crossbody. Constant trading of big time moves here. Amber hits what she calls the Death Drop- like Darby Allin’s Coffin Drop except she twists mid-fall into a splash- but the masked woman breaks it up! In the melee, Violet gets a roll up on Savannah... and feet on the ropes to get the tainted win! 

Winner: Violet Blitz (at 6:01) 

Thoughts: I knew the result of this match ahead of time, thanks to seeing it on socials, but that didn’t make the match any less fun. Talk about maximising your minutes! Violet looked great, a much better impression than the All Stars match, she’s absolutely jacked and got to show off more here. Savannah was obviously top tier quality, and Amber was a wild blast of chaos. Plus the mystery woman angle is intriguing! Top marks all around. 

Match 4: Trial By Combat- Bongo Sours vs. Dean Brady 

A hell of a surprise opponent here for Bongo! Brady is a former ACW Heavyweight Champion and one of the more prolific wrestlers in the Adelaide wrestling scene. 

Bongo has minions in turtlenecks, and Brady immediately drops them with a Black Hole Slam and a Spear. Bongo psyches him up and goes for a clothesline, but pretty much knocks himself out on the brick wall that is Dean Brady. Brady beats Bongo like a drum and sends him across the ring with a body slam! 

Bongo tries to fight back and goes for a cazadora, but Brady just holds him up! Bongo screams in terror before getting drilled into the mat. Any attempts at offence by Bongo are completely ineffective. Brady military presses him to the outside onto his goons! 

Back in the ring, Bongo finally has a little success with chop blocks. He lands a tilt-a-whirl DDT, excitedly rips off his prison jumpsuit to reveal civilian attire and goes up top... but leaps right into a F5. That’s it! 

Winner: Dean Brady (at 7:46) 

Thoughts: Dean Brady looked like an absolute killer in there. Bit of a palate cleanser after watching him in a lackluster match at Newy Pro last weekend. Very different style of match- this was little more than an elongated squash- but the power, the presence, the pace were all on point to make Brady look awesome. And Bongo played his part very well with his mannerisms throughout, selling the threat of Brady. 

Post match, Brady beats up the turtleneck guys some more- found out their names are Vincent Di Maria and Snaxx. Jiro runs out for the save but gets F5ed to the floor! Ouch. Hugh Beauty enters and gets the upper hand for a brief moment before also taking an F5... Brady showed a little mercy and dropped him in the middle of the ring. Then Brady grabs the baseball bat that he brought to the ring and cracks Hugh in the skull with it! Forget what I said about mercy. 

Dean Brady grabs the mic and calls out Punchdrunk Istria for a Last Man Standing match. Now that’s something I’d like to see! 

Match 5: Joey Triton vs. Mr. Cliff 

Triton is apparently the “greatest scumbag of all time”, which is quite the moniker to live up to. Mr. Cliff has a teacher gimmick, which resonates with me since that’s my shoot job until wrestling pays all the bills- ha. 

Cliff has some background noise going on in his life- something about a conspiracy and a dude in a pig mask, and appears distracted, continually looking towards the entrance way. He does send Triton reeling with right hands and a nice European uppercut in the corner. He avoids some Triton offence, but misses on the Cliffhanger elbow drop. Triton gets a 2 off the crash and burn.  

Triton looks to separate Mr. Cliff’s head from his shoulders as the crowd rallies behind the vice principal! Bunch of teacher’s pets. Cliff fights up and looks for the Pedigree, but Triton sends him with a big back body drop. Cliff tries it again but gets poked in the eyes... then takes the Spear! It’s good for the 3 count! 

Winner: Joey Triton (at 5:18) 

Thoughts: Commentary nailed it in saying that Triton’s offense is not pretty, but it is effective! Fine little match, not a lot to it but both were good in their roles and it serves as a nice warm up heading into our marquee matches for the evening. 

Post-match, a video plays and a man in a pig mask comes out to attack Cliff! He pummels him then hits an Emerald Flowsion. Then more music plays and Mike Boomer comes out, which commentary sell as a big deal and a different version of the man they knew previously. Boomer removes his tie and Pig Man chokes Cliff with it! They leave Cliff laying to boos. 

Match 6: Havok vs. Jarrad Slate 

Originally Punchdrunk Istria was scheduled for this match, but when he couldn’t make it, Havok got the call. I really like Istria’s work, so they’ve got big shoes to fill here. 

Both are imposing men, but it’s Slate with the clear size advantage, powering Havok into the corner off the lock-up. Havok fires back with a rana, sending Slate to the outside. Slate comes straight back in with a clothesline, followed by a massive powerbomb. Well, they do call him the Mother F’ing Bear. The beating continues both inside and outside the ring.  

Havok valiantly tries to fight back and lands a back suplex, but it only gets a 1 count. Commentary make mention of Havok slimming down, perhaps trading some power for better speed and cardio, but he got the big man up that time. Slate still has plenty in the tank though, catching Havok with a spinning backbreaker for a near fall. Another great power display follows with a torture rack neckbreaker by Slade. Havok absorbs a barrage of strikes before getting the knees up on a charging Slade, then hitting a top rope cross body for 2! Havok goes to the top rope again, but is cut off by Slade. Well, the glimmer of hope was fun while it lasted. 

A superplex by Slade gets a very close 2 count. Havok comes back with a fireman’s carry driver- great strength- but it only gets 1 again! Slade is a monster. Havok’s undeterred though... and hits a massive lariat for 3! Slade kicks out at 3.1, but that shot must’ve landed on the button. 

Winner: Havok (at 13:06) 

Thoughts: Hard-hitting, high impact, easily the highlight of the show so far. Score one for the underdog veteran. Slade looked like a beast for the majority of the match, but Havoc got key moments- and the moment that mattered with the 3 count. Angus mentions wanting to see them run it back, and I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to that. 

Nick Savage, Max Calamity and ACW Evolve Champion Kit enter for KIT’s Championship Celebration. KIT comes out to Falling In Reverse’s “Watch The World Burn”- kickass song choice!  

Max says that their client- KIT, presumably- will be making no statements, and hands the mic to Nick Savage. He demands the crowd show respect or they will leave, which the crowd seem in favour of. Nick signs a contract to remain General Manager for another year- not a popular decision with the Estonian Hall faithful. 

The music of Downunder hits and he walks out with a mic in hand. He informs Nick that while that contract was for the General Managership, the name on the contract doesn’t read “Nick Savage”, it reads “Downunder”! Downunder decides to make a match right now- KIT vs. Felix Young for the ACW Evolve Championship! 

Main Event: ACW Evolve Championship- KIT (c) vs. Felix Young  

Felix is another member of the Pulse along with Jarrad Slate and James Hartness in WA. I remember seeing the Pulse last time I travelled to Perth, so I’ve got high hopes here. 

KIT is beside himself starting this impromptu match. At least he was conveniently in his gear. Felix hits an immediate piledriver for a near fall! What a way to start. Felix punishes KIT with some blistering chops. They battle briefly on the outside, but KIT catches Felix on the way in with a draping DDT! Time to lay the boots in as KIT grows in confidence. 

They trade forearms. KIT’s chest is welted and Felix has some blood on his forehead, it’s definitely a physical battle. KIT lands a high knee, followed by the Ushigoroshi for a near fall. Hammerlock lariat gets another close 2. KIT looks for the Juggernaut Driver, but Felix counters and hits a superkick, followed by the Curb Stomp, for a near fall of his own. KIT was impressive, but Felix has heart. 

The blood is flowing as Felix tries to gather himself. A defiant KIT gives him the double bird and spits in his face! Felix responds with another piledriver... but Max drags the ref out of the ring! The ref ejects them, but moments later takes a boot inadvertently from Felix. The ref is straight up not having a good time here. Felix drops KIT with a Stunner, but we’ve got no one to count the pin. Felix lifts KIT... only to take a low blow from Nick Savage! Angus is quick to remind us that he’s no longer the General Manager, just a civilian now. Max comes back out and hands KIT the Evolve title belt. Felix ducks and Savage eats the steel!  

Jarrad Slate runs out and big boots Felix. This is all out chaos now! He carries Savage backstage. We reset with the two actual competitors in the ring. KIT looks for maybe an Alabama Slam, but Felix reverses into another piledriver! We get a new ref... and a 3 count! However, the original ref enters the ring and declares that Felix is disqualified for striking him earlier, so... 

Winner: KIT via DQ (at 14:24) 

Thoughts: Gotta love a screwy finish, but the action was excellent otherwise. I feel like often, wrestlers will not go at 100% if they know it’s ending via DQ, even at the WWE level, but I didn’t get that impression here. They went hard to put on a highly entertaining main event. And the heel entourage added to things without being overdone. Great main event. 

Post-match, Felix begrudgingly hands the title back to KIT without looking at him, and the champ clocks him with it. Redshaw runs out for the save and drops KIT with a running powerslam! He grabs the belt and raises it in a pretty clear statement of intent! 

New ACW GM Downunder comes back out. He makes a match between Redshaw and KIT for the next show, Heart of War on July 18th. Seems a bit unfair to Felix, and he grabs the mic. He says that everyone saw him beat KIT, so he knows Redshaw can do it, and after that... he wants next. 

Overall Thoughts 

First impressions of the original ACW- far better than the new one! Sure, not as glossy, but you can see a genuine effort and love of Aussie pro wrestling put into it, and that goes a long way with me.

The Pulse were the MVPs of the show in my book, along with their opponents. On the undercard, Dean Brady and Violet Blitz looked like absolute stars. Not every match hit hard, and I feel like losing the likes of Istria and Lovegrove absolutely impacted the quality of the card, but they definitely put on a good show worth my time, and the flow was solid as the show eventually got stronger and peaked with the final two matches. Adelaide Championship Wrestling, I’ll be back. 

Overall Score: 7/10 

Until next time, take care.