MCW High Stakes Review (23/05/2026)

By Mick Robson

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Last Tuesday night, Melbourne City Wrestling uploaded their latest event, High Stakes, to YouTube. MCW’s accessibility is up there with some of the best in the country now, so over this past week, your humble NSW writer was able to play catch-up and check out what one of the top promotions in Australia had to offer!

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The opening video package is very well produced, and immediately sets the stage clearly for the main feuds of the show, such as Matt Hayter vs. Edward Dusk- “these two men are polar opposites who can’t stay out of each other’s way”.  There’s also a “spin the wheel” deal, as Lucas Fantasia leaves his fate up to chance. This is MCW High Stakes!

Match 1: Nate Hunter vs. Lucas Fantasia

The big screen shows the digital wheel to be spun, to determine the stipulation for this match- it's Loser Enters The Ballroom Brawl at #1!

They play to the crowd before engaging in a technical exchange in the early going. Waistlock takedown by Hunter, reversed into a crucifix pin by Fantasia. Seemingly evenly matched here, although Hunter has a bit of a size advantage- that's nothing new for Fantasia though. The crowd gets behind Lucas as Hunter works him over. Hunter has a great mat acumen, and while Lucas valiantly works his way out of holds, Hunter finds a way to ground him and maintain control at multiple points.

A jawbreaker finally gets Fantasia the separation he needs, and he quickens the pace, sending Nate flying with a headscissors. Dropkicks take effect as Simon Takla speculates that the Pink Twink’s furry boots may be “loaded”. Fantasia goes for a slingshot sunset flip, but Hunter sits down- and holds the ropes for the tainted victory.

Winner: Nate Hunter (at 4:59)

Thoughts: Short and sweet opener. The crowd loved Lucas, and now they’re really going to need to get behind him as he faces an uphill battle as entrant #1 in MCW’s Ballroom Brawl.

A video package airs for the aforementioned Ballroom Brawl. It’s MCW’s take on a Royal Rumble. 20 entrants. 1 title opportunity. Gonna be a big one.

Entrances take place for our next match. What will the stipulation be? The big wheel lands on...  the loser of this match will NOT be in the Ballroom Brawl!

Match 2: Stevie Filip vs. Jarvis

Urgent, almost desperate chain wrestling as these two men sell the stakes at play here. Stevie kicks Jarvis in the gut and the intensity ramps up. Lots of moves and counter moves as Stevie tries to employ the power game but Jarvis is too agile for it. They briefly brawl on the outside where Stevie gets the advantage, and back in the ring with a springboard rolling senton for a near fall.

Stevie goes to the springboard well again and crashes and burns as Jarvis moves. Jarvis tries to follow up but cops a European uppercut to the back of the head. Jarvis tries to rally with a leaping kick in the corner but Stevie fires right back with a shotgun dropkick. Powerbomb gets Stevie a near fall- right into a single leg crab! Jarvis escapes and has a moment just a moment later, as a big cutter out of the corner gets him a near fall.

The crowd claps it up for these two as they go into trading big moves. Handspring cutter by Jarvis. Pump kick by Stevie. Jarvis returns immediate fire with KL Gold! Jarvis goes up top but is blasted with another European uppercut. Stevie tries to follow up, Jarvis catches him in the tree of woe, but Stevie sits up and flings him off the top! Great core strength. Stevie looks for a Phoenix Splash, but Jarvis moves and connects with the Clip It kick for the win!

Winner: Jarvis (at 6:41)

Thoughts: Wow. Stevie Filip takes the L in his return to MCW. But that was a hell of a match. Still a short run time, not too much longer than the opener, but the intensity and back and forth was at a high from the opening bell. Incredibly fun quick match.

Backstage promo with the Clydesdale and the Physicals. Their partnership has dissolved. The whole segment was hilariously overacted, but I think intentionally so- it all had vibes of the Outrunners from AEW.

Clydesdale’s partner will be determined by the big wheel. The Physicals are hilarious, and yeah, they enter with all the fun retro vibes. The wheel lands on Lucky O’Leary. Interesting! I will say, I reckon the wheel animation should be a beat or two longer, it stops very quickly. But here we go!

Match 3: The Physicals (Jimmy Castle & Johnny Jetts) vs. The Clydesdale & Lucky O’Leary

Clydesdale seems confident with this luck in gaining a partner, flexing his pecs to start the contest. Jimmy sends him reeling to the corner with a dropkick though. The 10 punches follow, and the Red Hot Dale does a Flair flop. Tag to Johnny and the Physicals did a double hip toss. Assisted rana follow and Dale’s outta there with the tag to Lucky.

Lucky runs through the Physicals with a, err, physical double clothesline. Soon after, Clydesdale feels good enough to tag back in, and they take it to Johnny with the dreaded double groin stomp as Jimmy protests. Dale and Lucky take turns working over Johnny, isolating him and targeting the back. Clydesdale looks for a powerbomb on Johnny, but he turns it into a rana and makes the hot tag!

Jimmy flies in with a clothesline and follows up with his own hurricanrana as the Thornbury Theatre comes alive. Massive crossbody on the Dale gets a near fall, as Lucky breaks it up with a running knee. Johnny looks for his own crossbody on Lucky, but is caught and dropped with a backbreaker. What a machine Lucky O’Leary is! He works with Dale for a double bucklebomb, following by a double gorilla press slam. Jimmy fires up, but walks right into a pop up powerbomb/neckbreaker combo, giving the makeshift team the devastating win.

Winners: The Clydesdale & Lucky O’Leary (at 9:58)

Thoughts: Strong tag match. O’Leary was a tremendous choice here, bringing so much power and energy. But the Physicals are working as babyfaces in MCW for sure, the Thornbury Theatre crowd really got behind them, which I think spurred them to show more fire as the match went on.

Going to a big-time grudge match next- Edward Dusk vs. Matt Hayter. The big wheel lands on a major reward for the winner- No. 1 Contendership to the Heavyweight Championship!

Match 4: Edward Dusk vs. Matt Hayter

Edward Dusk scores with an immediate flying kick- almost a Claymore- for a near fall. Selling both the intensity of the feud and the stakes at play from the first moment. Hayter uses his agility to work into a sunset flip, and the two men trade rapid pin attempts. Evenly matched on a skill level. We get a suicide dive from Dusk, and these two men seem willing to do it all for a shot at glory!

Hayter is an opportunist, catching Dusk with a big boot as he re-enters the ring, followed by a flying European uppercut. Insult to injury follows with a running groin strike- that is, Hayter uses his groin to strike Dusk in the face. “Hayter is a man who thrives on chaos and opportunity,” says the commentary team. Dusk comes back with a vicious streak, clawing at Hayter’s face before putting him in the tree of woe and slapping him. Dusk builds momentum and looks for the Wicked End, but Hayter escapes. Dusk’s plan B- a sit-out powerbomb- gets him a near fall.

Both men slow to move now as the crowd begins to rumble. Dusk goes to the submission game with a crossface but Hayter makes the ropes. A defiant Hayter gives Dusk the middle finger, and Dusk bites it! Hayter comes back with a Dudebuster, and looks for a moonsault, but Dusk moves and delivers a Spear! Near fall. Dusk goes up top but is met mid-air with a superkick! Hayter urgently follows up with a superplex, followed by the moonsault- and Dusk still kicks out! They kick into a higher gear as Dusk snaps a German suplex, but Hayter comes right back with a springboard tornado DDT. Dusk right back with a brainbuster- and Hayter kicks out! Dusk looks for the Wicked End... but Hayter victory rolls for the 3!

Winner: Matt Hayter (at 13:19)

Thoughts: As we approach the halfway mark of 2026, that might be one of the best matches of the year in Aussie wrestling. The animosity was high, the stakes were high (no pun intended), and the action was as intense as it could be to match that context. The crowd were red-hot for it, and although Hayter seemed to be the heel through his arrogance, Dusk had some shades of grey in there with his tactics, and the crowd certainly had a large appreciation for Hayter. Does that shape the future of both men in any way? Who knows. But one thing is for sure- a world title shot awaits Matt Hayter.

A video package plays, covering the matches on the second half of this show, including Shay Kassidy vs. Aysha, Robbie Thorpe vs. Adam Brooks, and more.

Entrances for the Women’s Championship match take place. The MCW crowd are red hot and there all the way for Shay’s musical performance! The big wheel gives us the stipulation...

Match 5: MCW Women’s Championship- Blindfold Match- Aysha vs. Shay Kassidy (c)

Simon Takla tells us that he believes this is the first blindfold match in MCW history. They’re certainly rare in wrestling! Let’s see how this one pans out.

They take a while to reach around the ring to find each other, and it’s Aysha that makes contact first, hitting a schoolboy for a near fall. Shay hits a backslide... unfortunately it’s on Referee Edwin. Shay uses the audience reaction to find Aysha, then throws Barnaby (her teddy bear) at her. Brilliant.

Shay goes for a splash, but just hits the mat. However, Aysha trips over her! Accidental offense? We’ll take it! Shay hits a couple of kicks, but another splash attempt misses again. Shay blindly finds a hip toss and gets a 2 count. Aysha charges but spills out of the ring. Aysha hilariously almost takes out the cameraman, then hits the ring post! Definitely not Shay. Aysha finds her way back to the ring, but Shay catches her with a draping DDT for a near fall!

Shay has trouble finding Aysha again, and Aysha hits a First Class backstabber for a near fall of her own. After a couple of moments of Edwin almost getting wrecked, Shay hits a backslide for a near fall, into the Angels Wings... and it gets a bit awkward as Aysha shimmies towards the ropes, looking for a rope break with a foot on the ropes. Anyway, the pin doesn’t count and we carry on. Shay argues with the ref, and Aysha just takes off her hood and starts beating up Shay, and the match gets thrown out.

Winner: Shay Kassidy (via DQ) (at 8:23)

Thoughts: Very fun, ambitious stipulation match. Having wrestlers that the crowd really respond to- both positively and negatively- in this spot like Shay and Aysha was a really good call. Lindsay Howarth cleaned up that finish on commentary, explaining that there was one count, a kick out, then another two count. The camera angle watching on YouTube made it seem like there was 3 after the initial squirm by Aysha, but whether that was how it was meant to go or not, it was entertaining and engaging from start to finish. And we had an 8 minute match with hardly any bumps, gotta love that from a health and safety perspective!

Match 6: MCW Tag Team Championship- Australian Takeover (Kaz Jordan & Julian Ward) vs. Water Rapids (Mitch Waterman & Ryan Rapid) (c)

No big wheel stipulation for this one, which draws boos from the crowd and myself.

ATO jump Water Rapids to start the match and lay the boots in. Ryan Rapid comes back with a springboard moonsault and Waterman nails a shotgun dropkick to regain their bearings. Rapid hits a tornado kick on Ward and the bell rings to officially start things.

Rapid goes for a handspring move but Ward turns him inside out with a clothesline. ATO grind Rapid down with repeated boots and frequent tags in and out. Jordan hits a high back suplex for a 2 count. Rapid lands on his feet on another back suplex attempt and starts fighting back against both members of ATO, dropping them both with a double hangman on the ropes. Rapid looks to tag Waterman, but Ward pulls him off the apron. The isolation continues.

Kaz blasts Rapid with a series of elbow drops. Rapid creates separation with a big back body drop on Kaz and gets the tag to Waterman! Slingblade on Kaz. Julian runs in and is clotheslined out. Kaz with an opportunistic schoolboy gets a 2 count. Waterman hits the Gory Bomb into the buckles on Kaz, followed by a dropkick. Plancha to Ward on the outside, and Waterman is on fire! Top rope crossbody on Kaz gets a near fall.

Waterman soaks in the adulation from the Thornbury Theatre as he delivers some chops. Kaz fights back with some of his own but takes a leaping enziguri. Tag to Ward. Julian joins the chop party! Waterman gets the boot up on a charging Ward then goes up top, but Jordan comes back in with a leaping rana, into a cutter from Ward! ATO are a well-oiled machine here, but it only gets a 2 count. Ref pulled the count a bit so it didn’t look great there. ATO with the Snapshot- shoutout MNM- but Waterman breaks it up with a leaping cutter from the stage to break up the pin!

They trade strikes. Water Rapids get the better of it and go up top. Waterman misses the moonsault, Kaz intercepts Rapid and hits the Tower of London! Nasty landing there, spiked him. Waterman comes back with a superkick. Rapid is somehow back up and tags back in. Water Rapids put Kaz in the tree of woe. Rapid hits a Fosbury Flop to Ward on the outside as Waterman nails the coast to coast! Unreal! Springboard moonsault by Waterman. 450 Splash by Rapid. It’s all over!

Winners: Water Rapids (at 12:08)

Thoughts: That finishing sequence was incredible! Top tier tag wrestling from start to finish. Two elite tag teams giving their best in front of a hot crowd. Doesn’t get much better than that.

We have a contract signing for the Ballroom Brawl between Caity Luxe and Erika Reid. It was meant to be presided over by Steph De Lander, who had VISA issues. I don’t know how VISAs work, but how can you be stopped from going to your home country? Anyway, we have Interim General Manager Tony Villani in charge of this one now.

Villani has Gino Gambino accompanying him, which is probably a good call, given the hatred between Luxe and Reid. The crowd “what?” Villani’s opening speech. No respect. Villani says the big wheel will set the stipulation, and Erika snatches the mic from him. “I don’t care about the stipulation, I am going to beat you,” she says with fire in her eyes. She signs the contract.

The big wheel lands on the Sacrament match! Probably the most dangerous match type MCW has. No rules, and past iterations of it have gotten VIOLENT. Erika looks overjoyed. Caity hesitates before throwing her jacket in Villani’s face and protesting. Gambino backs her up. Erika runs Gambino into Caity, then forces Caity’s limp hand to sign the contract!

The Sacrament is a match that is usually Edward Dusk’s domain, but for the first time ever, two women will compete in it at Ballroom Brawl on June 27^th.

Main Event: MCW World Heavyweight Championship- Adam Brooks vs. Robbie Thorpe (w/ Rocky Menero) (c)

This is a Champion vs. Champion match, and the big wheel decided that Thorpe’s title is on the line here. Win or lose, Brooksy is the MCW Intercommonwealth Champion, but he has the opportunity to walk out a double champion. All the pressure is on The Gift here.

Big fight feel as they intensely lock up. Brooksy reaches for the protective mask- Thorpe has broken his nose a couple of times- and the world champ bails to ringside. Thorpe slowly back in and they chain wrestle as the crowd chants “Brooksy Two Belts”. Thorpe attempts the crossface chickenwing early, but Brooks breaks it up by running him throat-first into the top rope. He hits a couple of facewash boots into Thorpe in the corner, testing that golden protective mask.

The fight spills to the outside and Brooks runs Thorpe face-first into the ring post. Rocky Menero gets in Brooksy’s face, allowing the champ to grab him and take control. Thorpe works over the arm. He goes for Old School but Brooks pulls him off and hits a pump kick. Brooks hits a series of strikes, but one massive European uppercut levels the playing field for Thorpe. Brooksy hits a flying knee and goes up top, but Thorpe knocks him to the outside again.

Back in the ring, Thorpe wears Brooksy down with a headlock, keeping him grounded, as commentary tout how well-rounded Brooks has become, after being considered “just a high flier” earlier in his career. Brooksy eventually creates space by hitting a Codebreaker off the ropes. Thorpe goes to the outside for a breather, but gets blasted with a suicide dive! They battle on the apron and the corner, and Brooksy hits a superplex lifting Thorpe from the apron! Crazy power display in line with what commentary were saying- Brooks can do it all. Near fall.

Brooks rains down forearms then rips the mask off Thorpe! Thorpe looks for the Chickenwing on the apron then hits a sleeper suplex! That looked absolutely brutal. Brooksy somehow beats the 10 count! Thorpe and Menero are beside themselves. Brooks then surprises Thorpe with an inside cradle for a near fall. Big time offense follows with Brooks hitting a slingshot DDT for another razor close near fall. Brooksy looks for the Swanton but Thorpe counters into the Chickenwing! Brooks rolls into a pin, but Thorpe escapes and holds on! Brooksy climbs the ropes and drops down, finally fully breaking the hold. Desperate times...

Robbie is on the apron and Brooksy hits him with a couple of boots, before Thorpe smashes him with a clothesline. He then runs across the stage and hits a springboard leg drop! From a 6’5, 110kg man, that is incredible agility! Brooksy kicks out in a huge display of heart. Thorpe is frustrated and grabs his title belt- to use as a weapon and just end this? Referee Edwin looks to stop him, as does Brooks with a dropkick... but the dropkick knocks out the ref! Menero enters the ring and drops Brooks with a right hand. Jarvis makes the save from the balcony and this is getting even wilder! Jarvis enters the ring and Edwin ejects him. As he’s doing that, Menero gets a steel chair- but Brooks ducks and the chair hits Thorpe! Brooks up top for the Swanton- but Menero pushes him off onto the stage then throws his lifeless body in the ring. A groggy Thorpe makes the cover- and that’s it!

Winner: Robbie Thorpe (at 26:18)

Thoughts: As brilliant as Edward Dusk vs. Matt Hayter was earlier, Brooks and Thorpe took things a level higher. Absolute sublime pro wrestling. The uber-athletic, genetically-gifted young champion. The veteran challenger that can do it all, with the heart of a lion. The perfect storm to put on a stellar main event match. As good as Aussie pro wrestling gets. You could put this match up against any around the world!

Post-match, Rocky Menero gloats on the stage, before getting dropped by a superkick from Matt Hayter! The new no contender then drops Thorpe with a tornado DDT and poses, before getting jumped by Lucky O’Leary and the Clydesdale! They put the beatdown on Brooks and Hayter. Jarvis hits the ring and they’re able to clear the ring and send the heels scurrying away.

Hayter grabs the mic and calls his shot. He says to Robbie Thorpe, “At Ballroom Brawl, you’re done!”

Overall Thoughts

Absolutely fantastic show. Can’t fault it at all, and it finished on the highest of highs- well, heel victory aside, a stellar main event match. And having the babyfaces stand tall- for all intents and purposes, it sure seems like we can call Matt Hayter a face in MCW now- ends things on a high note after all the chaos. And besides the main event, Dusk vs. Hayter, the tag title match- hell, even the shenanigans of the Blindfold Match were quality entertainment. Melbourne City Wrestling knocked it out of the park... and up next is their biggest show of the year, Ballroom Brawl. How are they going to top this?

Overall Score: 9/10

Until next time, take care.