PWA Dropped Out 2026 Review (29/05/2026)
- Jun 4
- 15 min read
By Mick Robson
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We’re striking while the iron is hot, with this big PWA Black Label event being built around the Dropouts! The Tuckman and Scott Green have taken over Australia, especially in the last year. Their infectious song and dance to the iconic Chelsea Dagger have spread through every arena in Aussie wrestling, from Factory Theatre in Marrickville to Willeton Stadium in Perth. And they were featured on the recent World Series Wrestling tour, where they found themselves getting bigger reactions than many ex-WWE stars!
Plus, Scott Green’s singles star has risen, with mainstream TV appearances, becoming the runner-up on this year’s Australian Survivor. And inside wrestling, he’s just won the 2026 Colosseum tournament. Tuckman holds the Soul of PWA Championship, which he defends in the main event in a Street Fight with Tony Sin. What will happen when the boys take over Liberty Hall?
Let’s do this!
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The opening video is voiced over by Tuckman and Scott in their trademark laid back Dropouts style.
We go to Scott Green, our host, and PWA Champion, Big Fudge! Side note, I just conducted maybe my best interview yet with Fudge, check it out here:
Anyway, the boys are playing PS2! What a throwback. It works! Rose says, “they must’ve blown on the cartridge”. PS2s use discs, Rose! Lack of retro console knowledge aside... the boys go to a character select screen to pick the first match! A fantastic concept, shout out to Jax and the production crew for being so inventive.
Our opener is the RANGA against MK Plus Ultra, but Michael Spencer isn’t there. Ring announcer Nick Wray gets a text from him- he's in Fiji, and totally forgot this show was tonight. So Kai Drake and Cosmo Cooper need a third man... and Big Fudge presses X to step up!
Match 1: Brotherhood of RANGA (Jack J Bonza, EC Brownie & Digby) vs. MK Plus Ultra (Kai Drake & Cosmo Cooper) & Big Fudge
Cosmo and Bonza start as Rose & Gale talk about the history of PWA at Liberty Hall (fka Max Watts). Cosmo & Bonza chain wrestle to start, working each other’s arms. Bonza goes for a side headlock takeover but Cosmo flips out of it onto his feet. Niiiice. They trade elbow drop attempts and Bonza rolls Cosmo into a crucifix for an early near fall. Fudge tags in and has a stare down with Bonza, but Brownie blasts the champ from behind. This one’s gonna get fast and furious, as everyone gets in at once to start brawling! Babyfaces clear the ring and hit suicide dives- almost wiping me out in the front row. Good times!
Back in the ring, Fudge, Kai and Cosmo take turns bashing Digby. Fudge hits a tornado DDT on Digby for a near fall. Digby escapes the heat and tags Brownie in, who clotheslines Fudge and knocks MK off the apron. MK come in illegally, allowing RANGA to beat down Fudge behind Ref Rach’s back. Digby back in with a powerslam on the PWA champ for a near fall. Can you imagine?
RANGA attempt back suplexes on Fudge, but he flips out of them both and hits Butt Punches! Tag to Cosmo, who hits both Digby and Brownie with a top rope cross body! Brownie looks for a suplex but Cosmo counters into a Stunner. Bonza tags in and hits a Tombstone for a near fall. I believe Bonza was Cosmo’s first match at an Academy show way back when! Cosmo eventually fights back and tags in Kai Drake, who chops the hell out of Brownie and Digby. Digby covers up, and Kai calls him a pussy. Combination dropkick/German suplex by MK gets a near fall. That leaves Digby alone- Cosmo calls him a “fucking ranga” and Kai chopped him. Tough to say what hurt more.
With a little assist from Fudge, MK hit a double superplex on Brownie! Tags to Fudge and Bonza. Bonza avoids the Butt Punch. Fudge avoids the powerbomb. Fudge looks for the chokeslam, but Bonza transitions into the ankle lock! Fudge rolls through and looks for the headscissors, but Bonza lifts him into an electric chair- and Digby comes off the top with the Doomsday Device! Great spot. Kai breaks up the pin. Brownie takes out MK with a double Spear, and Bonza hits Fudge with the Napalm Thunder Driver- and he pins the PWA Champion!
Winners: Brotherhood of RANGA (at 12:23)
Thoughts: Very strong opener. PWA does that frenetic lucha tag style very well, with very limited, if any, down time and everyone getting a chance to shine. Some slick chain wrestling, big power moves, memorable and inventive spots... it had a bit of everything. And the very clear statement by Bonza- he's gunning for Fudge and that PWA title. Also, is Digby actually kinda a credible competitor now?
We see arrivals from Mana & Manoush, North Shore Wrestling, Tony Sin and The Tuckman... and Billy Preston in the background, not looking in a good way slumped on the ground. Interesting...
Match 2: Benjamin (w/ Mick Moretti) vs. Skater Boy Pidgey
Moretti looks like a mad scientist and I love this character direction for him. Meanwhile, Benjamin- formerly Ben Braxton- is expressionless, entering the ring with zero flash.
Benjamin drops Pidgey immediately with a knee to the gut. Very deliberate movements here. Pidgey tries to fight back but Benjamin easily shoves him away. He blasts Pidgey with a massive clothesline as Rose compares him to the Terminator. Two count. Pidgey comes back with a headscissors that barely makes Benjamin stumble. Pidgey goes for the 10 punches but gets flattened with a powerbomb. Normally, we might see Braxton go for a Lionsault here, but instead, Benjamin just hits the ropes and lands a standard elbow drop.
Benjamin sets up for the Gamechanger but Pidgey scrambles out and tries to make a comeback with running forearm shots. Benjamin goes to the outside and Pidgey hits a flip dive over the ring post! Back in the ring, Pidgey hits a Fameasser for a 2 count. Pidgey tries to fly again, but Benjamin moves and runs through him with a shoulder block. One more spot of hope with a victory roll, but the inevitable end is near- Benjamin sets up for the Gamechanger- nope, that’s too flashy- and instead plants Pidgey with a modified Pedigree for the win.
Winner: Benjamin (at 6:49)
Thoughts: This was really intriguing. Braxton was one of the flashiest competitors in PWA, and this Benjamin character is the complete opposite. There’s a scary intensity in the presentation here- like Dr. Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster, almost, with Moretti re-creating Braxton in the way that he sees fit. It’ll be interesting to see how it all develops- particularly with Moretti as Benjamin’s mouthpiece, Braxton’s promos were never his strong suit, so this is a novel way to hide weaknesses as well.
Post-match, Moretti picks Pidgey up and Benjamin boots Pidgey’s head off at Moretti’s instruction.
A promo airs for PWA The Climb, August 28 back at Liberty Hall.
Back to Scott Green- a very shadowy Scott Green- with no lighting on his couch set up on the stage. He asks if we’re ready to “do the Dagger". The crowd cuts to everyone doing it. At least we’re lit up! Back to the stage, and we have lights as Shay Kassidy makes her entrance!
Match 3: Shay Kassidy vs. Jude London vs. Aaron Jake vs. Paris De Silva
Billy Preston’s meant to be in this match, but he’s passed out backstage with lines of sugar on his dressing room table. Living like a rockstar, but he’s out, so Paris, who accompanied Jude to ringside, is in!
Shay argues for Barnaby (her teddy bear) to be in, which the crowd is into. Paris boots the bear, so Shay boots him. Valid. The match is on! Shay immediately takes it to Jude and Aaron as well. Paris drags Shay out of the ring and drops her with a forearm, allowing the Velocities to take it to Aaron Jake. Velocities attracting some boos for their treatment of the beloved Barnaby and Shay. Aaron drops both Velocities, employing his size and power advantage. Massive tilt a whirl backbreaker on Jude. Paris goes down to the double underhook backbreaker. He’s making the Velocities humble!
Velocities work together to get the upper hand on Aaron, and Shay joins back in for a Tower of Doom spot. However, Aaron holds on and hits both Velocities with a moonsault for a near fall! Aaron, now known as “The Main Event Playa” after an excellent title match last Black Label against Big Fudge, drops Shay with a slam. The action breaks down with bodies flying everywhere, and Brooke and I almost get wiped out again in the front row. Back in the ring, Shay and Jude have a very entertaining dance break mid-match! Back to wrestling as Jude sends Shay flying out of the ring with a headscissors.
We get all four wrestlers back in the ring, trading kicks and chops. Velocities do some double teaming, but Shay reverses and Jude accidentally wipes out Paris! Paris soon comes back with a brainbuster for a near fall. Paris looks to hit a top rope move on Shay and Barnaby at the same time, but Shay throws the bear at him and knocks him to ringside. Jude re-enters the fray with a handspring Stunner. He tries to hit another one on Aaron but is caught in a... torture rack backbreaker? Looked brutal. Jude hits the Excommunicado kick... didn’t quite look as good, but it gets the win!
Winner: Jude London (at 11:17)
Thoughts: PWA excel at the multi-person match, and the players involved here covered all bases- the next level charisma and entertainment value of Shay Kassidy, the speed and athleticism of the Velocities, and the power and intensity of Aaron Jake. The only thing missing here were some stakes, I guess, as Tyler Breeze likes to say, it was a “prove yourself” Fatal 4 Way. And they did. Some attention being given to Paris’ antics involving Barnaby too... imagine a heel turn being instigated over a teddy bear?!
An ad airs for King of the Metro, at the Metro Theatre, on the 4th of July.
Back at Liberty Hall, Scott Green is joined on the lounge by Jimmy Zero! He’s there as the first entrant in the King of the Metro Rumble, and picks his number from a shot glass. Jimmy doesn’t reveal what his number is, but does say, “There’s 30 numbers, but only one Jimmy Zero.”
This is a very newsworthy debut, and I love that Jimmy Zero is getting this kind of spotlight. He’s a tremendous young talent at 19 years old, he impressed me greatly at All-Star Wrestling Australia, but more importantly- as Scott alluded to in introducing/hyping Jimmy- the likes of Robbie Eagles have touted him highly, as he did in an interview with me last year. Jimmy has been making the rounds and getting the reps in on PWA’s touring food festival shows etc., but to get a featured segment on this Black Label show, and making a point of having his Black Label in-ring debut be a promoted spot in King of the Metro... they’re making Jimmy Zero out to be a big deal from the jump, and I love that for him. A special talent.
Time for a tag team match, playa!
Match 4: PWA Tag Team Championship- Mana & Manoush (Marley Peleti & El Phoenician) vs. North Shore Wrestling (Sam & Jack Osborne) (c)
Lots of trash talk from the Osborne brothers as this one gets underway. “Where’s your hair at?” chants serenade Jack Osborne, as Rose & Gale wax lyrical about Basement Jaxx.
Sam tries to punk out Phoenician in the opening moments, but he’s not having it and throws some right hands. It’s on! Mana and Manoush waste little time sending NSW to ringside. They regroup and it’s Jack and Marley, the bigger men on each team, back in the ring throwing hands. PWA operates under lucha rules meaning that leaving the ring can constitute a legal tag.
A rare bit of miscommunication follows as Jack accidentally clotheslines Sam! Marley monkey flips Phoenician into Sam in the corner. Such a cool tandem move. Near fall. A cat and mouse game allows Jack to clothesline Phoenician on the outside, and this one is extremely back and forth here! NSW back in control over the smaller Phoenician. Near fall on a fisherman suplex. As technically sound as they are devious. And right on cue, Sam suffocates Phoenician using the ring apron. They drop Phoenician using the backbreaker/Russian leg sweep combo. Love them or hate them, North Shore Wrestling can really do it all.
Phoenician finally gets the hot tag to Peleti, who comes into throwing clotheslines and right hands. Samoan Drop on Sam gets a near fall. Mana & Manoush with a brainbuster/superkick combo for an even closer 2. All four men in hitting big shots- Sam hits his signature move- like a Dominator into a DDT, before Phoenician blasts him with a tornado kick. Jack catches him in a spinebuster, and this is getting wild! The Osbornes get knocked to the outside, but the challengers follow them out with huge dives! Jack gets thrown back in, and momentum is with Mana and Manoush! They hit their finisher- and Sam grabs Referee Hannah’s hand before the 3! I bit on that one.
Sam sweeps Peleti out of the ring, and Jack cuts Phoenician in half with the Spear. NSW with their finish- double team Cross Rhodes/Roll The Dice- to retain!
Winners: North Shore Wrestling (at 15:06)
Thoughts: Stellar tag team match- which feels like a monthly utterance with North Shore tag matches on Black Label. But Mana & Manoush are SO over, it gives the excellent heels the perfect people to play off. They’re underdogs, they’re energetic, they’re spirited... it just wasn’t enough on this night. Great drama, and an hell of an effort by both teams.
Intermission time. I grab myself a Jack Daniels, which technically is my dinner since I didn’t eat that night. Whoops.
Hanumankind’s “Big Dawgs” hits, signalling the arrival of TikTok star Lachy McIntyre and Carter Deams, collectively known as The Influence.
Lachy challenges Scott Green to a match- he's been covered by a blanket on the couch, but it’s fairly well known that Scott suffered an injury up at IPW last weekend, apparently breaking his leg, although he’s been quiet on the subject. Scott blows him off. Lachy says he’s not leaving the ring until he gets a match.
Third Eye’s music hits- well, this is weird. Xander Sullivan comes out in a wheelchair- walking wounded around here. He gets called “Hot Wheels”, and it looks like Ty Thayer and Jay Sorbet will serve as the competition.
Match 5: The Influence (Lachy McIntyre & Carter Deams) vs. Third Eye (Ty Thayer & Jay Sorbet)
In the early going, Ref Rach and Ref Hannah both get wiped out by the heel teams. We need a ref that can handle this chaos- so Scott Green calls on someone he knows very well to handle this- it's special ref Jessica Troy!
Thayer rolls up Lachy and grabs the tights- but Jess catches him! Later, Lachy tries to use the ropes- but Jess is all over it too. A ref with clear vision, amazing stuff. Tags on both sides and Deams hits Sorbet with the End of Days. Sorbet gets up immediately to take the scissors kick- don't love that. Lachy wants the pin though, Carter takes a moment before Lachy reminds him that he “pays the bills”. It’s enough time for Sorbet to recover and suplex him.
Lachy grabs a belt (not a championship) to use but Ref Jess stops him. She walks to the stage to Scott to dispose of the belt. As that’s happening, both teams grab steel chairs and try the Eddie Guerrero spot- but Jess sees the whole thing from the stage. She’s had enough of this, returning to the ring and bashing both teams with a steel chair. Sorbet hits a schoolboy on Lachy- and Jess fast counts it!
Winners: Third Eye (at 4:15)
Thoughts: Was wondering how a heel vs. heel tag team match would work- apparently, the answer is to make the refs the babyfaces. Fun, light comedy that gave Jess something to do on the show, gets Scott Green doing a little more as host, and gives my boy Sorbet a big win on Black Label! Great stuff.
Post-match, an angry Lachy McIntyre gets in Jessica Troy’s face, and she puts him in the Fujiwara armbar! Carter saves him and they retreat to the stage. Scott blasts them with Silly String as they make their exit.
Match 6: Fuel Card On A Pole Match- David Streamer vs. Josh Myers vs. Hari Singh vs. “Heavy Metal” Joey Hudson vs. Nikki Van Blair vs. Melissa Averillo vs. The Anomaly vs. Gamin’ Brayden vs. Matt Boyton
The objective of the match is to climb the pole and retrieve the paper that gives them free fuel for a year. All the wrestlers try and climb for it instantly. We get a showdown of the giants between Boyton and Averillo. The other competitors break up the staredown. Singh drops Anomaly with a high knee but the other wrestlers stop his ascent up the pole. He comes back with a rebound clothesline on Nikki and Streamer. Anomaly bites his toes, ‘cause he’s a freak like that.
Some big moves traded and Streamer stands tall and alone, so climbs- only to get blasted in the back by Nikki’s baton. Hari climbs over a few wrestlers to get to the top rope, but gets double chokeslammed down by Averillo and Boyton. The giants trade clothesline attempts, but both stay upright. A big boot does the job, so Melissa goes to climb- and the card falls off the pole and out of the ring! A bunch of wrestlers powerbomb Averillo as Streamer grabs the card.
Winner: David Streamer (at 4:26)
Thoughts: Funny commentary about the state of fuel in Australia aside, this was a mess of a match. Bunch of awkward brawling and trying to climb a pole- I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen a good pole match in 30 years of watching wrestling. It’s a ladder match’s shittier cousin. At least the card falling was funny- I thought about it happening as it was being set up, and yep, we had it.
Main Event: Soul of PWA Championship- Street Fight- Tony Sin vs. The Tuckman (c)
The crowd gets majorly into Tuckman and the Chelsea Dagger as he makes his entrance, and he brawls with Sin as the song still plays for an extended amount of time, New Jack style. Nice. Also, extra points to Tuck for wearing appropriate street fight attire with the jeans.
Tuckman throws Sin out of the ring and continues to do the Dagger dance. A large banner can be seen on the mezzanine- “If Tuck loses, we riot”. Back in the day in Arena reviews, I did compare Max Watts/Liberty Hall to Hammerstein Ballroom...
As Sin retreats up the stage, Tuck chases him then whacks him with a cricket bat. Straya. Sin then gets thrown through the TV on Scotty’s lounge room set up on the stage. Sin rakes the eyes and comes back with a DDT. He whips Tuck with the PS2 controller cord, then hits him with the production team’s sound mixer. Back to the ring- the match finally officially starts- and the whippings continue. Steel chairs join the mix and Tuckman is in agony. Sin targets the back, legs and arms with it. He looks to target the throat but Tuck moves and hits a pump kick. Brief moment of hope for the champ!
Tuckman gets the advantage with the help of a chair then grabs a table. A very clearly pre-cut table... better than an “I am The Table” moment making Botchamania, I guess. After some back and forth, Tuck throws Sin off the top rope through the table! Near fall. Sin bails out of the ring and grabs a kendo stick, cracking Tuck with it. Some tug of war over the stick- and Referee Hannah gets caught in the crossfire, getting knocked down again! She’s having a hell of a night. Sin puts the kendo stick across Tuck’s throat and hits a Backstabber. He goes for a moonsault, but Tuck hits him mid air with the kendo stick! Tuck locks in a kendo stick assisted STF, but the ref is still down! As Tuck revives Hannah, Sin grabs the aspergillum and hits him with it! Tuck kicks out! He blocks a second shot and hits Sin with his own aspergillum... and it’s over!
Winner: The Tuckman (at 12:32)
Thoughts: Wild match that the Liberty Hall crowd was hot for. We were promised a street fight and these two delivered. Tony Sin was in a tough spot- not a proven top player in PWA, placed in this main event, but he carried himself so well here. Along with the vicious streak he showed in the match, I think it was enough to solidify him, where I wouldn’t bat an eye if he was put in more Black Label main events. Great performance, and the Tuckman remains as over as ever, evoking great sympathy and emotion throughout before the cathartic win.
Post-match, an enraged Sin attacks Tuckman. As Rose goes to sign off, North Shore Wrestling’s music hits, and Will Kiedis comes out with the Golden Esky! Seems like he’s ready to cash in, but Jessica Troy intervenes and kicks him out of the ring! Kiedis retreats, clutching the Esky.
Tuckman grabs the mic. He says his career’s been awesome, but he’s always had to deal with “those North Shore Wankers”. “Bring your two best, because I’m going to take you down one last time. Metro Theatre, July 4th, be there, bruh.” We do the Dagger one more time to close the show.
Overall Thoughts
The energy of Liberty Hall really elevated this one. We had such a hot crowd reacting to everything. Not only does it help from an atmosphere standpoint, but I feel like the hotter a crowd is, the more the wrestlers are spurred on to hit that next gear and do their absolute best. The highlight was probably the tag title match and the main event. We’re clearly between bigger shows, coming off Colosseum and heading to King of the Metro, but this was a strong one which can be entered in the pantheon of PWA and Liberty Hall/Max Watts history (it’ll always be Max Watts to me, dammit). More new faces are being established, the vibes are up, the future is looking bright for PWA.
Overall Score: 8/10
Until next time, take care.
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