WrestleWatch- PWA: Don Marnell's Pro Wrestling Beer Bash

This is a fairly unique review today, quite different from the usual ones I do. Typically, a WrestleWatch review of PWA shows will include some detailed play-by-play and analysis of all the matches and happenings. I'm usually guided by re-watching the show on FITE TV or YouTube after attending the show the night before. But Don Marnell's Pro Wrestling Beer Bash was a special occasion.

The Beer Bash is one of the very few shows PWA have run that was not recorded or broadcast in any form. A true house show. Taking place at The Beer Shed in Leumeah, NSW, I had a great time there last night with my mate Chad, and it was one of the more purely fun wrestling experiences I've ever had. Plus, I got my hands on some Lucha Lager- that's right, PWA have their very own beer!- so that helped my enjoyment as well.

Anyway, the slightly more condensed version of my WrestleWatch reviews. Let's do this!

(Image Credits: PWA/New Photography Studios)

The Show

Don Marnell opens the show by heading to the bar, grabbing a beer and a hot mic. He jazzes up the crowd at the Beer Shed- many of whom seem quite marinated as it is- and notes that this show was meant to happen 6 months ago. Bloody COVID. He notes that the Beer Bash will be his final night in pro wrestling. Man, that's a disappointment. He's an excellent manager. I know his client Sam Osborne is stepping away from PWA, but I was hopeful that the MMA (Marnell Management Agency) could continue with new clients. It's time for the first match!

Match 1: PWA Champion Ricky South vs. Jack Bonza

They start with some chain wrestling. Bonza responds to a heckle from an older couple sitting next to me- this was their first wrestling show and they were taking the piss out of it. So Bonza responds by showing his arse. Bare cheeks and all. I may need therapy now. South and Bonza are every bit as hard hitting as usual, especially laying in some chops, but ultimately the champ prevails with the piledriver. I'm immediately noticing an increased focus on crowd interaction- I forgot how fun house shows can be in that regard.

Winner: Ricky South (***1/2). Hard-hitting and took advantage of the unique atmosphere.

Don's back in to hype up the crowd, only to be interrupted by the annoying, screeching music of SMS. From memory, SMS stands for Social Media Squad, but Marnell asserts that it stands for So Much Shit. Unsocial Jordan says that we're all drinking the "devil's nectar" and lists all the negative side effects of drinking. Marnell lays out a challenge- SMS vs. any team of Don's choosing. If SMS win, PWA will never run another show at the Beer Shed. If Don's team wins, Jordan has to chug a beer in the middle of the ring. High stakes!

Match 2: Backpain (Jack Pain & Backman) vs. North Shore Wrestling (Will Kiedis & Sam Osborne)

Hey, I thought Osborne was leaving! I guess this show isn't strictly canon. Cool to see him one extra time. For Backpain's entrance, Jack Pain enters alone, then Backman appears on the apron and tosses down a footy. This leads to a fun bit of comedy where both teams run some footy drills in the ring. We get a "this is wrestling" chant, which isn't quite accurate, but we do get down to the action soon enough. Notably, the action spills all over the brewery, including to the bar, where they almost break the EFTPOS machine. Backpain also offer the North Shore boys up to get chopped by a couple of members of the crowd. Unfortunately, it was on the opposite side of the ring to me. Maybe next time. Match ends with Osborne doing the honours, taking the pin following a double spinebuster from Backpain.

Winners: Backpain (***). Nice blend of comedy and action. And again, great involvement of the crowd.

Kingsley comes out for a match, followed by Shazza McKenzie. Hey, the advertised match was Shazza vs. Jessica Troy! I know, I know, card subject to change, but with Robbie Eagles out of the country, Jess is my favourite wrestler currently in PWA. Anyway, Shazza's here, but she's in a tracksuit and sporting a crutch. Apparently, she got injured in training... psyche, she hits Kingsley with the crutch and rips off the tracksuit to reveal her wrestling gear. Oh, it is on!

Match 3: Kingsley vs. Shazza McKenzie

This match has an aggressive tone, which is nice, seeing as I probably wouldn't be in the mood for exchanging hammerlocks if someone just hit me with a crutch. Kingsley hits Shazza with a Lou Thesz press and starts raining down punches. The veteran Shazza takes back control with a snapmare and some hard kicks, taunting the crowd with some bowing. Kingsley has a brief glimmer of hope following a nasty Codebreaker for a near fall, but ultimately she falls victim to the Shazztastic Stunner.

Winner: Shazza McKenzie (**1/2). Not quite as wild as the last couple of matches, and besides Shazza's bit of taunting the crowd, not as much audience involvement. Still good, but the earlier matches set a stronger tone.

Match 4: Big Brother Billy Preston vs. Jay Sorbet

This match had a lot of silliness. Sorbet often plays a comical character, full of puns, but he almost played the straight man to the antics of Preston's new gimmick, which is like if the host of Play School became a pro wrestler. Preston comes out with an entourage of people in animal costumes, and even a pickle. Preston wants to tickle Sorbet, leading to a "tickle the pickle" chant, and ultimately it's Referee Hannah that gets the tickles. Sorbet rallies against the unorthodox offense of Big Brother Billy, even hitting a nice Lionsault, but Preston scores with the Overdrive to put this one away. I continue to be impressed with how he tweaks that move to make it look impactful.

Winner: Big Brother BIlly Preston (***) Lots of comedy value here. I'm still not entirely sure how to take Preston's character, but there were lots of laughs to be had!

Post-match, Preston takes the mic and informs everyone that it's Jay Sorbet's birthday! I already knew that, because Sorbet and I are homies, but he leads us all in singing Happy Birthday. Preston then says he has a surprise for Sorbet- a cream pie! A hilarious exchange ensues where he asks "Do you like cream pies?", to which Sorbet gives a super enthusiastic "oh boy, do I!" There's an actual dessert pie there, by the way. Preston asks, "Are you ready to receive my cream pie?" It ends up in the face of Referee Nick- but not to worry, there's a second one, which Sorbet grabs- and Nick wears that one too. I was near tears of laughter through this whole thing. No, you can't see my browser history.

Match 5: Beer Pong Deathmatch- Big Fudge vs. Concrete Davidson

A table is set up in the ring with red cups for the beer pong. Why is it a deathmatch? Because Don Marnell said so, and that's the bottom line. Conco is in his gear, while Fudge is in street clothes. As is customary for every beer pong match not involving the steady hand of Matty Wahlberg/Grayson Waller, they're both terrible at it. So we get a rule change- if they get the ball in the cup, they drink. If they miss, they drink. That's my kind of game!

After a bit of downing the cups of water- oops, I mean vodka, Fudge is a mess. He starts with the "I love you, man". Conco reciprocates, we get back pats... then the back pats get too hard, leading to Fudge chokeslamming Conco through the table.

Winner: Big Fudge (I guess?) (*****) Conco and the Fudge are two highly entertaining human beings.

No intermission on this show. It's time for the main event!

Main Event: SMS (Unsocial Jordan, Bel Pierce & Aaron Jake) vs. Speed Force (Jude London, Paris De Silva & Mat Rogers)

Paris comes out holding a beer and swaying. In the words of GSP, "are you intoxicated?" The ref conducts a sobriety test, and after a wobbly start, Paris breaks into the Flair Strut, and here we go! Still holding the open beer can, Paris runs the ropes and conducts a series of moves, including a nip up and a rana, and barely spills a drop. King shit only.

After Paris gets that shine though, he's prone to an extended beatdown by SMS. After a long period of time, we finally get the hot tag, where Jude and Mat Rogers waste little time wasting SMS. We get a slam/stomp combo from Jude and Rogers, and Paris gets back in to hit a frog splash for the win!

Winners: Speed Force (***1/4) .This six person tag wasn't exactly Team PWA vs. Team MCW from last week, but it didn't need to be given the setting. Fun, simple stuff with a crowd pleasing finish. I'm still not over Paris pulling off all those moves while holding an open beer can!

Post-match, Jordan makes a run for it, but the Velocities chase him outside and drag him back to the ring. They get a chair, and Don gets back in... and then they invite the owner of The Beer Shed to do the honours! He pours the beer down the Unsocial one's throat and Stone Cold's music hits to end the show. Beautiful.

Overall Thoughts

Very little to complain about with this show. Wrestling-wise, was it up there with the Black Label shows? No, but I don't think it was meant to be that kind of show. This was just wrestling in a different setting, and it made for a lot of fun. A lot of PWA regular fans in attendance, but also a few who had never really seen wrestling before, and especially Aussie wrestling, which is a whole different beast. So maybe the new presentation converted a few people. Here's hoping. I had a blast the whole way through.

I did wish the event went longer, but hey, there's always next month at the Factory Theatre. PWA Welcome To The Black Label Parade. Robbie Eagles returns, and hopefully Jess Troy will be there too! I think we might have had less of the PWA roster on deck for this show given that Newy Pro held their Great Southern Rumble the night before in Newcastle. All in all though, PWA and Aussie wrestling is set for a big 2022!

Overall Score: 8/10

Oh, I will be back one more time this month. Not going in person, but FITE TV has got my back- next Sunday, it's PWA X MCW Worlds Collide. The best of Sydney and the best of Melbourne clash in a Best Of 5 Series! Keen!

Until next time, take care.

Mick Robson