Top 5: Australian Wrestlers

WWE makes its way to Melbourne, Australia on Friday for Super Show-Down. It’s expected to be the biggest wrestling event in Australian wrestling history, which is saying something considering the history of the genre on the continent.

For many years, Australia was dismissed as the breeding ground of Outback Jack & not much else. Jim Barnett ran a company called World Championship Wrestling there for awhile. Over the past couple of decades, the Land Down Under has produced some young talent ready to set the wrestling world on its ear. You’ll notice that most of the names here are current, and most of them are far from the peak of their careers.

Today, we look at the Top 5 Australian Wrestlers.

5. Rhea Ripley

Out of all the competitors in last year’s Mae Young Classic, I thought Rhea had the most upside. People apparently want to compare her to Charlotte Flair because they’re both blondes & are taller & more athletic than most of their competition, but I don’t see it. We’re talking about a lady approaching her 22nd birthday, a decade younger than Charlotte. If people think she’s equivalent to Charlotte now, she should be miles ahead of her ten years from now. I fully expect her to be on top of the Raw or SmackDown Women’s divisions whenever she becomes part of them.

4. Buddy Murphy

I haven’t watched much 205 Live this year, but I’ve heard a ton of hype behind it. One of the main reasons is Murphy. He keeps having tremendous matches with people below the weight limit. Whether he’s below it or not is another issue, but it’s given his career new life since it was decided he can’t team with Wesley Blake on NXT anymore.

3. Tenille Dashwood

Remember when the NXT crowd was all gaga over Emma & her dancing? They were convinced that she was the future of WWE’s women’s division. In fairness, she was a really good worker. Unfortunately, her character didn’t translate on the main roster at all. Neither did Evil Emma. She certainly did work on a level that made her popular with people like us forever more. I have to believe she would be the Women of Honor Champion at this point if not for injury.

2. The IIconics

Billie Kay & Peyton Royce get to share a spot here, and they wouldn’t want it any other way. The biggest night of their careers is coming up this Friday, when they’ll work in front of the largest wrestling crowd in the history of their homeland. I’ve followed each of these ladies since their arrival in America, and it makes me proud to see them reach this level.

Honorable Mention: Toni Storm

I’m a huge fan of Toni’s. Probably too much of a fan, to be honest. I wanted to put her on this list so bad. I just get the feeling that since she was born in New Zealand, it would be a bad idea. She was born in New Zealand, raised in Australia and currently lives in the UK. She’d be on my Top 5 British Commonwealth Wrestlers list, but I don’t think I can put her on this one without some flack. Pretty much anywhere except New Zealand would probably work, as we see with my pick for number one.

Honorable Mention: Fabulous Kangaroos

When most old school wrestling fans thought “Australia”, they thought “Kangaroos”. They were certainly one of the top tag teams back in the day. Why don’t they make this list? Well, only one of the entire crop was actually from Australia. The rest were posers. Sorry, guys.

Honorable Mention: Shazza McKenzie

Those of you that remember me from back in the day remember that I used to do a Hot 100 list for 411Mania. Of course, such a thing is impossible in 2018 for multiple reasons. I’ll always have a liking for Shazza for one simple reason in connection with the Hot 100. Unlike the women that buried me because they felt they were underrated, Shazza used her ranking below an upcoming opponent as fuel to promote their match. She got how to make it work for her better than anybody else. I loved that.

Honorable Mention: Massive Q

With all due respect to myself, the greatest writer in the history of the Ask 411 Wrestling column deserves a spot here. Q’s contributions to the Australian wrestling scene fly under the radar, and one feels that he prefers it that way.

1. Superstar Bill Dundee

I’m not 100% sure how Dundee ended up in Memphis of all places, after being born in Scotland & raised in Australia. I do know it was the perfect place for him to end up. Was it his resemblance to a shorter Elvis Presley? I don’t know, but I do know that he became Jerry “The King” Lawler’s best opponent & best tag team partner for several decades. I also know that he worked under Bill Watts as Mid-South Wrestling’s booker during one of its most entertaining & financially successful periods. He had a random run with Jim Crockett Promotions where he was one of the best promos on a television show featuring Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair & Arn Anderson talking on a regular basis. He also served as Lord Steven Regal’s manager during His Lordship’s most successful time in WCW.

What Dundee lacked in size, he made up for in toughness & knowledge of the business. Had he come along a decade or two later, he could have been a main event performer in a worldwide wrestling company, instead of a main event performer in a regional wrestling company. I’m also pretty sure he was the inspiration for Crocodile Dundee, so that cements his spot on top of this list.