G’day mates! This edition sees us taking another trip down under to the land of Australia, as we take a look at Wrestlerock 12: Wrestlerock versus Kisstroyer, held at the Hi-Fi bar in Melbourne last July, with a main event featuring the hard as nails Jag against Slex, an appearance from my favourite Aussie wrestler, Krackerjak, as well as a set from Australia’s top Kiss tribute band!We begin with a segment in which Temo member Dowie tries to give a pep talk to Kisstroyer about their act. Needless to say, it doesn’t go down well!
Before the show begins, Julian James talks about the antics of current champion Jag. If you recall, Jag power bombed James through a table at the previous show. James then announces that the Wrestlerock board have put together a team of “regulators” in an attempt to keep Jag under control. Two of the team, Bastard Brother Logan and Slex are revealed, with a third to be announced later.
Then it’s on to the first match, the “Win A Dream Date With A Dream Girl“ match, the dream girl in question being Stevie, an employee of the Dreams Gentleman Club in Melbourne. The men wrestling for her affections were Cletus and former champion Mad Dog, not exactly the type of guys you’d take home to meet your mother. The tag-team partners put on a great opener, action packed from the opening bell, with neither man holding anything back. Once again Cletus, the perennial underdog, puts in a hell of a performance, with Mad Dog beating the hell out of him, and Cletus kicking out time and time again. Eventually, Cletus’ courage isn’t enough, as Mad Dog takes him down with a tombstone piledriver from the second rope to end what was a great match. But things didn’t end there, because as Mad Dog and Stevie left the ring, Cletus was invited to join them on their date!
Next up, Wrestlerock debutant “The Teen Idol” Damian Slater taking on Lazer. It’s an impressive performance from the debuting Slater here, putting up a hell of a performance against the former champion. Both of these men seem made for each other, and it makes for a terrific match, perhaps even better than the opener. There are false finishes aplenty, with Lazer bringing out the coast-to-coast dropkick, before he eventually took the newcomer out with a TKO, followed by an axe kick to the back of the head. This was a great match, one that you couldn’t take your eye off for one minute.
Before the next match, Wrestlerock Champion Jag comes to the ring, and immediately endears himself to the crowd. He then tells the crowd that the regulators won’t be able to control him, following up his statement by attacking a member of the ring crew. You just gotta love that guy, don’t you!
We then get the next instalment of Bastard TV, in which the Bastard Brothers reveal their latest merchandise, a zombie survival kit. Not for the faint hearted this one!
Then it’s time for the Bastard Brothers to wrestle, as they face the Emo-inspired team Brian and Dowie, otherwise known as Temo. Now I know that I’m going to start sounding like a stuck record here, but this was another great match. Of course, I’m a big fan of the Bastard Brothers, and especially Krackerjak, but Temo put in a really great performance as well here, with some good tag-team moves, although it’s hard to tell which member of the team is better. After taking an absolute beating at the hands of the Bastards, Temo had enough, and went to leave, only to find their way blocked by Kisstroyer. With no choice but to go back into the ring, Krackerjak clobbered Dowie with a guitar while the referee tried to restore order, while Logan took Brian out with a dominator slam to end an excellent contest. To say that the Bastards are over with the Wrestlerock faithful would be an understatement.
Main event time, with Slex challenging Jag for the Wrestlerock title. The main event of a Wrestlerock show once again proves to be the best match on the card, pitting Slex’s high flying and speed-based attack against Jag’s all powerful, no nonsense style. It’s a joy to watch, and another example of how good Jag is. No frills, no overly flashy moves, just good, solid, hard hitting wrestling action. Midway through the match Damian Slater came down to ringside, and after the referee took an accidental hit, Slex was able to take Jag down with his slexecution finisher. This brought Slater into the ring, who attacked Slex just as the referee was coming to. When he saw what was happening, he called for Jag’s immediate disqualification. Then, all hell broke loose. Jag took out the referee, which brought Logan down to the ring. Jag soon took him out, only to be chased away by a chair-wielding Lazer, revealed as the third Wrestlerock regulator. A tremendous match, a great way to end the show.
DVD extras come in the form of a highlight video, a performance from Kisstroyer, as well as several other segments.
In conclusion - these Wrestlerock shows continue to impress. The storyline surrounding Jag’s rampage through the promotion is very intriguing. Put that together with some great matches, almost rabid fans, and outstanding commentary from Julian James and Chris Fresh, and you’ve got an outstanding show. I’ve now seen eleven of these shows (Wrestlerock 6 was apparently sold out, which is why I‘ve never reviewed it!) and I’ve yet to see a bad one. In fact, I’ve been so impressed with them I’m beginning to think it’s about time to explore the Australian wrestling industry a little more.
With thanks to Rohan Herbstreit for supplying a copy of this release. All Wrestlerock DVDs are available to buy online at www.wrestlerock.com.
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