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I thought every segment was on point on this go-home show. The non-handshake established firm roles for the tag match. The Heartbreak skit gave more insight into their father-son dynamic (I forgot to say I loved the writing to the MP line that you followed up again here). The Mallory-Beauchamp confrontation did a great job of setting their match up in a single segment. The Frisby stuff is always fun and it makes sense he was your inspiration for the dynasty based on all the ideas you have for him. And the contract signing might have been my favourite with the subversion of expectations with the guy who'd already wrestled and was nursing an injury standing tall and Price throwing Adebola's words back at him, but with a hint that Adebola may have a surprise in store with how everything was signed. Perfect lead-in to your first big show.

Ah wow, I love the poster @John Lions. Is it okay if I use it when I post the show? Thanks @HiPlus. Not too many twists, but a few oversized promos 😅 Part 88: To The Extreme #32 The Comedian and I had only just started introducing the episode when Death Ref grabbed the cameraman shooting us, directing him behind the curtain and down a corridor where Hack The Hunter was grounded, bleeding and gripping his ankle. Lloyd Banks, who alongside Psych Ward stood over the heavyweight, proceeded to strike that ankle with a barbed-wire-covered chair. Two Badass Bulldogs (Hendrix Hughes and Wrecker) v Brains and Brawn (Demarcus Lee and Carl Paris) It was tricky to transition from the graphic violence to open the show to the feelgood factor of Hughes and Wrecker teaming up, but The Comedian and I gave it our best shot on commentary. I recorded a voice note a few days after the episode was filmed at Lori’s request referencing Lorenzo Oliverio’s shoulder injury and D.O.A. lining up a replacement in case he didn’t make it to Hardcore Hallelujah, which was clunkily added early in the match so we couldn’t be accused of false advertising. Hughes and Wrecker worked well, supporting their confidence that their six-man experience would carry over, with Wrecker winning with a Bulldozer Elbow on Lee. My interview with The Benchmark centred on DIW’s branding of their Hardcore Hallelujah opponents Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards as The Dream Team. Rusty Mills said DIW management needed to heal their heads if they couldn’t see how disrespectful this was when they were lucky enough to have an actual dream team on their roster. Donovan Boon pointed out that they’ve been tag champions seven times already and they were only just entering their prime. Mills noted that they had to deal with all the hype for Edwards entering the tag division a few months ago, only to go out and beat him and Wrecker like they beat everyone else. Boon said Hittlespitz and Edwards were supposed to be The Dream Team as it was a partnership of DIW’s top two singles superstars, but they’d beaten them both in singles competition too. Mills added to this that DIW fans had seen both Hittlespitz and Edwards lose in the last few weeks alone, but nobody had ever seen him pinned or submitted in a DIW ring. Boon used this point to reiterate they were the true dream team, with Mills vowing to prove it at Hardcore Hallelujah. It stood out to me that this was all about The Benchmark and not the wider Pros group, but I’m not sure if this was deliberate or just the nature of building a high-stakes tag match. Pat Rigsby’s Open Challenge I’ve got bad news if you’re one of those few Rigsby maniacs I’ve been told have made themselves heard online: he never got to complete his open challenge. Instead, as he headed to the ring, he was jumped by Lloyd Banks and Psych Ward under Death Ref’s direction and savagely beaten, culminating in a Spike Piledriver onto seemingly the same barbed-wire-covered chair used on Hack The Hunter earlier, judging by the preexisting blood stains. I scrambled around in search of a motive for why Ares Death Cult would target Rigsby in this way whereas The Comedian, in what felt like a rare reversal of traditional face-heel dynamics for continuity purposes given the gravity of the attack, asked if anyone needed a justification for wanting to destroy that idiot. I’m not too proud to admit that on an episode where I sat down with both The Benchmark and The Dream Team, Markus Rush’s interview with Dexter Mattell was the best received promo of the night. Not because Rush is better in the role than me of course, just the DIW Champion really delivered. Asked about Seth Wish’s criticism that he was becoming irrelevant, Mattell accused Wish of projection. He said to forget any revisionist history: nobody cared about Wish until he put a spotlight on him when he formed The Pros. He became more popular and successful than he had ever been before by mere association with Mattell. Wish didn’t realise it yet as he was blinded by the second successive major show title match Raw Sex had gifted him, but he’d already been sinking back down again from the moment he threw all of Mattell’s selfless mentoring back in his face and hit him with that cane. He’d had his fingers broken, he’d lost a DIW Title match and he’d lost a Tag Title match on his last ever appearance in Canberra. When Mattell won at Hardcore Hallelujah like he always did – he took the opportunity to point out he hadn’t been pinned or submitted in over a year – Wish’s six months in the spotlight would be over. He’d have nothing left to look forward to: no Pros propping him up, no more Canberra homecomings, just fiddling with his cane haunted by regret for the night he hit Mattell with it. Chopper Rourke v Lloyd Banks The fans were behind Rourke more than usual in their enthusiasm to see Ares Death Cult put in their place after their dominant night to date. They were left disappointed though as Psych Ward snuck in from the crowd to strike an onlooking Vaughan in the back with the same bloodied barbed wire chair, getting several more digs in while he was grounded. Rourke brought Ward into the ring and lifted him for a Spinebuster, only for Banks to hit him between the legs with a block of wood wrapped in barbed wire. Banks then nailed Rourke with a Piledriver on the overused chair for a win that probably would’ve seemed like a considerable upset at the start of the show, before the theme of Ares Death Cult domination was established. I was more provocative in my interview with Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards, highlighting how the recent video showing their brief history as a team only told half the story. Crazy Blue only teamed up with Edwards against The Barracudas in 2021 in exchange for a DIW Title shot, just as he only partnered him now to slow his fall down the card. Before giving him the right of reply, I reminded both them and the audience that a month after they beat The Barracudas, Hittlespitz beat Edwards for the DIW Title and, a month later, Edwards screwed him out of it. Then their brief reunion against The Wrecking Crew ended with Edwards stealing the victory and Hittlespitz taking him out. I said maybe what happened between the bells was a dream, but wasn’t the ultimate outcome always a nightmare? Edwards cut in, saying everything I said was true, but their priority was the present, not the future. They had an unbeaten record to defend, a chance to win a title neither of them had held before and to break The Pros’ hold over DIW, just as they did to The Barracudas three years ago. What came after that wasn’t important right now. Hittlespitz said he still saw himself as a singles wrestler, and he was sure Edwards did too but, even when he hated him, he could never deny their strange chemistry as partners, so why not take something positive out of everything they’d been through together? When I pressed him on what happened after Hardcore Hallelujah, he pulled no punches, saying he expected Edwards to screw him again in future just like he had three times in the past. I asked Edwards if it was true. He said that characterisation that he screwed Hittlespitz three times in the past didn’t quite tell the full story. He didn’t plan to screw him, but he agreed with Crazy Blue that they were singles wrestlers and he was sure there was still another chapter to their rivalry: how could there not be when they were tied at 2-2? Last year at Hardcore Hallelujah, they had the best match in DIW history, and he just about pulled the victory out. This year’s might be even better, and this time they’d both be celebrating. Hittlespitz said that was one thing they could agree on. Death Ref was with Markus Rush, who called back to when the Ares Death Cult leader told him last month he had a vision for who they would fight at Hardcore Hallelujah but, given they first tried to get a Tag Title shot, he said The Barracudas can’t have been that original vision. Death Ref was furious, threatening that Rush must have a death wish to get smart with him on a night when they had annihilated Hack The Hunter, Chopper Rourke, Vaughan and Pat Rigsby. He said The Barracudas were always his vision: they wouldn’t have been able to execute what they did tonight without complete clarity. A more cautious Rush followed up by saying he understood the attacks on Hack, Rourke and Vaughan, but why Rigsby? Death Ref expressed surprise at the question, asking how Rush couldn’t see that every time Rigsby opened his mouth about the miracle of working for DIW and having a successful marriage, he was calling out him and his wife? He accused Rigsby of openly challenging him. Tonight he answered that open challenge. The Wild Things (Con McReady and Seth Wish) v Dexter Mattell and Kobra The Conqueror (The Pros) This main event gave us an opportunity to not only hype the DIW Title and Australian Title matches taking place at Hardcore Hallelujah but also the fact that the winners – two of the men competing in this match – were scheduled to face off in a DIW Title ladder match next month. I provided an exclusive during The Pros’ entrance that, as a reward for Kobra’s progress, Mattell was planning to waive the stipulation that he couldn’t challenge a Pro for a title by facing his stablemate in that annual spectacle after they both retained. The DIW Champion’s teamwork in the ring didn’t quite match to those in his words though as he tagged out after struggling to answer a minute of offence from Wish. Wish tagged McReady in so he could continue fighting Mattell outside, only for the champion to misguidedly seek distance in the crowd. Kobra tried to subdue Wish in his pursuit of Mattell, but got cracked in the back of the head by McReady’s cane, with the former Australian Champion landing his Iron Fist to pin the man who dethroned him. The Comedian drew attention to the fact this was The Pros’ first defeat in their new form. I countered that it was unthinkable that lightning could strike twice at Hardcore Hallelujah.

Really cool to give two non-champion tag teams the main event, both to build anticipation for the big Final Chapter match and elevate more wrestlers, and it looked like they grabbed the opportunity. It seemed like a good show all round for match quality with the Lone Rider and Lifeline bouts also delivering. I loved the opening segment for showing Bruce the Giant trying to keep order and Adgee Cross refusing to back down. Buckminster Snark's might have been even better: what great character building.

Part 87: Hunting the Hack to a repetitive booking issue One of the trickiest obstacles for Lori to navigate in 2024 was the fact she needed Bryant Hall’s star power at every major event, but tended to have him over from New Zealand once a month, meaning he’d often only be available for one appearance across each eight-episode build. This made it easy to get trapped in a cycle of Hall attacking someone, disappearing, having his opponent work through the rest of Ares Death Cult before he returned to face them at the big show. She fiddled with the formula for Massacre by having Milton Hittlespitz initiate the fight, but it still strayed into the same territory of Crazy Blue tangling with the rest of the Death Cult. What was happening with Hack The Hunter felt slightly fresher, perhaps partly as a happy accident because Lloyd Banks and Psych Ward finally had their own story to advance, rather than being stuck as secondary pieces in Hall’s. It started with Hack taking The Final Boss’ attack on him in his stride, treating the hassle of having to promote the match single-handedly as more of an inconvenience than the beating he took. Naturally, I wasn’t too keen on that part, even if it was different, as it was a bit too cute and inside, but I quite liked the direction it had taken on the latest To The Extreme episode. It was presented as though the heavyweight had calculated that if Hall wasn’t showing up until Hardcore Hallelujah, and The Barbarians had issues with The Barracudas, the group that usually outnumbered opponents could be placed at a rare numerical disadvantage. He demonstrated that by costing Ward his match against Vaughan, and might get another chance to make a nuisance of himself on To The Extreme episode 32 when Banks opposed Chopper Rourke. That was one of four matches promoted for the Hardcore Hallelujah go-home episode, which would also see Hendrix Hughes and Wrecker’s first pairing as Two Badass Bulldogs opposite Carl Paris and Demarcus Lee and Pat Rigsby’s open challenge. The main event combined the four men battling for singles gold on the final Friday of the month: Con McReady and Seth Wish against DIW Champion Dexter Mattell and Australian Champion Kobra The Conqueror. You’ll have noticed that meant no in-ring action for Milton Hittlespitz, Rob Edwards, Donovan Boon or Rusty Mills following on from Boon’s win over Crazy Blue (the fourth time this year one of The Benchmark had beaten a former DIW singles champion one-on-one, for those keeping count). That was because yours truly, Sean Quartermainne, was conducting interviews with both teams ahead of their much-hyped Hardcore Hallelujah Tag Title showdown.

Part 86: To The Extreme #31 The Comedian and I started the show by reflecting on Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards earning a Tag Title match against The Benchmark at Hardcore Hallelujah, and the fact we’d get a teaser of that in tonight’s main event when Crazy Blue faced Donovan Boon. Saracens (Cueball and Tank) v The Street Stallions (D.O.A. and Lorenzo Oliverio) This match was clearly designed to heat The Street Stallions up for their upcoming Hardcore Hallelujah clash with Hendrix Hughes and Wrecker. Unfortunately, the most memorable moment was Oliverio’s awkward landing from Tank’s Gorilla Press Slam, which seemed to leave him protecting his shoulder. However, The Italian Stallion did tag back in towards the end of the bout and secure the win with a Back Stabber on Cueball, so it was difficult to assess the severity. Lorenzo Oliverio spoke after The Street Stallions’ victory, something Lori should probably let him do more often as he was a better talker than most of the roster. He claimed Hendrix Hughes made a mistake agreeing to be Wrecker’s tag team partner of the month. Hughes’ previous team broke down because his partner’s body gave up, Wrecker’s previous team were forced to split because they weren’t successful enough and The Street Stallions would show them at Hardcore Hallelujah that this latest team were doomed too. Vaughan v Psych Ward He might not have the popularity or stamina of his prime, but this match proved that Vaughan was still one of the best hardcore fighters in Australia, and he helped Ward put in one of his best singles performances to date. Chopper Rourke thwarted Lloyd Banks’ attempt to interfere, but it looked like Ares Death Cult’s numbers would win out when Death Ref disrupted Vaughan’s rhythm and helped Ward set up a Psycho Slam, only for Hack The Hunter to appear in pursuit of the cult leader. Ward lost focus and Vaughan capitalised, pushing him into the ropes and then locking in the Choke Sleeper for the submission win. Markus Rush wanted Hendrix Hughes and Wrecker’s reaction to The Street Stallions’ comments about their suitability as a team. Hughes laughed them off, saying Wrecker and him might not have competed as a two before, but they were no strangers to being teammates, so D.O.A. and his new friend must be smoking the wrong stuff if they think they’re facing some thrown-together team at Hardcore Hallelujah. He even promised them a preview of what Two Badass Bulldogs looked like as they’d team together next week. Wrecker approved, saying the only thing he needed in a partner was someone who loved fighting as much as him. Before handing back, Markus Rush flagged a conversation in the background between Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards, noting that he’d tried to get a microphone close to the discussion. Sure enough, we heard Crazy Blue ask Edwards to stay back for the main event: he’d never faced Donovan Boon before so wanted to see how they measured up. The Human Weapon reluctantly agreed, but warned that if the other Pros got involved, he would too. Rick Horn v Deceiver I’m sure this thought had been expressed more eloquently by others in the past but, witnessing Deceiver’s spooky entrance, I was struck by how well he’d fit into Ares Death Cult. I wondered if he might get the same opportunity to step up with them that Psych Ward took in early April if this match went well. His prospects were probably damaged by the reception he received from a resistant DIW crowd. Horn, who previously secured his DIW roster spot by beating an active fighter, blocked the path for another hopeful courtesy of his John Deere Destroyer. Pat Rigsby wasn’t impressed by what he’d seen, approaching The Comedian to complain. While not only he but his wife and future child politely awaited his opportunities, Hendrix Hughes was issuing an open challenge recently and Rick Horn had positioned himself as the measuring stick for people trying out for jobs. Rigsby concluded that maybe he needed to call his own shots and put himself up for an open challenge next week. The Comedian engaged as little as possible until the married 36-year-old departed, pleased at himself for forcing his way onto next week’s card. Markus Rush spoke to The Wild Things before the main event. Seth Wish picked up his recent theme of Dexter Mattell becoming an afterthought with everyone’s attention on The Benchmark again tonight. Con McReady claimed they had a way to restore Raw Sex to relevancy on the next episode: The Wild Things taking on the DIW Champion and Australian Champion Kobra The Conqueror days before coming for their titles at Hardcore Hallelujah. It sounded like an upgrade on Massacre’s Wish v Chopper Rourke go-home main event, albeit a potential risk to have all four of your singles title match competitors in the ring together so close to the major show. Milton Hittlespitz v Donovan Boon Multi-time DIW Champion versus career tag team wrestler, you know how this one ends, right? Perhaps not. Hittlespitz had Boon down and was lining up his Flying Knee Drop when footage appeared on the screen by the entranceway of Dexter Mattell forcing Markus Rush and his cameraman to follow him down a corridor where Rusty Mills and Kobra The Conqueror were attacking Rob Edwards. By the time Crazy Blue took his eyes off the screen to act on what he’d seen, Boon had joined him on the top rope to catch him with a Belly-to-Belly Superplex, quickly following up with a Donovan Driver for a three count that seemed to catch the crowd off guard. Once Milton Hittlespitz had recovered, he paced up the ramp to try to find Rob Edwards, only to be hit between the eyes by a Tag Title held by Rusty Mills, who was heading in his direction alongside Dexter Mattell and Kobra The Conqueror. The trio dragged Crazy Blue back into the ring, where Boon was still positioned, and commenced a further beatdown until The Wild Things ran down with their canes to cause The Pros to vacate the ring. I expressed my shock at the sight of The Wild Things riding to the rescue of their former nemesis Hittlespitz, before downplaying it by saying The Pros had shown they were a step ahead regardless. Hittlespitz had been beaten, Edwards had taken a beating and The Wild Things didn’t land a single cane shot, in what was no doubt a sign of things to come at Hardcore Hallelujah.

You're definitely at the point in the save where everything is singing: you can tell you've got a great grasp on your roster and who fits best where, and not only three worthy champions but a strong set of contenders for each. This was really visible here where you've got Rusty Mills and Lone Rider potentially eyeing up Adgee Cross, The Golden Grapplers getting their heat back after defeats, Lifeline winning and being in line for another potential big win against The Bad Truckers and you identified the perfect time and angle to reintroduce The Kipper. Not to mention so much talent that you can afford to have Blackwell Bush, Armando Guerrero and Dizzy G sit one out, though I imagine one of them may have Vortex in their sights soon. And the best part of all when you get to this point in a save is getting to play off the history you've created, like the Grapplers teasing repeating The Devoted Souls' clean sweep, or Lone Rider using his previous victory over Mills as additional fuel for his bitterness. Lovely stuff. Thanks for the DIW update. Hopefully things go better for Switchblade this time. Diesel Dan was a star in my default database DIW save. I guess he's dropped back a bit by 2022, but it sounds like the debut went well and, if nothing else, it's a good name for The Devoted Souls and potentially Lifeline to boast wins over.

Just got caught up. A really enjoyable start. Lots of strong characters and dynamics emerging already like Frisby and Dark, Silva and Adebola and The Heartbreaks being cheered on by Florence on commentary. I also really like the move of having the tag tournament headline all those early shows to really establish the division as important and make the eventual prize feel really prestigious.

Part 85: Card close to completion In addition to the WrestleWorld Australia viewership spike, To The Extreme episode 30’s Dream Team v Barbarians main event appeared to have finished filling the card for Hardcore Hallelujah with two episodes to spare. Matches confirmed included Seth Wish v Dexter Mattell for the DIW Title and Con McReady v Kobra The Conqueror for the Australian Title – with the winners due to clash in next month’s DIW Title ladder match. Then there was Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards v The Benchmark for the Tag Titles, The Barracudas v The Barbarians, long-term allies Hendrix Hughes and Wrecker v The Street Stallions and the first match announced: Hack The Hunter v Bryant Hall. In some ways this was preferable to the build to Massacre, where some parts felt incomplete and rushed, but it also presented the challenge of how to keep viewership rising for August's final two episodes when the audience knew what was on the horizon. That was especially true of Wish and Mattell: their story had been told for six months at this point, so would it be possible to keep the issue as hot heading into Hardcore Hallelujah as it had been at Massacre? The answer to that question might also determine whether they held onto the main event spot or whether Hittlespitz and Edwards v The Benchmark closed the show. The second rivalry was headlining To The Extreme episode 31, with Hittlespitz and Donovan Boon having their first ever one-on-one showdown. There were three other first-time matches taking place on the show, with Vaughan taking on Psych Ward, Saracens fighting The Street Stallions and Rick Horn again providing the opposition to the latest outsider trying to earn a spot on the DIW roster.

Thanks a lot @willr0ck. I definitely don't think you need to do anything differently though: it's really impressive how you're able to produce something so visually spectacular and then combine it with real depth and interesting storytelling. Part 84: Dream Team, dream viewership The question of whether DIW fans would buy into Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards uniting as a team after so long as enemies appeared to have passed the maths test at least. The first taping after their realignment in Canberra had been attended by 448 fans, DIW’s best crowd yet for To The Extreme. That figure in isolation wasn’t too revealing as attendance was tending to increase show by show generally, and the Canberra trip meant this was the first show at DIW House in a month, which could also have factored into an upswing in ticket sales. More telling was the WrestleWorld Australia data. Not just for the fact that 16,022 viewers was the second-highest audience DIW had pulled in for any show, a few hundred behind what they delivered for Massacre in June, but because it was the first time ever that a taped episode had outperformed the prior live episode. That could be seen as an endorsement of the overall DIW direction, but was far more likely to be the advertised Hittlespitz and Edwards main event. One company whose numbers weren’t so satisfactory in early August 2024 were Luxe, the bikini-company-ran women’s wrestling promotion that was now Australia’s third biggest behind RAW and CEW. They had been rumoured to be facing financial difficulties throughout 2024, and it had escalated to such an extent that they had just sold off Luxe Studios and Luxe Headquarters and severely downgraded production values for their August Extravaganza to try to balance the books. Back to DIW and the Hittlespitz-Edwards duo being promoted as The Dream Team, I harboured some criticism over how the angle had played out so far. It was good that they had been forced to earn their shot at The Benchmark at a major show, unlike Edwards and Wrecker being granted one for Massacre without proving themselves. However, for all the video packages and main event matches, I felt like we hadn’t heard enough from them since agreeing to team up, not showing us enough of the story behind how they both agreed to swallow their pride. The silence of Edwards was most disappointing: he’d been the one who pushed Hittlespitz to team with him only to get snubbed three times and declare defeat in the venture. Had he jumped at the opportunity or had it been a tough sell? The emphasis seemed to be on the matches at this time, with Hittlespitz v Donovan Boon promoted for the next To The Extreme episode, so there was no guarantee of a clear answer.

@John Lions Agree about Rob Edwards v Bryant Hall being our most attractive untapped match: they're our top two for popularity too. In terms of Seth Wish, he was a fan favourite for his first five years in DIW, lost his way when he lost the Australian Title to Kobra for the second time, brought in Con McReady soon after, then went after Milton Hittlespitz before all The Pros stuff. But it's a valid point that he hasn't necessarily redeemed himself yet. @Tiberious Ah, King Kobra would've been a much better name: it feels like a far more natural progression of Kobra Khan, whereas Kobra The Conqueror is too long. I like your idea of keeping it in reserve for any future character shifts. Appreciate the comment on the DIW Title match: it felt like Wish had to put something up to get another shot, but redoing the Kobra stipulation seemed too repetitive, so Canberra felt timely. @HiPlus Really appreciate your enthusiasm for Hack v Horn, especially as I think booking interesting TV matches is one of my biggest weaknesses. Your suggested finish is better than the actual one unfortunately as I was too tight to fly Hall in for this episode. But there are future plans for both the winner and the loser. Part 83: To The Extreme #30 The show started with a video package recapping Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards’ history as a team, beginning in 2021 when they aligned to defeat Blitz Simpson and Chopper Rourke at the height of The Barracudas’ powers. Then their brief reunion at Devil May Care 2022 when, even at the peak of their rivalry, they coexisted to overcome the unbeaten team of Wrecker and Mr. Pink (the part where Edwards tagged in without Hittlespitz’s consent wasn’t shown). The video ended on the statement that DIW’s Dream Team would be reunited tonight. Carl Paris v Dexter Mattell The Comedian explained on commentary that because Mattell hadn’t wrestled since Massacre, he’d forced him to compete tonight, with Raw Sex saying that if he was being made to face an amateur, it might as well be the biggest amateur on the roster. Seth Wish appeared at ringside, returning the favour after Mattell scouted him against Vaughan last week. Inevitably, it wasn’t the closest contest, but it gave the DIW Champion a chance to be at his showboating best, tying Paris in knots before forcing him to cave in to the STF. Dexter Mattell made a hasty retreat when Seth Wish entered the ring after the match. He taunted the DIW Champion as he headed up the ramp, referencing Rob Edwards’ past claim that The Benchmark were The Pros’ power brokers. He said Mattell was becoming an afterthought, as proven by the fact he was in the opening match while a bout just to decide a contender to face The Benchmark was a main event everyone was talking about. He finished by vowing to make him even more of an irrelevance when he takes the DIW Title at Hardcore Hallelujah. Mattell sold his irritation at the remarks but for once didn’t snap back, instead continuing his exit. Hack The Hunter v Rick Horn Competing against another well-liked wrestler proved an ideal showcase for Hack The Hunter, showing that he was relaxed, respectful but capable of hitting hard against any opponent who took the fight to him. Horn was presented as a worthy opponent, but he was ultimately outfought, with Hack forcing his way out of the John Deere Destroyer and following up with a Hack Attack for the win. This was a rare DIW match to end with a post-match handshake. We got a glimpse of Hendrix Hughes sat in the back on his phone, with Markus Rush behind the door listening in. Presumably he was speaking to Seb Shaw as he appeared to be checking that his long-term partner had no objection to him teaming up with Wrecker to take on The Street Stallions. The Comedian suggested it could be another addition to the Hardcore Hallelujah card. Con McReady v Pat Rigsby There was no greater indicator that DIW were inviting fans to cheer McReady nowadays than putting him opposite Rigsby. The company’s chief provocateur took The Wild One’s cane from ringside during the match and vilely simulated rubbing it between his cheeks. He wasn’t sneering for long though as McReady knocked him down, regained possession of the cane, asked a fan at ringside for some sanitiser in a lighthearted crowd engagement spot to reinforce his new direction before setting about savaging Rigsby with it. The troll begged off, rather pathetically pointing to his wedding ring, but when McReady did eventually drop the cane, it was to take him out with the Iron Fist instead for the three count. Australian Champion Kobra The Conqueror appeared in the entranceway as Con McReady celebrated. Everyone in DIW was so predictable that he knew what they were saying: Dexter Mattell had prioritised his needs over Kobra’s and trapped him into giving The Wild One an Australian Title rematch. They were wrong. In fact, he wanted that rematch more than McReady did. The former champion had beaten him twice earlier this year, but he knew he was better than McReady so, now he had his head screwed on, he looked forward to a chance to definitively prove it, and to show how much The Pros upgraded when he took McReady’s place and his gold. Markus Rush wanted The Barracudas’ thoughts on the teams competing in the upcoming main event, and they weren’t positive. Vaughan said Ares Death Cult had screwed around with them more than anyone in the last few years, and Rob Edwards and Milton Hittlespitz were out there trying to take credit for ending their dominance. If The Barracudas had their way, they’d both lose tonight but, if they could only get their hands on one team, they’d be waiting at Hardcore Hallelujah for whichever team didn’t advance to face The Benchmark. The Dream Team (Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards) v The Barbarians (Lloyd Banks and Psych Ward) Hittlespitz and Edwards being billed as The Dream Team probably removed what little doubt existed over the outcome: unless you’re going for a crazy swerve, you don’t give a team that build and branding and then have them looking up at the lights. The Barbarians did enjoy a sustained spell on top until Crazy Blue got a hot tag to Edwards, who was on top form. After kicking Ward off the apron, he connected with a Roundhouse Kick on Banks, tagging in Hittlespitz to follow up with a Flying Knee Drop and take the pinfall. This presumably was meant to be symbolic: The Human Weapon demonstrating he was a team player contrary to that match in 2022 when he stole the victory Crazy Blue had earned. The Benchmark greeted Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards’ victory with mocking applause at the entranceway. Rusty Mills told them to enjoy tonight because this was as good as it was going to get for their alliance, and if either of them didn’t realise that they needed to go heal their heads. Donovan Boon said Mills had already beaten Edwards in singles action, so next week he wanted the opportunity to do the same thing to Hittlespitz to expose that this Dream Team was a fraud. Crazy Blue told him to bring it on.

Thanks @HiPlus. It's a tricky balancing act with Dex as I like him being manipulative and quick-witted, but it probably buries the babyfaces too much at times. I'm pleased you're excited for a bit of HornHack-ery. I'm not sure about the main event though as Rigsby's on episode 30 too 😅 Part 82: Wish making it work To The Extreme episode 29 had two lengthy talking segments led by Milton Hittlespitz and Seth Wish, and it was interesting to me that Wish’s had been the high point of the show, especially as he’d never been a particularly strong promo. No doubt part of it was having as capable a talker as Dexter Mattell to play off, and the depth of rivalry the two now shared, but it was still striking how, whereas his initial main event ascent was carried more by storyline than performance, he was starting to feel like he belonged. That’s not to say he was the finished article. Far from it. His main event with Hendrix Hughes a few weeks earlier showed there was still too wide a disparity between his best and worst in-ring performances, and even at top form he wasn’t on the level of Rob Edwards, The Benchmark, Mattell or Hittlespitz. That was forgivable though as he was still only 27 – at least five years younger than all those other names I mentioned – and this was his first push of this level. Would I feel confident enough to put the DIW Title on him this month if I was in Lori’s position? That’s a tricky one given those consistency issues and the number of other proven headliners she had to call on. However, the fact he was receiving a second opportunity on a major show at Hardcore Hallelujah indicated she was seriously considering the possibility. The Hardcore Hallelujah card was starting to take shape. In addition to Wish v Mattell for the DIW Title, we now knew that Con McReady was getting an Australian Title rematch with Kobra The Conqueror. To The Extreme 30 would confirm whether The Benchmark would be challenged by Hittlespitz and Edwards or Ares Death Cult’s Barbarians. While Hittlespitz and Edwards teaming up for the first time in over two years was easily the top draw for that episode, three other matches were announced: Hack The Hunter v Rick Horn, which had been set up on the previous episode, McReady v Pat Rigsby and Carl Paris v Mattell.

I really liked the all-tag concept: it helped build up the division and anticipation of the Final Chapter match, and gave the show a theme that set it apart. The Dizzy G segment was perfection, playing off the tag theme, subverting expectations and putting himself above needing a partner, just security personnel. He immediately seems like the biggest deal he has since dropping his title. It was great to have Armando back and up to more fun too. It makes total sense that you want to spread his segments out rather than burn through all the possibilities too quickly. The main event booking seemed spot on: the challengers needed the win to cement their threat and also establish them as a double act for the teased upcoming tag run, and it made sense for Stratosphere to take the fall if he's only available part-time at the moment. I'm jealous that this DIW still have Simpson and Lakatos though. Big Jim clearly runs a happier camp.

Part 81: To The Extreme #29 Milton Hittlespitz v Demarcus Lee We were back at DIW House for the first time in a month and Lori served up one of the blokes the crowd were most eager to see to start the show, especially after Hittlespitz’s surprise contribution in Canberra of saving former enemy Rob Edwards. The Human Weapon wasn’t with Crazy Blue, which I dubiously claimed as proof that selfish Edwards wasn’t willing to offer the same support back, when the reality was that Hittlespitz didn’t need him to beat Lee. It only took the two-time DIW Champion five minutes fought at a very fast pace to prove that, hitting a Running Knee Drop through a table for the pin. Milton Hittlespitz acknowledged that people were looking for an explanation of why he changed his mind about teaming with Rob Edwards. He said a lot of people look for easy options or go into hiding when they face adversity, but that had never been the Crazy Blue way. That’s why he ran through Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos at successive shows this time two winters ago. That’s why he responded to losing to The Pros by picking a fight with Bryant Hall. And it was why he fought off all his doubts about trusting Edwards to step outside his comfort zone and team with him again. Hittlespitz said one thing Edwards was right about was The Barracudas. They were running the company until the two of them united against them in 2021, yet they hadn’t got near the DIW Title since. That had to be the blueprint for bringing down The Pros. At this point, Milton Hittlespitz was interrupted, not by Rob Edwards, a Pro or even The Barracudas, but by Death Ref, who said how rude it was of him to move past Ares Death Cult when their business was unfinished. Crazy Blue had lost to Bryant Hall. He’d been taken out by Lloyd Banks. If he thought he could just show back up and cut the queue to The Benchmark, he was mistaken. The Barbarians had beaten everyone they’d faced except the champions and, after beating Hittlespitz and Edwards next week, they’d put that right at Hardcore Hallelujah. I suggested on commentary that it sounded like a contender match, and The Comedian said that was good with him. Death Ref closed by telling Hittlespitz he had the wrong example. He advised him not to think about beating The Barracudas but to instead remember the last few times he’d been in the ring with Edwards and who it was that stood tall, noting that it was Ares Death Cult then and it would be again next week. With that, Death Ref left, satisfied he’d made Crazy Blue relive Edwards’ previous betrayals. Positive Energy (Chuck Everlasting and Kasey Kneuve) v The Street Stallions (D.O.A. and Lorenzo Oliverio) The Comedian noted on commentary that Positive Energy had asked for one last opportunity to earn spots on the DIW roster, but I’m not convinced they took it in or out of kayfabe. For whatever reason, DIW House really had it in for Kneuve, which made things slightly awkward as there were a few cheers for Oliverio when he dropped him with the Back Stabber for the win. The crowd returned to giving The Street Stallions the desired reaction after the match when Hendrix Hughes ran in and took down Lorenzo Oliverio, still smarting from the brass-knuckle-assisted assault inflicted on him by the hothead last week. D.O.A. intervened to help his partner, which brought out Wrecker to even the numbers, prompting The Street Stallions to back off. Hack The Hunter gave a meta response when Markus Rush asked him about Death Ref telling him to take Bryant Hall’s attack as a compliment. He said he appreciated the compliment, and it was indeed pretty cool to have a fight with Hall at Hardcore Hallelujah to look forward to. But it was also a lot of work, because you know if Hall picks a fight with you that he won’t show up again until fight night, leaving you to do all the promoting on your own. Hack asked Death Ref to help him out, saying if Hall wasn’t going to be around next week and The Barbarians were otherwise engaged, perhaps he could find him someone else to face. Seth Wish entered the ring next and asked Dexter Mattell to join him. He said it was clear they had unfinished business, and he wanted to resolve it with one final DIW Title match at Hardcore Hallelujah, indicating that he’d take a “Kobra deal” to get it, a reference to Kobra The Conqueror not being allowed to challenge a Pro for a title ever again if he lost. Mattell said that deal didn’t work for The Pros. With Kobra, they were glad to lose him as a threat. With Wish, they didn’t see him as a threat because he’d now been beaten by Pros in matches for all three titles so, if they accepted that stipulation, they’d just be denying themselves the joy of beating up Wish more in future. The DIW Champion had something else in mind. He said that if he gave Wish another chance, it would be to make an example of him to punish his betrayal. He’d seen how much of a rush Wish got out of wrestling in his hometown last month at Carnage In Canberra. That was what Wish had to sacrifice for a rematch: when Raw Sex nailed him at Hardcore Hallelujah, he could never wrestle in Canberra again, not even in his own backyard. Wish didn’t blink, saying he'd decided to accept any stipulation Mattell could come up with and he would…but only on the condition that The Pros agreed to give Con McReady his Australian Title rematch against Kobra The Conqueror at the show too. You see there was the September tradition of a ladder match between the DIW Champion and the Australian Champion, and it was The Wild Things’ dream to face one another in that. Mattell agreed without hesitation, but couldn’t resist getting the final word in, noting that The Wild Things’ first dream was heading to Canberra as champions – fail. Then it was winning titles in Canberra – fail. Now it was booking their places in that ladder match at Hardcore Hallelujah, and they were going to fail again, before no doubt coming up with another new dream. Mattell didn’t need to dream because he was living life at the top, and an amateur who didn’t make it as a Pro wasn't going to stop him. Chopper Rourke v Tank After quite a lot of talking over the first two-thirds of the show, we were treated to five minutes of fighting from two heavyweights who communicate with their fists. Well, treated might be an exaggeration as this wasn’t pretty, but at least it didn’t stick around long enough to outstay its welcome, with Rourke laying out his less capable opponent with a Spinebuster. Markus Rush had his cameraman watching Milton Hittlespitz prepare to leave DIW House when he was approached by Rick Horn. Farm Tough said he knew Hittlespitz was expecting him to ask him why he was preparing to partner someone he didn’t trust like Rob Edwards instead of teaming up with him instead. Horn had been in the ring with Edwards recently though and he got it: them working together really was the best chance of taking down The Pros, and that would be a positive outcome for everyone. Crazy Blue asked Horn if he had any plans of his own, and Farm Tough told him to check this out as he called someone over. It was Hack The Hunter. Horn told him not to worry about getting Death Ref to find him an opponent for next week, he’d love to test himself against him. Hack said he looked forward to the challenge. Seth Wish v Vaughan This wasn’t match of the year or indeed close to that standard, but I was struck by the thought this contest was probably what Lori had in mind when putting Wish against Chopper Rourke in the build-up to Massacre. Maybe she used Rourke then because he’s the more over Barracuda in 2024, or because Vaughan was engaged with D.O.A. at the time, but Wish didn’t have the same chemistry issues here that he had with Rourke. Vaughan was also impressive scalp for Wish in terms of size and pedigree (five-time DIW Champion), and is able to endure a longer singles match than his partner despite being two years older. The 41-year-old was a threat throughout, and came close to choking out his 27-year-old opponent. However, with DIW Champion Dexter Mattell watching on from a safe distance, his next challenger refused to be defeated, completing his comeback with Dust In The Wind and a Suicide Senton. Even as a heel commentator, I had to acknowledge it as an impressive victory, but pointed out that he would have to beat someone who hadn’t been pinned or submitted in over a year to win the DIW Title at Hardcore Hallelujah.

@HiPlus Haha, Hughes clearly lacks that enlightenment that only a ring on the finger unlocks. I like our tag division symmetry but I'm not sure DIW's is quite up to SZW standards: whatever's next for Milton Hittlespitz and Rob Edwards, I doubt they could work a red carpet as well as The Runway. Part 80: It’s happening While one takeaway from the Carnage In Canberra 2024 double bill was that the shows had been used to elevate The Benchmark even more than The Wild Things, with them prevailing in the main event of both episodes, it was the closing angle that overshadowed everything else. And not just because, as Milton Hittlespitz pointed out to me, Carnage In Canberra had ended with him standing tall for the third straight year. DIW were almost certainly running with Crazy Blue and Rob Edwards as a team. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise given that The Human Weapon had pitched the idea to Crazy Blue three times over the course of the year, directly saying two months ago that he thought the two of them might be the only ones who could take The Benchmark down. It would have been strange to tease something so often without having some form of payoff planned. Hittlespitz had been pretty resolute in his resistance previously though, while Lori had thrown in the curveball of Wrecker being the first to stand at Edwards’ side to try to keep fans guessing, so it had taken seven months to seemingly bring them onto the same page. Edwards and Wrecker v The Benchmark at Massacre had been great so, once you factor in The Human Weapon’s known chemistry with Hittlespitz, the expected Tag Title showdown had clear DIW match-of-the-year potential. If it was to take place at Hardcore Hallelujah, there was at the very least a debate to be had on whether it should be promoted to the main event spot. With four hours of To The Extreme to air before August’s headline show, the card appeared less complete than Hardcore Heatwave, Havoc and Massacre did at the halfway point. The only confirmed match was Hack The Hunter v Bryant Hall. The rest might become clearer on To The Extreme episode 29, which teased responses from Hittlespitz, Seth Wish and Hack The Hunter to events in Canberra. Wish v Vaughan was also promoted in an apparent reaction to The Barracudas interrupting Wish’s interview last week.

The Banky segment was an all-timer, from the clever early tease of a turn to the unique angle to make him the biggest babyface on the roster, with a smart new team name on top. Victory at Final Chapter would be a worthy payoff, but I guess it may be hard to replicate the kind of popularity boost this would give Banky in real life in-game (unless it was an actual incident the game generated). I liked both of your theories for why DIW might have signed Lone Rider – these did a great job of bringing the game world to life. I see what you mean now about finding a reason to keep Taniko Jo around. It's impressive how adaptable you are to curveballs the game throws at you. The idea of Buckminster Snark getting Woodchucked on his way out of ZEN and making it part of his ongoing character is fun continuity too.

Wow @CobheadJake, that's a hell of an undertaking to go through all 178 parts in a few days, especially as I know this isn't a very visually appealing dynasty, so I really appreciate the effort and the kind words. Part 79: To The Extreme #28 (Carnage In Canberra) Part two of Carnage In Canberra 2024 started with another crowd pleaser as Hendrix Hughes opened the show. I thought the payoff to Wrecker advising Hughes to issue an open challenge might be him being the one to answer it, but it was nothing as exciting as that as Pat Rigsby entered. Hughes didn’t seem too daunted by the challenge, instead getting a microphone to mock that not a lot of people know this, but Rigsby is married. He offered him a word of advice: don’t ever bring your wife to a DIW show because, if she found out what a wrestler was supposed to look like, the party would be over for him. Rigsby looked angry – the troll becoming the trolled – and hit Hughes midway through his “ciggies in the air” line to get the match started. Hendrix Hughes v Pat Rigsby Ironically, after alluding to being better looking than his opponent, Hughes ended up fracturing his cheekbone in this match. That was the most interesting thing to happen before Hughes hit the Triple H for the win in just under six minutes as the Badass MFer beat the same opponent he’d secured his first singles win after Seb Shaw’s injury against almost four months earlier. Hendrix Hughes’ celebrations were abruptly stopped by a brass knuckles shot from behind by Lorenzo Oliverio. D.O.A. joined his fellow Street Stallion in putting a beating on the former Tag Team Champion until Wrecker rushed to the ring and forced them to retreat, before checking on his ally. Rick Horn v Cueball Horn followed his loss to Rob Edwards in the best match of his career so far by beating his more experienced opponent in a little over six minutes with the John Deere Destroyer. There was no noticeable story development, so the primary purpose seemed to be to position Horn as someone who, though towards the bottom of the card, carried a bigger threat than the likes of Saracens and Pat Rigsby. Markus Rush was with Seth Wish, who said it was a career highlight to be main eventing a show in his city, challenging for the Tag Titles alongside his best friend. The Barracudas interrupted Wish, with Vaughan reminding him that DIW wasn’t a place for fairytales, and he should know that already after Massacre. Even if him and Con McReady do win tonight, there won’t be a happily ever after because The Barracudas will be waiting to take that gold off their hands. Wish wasn’t intimidated, saying he was ready for the challenge any time, with or without McReady. Positive Energy (Chuck Everlasting and Kasey Kneuve) v The Barbarians (Lloyd Banks and Psych Ward) This match, a secondary tag bout on a show with a Tag Title main event, added to the sense that a tag division was slowly reemerging in DIW, especially as it came straight after The Barracudas had shown interest in the gold, on a show where The Street Stallions had also looked strong. Positive Energy’s chances of securing a full-time spot on the roster probably weren’t helped though by the fact they were even outworked by the not yet entirely comfortable Ward. It was Banks who kept the night’s most violent contest flowing, but Ward who scored a rare pinfall, taking Kneuve down with the Psycho Slam having already cut him open with barbed wire. Death Ref grabbed a microphone while The Barbarians celebrated to deliver a quick message to Hack The Hunter, who apparently wasn’t in the building. He told him not to feel angry or persecuted that The Final Boss Bryant Hall attacked him, and to instead take it as a compliment that he was deemed worthy of such an enlightening experience so early in his career. Last week, he was stepped on. At Hardcore Hallelujah, Hall would give him the opportunity to step up. Tag Titles: The Wild Things (Con McReady and Seth Wish) v The Benchmark (Donovan Boon and Rusty Mills) (c) So you know how I thought the previous main event between Rob Edwards and Rusty Mills might be DIW’s best ever, only to fall a little short of such standards. This was better than that, and a shade better than The Benchmark’s Massacre match with Edwards and Wrecker for that matter. It had a lot of additional factors in its favour like Wish’s partisan hometown crowd and the novelty of being the first multi-man match between former Pros allies. Still, Lori had linked me to their match at Havoc 2023, which she’d had uploaded to WrestleWorld Australia as part of the promotion, and it was remarkable how much all four had improved in 15 months. The biggest difference this time was The Wild Things competing as equals, partly as a show of their growth since then and also the reversed face-heel dynamics. The challengers had this match won: Boon covered McReady after a Double Down, only for Wish to break it with a Suicide Senton. He hit Mills with Dust In The Wind and McReady connected with the Iron Fist on Boon. That was when Dexter Mattell and Kobra The Conqueror arrived though, with Wish and Mattell fighting outside and Kobra choking out McReady over the ropes with his new snakeskin belt, only releasing him when he saw Boon and Mills had recovered to deliver another Double Down. Wish took down Mattell outside but got into the ring a second too late to obstruct the pinfall. The Benchmark didn’t take time to celebrate, with Donovan Boon and Rusty Mills joining fellow Pros and champions Dexter Mattell and Kobra The Conqueror in continuing to attack Seth Wish and Con McReady. This brought out Rob Edwards to return The Wild Things’ favour in helping him out at the end of the previous episode, starting with a Roundhouse Kick to Mills, who pinned him on that show, but he was eventually overwhelmed by the numbers and, with Wish and McReady already badly beaten, The Pros centred their attack on The Human Weapon. That was when music that hadn’t been heard all month hit: Milton Hittlespitz was here. Or so The Pros thought, sending The Benchmark down the entrance to greet him, only for him to come through the crowd with his chair, taking down Kobra and Mattell and following up on Boon and Mills when they eventually got near him. Hittlespitz dropped his chair to instead pick the Tag Titles off the mat, lifting them in the air and then placing them by the side of the still grounded Edwards. The fans took it as an indication that he was ready to partner Edwards and roared their approval, though Crazy Blue didn’t wait for him to come round before surfing the Canberra crowd, in what The Comedian noted had become an annual tradition.

Lone Rider is really starting to thrive in his new role. I feel like the ingredients were there for a hot heel run from the start, but it made sense to let him being outshone in a big all-babyface match be what pushed him over the edge. Vortex is another character who really stands out in everything he does. I think I'm right in saying he's still only had one match, and yet his presence on the show feels huge, which shows how well you've done at establishing him. The Devoted Souls clearly have a lot of stroke to have first negotiated singles title matches for themselves while tag title holders and now telling Bruce the Giant they're not taking on new challengers. I like to think this is a subtle nod to the smart fans who know Peril's the booker. The Banky business is intriguing. I missed Armando after his star turn on two recent shows, but appreciate this is the nature of having a bigger roster to showcase, and it builds anticipation for his next adventure.

@AboardTheArk It's definitely risky business messing with the golden rule (good tag teams beat good singles wrestlers 2 v 2, good singles wrestlers beat good tag wrestlers 1 v 1). I'm hoping Edwards and The Benchmark are exceptional enough to just about get away with it. @John Lions Thanks. I feel like that's been lacking since switching to the bimonthly shows, having some weekly episodes with their own unique flavour in between. Luckily, the calendar at this time of year is quite helpful with that, with DIW always in Canberra in July and the September DIW Champion v Australian Champion ladder match tradition. Part 78: Raising The Benchmark It felt significant that, though he rarely competed in singles matches, Rusty Mills had amassed solo victories over former DIW Champions Vaughan and Rob Edwards recently, given that was the kind of build Dexter Mattell received prior to winning the DIW Title and forming The Pros. I wasn’t sure whether Lori was establishing one or both of them as potential future DIW Champions – Donovan Boon had an impressive victory behind him too against Wrecker – or if it was to tell the story Edwards had touched on before that The Benchmark were The Pros’ true powerbrokers, whether Mattell realised it or not. The match was great: you couldn’t really put two performers as talented as Edwards and Mills in the ring together without an entertaining outcome. However, they were both so good, the two best in the company right now arguably, that I thought they might put on the best match in DIW history, making Lori regret not saving it for a bigger stage. They didn’t quite pull that off. I’d say the Edwards and Wrecker v The Benchmark match at Massacre was slightly better even. One thing that this first Canberra episode of To The Extreme had pulled off was presenting The Wild Things as a big deal. Wish’s hometown crowd would have gone a huge way to legitimising him and Con McReady as fan favourites for those watching from afar on WrestleWorld Australia. That mission was only halfway to completion because, like Mills, The Wild Things were performing double duty in the capital by challenging The Benchmark for the Tag Titles. Indeed, Carnage In Canberra part one had set up quite a lot for part two, as we also knew that Positive Energy were stepping up to The Barbarians and Hendrix Hughes was issuing an open challenge.

Dubois v Beau is a hell of a TV main event, and also the perfect setup for DeColt getting to stand tall heading towards Luck of the Draw. I love the fact Whippy is always involved in interesting stuff despite his time decline, as his character and CGC legacy always add an extra layer to whatever he's doing, like here where he was able to take out the sins of the father on the son. I don't think he's completing the grandest slam and suspect he's there as a decorated first challenger to help establish Ricky Storm and the CBN title, but I'll enjoy it either way. It looks like the flying nothing and Dubois Dubious Pin are at opposite ends of the CGC effectiveness scale. It will be fun to see who eventually survives the DDP, and if they follow up with a flying nothing.

Thanks for the kind words @HiPlus. I probably didn't do a good enough job of explaining that The Comedian's appearance at that Q&A was motivated more by trying to sell Carnage In Canberra tickets than any sense of fan service. Part 77: To The Extreme #27 (Carnage In Canberra) As The Comedian and I welcomed WrestleWorld Australia viewers to the capital, the crowd got an immediate chance to greet their hometown hero as The Wild Things entered. Con McReady joked about finally finding out what it was like to be cheered before handing over to the one they wanted to hear from. Seth Wish reiterated that The Wild Things had hoped to hit Canberra as DIW Champion and Australian Champion but, if everything went to plan, they’d be leaving as Tag Team Champions. He said that while this wasn’t quite a world exclusive because he’d given that to a woman he met at Transit Bar last night (what would Pat Rigsby think?), he was excited to let everyone know that his fingers were now fully functioning again. To celebrate, The Wild Things had asked The Comedian if they could have a match right now, rather than waiting until their clash with The Benchmark on the next episode to step inside the ring, and he’d agreed. The Wild Things (Con McReady and Seth Wish) v Brains and Brawn (Carl Paris and Demarcus Lee) This was chiefly a showcase for Wish to show off his full arsenal of moves, having been limited by his inability to fully use his hands over the last month, as well as reminding everyone of the threat they posed The Benchmark, with this their first tag outing in over four months. It was striking how much better Wish performed than in last week’s main event with Hendrix Hughes, whether due to the home advantage, tag setting, earlier card placement or just being in top form. The ending saw Wish and McReady trap Lee in a cane shot sandwich, with Wish getting the crowd-pleasing pin. Death Ref complained to Markus Rush that because his team The Barbarians had beaten everyone they’d faced except the champions, they were struggling to find anyone brave enough to take them on. He was interrupted by two men who had never appeared in DIW before: Chuck Everlasting and Kasey Kneuve, Positive Energy. Everlasting said they’d turned up in Canberra for the party, but also wanted an opportunity to show DIW what they can do, and it looked like they had found one against Lloyd Banks and Psych Ward on the next To The Extreme episode. Hack The Hunter v Tank DIW’s newest roster member continued his unbeaten start/tour of the undercard against Tank. This was the least interesting of his three matches so far, but was mercifully under five minutes, with Hack hitting the Hack Attack on his fellow heavyweight. I was in the middle of pointing out that beating Tank was impressive, but there were tougher tests ahead of Hack The Hunter when he was felled by a leg takedown. Bryant Hall was back and had seemingly identified his biggest victim yet, following up with the S.T.O. before bringing the steps into the ring to send flying onto Hack’s face. He shouted “Hardcore Hallelujah” at the fallen heavyweight, and it looked like the first match for August’s major show had been confirmed. Dexter Mattell was out next, introducing Australian Champion Kobra The Conqueror for his own entrance. The DIW Champion said it was time for Kobra’s first title defence and he’d identified the perfect opponent. Someone who would remind Kobra of his former self and help him work through his frustrations about his past failings. Someone else with a snake name but no snake mentality, who had potential but lacked a killer instinct. Someone who Kobra could make an example out of to prove how much his Pros makeover had transformed his career. It was Brown Snake, who curiously had made two DIW appearances, challenging for this title both times. Australian Title: Brown Snake v Kobra The Conqueror (c) This violent match showed Kobra’s new ruthless streak, not least the finish when, having already done enough to secure the win by connecting with a Small Package Driver and a Ripcord Knee, he proceeded to whip his beaten opponent with a snakeskin belt. Dexter Mattell approved of such tactics at ringside though, and counted along when Kobra finally covered him for three. Markus Rush had spotted Wrecker and Hendrix Hughes in conversation. Hughes appeared frustrated by his recent defeats to Con McReady and Seth Wish, and Wrecker was reassuring him. He advised the Badass MFer that the best thing he could do to show everyone he deserved to be taken seriously was enter the ring as soon as the next episode of To The Extreme started and dare anyone in the locker room to come out and fight him. Rob Edwards v Rusty Mills Having failed to get the better of The Benchmark in tag action, this was The Human Weapon’s attempt to bring them into his world for some retribution, with arguably nobody better in solo combat than the four-time DIW Champion. Edwards’ problem was that Mills wasn’t alone so, when he finally landed his Roundhouse Kick after 10 minutes of back-and-forth battling, Donovan Boon pulled him out of the ring before he could make a cover. Edwards pursued and took down Boon, but was whacked by a Tag Title on his return to the ring. Mills quickly followed up with a Northern Lights Suplex for a win we sold as a upset on commentary, with only Milton Hittlespitz and Dexter Mattell having bested Edwards in singles action since February 2022. Rob Edwards was back to his feet fairly quickly after the bell, highlighting the fact that Rusty Mills had only just kept him down for the count, but he was knocked back down by Donovan Boon as The Benchmark sought to do further damage to their rival. The Wild Things had other ideas though, pacing to the ring with their canes to force the Tag Team Champions to retreat, a slightly surreal sight given they were attacking Edwards together not that long ago. This was our cue to promote the episode 28 main event, with The Comedian noting that The Benchmark might be running now, but they would have to face The Wild Things before they left Canberra.

The opening segment was one of SZW's best yet (DIW dig aside 😆) in showing Original Lone Rider's conflict in not being willing to defend his son but refusing to punish him the same way he would've anyone else, and how well it set up Bruce The Giant's debut. I'm loving Armando Guerrero's new direction too. You can feel these cards starting to get more and more stacked with Rusty Mills v Lone Rider, a 20-minute tag title match and a Blackwell Bush bout all on the undercard. I can't believe Bush hasn't made it to APW at least in the canon CVerse based on how much he delivers for you and John Lions. I was cheering for Guerrero but, with all the new signings coming in, it was definitely the right call to have one of them win the battle royal to help establish them, especially for the extra heat of stealing the victory from our Aussie adventurer.

Part 76: The Canberra connection It had been a bit of a mystery to me during my years booking APW why, once a year, the DIW crew travelled several hundred kilometres from their home venue to the capital city. Both myself and fellow Carnage In Canberra virgin Classy Paul Massey got a bit more insight by virtue of the invitation to travel there with Lori Cooper and her husband Shawn Berringer (Death Ref). Two key factors seemed to help the event deliver a competitive crowd each year. By always arriving in the second half of July, DIW had a loyal set of hardcore wrestling fans in the surrounding area that made attending the show an annual tradition. An even more dedicated group of DIW House regulars made the same road trip as the roster each year. Apparently, Milton Hittlespitz always made a point of inviting those travelling fans on a night out in the city with him each time the company were there as a reward for their loyalty and added incentive. There were two further reasons to be optimistic for the 2024 edition. Firstly, the WrestleWorld Australia deal made it easier for the fans around Canberra to follow the product during the 11 months of the year DIW were further north, not to mention introduce it to their friends. Perhaps even more significantly, this year’s trip coincided with the emergence of Canberra’s own Seth Wish as one of DIW’s biggest fan favourites, more popular than at any prior point in his career. However, there was one notable difference from previous years. The switch to the bimonthly event model meant that Carnage In Canberra 2024 wouldn’t be a standalone show but a double helping of To The Extreme. That might make it harder to top 2023’s turnout of 408 fans, though it was also a novelty factor: a first opportunity for the Canberra crowd to be part of a broadcast. Main events for both episodes had been announced in advance, with The Benchmark taking a starring role. The first hour would be headlined by Rob Edwards v Rusty Mills, a match that would be worthy of leading any DIW major show if Mills was more established in singles action, as they were probably the two most over ever-present roster members at this point. Then the second hour would see The Wild Things challenge their former stablemates for the Tag Titles. I felt a few decades too old to join Hittlespitz’s night out, which I heard was also attended by Hendrix Hughes and, more curiously, former APW and AE tag team Chuck Everlasting and Kasey Kneuve (Positive Energy). I participated in another enjoyable event that night, a Q&A with The Comedian primarily to promote Carnage In Canberra, but where a few older fans had us digging deeper into our anecdote archives with some questions about our Aussie Rules Wrestling days. The Comedian responded with expletives whenever anyone asked about another promotion. This became such a highlight that people started deliberately feeding him just for the reactions. “RAW fan here: what’s your favourite Luke Steele match?” “Don’t you think Gerard Knights is a misunderstood genius?” or the final question of the night: “Is hating every wrestling personality outside of DIW just a gimmick?” He nailed that answer by pointing out he hates everyone inside DIW too, but his most attention-grabbing comment was what he said to me moments later after we’d received a farewell ovation and were away from the microphones and fans. I haven’t had a chance to speak to him since to know if it was beer-fuelled bravado, a joke I’d misunderstood or a genuine comment, so I’ll need to follow it up before including it here, given it was said in confidence.

What a fantastic detail that nobody had ever been attacked outside a match in SZW, and how impactful to finally break this after two years as a year-ending angle between the champion and the man he dethroned. The backstage news was unexpected too. If the plan is to keep the OG Lone Rider as a heroic on-screen presence, I wonder if it feeds into the story with new Lone Rider feeling neglected by his dad taking his eye off the ball at the time he needed his guidance most. I'm also intrigued to find out if Taniko Jo has an ongoing role or if that show was her farewell. And what a suite of signings. It's going to be a challenge to showcase them all while sustaining the recent spotlight on Armando Guerrero, Vortex and others (intriguing new direction for The Kipper too). However, that's a sign of the company's growth, a good problem to have and you teased cards expanding too. It looks like 2022 will be a big year for SZW.

Thanks @Tiberious and @HiPlus. Interesting thoughts about using Kobra to give the Australian Title a more hardcore edge. I've started it more the other way with Dexter Mattell wanting to reinvent Kobra in his image, but your direction is intriguing as you're right that the Australian Title could benefit from more of a hook. You're both right about Rick Horn. He was initially brought in for roster depth (thanks to your recommendation @Tiberious) but the aim's to try to establish him as being a step above the others towards the bottom of the card ready for when there is an opportunity to try to elevate him. Part 75: To The Extreme #26 Before The Comedian and I introduced the show, we saw a video from Dexter Mattell and Kobra Khan. Mattell congratulated Kobra on his triumph last week. The Pros once again held all the gold and all was right with the world. He said Kobra’s Pros makeover was almost complete. He had a new mask, a new look, a new mentality and a new title, but one thing was left: a new name. Mattell declared that after proving his Australian Title dominance for a fourth time, he’d now be known as Kobra The Conqueror. He added that The Pros were heading to Canberra a week early to remind DIW of their value and what a wasteland it was with just amateurs on the card, which Kobra followed by scoffing at the idea of a Seth Wish v Hendrix Hughes main event. The Barracudas (Chopper Rourke and Vaughan) v Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) As mentioned elsewhere, Forever Evil weren’t intended for this spot, getting the invite because another team didn’t respond in time. Still, on paper this should’ve been a decent match but for some reason it just fell flat, even though nobody put in an awful performance, and the crowd weren’t complaining when it ended in under six minutes with Vaughan taking Creeper down with the Choke Sleeper. Markus Rush caught up with Death Ref, hoping to learn more about his plans for Ares Death Cult at Hardcore Hallelujah next month. Death Ref rather cryptically said that while he already had the vision, he trusted the rest of Ares Death Cult to work it out and find their own way there. Rob Edwards v Rick Horn This was the match that Lori negotiated an extra five minutes with WrestleWorld Australia for, though even that only bought them 11 minutes on account of this being a four-match episode. That was enough to tell the story of Horn catching Edwards off-guard, none more so than when he hit a John Deere Destroyer 50 seconds in, going within a split second of an unthinkable one-minute win over The Human Weapon. Edwards gradually took charge after that initial shock without ever dominating and, in a mark of respect usually reserved for established main eventers, he hit two Roundhouse Kicks before covering for the win to make sure, leaving the ring to his less decorated opponent after the bell to allow him a small ovation from the crowd. Markus Rush was waiting behind the entranceway to ask Rob Edwards about The Benchmark’s recent comments. He said it was true that he’d entered their world and come up a little short, but he dared Rusty Mills to repay him the courtesy by stepping inside his world by facing him one-on-one next week in Canberra, warning that his head might be in need of healing after that. Demarcus Lee v D.O.A. This was a professional but forgettable shorter match in between the two meatier bouts. The objective was presumably to rebuild The Street Stallions’ momentum after losing to The Barracudas at Massacre and this was achieved by Lorenzo Oliverio catching Lee in the back of the head with brass knuckles as he ran the ropes, and D.O.A. capitalising with his Dark Deed. We threw to the back before the main event to hear from Hack The Hunter. Instead, Markus Rush had caught part of a conversation in which Wrecker offered to have Hendrix Hughes’ back, with Hughes thanking him but saying he was happy to go it alone, like his opponent Seth Wish claimed he would. Wrecker said he’d be on standby if The Wild Things stepped out of line. There was still time to hear from Hack The Hunter, who apparently had been challenged to a fight by Tank on social media since defeating Cueball last week. Hack said he was happy taking on opponents of all sizes, even fellow heavyweights, so he’d see Tank in Canberra. Seth Wish v Hendrix Hughes You could tell this match had been produced to be a real crowd-pleaser: two rising stars whose fan backing had risen recently going all out in their first one-on-one clash to show they belonged in the main event. Unfortunately, Wish wasn’t at his best and instead exposed a few holes that remained in his game: a lack of consistency, slight stamina shortcomings and not suiting the wild brawl style established by main event staples Rob Edwards and Milton Hittlespitz. Still, it was a decent showdown with a few highlights. Hughes showed the vicious streak he was known for early in his career at one point in threatening to drive a chair into Wish’s injured hand, only for him to evade the attack. Wish was the eventual winner, fighting out of the Triple H and following up with Dust In The Wind, before making sure of the victory with a Suicide Senton. As Seth Wish promised, Con McReady didn’t get involved in the main event, but he did appear after it to congratulate his partner. Taking a microphone, he told Wish that their plan to head to Canberra as champions hadn’t worked out too well, but perhaps they could become champions there instead by challenging The Benchmark for the Tag Titles. Wish and the crowd approved.

I love this level of detail and leaning into history so much, it really adds to the immersion. Likewise the way you introduced Nathan Black as a road agent.