We take our first look Down Under, and a much hyped clash between Dunkzilla Davis and Robbie Eagles from earlier this month…
We’re at the Arrow On Swanston in Carlton, Victoria, Australia… and after having watched a steady diet of empty arena or clap-crowd shows for the last year, it’s absolutely wild seeing full houses, without much in the way of masks… and it not being in a part of the world that doesn’t give a flying whatsit about Covid. Having crowds always helps, and while it’s absolutely not the reason why the Australian scene’s getting buzz, it doesn’t hurt in making their scene stand out from the pack.
Dunkzilla Davis vs. Robbie Eagles
Davis returned on a PWA Black Label show last month after nearly 18 months out with a knee injury. Commentary refers to a “high profile British star” who got Davis over to the UK in 2017, but back in Australia Davis is seemingly not a fan favourite here, because he’s from Brisbane.
We open with a lock-up as Eagles is taken into the corners, before Eagles switched around and kicked Davis on the break. Davis doesn’t back down though, even though he’s taken into the ropes for more kicks from Eagles. Eagles is looking to give Davis a dead leg, and it looked to pay off early. Davis charges Eagles into the corner as he dared the flyer to kick him again… when it didn’t happen, Davis pulls Eagles out of the corner, only to get caught with headscissors. Davis cartwheels out, before he hits a slam… only for Eagles to dropkick him to the outside. A trip stops a dive attempt as Davis teases a powerbomb onto the floor, but Eagles hits that ‘rana off the apron instead as Davis flew into the barriers.
On the outside, chops from Eagles keep Davis on a knee, but Davis returns by throwing Eagles into the barriers. Back inside, more chops and kicks keep Davis down, before a whoopee cushion out of the corner squashed Eagles for a two-count. Eagles tries to chop back, but he’s just obliterated by a single swipe from Davis for a near-fall, before a back senton gets him another two-count. A chinlock ends in the ropes, but Davis begins to bully Eagles with kicks and chops, before a whip hurls Eagles across the ring. Eagles gets his feet up, then slides Davis down to the mat for a roll-up, before a Ron Miller Special’s pushed away from. Eagles stays on Davis with a sliding elbow, only for a chop to reset things.
Eagles tries his luck with more kicks, but again, that chop keeps resetting Dunkzilla as Eagles eventually kipped back up for a leg lariat. Running knees trap Davis in the corner, before he’s tripped for more running double knees for a near-fall. Davis tries to respond, lifting Eagles onto the apron before catching a springboard, turning it into a slingshot powerbomb for a near-fall. Davis picks up Eagles for some slaps, before a head kick stopped him in his tracks. Davis keeps rebounding off the middle ropes as they trade strikes en route to Eagles’ reverse ‘rana… but Davis pops back up with a clothesline. From there, Davis looked for the pull-up piledriver, but Eagles flips out of Close Your Eyes and Count to F… and hits a ‘rana for another two-count.
Davis takes him back to the corner for a sliding D, before an Alphamare Waterslide lands for another near-fall. Eagles tries to go back to the kicks, aiming for Davis’ quads before a Sliced Bread was pushed away from. Undeterred, Eagles springboards out of the corner and rolls Davis to the mat, but the Ron Miller Special is blocked again… so Eagles just drops onto Davis’ knee. Eagles busts out a Tequila Sunrise to focus on Davis’ knee again, following that up with some stomps and kicks, before Eagles looked for a Turbo Backpack. Davis snaps the fingers and then lifts up Eagles for a double underhook powerbomb like he was nothing. From there, Davis pulls back with a version of PAC’s Brutaliser, but it ends in the ropes as Eagles only had one way out. Another chop keeps Eagles down, but that pull-up powerbomb’s blocked as Eagles comes back in with a springboard dropkick to the knee.
Eagles heads up top again for a 450 splash to the leg, before pulling Davis into the Ron Miller Special, taking him away from the ropes as Davis had no choice but to submit. A good David vs. Goliath outing here, with Eagles going for Davis’ surgically-repaired knee pretty much from the off – and it worked a charm. Those of us in Europe primarily knew Davis as a tag guy, but this match also reminded us that there’s more to him than Aussie Open…
Result: Robbie Eagles submitted Mark Davis in 16:39 (***¾)