While many in Australia might think that WWE simply stopped airing after they ceased being interested in what crazy antics Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were up to week-to-week, the biggest wrestling promotion in the world has continued to roll out show after show every Monday night, thriving well beyond any awkward adolescent phases.
The truth is, quite a few of our own Australians have been finding significant success as professional wrestlers in the American promotion in the past few years, but it seems like a lot of people back home simply don't know anything about it. As a matter of public awareness, at Complex AU we decided to collate a list documenting the detailed history of Aussie wrestlers making it to the big smoke in the WWE – where they're from, what they did, and where they're at right now.
Let's strap on the boots and take an in-depth look at some of the Aussie pro wrestlers that have managed to make it to television debuts on WWE so far, and a few young grapplers that might just be the stars of the future.
Outback Jack (Debuting 1986)
Peter Stilsbury was brought into the WWE as a response to the overwhelming success of Crocodile Dundee, portraying Outback Jack, a very stereotypical bushman from Humpty Doo in the Northern Territory. Missing a few teeth, and with a signature catchphrase of “no worries”, his appearance was hyped with a series of vignettes depicting his everyday life. In one, he pals around with a bunch of blokes and a beer-drinking cow in a pub, and in another he explains the local threats in Australia – roos, crocs, and apparently, “the aborigine fellas running around there”.
While a clear product of the time, even coming out to Rolf Harris’ “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” Stilsbury was the very first Australian wrestler to make it over in the then WWF. His debut was strong, managing to claim wins over established stars like Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik with his Boomerang finisher (a clothesline from behind), but his limited in-ring ability led to him very soon becoming a lower-card character, simply competing to take losses from other wrestlers and make them look strong.
His run with WWF lasted two years, before he mysteriously disappeared from television, and was never seen in the company again. Sadly, in recent interviews Stilsbury has revealed that he is now almost completely blind, due to both physical injuries in a helicopter crash and complications from diabetes.
Nathan Jones (Debuting 2003)
Emma (Debuting 2012)
Buddy Murphy (Debuting 2014)
Peyton Royce (Debuting 2015)
While her early life was spent in Sydney, another Melbournian, Cassie McIntosh, would join Emma and Murphy in the company last year, with the two having already paved the way for Aussie talent at this point in time. McIntosh competed from age 17 in Australia’s only women’s professional wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Women's Alliance (PWAA), and similar to Emma, eventually found her way to Lance Storm's training facility in Canada.
While WWE toured Australia in 2014, McIntosh managed to get to a tryout, and was announced the following year as a developmental talent in NXT, being re-branded with the name Peyton Royce. While she has only competed on television a handful of times, she has already begun developing a seemingly self-absorbed "heel" character in her recent matches.
Billie Kay (Debuting 2015)
Chris Atkins (Future Prospect)
Shazza McKenzie (Future Prospect)
In late 2015, while not contracted to the company, Shazza McKenzie made an appearance on NXT to face Emma, who she has a storied history with back in the homeland. McKenzie actually defeated the first female Australian WWE Diva in her final match in the country – a point that was directly acknowledged by commentators during their NXT face-off. While Emma won the rematch, the appearance was a great look for the 27-year-old wrestler from Sydney, who turned her success in the Australian circuit into a number of appearances in both Shimmer and Shine, some of the most high-profile all-female indie promotions.