PWA In A Cage Review (06/03/2026)

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Back to the Factory Theatre in Marrickville for another big PWA Black Label event! Coming of the heels of a red hot Colosseum Round 1 at the Metro Theatre (link here), we complete the tournament on this show, along with a huge main event- the epic, storied rivalry of Charli Evans and Jessica Troy comes to a head in a Steel Cage match! They’ve had No DQ matches, Last Wrestler Standing, and some wild straight-up title matches, but we lock them up and let them loose in this one. It’s PWA In A Cage! 

Let’s do this! 

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My physical state has been really rough for a while, particularly my ankle. Cerebral Palsy + aging is no fun. I couldn’t stand in line before the show, and the venue staff were nice enough to get me and Bec stools to sit on by the door. When Jax Jordan popped his head out and saw us, he let us in early to get our seats! A true G. 

It’s nice to see that the ring is intact at this Factory Theatre show. Last time one of the ropes snapped, and the poor wrestlers had to work in a ring with two ropes for half the show. They managed it, because the PWA roster is world-class, but it’s great that everything’s functional this time around. 

The actual show begins with the always excellent “previously on PWA” video, before cutting to a rabid live crowd in Marrickville. 

Match 1: Colosseum Semi-Final- Ben Braxton vs. Robbie Thorpe 

The front row crew brought some good vibes, with Jarrod and Leanne providing the “Brax 4 Colosseum” signs and silver inflatable letters spelling “BRAX”. They didn’t last long, as the fight spilled to ringside with some hard chops, and an infuriated Thorpe grabbed the letters and popped them. 

Braxton came into the match with an injured arm that is still wrapped up, and Thorpe wisely and viciously zeroes in on it. Hammerlock DDT gets a near fall for “The Gift”. Thorpe gets a little cocky, walking the ropes for an extended Old School, but Braxton wrenches him down and follows up with a Pele kick! Brax goes for the Gamechanger but Thorpe reverses and pancakes him for another near fall. The attack continues and Thorpe takes Braxton’s head off with a lariat for a great near fall.  

Braxton’s got one arm but still has the use of his legs, and after a series of flippy reversals, manages to hit the Sol Snatcher! First time I’ve seen anyone apart from Sol Ruca do that. Seems like a surefire win, but Thorpe gets to the ropes to break the pin. Braxton follows up soon after with a Deep Six. He goes up top and nails the Swanton! He’s slow to cover after all the punishment, and not only does Thorpe kick out, but he transitions to the Chickenwing... and Braxton taps! 

Winner: Robbie Thorpe (at 12:26) 

Thoughts: Wow. The sentimental favourite, huge organic crowd support, snuffed out to open the show. Talk about a bucket of cold water thrown on the crowd. I guess the thought process was that they didn’t want to split crowd support between Braxton and Scott Green in the finals? Amazing match but absolutely killed the vibe with the result. 

As soon as the bell rings to end the match, Jarrod and Leanne- long time Braxton supporters for years- stormed out. Thought maybe they were taking a minute to chill, but they did not return for the rest of the show. 

Also, post-match, Braxton takes his shoes off- seemingly to signify that he’s done with wrestling? His CBK teammate Rita Stone comes in to try and talk sense into him... then Mick Moretti comes into the ring and takes Brax’s shoes, and once again offers his hand to help. This time, Brax accepts Moretti’s offer and blows off Rita’s attempts to reason with him. So Brax has “joined the dark side” in a sense with this loss, and is CBK done? At least Braxton has a future direction coming off this loss, it’s not just taking the L then sliding down the card. As evidenced by both the crowd support and the raw talent, Braxton deserves a featured spot in PWA. 

Match 2: Colosseum Semi-Final- Lachy McIntyre (w/ Carter Deams) vs. Scott Green 

On commentary, Rose acknowledges the emotional nature of what just happened, saying the only thing that can make him more sad is “this dickhead coming out”, as TikTok star Lachy McIntyre walks onto the stage. 

Carter Deams is McIntyre’s “insurance policy” and is wearing an egregious amount of body oil, especially for a manager. Green immediately negates him with a suicide dive. Lachy runs and Scott pulls him out from under the ring, along with a steel chair. Scott’s tempted but throws the chair aside. As the ref gets rid of the chair, Lachy hits a low blow- but Scotty was wearing a cup! I pity the poor ring crew member that had to go pick that up. Green hits the AA- and that’s it! 

Winner: Scott Green (at 2:27) 

Thoughts: Well, that was certainly a match that happened. Scott was the predictable winner and they didn’t waste any time getting to that point. McIntyre, who HAS showed some impressive athleticism and ability in past PWA appearances, was just mowed through. Also, how does a single dive completely keep former champion Carter Deams down for minutes? 

An ad airs for the next PWA Black Label- back at Liberty Hall (fka Max Watts) it’s Dropped Out, on May 29. Heavily centred around, of course, The Dropouts- The Tuckman and Scott Green. Striking while the iron is hot, with these boys having recent WWE tryouts, and also Scott Green appearing on this season of Australian Survivor, it makes sense that PWA are capitalising on the mainstream attention. 

Match 3: North Shore Wrestling (Will Kiedis, Jack & Sam Osborne) vs. Mana & Manoushay (Marley Peleti, El Phoenician & Shay Kassidy) 

It doesn’t take long for the crowd to get inside Jack’s bald head, just as they did at the Metro last month. Mana and Manoushay come out to Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You”- which cuts out at the appropriate times for us to serenade North Shore. I’d like to thank Shay and friends for picking a song suited to my millennial “stuck in the 2000s” brain. 

North Shore Wan- I mean, Wrestling- jump Mana and Manoushay to start the match. The Osbornes, in particular, work like a well-oiled machine early on. I’m so glad Sam Osborne came back to wrestling. El Phoenician cops the brunt of the abuse. Backbreaker/Russian leg sweep combo gets a near fall. Will Kiedis is at his smarmy best too as he tags in and blasts Shay off the apron to a chorus of boos.  

Phoenician scrambles and finally gets the hot tag to Peleti. Peleti comes in on fire and launches Sam with a springboard arm drag. Jack’s in but the boys crack him with a double superkick, then Shay scores with a satellite DDT! If Jack had some hair, it might’ve protected him a little. Near fall. Jack gets up like the Terminator, levelling Shay and Phoenician with clotheslines then drills Peleti with a spinebuster! Kiedis tags in and lands a springboard tornado DDT on Phoenician. Shay tags in and boots down the Anchorman. Action fast and furious here. Jack gets sent to the outside, allowing Mana and Manoush to hit the Samoan Drop/dropkick combo on Sam for the 3 count! 

Winners: Mana & Manoushay (at 9:23) 

Thoughts: North Shore Wrestling improve every card they’re on with pure skill, aura and a willingness to be the most hated in the room. Was great to see them get recognised recently with a spot on ROH. And Mana and Manoushay was an inspired trio- three of the most charismatic young stars in PWA getting the crowd moving. Excellent match which sets Mana and Manoush up for a future tag team championship shot. 

A promo airs for King of the Metro, PWA’s annual Rumble, on July 4^th at the Metro Theatre. 

Match 4: Over The Top Rope Battle Royal- Xander Sulllivan vs. Frankie B vs. Carter Deams vs. EC Brownie vs. Michael Spencer vs. Cosmo Cooper vs. Kai Drake vs. Rita Stone vs. Skater Boi Pidgey 

Winner gets #30 in the Rumble. The Tuckman makes his entrance to be part of this, but Tony Sin attacks him. I guess making a claim for Tuck’s Soul of PWA Championship? “That’s not a baptism of fire, that’s a baptism of violence,” says Kris Gale. Great line. 

The wrestlers focus on the biggest threat momentarily, EC Brownie, but the action breaks down, and Pidgey is the first one out. Spencer dumps out his MK Plus Ultra teammates, and Cosmo is furious, as Kai seems to accept it. Spencer targets Rita but overshoots on a flying knee and is gone. Rita also gets Carter Deams out of there- they get tangled in the ropes badly for a second, but Carter corrects it and gets out seemingly safely. Down to Rita and EC Brownie. They battle to the apron and Brownie eliminates her with a snake eyes. Cool spot. But wait, Frankie B was never eliminated! She attacks Brownie from behind but he turns the tables quickly and chucks her out. 

Winner: EC Brownie (at 5:50) 

Thoughts: A quick battle royal that mostly showcased Brownie as an imposing force. Possibly MK Plus Ultra tension to keep an eye on, but overall looked like it was about making Brownie look strong as he heads to the Metro at #30. 

Match 5: PWA Heavyweight Championship- Aaron Jake vs. Big Fudge (c) 

Aaron Jake comes out looking like he’s in tears. Over the loss of the “friendship” with Fudge, or is the magnitude of the title opportunity affecting him? 

They start with clean chain wrestling. Aaron offers a handshake but Fudge does not accept. This infuriates Aaron who then stomps Fudge down. A back suplex crushes Fudge’s spine on the apron. Fudge tries to mount a comeback, flying through the air with a cross body, but is caught and slammed to the mat. He goes for the Sugar Rush but is cut off with a dropkick. Aaron looks to go high risk but this time Fudge cuts him off. Seems like they’ve both scouted each other. 

Fudge hits the Butt Punch and the crowd comes alive. A chokeslam attempt is blocked, but the champ soon scores with a great tornado DDT instead. They battle on the ropes and Fudge hits a top rope super chokeslam- but Aaron gets his foot on the bottom rope. Fudge submits his application for the Death Riders, raining down elbows on a groggy Aaron. Fudge looks for the spinning headscissors but Aaron counters into the STF! He’s REALLY wrenching it, but Fudge makes the ropes. Aaron goes outside his usual offense, hitting a top rope moonsault for a near fall. Aaron getting respect from some of the audience with a “Western Sydney” chant. 

Fudge is weakened and slow to get to his feet. The referee checks on him- then Aaron dropkicks Fudge into the ref. Aaron gets the title belt to use as a weapon. Fudge ducks the shot and hits a piledriver! Shades of Terry Funk from the Buttpuncher! Chokeslam follows, and STILL! 

Winner: Big Fudge (at 14:24) 

Thoughts: This was a very good match, definitely one of the better ones of the night. It only suffered from Aaron Jake not being an overly credible challenger for Fudge’s first defense. It was a bit like that stretch in the 2000s where WWE didn’t really know what to do after the new champ won the title, so they go, “fuck it, we’ll just throw Kane in there.” You’re getting a solid PPV match but he’s not actually going to win the thing. That’s what Aaron Jake in this spot felt like. But he performed really well and both he and Fudge hit some strong emotional beats. Seeing the mask all twisted in that STF... damn. Powerful stuff. 

Intermission. I went to get a couple of drinks to boost the energy a little. Vodka Red Bulls. 

Match 6: Colosseum Finals- Robbie Thorpe vs. Scott Green 

A cocky Robbie grabs the Colosseum sword- King Cobra- off the announcers’ desk and parades across the stage with it. He also lounges in the empty chairs left by Jarrod and Leanne in the front row after Braxton’s loss. Rose lists the former winners of Colosseum- Moretti, Waller, Eagles, ZSJ and Troy- I forgot about all the cool names these swords have had. Green Thunder?! Fuck yeah. 

Early on, the power of Thorpe shows as Scott tumbles over the ropes Triple H style off a whip into the corner. Scott drags himself back in and utilises his speed to hook Thorpe in a jackknife pin for an early near fall. He hits a series of dropkicks and an AA for another near fall. Fast pace here. Scott goes for the rolling Stunner, gets countered into the chickenwing, which he rolls through for another 2 count. Scott looks for a springboard- shades of Tuckman?- but is turned inside out with a lariat for a Thorpe near fall. Massive powerbomb gets another 2 count. 

The “Chelsea Dagger” chant rises again to support Scott Green. Thorpe looks for a powerbomb- causing me to see more of Scott’s ass than I ever wanted to- and Green counters with a rana. Scott looks for a top rope splash but Thorpe gets the knees up and locks in the chickenwing! Scott battles to his feet but gets rocked with an elbow. Thorpe looks for a moonsault- and Green superkicks him mid-air! Big top rope splash follows- and that’s it! 

Winner: Scott Green (at 8:40) 

Thoughts: Well, Scott Green wrestled a combined 11 minutes across two matches. Not a bad night’s work. This was fun while it lasted, albeit predictable. The big mainstream Survivor star gets the Colosseum nod. Killer finish though. Just me that thinks Scott Green vs. Ben Braxton would’ve been a way better final? It’s not like the PWA audience was massively invested in Thorpe beyond the “Lizzie’s in a box” chant. I suppose PWA had to get their money’s worth out of bringing in an interstate wrestler. 

A hype video airs for the CHEVS vs. Troy feud. 

Credit to PWA ring crew for throwing up that cage in seemingly a couple of minutes- big contrast to SLAM a couple of years ago who took 15-20 minutes to put it together. Production is slick on every level in PWA! 

Main Event: Steel Cage- CHEVS vs. Jessica Troy 

Chevs rocking the all-white goddess gear. Ooh, does that mean we’re going to see some blood? Jess looks cool as hell in the gladiator outfit too. Both ladies are practically frothing to get their hands on each other. 

The fists fly early and we get a couple of throws into the cage wall. The cage is designed to be a weapon as well as keeping wrestlers in and keeping other wrestlers out (looking at you, North Shore). But this seems to be all about the one on one personal issue between Jess and Charli here. Chevs grinds Troy’s face into the cage wall with her boot. 

Jess goes to attack the arm but Chevs counters it and hits a fisherman suplex for a near fall. Chevs looks for a cross body against the cage but Jess moves and Chevs eats steel. Jess fires up and hits a series of running strikes in the corner. Meteora against the cage gets a 2 count. Jess looks for the Fujiwara armbar but gets launched with a German suplex. The cross body hits on a second attempt. Chevs hits the Gory Special for a near fall. They battle on the ropes and Jess hits a top rope rana! Bridging back suplex gets a 2, then Jess transitions to the Fujiwara armbar! Chevs escapes by getting to the ropes, but then they climb up high and Jess gets the Fujiwara through the bars at the cage top! Chevs escapes and hits a top rope superplex! 

They slowly get to their feet and trade strikes as the crowd gives dueling chants. Chevs gets a quick roll up- call back to Colosseum last year- for a great near fall. An Eddie Kingston-esque spinning back fist follows. A running knee- but Jess kicks out at 1! Jess rains down strikes to the point that Ref Rach pulls her away to check on Chevs. Chevs nearly gets it with another sneaky roll up, but right after there’s a tilt-a-whirl into the Fujiwara- and Chevs taps! 

Winner: Jessica Troy (at 15:16) 

Thoughts: I found this pretty disappointing on the night. On the watch back the next day, it fares a bit better- they definitely brought intensity and incorporated the cage a good amount. Definitely an entertaining main event in isolation. 

I think the problem was that they set the bar so high with previous matches- the 2021 deathmatch, the 2025 Last Wrestler Standing, all their other big title matches- that a bloody, violent epic was expected to finally end their feud. There was no blood, no crazy spots, just a good, solid cage match. A good match, but not a classic by Jess and Chevs standards. 

Overall Thoughts 

PWA have been firing on all cylinders over the last year or so, really building momentum back to where they were pre-pandemic. This one felt lacking compared to recent Black Label events. It started hot with the Braxton/Thorpe opener, the result was deflating, but PWA had to be aware it would be, so hopefully they had something out of the box and/or exciting to make up for it. Instead we got a 2 minute squash, then a decent but predictable final to wrap up Colosseum. Gotta give love for Rose & Gale for going to great lengths to sell the importance of Colosseum, because that final was certainly lacking in excitement and drama compared to past Colosseum finals. Again, it just felt rushed to get the endpoint of “hey, Scott’s our guy”. Which, by the way, have no problem with Scott being the guy, but just make the ride there a little more exciting, y’know? Then it’s like, “okay, if Colosseum is a bit lacking, at least we have the huge cage match to end on a high note”. But even that was lacking compared to past Jess and Chevs stuff. 

Ultimately, the trios match and the Fudge title match were the strongest points of this show for me. There was a great energy about both those matches for me that more closely resembled the quality of PWA I’ve seen on the past few Black Label shows. Head to those on YouTube if you want to see PWA firing on all cylinders. Fingers crossed it all comes together for the next Black Label, returning to Liberty Hall on May 29^th with Dropped Out! 

Overall Score: 7/10 

Until next time, take care, 

Mick