It has been a very long wait, but the wait is finally over. After months of planning, preparation, and delays due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, Deathmatch Downunder is finally ready to make history for the country of Australia and present the very first annual D.R.E.A.M deathmatch tournament to determine the first DMDU Deathmatch Champion. Not only is this historical for the company but for Australia they have never seen a deathmatch tournament occur on their soil. The fine folks at DMDU have asked me to give an in depth look into this historical tournament to see who could potentially become the very first DMDU Deathmatch Champion. First, let's look at the bracket to see how the field lines up:
(Image courtesy of Deathmatch Downunder)
Let us go through each matchup of round 1 to see how the competitor’s line up:
Joel Bateman vs York - Light Tube Lunacy Deathmatch
Notable wins and losses for competitors:
Joel Bateman: Defeated Atlas Whittaker, Defeated Charli Rose, Defeated Will Walker. Losses to Gweedo (UGWA Total Violence Championship match) and Charlie Evans
York: No wins. Losses in tag team competition to Vixsin and Callen Butcher and Mad Dog and a singles loss to Callen Butcher
Do not let York’s record fool you as he is still a colossus of the deathmatch division for the company and he is pitted against someone who has been a day 1 participant of Deathmatch Downunder in Joel Bateman. This tournament is a dream come true for the “Smash Hit”. He has been one of the few Australian deathmatch wrestlers waving the flag for this style for years and finally now he gets the biggest opportunity of his career, while being able to use a stipulation he is very familiar with in light tubes.
For York, he brings a skillset that may cause problems for Bateman as getting any type of offense will prove to be difficult as the size disparity will prove tough for any lifts. York has a very high tolerance of pain as shown in all his deathmatch competitions for DMDU and will be sure to use this to his advantage. As much as this feels like an advantageous matchup for York, deathmatch tournaments are truly unpredictable and may find himself in a situation that is unlike anything he has seen before. The stipulation of light tube lunacy definitely favors Bateman in this instance, and it might be the reason for his victory.
Prediction: Joel Bateman wins
Gweedo (UGWA Total Violence Champion) vs Atlas Whittaker - Fans Bring The Weapons match
Notable wins and losses for competitors
Gweedo: Defeated Joel Bateman to retain UGWA Total Violence Championship, Defeated Callen Butcher to retain UGWA Total Violence Championship.
Atlas Whittaker: Defeated by Joel Bateman
This match is the classic stipulation that everyone loves, both fans and wrestlers alike. The match checks off all the boxes as it brings in fan involvement, unpredictability with the incorporation of weapons and lastly and more importantly, it gives violence. Gweedo comes into this tournament as someone who probably could be a favorite to win it all. He already has the UGWA Total Violence belt to prove he is one of the most violent men in all of Australia, but with this tournament, if he were to win the DMDU Deathmatch belt, he could truly cement his place as Australia’s most violent man.
In his own way is none other than one half of the toast of the upper crust in Atlas CC Whittaker. Atlas may have only one deathmatch to his name, in the form of a classic with fellow tournament competitor Joel Bateman, but that exploration has brought him to become an entrant in this tournament as he steps up to the plate against Gweedo. The true factor that both men will have to consider is truly what diabolical weapons do fans have in store for these two? Do fans bring weapons that benefit both competitor’s or do they bring weapons that are out of the ordinary and are there for the sake of violence? This may be one that really brings out the imagination of both men in this contest.
Prediction: Gweedo pulls out the victory
Mad Dog vs Vixsin - Home Grown Deathmatch
Notable wins and losses for competitors
Mad Dog: Mad Dog / Michael Weaver defeated RAW BEEF, Defeated FOX
Vixsin: Vixsin / Callen Butcher defeated Gweedo / York and Vixsin, Mad Dog, Callen Butcher defeated Gweedo, York, Damian Rivers.
This part of the tournament pits two of Australia’s deathmatch veterans against each other. Mad Dog, for Australian fans, is a man who has been a part of nearly all of Australia’s deathmatch history since its beginning. He has seen the rise and the fall of Australian deathmatch wrestling and has been an instrumental part of the new era of the style. Mad Dog represents all that has happened in Australian deathmatch and surely wants to cement himself in the history books by winning the tournament. But in his way is none other than Vixsin.
Vixsin's entrance into this tournament is displayed by her notable wins and losses. As we may be waiting for the impending No Rope Barbed Wire deathmatch contest with Joel Bateman at a future DMDU show, we finally will be able to get a glimpse of her in a singles deathmatch competition that will truly showcase her heavyweight style and give Mad Dog a few fits in this contest. The only question that will be posed is what constitutes a Home Grown deathmatch? What stipulations will be used? What violent intentions are intended for our two competitors in this matchup?
Prediction: Mad Dog gets the victory
Callen Butcher vs Damian Rivers - Jack in the Box match
Notable wins and losses for competitors
Callen Butcher: Defeated by Damian Rivers, Defeated York, and FOX in singles; Callen Butcher, Michael Weaver, Zuzu defeated York / Gweedo / Mike Kaos
Damian Rivers: undefeated in all DMDU Singles competitions which include a win over Callen Butcher
In the only rematch of the first round of this tournament, Callen Butcher looks to get revenge on the man who defeated him in the historical first main event for Deathmatch Downunder in the form of Damian Rivers. The two had their first confrontation from the very first DMDU show “And Out Come the Wolves” in a riveting 100 light tube deathmatch that wowed the crowd in Australia as well as those on IWTV. The two men come into this rematch with a lot to prove and a chance to be one step closer to becoming the DMDU Deathmatch Champion. Butcher has become one of the most compelling deathmatch competitors in the division after years on the Australian independents as a “nobody” looking for his chance to shine and that came in the form of deathmatch wrestling.
Damian Rivers, who as a young upstart, has quickly lived up to the reputation as one of the premier deathmatch wrestlers in Australia. He comes into this tournament as the only man who has not been defeated in singles competition. However, Rivers still has a lot to prove to those who might not think he can win the tournament. Both men have changed from their first match, and both men surely have learned a lot from their first confrontation. With the stipulation of Jack in the Box, we may not know how this one ends up but these two will surely bring their brand of violence to the front stage to end the first round.
Prediction: Callen Butcher takes the win
There is your first-round preview as well as my predictions for each matchup. As for who I think will win the entire tournament, I will be going with the man hailed as “Nobody” Callen Butcher. His story to the top of the DMDU deathmatch division has been one that the entire deathmatch world has had their eyes on. Butcher winning this tournament would truly cement his status as a deathmatch star and would bring eyes to DMDU for months to come.
Comentários