Pro wrestling spectacular Deathmatch Downunder (DMDU) returns to the Palais for the third time this weekend with a triple main event of high-impact, high-flying moves.
The sports spectacular promises that ‘glass will be smashed, furniture will be broken, and a great night will be had by all… it will be bloody, and bloody entertaining!’.
The event will feature a number of Geelong-based wrestlers, including Scotty Roach, who will feature with partner Xavier Black in a tag-team deathmatch against Callen Butcher and Camby Crawford.
Roach, who has wrestled at both of the previous DMDU shows at the Palais, said he was ‘extremely excited’ to be performing again in his home town.
“I love working in Geelong, I think it’s the best city in Australia to work in for wrestling, without a doubt,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity to show the great talent in the wrestling industry, especially in Geelong. Last time when I made my entrance, it was electric; it’s an absolute rush.”
Roach promised a diverse range of bouts, including tag-team matches, single events, and deathmatches.
“We have a wide variety of different types of wrestling; we’ve got high-flyers who pull off some amazing stunts, we’ve got powerhouses such as Gore, who I swear just gets bigger every time I see the guy,” he said.
“And we’ve got stipulation matches such as the deathmatches, where you can expect wrestlers to be a lot more creative with the weapons they use. Things like barbed wire, light tubes, thumb tacks.
“I guarantee, if you’ve never seen a wrestling show before it’s not like it used to be in the 70s. It’s evolved so much, it’s a whole different landscape now.”
Palais general manager Meg Deyell said while at first glance the beautiful Palais theatre and the high-octane brutality of the wrestling might seem incompatible, that wasn’t the case.
“The Palais housed a lot of boxing in the 1950s, so it’s not out of left field for the building to host this sort of sports spectacle,” she said.
“It seems like it would be really dichotomous, but it actually works really well. It’s a loud, boisterous, highly energetic theatre form in this really classic, beautiful, restrained building.
“It’s an ‘opposites attract’ situation, it really works, and it surprised me last time how entertaining it was. The Palais is the only context you’re going to see wrestling like this in Australia.”
Ms Deyell said the Palais provided a unique setting in the Geelong entertainment landscape.
“The Palais had such an integral role in the culture of Geelong in the early days, and we really appreciate the opportunity to reintroduce the Palais to the new generation,” she said.
“One way to do that is the wrestling, because the audience is young and vibrant. The wrestling’s just one example of the kinds of entertainment we’ve been able to lure to Geelong.
“We’ve got Lior here in October, he hasn’t played Geelong in over 10 years because there wasn’t a space he wanted to play in. But now the Palais is open, and he’s coming.”
Deathmatch Downunder will be at the Palais this Saturday, September 17th. Doors open at 6.30pm.
