Impact Wrestling has announced their first-ever major events and shows in Australia for this summer.
The 4-day, 2-show Impact Down Under Tour will take place in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, beginning on Thursday, June 29. The tour includes two marquee wrestling shows, Impact Winter and Impact Down Under, held on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, July 1 at the Equex Centre.
Impact noted in their press release that this tour will replace NJPW in Australia as their events were nixed due to scheduling and talent availability issues. The NJPW Oceania Cup, which was announced back in December, has been postponed.
The two shows will feature most of the Impact stars, multiple title matches, and special challenge matches with Impact stars vs. the best Australia-based wrestlers. The shows will be exclusively broadcast worldwide on FITE TV and across Impact’s digital and social media channels, as well as international broadcast platforms.
Impact President Scott D’Amore said in the press release, “We are so excited to bring IMPACT Wrestling to the great fans of Australia, with a big thank-you to the NSW Government and the Regional Events Acceleration Fund for helping this tour. Australian fans will see the stars of IMPACT Wrestling in-action, in-person and will experience first-hand the excitement, energy and emotion of The IMPACT Zone when we hit the city of Wagga Wagga.”
FITE COO Michael Weber added, “FITE is thrilled to distribute another great event from our long-time partner, IMPACT Wrestling, which continues to grow its international market with these live shows in Australia, available worldwide exclusively on FITE.”
Pro wrestling podcaster Conrad Thompson will be making the trip to Australia that week, and will be hosting a live podcast episode on Sunday, July 2.
“This is my first time in Australia … I am really looking forward to seeing the fans and having an awesome experience in Wagga Wagga,” Thompson said in the press release.
The Down Under Tour will also include major fan engagement elements, including wrestler meet & greets, autograph sessions and more. Cam Vale, the Managing Director of Australia-based GLO Sports, is working with Impact on the tour. He commented on what the tour is bringing to the region.
“IMPACT Wrestling is giving opportunities to Australian wrestlers, referees and ring announcers to be part of this event, an amazing development opportunity for this region,” Vale said.
The tour is supported by the NSW Government Regional Events Acceleration Fund. The promotional graphic, seen below, includes a line that says, “Proudly Funded by NSW Government.” The $40 million fund is part of a larger $2 billion Regional Growth Fund, designed to support growing regional centers, activate local economies and improve services and community infrastructure for regional communities. Vale added that his company is proud to facilitate the partnership between Impact and the NSW Government.
“The way IMPACT Wrestling has been able to come in and support this event on short notice has been phenomenal and a testament to their international ambitions,” Vale said. “The broadcast reach of this event will be significant; it will drive economic activity and showcase the Equex Centre as a multi-sport venue capable of hosting international events. I am fortunate to have worked with Destination NSW on many occasions in my career and am excited about the opportunities the IMPACT Down Under Tour will bring to engage local business and community stakeholders, showcasing Wagga Wagga as a great location for signature events like this.”
This tour will be Impact’s first shows outside of North America since the Impact vs. UK event on September 9, 2018 at Wrestling MediaCon in Manchester, England. Impact’s last major international tour took them to Mumbai, India for two nights of TV tapings at the end of May 2017.
Tickets for the Impact Down Under Tour will go on-sale on Saturday, May 13, at 7 p.m. EST (Sunday May 14, 9am AEST) at oceaniaprowrestling.com and intix.com.au.
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