Welcome back to another trip through the Dark Match Dungeon! As usual, this is where I take a spin through YouTube and see if I can wrangle up some forgotten footage of today’s wrestling stars. It’s sort of like the Wheel of Morality, except with more bad haircuts and inferior punchlines. Anyway, last week we looked at William Regal on World of Sport, so I figure I should keep the international trend going with this edition. Today’s edition features Adam Rose, WWE’s resident South African party animal. Here he is competing for South Africa’s World Wrestling Professionals promotion, under the name Dameon Duke.
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What To Look For:
- WWP Thunderstrike. This was the promotion’s Saturday night television show, but production was halted in 2009 and they’ve aired reruns for the duration of their TV contract. Maybe I’m reaching here, but I think the set looks like the love child of Wrestling Society X and Global GUTS.
- Rose’s opponent, Steve Eden. A quick search reveals that he’s still an active wrestler, doing work for promotions such as African Punishment Wrestling Association. Sorry, that’s actually a title that requires all caps — AFRICAN PUNISHMENT WRESTLING ASSOCIATION.
- A commentator who can’t stop comparing Rose to other wrestlers, which gets ridiculous after a while. Also, the commentary darts in and out of English, reminiscent of Ring Ka King.
- A weird affinity for slow-motion edits and replays. I hate to drop two Wrestling Society X references in the same column, but if the shoe fits…
This match was a WWP Heavyweight Championship defense from 2007. Rose isn’t the only internationally-known product of World Wrestling Professionals, interestingly enough. The promotion used to be the stomping ground for Lucha Underground favorite Angelico, and P.J. “Darewolf” “Justin Gabriel” Black recently made his return there. As for Rose, he left Africa in 2009, signing with WWE and becoming a party mercenary. We haven’t forgotten you, Leo Kruger. The NXT Oculus awaits.
