“The wrestling scene looked so different to what it is now... it was usually relegated to RSLs, community halls and smaller kind of auditoriums."
That was the reality Robbie Eagles faced 15 years ago when his pro wrestling journey began, with the Australian scene 'on the fringe' and the ability to get noticed overseas close enough to zero.
Fast-forward to 2023 and there are Aussie performers signed to every major promotion in the world, with the likes of Rhea Ripley and Kyle Fletcher holding championship gold in WWE and AEW respectively.
And the one man at the forefront in changing that perception is Eagles, who some of the best Aussie talents have both worked and trained with on their way to worldwide stardom.
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Robbie Eagles details the growth of Australian pro wrestling
While the local scene may never reach the heights of having 75,000 fans at WrestleMania or All In, there have been leaps and bounds made by the Aussie promotions across the country.
PWA in Sydney - Eagles' home promotion - is just one of many that have moved from the aforementioned smaller venues to performing in front of larger crowds and as part of bigger events, including the recent Beer, Footy and Food Festival at Henson Park.
In an exclusive interview with The Sporting News, Eagles reflected on the positive changes to the Australian industry over the past decade both at home and abroad.
"Breaking into the industry in Australia is a little more difficult," he said.
"The internet definitely helps, so I was able to find through a channel of different people that I kind of knew on the fringe of the industry that there was a wrestling school in Ingleburn.
“The wrestling scene looked so different to what it is now. In 2008 and even through to the early-2010s, it was very much on the fringe and it was very much a niche product.
"I came in with a bit of an attitude of I’m better than all these guys, but after I actually started having matches or training alongside my peers or the veterans of the business… I realised pretty easily and quickly that there was so much to learn and it wasn’t as easy as it looked from the outside.
"I really applied myself, listened to the veterans and took on all advice that I could to try and make myself become the best professional wrestler I could be at that stage."
Despite his fast-paced in-ring style becoming an instant hit Down Under, Eagles had to scratch and claw for every opportunity - and sometimes to his own detriment.
But after a decade of quite literal blood, sweat and tears, Eagles signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in 2019 and became the first Aussie to win the prestigious IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title - a championship held by the likes of Jushin Liger, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay.
“There was a lot of doubt around getting noticed by outside companies," he said.
"I’ve even experienced going to the US, emailing every independent promotion I could in any area, even offering to fly myself to their cities, and still getting ignored – even after having a bit of a reputation in Australia.
"It’s always been a bit of a geographical issue, not a talent thing… but 10 years in, I finally got that opportunity when a door opened for me. I made sure not just to wedge my foot in that crack, but I’d push the damn door down.
“It was incredibly daunting and nerve-wracking to be in the locker room in NJPW for the first time. These were my heroes and the people that I was currently looking to for motivation and inspiration.
"It meant so much, because not only was I cementing myself as the 90th IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, but I was the first Australian-born to win that championship.
"It made me go, okay, I’m the champion for a reason and I am the best of this division and I have proved myself... you’re solidifying that all that work has been worth it and all that sacrifice has been worth it."
Throughout the past four years, Eagles has cemented himself as one of the most popular stars in NJPW's Junior Heavyweight division, competing in the gruelling 'Best of the Super Juniors' tournament on multiple occasions, and his quest to become the champion once again has never wavered.
How Robbie Eagles balances his own goals with helping the future
While the likes of Ripley and Fletcher may be flying the flag overseas, Eagles has the flexible schedule of being able to work for NJPW, as well as independent companies in both Australia and overseas.
The 33-year-old has a tough gig balancing his own career aspirations with NJPW and helping create the stars of tomorrow, but Eagles believes it will all be worth it in the long run.
“Training people was kind of something I fell into the deep-end with about a year into my training," he said.
"Once I got more confident with my wrestling, I got more confident as a teacher and a coach, and I always was very proud of how I could make other people understand professional wrestling.
"Not everyone learns in the same way and the same speeds, so I would have to adjust my coaching style. Over the years, that’s something that I’ve valued as a skill – but when I first started, it was very much just the basics.
“It is challenging to balance my own goals and obviously the goals of anyone I want to teach or help mentor. That’s kind of the crux of what we do in this industry – it’s constantly a balancing act.
"I am usually more proud of other people’s achievements that I’ve been involved in, even if it’s a minute amount, I’m more proud of what they achieve than my own.
"The top goal for me is to create a self-sustaining industry here in Australia. Everything I do is, in part, to help grow the scene back here so that more eyes are on it and there’s more opportunity for the people that are involved in it."
How Grayson Waller and Kyle Fletcher became Aussie success stories
After dabbling in reality television and working as a high school teacher, Grayson Waller is now one of the fastest-rising stars in WWE and is on track to become a genuine household name worldwide.
Despite sharing the ring with global megastars John Cena and Logan Paul, to having his first match on SmackDown inside Madison Square Garden against a WWE Hall of Famer, the 33-year-old remains authentically himself.
And while the pair may be the same age, there's no professional jealousy on Eagles' behalf, who admits Waller's success is one of his own greatest triumphs as a coach.
“I’m very proud of Grayson Waller and what he’s achieved," he told The Sporting News.
"He’s a very outspoken individual, as we’ve seen on television – but that’s kind of been a lot of what got him noticed. He’s got the gift of the gab and I’ve always looked to him for inspiration on that side of things… his charisma just exudes out of him.
"Since his first day in the Pro Wrestling Academy, you saw it and everyone that was a coach at that point went, ‘He is gonna be something.' He got himself signed and we may have helped along the way, but that was all Grayson Waller’s doing.
"It’s incredibly pleasing to see that he’s continuing to achieve more and more things, being a member of SmackDown now is an incredible feat and I’m super happy for him. I look forward to seeing him on my TV more."
But one man who already has a belt around his waist is Kyle Fletcher, the 24-year-old Sydney-born prodigy who has already held gold in Japan and America.
Eagles revealed that ever since his early-teens, Fletcher always had the desire to become a star in the make-or-break industry, and the sky truly is the limit for one-half of the Aussie Open tag team.
“I’ve seen so much from Kyle – he started with us when he was 14 years old, which is not exactly the right age to start doing this," Eagles said.
"He was just pestering me in my DMs constantly, asking me to train, and eventually I kind of just gave in.
"Kyle has come leaps and bounds from that kid that started with us in the academy to being an AEW star now. He’s one-half of Aussie Open with Mark Davis, a guy who I came up in the industry with, so it’s incredible to see the transformation that he’s had.
"It’s amazing to see how far he continues to grow and I think his ceiling is unattainable in terms of what we can see, because he is so young… there is so much more that he can do.
"Every time he’s in the ring, he always shows that he is capable of doing something more than anyone thought he was. I’m looking forward to his continued success and I look forward to meeting him in the ring again."
Where does Australian wrestling go next?
With success at home and abroad coming from the fruits of Eagles' labour, there is no desire from 'The Sniper of the Skies' to rest on his laurels any time soon.
According to Eagles, his ability to balance his tours in Japan with pushing the Aussie business forward will be seen well into the future and he has some lofty goals in mind.
“I’m pretty comfortable – I’ve got a long-term deal with NJPW and that’s always been my goal," he said.
"I’m not looking outside of that at the moment and the best part about being with NJPW is I get to go abroad, do my tours and then I get to come back home.
"That’s kind of the best of both worlds and I’m going to continue to live that lifestyle as long as I can and to have that as my job... but ultimately, my goal is to see wrestling in Australia grow.
"I want to see a big marquee event held in Hordern Pavilion."
