The Tuckman, Jack Bonza open up on PWA’s King of the Metro, who they’d love to throw over the top

Dropping out of uni to become a wrestler wasn’t always the plan for Dubbo’s The Tuckman. Now the flying mullet is looking to accomplish one of the hardest tasks in professional wrestling.

The King of the Metro is one of Pro Wrestling Australia’s flagship events.

Pitting 30 male and female wrestlers, and surprise entrants against each other in the rumble main event, the objective is simple - throw all of them over the top rope until you’re the last person standing.

We chat with two wrestlers at opposite ends of the entrance spectrum, The Tuckman who enters at number one and Jack Bonza who has the luxury of coming in at 30.

#1 THE TUCKMAN

Winning a rumble from the number one position is akin to climbing Mt Everest.

While there’s a mathematical possibility it can happen - the overwhelming probability is you’ll end up on your back while trying.

The Tuckman of Pro Wrestling Australia. Picture: ooothetuckman Instagram

It’s a task that awaits The Tuckman, the larrikin from Dubbo who is a fan favourite at the PWA.

His outgoing demeanour and flowing mullet has many hoping he can do the impossible and outlast 29 others.

“Noone has done it before in PWA. The odds are definitely stacked against me,” he said.

“It would be like your NRL team losing every single game until halfway through the season and then somehow they make it all the way through to the grand final.

“I was pretty upset (in finding out the number one position). I was on stage against two of my enemies in North Shore Wrestling.

“But I am a country boy, born and bred out in Dubbo. I moved here for wrestling, so I’ve had the odds stacked against me before, so it won’t be the first time.

“Growing up in the country there’s a little bit of extra adversity. We’ve just got a little bit less, we’re a little bit more isolated.

“In terms of this Friday, it gives me a bit of extra encouragement because I know I’ve been through more and going through 29 people mightn’t be the hardest thing I’ve done.”

The Tuckman recently returned from training in America, where he prepared for the event and competed in the ring over there, getting some inspiration from a former PWA alumni and current WWE superstar in the process.

“There’s the physical side of it. I’ve spent six weeks training in the United States where I’ve been in the ring a lot,” he said.

“It was fantastic. The training there was amazing. Being around Grayson Waller and getting to see what his lifestyle was like, it was a good insight into what it was like at the top level.

“In saying that we missed home sorely and Australian wrestling is the best in the world, so it’s good to be back.”

The Tuckman is a high-flyer in the ring. Picture: New Photography Studios

It wasn’t a traditional path to the industry for The Tuckman, with a chance visit back home rekindling his childhood love of graps.

“In 2021 I was at university and I wasn’t really enjoying my studies. I lost the passion,” he said.

“After I was going through my old childhood room in Dubbo, I found some old stuff from when I was a teenager.

“I remembered my love for wrestling. It was something that I grew up loving and I started watching it again.

“I thought I’d give it a go. I looked up PWA and the rest is history. I played footy growing up so I was physically capable.”

Lachlan McIntyre is one of Australia’s most popular social media stars, but The Tuckman said the fact he had close to 1m TikTok followers wouldn’t save him from catching his hands.

“We’ve had TikTok influencer Lachy McIntyre come to the PWA rumble twice,” he said.

“I’ve never been in the ring with him, but if he came this year and showed up, you know I’m going to smack his mouth open and send him straight over the top rope.

“Blake Pavey is a comedian who came to one of our shows. I don’t know if I’d throw him over the top rope, but maybe we could be a tag team.

“Russ Eats is huge on TikTok. I don’t know if he’s a wrestling fan, but he’s my kind of guy. He’s got a mullet, loves food and seems like a good bloke.”

Jack Bonza is hoping to come out on top on Friday night. Picture: New Photography Studios

#30 JACK BONZA

At the other end of the scale, Jack Bonza has the luxury of entering in last place at number 30.

He will enter the rumble fresher than anybody and with the greatest statistical chance of victory.

Bonza has a number of things in his favour. He’s built like a brick you-know-what and is a past winner, having taken out the event in 2019.

“It’s one of the most dangerous matches in professional wrestling,” he said.

“In a normal match there’s one other person to keep an eye on. You don’t turn your back on somebody who’s trying to hit you.

“When you’re in a rumble, there could be five or 10 people behind you at any given point. They’re trying to throw you out three or four metres onto concrete. It’s so unpredictable.

“I don’t have a lot of friends in PWA and I’d be considered one of the more dangerous competitors.

“I was able to secure the number 30 spot. I’ll be the freshest. There could be guys who are tired and have been in there for 45 minutes by the time that I enter.

“I’m really just the clean-up squad. I’ve just got to come in and get rid of as many guys as quickly as humanly possible.”

Bonza doesn’t pull any punches when he names his hit list, calling out a former WWE champion, NRL players and a viral TikTok star.

“Grayson Waller was at the last PWA event at the Metro in October. I’d love a chance to actually shut his mouth and throw him over the top rope,” he said.
“Some of those boys from the Wests Tigers, they have a podcast where they’ve been talking about PWA. I’d love to see them pop up.

“There’s a former boxer named Beery (Max Beer) who was talking some crap to me. He got in the ring and slapped me, and then shared it on Instagram and tried to make me look stupid.

“In terms of inside PWA, I’d really love a chance to take out Ricky South. He’s a big, strong fella and one of the biggest threats, but it’s important to me that I show him that I’m better.”

Jack Bonza with former NRL star James Graham. Picture: jackbonza Instagram

Standing at 181cm and with a frame of 111kg of muscle, Bonza wouldn’t look out of place on the footy field.

He has the lineage as well as the grandson of former Manly and Norths great Bill Hamilton, who played over 250 games in the 60s and 70s.

Bonza teamed with a former English international, and believes a player turned shock jock could make the transition.

“I had a tag team match with James Graham at the end of last year and we won,” he said.

“Aaron Woods has been talking a lot about pro wrestling lately, he could be an interesting guy to come across.

“Someone like that popping up in the rumble (would be great).”

Bonza’s journey into wrestling wasn’t built of childhood fandom or a desire to be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock.

It was a simple desire to give it a go that has led him to this point, where he has travelled the world in the craft.

“I’m not the kind of person who likes to watch things, I’m the kind of person who likes to do things,” he said.

“I’m probably different to most professional wrestlers, because most grew up watching it as a fan and eventually transitioning.

“I didn’t start watching until I was 17. It was either the first time it came on TV or the first time my parents got Foxtel.

“It was less than a year of me watching it on TV before I signed up to a training school.

“The current PWA champions are dominated by people who are about 40kg lighter than me. I’ve competed in pro wrestling across the world at a very high level.

“I’ve probably focused my efforts more on overseas in Japan and things outside of PWA for the last few years, so it’s time Jack Bonza started retaking his home territory.”

PWA’s King of the Metro takes place at The Metro Theatre this Friday from 7.15pm.

Originally published as The Tuckman, Jack Bonza open up on PWA’s King of the Metro, who they’d love to throw over the top