The Most Famous
WRESTLERS from Australia
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Australian Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Australian Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Nathan Jones (b. 1970)
With an HPI of 45.63, Nathan Jones is the most famous Australian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
Nathan Jones (born 21 August 1970) is an Australian actor and former professional wrestler. He was signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2002 and 2003. He held the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once in World Wrestling All-Stars, and he is best known for aligning himself with The Undertaker in WWE on its SmackDown brand. Jones made his film debut in First Strike (1996), opposite Jackie Chan. Jones played the role of Rictus Erectus in 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road and its 2024 prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. He also appeared in films such as Troy (2004), Tom-Yum-Goong (2005), Fearless (2006), Conan the Barbarian (2011), Hobbs & Shaw (2019), and Mortal Kombat (2021), usually playing antagonists.
2. Rhea Ripley (b. 1996)
With an HPI of 35.47, Rhea Ripley is the 2nd most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. She has been signed to WWE since July 2017, where she performs under the ring name Rhea Ripley. Her 380-day reign with the Women's World Championship is tied with Bayley as the longest in the title's history. After competing on the independent circuit under her real name since 2013, Ripley joined WWE and participated in the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017. After reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 edition of the tournament, she was part of the original roster of NXT UK, becoming the inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion in August 2018. After a run on the NXT brand from 2019 to 2021, which saw her win the NXT Women's Championship and become the brand's first member to defend an NXT title at WrestleMania, WWE's flagship event, she was promoted to the main roster on Raw where she joined The Judgment Day in 2022. In addition to the NXT UK Women's Championship and NXT Women's Championship, she is a former one-time Raw Women's Champion and a former one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (with Nikki A.S.H.). After winning the SmackDown Women's Championship in April 2023—which was renamed as Women's World Championship that June—she became the seventh WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion and fifth WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion, as well as the only wrestler to have held all five of these titles. She is also the first female Australian champion in WWE history. Ripley was the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble winner, becoming the fourth wrestler and the first woman to win a Royal Rumble match as the number one entrant.
3. Nia Jax (b. 1984)
With an HPI of 35.17, Nia Jax is the 3rd most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( NY-ə). She is the current Queen of the Ring, and the current WWE Women’s Champion in her second reign and a former two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (both times with Shayna Baszler). Fanene signed with WWE in early 2014 and was assigned to the developmental brand NXT. She made her debut in May 2015 under the ring name Zada, which was changed to Nia Jax in August that year. As part of the 2016 WWE Draft, she was promoted to the main roster. Fanene was released from her WWE contract in November 2021, but after a brief appearance at the Royal Rumble in January 2023, she re-signed with the company, making her return in September.
4. Buddy Murphy (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 29.89, Buddy Murphy is the 4th most famous Australian Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Matthew Adams (born 26 September 1988) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Buddy Matthews as a member of the stable House of Black and is a former one-time AEW World Trios Champion. Adams also makes appearances on the independent circuit and is best known for his time with WWE where he performed under the ring name Buddy Murphy (later shortened to Murphy). Prior to joining WWE, Adams wrestled primarily in his native Australia under the ring name Matt Silva, appearing with promotions such as Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW) and Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW). In 2013, he relocated to the United States to work for WWE, starting out in its developmental territory NXT. During his time in NXT, he formed a tag team with Wesley Blake that won the NXT Tag Team Championship on one occasion, making him the first Australian national to win a championship in WWE. In 2018, Adams was moved to WWE's main roster, appearing on 205 Live; he won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship later that year. He was moved to SmackDown in April 2019 and then to Raw in October 2019, where he aligned himself with Seth Rollins, leading to the duo winning the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship. Adams left WWE in June 2021, subsequently wrestling for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling as "Buddy Matthews". He then made his debut for All Elite Wrestling in February 2022.
5. Emma (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 23.89, Emma is the 5th most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Tenille Averil Dashwood (born 1 March 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler and travel influencer. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, under the ring name Emma. She is also known for her time in Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling, where she performed under her real name. Dashwood started training for professional wrestling in Australia in 2003 when she was 13 years old. In 2008, Dashwood went to Canada to train at the Storm Wrestling Academy. She wrestled in Australia and North America on the independent circuit for promotions like Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) and Shimmer Women Athletes under the ring name Tenille Tayla. In 2011, she signed with WWE, thus she became the first female Australian wrestler to be signed to WWE. She is also a former Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion.
6. Peyton Royce (b. 1992)
With an HPI of 21.40, Peyton Royce is the 6th most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Cassandra Arneill (née McIntosh) (born 10 November 1992) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is known for her time with WWE, where she performed under the ring name Peyton Royce. She is also known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she performed as Cassie Lee. In February 2009, McIntosh made her professional wrestling debut at Pro Wrestling Women's Alliance (PWWA) as KC Cassidy, and competed on the independent circuit with multiple promotions for several years, becoming a one-time PWA Women's Champion, and winning the Vera and Jenny Memorial Cup in support of breast cancer. McIntosh signed a contract with WWE in 2015, and was assigned to WWE's developmental brand NXT in Orlando, Florida.
7. Billie Kay (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 21.28, Billie Kay is the 7th most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie Kay. She is also known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she performed as Jessie McKay. In June 2007, Kay made her professional wrestling debut at Pro Wrestling Alliance (PWA), and she debuted one-year later for the Pro Wrestling Women's Alliance promotion, where she became a two-time PWWA Champion. She later started competing on the independent circuit for multiple promotions in the United States for several years, most notably and commonly for Shimmer Women Athletes.
8. Nihel Bouchoucha (b. 1995)
With an HPI of 0.00, Nihel Bouchoucha is the 8th most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into different languages.
Nihel Bouchoucha (née Landolsi, born 1 July 1995) is a Tunisian judoka. She is a two-time medalist at the African Games. She is also a three-time gold medalist at the African Judo Championships.
9. Anna Bernholm (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 0.00, Anna Bernholm is the 9th most famous Australian Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into different languages.
Anna Bernholm (born 5 March 1991) is a Swedish retired judoka. In 2021, she competed in the women's 70 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Bernholm is the gold medalist of the 2017 Judo Grand Slam Abu Dhabi in the –70 kg category.
People
Pantheon has 9 people classified as Australian wrestlers born between 1970 and 1996. Of these 9, 9 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Australian wrestlers include Nathan Jones, Rhea Ripley, and Nia Jax. As of April 2024, 2 new Australian wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Nihel Bouchoucha, and Anna Bernholm.
Living Australian Wrestlers
Go to all Rankings
Nathan Jones
1970 - Present
HPI: 45.63
Rhea Ripley
1996 - Present
HPI: 35.47
Nia Jax
1984 - Present
HPI: 35.17
Buddy Murphy
1988 - Present
HPI: 29.89
Emma
1989 - Present
HPI: 23.89
Peyton Royce
1992 - Present
HPI: 21.40
Billie Kay
1989 - Present
HPI: 21.28
Nihel Bouchoucha
1995 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Anna Bernholm
1991 - Present
HPI: 0.00
