IPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship

Last updated

IPW Heavyweight Championship
IPWHeavyweightTitle.jpg
Details
Promotion Impact Pro Wrestling
Date established9 April 2002
Current champion(s)James Shaw
Date won14 December 2024
Statistics
First champion(s)The Machine
Most reignsJames Shaw (5 reigns)
Longest reignJake Shehaan (693 days)
Shortest reignCharlie Roberts (2 minutes and 38 seconds)
Oldest champion Liger (37 years)
Youngest championLyte Playa (17 years)
Heaviest championJamie Tagataese 145  kg (320  lb)
Lightest championLyte Playa 74  kg (163  lb)
Former IPW Heavyweight Champion, Mr Burns JacobCrossIPWChampion.jpg
Former IPW Heavyweight Champion, Mr Burns

The IPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling championship title in the New Zealand promotion Impact Pro Wrestling. It was the original heavyweight title of the Mania Pro Wrestling promotion, later used in IPW as its primary singles title. It was introduced as the MPW Heavyweight Championship on 9 April 2002. When Impact Pro Wrestling was founded by a core group of MPW wrestlers in 2003, the title was established as its new primary singles title and renamed to the IPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship. The MPW Championship reigns are still recognised in the title's lineage. The current champion is James Shaw who is in his fifth reign.

Contents

The championship is regularly defended throughout New Zealand, most often in central Auckland, at monthly live shows. It has formerly been defended at live events such as the Armageddon Expo and on weekly series IPW Ignited . [1] In 2007, the title made its debut in the Northland Region, with the promotion's IPW Collision event in Whangārei. The title match featured Jon E. King facing off against the Samoan Silverback Alexander. [2] It has also been defended at several interpromotional events both in New Zealand and Australia. IPW Heavyweight Champion Jon E. King competed at the 2006 NZPWI Invitational with KPW Heavyweight Champion H-Flame where both men made it to the semi-finals and where King was eliminated by "Heartless" Alfred Valentine. The 2007 NZPWI Invitational saw the first ever "champion vs. champion" match when returning champions Jon E. King and H-Flame faced each other in a non-title match in the opening rounds. King went on to win the tournament.

The championship is contested in professional wrestling matches. The inaugural champion was The Machine, who defeated Jon E. King in Māngere, Auckland on 9 April 2002 to become the first MPW Heavyweight Champion; King had won a Royal Rumble-type match, eliminating "Superstar" Troy Daniels to earn a place in the championship decider. IPW recognised both MPW Heavyweight Championship reigns when the promotion became Impact Pro Wrestling in 2003. James Shaw holds the record for most reigns with five. At 693 days, Jake Shehaan's second reign was the longest in the title's history. Charlie Roberts' sole reign lasted only two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, the shortest in the history of the title. Overall, there have been 51 reigns shared between 25 wrestlers, with three vacancies.

The promotion has often been represented by the reigning IPW Champion in the national media. In May 2005, TVNZ's Hadyn Jones conducted an interview with The Machine and then IPW Champion The Economist at their Auckland gym. [3] On 2 February 2006, Jon E. King was a guest on Ngati Hine FM where he was interviewed by disc jockey Darcy Edwards [4] and with fellow IPW wrestler Alfred Valentine on the TV One's morning talk show Breakfast by Kay Gregory that summer. [5] [6] Jordan Invincible was among the wrestlers featured on 10 October 2008 edition Television New Zealand's IAM TV and where Invincible wrestled the host in a mock battle at their IPW facility in Auckland. [7] IPW New Zealand Champion Dal Knox was interviewed at the 2008 Armageddon Expo, along with IPW colour commentator Dion McCracken, as part of an upcoming documentary on professional wrestling in New Zealand, A Kiwi Century On The Mat, in April 2009. [8] Knox was also profiled by 20/20 in a special report on professional wrestling in New Zealand, [9] as well as on the Māori Television sports show Hyundai Code. [10]

Title history

Reigns

Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific champion
DaysNumber of days held
+Current reign is changing daily
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDays
1The Machine9 April 2002Slaughter in the South Māngere 1242The Machine defeated Jon E. King to become the inaugural champion. King had previously won a Royal Rumble-style match to face The Machine.
2Davey Deluxeo7 December 2002Nightmare Before Xmas Point Chevalier 1515The championship was renamed the 'IPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship' when IPW was formed in 2003.
3Lyte Playa5 May 2004Genesis Point Chevalier 1105 [11]
4Davey Deluxeo18 August 2004Rival Turf Point Chevalier 2122 [12]
5The Machine18 December 2004Nightmare Before Xmas 2 Māngere 2123 [13]
— Vacated 20 April 2005————The championship was vacated due to The Machine suffering a hand injury. [14]
6The Economist23 April 2005Collision Māngere 1189The Economist won the vacant championship in tournament final by defeating Joey Kinkade, Jon E. King and The Machine in a fatal four-way elimination match. [15]
7Alfred Valentine29 October 2005Unleashed Lynfield 1147 [16]
8Jon E. King25 March 2006Full Breaking Point Lynfield 121 [17]
9Alfred Valentine15 April 2006Collision Lynfield 263 [18]
10Jon E. King17 June 2006Breakdown Lynfield 271This was a ladder match. [19]
11Davey Deluxeo27 August 2006Unbreakable Lynfield 391 [20]
12Jon E. King26 November 2006Extreme Measures Lynfield 3384This was fatal four-way elimination match also involving Jordan Invincible and Alexander. [21]
13Dal Knox15 December 2007Nightmare Before Xmas 5 Westlake 1196This was a Fans Bring the Weapons match. [22]
14Jordan Invincible28 June 2008Redemption Lynfield 198This was a no disqualification match. [23] [24]
15Dal Knox4 October 2008Rival Turf Lynfield 2336 [25]
16Joseph Kinkade5 September 2009Fallout Lynfield 198 [26] [27]
17 Vinny Dunn 12 December 2009Nightmare Before Xmas 7 Westlake 1168This was a Fans Bring the Weapons match. [26] [28]
18 Reuben de Jong 29 May 2010Genesis Westlake 185This was an open challenge match put out to any professional wrestler in New Zealand by Vinny Dunn. [26] [29]
19 Vinny Dunn 22 August 2010Rival Turf Westlake 2<1 [30]
20Dal Knox22 August 2010Rival Turf Westlake 3111 [30]
21 Vinny Dunn 11 December 2010Nightmare B4 Xmas Westlake 391 [31]
22Dal Knox12 March 2011Genesis Westlake 4313 [32]
23Alexander19 January 2012Mana Mamau Westlake 115 [33]
24Kingi3 February 2012Mana Mamau Westlake 4449Kingi was formerly known as Jon E. King. [34]
25 Travis Banks 27 April 2013A Decade of Impact Lynfield 172 [34]
— Vacated 8 July 2013————All IPW championships were vacated in the lead up to Revival of the Fittest. [35]
26 Vinny Dunn 27 July 2013Revival of the Fittest Mt. Albert 4189This was a fatal four-way elimination match also featuring Kingi, Joseph Kinkade, and James Shaw, who Dunn last eliminated to win. [34]
27 Travis Banks 1 February 2014The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Lynfield 2175 [34]
28Liam Fury26 July 2014Trial by Combat Mt. Albert 1266 [34]
29James Shaw18 April 2015The Rush for Gold Mt. Albert 184This was a triple threat match also featuring Jakob Cross. [36]
30Jakob Cross11 July 2015The Ultimate Prize Mt. Albert 199
— Vacated 18 October 2015————The championship was vacated due to Jakob Cross attacking a fan. [37]
31James Shaw19 December 2015Nightmare B4

X-Mas 2015

 Lynfield 2112A Nightmare Championship Series was used to determine the winner of the vacant championship. The series involved Brook Duncan, Curt Chaos, Dal Knox, Johnny Idol, Liger, No Face, and Shane Sinclair. Shaw defeated Idol in a Fans Bring the Weapons match to win the vacant championship. [34]
32Curt Chaos9 April 2016Championship Carnage Mt. Albert 1378Chaos cashed in his Eliminator contract immediately after James Shaw had successfully defended the championship against The Dapper Agents. [34]
33Brook Duncan22 April 2017The Eliminator Lynfield 1<1 [34]
34James Shaw22 April 2017The Eliminator Lynfield 378Brook Duncan defeated Curt Chaos but was then challenged and beaten by Shaw. Duncan's reign lasted exactly four minutes and sixteen seconds. [34]
35 Reuben de Jong 9 July 2017Bangers and Smash Mt. Eden 2<1 [38]
36James Shaw9 July 2017Bangers and Smash Mt. Eden 441 [38]
37Brook Duncan19 August 2017Ultimatum Mt. Eden 2119This was The Ultimate match; A 30 minute Iron man match in which the first 20 minutes of the match contested under traditional rules, before the final ten minutes switches to no disqualification. [34] [39]
38Burns16 December 2017Nightmare Before Xmas Mt. Eden 1154Mr. Burns defeated Brook Duncan following interference from the Young Nats.
39Liam Fury19 May 2018IPW XV Lynfield 291
40 Liger 18 August 2018Homecoming Balmoral 128 Liger cashed in his Eliminator contract and defeated Liam Fury after interfering with Liam Fury's match against Henare.
41Liam Fury15 September 2018Pride vs. Fury Māngere 391
42Jakob Cross15 December 2018Nightmare Before Xmas Mt. Eden 2182This was a Fans Bring the Weapons match. [40]
43Jamie Tagataese15 June 2019IPW Winter Warfare Mt. Eden 1413
44Jake Shehaan1 August 2020Fans Bring The Weapons: Tagataese VS Shehaan 2 Mt. Eden 1140This was a Fans Bring the Weapons match.
45Jamie Tagataese19 December 2020Nightmare Before Xmas Te Atatū Peninsula 2182This was a Triple Threat Steel Cage match also featuring Cam Kaiba.
46Charlie Roberts19 June 2021The Eliminator Mt. Eden 1<1
47Jake Shehaan19 June 2021The Eliminator Mt. Eden 2693Shehaan cashed in his Eliminator contract which he had won earlier in the night. Roberts' reign lasted exactly two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, beating the previous record for shortest title reign.
48Horus13 May 2023IPW XX Mt. Eden 1217
49Spartan16 December 2023Nightmare Before Xmas Mt. Albert 1171Spartan cashed in his Eliminator Contract at Misery Business for a match at Nightmare Before Xmas. This was a 'Winner Take All' match with the Kinkade Cup also on the line.
50Horus8 June 2024Ultimate Glory Mt. Eden 2189This was a four-way Ultimate Match also featuring James Shaw and Jake Shehaan. After 30 minutes had elapsed and nobody had scored a fall, the match went into sudden death overtime. Horus won by pinning Spartan.
51James Shaw14 December 2024Nightmare Before Christmas Mt. Eden 564+This was a Triple Threat Steel Cage match also featuring Spartan. James Shaw won by cutting a hole in the bottom of the cage with bolt cutters and escaping. This win made James Shaw the first ever 5 time IPW New Zealand Heavyweight Champion.

`== Combined reigns == As of February16, 2025.

†Indicates the current champion
RankWrestlerNo. of
reigns		Combined
days
1Dal Knox4956
2Jon E. King/Kingi4925
3Jake Shehaan2833
4Davey Deluxeo3728
5Jamie Tagataese2595
6Liam Fury3448
Vinny Dunn 4448
8Horus2406
9James Shaw5379+
10Curt Chaos1378
11The Machine2365
12Jakob Cross2281
13 Travis Banks 2247
14Alfred Valentine2210
15The Economist1189
16Spartan1171
17Mr. Burns1154
18Brook Duncan2119
19Lyte Playa1105
20Jordan Invincible198
Joseph Kinkade198
22 Reuben de Jong 285
23 Liger 128
24Alexander115
25Charlie Roberts1<1

Footnotes

    References

    1. ↑ McCracken, Dion. "IPW brings New Zealand pro-wrestling back to television!". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
    2. ↑ Eves, Tim (5 February 2007). "WRESTLING - Wrestling returns to Whangārei". The Northern Advocate . APN News & Media Ltd. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
    3. ↑ Hadyn Jones (Interviewer) (5 May 2005). Close Up: Kiwi Wrestlers Aim High (Television production). Auckland: Television New Zealand.
    4. ↑ Edwards, Darcy (Interviewer) (2 February 2006). Ngati Hine FM interviews Jon E. King (Radio interview). Whangārei: Ngati Hine FM. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
    5. ↑ Alvarez, Bryan (8 August 2006). "Tuesday news: Drug testing, ECW tonight, Mexico, Tito vs. Ken rematch set, Tank to fight again, more". Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online. F4Wonline.com. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    6. ↑ Kay Gregory (Interviewer) (8 August 2006). "Tuesday August 8". Breakfast. Television New Zealand. TV One.
    7. ↑ "IPW New Zealand Stars on TVNZ's IAM TV". IAM TV. Auckland. 10 October 2008. Television New Zealand. TV2.
    8. ↑ Hutchings, Mark (4 April 2009). "Shooting this weekend at Armageddon". KiwiWrestling.com. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    9. ↑ Sonia Wilson (Interview) (20 July 2009). "20/20: The Wrestler". 20/20. 13:12 minutes in. Television New Zealand.
    10. ↑ "Impact Pro Wrestling". Hyundai Code. 6 August 2009. Māori Television.
    11. ↑ "Lyte Playa captures IPW Championship at Genesis". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 16 May 2004. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
    12. ↑ McCraken, Dion (16 August 2004). "Lyte Playa cheated out of IPW Championship by WCWA, XS at Rival Turf". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
    13. ↑ "Machine regains IPW Championship at Nightmare 2!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    14. ↑ McCracken, Dion (20 April 2005). "IPW Championship vacated, new Champ to be crowned at Collision!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    15. ↑ "The Economist becomes new champion at IPW Collision!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 23 April 2005. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    16. ↑ ""Heartless" Alfred Valentine Crowned New Champ At IPW Unleashed!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 30 October 2005. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    17. ↑ Wall, Danya (26 March 2006). "IPW: King's Championship reign begins!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    18. ↑ "Valentine Reclaims IPW Championship at Collision!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 16 April 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    19. ↑ "King regains IPW Championship in Breakdown Ladder Match!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 18 June 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    20. ↑ "Davey Deluxeo Wins IPW Title At Unbreakable!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 27 August 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    21. ↑ "King Takes Out Fatal 4-Way At IPW Extreme Measures!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. 26 November 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    22. ↑ Wall, Dayna (15 December 2007). "Dal Knox new IPW Champion at NBX5!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    23. ↑ Wall, Dayna (29 June 2008). "Jordan Invincible becomes the new IPW heavyweight champion!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    24. ↑ Martin, Adam; Callum Rule (30 June 2008). ""Georgia Wrestling History" for June 29, NWA Upstate report + NZ IPW". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    25. ↑ Wall, Dayna (5 October 2008). "IPW Rival Turf: Team NZ victorious; Knox new champ!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    26. 1 2 3 Ogilvie, Steve (2008). "New Zealand Results". New Zealand Independent Results. OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    27. ↑ Wall, Dayna (6 September 2009). "Joseph Kinkade NEW IPW Champion!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    28. ↑ Wall, Dayna (13 December 2009). "NBX7: The One new IPW Champion!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    29. ↑ Farmer, Luke (30 May 2010). "New IPW Champion crowned!". Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    30. 1 2 Farmer, Luke (24 August 2010). "Rival Turf: Dunn gets screwed!". 2010 Stories. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
    31. ↑ Farmer, Luke (15 December 2010). "NBX: Blood, Carnage and Gold". New Zealand Scene. NZPWI.co.nz. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
    32. ↑ IPW (13 March 2011). "Geneisis:Knox makes the last stand". IPW. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
    33. ↑ IPW (20 January 2012). "Brand new IPW NZ Heavyweight Champion crowned!". IPW. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
    34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 IPW (3 May 2012). "Preview: Smack Industries collide in the series finale!". IPW. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
    35. ↑ "IPW - Revival of the Fittest - Live Pro Wrestling". Facebook . Impact Pro Wrestling. 8 July 2013.
    36. ↑ David Dunn (20 April 2015). "Shaw wins IPW Championship, ends Investment". NZPWI. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
    37. ↑ Taylor, Brendon (18 October 2015). "Breaking News: Cross removed from IPW, Championship now vacant". Stories. impactprowrestling.co.nz. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
    38. 1 2 "IPW - Bangers And Smash - Live Pro Wrestling". Facebook . Impact Pro Wrestling. 1 July 2017.
    39. ↑ "The Ultimate Match: Sax And Violence!". Impact Pro Wrestling. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
    40. ↑ "IPW Nightmare Before Christmas 2018". Events. CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wretling Database.
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