Professional wrestling in New Zealand

Last updated

A wrestler competing in Impact Pro Wrestling, an Auckland-based independent wrestling promotion IPW Armageddon Expo 2009.jpg
A wrestler competing in Impact Pro Wrestling, an Auckland-based independent wrestling promotion

Professional wrestling in New Zealand has been promoted in the country from the early 20th century. In 1919, Gisborne Katene became the first national heavyweight champion, though the title was not recognized by the National Wrestling Association until 1925, and promoter Walter Miller began running events under the Dominion Wrestling Union banner ten years later.

Contents

It was not until the years following the Second World War that professional wrestling enjoyed its first golden age. Pat O'Connor, a one-time NWA and AWA World Heavyweight Champion, was one of the earliest stars of that era. During the 1960s and 1970s, other wrestlers from New Zealand also travelled to the United States, where they enjoyed similar success in the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. American wrestlers frequently toured New Zealand during this period and were well received by the public. The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was also defended several times in the country; in 1984 Ric Flair won the title from Harley Race in Wellington and Jeff Jarrett defeated Sting in Auckland to unify the title with Australia's WWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2003.

As in the United Kingdom, its popularity was helped through a weekly television show, On the Mat , that showcased many wrestlers from around the world in the 1970s and early 1980s. Although professional wrestling in New Zealand declined following the 1980s wrestling boom, it still maintained a presence in the industry. Retired wrestler and promoter Steve Rickard briefly served as President of the NWA during the mid-1990s. Jason Conlan, a New Zealand-born cartoonist known as Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Mr. J", began drawing a popular comic strip for the publication in 1995. Sharon Mazer of Auckland University of Technology wrote a series of articles on professional wrestling and published Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle in 1998. Since 2003, its popularity has returned following the emergence of several independent promotions, and with it the reappearance of televised wrestling, bringing professional wrestling back into the popular culture of New Zealand.

History

Early years (1900–1920s)

Ike Robin and Stanislaus Zbyszko shake hands before their 1926 bout in Auckland. Ike Robin and Stanislaus Zbyszko (1926).jpg
Ike Robin and Stanislaus Zbyszko shake hands before their 1926 bout in Auckland.

Though wrestling bouts had been held as early as the 1860s, modern professional wrestling would not take shape until around the turn of the 20th century. Georg Hackenschmidt toured the country performing against local wrestlers in exhibition bouts in 1905 and 1910. [1] In 1919, Gisborne Katene defeated Frank Findlay for the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship, though it became vacant shortly afterwards. The first officially recognized champion was Maori wrestler Ike Robin who won the title in Auckland on 17 March 1925, and held it until his retirement the following year; the title continued to be defended for almost 70 years. [2] [3]

Prior to his retirement, Robin and Stanislaus Zbyszko, a one-time World Heavyweight Champion, faced each other in a three-match series at the Auckland Town Hall in 1926. [1] [4] One of their matches lasted for several hours before ending in a time limit draw which, according to the New Zealand Railways Magazine, had "gone on for many weary hours and when midnight Saturday chimed and Sunday commenced the match had to cease". [5] Despite the vast geographic distances, professional wrestling as practiced in the South Pacific region followed along the same lines as professional wrestling in Canada and the United States. [6]

Association with the NWA (1930s–1940s)

In 1929, the country's first professional wrestling promotion, the Dominion Wrestling Union, was established. It was originally under the control of the New Zealand Wrestling Union, a governing body which oversaw both amateur and professional wrestling, until hiring American-born promoter Walter Miller in 1935. Miller, who had been in the wrestling business since 1914, was able to bring in some of the top stars in the US throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In 1937, the promotion featured Dr. Gordon McKenzie, Tom Meade, Don Mclntyre, Hal Rumberg, Ray Richards, Sam Stein, Jack Forsgren, John Spellman, Matros Kirilenko, King Kong Cox, Chief Little Wolf, Frank Marshall, Rusty Wescoatt, Glen Wade, Joe Woods, Frank Judson, Don Noland, Vie Christy, Francis Fouche and Ed "Strangler" Lewis. The American wrestlers, who then travelled by boat, spent the three-week trip in training prior to their arrival. [7] Canadian wrestler George Walker claimed the New Zealand-version of the British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship upon his arrival in New Zealand in 1929. Former Canadian Olympian Earl McCready was recognized as champion when Walker left to compete for a rival promotion in 1935, and legitimised his claim to the title by defeating Walker on 9 November 1937; his second and last reign lasted from 1940 to 1953. [2] [8] Other stand-out stars included Dean Detton, Ken Kenneth, John Kattan and African-American wrestler Jack Claybourne. [7]

It was Lofty Blomfield, however, who was arguably New Zealand's most popular wrestler of the period. He was the first New Zealand Amateur Heavyweight Wrestling Champion in 1931 and the first undisputed New Zealand Heavyweight Champion seven years later. During the late-1930s, Blomfield was to have met NWA World Heavyweight Champion Bronko Nagurski in a first-ever "champion vs. champion" match. [5] Miller negotiated with NWA promoters Toots Mondt, Lou Daro and Tony Stecher for Nagurski to travel to New Zealand in exchange for the largest guarantee ever offered a boxer or wrestler in the Southern Hemisphere. It was believed at the time that the event would attract more than 40,000 people. Though Nagurski ultimately cancelled the trip at the last minute, Blomfield followed the world champion to Canada where the two wrestled to a time limit draw in Vancouver on 17 March 1938. [9] Blomfield was the first New Zealander to challenge for the NWA World title. [10] In October of that year, he won a tournament to become the undisputed New Zealand Heavyweight Champion. Blomfield held the title for over a decade until his retirement on 7 June 1949. [2] [3] Throughout his career, Blomfield vigorously defended professional wrestling and denied frequent charges that matches were rigged. [11] Four decades later, Blomfield became the first wrestler to be inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. To date he remains the only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be an inductee. [12]

The same year of Blomfield's retirement, a number of New Zealand-born wrestlers left for Europe where they became major stars on the continent during the next few years. Ernie "Kiwi" Kingston, a student of Olympic wrestler Anton Koolmann, was considered one of the best heavyweights in Europe and a main rival of British Heavyweight Champion Bert Assirati. A few were especially popular in the United Kingdom such as Ray Clarke, who also had a notable rivalry with Assirati, Bob Russell and Russ Bishop. While many of these men were regarded as some of the most formidable wrestlers during the late 1940s and 1950s, they most often remained unknown in their native country. [13]

Golden Age (1950s–1970s)

After the end of World War II, amateur and professional wrestling enjoyed widespread popularity in New Zealand popular culture. [14] [15] Part of this of was due to its radio broadcasts from live events both prior to and after the war. By 1956, professional wrestling had surpassed the then-national sport of rugby in popularity and was the most popular spectator sport in New Zealand with the exception of horse racing. [16] The Wellington Town Hall Concert Chamber was one of the more popular postwar venues for wrestling events. [14] [17] Within a few years, New Zealand champions were traveling oversees as far as Western Canada. [18]

Steve Rickard's television show, On the Mat, showcased many professional wrestlers, including The Iron Sheik. Iron Shiek Milwaukee WI 031008.jpg
Steve Rickard's television show, On the Mat , showcased many professional wrestlers, including The Iron Sheik.

Pat O'Connor, a champion amateur wrestler who had competed at the Pan American and the British Empire Games, was discovered by visiting American wrestlers Joe Pazandak and Butch Levy and taken back to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he eventually became a major star in the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association. [19] On 9 January 1959, O'Connor defeated Dick Hutton in St. Louis, Missouri to become the first wrestler from New Zealand to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. [2] [20] [21] Over the next 20 years, many other wrestlers from New Zealand became big name stars in the United States. [22] Abe Jacobs was among the first to follow O'Connor to the US and later challenged him for the NWA World title in New York. This was the first time two New Zealanders fought for a world heavyweight championship, and on foreign soil. [23]

In 1959, Miller died and was succeeded by Steve Rickard who ran the Dominion Wrestling Union for two years until starting All Star Pro-Wrestling in 1962. Fellow wrestler John da Silva [14] also began a rival promotion, Central Wrestling Association, around this time [1] but it eventually closed in the early 1970s. After Miller's death, regular appearances by American wrestlers declined considerably, though a few still managed to arrive each year. [7] In that time, a number of local stars were developed in New Zealand including Tony Garea, Peter Maivia, [24] Al Hobman, [2] [3] and The Sheepherders. [25] From other parts of the world came Australian wrestlers Ron Miller and Larry O'Day of World Championship Wrestling, Robert Bruce from Scotland, Canadians Gordon Nelson and George Gordienko, [8] and André the Giant. [26] South Pacific Wrestling, another small promotion started by referee Ernie Pinches, produced Johnny Garcia and Onno Boelee during the 1970s.

By the end of the decade, Rickard and Australian wrestling promoter Jim Barnett managed to attract foreign stars back to the Pacific. [6] American wrestlers frequently toured New Zealand as well and were well received by the public. In 1972, Big Bad John, Bulldog Brower, Les Wolff, King Curtis Iaukea, Spiros Arion, Mark Lewin, Thunderbolt Patterson, Sweet Daddy Siki, Tarzan Tyler, Dewey Robertson and Haystacks Calhoun all toured New Zealand. Calhoun and his wife in particular made numerous television appearances, press interviews and visited schools. [7] The debut of Rickard's On the Mat during this period, [27] a counterpart of Britain's World of Sport , replaced the once popular radio broadcasts and showcased many New Zealand and international stars [28] [ self-published source? ] including Pat Barrett, The Destroyer, Man Mountain Link, Les Thornton, Leo Burke, Ripper Collins, Rick Martel, Tiger Jeet Singh, Ali Vizeri, Abdullah the Butcher, [29] and Siva Afi. Afi's tournament victory over John DaSilva in 1978 marked the first time a Samoan wrestler won a New Zealand championship on New Zealand television, and the first to hold the national title since 1964; [2] [3] [28] An official member of the NWA since 1972, the NWA World title was also defended in Rickard's promotion. Peter Maivia nearly won the NWA World title from then-champion Harley Race in 1979. [24] This title changed hands between Ric Flair and Harley Race in Wellington, New Zealand and Geylang, Singapore in 1984 [30] but these would not be acknowledged by the NWA for several years. [20]

While Peter Maivia, Tony Garea and The Sheepherders left for the US in the 1970s, stars from the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wide Wrestling Federation regularly toured the country including Don Muraco, Toru Tanaka, Mr. Fuji [24] [28] and Rocky Johnson. New Zealand was among the places future Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson lived in with his father Rocky while growing up. Japanese wrestlers too, such as Giant Baba, the Great Togo and midget wrestler Little Tokyo, also visited New Zealand. [31]

Decline (1980s–1990s)

Samoa Joe has been interviewed by the NZPWI, a website covering New Zealand wrestling. Samoa Joe pensive in London Sep 2008.jpg
Samoa Joe has been interviewed by the NZPWI, a website covering New Zealand wrestling.

Though the retirements of O'Connor and Garea [24] left a void, talents such as Ox Baker, Tor Kamata, Al Perez, [8] Rip Morgan, Samoan Joe, Johnny Garcia, Bruno Bekkar [28] and A.J. Freely remained in New Zealand during the 1980s and early 1990s. [2] [3] Likewise, wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation often toured New Zealand and Australia such as The Bushwhackers (formerly The Sheepherders) and Lanny Poffo. [32] These stars continued to be seen in New Zealand via On the Mat until the early 1980s. [1]

During the wrestling boom of the mid-late 1980s, and particularly inspired by the Superstars of Wrestling TV show, a Wellington-based promotion run by veterans including Bruno Bekkar, Al Hobman, Bob "the Hog" Crozier and others staged a number of wrestling events throughout Wellington and the lower North Island.

As American wrestling went into a slump following the wrestling boom of the 1980s, All Star Pro-Wrestling closed in the 1990s, after 30 years. A few small independent promotions sprang up after All-Star's close, specifically the Arena Wrestling Alliance (1990), Wai-Kato Wrestling Association (1991–1992) and the International Wrestling Federation (1993), though these were all short-lived. [2] By 1998, professional wrestling in New Zealand was all but non-existent. [27] However, many New Zealand wrestlers and personalities maintained a strong presence in the industry. Steve Rickard served as President of the NWA from 1995 to 1996. New Zealand-born cartoonist Jason Conlan, also known as Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Mr. J", began drawing a monthly comic strip for the publication around this time. [33] Sharon Mazer, associate professor of Theatre & Performance Studies at Auckland University of Technology, wrote a series of articles on professional wrestling focused on what was then the WWF and research done at the Unpredictable Johnny Rodz School of Professional Wrestling (Gleason's Gym, Brooklyn). In 1998, she wrote Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle. Mazer also contributed to author Nicholas Sammond's Steel Chair to the Head: The Pleasure and Pain of Professional Wrestling (2005). [34] Children's science fiction author Debbie Renner claimed to have once competed under the name "Tasmanian Devil" prior to becoming a full-time writer. [35] In celebration of the coming Millennium, Abe Jacobs was featured on a special commemorative edition of the New Zealand ten-dollar note by the Chatham Islands Note Corporation. [36]

The New Zealand Pro Wrestling Informer (NZPWI), an online resource for New Zealand professional wrestling, appeared in 1999, and was one of the earliest professional wrestling-related websites to appear on the Internet. Between 2003 and 2008, it interviewed numerous wrestlers from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. Among those included retired foreign wrestlers who had previously competed in New Zealand as well as younger upcoming wrestlers such as Samoa Joe and Bobby Lashley. [37]

21st century (2000s–)

A match at an IPW event in Auckland IPW Armageddon Expo 2009 3.jpg
A match at an IPW event in Auckland

On 25 May 2003, Auckland hosted a "champion vs. champion" match, in which NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett defeated Sting to unify Australia's WWA World Heavyweight Championship. [30] Mania Pro Wrestling, the first wrestling promotion since the close of Rickard's All Star Pro-Wrestling, was established in Auckland mid-2000, following the success Mania Female Fighting Academy had enjoyed with their blend of stunt fighting and mat wrestling. Wellington promoter and former professional wrestler Martin Stirling took an interest in the return of the artform, and established Wellington Pro Wrestling in October 2003. Early 2003 in Auckland the scene changed, as the collective of wrestlers who made up Mania Pro Wrestling, after a disagreement over the running of the company, established their own brand away from the Fighting Academy, known now as Impact Pro Wrestling. [38] [39] In January 2005, Stirling changed his promotions title to New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling. [40]

WWE held their first live event tour in New Zealand on 4 March 2006, at the Westpac Stadium. This was the WWE Smackdown Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour, which featured a main event triple threat match between Kurt Angle, Undertaker and Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Competition emerged in the New Zealand wrestling industry during May 2006 in Wellington, when Rip Morgan split from Stirling's company and Kiwi Pro Wrestling was established, made up of a number of Stirling's former stars. These new promotions also brought back televised wrestling, which had been absent since the days of Rickard's On the Mat, with the debut of IPW Ignition and KPW's Off the Ropes . [1] [41] [42]

The decade saw cooperation between New Zealand and Australian promoters as well. In 2007, Peter Ball's Major Impact Wrestling merged with New Zealand's Impact Pro Wrestling to form a sister promotion in Australia, Impact Pro Wrestling Australia. That same year, Dominic Ferrari's New Aussie Wrestling took part in an inter-promotional "Australia vs. New Zealand" supercard with Kiwi Pro Wrestling. [43] In 2008, the Australasian Wrestling Federation made two trips to New Zealand, performing using their own talent and members of New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling. [44]

In late 2022, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced NJPW Tamashii, a series of events that would be held in Australia and New Zealand. [45] The Tamashii brand was officially launched in September, with the first show taking place on 11 November in Christchurch. [46]

WWE in New Zealand

DateNameBrandVenueCityMain event
March 4, 2006 WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 22 Tour SmackDown Westpac Stadium Wellington Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
February 23, 2007WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 23 Tour SmackDown & ECW Westpac Centre Christchurch Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy for the World Heavyweight Championship [47]
February 24, 2007 Western Springs Stadium Auckland
June 11, 2008WWE Smackdown ECW Tour SmackDown & ECW Vector Arena Auckland Edge vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship [48]
June 12, 2008 Westpac Centre Christchurch Matt Hardy, Batista & The Undertaker vs. Edge, Montel Vontavious Porter and Mark Henry [49]
July 3, 2009WWE Raw Live Tour Raw Vector Arena Auckland Randy Orton & Big Show vs. John Cena & Triple H [50]
August 5, 2010WWE SmackDown Live 2010 SmackDown Vector Arena Auckland Kane vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship [51]
July 6, 2011WWE World Tour Raw Vector Arena Auckland John Cena vs. R-Truth for the WWE Championship [52]
August 10, 2016WWE Live: New ZealandUnbranded Vector Arena Auckland Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins [53]
September 13, 2017WWE Live: New Zealand Raw Horncastle Arena Christchurch Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in a Street Fight [54]

Shows from other international promotions held in New Zealand

2003 WWA The Reckoning World Wrestling All-Stars pay-per view event in Auckland.
2016On The Mat: Charity Pro WrestlingSakura & New Japan Pro-Wrestling house show in Auckland.
2022TamashiiNew Japan Pro Wrestling show

Major events by New Zealand promotions

CPW MitchellMania

MitchellMania
MitchellMania.png
Promotional poster
Promotion CPW
Date17 November 2018
City Kilbirnie, New Zealand
VenueKilbirnie Recreation Centre

Capital Pro Wrestling's MitchellMania event is the only event in history to feature wrestlers from every professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. Promotions featured included UCW, Maniacs United, IPW, PWE, Hughes Academy, Asylum Pro, NZWPW and SPW. [55] [56]

It was a fundraiser and every active New Zealand promotion at the time joined together for the event, raising over $1800 in ticket sales towards getting "New Zealand's biggest wrestling fan" Mitchell Fels to WrestleMania 35. [57]

The story gained mainstream media attention and was featured on Stuff.co.nz [58] and Newshub. [59]

This helped Mitchell Fels receive over $25,000 on Givealittle in total and would later receive free tickets to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and WrestleMania. This announcement was made on Three's The Project current affairs television program, by WWE NXT superstar Dakota Kai. [60]

No.Results [61] [62] Stipulations
1No Face defeated "The Spartan" Sam BlackSingles match
2Taylor Adams and Falcon Kid defeated The Wainui ExpressTag Team match
3Bryant and Stan Murdoch defeated Detention (Ryder & Sky)Tag Team match
4Kingi defeated Shane "The Shooter" SinclairSingles match
5"Rufguts" Roddy Gunn defeated "That Young Warrior" Paul Sayers Fans Bring the Weapons match
6Candy Lee, Kirby and Grace Lightning defeated Just Plain Evil, Misty Kitana and Lily Fae Six-woman tag team match
7Kane Kahn (c) defeated Will Power, T-Rex and JK Moody Fatal 4-Way match for the SPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
8Shane "The Shooter" Sinclair won36-man MitchellMania Rumble Match
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

SPW Southern Rumble

On 14 July 2018, SPW held the biggest live independent wrestling show seen in New Zealand for over 27 years, the 2018 Southern Rumble, which was held at ILT Stadium in Invercargill in front of 1,200+ in attendance. [63] The event featured well known overseas wrestlers such as Will Ospreay, Tenille Dashwood and Bea Priestley. The main event was a 20-man Southern Rumble match won by Kane Khan.

The 2019 Southern Rumble event was held again in ILT Stadium on 13 July 2019, with similar attendance numbers. [64] The 2019 event was a cross promotional event with Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW). The show featured 8 matches including a Winner Takes All match for the SPW New Zealand Championship and the MCW World Heavyweight Championship. JK Moody won the 20-man Southern Rumble main event. On 24 August 2019, the event aired on TVNZ Duke and was viewed by over 40,000 people. [65]

Major professional wrestling promotions

NameLocationOwner(s)Years activeNotes
Dominion Wrestling Union Wellington Walter Miller
Steve Rickard 		1929–1961
Impact Pro Wrestling Auckland
Napier 		Robert Eden
Michel Mulipola 		2000–presentStarted as Mania Pro Wrestling, company re-emerged as IPW early 2003. Previously associated with Australia's Major Impact Wrestling. [38] [39] [66] Its weekly television show, IPW Ignition, was the first wrestling program to air in New Zealand since the 1980s. [41]
New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling Petone
Wainuiomata 		Martin Stirling2003–presentOriginally known as Wellington Pro Wrestling from 2003 to 2005. [38] Presently inactive.
Southern Pro Wrestling Invercargill Troy Crosbie
Marc Perry		2015–present [67]

Television programming

Weekly

ProgrammingNotes
AEW Dynamite Broadcast live on FITE and ESPN2. [68]
AEW Rampage Broadcast on FITE and ESPN2.
WWE NXT Broadcast on WWE Network. A one-hour version is broadcast on both Sky 5 and Sky Open. [69]
WWE Raw Broadcast live on Sky 5. A one-hour version is also broadcast on Sky Open.
WWE SmackDown

Pay-per-view

ProgrammingNotes
AEW pay-per-view events Broadcast live on FITE. Live and delayed coverage on ESPN.
WWE pay-per-view events Broadcast live on WWE Network.

Former

ProgrammingNotes
On the Mat (1975–1984) Broadcast exclusively on TV2. [70]
The Main Event(1990–1991) Broadcast exclusively on TV3. [71]
IPW Ignition (2007–2011) Broadcast exclusively on Alt TV. [72]
Off the Ropes (2009–2010) Broadcast exclusively on Prime TV. [73] [74]
Mana Mamau (2011–2012) Broadcast exclusively on Māori Television. [75]
IPW Ignited (2015–2016) Broadcast on Canterbury Television and Vimeo. [76] [77]
Aftershock Pro Wrestling(2016) Broadcast exclusively on Canterbury Television. [78]
SPW Wrestling on the Edge of the WorldBroadcast exclusively on TVNZ Duke. [79]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushwhacker Butch</span> New Zealand professional wrestler (1944–2023)

Robert Miller was a New Zealand professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Bushwhacker Butch, where he teamed with Bushwhacker Luke as The Bushwhackers. He was also known for his appearances under the ring name Butch Miller for promotions such as NWA New Zealand, Stampede Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he teamed with Luke as The Kiwis and The Sheepherders.

Championship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Maivia</span> Samoan-American professional wrestler (1937–1982)

Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia, better known as Peter Maivia, was a Samoan-American professional wrestler, actor and stunt coordinator. Maivia was the grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson via adoption, and was also part of the famous Anoaʻi family via blood brother pact. He was also the promoter of the National Wrestling Alliance member Polynesian Pro Wrestling in Hawaii.

New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling (NZWPW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Petone and later Wainuiomata in New Zealand. The promotion entered a hiatus in 2018, when former NZWPW wrestler, Jay Marshall left the promotion to start Capital Pro Wrestling. Since 2020, professional wrestling and training in Wainuiomata is now run by former NZWPW wrestler, Hayden Thiele with his Valiant Pro promotion. This promotion has many former wrestlers from NZWPW such as Axl Stirling, "Rufguts" Roddy Gunn, Chad Howard and Jade Priest.

Vincent "Vinny" Dunn is a New Zealand professional wrestler and former professional rugby league footballer who has competed in several Australasian independent wrestling promotions since his debut in 2005. He has worked for the Australasian Wrestling Federation, Kiwi Pro Wrestling and is currently signed to Impact Pro Wrestling NZ (IPW). Recognized as the IPW's First Triple Crown Champion, he is a former IPW Heavyweight Champion and, in Impact Pro Wrestling Australia, is the first ever IPW South Pacific Champion, which he held from 18 August 2007 until 15 March 2008. Dunn also winner of the annual IPW Armageddon Cup at the 2006 Armageddon Expo.

The NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene, who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919. The title has generally been defended in New Zealand, most often in Christchurch, Tauranga, Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact Pro Wrestling</span> New Zealand professional wrestling promotion

Impact Pro Wrestling (IPW), also known as New Zealand Impact Pro Wrestling, is a New Zealand professional wrestling promotion. It has promoted regular events throughout the country and abroad in the last several years and is credited for being the first to bring live wrestling shows to cities, such as Hamilton and Whangarei, in over two decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuben de Jong</span> New Zealand martial artist and strongman

Reuben de Jong is a New Zealand heavyweight kickboxer, mixed martial artist, strongman and professional wrestler of Dutch descent. He is a two-time professional strongman champion of New Zealand and competed in the K-1 Kings of Oceania in 2006 and 2007. De Jong is the holder of two national records in the farmer's walk and stone lifting, and the Guinness World Record for running through the most panes of glass in under one minute. He was signed with WWE under the name of Russell Walker in 2011, but was released the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

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 a new promotion was founded by a core group of MPW wrestlers in 2003, the title was established as its new heavyweight championship.

<i>On the Mat</i> New Zealand TV series or program

On the Mat was a professional wrestling television programme for the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated All Star Pro Wrestling (ASPW), or simply NWA New Zealand, that aired on Television New Zealand's TV2 from 1975 to 1984. One of the most popular and the longest-running weekly sports series in the history of New Zealand, the show featured some of the country's top wrestlers and international stars from throughout the world during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt, best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. As a wrestler, he traveled throughout the world during the 1960s and 1970s, often visiting countries where professional wrestling was unknown such as southeast Asia, and was one of the top competitors to come from New Zealand during that era. Rickard was a frequent opponent for many foreign wrestlers travelling overseas including NWA World Heavyweight Champions such as Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. He also had high-profile matches with Karl Gotch, Killer Kowalski, The Destroyer, André the Giant, Abe Jacobs and King Kong as well.

The New Zealand version of the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling regional heavyweight championship recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance and competed for by wrestlers in the Australasian region. It was largely defended in New Zealand's Dominion Wrestling Union from around 1938 to 1951 and in All Star Pro Wrestling from 1964 to 1968. The earliest-known champion was New Zealand wrestler Lofty Blomfield who defended the title until losing it to American wrestler Ray Steele in Auckland on December 12, 1938. Peter Maivia and Steve Rickard feuded over the title during the mid-1960s with Maivia regaining the title in 1968 shortly before it was abandoned. Much of the title's history is unknown, however, there were 7 officially recognized champions during the three decades it was defended.

The Dominion Wrestling Union (DWU) was the first professional wrestling promotion in New Zealand. It was one of two organisations first active in the Australasian region, along with Australia's Stadiums Limited, and served as the country's single major promotion for 30 years until being succeeded by All Star Pro Wrestling in 1962. The DWU was initially under the control of the New Zealand Wrestling Union, a sort of governing body which promoted both amateur and professional bouts, until American promoter Walter Miller largely took over the running of professional events in 1935 and which remained under Miller's control until his death in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abe Jacobs</span> New Zealand–born professional wrestler (1928–2023)

Abner Robert Jacobs was a New Zealand professional wrestler. He was one of the first men to follow fellow New Zealander Pat O'Connor to the United States where, like O'Connor, Jacobs became a major star in the National Wrestling Alliance during the "Golden Age of Wrestling". One of the most recognisable "babyfaces" during this period, he was billed as the "Jewish Heavyweight Champion" and wrestled in a number of high-profile matches with many stars of the era including numerous bouts against NWA World Heavyweight Champions Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, Buddy Rogers, Dick Hutton and Pat O'Connor. His bout against O'Connor in 1961, which aired on Capitol Wrestling's weekly television show, was the first time two New Zealanders wrestled for a championship title on foreign soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lofty Blomfield</span> New Zealand wrestler (1908 – 1971)

Sgt. Major Meynell Strathmore Blomfield ; also known as Lofty was a New Zealand professional wrestler, also known by another ring name; that of Walter Browning. ,Lofty was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s. He competed primarily for promoter Walter Miller and the Dominion Wrestling Union for nearly 20 years where he defended the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship against many of the top stars of the National Wrestling Association from 1936 until his retirement 1949. He is credited for inventing "The Octopus Clamp", an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock, and is the longest reigning heavyweight champion in the history of professional wrestling in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hobman</span>

Allan "Al" Hobman was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. Hobman was one of the first homegrown stars to emerge from the Dominion Wrestling Union, and later Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling, during the 1960s and 70s such as Tony Garea, Peter Maivia and The Sheepherders. Hobman twice won the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship from John Da Silva in 1960 and Steve Rickard in 1964 with a combined reign of nearly 6 years as champion. He and Rickard were also the first New Zealand Tag Team Champions.

A. J. Freeley or Freely is a semi-retired New Zealand professional wrestler. He competed throughout Australasia and in the United States during the 1990s, however, he is best remembered as the last NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Champion of Steve Rickard's NWA New Zealand. He won the belt from 3-time champion Bruno Bekkar in 1992, shortly before the promotion's close, and was billed as champion until the end of the decade.

Bryan Ashby is a retired New Zealand professional wrestler and trainer, known by his ring name Bruno Bekkar, who competed for Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling and for other promoters in New Zealand and Australia from the early 1960s until his retirement in 1992. One of the country's biggest stars during the 1970s, he is a three-time NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Champion and a former NWA Australia Heavyweight Champion. He also teamed with Don Kent in the Puerto Rico-based World Wrestling Council as the fourth incarnation of the Fabulous Kangaroos and together twice won the WWC North American Tag Team Championship in 1981.

John "Johnny" Garea is a semi-retired New Zealand professional wrestler, known by his ring name Johnny Garcia, who competed in Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and occasionally for the World Wrestling Federation during the 1970s and 80s. The youngest pro wrestler in New Zealand at the time of his debut in 1970, he was a regular on the Australian wrestling programme Big Time Wrestling and its New Zealand counterpart On the Mat as well as a two-time NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Champion. Garea is the real life brother of four-time WWWF World Tag Team Champion and WWE Road Agent Tony Garea.

Rick "Ricky" Rickard is a retired New Zealand professional wrestler who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated All Star-Pro Wrestling, promoted by his father Steve Rickard, as well as touring Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. He was a mainstay on his father's wrestling programme On the Mat and briefly held the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship in 1983. Rickard also had a successful 10-year amateur career representing New Zealand as an amateur wrestler in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ogilvie, Steve (21 September 2010). "State of Play: Professional Wrestling in New Zealand". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN   0-9698161-5-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Zealand Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  4. ↑ Cameron, Dave (March 2009). "My Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  5. 1 2 Ingram, W. F. (1 September 1938). "Panorama of the Playground – New Zealand to have World Championship Wrestling Bout". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. Victoria University of Wellington. 13 (6): 62.
  6. 1 2 Morton, Gerald W. and George M. O'Brien. Wrestling to 'Rasslin: Ancient Sport to American Spectacle. Bowling Green, Ohio: Popular Press, 1985. (pg. 72) ISBN   0-87972-324-6
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cameron, Dave (November 1972). "Americans add flavor to New Zealand". Wrestling Revue. Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 "British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Ingram, W. F. (2 May 1938). "Panorama of the Playground – New Zealanders in World Sport". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. Victoria University of Wellington. 13 (2): 61.
  10. ↑ Cameron, Dave (August 2005). "A Trip Down Memory Lane - Lofty Blomfield's Title Quest". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  11. ↑ Keith, Hamish. New Zealand Yesterdays: A Look at Our Recent Past. Surry Hills, New South Wales: Reader's Digest Services, 1984. (pg. 301) ISBN   0-949819-40-9
  12. ↑ "Lofty Blomfeld (1908–1971)". Wrestling. New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. 1990. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  13. ↑ Cameron, Dave (August 2005). "The Forgotten Kiwis: Big Stars in Europe, Unknown in Their Own Country". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  14. 1 2 3 Adams, Yvette. More Than Meets The Eye: A True Story Based on the Life and Times of the Best Blind Wrestler the World Has Ever Seen. Southbank, Victoria: Griffin Press, 2006. (pg. 151, 208) ISBN   0-9757770-0-9
  15. ↑ McLintock, Alexander H. "Wrestling". An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Vol. 3. Wellington: R. E. Owen, 1966. (pg. 690)
  16. ↑ Educational Studies and Documents, No. 21. Paris: UNESCO, 1956.
  17. ↑ Beaglehole, Tim. A Life of J.C. Beaglehole: New Zealand Scholar. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 2006. (pg. 137) ISBN   0-86473-535-9
  18. ↑ Teal, Scott, ed. The History of Professional Wrestling, Issue #5: Western Canada, 1911-1956. Crowbar Press, 2009. (pg. 74)
  19. ↑ Matysik, Larry. Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press, 2005. ISBN   1-55022-684-3
  20. 1 2 Hornbaker, Tim. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press, 2007. (pg. 209-210, 219) ISBN   1-55022-741-6
  21. ↑ "N.W.A. World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  22. ↑ Melby, James C. (2009). "Pat O'Connor". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  23. ↑ Cameron, Dave (April 2005). "New Zealand Wrestling History: Abe Jacobs". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Solomon, Brian. WWE Legends. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. (pg. 142-143, 145, 162, 195-196, 199) ISBN   0-7434-9033-9
  25. ↑ Myers, Robert. The Professional Wrestling Trivia Book. Boston: Branden Books, 1999. (pg. 58) ISBN   0-8283-2045-4
  26. ↑ Krugman, Michael. André the Giant: A Legendary Life. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009. (pg. 7) ISBN   1-4165-4112-8
  27. 1 2 Mazer, Sharon. Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1998. (pg. x) ISBN   1-57806-021-4
  28. 1 2 3 4 Afi, Siva. Reign of Fire: My Testimony from the Depths of Hell I Rose into the Majesty of God Almighty. Lulu.com (pg. 20) ISBN   1-4357-2653-7 [ self-published source ]
  29. ↑ Shabazz, Julian L. D. Black Stars of Professional Wrestling. Clinton, South Carolina: Awesome Records, 1999. (pg. 13) ISBN   1-893680-03-7
  30. 1 2 "National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  31. ↑ Cameron, Dave (December 2005). "Japanese Wrestlers of all sizes Invade New Zealand". NZ Wrestling & Boxing with Dave Cameron. FightTimes.com. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  32. ↑ Archer, Jeff. Theater in a Squared Circle: The Mystique of Professional Wrestling. Lafayette, Colorado: White-Boucke Publishing, 1998. (pg. 294) ISBN   1-888580-06-2
  33. ↑ Elliott, Brian (10 October 2007). "SLAM! Wrestling: PWI artist aims to be a top draw". SLAM! Sports. Canoe Inc. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  34. ↑ Sammond, Nicholas. Steel Chair to the Head: The Pleasure and Pain of Professional Wrestling. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005. (pg. 345) ISBN   0-8223-3438-0
  35. ↑ Renner, Debbie. Odyssey Bourne Force, Book 1 . Durham, Connecticut: Eloquent Books, 2009. (pg. 546) ISBN   1-60693-382-5
  36. ↑ Leonard, Bob (14 December 2008). "Right on the Money". Board Briefs (2008). Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  37. ↑ Gale, Thomson, ed. Contemporary Black Biography: Profiles from the International Black Community. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 2005. (pg. 117) ISBN   0-7876-7922-4
  38. 1 2 3 "New Zealand Promotions". OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  39. 1 2 Rawhiti-Forbes, Troy (26 October 2007). "Meet the pro-wrestlers of Auckland (+photos)". The New Zealand Herald . APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  40. ↑ Caffell, Gary (1 August 2007). "Good entertainment promised at Meltdown". Wairarapa Times-Age . APN News & Media Ltd. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  41. 1 2 McCracken, Dion (February 2008). "IPW brings New Zealand pro-wrestling back to television!". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  42. ↑ Smith, Jared (2 March 2010). "More than a musclehead". Taranaki Daily News . Fairfax New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  43. ↑ "Australian Invasion". Kiwi Pro Wrestling. September 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  44. ↑ "Wrestling hits mat at Lynfield". The New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  45. ↑ NJPW. "NJPW launches new TAMASHII brand with the best of Japan, Australasia | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  46. ↑ NJPW. "2022.11.11 NEW JAPAN TAMASHII night 1 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  47. ↑ "WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ Christchurch, New Zealand - Westpac Stadium - February 23, 2007 (9,000; sell out)". The History of WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  48. ↑ "WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - June 11, 2008 (8,500)". The History of WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  49. ↑ "WWE (Smackdown! & ECW) @ Christchurch, New Zealand - Westpac Arena - June 12, 2008". The History of WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  50. ↑ "WWE (Raw) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - July 3, 2009". The History of WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  51. ↑ "WWE (Smackdown!) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - August 5, 2010". The History of WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  52. ↑ "WWE (Raw) @ Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena - July 6, 2011 (6,100)". The History of WWE. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  53. ↑ Namako, Jason (10 August 2016). "8/10 WWE Live Results: Auckland, New Zealand (First day of overseas tour, NXT tour announced, Rollins vs. Reigns)". WrestleView. Auckland, New Zealand. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  54. ↑ Martin, Adam (14 September 2017). "9/13 WWE Live Results: Christchurch, New Zealand (Reigns vs. Strowman)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  55. ↑ Regional News (13 November 2018). "In the ring for Mitchell". Regional News. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  56. ↑ Capital Pro Wrestling. "MitchellMania". Capital Pro Wrestling. Eventfina. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  57. ↑ Spark Foundation (20 December 2018). "Get Mitchell to WrestleMania 35". Spark Foundation. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  58. ↑ Rosenberg, Matthew (31 August 2018). "Ex wrestling champ helps 'NZ's biggest wrestling fan". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  59. ↑ Warhurst, Lucy (17 September 2018). "Pro wrestlers raising funds to get Kiwi to WWE". Newshub. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  60. ↑ The Project NZ (25 January 2019). "The Project NZ". Twitter. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  61. ↑ Kayfabia. "MitchellMania". Kayfabia. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  62. ↑ Capital Pro Wrestling. "Capital Pro Wrestling". Facebook. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  63. ↑ Events - SPW Southern Rumble 2018. 3 May 2020
  64. ↑ Southern Rumble 2019 a MASSIVE success!. 15 July 2019
  65. ↑ TVNZ 2020. 10 May 2020
  66. ↑ Eves, Tim (5 February 2007). "WRESTLING - Wrestling returns to Whangarei". The Northern Advocate . APN News & Media Ltd. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  67. ↑ Cagematch.net - Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW). 8 May 2020
  68. ↑ "ESPN to Broadcast All Elite Wrestling Exclusively in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands". 9 February 2023.
  69. ↑ Dunn, David (3 July 2020). "WWE NXT to air on Prime, Sky 5" . Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  70. ↑ "On the Mat". IMDb.[ unreliable source? ]
  71. ↑ "The Main Event". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[ unreliable source? ]
  72. ↑ "IPW Ignition". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[ unreliable source? ]
  73. ↑ "KPW: Off the Ropes". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[ unreliable source? ]
  74. ↑ "Off the Ropes - Season One". Kiwi Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  75. ↑ "Mana Mamau". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[ unreliable source? ]
  76. ↑ "IPW Ignited". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[ unreliable source? ]
  77. ↑ "Impact Pro Wrestling NZ". Vimeo.
  78. ↑ "Aftershock Pro Wrestling". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020.[ unreliable source? ]
  79. ↑ "Southern Pro Wrestling Signs Deal With TVNZ Duke". 30 March 2019.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.