New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling

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New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling
Details
Acronym NZWPW
Established October 2003
Location Wellington, New Zealand
Founder(s) Martin Stirling
Formerly Wellington Pro Wrestling
Website [1]

New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling (NZWPW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Wellington, New Zealand. It has also performed shows in Christchurch, Palmerston North, Porirua, Otaki and Levin, making it the most widely touring New Zealand promotion and the only one to perform in New Zealand's South Island. Wrestlers from NZWPW have also wrestled for Australian promotion Major Impact Wrestling[1].

It is run by martial arts trainer, social worker and veteran New Zealand wrestler Martin Stirling. Wrestlers trained by Stirling first performed at the Armageddon Convention on September 20, 2003, as part of an Impact Pro Wrestling show, and the promotion was launched under the name Wellington Pro Wrestling (WPW) in October 2003. Their first show was held on November 14 of that year in Petone. WPW was re-branded New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling in January 2005, partly because the wpw.co.nz domain name had already been registered by someone else and partly to reflect their growing interest in touring the country.

In May 2006 a number of NZWPW wrestlers, led by former NZWPW booker The Punisher and WCW/ NWA star Rip Morgan, left to set up a rival promotion called Kiwi Pro Wrestling.

Contents

[edit] Martial arts

Thanks to Martin Stirling's martial arts background, NZWPW has made much of its links with New Zealand's martial arts scene. Many of their early shows featured demonstrations of fighting styles such as karate and kickboxing[2]. Shows have also been co-promoted with major Sumo events such as the 2005 Oceania Sumo Championships[3] and the 2006 New Zealand Open Sumo Championships[4].

Also in 2006, NZWPW co-sponsored sumo wrestlers Sio Sakaria and Mark Tanu to attend the Junior World Championships in Estonia, where they won silver and bronze medals respectively[5].


[edit] Title histories

[edit] New Zealand Heavyweight Title

Wrestler: Reign: Date: Place: Event: Notes
Ruamoko 1 December 3, 2004 Lower Hutt Colossus Won tournament. Title billed as Super Heavyweight Title and restricted to wrestlers 100kg+.

Vacated due to injury.
Island Boy Si 1 March 25, 2005 Lower Hutt Powerplay II Won tournament. Title re-billed New Zealand Heavyweight Title.

100kg+ requirement apparently dropped after Catchweight Title vacated in April 2005.
Juice 1 November 4, 2005 Lower Hutt Eruption II In three-way match with H-Flame.
D-Hoya 1 April 14, 2006 Lower Hutt Powerplay III
Adam Avalanche 1 July 21, 2006 Lower Hutt Pacific Storm 2006

The Punisher was also billed as the New Zealand Heavyweight Champion in early 2004, though he never defended this title in this promotion. He did, however, take part in the tournament that crowned Ruamoko, so it is possible to consider him a former holder of this belt.

[edit] New Zealand Tag Team Titles

Team: Reign: Date: Place: Event: Notes
Inferno & Max Damage 1 October 15, 2005 Wellington Invasion Tour Defeated X-Rated & The Ram.

Title last defended by this team on November 4, 2005. Champions left promotion for Kiwi Pro Wrestling in May 2006.
The Superlatives ("Silencer" Jean Miracle & "Shining" Nick Silver) 1 April 14, 2007 Lower Hutt Powerplay 4 Won tournament.
Company T (Dan Stirling & Rehua) 1 April 28, 2007 Levin Kukubash

|Infinite Avalanche |1 |April 18, 2008 |Auckland |Auckland | |}

[edit] Catchweight Title (defunct)

Wrestler: Reign: Date: Place: Event: Notes
D-Hoya 1 March 20, 2004 Taita, Lower Hutt New Zealand Kickboxing Champs Defeated X-Rated.
X-Rated 1 June 25, 2004 Petone, Lower Hutt Powerplay
D-Hoya 2 December 3, 2004 Lower Hutt Colossus Vacated April 22, 2005 to chase New Zealand Heavyweight Title.

[edit] Roster

  • Adam Avalanche
  • Axl
  • Belthazer
  • CD
  • Dan "The Man" Stirling
  • D-Hoya
  • Dreamcatcher Phil Woodgate
  • Infinity
  • JC Star
  • Lady T
  • Misty
  • "Mr. Right Now" Jimmy Sparx
  • Little Joker
  • Matariki
  • Rehua
  • Ref Roneel
  • Rufguts
  • Sandstorm
  • Shining Nick Silver
  • Silencer Jean Miracle
  • Tank
  • Zach Zero
  • Zodiak

[edit] Tag-Teams

  • Company T

Dan Striling, Rehua, Tank and Matariki

  • Infinite Avalanche

Infinity and Adam Avalanch

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ New Zealand Wrestling Archive: NZWPW Stars in MIW. March 13, 2006
  2. ^ New Zealand Pro Wrestling Informer: Report from first WPW show. November 18, 2003
  3. ^ New Zealand Wrestling Archive: NZWPW - "Powerplay II" Preview. March 17, 2005
  4. ^ Scoop: Sumo and Professional Wrestling Collide. April, 2006
  5. ^ New Zealand Pro Wrestling Informer: NZWPW Sumo Success. August 29, 2006