Professional wrestling in New Zealand

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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.

It was not until the years following 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.

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)

Black-and-white photograph of two men shaking hands in front of a grey wall
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

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

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]

Behind two red ropes stands a man with a large mustache speaking into a microphone and holding a flag.
Steve Rickard's television show, On the Mat, showcased many professional wrestlers, including The Iron Sheik.

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

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

Little Tokyo, also visited New Zealand.[31]

Decline (1980s–1990s)

A man sitting behind orange ropes with his hand to his chin
Samoa Joe has been interviewed by the NZPWI, a website covering New Zealand wrestling.

Though the retirements of O'Connor and Garea

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

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

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

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–)

Behind ropes, only legs and a hand are visible of two grappling men.
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

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,

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

Main article: WWE in New Zealand
Date Name Brand Venue City Main 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, 2007 WWE SmackDown Road to WrestleMania 23 Tour SmackDown & ECW
Westpac Centre
 Christchurch
Mr. Kennedy for the World Heavyweight Championship[47]
February 24, 2007 Western Springs Stadium Auckland
June 11, 2008 WWE 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, 2009 WWE Raw Live Tour Raw
Vector Arena
 Auckland Randy Orton & Big Show vs. John Cena & Triple H[50]
August 5, 2010 WWE SmackDown Live 2010 SmackDown
Vector Arena
 Auckland Kane vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship[51]
July 6, 2011 WWE World Tour Raw
Vector Arena
 Auckland John Cena vs. R-Truth for the WWE Championship[52]
August 10, 2016 WWE Live: New Zealand Unbranded
Vector Arena
 Auckland Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins[53]
September 13, 2017 WWE 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.
2016 On The Mat: Charity Pro Wrestling Sakura & New Japan Pro-Wrestling house show in Auckland.
2022 Tamashii New Japan Pro Wrestling show

Major events by New Zealand promotions

CPW MitchellMania

MitchellMania
Promotion
CPW
Date17 November 2018
CityKilbirnie, 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 SayersFans Bring the Weapons match
6Candy Lee, Kirby and Grace Lightning defeated Just Plain Evil, Misty Kitana and Lily FaeSix-woman tag team match
7Kane Kahn (c) defeated Will Power, T-Rex and JK MoodyFatal 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

Main article: Southern Pro Wrestling § Southern Rumble History

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

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

This section is transcluded from List of professional wrestling promotions in New Zealand. (edit | history)
Name Location Owner(s) Years active Notes
Dominion Wrestling Union Wellington Walter Miller
Steve Rickard 		1929–1961
Impact Pro Wrestling Auckland
Napier 		Robert Eden
Michel Mulipola 		2000–present Started as Mania Pro Wrestling, company re-emerged as IPW early 2003. Previously associated with Australia's Major Impact Wrestling.[66][39][67] 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 Stirling 2003–present Originally known as Wellington Pro Wrestling from 2003 to 2005.[66] Presently inactive.
Southern Pro Wrestling Invercargill Troy Crosbie
Marc Perry 		2015–present [68]

Television programming

Weekly

Programming Notes
AEW Dynamite Broadcast live on
FITE and ESPN2.[69]
AEW Rampage Broadcast on FITE and ESPN2.
WWE NXT Broadcast on
Sky Open.[70]
WWE Raw Broadcast live on Sky 5. A one-hour version is also broadcast on Sky Open.
WWE SmackDown

Pay-per-view

Programming Notes
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

Programming Notes
On the Mat (1975–1984) Broadcast exclusively on TV2.[71]
The Main Event (1990–1991) Broadcast exclusively on TV3.[72]
IPW Ignition
 		(2007–2011) Broadcast exclusively on Alt TV.[73]
Off the Ropes (2009–2010) Broadcast exclusively on
Prime TV.[74][75]
Mana Mamau
 		(2011–2012) Broadcast exclusively on
Māori Television.[76]
IPW Ignited (2015–2016) Broadcast on Canterbury Television and Vimeo.[77][78]
Aftershock Pro Wrestling (2016) Broadcast exclusively on Canterbury Television.[79]
SPW Wrestling on the Edge of the World Broadcast exclusively on TVNZ Duke.[80]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^
    ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ a b Ingram, W. F. (1 September 1938). "Panorama of the Playground – New Zealand to have World Championship Wrestling Bout". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 13 (6). Victoria University of Wellington: 62.
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-87972-324-6
  7. ^ a b c d Cameron, Dave (November 1972). "Americans add flavor to New Zealand". Wrestling Revue. Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  8. ^ a b c "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. 13 (2). Victoria University of Wellington: 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. 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. ^
    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. 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. ISBN 1-55022-684-3
  20. ^
    ISBN 1-55022-741-6
  21. ^ "N.W.A. World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  22. Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original
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  23. ^ Cameron, Dave (April 2005). "New Zealand Wrestling History: Abe Jacobs". Fight Times. Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  24. ^
    ISBN 0-7434-9033-9
  25. ISBN 0-8283-2045-4
  26. ISBN 1-4165-4112-8
  27. ^
    ISBN 1-57806-021-4
  28. ^
    ISBN 1-4357-2653-7[self-published source
    ]
  29. ISBN 1-893680-03-7
  30. ^ a b "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. 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. ISBN 0-8223-3438-0
  35. 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. ISBN 0-7876-7922-4
  38. ^ "New Zealand Promotions". OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  39. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. 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. ^ a b "New Zealand Promotions". OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  67. ^ Eves, Tim (5 February 2007). "WRESTLING - Wrestling returns to Whangarei". The Northern Advocate. APN News & Media Ltd. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  68. ^ Cagematch.net - Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW). 8 May 2020
  69. ^ "ESPN to Broadcast All Elite Wrestling Exclusively in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands". 9 February 2023.
  70. ^ Dunn, David (3 July 2020). "WWE NXT to air on Prime, Sky 5". Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  71. ^ "On the Mat". IMDb. [unreliable source?]
  72. ^ "The Main Event". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020. [unreliable source?]
  73. ^ "IPW Ignition". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020. [unreliable source?]
  74. ^ "KPW: Off the Ropes". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020. [unreliable source?]
  75. ^ "Off the Ropes - Season One". Kiwi Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  76. ^ "Mana Mamau". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020. [unreliable source?]
  77. ^ "IPW Ignited". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020. [unreliable source?]
  78. ^ "Impact Pro Wrestling NZ". Vimeo.
  79. ^ "Aftershock Pro Wrestling". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2020. [unreliable source?]
  80. ^ "Southern Pro Wrestling Signs Deal With TVNZ Duke". 30 March 2019.

Further reading

  • Mazer, Sharon. Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1998.
    ISBN 1-57806-021-4

External links

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