Southern Pro Wrestling

Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW) is a New Zealand professional wrestling promotion. Since the promotion's formation in 2015, it has promoted regular live events throughout the country predominantly in Invercargill and Queenstown[1] In 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.[2] SPW has led to a resurgence of the popularity and mainstream media coverage of professional wrestling in New Zealand.[3] The 2019 Southern Rumble event was held again in ILT Stadium, with similar attendance numbers.[4] SPW currently has over 30 full-time employees.[5] In March 2019, SPW signed a deal with New Zealand's largest free-to-air broadcaster, TVNZ with an audience of 2 million people.[6] 22 June 2019, marked the return of New Zealand pro-wrestling on TVNZ for the first time since On the Mat ended 35 years prior.[7][8][9][10] On 24 August 2019, the 2019 Southern Rumble event aired on TVNZ Duke and was viewed by over 40,000 people.[11]

Southern Pro Wrestling
AcronymSPW
Founded2015
HeadquartersInvercargill, New Zealand
Founder(s)Troy Crosbie
Marc Perry
Websitespwrestling.co.nz

Founders

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Troy Crosbie and Marc Perry are the founders of SPW.[12] Perry was trained by WWE legend Lance Storm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and since then has wrestled and performed across New Zealand.[13]

Marc Perry was trained by UK World of Sport legend Steve Logan and former WWE superstar Drake Maverick. He has wrestled all over the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and NZ and worked with well-known international wrestlers. He has taken part in WWE Tryouts and performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.[5]

Notable Appearances

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Various well-known international wrestlers have made appearances in SPW such as Travis Banks,[14] Tenille Dashwood,[15] Bea Priestley,[15] Jimmy Havoc[16] and Will Ospreay.[17] Travis Banks appeared in SPW at the Southern Rumble on 13 July 2019, despite being under contract with WWE on its NXT UK brand at the time.[18] The 2019 Southern Rumble event was a cross-promotional event with Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW)[19]

Championships

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Current champions

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Championship Current champion(s) Date won Event Previous Champion(s)
SPW New Zealand Championship Cool Guy Sky October 28, 2023 Halloween Haunting (2023) K9
SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship Black Light District
(Corey Beams & Saboor)
August 3, 2024 Southern Rumble (2024) The Golden Light
(James Shaw & Ryder)

[20]

SPW New Zealand Championship

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SPW New Zealand Championship
 
Details
PromotionSouthern Pro Wrestling
Date established17 March 2016
Current champion(s)K9
Statistics
First champion(s)Shane Sinclair
Most reignsK9 (3)
Longest reignWill Power (637 days)
Shortest reignKane Khan (<1 day)

The SPW New Zealand Championship is the top professional wrestling championship title in the New Zealand promotion Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW). The inaugural champion was "The Shooter" Shane Sinclair, who defeated "Hooligan" Marcus Kool & "Powerhouse" T-Rex in the tournament final at the Fight For Gold event in Invercargill.

Title history

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Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 Shane Sinclair 17 March 2016 Fight For Gold (2016) Invercargill 1 93 Shane Sinclair won a 6 man tournament, defeating Marcus Kool & T-Rex in the tournament final.
Vacated 18 June 2016 Shane Sinclair had to vacate the title due to being present for the birth of his first child.
2 Marcus Kool 15 July 2016 Southern Rumble (2016) Invercargill 1 224 Marcus Kool defeated T-Rex in a Southland Street Fight for the vacant title.
3 T-Rex 24 February 2017 Fight For Gold (2017) Invercargill 1 246 T-Rex cashed in his Fight for Gold contract and defeated Marcus Kool.
4 JK Moody 28 October 2017 Halloween Haunting (2017) Invercargill 1 259 JK Moody defeated T-Rex.
5 Kane Khan 14 July 2018 Southern Rumble (2018) Invercargill 1 <1 Kane Khan defeated JK Moody in a TLC match.
6 Will Power 14 July 2018 Southern Rumble (2018) Invercargill 1 105 Will Power defeated Kane Khan.
7 Kane Khan 27 October 2018 Halloween Haunting (2018) Invercargill 2 140 Kane Khan defeated Will Power.
8 Marcus Kool 16 March 2019 Queenstown Wrestlefest (2019) Queenstown 2 119 Marcus Kool defeated Kane Khan.
9 Slex 13 July 2019 Southern Rumble (2019) Invercargill 1 105 Slex defeated Marcus Kool
10 Shane Sinclair 26 October 2019 Halloween Haunting (2019) Invercargill 2 287 Defeated Marcus Kool and Slex in a Triple Threat Elimination match.
11 Jamie Tagataese 8 August 2020 Southern Rumble - Night 2 (2020) Invercargill 1 364 Won the 20 Man Southern Rumble match the previous night, earning a championship match against Shane Sinclair. Jamie Tagataese went on to defeat Shane Sinclair in a singles match. [21]
12 Will Power 7 August 2021 Southern Rumble (2021) Invercargill 2 637 Will Power defeated Jamie Tagataese.
13 K9 6 May 2023 Battlelines (2023) Invercargill 3 175 K9 defeated Will Power in a Last Man Standing Match.
14 Cool Guy Sky 28 October 2023 Halloween Haunting (2023) Invercargill 1 390+ Cool Guy Sky defeated K9
List of combined reigns
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Rank Champion No. of reigns Combined days
1 Will Power 2 742
2 Shane Sinclair 2 380
3 Jamie Tagataese 1 364
4 Marcus Kool 2 343
5 JK Moody 1 259
6 T-Rex 1 246
7 K9/Kane Khan 3 157+
8 Slex 1 105

SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship

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SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship
 
Details
PromotionSouthern Pro Wrestling
Date established3 March 2018
Current champion(s)The Golden Light
(James Shaw & Ryder)
Statistics
First champion(s)NZXT
(Mason Daniels & Michael Richards)
Longest reignTHE NZ MEGA POWERS
(Cool Guy Sky & Will Power)
(764 days)
Shortest reignNZXT
(Mason Daniels & Michael Richards)
(49 days)

The SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship is the top professional wrestling tag team championship title in the New Zealand promotion Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW). The inaugural champions were NZXT (Mason Daniels & Michael Richards), who defeated the CruiserMates (Falcon Kid & Liam Fury) at the 2018 Fight For Gold event in Invercargill.

Title history

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Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
1 NZXT
(Mason Daniels & Michael Richards)
3 March 2018 Fight For Gold (2018) Invercargill 1 49 NZXT defeated Down to Fight to become the inaugural champions.
2 CruiserMates
(Falcon Kid & Liam Fury)
21 April 2018 Battle Lines (2018) Invercargill 1 217 CruiserMates defeated NZXT.
3 Detention
(Ryder & Sky)
24 November 2018 Fight Nights 10 Invercargill 1 161 Detention w/Professor Palmer defeated CruiserMates.
4 Deadly Sins
(JK Moody & Kane Khan)
4 May 2019 Battle Lines (2019) Invercargill 1 112 Deadly Sins defeated Detention.
Vacated 24 August 2019 Fight Nights 12 Deadly Sins moved from SPW to seek out opportunities abroad. As a result of being unable to defend the titles, they were forced to vacate them.
5 Power Tools
(Will Power & Hammer)
26 October 2019 Halloween Haunting (2019) Invercargill 1 140 Power Tools defeated Detention in the tag team tournament final.
6 CTRL
(Carnage & Jake Shehaan)
14 March 2020 Queenstown WrestleFest (2020) Queenstown 1 328 CTRL defeated Will Power & "Human Love Machine" T-Rex
7 THE NZ MEGA POWERS
(Cool Guy Sky & Will Power)
5 February 2021 Fight For Gold - Night 1 (2021) Invercargill 1 764 THE NZ MEGA POWERS defeated CTRL Jake Sheehan & Carnage
8 The Golden Light
(James Shaw & Ryder)
11 March 2023 Fight For Gold (2023) Invercargill 1 511 The Golden Light defeated THE NZ MEGA POWERS
9 Black Light District
(Corey Beams & Saboor)
8 March 2024 Southern Rumble (2024) Invercargill 1 255+ Black Light District defeated The Golden Light

[20][22]

Southern Rumble History

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The Southern Rumble is SPW's biggest event. A Southern Rumble event has been held every year since 2016.

Southern Rumble (2016)

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Southern Rumble (2016)
PromotionSPW
Date15 July 2016
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueInvercargill Working Men's Club
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
First
Next →
2017
No.Results[23][24]Stipulations
1Brook Duncan defeated Curt Chaos (w/Miss Rivers)Singles match
2No Face defeated LigerSingles match
3Will Power defeated HammerSingles match
4The Deadly Sins (JK Moody & Kane Khan) defeated Privileged (Charlie Roberts & Curtis Castlewood)Tag team match
5Slade Mercer defeated 13 others to win the Southern RumbleSouthern Rumble match to determine the number one contender for the SPW New Zealand Championship
6Marcus Kool defeated T-RexSouthland Street Fight for the vacant SPW New Zealand Championship

Southern Rumble (2017)

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Southern Rumble (2017)
PromotionSPW
Date22 July 2017
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueInvercargill Working Men's Club
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
2016
Next →
2018
No.Results[25][26]Stipulations
1Will Ospreay defeated Shane SinclairSingles match
2Hammer defeated Marcus KoolSingles match
3Bea Priestley defeated Ashlee SpencerSingles match
4TK Cooper defeated Taylor AdamsSingles match
5T-Rex (c) defeated Jakob CrossSingles match for the SPW New Zealand Championship
6JK Moody defeated 19 others to win the Southern RumbleSouthern Rumble match to determine the number one contender for the SPW New Zealand Championship
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Southern Rumble (2018)

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Southern Rumble (2018)
PromotionSPW
Date14 July 2018
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueILT Stadium
Attendance1,200+ [2]
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
2017
Next →
2019
No.Results[2][27]Stipulations
1Marcus Kool defeated Will OspreaySingles match
2Tenille Dashwood defeated Bea PriestleySingles match
3CruiserMates (Falcon Kid & Luke Fury) (c) defeated NZXT (Mason Daniels & Michael Richards)2 out of 3 falls tag team match for the SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship
4T-Rex defeated Gino GambinoSingles match
5Kane Khan defeated JK Moody (c)Tables, ladders, and chairs match for the SPW New Zealand Championship
6Will Power defeated Kane Khan (c)Singles match for the SPW New Zealand Championship
(Fight for Gold cash-in match)
7Kane Khan defeated 19 others to win the Southern Rumble20-man Southern Rumble match to determine the number one contender for the SPW New Zealand Championship
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Southern Rumble (2019)

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Southern Rumble (2019)
PromotionSPW
MCW
Date13 July 2019
(aired 24 August 2019
on TVNZ Duke[28])
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueILT Stadium
Attendance1,200+ [2]
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
2018
Next →
Southern Rumble - Night (2020)
No.Results[29]Stipulations
1Falcon Kid defeated KingiSingles match
2Will Power defeated Gino GambinoSingles match
3Lochy Hendricks defeated Shane SinclairSingles match
4Kellyanne defeated Indi HartwellSingles match
5Deadly Sins (JK Moody & Kane Khan) (c) defeated The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks)Tag team match for the SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championship
6T-Rex defeated Dowie JamesSouthland Street Fight
7Slex (c) defeated Marcus Kool (c)Winner Takes All match for the SPW New Zealand Championship and the MCW World Heavyweight Championship
8JK Moody defeated 19 others to win the Southern Rumble20-man Southern Rumble match to determine the number one contender for the SPW New Zealand Championship
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Southern Rumble (2020)

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Southern Rumble - Night 1 (2020)
PromotionSPW
Date7 August 2020
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueInvercargill Workingmen's Club
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
2019
Next →
Southern Rumble - Night 2 (2020)
No.ResultsStipulations
1TK Cooper defeated Will PowerSingles match
2Jake Shehaan (w/Amber Saint) defeated Cam KaibaSingles match
3Rangi defeated Charlie RobertsSingles match
4T-Rex defeated Marcus KoolSingles match
5Shane Sinclair (c) defeated NIWASingles match for the SPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
6Jamie Tagataese defeated 19 others to win the Southern Rumble20-man Southern Rumble match to determine the number one contender for the SPW New Zealand Championship
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
Southern Rumble - Night 2 (2020)
PromotionSPW
Date8 August 2020
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueInvercargill Workingmen's Club
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
Southern Rumble - Night 1 (2020)
Next →
Southern Rumble (2021)
No.ResultsStipulations
1Will Power defeated T-RexSingles match
2Charlie Roberts defeated Albino RhinoSingles match
3CTRL (c) defeated Cool Guy Sky & NIWA, Detention and Rangi & Vinny DunnFatal Four Way Tag Team Elimination Match for the SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championships
4Cam Kaiba defeated Liam FurySouthland Street Fight
5Marcus Kool defeated TK CooperSingles Match
6Hammer defeated Professor PalmerSingles Match
7Jamie Tagataese defeated Shane Sinclair (c)Singles Match for the SPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Southern Rumble (2021)

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Southern Rumble (2021)
PromotionSPW
Date7 August 2021
CityInvercargill, New Zealand
VenueInvercargill Workingmen's Club
Southern Rumble chronology
← Previous
Southern Rumble - Night 2 (2020)
Next →
No.ResultsStipulations
1THE NZ MEGA POWERS (c) defeated the Knights of Mayhem (w/Sabrina)Tag Team Match for the SPW New Zealand Tag Team Championships
2Jaxon Cross defeated HammerSingles match
3T-Rex defeated Charlie RobertsSingles match
4NIWA defeated Marcus KoolDog Collar Chain Match
5K9 defeated 19 others to win the Southern Rumble20-man Southern Rumble match to determine the number one contender for the SPW New Zealand Championship
6Will Power defeated Jamie Tagataese (c)Singles Match for the SPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Television and streaming

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SPW programming is available in New Zealand on the TV channel, TVNZ Duke available on Freeview, Sky and Vodafone TV. Additionally, SPW shows are available online through TVNZ OnDemand (Not currently as of 13/08/2022). Furthermore, SPW provides a subscription video on demand service SPW On Demand with standalone Android and iOS apps, as well as via Pivotshare.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cagematch.net - Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW). 8 May 2020
  2. ^ a b c d Events - SPW Southern Rumble 2018. 3 May 2020
  3. ^ Athletes move south as wrestling grows in popularity. 19 February 2018
  4. ^ Southern Rumble 2019 a MASSIVE success!. 15 July 2019
  5. ^ a b About Us. 3 May 2020
  6. ^ Wrestling On The Edge of the World’ Returns to TVNZ DUKE in 2020 25 January 2020
  7. ^ Wrestling Special. 3 May 2020
  8. ^ Watch: Pro-wrestling making a massive comeback in the deep south 7 May 2019
  9. ^ Southern Pro Wrestling Signs Deal With TVNZ Duke. 30 March 2019
  10. ^ WWE star Travis Banks back home and determined to honour The Bushwhackers' legacy. 5 July 2019
  11. ^ TVNZ 2020. 10 May 2020
  12. ^ Cagematch.net -Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW). 8 May 2020
  13. ^ A Brief History Of: Southern Pro Wrestling. 9 April 2019
  14. ^ Travis Banks Returning to New Zealand For SPW. 22 May 2019
  15. ^ a b SPW Southern Rumble 2018. 8 May 2020
  16. ^ SPW Fight Nights 11 - HAVOC. 18 January 2019
  17. ^ SPW Fight Nights ft Will Ospreay. 15 February 2018
  18. ^ Otago Daily Times - SPW. 13 July 2019
  19. ^ NZPWI - SPW Southern Rumble 2019. 14 January 2019
  20. ^ a b "Championship Titles". Southern Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  21. ^ "SPW Southern Rumble 2020". What's On Invers. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  22. ^ "SPW New Zealand Heavyweight Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  23. ^ Cagematch - SPW Southern Rumble 2016. 15 July 2016
  24. ^ Kayfabia - SPW Southern Rumble 2016. 15 July 2016
  25. ^ Cagematch - SPW Southern Rumble 2017. 22 July 2017
  26. ^ Kayfabia - SPW Southern Rumble 2017. 22 July 2017
  27. ^ Kayfabia - SPW Southern Rumble 2018. 14 July 2018
  28. ^ Watch SPW Wrestling Special . 24 August 2019
  29. ^ Cagematch - SPW Southern Rumble 2019. 13 July 2019
  30. ^ "SPW On Demand launches on Pivotshare". NZPWI. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
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