Kiwi Pro Wrestling returns to Wellington High School Friday 19th February 2010 with an all-star extravaganza for its first live show of 2010! KPW "February's Feud" features a double main event: both championships will be on the line as the star's of KPW's "Off The Ropes" step into the ring to deliver an evening of the finest in New Zealand professional wrestling for all the family!
KPW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: MAX "the Axe" DAMAGE (champ) versus INFERNO (with CHARLIE ROBERTS)
It was on the penultimate show of "Off The Ropes" that Max Damage proved his worth with a hard-fought victory over the vicious Inferno to claim the fiery veteran's KPW Championship. It's no secret that the winning the belt was a childhood dream of Damage, and it's also no secret that Inferno has been driven further into his own personal abyss by the loss of the championship he held so dear. "February's Feud" is a prime opportunity for Max Damage to prove he can do it all over again and cement his place at the top of the New Zealand professional wrestling mountain. It'll be the big man's first title defence and I know Damage has been training night and day to ensure it won't be his last!
As for his opponent... you know what they say about a wounded animal? Well, a wronged Inferno is even more dangerous than that. And how sharper than a serpent's tooth is the devious mind of manager Charlie Roberts, a man who by his own admission doesn't get mad, he "... gets even"? Damage has the height and weight advantage, but Inferno is one of the few wrestlers I've seen who can go toe-to-toe with the biggest man in New Zealand professional wrestling. The ex-champion's fury leads him to dark places others won't go, which might just give him the edge over the bigger man. The wrath of the fiery veteran cannot be denied - is Max Damage's goose cooked, or is he one big move away from beginning his own legacy as KPW Champion like that of his comrade H-Flame's?
KPW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: THE TECHNICIAN and KADE MORGAN "3G" (champions) versus "The Powerhouse" JADE DIAMOND and WHETU, the Maori Warrior (with MR. JUNO HUIA)
"Off The Ropes" provided a showcase for these two teams to vie for the KPW Tag Team Championship in what proved to be a thrilling match where passions spilled over and the action spilled out of the ring, unfortunately robbing the fans of a decisive finish. The Renegades retained the coveted KPW Tag Team Champions as the result of a double count-out - maybe that was their plan all along? They certainly bend the rules when it suits them. (I call them "The Renegades" that because I think it fits their behaviour - they like what they do and they do what they like). It just disappoints me that a team with such a pedigree - a third generation professional wrestler and a double Oceania amateur wrestling champion - have to be so darn cocky about it. There is such a thing as being a bad winner!
At "February's Feud", the Renegades face the team that many KPW fans are calling the "uncrowned tag team champions" - Jade Diamond and Whetu. With Diamond's power and Whetu's fearless aerial ability and their devastating double team attacks, these two have always had the goods to force the Renegades onto the back foot whenever the championship's been on the line. The challengers will no doubt benefit from the wise council of Mr Juno Huia ("On The Mat" veteran and the original Maori Warrior), who'd like nothing more than to see his team victorious. The harder the Renegades cheat, the higher Diamond and Whetu fly to grab for the gold. Come "February's Feud", we might see the title change hands, we might see the Renegades fight fair for once, we may even see the best team win!
TEAM PRETTY - JONNIE JUICE (with QUEEN HOLLIE) versus H-FLAME
As far back as KPW stretches, these two wrestlers have been at each other's throats in a professional rivalry that got ever-more personal as the years wore on. The only thing these see eye to eye on is their contempt for each other - Juice for H-Flame's apparently effortless power and athleticism, H-Flame for Juice's squandering of his impressive skills and inability to give a straight fight. Though they've met before with championship gold on the line, this one will be all about bragging rights, something equally of value to these proud young men. Team Pretty never miss an opportunity to stick it to a long-time foe, and they never miss a trick in or outside the ring, either. H-Flame knows that Juice and Queen Hollie work together like a well-oiled cheating machine, but Team Pretty's bag of tricks seems bottomless. Conversely, losing the KPW Championship may have been the best thing to happen to the "international superstar": it's forced H-Flame to start again, it's made him hungrier and more determined to climb to the top once again. The only problem is that Team Pretty would just live to trip him up. At "February's Feud", we'll see who's left sitting pretty!
"The Young Lion" DANE KING versus LAZARUS VOLT (with TRINKET the Clown)
All set to make his KPW debut, Dane KIng is a rookie eager to showcase his potential. The thing I would say about Mr King is that he embodies the best and worst qualities of youth: powerful build, devastating quickness, boundless energy, but an unfortunate tendency to get carried away with oneself. Confidence is all very well and good (and "The Young Lion" will need it against the wily Volt), but King knows he'll have to deliver in his debut to be taken seriously as a contender. Dane King talks a good fight in the KPW locker room - let's see if this translates to a victory over the "ringmaster".
A closer look at this matchup reveals a potential advantage for Lazarus Volt - after all, who better to tame a lion than a man raised in the circus? Surely it's a short hop from centre ring to lion tamer? Lazarus Volt has faced bigger and badder opponents and managed to pull something out of his top hat almost every time. The "little man from the big top" came through "Off The Ropes" with an impressive win-loss record. He's unorthodox, to be sure, but those who underestimate him get a shock! Will the Young Lion's first roar be silenced by the High Voltage, or will the ringmaster fail in his role as lion tamer?
"The Fixation" JIMMY FOX versus MARCUS COOL
Two things motivate Jimmy Fox: his appearance and any opportunity to prove he's the saviour of New Zealand wrestling. Well, "February's Feud" will provide the latter when "The Fixation" will be tying up with a largely unknown quality, namely special English import Marcus Cool. I've been privileged to see the young man wrestle, and he keeps up the fine reputation that British wrestlers enjoy for their grafting ability, Cool showing the promise of a young George Kidd, Johnny Saint or Brian Glover. Fighting as he does out of Queenstown by way of England, this
unique match will actually be the continuation of a long-time European rivalry (when you take into account Fox's alleged Dutch ancestry) - who can forget when William Regal himself asserted that the English were the best wrestlers in Europe and angrily dismissed Dutch wrestlers as "circus freaks"?
Not possessed of the greatest win/loss record during his tenure on "Off The Ropes", Jimmy Fox's greatest attribute (and asset) is arguably his ego - he's simply too arrogant to know when he's beaten. I've no doubt he's underestimated his opponent for "February's Feud", but the young Englishman will be concentrating on out-wrestling Fox and not out-posing him. In fact, I'm not sure that there'll be room for Marcus Cool in the ring when it's filled with The Fixation's swaggering, though I am sure that when the bell rings for the start of the contest, the KPW fans will be treated to a very interesting match!
THE BRUTE (with NURSE PAYNE) versus EL NINJA
If you don't know The Brute from "Off The Ropes" by now, there's nothing I can say to prepare you for his bestial savagery - and unless you've seen him wrestle, there's no way I can convince you that the man in the straight-jacket enjoys a pedigree as a second generation wrestler with a background in judo! "Beauty and the Beast" may be a cliche, but it's also the most apropos way of describing this pair - I'll leave it to you to decide which role the lovely Nurse Payne fills. When let off the leash, "Brute force" has made an indelible impression on may KPW wrestlers (usually on their faces). He may be beholden to his favourite teddy bear held by his favourite Nurse and his favourite occupational therapy may be mangling his opponents, but just because he can't make a complete sentence doesn't mean he can't present a completely unique threat.
As seen on his "Off The Ropes" outing versus Kade Morgan "3G", the mystery man from the Orient El Ninja can surprise when facing a more established opponent. He'll need all his agility and speed against The Brute, as there's no way El Ninja can match power with the "Beast of Bedlam". El Ninja will have to strike and keep his distance, as I doubt his skills in grappling and leverage would enable to escape The Brute's terrible grip. Of course (and I don't like to cast aspersions), El Ninja will have the advantage should he chose to try to out-smart The Brute,
but all it takes is one tiny slip-up from the smaller man and the referee is the one left clearing up El Ninja's remains!
Special Challenge: TERRY the Golden Greek versus BIG BRIAN BORU
KPW GM Terry the Golden Greek is looking to continue asserting his dominance in both the ring and boardroom by proving he's as dangerous with a cravat as he is with a contract. By showing he's the sort of manager who can get it done in the ring, he hopes to cement his stranglehold on KPW as a whole. After all, who on the roster could stand against a tyrannical boss who can back it up in the ring? It's a given to say that Terry the Golden Greek enters this bout with complete confidence in his abilities.
The Golden Greek's opponent (making his debut in KPW) has taken the name of the famous 11th century Irish emperor, and is no doubt bent on living up to the Irish hero's conquering heritage. "Old school" in his approach, I predict that Big Brian Boru will forgo showmanship and aerial manoeuvres for merciless grappling and a strong mat game. I give the edge to Terry in the striking game, but if the match goes to the mat, it'll play right into the hands of the veteran Boru. The Golden Greek has cunning and Greek heritage on his side whereas Big Brian Boru has the skill and will to succeed. This encounter will be unlike anything KPW fans have seen before: the civilisation that gave us democracy and Olympic wrestling versus the civilisation that gave us Guinness and St. Patrick's Day!
Divas Match: QUEEN HOLLIE (with Jonnie Juice of Team Pretty) versus JESSIE (former member of Team Pretty)
The nation saw the story unfolding on "Off The Ropes": arrogant Queen Hollie's past coming back to haunt her. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself. Blinded by her own alleged awesomeness, Queen Hollie failed to notice the truth right under her nose, that the intern named "Suki Gogo" she was treating like a handmaiden was none other than her old Team Pretty team-mate Jessie! Long-time KPW fans will remember that Hollie sent Jessie packing in a special "Loser leaves Town" strap match in April 2008; scholarly KPW fans will recall that Queen Hollie did so with a king-sized assist from Jonnie Juice. Jessie thunderously announced her return on "Off The Ropes" with a decisive victory over her surprised ex-team mate. By special demand from KPW fans who've written in from all over the country, this match was added to "February's Feud" to settle once and for all who is the top female in or out of Team Pretty!
Her pinfall victory over Queen Hollie showed that Jessie has obviously retained her wrestling skill, and being that close to the Queen for so many weeks as Suki Gogo surely enabled her to thoroughly scout her foe, but this time around, Team Pretty have had a chance to prepare themselves - who knows what lies in wait for Jessie? She's definitely walking into the lion's den, no matter how bravely. It'll be a case of two-on-one, as Jonnie Juice will have no problem interfering at the slightest opportunity. How will Jessie handle that side of the equation, and can her determination carry her to victory once more? Will the Queen get crowned with something beside a tiara, or will Team Pretty achieve victory by ugly means?
This is Blair 'the Flair' saying, "see you at ringside"!
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE