Ben Mana retained the NZWPW Championship in the main event of Legends Reunion this past Friday, countering a submission attempt from Adam Avalanche to catch him with an inside cradle for the win.
In the same venue which Mana first saw Avalanche win the NZWPW title years ago and was inspired to become a wrestler himself, the Modern Maori Warrior put what is now his title on the line against his former friend.
With New Zealand wrestling legends including Bruno Bekkar and John da Silva watching from the ringside area, the bout’s turning point came when Mana was able to get Avalanche off his feet with a backdrop, and follow up with a standing splash for a near fall.
Mana couldn’t lift Avalanche directly for a Mana Slam and dropped to the mat from the strain, where Avalanche looked to secure a submission victory with a modified cloverleaf.
Mana was more aware of his predicament than Avalanche may have thought, and the NZWPW champ rolled Avalanche over, using the Man Mountain’s own grip against him to bundle the challenger into an inside cradle for the victory.
As Avalanche left the ring, Mana grabbed a microphone and dedicated his title defence to the men and women of New Zealand wrestling’s past who had paved the way for today’s grapplers.
“This victory is a homage and a thank-you to the NZ legends,” Mana said. “Without you we wouldn’t be living the dream.”
NZWPW Legends Reunion Results:
- Jade Priest def. Hayden Thiele and Kauri Walker
Priest stacked Thiele and Walker up in the corner and brought them crashing to the mat in a tower of doom, pinning long-time rival Thiele in the first bout of the night. - JPE def. Scarlett
JPE smashed the number one contender to the KPW Women’s Championship to the mat with the Face of Evil, perhaps making a case for a future title shot. - “The Shooter” Shane Sinclair def. Charlie Roberts
Sinclair showed Roberts why he’s known as “The Shooter”, tripping the KPW tag team titleholder to the mat and tapping him out with a heel hook. - D-Hoya def. Graham Hughes
D-Hoya showed his versatility when he didn’t cover Hughes following his signature Eclipse, and instead managed to submit the British grappler with a Texas cloverleaf. - Johnny Idol & Taylor Adams def. “Dream Catcher” Phil Woodgate & “Rufguts” Roddy Gunn via disqualification
Adams and Idol worked too well as a team for Woodgate’s liking. With Rufguts seconds from defeat following a gutbuster from Idol and a double-stomp from Adams, Woodgate swooped in with a blatant kick to Adams’ groin, earning a disqualification. - Misty def. Amy St Clere
St Clere survived a huge powerbomb from Misty but couldn’t fight her way out of a surfboard and had to verbally submit. - NZWPW Tag Team Championships:
Time Limit Draw: The 20/20 Experience (c) vs. Axl & Skull Kid
Chad Howard and Paul Sayers did their best to fend off the challenge from first-time team Axl and Skull Kid, but couldn’t do so in a timely enough fashion for NZWPW Chairman Martin Stirling, who called a stop to the contest citing a time-limit draw. Howard and Sayers retain the NZWPW tag team titles. - NZWPW Championship:
Ben Mana (c) def. Adam Avalanche
Avalanche looked to have the match wrapped up with a cloverleaf applied to Mana, but Mana hooked his challenger’s head and bundled Avalanche into an inside cradle to remain NZWPW Champion.
