Chad Howard got the better of Paul Sayers one last time earlier tonight, stealing a win from his former tag team partner in Sayers’ final match with NZWPW.
Citing health issues, Sayers had announced he would be stepping away from the ring after the Live Pro Wrestling event in Naenae, with him and Howard scheduled to defend their NZWPW tag team titles against Hayden Thiele and Jade Priest in his final bout.
Thiele and Priest scored an upset victory over the 20/20 Experience to win the tag team titles in the first match of the night, and when Howard and Sayers continued to argue whose fault the loss was after the match, Sayers decided to go all-out and challenge Howard to a tables match in the main event of the evening.
Howard and Sayers have not seen eye-to-eye at all in 2013, and the two were ready for a war when their match finally began.
“That Young Warrior” plucked Howard from the middle rope and rattled him with a bucklebomb as the bell sounded, before flying through the ropes with a suicide dive. The pair then engaged in a brawl around the ringside area, where many front-row Sayers supporters clipped Howard with punches or open-hand chops.
When the pair moved back to the ring it didn’t take long for a table to follow, and both were soon balanced precariously close to the wood in the corner.
Sayers signalled for a superplex but Howard held on and countered, locking a sleeper hold onto his former tag team partner that led to both men falling from the middle rope through the table.
With no clear winner, referee Chris Ferguson opted to let the match continue instead of rule it a draw, and both men were soon back on their feet.
A folding chair became their next weapon of choice, which Howard swung at Sayers’ head, busting him open.
The blood didn’t impede Sayers’ performance, and “That Young Warrior” almost put Howard down with a superkick. Howard used the referee as a human shield though, saving himself from the brunt of Sayers’ attack.
Sayers tried one more time and staggered Howard with a superkick before delivering a brainbuster through a second table that should have won him the match, except there was no referee.
Sayers tried to revive the ref while Howard slowly got back to his feet and again blasted Sayers with a chair.
Howard then dragged Sayers on top of the broken table and helped referee Chris Ferguson back to his feet in time to call for the bell and declare Howard the winner of the match.
Sayers took a microphone after the match and began to thank his friends and family for their support until “Rufguts” Roddy Gunn and The Nobodies interrupted his final address.
The Nobodies easily triple-teamed the already injured Sayers, and dropped him with a superkick to the back of the head courtesy of JC Star before the entire NZWPW roster flooded the ring to chase them away and lift Sayers back to his feet.
Members of the roster lifted Sayers onto their shoulders and gave the former tag team titleholder a round of applause amidst a chant of “Thank You Paul” from the Naenae audience.
NZWPW Live Pro Wrestling Results:
- NZWPW Tag Team Championship:
Hayden Thiele & Jade Priest def. The 20/20 Experience (Chad Howard & Paul Sayers) (c) - Misty def. Frankie Quinn
- NZWPW Championship:
Ben Mana (c) def. Axl - ”Rufguts” Roddy Gunn def. Graham Hughes and “The Shooter” Shane Sinclair
- Rodeo Drive (Bryant & Charlie Roberts) def. El Condor & Stix
- Tables Match:
Chad Howard def. “That Young Warrior” Paul Sayers
