DAN "THE MAN" STIRLING w/ "THE HYPE" BOBBY COOL vs DISTURBED w/ TNT & "SILENCER" JEAN MIRACLE (Kickboxing match)
The rookie cruiserweight Disturbed, who had made the unusual move of challenging the New Zealand kickboxing champion Stirling to a kickboxing bout, tried to take liberties early on by landing the first kick before the bell rang. Stirling responded with kicks of his own, then the fighters clinched with Stirling landing some knees before Disturbed managed to break away. Stirling then went to the legs with his kicks, but his punches to the midsection seemed to have little effect as Disturbed taunted him. This motivated Stirling to drive Disturbed into the corner, knee-ing him till a break was forced. Disturbed came back with some punches, and the pair brawled to end the first three minute round.

Disturbed started the second round with a flurry, dropping Stirling to the mat with a jumping kick. Stirling responded with some knees before tossing Disturbed out of the clinch - and the heel responded with a spear-style takedown! I'm not sure that counts as kickboxing, but hey. Stirling stormed back with punches and knees to Disturbed's body, before a kick to the knee - punch to the head 1-2 combo put Disturbed down and out for the ten count.
WINNER - Dan "The Man" Stirling by knockout
TIME - 5:10

New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling announcer Blair Rhodes then introduced the promotion's brand new commissioner - "Bushwhacker" Butch Miller. The kiwi wrestling legend got a thunderous pop, and after hyping the crowd up further with his trademark poses he announced there was to be "no nonsense" in NZWPW from now on, as he was the new sheriff in town.

INFERNO vs CREED
This was originally supposed to be one of four quarterfinals in a tournament to crown a new Catchweight Champion, but X-Rated was announced to be injured, cancelling his quarterfinal against "Silencer" Jean Miracle and leaving me unsure if this counted towards a tournament or not. Regardless, the fan favourites locked up, with Creed opening with a hammerlock, and Inferno responding with a fireman's carry takedown. Creed rolled this through into an armwringer then tossed Inferno over. The pair shook hands before the next lockup, with Inferno dominated with an armwringer. The fiery face hit two arm drags and a scoop slam, but a Flaming Elbow missed. They shook hands again before Inferno went back to the arm wringer, stepping over it and rolling Creed into a jugi-gatame. Creed's attempts to power out saw the bigger man pull him back into the hold, so he changed tactics, rolling the move through into a deathlock. Inferno countered with a headlock, and this time Creed did power up, grabbing a hammerlock. Inferno pulled Creed's leg out but was unable to apply his trademark vertical surfboard. Instead he applied an arm-wringer, but Creed grabbed veteran referee Philip Woodgate's hand and used it to flip himself out of the move! Inferno flipped out of Creed's armwringer in slightly less creative manner, but a hook kick put him down. Creed grabbed a headlock but was pushed off towards the ropes, and a double lariat sent both men to the mat. As they struggled to their feet they started a slugfest, which Inferno won. He sent Creed to the ropes and hit a shoulderblock, but an Afterburner chokeslam was broken by Creed, who hit a huge axe kick for the one, two, three.
WINNER - Creed by pinfall
TIME - 5:33

"SHINING" NICK SILVER vs OUTBACK JACK
Outback Jack is veteran super-heavyweight Les "The Slammer" Barrett with a retooled gimmick - and nationality. He opened on the debuting Silver with an eye gouge, a neck strike and some forearms, then dropped him with a headbutt. He flipped Silver over with a DDT-style Judo throw, then grabbed a front facelock which Silver tried to fight out of with some punches. Unfortunately for him Jack wasn't in a selling mood, punching Silver down and choking him on the ropes, before clubbing him on the mat. He then hit a powerslam, covered, and Silver had, true to his name, come second.
WINNER - Outback Jack by pinfall
TIME - 1:50

THE RAM vs CHROME
This is Chrome's first NZWPW match since September last year, and The Ram welcomed him back to the game with a pre-bell ambush. He whipped Chrome from pillar to post, following him in with lariats, before sending him down with a big kick to the side of Chrome's dome. He snapmared Chrome over and applied a surfboard stretch, and when Chrome tried to punch his way out he got clubbed down. The Ram cheekily polished Chrome's head with a rag while holding him in a headlock, but had his fun cut off with a jaw-jacker. Chrome lariated The Ram down and applied a chinlock, but The Ram pushed him off to the ropes and hit a shoulderblock, then a hiptoss. Creed came back with a headbutt to the midsection and a clothesline for two. The Ram got a pinning predicament of his own with a sunset flip, and when Chrome kicked out he got his knee slammed into the mat. The Ram rolled to the outside to smash Chrome's knee to the steel pole, then back in the ring he dropped an elbow on Chrome's knee, then stretched it out, using the ropes for illegal leverage. He snapped Chrome's leg over, but Chrome reversed a whip to corner and hoisted The Ram up for the V-8 (bridging Samoan drop), but his knee gave out under the weight. As the referee checked on Chrome's possible injury The Ram wrapped a chain around his fist and decked Chrome, but Philip Woodgate saw the chain as The Ram went for a cover and called for the disqualification.
WINNER - Chrome by disqualification
TIME - 5:54

Butch Miller came out again for a segment called the "Bushwhacker Shack", interviewing New Zealand Heavyweight Champion Island Boy Si, sporting a new belt festooned with flowers. The pair were getting along famously until The Ram butted in, taunting IBS with some racially charged insults till the normally amiable Islander attacked, prompting The Ram to head back to the locker room.

MAX DAMAGE vs BUCK
Buck, who debuted this March as "The Professional" Harvey Dollars, is now working a rugby player gimmick. The two big men had several lockups end in stalemates till Buck hit a headlock takeover. He was pushed off towards the ropes and hit with a shoulderblock by the Taranaki monster Max Damage. Damage threw some punches, but Buck blocked them and landed punches of his own, then laid in some chops too. Damage reversed this onslaught with some forearms, then choked Buck on the top rope before throwing him off. He hit a big bodyslam, but a lariat missed and Buck landed a big boot. He hit a lariat (now, isn't that a high tackle?), but Outback Jack came out to distract the All Black jersey-wearing footballer. This distraction allowed Damage to club Buck down, then Jack joined in the beating, drawing a DQ. A double lariat was ducked, however, and Buck lariated them both down, hit Damage with a rugby tackle then sent Jack packing with a clothesline.
WINNER - Buck by disqualification
TIME - 5:33

JUICE vs N.O.S.
Juice, sporting new glittery tights, was put in a N.O.S. armwringer from the first lock up, and when he reversed it into an armwringer of his own his masked opponent flipped over to apply an armbar. Juice powered up and cinched in a hammerlock, then used a headlock takedown. N.O.S. reversed that into a headscissors, but Juice came back with another headlock. He then got dirty by raking N.O.S.'s eyes across the top rope, and standing onto his back to choke him on the ropes. N.O.S. was whipped to the ropes, but scored with a jumping shoulderblock. A monkey flip sent Juice flying, but a second one was blocked. He went off the ropes again but ran into Juice's knee, and the former Youngblood hit a Russian legsweep, a legdrop, and applied a chinlock. N.O.S. struggled to his feet and scored with some elbows, then showed his flying skill with a flying headscissors takeover and a hurracanrana, earning a nearfall. The Stop, Drop & Roll (rolling spear) was dodged by Juice, who capitalised with a lariat. He blatantly choked N.O.S., but the luchadore responded with brawling, then hit the Stop, Drop & Roll! He then springboarded off Juice's back to the middle rope into a legdrop and, dissatisfied with the execution his first attempt at this spectacular move, gave Juice another one. He hoisted Juice up for the Overdrive (Michinoku Driver) but Juice slipped out the back and hit the Simply Squeezed (Roll the Dice) out of nowhere, then placed his feet on the ropes to make a tainted pin.
WINNER - Juice by pinfall
TIME - 6:58

THE PUNISHER vs D-HOYA w/ "THE HYPE" BOBBY COOL
The pair locked up, and the enormous Punisher shoved the former Catchweight Champion off like a ragdoll. They locked up again and The Punisher bodyslammed D-Hoya with ease. A third lockup saw The Punisher push D-Hoya into a corner, but D-Hoya fought back with brawling. A pair of shoulderblocks couldn't floor The Punisher, but a crossbody did, earning two and prompting The Punisher to bail. Back inside The Punisher suckered D-Hoya with a test of strength, kicking D-Hoya instead and taking him apart pillar to post. D-Hoya reversed a whip to the corner and followed in with a jumping back elbow. A second charge to the corner met The Punisher's knee, and the masked monster stomped D-Hoya's fingers and kicked his head before locking in a bearhug. D-Hoya escaped by ringing The Punisher's bell - to a beat supplied by the clapping crowd, no less - and hit a clothesline for two. The Punisher used an eye poke to regain control, then a throat thrust and some chops. Off the ropes D-Hoya hit two shoulderblocks and a Liquidiser (spinning shin kick) for two. The Punisher again came back with cheating, popping D-Hoya low. He then snapmared D-Hoya over and applied a chinlock variation. At this point The Ram and a suit-wearing X-Rated came out, even as D-Hoya fought back, hitting a dropkick and a Dancing Legdrop. X-Rated distracted veteran referee Philip Woodgate from counting D-Hoya's attempted pin, and The Ram - his fist still wrapped with that chain from his match against Chrome - leaned into the ring to punch D-Hoya in the skull. D-Hoya was out, and The Punisher managed to roll over and take the pinfall.
WINNER - The Punisher by pinfall
TIME - 8:53

In a post-match interview D-Hoya challenged The Punisher to a lumberjack match at NZWPW's next show.

IVAN DRAGUNOV vs ISLAND BOY SI w/ "THE HYPE" BOBBY COOL (New Zealand Heavyweight Title match)
Dragunov opened up on IBS from word go, clubbing the champion down and stomping him. He dropped elbows, choked him with his knee, dropped a headbutt and slapped IBS dismissively, but The Islander responded with brawling and a big spinebuster. IBS dropped an elbow for two; a leg for two; and his head for two more, then grabbed a headlock. Dragunov poked IBS's eyes in response and a applied a rear chinlock, then an armbar, keeping IBS down with liberal hair pulling. He send the champ off the ropes and hit a stiff clothesline, before returning to the mat with a nerve hold, then a headlock. IBS powered up, striking with elbows, and punched the big Russian into a corner. He followed in with a clothesline, whipped him to the opposing corner, but this time his corner charge ate boot. Dragunov hit the Cossack legdrop, then grabbed his Red Flag intent on delivering more punishment. IBS blocked the flag shot however, and hit a big suplex. He then sent Dragunov off the ropes and grabbed him on the way back, hitting the Island Time (Uranage) for three!
WINNER - Island Boy Si by pinfall
TIME - 8:56

IBS and his manager / cheerleader The Hype entertained the crowd post-match with dancing, till X-Rated and The Ram made their presence felt again. The injured X-Rated distracted them while The Ram attacked from behind with Dragunov's flag. The Hype fell to the floor and got pummeled by X-Rated, but IBS fought back, forcing The Ram to return to the back, taunting Island Boy Si every step of the way.

And on a more personal note, this is my last NZWPW recap for nzpwi.co.nz. I'd like to thank Dion McCracken for the opportunity and free DVDs, and above all, all the guys involved with New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling, without whom I'd have nothing to write about, and far less fun on Friday nights once a month. Good luck to my successor, and thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed my efforts.

(Photos: Christopher Doyle)