It is with great sadness that I announce today that the NZPWI Invitational is no more.

It was never a dream of mine to promote a professional wrestling show. It never interested me. In fact, it never interested me to be a part of the pro-wrestling industry in any way, shape or form. I've always enjoyed being a fan and always enjoyed reporting on the business with NZPWI. I fell into commentating with IPW (although commentating sports was a dream of mine since childhood, to be fair). But promoting was never remotely on the agenda.

Then one day in early 2006, a lightbulb went off in my head to a problem I'd been struggling with regarding the New Zealand scene.

How can the New Zealand promotions get more publicity and how can NZPWI help with that?

*Bing*

Bring together the best of the best, throw some reasonable money at the show and attempt to get national television exposure.

A few phone calls later, and the NZPWI Invitational journey began.

August 12, 2006 and November 10, 2007 will be days and nights I will never forget. We were able to assemble the best of the best. And for one night, more than ever before, the boys were Superstars. They were part of a production which was on a greater scale than anything seen in this country in almost 20 years. They put on some of the greatest matches we've seen in this era of New Zealand professional wrestling. They were watched by over 100,000 people on SKY Television.

We got what we strived for: more publicity for the New Zealand promotions. In that regard, the Invitational was a massive success.

It was never intended as a commercial venture. I can tell you that both Invitationals were run at a loss. This was about the boys. This was about helping, in whatever way we could, to get them to take steps towards accomplishing their dreams. In that regard, the Invitational was a massive success.

The Invitational was built on pride. Passion. Glory. Honour. And respect. Those traits were evident for anyone involved.

And it is for those reasons, that I am so very disappointed that we're unable to continue the event.

I'm not for a second going to try and say that the Invitational was the be-all and end-all of the business in New Zealand, because it wasn't. The local promotions will continue to thrive in their "territories" and professional wrestling will stay strong in this country for some time to come.

But I have no doubt that it was the biggest thing going for New Zealand wrestling, and this is, unfortunately, a backwards step.

So why will the NZPWI Invitational not continue?

First of all, let me say that this was a decision which was not reached lightly. It has been a decision I've been trying to come to since December 2007 and one that I have only just reached this month.

I'm not going to go into massive detail here, as there really are many factors.

The large cost and lack of monetary sponsors is a very big part of the equation. The event costs well upward of $15,000 to put on, and with the Bank of McCracken funding it, I'm sure you can imagine it can be a very stressful and worrisome venture. If we were able to land a major sponsor, many of the problems of putting the show on would disappear. But we couldn't, and boy did things become "stress city" around here for several months...

Sure, we could run the Invitational on a shoe-string and cut some corners. But that's not how I operate. If I'm in charge, it's to as high a standard as we're able, without settling.

Another very large factor is time. I've been blessed with an incredible family. A strong, talented, beautiful and very understanding wife who has given me two amazing children. Two AMAZING children. They are the centre of my universe and any and all spare time goes into enjoying them. Each Invitational took hundreds of hours of preparation. And as passionate as I am about the business - it just doesn't come close to my family.

Let me make something very clear - and read this twice if you have to. The "WWE Tryout Debacle" is not "the reason" why the Invitational is being put to rest. It is though, the straw that broke the camel's back. I was sitting on the fence regarding the Invitational, and had recently come up with an interesting way forward for the event. But when the trialists were named, that was it for me. The Invitational was done. Why spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to help an industry that won't try and give back itself?

There is more to it than just the above, but we'll leave it at that. The Invitational is no more. SKY Television had committed to a 2008 event, such was the success of the first two, but my heart just isn't in it.

I still get asked a lot how difficult it was to bring various promotions together. The truth is, it was never difficult. It was always a pleasure, and the boys always got along great. Although there was one promoter who, both years, got in my ear with suggestions about how he'd like "his boy" booked... just one promoter.

I have no doubt though, that an event like the Invitational, involving all New Zealand promotions, will not take place here within the next decade. I'd put money on it. And it'd be a safe bet. That's both a blessing and a curse. It's both a road block and a way forward.

Quick plug: the NZPWI Invitational 2007 DVD is still in production and will still be released, and only a couple of dozen copies of the NZPWI Invitational 2006 DVD still remain.

I'd like to thank the NZPWI Staffers who helped immensely in getting the Invitational off the ground. I hope you enjoyed being involved as much as I did.

I'd like to thank the promotions for supporting both Invitational events. Without them, it simply wouldn't have worked. Thank you for showing faith and I hope we were able to open the door for new fans to your respective promotions.

I'd like to thank the boys who travelled from far and wide to be involved. The excitement in your faces when the cameras rolled made it all worth while. For those of you that want to make the big time, train hard and follow your dreams. Don't wake up when you're 45 and wonder what might have been. Don't be afraid of failing - be afraid of not trying at all.

I'd like to thank Alfred Valentine and Jon E. King - the only two NZPWI Invitational Grand Champions. You two are the very best this country has produced since the days of On the Mat. I'm proud that you two got to carry the trophy. You deserve all the accolades you get.

And finally, if you attended, read about, supported, watched or bought the NZPWI Invitational - I thank you for your support. I hope you enjoyed the shows. I hope the shows exceeded your expectations. And most importantly, I hope you continue to support New Zealand professional wrestling for many years to come.

Will the NZPWI Invitational ever return? Maybe. At this stage, I'll be focussing my efforts elsewhere within the industry.

I am so very proud of what we accomplished. I believe people will look back at the Invitational 2007 in awe of what we put together. It will be a very long time before any New Zealand promotion comes close to topping it.

We set the bar - now go out there and beat it.

"What an amazing night... what an incredible night of action. Goodnight everybody."