SPW New Zealand and MCW recently presented the Southern Rumble 2019 and it was an extremely memorable event to say the very least. The show starts off with a very professionally produced opening video package. In the video package is parts of a music video from the band Devilskin with their track Endo playing as well. This opening video immediately gets you psyched up for what is bound to be an exciting night of wrestling action from two incredible companies.
The opening match of the night is between Kingi and The Falcon Kid. The Whole Falcon show comes out to the delight of the fans on hand as this exciting young man can deliver inside the squared circle. Kingi is one of the most experienced wrestlers in New Zealand, while Falcon Kid is breaking out as a singles competitor in 2019. Falcon Kid previously a tag team competitor is a former SPW New Zealand Tag Team Champion. Falcon Kid immediately out of the gates utilizes his quick pace and high flying ability to get the best of Kingi early on. Kingi inevitably uses his strength and striking ability to slow the pace back down and take control of the Falcon Kid.
There are a few times when the camera operators pan to the crowd and show the excitement on the faces of the crowd on hand. This really adds to the match as it shows how passionate everyone there is about wrestling. Kingi really works the crowd and drives them to dislike him. Falcon Kid lands some flips in this match and he lands it is so spot-on perfect like you just have not seen. Falcon Kid gets the victory via pinfall in the opening match of the night. Huge win for the Whole Falcon Show here over a powerhouse veteran the likes of Kingi. This match got the crowd into it and did an excellent job of warming things up for the night.
Will Power versus Gino Gambino is the next matchup on the card. Gino Gambino makes his way to the ring and uses some colorful language to describe the city. The fans on hand are not too pleased with the words being said by Gino Gambino at Southern Rumble.
Gambino begins to sing the Australian national anthem before he is abruptly cut off by Will Power making his way to the ring. This is the first SPW vs MCW match of the evening with Gambino representing MCW and Will Power representing SPW. Gambino makes an early attack on Will Power inside the ring and forces the referee to immediately call for the start of the match.
There is a spot where Gino Gambino pulls down the back of his own tights with intent to put Will Power’s face in his back end. Will Power would not allow this to happen. So he takes immediate control of the match. He finishes Gambino off with a frog splash. Huge win and a great start to the night for SPW New Zealand. The match was pretty quick with not a lot of action involved. This one was more comedic and for the entertainment value.
Loverboy Lochy Hendricks representing MCW takes on SPW New Zealand’s Shane Sinclair. Loverboy Lochy Hendricks is easily the loudest individual in the room when he enters the squared circle. Shane Sinclair the former SPW New Zealand champion brings a different set of skills to the table in this clash of styles. At one moment in the match Lochy Hendricks goes for the crossbody from the top ropes. However, Shane Sinclair catches him and turns the match around in his favor. Loverboy Lochy Hendricks may be annoying but it is what is part of his appeal. Hendricks grinds your gears and then to just seal the deal Hendricks picks up the victory at Southern Rumble.
Next up we have one one one competition as Impressive Inti Hartwell takes on Kelly Anne. This is a rivalry that has been taking place all over Australia. And now it comes to the SPW New Zealand ring. Indi Hartwell takes early control of the match grounding Kelly Anne. Indi Hartwell has a mean streak a mile wide and it shows in this match. Kelly Anne gets back into things using quick-paced moves, and then a vicious running knee strike that lands perfectly.
Indi Hartwell gets a straight jacket submission lock on Kelly Anne. But Kelly Anne breaks the hold by getting the bottom ropes with her teeth. Kelly Anne, in the end, picks up the pinfall victory over her rival Indi Hartwell. Great match here that really had some solid back and forth between these two. In the end, both wrestlers look strong while giving the fans something to remember. Great work here.
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SPW Tag Team Championship match between the South Pacific Power Trip (Travis Banks & TK Cooper) as they take on the champions Deadly Sins (Kane Khan & J.K Moody). Many would say that these two teams are two of the best in all of New Zealand. There is no denying the high level of talent on display in this match. Deadly Sins open their entrance with a remarkable video package detailing their time together in SPW New Zealand. Deadly Sins then make one charismatic and energetic entrance. The match immediately becomes a slugfest early out the gate. Deadly Sins display some absolutely remarkable teamwork as they take control of the match. The match then turns in to an out of control battle on the outside of the ring. The commentary team even mentions that it is near impossible to know who the legal men in the match are anymore. The South Pacific Power Trip do an excellent job of cutting off the ring and making frequent tags as they pick J.K Moody apart. Kane Khan hits a German Suplex and Belly To belly Suplex simultaneously to the South Pacific Power Trip. The tandem team work from Deadly Sins is pitch perfect and very effective. The action in this competition is unbelievable and non stop all through the entire match. The South Pacific Power Trip hit a double coast to coast to Kane Khan and go for a double pin to which they are met with disbelief when Khan reaches down deep to kick out. T.K Cooper hits a top rope Spanish Fly to Kane Khan but his pin fall attempt is thwarted by J.K Moody. The this is awesome chants begin to echo through the arena and they are very warranted, these four men are producing a contest to remember. In the end Deadly Sins hit a top rope Sin City finisher and pick up the victory. All four men share a beer after the match is over and show a sign of respect, the audience just erupts for all of this and it is one of those feel good moments in wrestling that you have to experience.
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It is one on one action, the Human Hate Machine T-Rex makes a very epic video entrance. The video ends and leads to a continued entrance that is remarkable and really makes an instant impact going in to this contest. Dowie James is the next wrestler that is up in this contest. Dowie James is announced as 8ft tall and 500lbs , look him up sometime and I am sure you will be smiling. These two men go absolutely wild in this match. There is the fast paced high flying moves from Dowie James, then some hard hitting action from the big man T-Rex. Then there is a spot with a bunch of steel chairs in the ring that leads to absolute carnage. Dowie James hits a move in which he does a cartwheel and then takes hold of T-Rex and plants him with a DDT. T-Rex nearly breaks Dowie James in half through a table that is positioned in the corner of the ring. T-Rex sets up two more tables side by side in the ring. Dowie James is down on the tables as T-Rex climbs to the middle rope, before T-Rex can jump though Dowie James shakes off the cobwebs and sets in a kick to T-Rex. Dowie James then sets the tables one on top of the other and intends to hit a hurricarana to T-Rex through the tables. The result does not work out though as T-Rex quickly turns the move around and power bombs Dowie James through the two tables and picks up a very hard earned victory. These two men went to war and risked their bodies for our entertainment, what a hell of a show.
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Winner takes all SPW New Zealand Championship vs The MCW Championship. Hooligan vs SLEX and with the role SLEX has been on in 2019 it is hard to see him not coming out victorious. Hooligan has a mean streak in him, I mean come on it is in the name. SLEX comes out arrogantly letting the audience know that he is the best. Hooligan makes his entrance to a seas of cheers from the SPW New Zealand faithful who do not want to see their championship taken off of home territory. Meanwhile SLEX has all of MCW riding on his shoulders, nobody from MCW wants to witness their championship end up staying right here in New Zealand. A flurry of quick paced back and forth attacks are quickly countered by each men as they try and look for their opponent to make that early mistake. SLEX just owns his heel role making the crowd despise him for everything that he does. SLEX hits his SLEX bomb on Hooligan but it is not quite enough to put the SPW New Zealand Champion away. SLEX makes the mistake of giving Hooligan a bit too much time to recover and Hooligan then turns the match around in his favor. SLEX gets back control when he holds Hooligan up in a suplex position while standing on the middle rope, this was a thing of absolute perfection. SLEX is a very fit tough guy and his balance on the ropes is something of pure perfection. The balance continues to go back and forth between these two men and then Hooligan ducks a clothesline which leads to SLEX taking the referee out. Professor Palmer comes out and gets the attention of Hooligan, these two have a deep seeded rivalry between them. Shane Sinclair then comes out and attacks Hooligan with the Championship belt and taking Hooligan right out. Despite these attacks once the referee finally gets up and begins to count the fall, Hooligan finds that last ounce of strength to kick out and keep himself alive in the match. Hooligan manages to land a satellite ddt followed by the punt to the head of SLEX, but Professor Palmer pulls the referee out of the ring to break up the count costing Hooligan his hard earned victory. The commentary team point out that this has become a handicap match, but Hooligan begins to fight back until it is only one on one again with SLEX. Hooligan then misses the punt which allows SLEX to hit a disaster kick and then a tombstone, still not enough to keep Hooligan down for the count. SLEX lands the SLEXecution spinning kick and it finally becomes too much for Hooligan and SLEX is the winner. SLEX is now the first ever SPW New Zealand and MCW World Champion at the exact same time. What a war that proved Hooligan is one of the toughest son of a guns in the entire business. SLEX is a marvel of a performer and proves why he is not only one of the best in Australia, but he is turning out to be one of the best anywhere in the world.
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Now time for the Southern Rumble where the winner will get to challenge SLEX for the SPW and MCW championships. The rules of the match are two wrestlers will start off, every 60 seconds a new wrestler will enter, the only way to be eliminated is by being thrown over the top ropes and having both feet touch the floor. The first entrant has to be one of the most hated men in all of New Zeland at the moment Professor Palmer who assisted SLEX with his victory over Hooligan earlier in the night. Palmer then announces that entrants number 2, 3, and 4 are no other then the other three members of the faction known as Detention. This gives Detention a 4 person advantage going in to this Southern Rumble, it also makes the pieces begin to fit as Palmer has pulled tricks here to try and guarantee a member of Detention get the championship spot against SLEX in order to bring their championship back to SPW. This is a very sneaky and underhanded move pulled by the SPW New Zealand General Manager. Palmer calls for the bell and instantly Winston throws Professor Palmer over the top rope to the disbelief of the leader of Detention. Sky and Ryder do not agree with the choice of Winston and throw him over the ropes. On the outside Winston and Palmer exchange blows, while Ryder attempts to eliminate Sky. Detention are falling to pieces and then boom entrant number five is Travis Banks. Travis Banks picks Sky and Ryder apart until entrant number six is the return of Jakob Cross to SPW. Number 7 comes out and it is T.K Cooper so the South Pacific Power Trip are now united inside this competition. Detention hit low blows on The South Pacific Power Trip and then eliminate the both of them much to the disbelief of the audience. Entrant number 8 is Hammer so some more brute strength inside the ring along with Detention and Jakob Cross. Ryder is immediately eliminate by Hammer, and then Sky soon follows. Now we have a meeting between two big monsters of the squared circle. Hammer manages to over power Jakob Cross and eliminate him, now Hammer stands alone waiting for entrant number 9 Jake Sheehan. Jake Sheehan does not show up alone as he has brought the other members of CTRL along with him. CTRL all come in the ring and give a beat down to Hammer, but then entrant number 10 is Will Power who comes in to try and lend a hand to Hammer. Will Power then manages to fight off members of CTRL to clear the ring back to the legal competitors in this one. Jake Sheehan surprises Hammer and throws him over the top. Entrant number 11 is Loverboy Lochy Hendricks so we get a back and forth between Lochy and Will Power immediately. Charlie Roberts comes in at number 12 as a very fresh competitor. Next up at number 13 is Dowie James, keep in mind the near death experience that Dowie James had earlier in the night at the hands of T-Rex. Number 14 is the Whole Falcon Show, the Falcon Kid entering in the ring now. Number 15 is T-Rex, fresh off his win earlier in the evening T-Rex is looking for more competition and there is currently plenty of it inside of the ring. T-Rex goes under the bottom rope so he is not eliminated. While outside on the floor T-Rex grabs a chair and waits until Will Power climbs to the top turnbuckle, T-Rex throws the chair at Will Power which knocks him down to the floor and eliminates him. Will Power comes back to get some revenge on T-Rex until he is sent out. T-Rex then goes to power bomb Falcon Kid to the outside but it is reversed which allows Falcon Kid to eliminate T-Rex. J.K Moody then comes out as the 16th entrant in the match. Shooter Shane Sinclair comes out as entrant number 17, but behind him during his entrance is Hooligan with a chair and he attacks Shane Sinclair. Hooligan then tosses Shane Sinclair in to the ring. Detention come down to take out Hooligan but he then fights them all off ending with a super kick on Sinclair, which causes Sinclair to go over the top ropes and become eliminated. Gino Gambino is number 18 in to this already chaotic Rumble match. Gambino talks smack to the audience until he eats a double super kick from J.K Moody and Falcon Kid which causes his elimination. Time for entrant number 19 Wana Fight, a man who made his debut two years previously at the Southern Rumble. Wana Fight hit a series of strikes which cause the elimination of Charlie Roberts. Down tot eh final entrant in the match and it is last years Southern Rumble winner Kane Khan. Kane Khan pulls off a move in the match here that is just beyond words and so much entertainment. Wana Fight sooner finds himself eliminated shortly after. Sheehan gets eliminate by J.K Moody. Down to four Kane Khan, J.K Moody, Lochy Hendricks, and Dowie James. Deadly Sins now seem like they have the upper hand as this match comes down to its closing moments. Kane Khan then eliminates Lochy Hendricks and we are down to three. Dowie James then takes the opportunity to toss J.K Moody out but Kane Khan throws himself in the way and takes the bullet for his tag team partner, Khan is eliminated and we are down to two. J.K Moody eliminates Dowie James and becomes the winner of the 2019 Southern Rumble Match. J.K Moody becomes the first ever two time Southern Rumble Winner.
The Southern Rumble 2019 was a unbelievable top notch wrestling show from start to finish. This show had something for everyone on it and I would highly recommend you checking it out. If you want to be able to experience SPW and MCW events then head on over to the SPW New Zealand website where you can get signed up for SPW On Demand. The streaming service provides access to both SPW New Zealand and MCW events and it is worth every bit of the investment. SPW New Zealand and MCW complete credit goes to their entire set of teams from the officials, performers, sound crew, video crew, ring crew all of you do amazing work and it shows in the final product that you are all helping to produce. The Southern Rumble 2019 was everything and more that a wrestling fan could want to experience, so why not go and experience it for yourself right now and enjoy some of the absolute best in independent wrestling.
