Off The Ropes
Encyclopedia
Off the Ropes is a professional wrestling
television program
for Kiwi Pro Wrestling
(KPW). The show debuted on Prime TV
in New Zealand on 15 November 2009.
KPW management made the decision to name the show Off the Ropes so that the title format would be similar to Steve Rickard
's famous New Zealand professional wrestling TV programme On The Mat
, broadcast some 25 years earlier.
The show is significant in New Zealand professional wrestling history in that Off the Ropes is the first show featuring New Zealand professional wrestling show to be broadcast on a nationally-available free-to-air television channel since On The Mat ceased transmission by South Pacific Pictures circa 1984.
Off the Ropes began transmission of its 13-episode first season on Sunday 15 November 2009.
on 25 September 2009
,
the Otago Daily Times
on 6 October 2009 and also on 13 October 2009 , the New Zealand TV Guide
on 5 November 2009 , the Truth
on 13 November 2009 , the Herald on 14 November 2009 and also on and 25 September 2009 , the New Zealand Listener
on 14 November 2009 , the Sunday Star-Times on 15 November 2009 and the Sunday News
on 15 November 2009 .
Off the Ropes was also promoted on the New Zealand website Throng on 25 September 2009 and on 15 November 2009 Throng article on "Off the Ropes" premiere.
on 6 November 2009 , and the New Zealand Herald on 2 November 2009 .
KPW wrestler the Technician was interviewed by the Waikato Times
on 11 November 2009 .
KPW wrestler Jade Diamond was interviewed by The Northern Advocate
on 3 November 2009 .
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
for Kiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling is a professional wrestling promotion based in Wellington, New Zealand.-History:Started in May 2006 by veteran New Zealand wrestler Rip Morgan, KPW was formed with the express purpose of taking NZ wrestling from club level to professional level and groom local wrestling talent...
(KPW). The show debuted on Prime TV
Prime Television New Zealand
Prime is the seventh national free-to-air television station in New Zealand. The station airs a mixed group of programmes, largely imported from Australia, the UK and the United States, as well as free-to-air rugby union, cricket and rugby league matches....
in New Zealand on 15 November 2009.
Show history
In October 2009, KPW announced the launch of a flagship TV show on its website and that the show was to be named Off the Ropes. Later that month, the commencement date and transmission time of the show were announced.KPW management made the decision to name the show Off the Ropes so that the title format would be similar to Steve Rickard
Steve Rickard
Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt , best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, is a retired New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter...
's famous New Zealand professional wrestling TV programme On The Mat
On the Mat
On the Mat was a professional wrestling television program for the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated All Star Pro-Wrestling , or simply NWA New Zealand, that aired on Television New Zealand's TV2 from 1975 to 1984...
, broadcast some 25 years earlier.
The show is significant in New Zealand professional wrestling history in that Off the Ropes is the first show featuring New Zealand professional wrestling show to be broadcast on a nationally-available free-to-air television channel since On The Mat ceased transmission by South Pacific Pictures circa 1984.
Off the Ropes began transmission of its 13-episode first season on Sunday 15 November 2009.
Show format
Currently, the show airs every Sunday at 1:30 pm - 2:00pm on Prime Television New Zealand, a free-to air national television network. Each episode is approximately 24 minutes in length (produced for a 30-minute time-slot) and features usually two matches (two singles matches, or one singles match and one tag team match), wrestler interviews in the Backstage Pass segment hosted by KPW staff member Ilex Bell, and backstage vignettes that reveal more of the wrestlers' personality and motivations.KPW Heavyweight Championship
| Wrestler: | Defeated: | Date: | Place: | Event: | Notes: |
| H-Flame | Jonnie Juice Jonnie Juice Jonnie Juice is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is currently contracted to the Wellington based promotion Kiwi Pro Wrestling.-New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling:... |
21 July 2006 | Taita Taita, New Zealand Taitā is one of the easternmost suburbs of Lower Hutt City in New Zealand, situated toward the northern end of the city... , Lower Hutt Lower Hutt Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the... |
Eruption | Tournament final for the vacant championship |
| Inferno | H-Flame | 13 December 2009 | Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... , NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Off the Ropes | Episode broadcast 13 Dec 2009 |
| Max Damage | Inferno | 31 January 2010 | Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... , NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Off the Ropes | Episode broadcast 31 Jan 2010 |
| The Technician | Max Damage | 16 July 2010 | Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... , NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Make Or Break |
KPW Tag Team Championship
| Team: | Defeated: | Date: | Place: | Event: | Notes: |
| The Renegades (The Technician and Kade Morgan "3G") | Whetu and Jade Diamond | 8 May 2009 | Newtown Newtown, New Zealand The suburb of Newtown lies in the southern part of Wellington in New Zealand. The population at the last census was recorded as 8,409.The suburb lies east of Vogeltown, between Mount Cook and Berhampore... , Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... |
Rise of the Champions | Tournament final for the vacant championship |
Authority figures
- KPW CEO Rip MorganRip MorganMike Morgan is a former professional wrestler from New Zealand who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling best known as Rip Morgan. Best known as one half of the New Zealand Militia in WCW with Jack Victory...
- KPW GM Terry the Golden Greek
- Mr Rumble
Referees
- Head Referee Daniel Martins
- Mark Freemantle
Commentators
Recurring segments
Backstage Pass, host by Ilex BellPrint and other media
Off the Ropes was previewed and promoted in the National Business ReviewNational Business Review
The National Business Review is a weekly New Zealand newspaper aimed at the business sector. The paper is owned by Barry Colman who also publishes the Grocers Review and several other small trade publications....
on 25 September 2009
,
the Otago Daily Times
Otago Daily Times
The Otago Daily Times is a newspaper published by Allied Press Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand.-History:Originally styled The Otago Daily Times, the ODT was first published on November 15, 1861. It is New Zealand's oldest surviving daily newspaper - Christchurch's The Press, six months older, was a...
on 6 October 2009 and also on 13 October 2009 , the New Zealand TV Guide
TV Guide (New Zealand)
TV Guide is a New Zealand magazine that lists the television programs for each week.- Regular Features :* Hot List - Andy Wallace recommends shows* A Quick Word - TV Guide interviews stars on television...
on 5 November 2009 , the Truth
New Zealand Truth
The New Zealand Truth is a tabloid newspaper published weekly in New Zealand. It started as the Auckland Truth in 1887.Described as "scandal mongering" and "scurrilious", it has employed well-known New Zealand authors, e.g. Robin Hyde in 1928....
on 13 November 2009 , the Herald on 14 November 2009 and also on and 25 September 2009 , the New Zealand Listener
New Zealand Listener
The New Zealand Listener is a New Zealand magazine. First published in 1939 and edited by Oliver Duff and the Monte Holcroft it originally had a monopoly on the publication of of upcoming television and radio programmes. In the 1980s it lost its monopoly on the publication of upcoming television...
on 14 November 2009 , the Sunday Star-Times on 15 November 2009 and the Sunday News
Sunday News
The Sunday News is a New Zealand tabloid newspaper published each weekend by the Fairfax group in Auckland. In addition to a self-described 'punchy' take on the news, it features coverage of weekend sport, entertainment, star gossip, fashion and TV listings.The Sunday News has editorial offices in...
on 15 November 2009 .
Off the Ropes was also promoted on the New Zealand website Throng on 25 September 2009 and on 15 November 2009 Throng article on "Off the Ropes" premiere.
Wrestlers' interviews
KPW mainstay H-Flame was also the subject of a cover story for the internationally-distributed Fire & Rescue, the official New Zealand Fire service magazine and was also featured in the Wanganui ChronicleWanganui Chronicle
The Wanganui Chronicle is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Wanganui, it celebrated 150 years of publishing in September 2006.Local resident Henry Stokes first proposed the paper for Petre, as the town was then called, but initial publication was held back by lack of equipment...
on 6 November 2009 , and the New Zealand Herald on 2 November 2009 .
KPW wrestler the Technician was interviewed by the Waikato Times
Waikato Times
The Waikato Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a circulation to the greater Waikato region.The Waikato Times started out as the tri-weekly Waikato Times and Thames Valley Gazette, first published on 2 May 1872...
on 11 November 2009 .
KPW wrestler Jade Diamond was interviewed by The Northern Advocate
The Northern Advocate
The Northern Advocate is the regional daily paper for the city of Whangarei and the Northland Region.-History:The Whangarei Comet and Northern Advertiser was founded in 1875 as a weekly paper by George Edwin Alderton and, despite a small population which lead to predictions the paper would "would...
on 3 November 2009 .