Wrestling star Natalya lets Vodafone Warriors Ruben Wiki and Manu Vatuvei know who's boss at Mt Smart Stadium. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Wrestling star Natalya lets Vodafone Warriors Ruben Wiki and Manu Vatuvei know who's boss at Mt Smart Stadium. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Big-time professional wrestling came to Vector Arena in Auckland last night as WWE wrestlers from the Smackdown and Extreme Championship Wrestling stables bumped and bashed their way through a series of matches, delivering drop kicks and body slams before thousands of excited fans.

Earlier, the Vodafone Warriors had their chance to size themselves up against the talent when MVP, CM Punk and Natalya visited the rugby league squad at their Penrose headquarters. The three were greeted with a thunderous team haka led by Wairangi Koopu.

WWE diva Natalya, daughter of 80s legend Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, is on her first visit to New Zealand. The haka stunned the third-generation star, but it went down a treat.

"They're very sexy", Natalya said of the Warriors. "Strong leg muscles!"

The Canadian beauty is single, but not looking to maintain a relationship on the road. "It'd be hard to do on-the-go, and I love being a diva."

Warriors prop Ruben Wiki, who brought his son to the meeting and presented each wrestler with a team jersey, told the Herald his family regularly watched Smackdown on television.

He was looking forward to the action at Vector.

"I'll be wearing my Queensland shirt tonight", said Wiki, referring to the State of Origin II match last night in which his teammates Steve Price and Brent Tate were to turn out for the Maroons.

While the Warriors made an impression on the chatty MVP, he held his own opinion about who had greater athletic credentials. "I'm used to being around guys above average size," he said after posing for photographers in his new jersey.

"To play rugby you need one ball. To be a professional wrestler, you need at least two."

Batista, a hulking specimen of a man from Washington DC, performed in the evening's main event - a contest for the World Heavyweight Championship held by Canada's "Rated-R Superstar", Edge.

ECW Heavyweight Champion Kane and 19-year WWE veteran the Undertaker competed in a tag-team match against former Olympic weightlifter Mark Henry and the Great Khali.

The Undertaker is making his third visit to New Zealand after tours in 2006 and 2007, but according to the Smackdown televised storyline, this tour may be the Kiwi fans' last chance to see him. Last week he was retired by Edge after a torrid world championship match.